PS4 China Release Date Delayed, No Future Date Set

Sony’s eighth-generation PlayStation 4 won’t launch in China on Sunday as planned due to “various factors,” the company said in a statement Thursday. The Japan-based company hasn’t revealed when the console will be available, but a Sony source in China told Reuters that “prolonged negotiations” with Chinese authorities were to blame for the delay.

This isn’t the first console delay that China has faced after lifting its 14-year console ban in September.

Microsoft’s Xbox One device was scheduled to be the first foreign console to reach China following the end of the ban. The Redmond, Washington-based company planned to launch a different version of the Xbox One in China that was priced higher than the U.S. version. Microsoft also was collaborating with 25 Chinese developers to release more than 70 titles for the console. However, the company missed its scheduled Sept. 23, 2014, release date and launched the device on Sept. 29. The device sold only 100,000 units in its first week -- not too impressive for a country with more than 1.35 billion people.

Microsoft’s console delay lasted less than one week, but there’s no telling how long Chinese buyers will be denied the opportunity to own a PS4. When the PS4 does launch, it will be priced at about 2,899 yuan, or $467. Sony is in licensing discussions for 30 games in China and is attempting to overcome censorship issues.