Playstation 3 to launch under $500

[Joeiss]

If it is over $400 Canadian, I definitely won't be touching it until a price drop, lol. Factor in 2-3 games, at least 1 more controller, plus memory cards, etc, that would just be way too much money.

But then again... I will have just ended my first 4-month term at an accounting firm, so I will have lots of money, haha. So i Might just have to splurge, despite the prices.

[Dark Samurai]

$465 is a bit much... but hey, anything lower is a good in my book...

[DeathsHand]

That $465 number is the approx price it will sell for in Japan...

I believe PS2 made it's debut in Japan for something likeeee 380 or so? 375? Something like that...

If this is true, I'm guessing a $399 price tag at US launch...

[CamFu]

Xantar, I think you are being a little modest with this comment:

Blu-Ray technology alone should be worth $200

Come on, Blu-Ray isn't even mainstream yet. Try to remember when the DVD first hit the market. I remember when I first saw it, it was back in like 1995 or 1996 and the DVD Player was going for something like $700.

As for the price tag, I remember all the experts claiming the PS2 costing pricers hirgher then that. Sony isn't stupid, they will release the console under $400. And that is still too pricey for me. Which really sucks, but $300 is what I'm looking for in a console. And that still hurts me. Stupid Real Life Budget!

[Professor S]

If the PS3 price starts at over $400, you can bet that they will lose the next generation. Hands down. And it won't even be a contest (unless Microsoft and Nintendo are dumb enough to follow suit).

History has shown that starting console prices that high kills the consumer and doesn't move any product. Regardless of its brand name power, a $400+ price point will simply be prohibitive for parents to invest, even for the holidays. Hell, that high of a price is prohibitive for most adults as well. Thats one month's rent or a car payment or two.

And thats just the console by itself. By the time you add the cost of 1-3 games for the machine, at least one other controller, etc., your looking at costs that might be over $600 just for video game console. These amounts of money are what people put aside for life needs, not for what is still considered by most to be children's entertainment.

$300 is about what every console should start out. By going higher you are shooting yourself in the foot, regardless of how great the hardware is. Gaming is just not that important in most people's lives to warrant such an expenditure.

[Null]

They wouldnt lose the next gen because of a price. sorry but it woudlnt happen. It could slow em done, but at thsi point, theres nothing thats going to happen thats going to make sony lose the next gen, the worst would be to cut em down a bit next gen, then take them the one after. they got far too much a lead for anything like that to happen right now..


and camfu is right on, everyone said the PS2 would cost oh so much money, then everyone claimed the PSP would be over 400! sony WILL keep the price at a competitive level.

[GameMaster]

Alright, let's not jump to any conclusions. Sony Insiders are aware of the issue and claim that this is NOT a set price. I think if you all can just hold your pants on until June, you'll find a pleasant surprise in the form of a new price tag. Just something for you to think about...

[Stray_Bullet]

People are willing to invest a lot more into consoles than they are into handhelds, I'd say. And, as I've seen, PSP sales haven't been poor. There are plenty of spoiled children and plenty of "adults" with poor spending habits.

Personally, the most I'd get for Christmas or birthday is about $100 each (cumulative). The only systems I've gotten in the past were bought by my siblings and myself (GC, XBox, N64), bought as a gift to all five of the children from an outside family member (Genesis), bought while the system was dying (Saturn/Dreamcast for $50 each), or a combination between my birthday and Christmas (which are about a week apart) at a sales price (PS2).

Price has always been a problem for people like me, but we always find a way to buy the system. It's people that find price to not be a problem that have been keeping consoles alive from release, and they won't be stopped by a $300-400 price tag.

[CamFu]

Originally Posted by Null

They wouldnt lose the next gen because of a price. sorry but it woudlnt happen. It could slow em done, but at thsi point, theres nothing thats going to happen thats going to make sony lose the next gen, the worst would be to cut em down a bit next gen, then take them the one after. they got far too much a lead for anything like that to happen right now..

This is what really pisses me off about Sony. Nothing against Null's statement, other then it's 100% true. Most people will blindly buy Sony's products just for the name of it. Don't care about the quality of the product at all. I knew a guy in the military that was so hell bent on setting up his Car System with everything Sony (I don't even know if Sony has amps, but I'm sure he was getting one).

Even though Sony doesn't make the best product in that area. I asked him why, because he loved his Sony TV, Receiver, DVD, and Speakers. According to him, Sony makes the best products. Anything eletronical in his house was Sony Brand.

This dude even had a PS2 just because it had a "Sony" tag on it.

This might sound a little sad. But Sony has everything going for it. It doesn't matter if they release 2 years after the Xbox 360 or the Nintendo Rev. It doesn't matter if they have the worst collection of games. It doesn't matter if it was the weakest system. It doesn't matter if the price tag is insane. Sony knows that the majority of the people today will slap down their hard earn dollars on their products, just because they slapped a "Sony" symbol on it.

I've seen it happen, on more then just gaming systems. But that is just my opinion of course.

[bobcat]

I'd pay $600 AUST for it, maybe.......

But no doubt it will continue to have those games we know and love, plus plenty more

[DarrenMcLeod]

This price has to be too high of an estimate. Maybe it's a marketing ploy to have a price cut before system launch

[KillerGremlin]

My Sony Discman rocks. The thing has been through wars and it rarely skips....

But yeah, for the most part, I agree on Sony being a bit shady. I wouldn't buy a sony TV. =/