Sony Cuts Price Of Playstation 3 By 20%

[KoH]

Shame its only in japan, and only with the cheaper model

Sony is to cut the Japanese cost of its forthcoming PlayStation 3 console by 20%, the consumer electronics giant announced in Tokyo on Friday.

The price cut is aimed at boosting the launch of the machine and making it more competitive with the Xbox 360.

The price for the North American and European launch will stay the same.

The surprise move will see the 20 gigabyte version of the PS3 sell for 49,980 yen ($430) when it goes on sale on 11 November in Japan.

No changes to the price of the higher end model - 60GB version - or European and US prices were announced.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/5369720.stm

 

[shinneri]

And the cheaper model's supposed to make up about 20% of the meager shipment at launch. Though I do believe they decided to add HDMI to the cheap model, which is cool.

EDIT: More competitive with the Xbox 360... in Japan?? I hardly doubt that's the reason Sony lowered the price.

 

[Steve-O]

20gb of harddrive space seems very small when you think that them Blu Ray discs can hold upto 50gb....

 

[Huxley]

They won't be used for storing that much game data though, a bit like the 360's HD.

And if they're cutting the price in Japan, they should really follow suit in the other territories.

 

[nickspoon]

599 US DOLLARS

*cough*

I still can't afford a PS3.

 

[epitaph]

In Japan, yeah.

I hate the way Sony puts prices on products in EU -- they just multiply the American price figure by ten; but as one USD isn't worth ten of my currency (it's somewhere around seven atm) I'll be paying 3/10 more than what US buyers will (i.e. somewhere close to 800 USD) if I want a PS3 on launch. The low-end model isn't an option as it won't be marketed here at all. Plus, I gotta wait 'til March. I'm obviously not going to be one of Sony's initial customers.

On another note, 599 USD isn't that bad when thinking about it -- after all, it's close (save 40 some dollars) to what I paid for my PS2 back in the day.

 

[speedmike]

Does the PS3 have to compete with the x-box 360? I thought the Japanese hate the x-box 360.

 

[epitaph]

Does the PS3 have to compete with the x-box 360? I thought the Japanese hate the x-box 360.

There's the Sakaguchi/Toriyama RPG (whatever it's called) coming up... that might move some 360's.

 

[ste_167]

Was Rockstar Table Tennis meant to be an ice-breaker for the Japanese market?

 

[Goity]

Does the PS3 have to compete with the x-box 360? I thought the Japanese hate the x-box 360.

There's the Sakaguchi/Toriyama RPG (whatever it's called) coming up... that might move some 360's.

Mistwalker