Network now...NEWS
PS3 Price Drop Rumors Intensify
An unnamed UK high street retailer has intensified speculation that Sony is set to reduce the price of the PS3.
CVG reports that its source, which comes from within the UK game retail sector, has been informed by Sony of an upcoming price drop. The source adds that the PSP will also see a price drop soon.
No exact date beyond “soon” was given for the alleged measures, nor was a new RRP strategy mentioned, but the source says that a price cut has “been on the cards for a while,” though manufacturers tend to remain ambiguous about price drops until the last minute in order to maintain sales.
Speculation has pinpointed – perhaps in the dark – a PS3 price drop for next week, and it has been suggested that it would be as big a $100 in North America, taking the console’s pricepoint to below the $300 mark. Sony hasn’t alluded to any of this.
SCEE has declined to comment on "specluation".
Speaking to Edge last week, Ed Barton – games analyst for Screen Digest – offered the view that Sony is currently “under pressure” from publishers to lower the price of the Playstation 3.
Contact Us / About Us / Advertise With Us / BeltwayBlips / TechBlips / MassiveBlips / GamerBlips / FAQ
Subscribe To Edge Magazine / Corrections / Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
Subscribe To Edge Magazine / Corrections / Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court 30 Monmouth Street Bath, UK BA1 2BW
England and Wales company registration number 2008885
About bloody time really.
The only way Sony are ever going to overtake Microsoft is to make a big price cut.
a PS3 price drop to $300...the most anticipated thing since...the PS3 itself!
I would think $300 would be a good price point for them. I bet they really move some systems at that price. Especially with the blu-ray capability attracting traditionally non game players
I wonder if they added back in the features they removed to cut the price if they could still hold on to a premium price point, i.e. full backwards compatibility, card readers, etc.
Brian
www.brianwoods.com
Only people who only own one of the other consoles care about full backwards compatibility and card readers.
true statement. if you previously owned a PS2 backwards compatibility is nice. I went out of my way to get an original just for that feature.
Perhaps this 'announcement' has been timed to coincide with the release of the new DS?
While it's certainly possible, it almost seems pointless to do a price drop before E3. This is the slowest period of the year for console sales, regardless of their price, so why not get more bang for your buck by doing it closer to the Holiday Season? By doing it now, they risk a perception problem if sales don't jump to levels not usually seen this time of the year anyway - damned if they do/damned if they don't.
They might even be able to shave costs on components incrementally in those few intervening months reducing their losses somewhat.
With GDC only a week away, what better time to try to build developer confidence with a price drop. This would be a great time honestly. We have developers from all over the globe getting together to talk about game development. During this time, Sony announces a price drop of $100US and the whole conference is abuzz with the news.
One can hope anyway.
er... hold out a bit longer, i meant (been up since yesterday fixing my pc and trying to write - gah)
well, announcing NOW would mean a loss in revenue (slight, perhaps) as people who'd normally buy a PS3 before the drop will wait until the it actually happens. personally, i'd think they'd hold a bit longer out until E3 to announce this.
on the other hand, a price drop announcement sooner will give sony a huge push when they run their E3 lineup using the lower price point with an eye toward current PS2 holdouts looking for another reason to finally make the switch. of course, there's that pesky recession here in the US that might put a pop in sony's balloon, but we'll see how the economy turns in the coming months (to quote someone on the subway a few days back: "i'm not a pessimist, but i'm not optimistic...")
slightly off-topic: one thing i think a lot of anti-sony folks fail to realize is even at its current price, the system offers up a decent amount of value (provided you're in the market for more than "class A" rated games). the upcoming games library is looking exciting (and this year into 2010 could be a turning point for first/third party exclusives) and if sony can overcome a ton of oddball bias it's been getting hit with (from gamers and editor-types alike), that 10-year plan just might seem more of a reality to more than execs and the more hardcore user base...
g.
Well believe it or not all 3 systems(Wii, 360, PS3) have some "Oddball Bias" going on. People generally want everyone to support the choice they made. I've seen it each and every generation. I don't know why everyone takes it so seriously(it is games after all). It is better if all 3 systems do well, an all Sony or Microsoft world will benefit no one. Competition is great for the consumer.
I can be a microsoft or sony naysayer from time to time too. I own the PS3 60gb original and am very happy with it. But it doesn't mean I can find fault with pricing or games available. I currently play my 360 more than my Wii or PS3 due to so many quality shooters. However I picked up Killzone 2 last week and my PS3 has been getting some serious usage.
I for one think a price drop is a great thing. I would like to have an additional PS3 and another 360 for that matter. And of course well all know someone still on the fence waiting for the price to go down before they upgrade.
Sony needs to decide where it stands. Is it about price or is it about value? Is it going to promote the PS3's value argument more effectively than it has in the past or will it concede and appeal to consumers on price?
It's gotta happen really hasn't it? You can't blame them for not announcing it before it happens though. Typo on speculation btw.