Sony who is desperate to generate sales of their new Xperia XZ2 smartphone, is tipped to be set to give away a free PlayStation 4 with all preorder’s.
In Australia Sony Mobile has struggled to grow sales according to IDC who data reporting is currently under investigation for double counting of ZTE handset sales.
According to sources customers will get a choice between a PSVR or PlayStation 4 and a copy of Gran Turismo Sport for no additional cost. The offer is already being rolled out in the UK.
Released at MWC this year, Sony’s XZ2 has undergone a significant design change from previous Xperia devices to compete with serious competition from Apple, Google and Samsung.
What is surprising is that Sony who are fast becoming a major player in the audio market, have chosen to eliminate the headphone jack.
To compensate for the headphone jack removal Sony is touting the XZ2’s slow motion capabilities, beefed up specs and a total redesign.
In a post on the Sony Mobile blog, the Japanese Company claimed that the removal of the headphone jack was necessary to accommodate the Ambient Flow design.
The firm wrote: “This is part of the shift to our new Ambient Flow design language. In order to create the beautiful seamless design, our designers needed to remove the headphone jack. Plus, we’re aware of the major market trend toward wireless headphones over wired headphones.”
Sony assured Xperia fans both handsets would arrive with an adapter, allowing headphones to be plugged into the phone’s charging port. The lack of the 3.5mm jack won’t damage the phone’s ability to transmit Hi-Res audio either.
Offering a free PS4 seems like a bold move by the Japanese tech giant, but it’s worth remembering that this is a PlayStation 4, not a PlayStation 4 Pro and there have been rumours of Sony launching its next console very soon (always take these with a pinch of salt).
So, shifting out older inventory whilst potentially boosting mobile sales is a neat way for Sony to offload what will be old stock.
Those who do take up the offer will be able to take advantage of the new phones remote gaming capability – otherwise known as “Remote Play” which has been a staple USP of Xperia devices for some time now.
It’s unlikely that this giveaway is going to change Sony’s fortunes when it comes to mobile sales or make a dent in Apple and Samsung’s dominance. But it might help shift some old PlayStation stock and add an extra zero to shipped handsets.
