Sony has decided to slash the price of the PlayStation 3 by 20% when the long-awaited games console goes on sale in November.
The decision was prompted by concern that the PS3's original price tag of 62,790 yen (£284) would push gamers towards cheaper systems made by Microsoft and Nintendo.
The cheaper PS3, with a 20-gigabyte Hard Drive, will now cost ¥49,980 (£226) when it goes on sale in Japan on November 11, the company said.
In addition, a HDMI 1.3 output will feature on this model. Offering High Definition game play.
The announcement came days after Microsoft said it would sell its Xbox 360, which went on sale late last year, along with an external High Definition DVD player, for ¥49,600 from November 22.
Nintendo's Wii console will be out first in the US on November 19 and in Japan on December 2, priced at ¥25,000. The European launch will be in December 8 price £179.99 or €249.99.
Sony said the price change would apply only to PS3 consoles sold in Japan, which is a bit unfortunate for Americans and Europeans…
The price cut is welcome news for gamers frustrated by a series of problems that have delayed the release of the PS3, which will be the most powerful console on the market. It will not go on sale in Europe until March due to shortages of a key component for the Blu-Ray player, and Sony expects to ship only two million PS3s in Japan by the end of the year, instead of four million as originally planned.
Ken Kutaragi, head of Sony's Entertainment, said the decision had been made in response to complaints from consumers about the console's high price. "What is important is that we get more consoles sold to make up for the price cut, and get more game makers and chip makers in our camp," he said at the opening of the Tokyo Game Show on Friday (September 22).
"If people keep saying it is expensive, we may not be able to realise the dream that the PS3 is aiming for."
Related posts
- Microsoft cuts Xbox 360 price for Europe Following on from the price reduction in the US,...
- Sony announces US price cut for 60-gigabyte PlayStation 3 Japanese electronic giant Sony have confirmed that the 60GB...
- PlayStation 3 European launch delayed Sony has officially confirmed that the European launch of...
- XBOX360 Price cuts to follow Sony’s annoucement Since Sony has now made their price cut official...
- Nintendo Wii - Price and launch details Mark this down in your diary: December 2, 2006....
