PS4 launching Jan. 6 in India

Sony will launch the PlayStation 4 in India on Jan. 6 for 39,990 rupees ($640.79), the company announced yesterday.

"We have received an overwhelming response for PlayStation 4 globally and are hoping to replicate this success in India too," said Kenichiro Hibi, managing director of Sony India, in a press release.

The date represents a shorter lag time than the country saw for the PlayStation 3. Sony released the PS3 in November 2006 in Japan and North America, and launched it in India in April 2007.

PS4 controllers, full retail games and the PlayStation Camera will each cost 4,990 rupees ($79.93), reports Firstpost India. In an interview with Firstpost India regarding the console's price, PlayStation India head Atindriya Bose said the cost comes down to India's tax structure.

"If it was priced lower, would that have been better? Well yes. But I think we've managed to keep the right price within the current tax structure. We can't make the direct conversion from the U.S. price into the Indian price," said Bose. Sony sells the PS4 for $399 in the U.S., £349 in the U.K. and €399 in Europe. According to Bose, India's import taxes and value added tax cause the PS4's retail price to rise by 36 to 37 percent.

"I think for gamers it was within the range of their expectations, so we are quite confident of this price. It could have gone way above," Bose added.