Ps3Price
Latest
Activision threatens to drop Sony if Sony doesn't drop PS3 and PSP prices
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick says he sees the number of games bought per console slowing if the price on the PlayStation 3 doesn't go down, and that his company (the largest independent game developer in the world, thanks in part to that sweet, sweet Blizzard cash) might consider dropping the PS3 and PSP in 2010 or 2011 if things don't improve. He says Activision paid $500 million in royalties to Sony last year, but the Xbox 360 and Wii are cheaper to develop for and offer a better return on investment. Still, with 23 million PS3s out there in the world, we'd think it'd be difficult to ignore the console entirely -- especially for cross platform titles like the upcoming Modern Warfare 2, where a majority of the work takes place in content development and gameplay mechanics. Of course, with games like Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and Tony Hawk now demanding the purchase of peripherals along with the game itself, Activision itself could certainly be doing more to make gaming cheaper on consumers... but we suppose that's another conversation entirely.[Via Joystiq]
PS3 gets a price boost in South Africa
Just as others have spoken publicly about the value of the PS3, we again remind you the price structure could always be worse. A forum post brings our attention to online retailers in South Africa, charging as much as R 6799 ($964.80 U.S. dollars) for a 60GB PS3 console. No extra games or controllers to be had with this particular bundle. FYI: The U.S. $599.99 price, converted to South Africa Rand, is R 4221.86.As we all know, bundles for game consoles is nothing new. But at least over here, we get something for the additional expense, even if they are wonderfully average launch titles. So before you sign any petitions to lower the North American PS3 price, take a look at what our brothers and sisters in South Africa are paying.BT Games: R 6499 ($922.20)Look & Listen: R 6799 ($964.80)Incredible Connection: R 6599.95 ($936.55)[Via digg]
PS3 price increase in Canada?!
On Thursday we reported about reasonably priced Xbox 360s for Canadia's Fanboys. While comments gave mixed reviews regarding Factory Direct's customer service and product quality, that doesn't hold a candle to the latest deal ripoff from the competition. As if the whole "PGR: HD" ordeal wasn't enough, Sony figured a price change was in order for their "Friends to the North". Future Shop, as well as its owner Best Buy, are both selling the 60GB PS3 for $699.99 CDN, which is $50 more than the list price was on November 17th. Why would Sony, or perhaps the retailers themselves, do this? The Canadian Dollar has been doing fine in terms of exchange rate next the American Dollar, recently. In any case, this isn't the best way to sell an already overpriced console. If Sony keeps at it with these missteps, do you think the PS3 will be able to recover?[Thanks, Miguel]
Ireland sees PS3 price increase [update 1]
"Surely he meant to type decrease" news now, with Sony's official website indicating that the European PS3 launch may arrive in Ireland with a somewhat higher price tag. According to a report on Gamesindustry.biz, the Irish section of "This is Living" lists a price of 629.99 Euros, an increase over the originally announced 599 Euros. Now, before the internet's collective knee flies upward and concludes that the entirety of Europe will see a price increase, consider that residents of Ireland are the only ones faced with a higher price at this time (and the poor guys aren't even getting the 20GB model at launch). The United Kingdom's page still lists the original EUR 599 price. One theory is that the Irish page was merely the first to be updated, but it remains a theory until Sony officially announces a price increase. That seems unlikely, if not entirely inconceivable given consumers' current attitude towards the PS3.[Update: Sony has confirmed the higher price is for Ireland only, due to its higher VAT rate. The 60GB PS3 is still set at EUR 599 for the rest of Europe, GBP 425 for the UK.]
Denmark says: quit yer whinin', USA!
Whoa! According to an article at DigitalBattle, Denmark really must be annoyed at the American complaints about the PS3. Reservations for the system are costing the American equivalent of $854 and $683, depending on which SKU you choose. The lower costing SKU is the same price as the initial price of the PS2 in Denmark. Something's rotten in the state of Denmark, indeed.Games are also not spared. 360 games go for $80 and PS3 titles are rumored to extend past $100. Ouch, guys. Ouch. No more hating the USA release price. We have no place to complain, do we?[Kudos to Armin for this tidbit!]
Sell your soul to pre-order a British PS3
U.K. online retailer Play.com has made the PS3 available for pre-order in a bundle with three games, pushing the price up to £549.99 which, for a game console, is very near the "I'd have to sell my soul to get one" boundary. The real cheek is that the company doesn't guarantee that they'll be able to ship the console to you before Christmas "due to an expected European shortage of the PS3." On top of that, the three game bundle of Formula One '06, Warhawk and Singstar "may be changed, subject to availability." We realize that these kind of bundles and disclaimers are the norm with console pre-orders, but if you convert this figure to dollars ($1,019.73) and compare it to similar deals for the Xbox 360 that we previously considered outrageous ($1,200 got you an Xbox 360 with 11 games and several accessories not too long ago), you get a good perspective on the difficult situation that Sony has put itself into by setting such a high sticker price. If the first pre-order bundle in the UK comes in at over half a grand, what can we expect from retailers in the weeks before the launch? I really don't want to be forced to sell my little sister's soul too.[Via T3]
Sony says Georges Fornay's "499 to 599 euros" a mistranslation
Far be it from Sony to actually commit to a PS3 price, so we're once again left in the dark now that Sony says Georges Fornay was mistranslated or misunderstood in his comments relating to the PS3 pricing. What he actually meant to say, was that even at 499 or 599 euros, the PS3 would a great deal because of its Blu-ray playback. Sony does confirm Fornay's statement that the PS3 would be expensive in comparison to current consoles, but that seems to be in reference to the PS2 and PSP, not the Xbox 360, so there's still hope for a "reasonable" 399 euro price. This just gets better every day, doesn't it?[Via Joystiq]
