At its pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference, Sony shocked the crowd when it announced that the PlayStation 4 will be available in Asia in December of this year. This is significantly earlier than the originally scheduled launch date of the console in Japan, which was due out on February 22, 2014.
The new next-generation console from Sony will be launched first in the U.S. on November 15 and many other parts of Europe will get the PlayStation 4 console on November 29.
According to CNET, Customers in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan will get to buy the PS4 in December. The console will be made available in other Southeast Asia countries very soon after. Prices have not been announced yet and will only be revealed during a local launch event in each market sometime in November.
To accommodate the needs of Korean and Chinese speaking customers, launch titles for localized versions of popular launch titles will be available early on. "Watch Dogs" and "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" will be available in Korean and Chinese shortly after the launch of the English versions in the U.S. The latest version of the strategy slasher game "Dynasty Warriors" will come in a Chinese edition at launch as well.
Similar to customers in the U.S. those in Asia can pay a monthly subscription for the PlayStation Plus service, allowing them to game online. The services runs U.S. customers about $5 a month but the company says the price will vary depending on what country you're subscribing in.
The PlayStation 4 and its rival from Microsoft, the Xbox One, will be hitting store shelves in many countries around the world sometime in the fall and early winter, depending on your location. Many already find themselves pre-ordering the consoles and games. The addition of the Asian market to December will likely boost Sony's sales significantly during that quarter.
