The PlayStation 4 will release in India in 2013, Sony has confirmed.
Speaking with IVG, PlayStation India country manager Atindriya Bose said that Sony is targeting a simultaneous launch alongside Europe, but logistical issues could cause a delay of up to a month. That’s still good enough to make a 2013 launch.
“It will be matched with the European launch; give or take a bit to account for Indian logistics. The consoles have to be shipped in advance and currently all consoles also require certification for the India market. In terms of targeting, we’re looking to synchronise with the European launch,” Bose said.
“That’s this year.”
We reminded Bose of the delays that the PS3 faced in India, and asked if that could possibly happen with the PS4.
“It’s unfair to compare the PS4 with PS3 because we have come a long way,” he said. “With PS3, first the world launches took place and then we started looking at the other markets we wanted to go into. For PS4, it will have a timeline that is more aligned with what we had on PS Vita. Being a portable, the logistics had made it easier for us to launch day-and-date [with Europe]. Once we know the European date for PS4, we will work towards that, but there will be some gap, depending on the logistics.”
How much of a gap, you ask? “One month at most, unless there is an issue at the certification level,” Bose said.
Recent rumours have suggested that the PS4 could release on 13th November in Europe, so we could see the console on Indian store shelves by mid-December. That should give the PS4 a massive advantage over the Xbox One, which will only arrive in India officially by late 2014.
