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Amazon UK and Play cut PSP price by a further 10
Both Amazon.co.uk and Play.com have dropped the price of the PSP by an extra £10, even after the recent official price cut a couple of weeks ago. As it now stands the PSP is £119.99 from these two retailers. That's only £20 more than the Nintendo DS.Amazon UK are also promising (if their e-mail today can be believed) to let you have a PSP, bundled with a game, for only £139.99. Checking the website, however, shows that this is either a typo on the mail-out, or they just haven't got around to updating the site itself yet. Either way, the site still shows bundles selling for £159.99. Which is not such a good deal, considering games are thirty quid each anyway. Where's the saving there?If you see the site change to reflect the new deal, then let us know. Saving a potential £40 on last month's price is something I'm sure a lot of people won't want to miss.
Pocket Gamer responds to UK price cut - wants 'Big Idea'
Owen Bennallack over at PocketGamer.co.uk has posted a response to the PSP price cut that occurred in the UK last week. In it he debates whether the cut will have a positive affect on sales and what Sony needs to do in order to get people more excited about the PSP.Bennallack puts the current sales figures for the PSP down to people buying into the potential. That it has sold on the virtue of its hardware, not its software library. The PS3 is very similar in that respect, though the PSP is much further along in its lifespan in comparison. Almost two and a half years further, to be precise. While some excellent games exist for the system, Bennallack argues that there are no iconic titles available. He has a point. A lot of the great games are sequels or ports. Games like Loco Roco and Crush have the potential to make the PSP a must-have gadget, as does some decent PSP to PS3 game connectivity. Acting as a rear view mirror for Ridge Racer doesn't count.What we need most, Bennallack argues, is some sort of focus for our favourite handheld. At the moment it feels as if Sony have introduced as many innovations into the PSP as they could, without letting them communicate. As a result the console feels a bit like a jack-of-all-trades. He goes on to say that if Sony were to show us the 'Big Idea', then it would help increase sales and interest in Sony's tiniest member of the PLAYSTATION family. Exactly what the 'Big Idea' would be, I'm not sure. It could involve some sort of cross-utilisation of all of the PSP's features. Or it could just be an explanation from Sony of what the PSP will have available to it in terms of games, features and inter-connectivity. Either way it'd do a good job of making those of us who own one feel a little more secure in our PSP purchases. It could even inspire a few new people to do the same.
UK retailer drops PlayStation 3 price by 25
Two weeks out from the PlayStation 3's launch, UK retailer Play.com has the has given the system a price cut of around $50. Sweetening the deal is the inclusion of a free HDMI cable and a Blu-ray copy of Adam Sandler comedy, Click, all for £399.99, which is £25 less than the current asking price for the console.It could be easy to look at this as Play.com trying for attention or moving some excess stock were it not for a recent 82% UK PS3 sales drop reported by Chart-Track. The tracking group later made efforts to downplay the importance of the statistic, but this price cut would seem to justify, in some small part, the poor PS3 reception that the drop indicated.While it's unclear if this is necessarily a portent of doom for the console's future in the UK (we suspect not), it's at least a good deal for our friends in the UK; though, at nearly $800, still not even close to what US customers are paying for the thing.[Thanks, fromat]
Sony confirms PSP price cuts for America, "no plans" for Europe
Just in case decorative displays and official memos weren't enough evidence that Sony was indeed listening up and slashing the price of its PSP, we've now got wind of spokesperson banter that should satisfy any remaining doubts. According to GamesIndustry, the official price of Sony's handheld has really been axed, assuring those still in the hunt for a new unit that these newfangled low prices aren't just here momentarily. Unfortunately for those across the pond who were waiting in tense anticipation for the recent PSP price hacks to be shipped on over, it's not looking too promising, as the aforementioned Sony spokesperson reportedly remarked that it "had no announcements to make about the PSP in the European market at this time." Of course, there's always hope for an (expectedly) delayed decrease in price, but if you were hoping things would just happen simultaneously, there's no good news for you.
Analyst talks price drop, Gran Turismo
Analysts, for some reason or another, are important to the industry. Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets commented on Sony's recent price drop of the machine, saying it will give the platform an important "shot in the arm." As the first official price cut since the product's launch more than two years ago, marketing will be crucial. Thankfully, according to Sebastian, Sony has a plan: "Sony is planning to support the pricing move with a new print and online marketing campaign targeted at young adults and teens." Let's hope it's better than what we've seen so far. Price is one of the sole detriments to PSP's performance. With a lower price, Sebastian notes, the system should sell much better: "We note that a Wal-Mart promotion on Black Friday last year generated significant sales volume for the PSP at a discounted price of $169, providing one indication of potential consumer demand. We also believe the potential release of Gran Turismo for the PSP in 2007 could further boost unit sales." Wait? Did he mention Gran Turismo? Isn't that game canceled? Or maybe it's not. Let's hope that he knows something we don't. The battle's far from over, the analyst reminds us. "It is too early to conclude whether Sony's pricing action will cause game developers to increase the pipeline of new PSP titles." Certainly, the price drop is encouraging, but "at the new $169 price, we note that the PSP is still $40 higher than Nintendo's DS." [Via GameDaily]
Sony mulling more PS3 price cuts?
According to Senior VP Takao Yuhara at Sony, that pre-launch price cut in Japan might not be the only one the console will be seeing in its early life. "We may look at the price as part of our strategy to expand the market when the timing is right," said Yuhara. Sony wants to break even in its game division by March 2008, and "Such factors, including price cuts to some extent, are factored in," according to Yuhara. Sony is also still holding fast to its target shipment of 6 million PS3s by March 31st 2007, and with the Wii and 360 breathing down its neck, it might very well have to drop prices to compete. Of course, the semi-promise of some sort of price cuts, possibly Japan-only, before March 2008 is isn't really much to go by, but we'll take whatever threads of hope we can get.
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.
Microsoft's Robbie Bach calling out Xbox 360 price cuts?
Ah c'mon, we all knew this day would come, but the sooner the better, right? While an Xbox 360 price cut has likely been in the works for some time now, it's no surprise that it hasn't happened quite yet. With Sony's latest gig coming in well over what Microsoft is asking, there's been no reason (yet) for Microsoft to take an even bigger loss (at launch, at least) on each console sale. Nevertheless, it seems the time is drawing nigh, as Microsoft's own Robbie Bach has stated that bringing down the costs associated with the console is "the first order of business." He also boasts about the 360's "larger installed base," and claims that its "fundamentally easier to manage on costs," insinuating that those price reductions would soon be passed onto the consumer as the Xbox 360 hits its second holiday season in full stride. This latest round of price yapping comes on the heels of European stores slashing bundle prices (history repeats itself?), offering the Premium console and Gears of War for an "unprecedented" £269.99 ($520). Although we aren't certain as to when Gates and company will indeed chop prices on its next-generation machine, we'd suggest holding off just a bit longer if you're already leaning this direction.[Via MCV]
Retailers confirm high definition DVD player price cuts
HD DVD and Blu-ray players don't cost quite as much as they used to -- if you know where to look. Amazon and other retailers have recently slashed prices on Samsung's BD-P1000 Blu-ray player, as well as Toshiba's HD-A1 and HD-XA1 HD DVD players. VideoBusiness quotes a few smaller retailers as saying they're "just trying to stay competitive" with price adjustments, unexpected for technology that's only been out for a few months. They also mentioned that while HD DVD sales are as expected, Blu-ray sales have been less than expected. Whether it's the prospect of upcoming hardware revisions or reports of early glitches, some stores are bending over backwards to move first generation players off shelves while others (Crutchfield, Best Buy, Tweeter) see no need to. If you're confident enough to jump into the next generation of DVDs with one of the players already available, just be sure to price check first.[Thanks, Tyler]
MS drops price of Core System in UK
Microsoft has repeatedly said that they won't be cutting the price of the 360, but then, reader Lorul2 never thought he'd have "three kids and dead end job." Things change, and they obviously have in the UK where GamesIndustry.biz confirms the Xbox 360 Core System is now selling for the official price of £199 off of £209. That's converts to a drop of about $19. No word on a similar price cut for other SKUs or markets. Will this invigorate interest in the lowly core system?[Thanks Lorul2]
The pink PS2 hits UK in November
It's a little late in the game for you to have to justify a PS2 to your ladyfriend, and it's way late in the game if your ladyfriend is of the ilk to want a PS2 of her very own. That said, as we all know well from Motorola and their best-selling RAZR, when you're late getting your new product out the door, the thing to do is release the old product in a new color. Enter the pink PS2. We're not yet entirely sure when (or if) it's hitting US shores, but it's launching on the 8th of November over in Old Blighty. Oh, and for our gamer pals across the pond: thanks to the Leipzig Games Convention, which kicked off today, you'll see a dip in price of that PS2 as well. It'll only set you back £94.99 and €129.99 now, which doesn't help us over in the States too much, but we can't complain as our PlayStation 2s still cost significantly less. Unfortunately that price dip won't help out your purchase of pink there, which is still going to go for £129.99 (bundled with SingStar Pop), and €159.99 otherwise.[Thanks, Steve]
PSA: Xbox 360 cost reduction != price cut
As a public service announcement, we thought we'd go over this old chestnut one more time. While Microsoft is undoubtedly trying to lower the cost of building an Xbox 360 (a cost that is estimated to be anywhere from $400 to $525 to $715 per unit), the attending assumption that Microsoft is looking to lower the retail price is either a misunderstanding or a misconception.The nice lads at Next Generation asked some analysts to, uh, analyze the likeliness of such an occurance. After carefully focusing their razor sharp acumen on the problem, said analysts returned the following conclusion: "not likely." To support their assertion, they pointed to a need to avoid further hardware losses and then to our own interview with Peter Moore in which he said, "We had a price drop ... when Sony announced their price. We obviously don't talk about price drops, and I can't think of any good reason right now that we would drop the price even further from the delta between what we're offering and what our competitor's are currently offering."The most likely scenario, according to Next Generation and sensible people everywhere, is a software bundle like the one that's rumored to include Project Gotham Racing 3, 1250 MS Points ($15.62), and 3 months of Xbox Live free. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Surprise, surprise, no price cut expected
Next Generation more or less shot down yesterday's rumored price cut for the 360. Basically all they did was reiterate everything we said, only more elaborately and eloquently (we're still flattered though). Michael Pachter of Morgan Securities breaks it down old-school analyst style:" ... The company plans to sell 10 million Xbox 360 hardware units over the next year, so a price cut in November would likely impact 8 million of these, costing the company $800 million. At a software royalty profit of around $10 per unit, the company would have to sell 80 million incremental software units in order to be in the same place as without a price cut." ... Our model has Microsoft selling only around 60 million total units of software this fiscal year, so in order to break even on a price cut, they would have to sell 140 million pieces of software. Remember, we're talking about profitability for FY:07, not over the life of the 360."That's a lot of software. Next Gen even mentions Peter Moore's comments to Joystiq during E3: "We had a price drop ... when Sony announced their price."So, don't expect a price drop before next year. Do expect a software bundle instead.[Thanks, Thomas Crymes]
New price cut rumor? Put it on the pile...
"Xbox 360 to receive price cut by Christmas," that old chestnut that refuses to die, has reared its ugly head once again. This time the news comes from Taiwanese manufacturers who claim that Microsoft has negotiated a lower cost for 360 production and will reduce the retail price of 360s by US $100. According to these Taiwanese sources, cheaper components and a more refined production process could reduce overall production costs by 15-20%. Additionally, this would allow Microsoft to bundle the HD-DVD drive while staying under $399.Of course, Microsoft Taiwan has denied the rumor. And, it should be noted that cheaper production costs do not necessarily lead to cheaper retail prices. Not only that, but with the core system already being a full $200 cheaper than the low end PS3, Microsoft doesn't really need to lower its price.Who knows, it might actually be true, but don't hold your breath. The much ballyhooed PGR and Points bundle is much more likely.[Via OpenXBOX360]
PS2 price cut fails to impress [Update 2]
The reaction to yesterday's PS2 price cut has been one of disappointment on two levels:1) Sony could or should have brought the price down to $99. This comment from Resident Gamer is a typical example of this opinion: "So why is Sony being so picky about moving it to the $99 mark? Not like everyone doesn't have a PS2 already (he's got a point, Sony's sold over 100 million of 'em). But they need to make it so that anyone else who might be a new gamer can easily get into playing at a low cost and enjoy the large body of games PS2 has." Like we mentioned in our earlier post, the reason Sony didn't go for the symbolic "under $100" price point is most likely because of the PS3. With E3 just around the corner Sony will want all the attention to be on their next-gen effort, rather than on their console that was six years old last month (the PS2 was released in March, 2000 in Japan).
Sony's PlayStation 2 now only $129.99
Remember way back in October of the year 2000, when Sony introduced the PlayStation 2 for $299.99? Yeah, that was a long time ago, but if you still don't have one, don't feel like getting a 360 or waiting any longer for the PlayStation 3 -- whenever the hell that'll be released -- or just want another PS2 for around the house, you'll be pleased to know Sony once again dropped the price on the PS2. Now the diminutive console will run you $130, down twenty bucks since the console's standing price since its last cut about two years ago. They're still not gonna beat out Nintendo's ever-cost effective $99 GameCube, but hey, when it comes to games, we know for a lot of people it just ain't about the price.
