Sony's big PlayStation 4 event has come and gone, leaving a lot of important questions unanswered.
Here's one example: How much is the system going to cost?
Sony briefly mentioned a vague "Holiday 2013" timeframe for the PlayStation 4's release, but conveniently left out any mention of price.
The lack of information is disappointing to say the least, but on the bright side, it leaves industry watchers and analysts with more time for what they do best: Produce rampant speculation.
Inside Network analyst Billy Pidgeon told GamesIndustry International that Sony needs to offer two models and hit the $300 range for the PlayStation 4 to be a success.
"I'd like to see maybe two models, one under $300 and one under $400 would be ideal. $299 is the magic price point," he said. "I think this current generation took way too long to get there. It has to be under $400 and honestly if they could subsidize it further and take more of a hit, it might be worth their while in the long run."
As a side note, Pidgeon added that both Sony and Microsoft are going to need to keep the PS3 and Xbox 360 healthy and supplied with games in the period following the next-gen system launches, because initial sales for the PS4 and Xbox 720 will be slower than history suggests.
"Uptake during the first year is going to be slower than people expect. And to keep a viable business in terms of profit margins, they're going to have to do their best to keep their current-gen platforms viable as they're perhaps moving into next-gen more slowly than they did last time," said Pidgeon. "Historically, we've seen generational transitions where the previous generation just dropped off a cliff when the new console came out, but that would really hurt either Sony or Microsoft if that happened."
For what it's worth, other analysts, such as Braid Equity Research's Colin Sebastian, said the PS4 will cost between $350 and $400.
Sony originally launched the PS3 at $499 and $599, so it's widely expected the PS4 will be more budget-friendly.
