UPDATE:
I missed Sony Japan's announcement that there will be "no price cut" on the PS3. However, nothing has explained the advertising from Circuit City, nor has there been any word from Sony Computer Entertainment America. Not everything coming from the company's headquarters has held up so far, so we'll leave this out as still very possible - though definitely keep in mind there are conflicting reports.
We've all been a little miffed at the presumptive nature Sony has taken with the launch of the PS3. From hearing about everyone needing Blu-ray in their living rooms to telling us how people will be lucky to own one at its astronomical launch price, it seems the company has had PR mis-fire after mis-fire. It's been a rabbit-like attitude from The Tortoise and the Hare since launch, and it's found Sony in last place so far.
Maybe the hare finally woke from his nap - the PS3 is rumoured for a $100 price drop as early as next week.
The news originally came from a sticky-fingered gamer, who snagged an early copy of an advert for American retailer Circuit City. The ad showed the PS3 at $499 after the $100 "price break," but it was originally expected that this was only at the one chain. However, an anonymous interview with the merchandising manager of 'a large retail chain' at GameDaily has uncovered that it is indeed a country-wide price drop.
According to the source, the prices will be effective as of Thursday, July 12th. Advertising for the new price will begin on July 15th. This new price actually puts the PS3 close to the current XBox 360 prices by the time you factor in the hard drive and an HD DVD drive on the XBox. Whether this constitutes a 'value' has yet to be seen, but it certainly does make it a slightly less bitter pill.
Whether the price drop will domino outside of the United States is currently unknown, as this could just be SCEA's own little incentive for sales. However, if it assists enough with languishing sales, it would be foolish not to carry the trend on to other markets. Though it's unlikely that this will catch the system up to the little-engine-that-could that we call the Wii in very short order, it may help get the console some good traction heading into the school season and finally the holidays.
Do you have a thought on the price drop? Does $499 sound a little more reasonable to you, or is it still too much? Join the community discussion and tell us your ideas.
I missed Sony Japan's announcement that there will be "no price cut" on the PS3. However, nothing has explained the advertising from Circuit City, nor has there been any word from Sony Computer Entertainment America. Not everything coming from the company's headquarters has held up so far, so we'll leave this out as still very possible - though definitely keep in mind there are conflicting reports.
We've all been a little miffed at the presumptive nature Sony has taken with the launch of the PS3. From hearing about everyone needing Blu-ray in their living rooms to telling us how people will be lucky to own one at its astronomical launch price, it seems the company has had PR mis-fire after mis-fire. It's been a rabbit-like attitude from The Tortoise and the Hare since launch, and it's found Sony in last place so far.
Maybe the hare finally woke from his nap - the PS3 is rumoured for a $100 price drop as early as next week.
The news originally came from a sticky-fingered gamer, who snagged an early copy of an advert for American retailer Circuit City. The ad showed the PS3 at $499 after the $100 "price break," but it was originally expected that this was only at the one chain. However, an anonymous interview with the merchandising manager of 'a large retail chain' at GameDaily has uncovered that it is indeed a country-wide price drop.
According to the source, the prices will be effective as of Thursday, July 12th. Advertising for the new price will begin on July 15th. This new price actually puts the PS3 close to the current XBox 360 prices by the time you factor in the hard drive and an HD DVD drive on the XBox. Whether this constitutes a 'value' has yet to be seen, but it certainly does make it a slightly less bitter pill.
Whether the price drop will domino outside of the United States is currently unknown, as this could just be SCEA's own little incentive for sales. However, if it assists enough with languishing sales, it would be foolish not to carry the trend on to other markets. Though it's unlikely that this will catch the system up to the little-engine-that-could that we call the Wii in very short order, it may help get the console some good traction heading into the school season and finally the holidays.
Do you have a thought on the price drop? Does $499 sound a little more reasonable to you, or is it still too much? Join the community discussion and tell us your ideas.
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