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- Dubai 04:17 05:37 12:18 15:45 18:54 20:14
A Sony PlayStation 4 console is displayed in this November 14, 2013 file photo in a Best Buy store on the upper East Side of Manhattan, in New York. More than a million PlayStation 4 consoles were sold in the first 24 hours of its release in North America, according to manufacturer Sony. The Japanese electronics giant announced the figures in a statement November 17, 2013 as it seeks to gain ground on Microsoft, which is releasing its Xbox One console this week. "PS4 was designed with an unwavering commitment to gamers, and we are thrilled that consumer reaction has been so phenomenal," said Andrew House, president and group chief of Sony Computer Entertainment. (AFP)
For Dh1,000 extra, gamers can get their hands on Sony’s PlayStation 4 in the UAE – with delivery promised on the same day if ordered before 11am.
Online stores such as Souq.com, JadoPado and LetsTango have all listed Sony’s latest console at between Dh2,700 to Dh2,900.
The PlayStation 4 has not yet been officially launched here in the UAE.
The device is priced at $399 in the United States, where Best Buy has already run out of stocks.
Sony is reporting “phenomenal” sales with more than a million units sold in the US and Canada within 24 hours.
PlayStation 4 will be officially released in Europe and Latin America only on November 29 and in the UAE on December 13.
Virgin Megastore, which has been taking pre-orders for the device is promising customers deliveries by the second or third week of December.
“Sales remain very strong in North America and we expect continued enthusiasm,” Andrew House, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment.
'Blue Light of Death'
Sony has clarified that problems being reported about the new PlayStation is affecting only a small fraction of its total sales.
Several online customer reviews and comments have pointed out that many the devices have simply stopped working with what is now being termed as the ‘Blue Light of Death’.
Many users said the device simply does not function and results in just a blinking blue light. “My device is just an expensive paperweight,” one user commented.
Dan Race, a spokesman for Sony’s United States video games division the affected devices were very small in number.
“This is within our expectations for a new product introduction, and the vast majority of PS4 feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” Race said.
“We are closely monitoring for additional reports, but we think these are isolated incidents and represent a very small percentage of total units shipped to consumers to date.”
No warranty in UAE
It is unlikely that these consoles currently available in the UAE will come with warranties though, given that they are what the industry refers to as "parallel stock".
In which case a buyer of the console could be exposed to the 'Blue Light of Death' threat and with no re-course to compensation.
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