Almost There!

South African PlayStation fans have had to wait while many other territories in the world have managed to get their hands on the PS4. That wait is almost over… the PS4 launches in South Africa this Friday, the 13^th of December 2013.

Last night saw the launch event take place, with members of the press and other industry insiders attending an exclusive event in Sandton, Gauteng. Amid the awesome blue décor and numerous PS4s showing off great games, we managed to speak to Mario dos Santos, CEO of Ster Kinekor Entertainment (the official distributors of the PS4 in South Africa) about what eager fans can expect on Friday.

GM: There have been a lot of rumours about what the situation will be on Friday… will it be possible for South African consumers to find a PS4 in store?

MDS: There certainly won’t be enough to satisfy the market. Most retailers had pre-order activity of some sort. It went beyond the suggested allowance… There will be some retailers that will have units on shelf, but it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be a challenge to find a PS4 on first drop. We are getting a smaller drop again to be on-shelf between the 22^nd and the 24^th, which should help a little. If people can be a little patient between the 13^th and the 23^rd, there will be more consoles available. We’re hoping that our big fan base will have access to the PS4.

GM: And after that? Are we looking at more consoles coming in to South Africa in the New Year?

MDS: There have been no official announcements as yet. The guys [at Sony] are still working on allocation from a manufacturing perspective. We expect another drop towards the end of January 2014, and then things should free up from around March onwards.

MDS: There have been a small number of reports overseas about faulty consoles. What kind of warranty and technical support will be offered locally?

MDS: It will have the same warranty as for PS3. We have an allocation of units for out-of-the-box problems. Reports from the US have been that problems have been very limited – below 1% - and we have sufficient units to support that. Out of the box failure will get a replacement and, beyond that, we will still be running support through PartServe. People can go back to the retailer, but it will be quicker to go through PartServe after the first 30 days.

GM: How do you think the symbiosis between the PS4 and the PS Vita will affect Vita sales locally?

MDS: I think it’s going to be very positive. When Sony initially announced Remote Play I was a little sceptical myself. How functional was it really going to be? But it really does work well, and we’ve seen that the appetite for it seems to be very strong. Both markets we measure – the US and the UK – have seen a significant uptake in Vita sales.

GM: Are we expecting a price drop for the Vita?

MDS: There is some promotional activity – a lot of retailers doing promotional activities at different times, so it’s best to look out for that. Unfortunately the exchange rate continues to go against us and it’s disappointing; it’s putting us under pressure. Some of the decreases that other markets have seen have unfortunately been absorbed by the weakening exchange rate.

GM: During the PS3 generation, the PS2 was a strong entry point for people who were new to gaming, or couldn’t access gaming before. Is the PS3 going to move in to that position after the launch of the PS4?

MDS: That is part of the plan. My view on that (and it is my personal view) is that the price point is still a little high to make it affordable to that market. I am hoping that there will be some change in the New Year.

GM: You have obviously seen quite a bit of the PS4 in action. What is your favourite aspect of the new console?

MDS: I think the Share facility is what embraces the next generation; the social aspect of it. Historically gaming has been a single player, one-on-one experience if you haven’t been onine, but this brings big changes to that. They announced some stats today… in less than a month there have been around 20 million minutes of content uploaded, straight from the Share function. It shows how people have embraced it.

So those that haven’t pre-ordered the PS4 may have a bit of a challenge on their hands. But thanks to the second drop of PS4 units just before Christmas, there will still be some last minute gamers who will be able to enjoy the PS4 before the New Year. Best advice: get it while it’s hot!