Ps3EuroLaunch
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PS3 kicks off most successful home console launch in UK... ever
MCV confirms the news that will send many a fanboy into a sequence of uncontrollable convulsions: The Playstation 3 has officially become the fastest-selling home console in the UK over its launch weekend. A reported 165,000 PS3 units were snatched from shelves, besting the Wii's 105,000 launch units and the Xbox 360's 70,000. The PSP still holds the top speed record (185,000 units) as a handheld, but we doubt that's the sort of caveat that will bother the folks at Sony.With plenty of consoles left in the 220,000 strong initial shipment, it would appear that a strong supply is the key to launch victory. Will sales remain brisk in the foreseeable future? We'll find out soon enough, but until then, expect some elaborately spun responses from Sony's competitors. Perhaps UK journalists ought to return those stacks of beer to Microsoft -- then again, alcohol already seems a likely explanation for steering the Xboat to the wrong continent.
Analyst predicts Euro PS3 price cut within the year
The occasionally apologetic Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities has used his arcane analytical powers to conjure up the following prediction: the Playstation 3 will see a price cut in Europe within the first year of its launch. "The PS3 can command GBP 425 from the hardcore and I think you'll see price cuts a year from now, probably to GBP 300." Pachter believes the costs of a PS3 and a 1080p television to be "worth every penny" and expects the system to sell out very quickly after its European launch on March 23rd.This prediction comes in stark contrast to the words of SCEA chief, Jack Tretton, who told Game Informer that the PS3 would be "difficult to cost reduce" and would not see a price reduction as quickly as the PS2 did. It took 565 days from launch for the PS2's North American price to drop. Even working from the PS3's US release date, the idea of a UK and Europe price drop by March 2008 smells a bit of unfettered optimism.
