Japanese newspaper claims next PlayStation console will cost in excess of 40,000 yen ($428) when it launches in US and Japan this year; PS4 to include biometric controller and cloud streaming.

With two weeks left until a Sony event that is being widely tipped as the official announcement of a new PlayStation console, more rumours have today emerged on the estimated launch window and price of the company”s next home device. Citing Japanese-language newspaper Asahi Shimbun, The Verge reported that the PlayStation 4 will be released in the US and Japan during 2013 and will cost more than 40,000 yen ($428).

The estimated price is a third cheaper than the PlayStation 3's 2006 launch, which debuted at around 60,000 yen in Japan, $599 in North America, £425 in the UK, and $999 in Australia. No specific information was provided on the launch availability for the PS4 in Europe or Australia, leading to speculation that the silence regarding the device in the latter markets may indicate a later 2014 release.

Other details in the paper's report lend further credibility to earlier rumours that the next PlayStation's controller will include biometric support in the form of a rear touchpad (like that found on the PlayStation Vita), and will be a similar size to the current DualShock 3.

A second report by the Nikkei Business Daily said that the PS4 will include integration of Gaikai's cloud streaming service. Sony acquired the firm for $380 million in mid-2012.

GameSpot contacted Sony for clarification on the two reports, but the company declined, saying that it does not comment on rumour or speculation.

For more information on the future of the PlayStation, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

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