Sony: $399 is "magic price" for PS4

Masayasu Ito adds that efforts were made to include PlayStation Eye camera, but this proved too costly.

Sony originally planned to include a PlayStation Eye with all PlayStation 4 units, but to keep the system at the "magic price" of $399, the decision was made not to bundle the camera, executive Masayasu Ito told Business Spectator in a new interview.

The Xbox One's $499 price point includes the Kinect 2.0 camera included with every unit. Unlike Sony, Microsoft has no plans to sell an Xbox One bundle without Kinect.

This decision was driven by "pressure from above," the publication reports, adding that Sony is already losing an estimated $60 per every console sold. Sony aims to recoup this loss by selling peripherals, software, and services.

The PS4's lack of a packed-in camera isn't all that upsetting to SCE CEO Andrew House, as he said he does not deem the PlayStation Eye as a system-seller.

"Certainly for the earlier part of the lifecycle, the vast majority of the audience that we speak to tells us that their primary wish is for the full controller interface and there's not necessarily a huge emphasis being placed on camera interaction," House said.

Over time, however, House said Sony could "adjust messaging" on this front. Sony, and other console manufacturers, are known to release new system bundles after launch.

The PS4 launches on November 15.