A new Japanese PSBlog entry announces a new type of PlayStation 4 model – one with bay cover designs based off of Phantasy Star Online 2, ahead of the upcoming arrival of the very active MMORPG to PS4. Some of you may be remember Yakuza franchise receiving similar special treament for Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami.
For the most part, all of the same packaging ideas apply – monaural headset, HDMI, USB, and power cables, controller, and a special game-themed hard drive bay cover. There are also two versions – a black “ARKS” version and a white “Mascot” version, both of which reflect different designs on their hard drive bay covers. The Mascot version is cuter.
Anyway! It should be noted that the ARKS version comes with the option of either a 500GB hard drive or a 1TB hard drive, while the Mascot version only has a 500GB option. The larger size costs ¥42,480, while the 500GB is ¥5000 cheaper at ¥37,480.
This is Sony’s product page for the PSO2-themed PS4’s. Be sure to visit it, as scrolling down the page will take you to a slideshow with more images of the hardware, and a special piece of packaging artwork for this promotion. The PSO2 PS4’s are due for release on April 20, but preorders are being accepted now.
Unfortunately this news is also a sad reminder that the West does not have access to Phantasy Star Online 2 in any official capacity. We can only hope that SEGA is still pursuing options to localize the game for any fans that are still hopeful.