Federico-Augspach
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Sony of America expands into other half of America [update]
In an attempt to finally give some attention to an entire continent traditionally devoid of official involvement from video game companies in general, Sony today announced its intentions to expand into South Latin America. This expansion brings with it access to the Playstation Network (though we're not sure how extensively just yet) as well as licensed retail versions of Sony's three major pieces of hardware -- the PS3, PSP and PS2. The company announced it'll be launching in "13 different countries in the region" through a partnership with Sony Latin America. Sony Argentina has said in the past that any retailers selling the Playstation 3 in the region are doing so illegally, specifically because, " [Sony] must certify it for compliance with the local RF spectrum regulations," said Federico Augspach, marketing manager at Sony Argentina, when he spoke with The Examiner. At the time, the system was running nearly $2000 USD at certain retailers (for imported versions, mind you). And now, Sony's making the system significantly more affordable in the region. Well, moderately more affordable ... if you're rich. We've put in word to Sony for more info on regions and pricing.UPDATE: Liz Archibald from Sony America updated us on the specific regions, saying, "These countries include Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. Additional services such as PlayStation Network, will be introduced in a phased roll-out to select countries." As far as pricing goes, things get a little more complex, "SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment of America] offers three different PlayStation gaming systems at various price points, and each offers a varying degree of technology and functionality, which ultimately speaks to more consumers in a region such as Latin America, which has many segmented economic classes."
