All PS3 Models Receive $50 Price Cut
by Andrew Cunningham on August 16, 2011 3:30 PM EST- Posted in
- Gaming
- Sony
- PlayStation
Sony's PS3 console is getting a price cut: in the US, the 160 GB model will now cost $249 instead of $299 and the 320GB model will now cost $299 instead of $349. The cut is also coming to other territories, with both the 160GB and 320GB models getting cut to 249/349 Euros and 24,980/29,980 yen.
This price drop puts some price pressure Sony's competitors, especially on the 4GB and 250GB Xbox 360s that Microsoft sells for $199 and $299 (at $149 with a pack-in copy of Mario Kart Wii, the Wii has less to worry about in this respect). It also comes on the heels of Nintendo's recent $80 price cut for its 3DS, meant to spur sluggish sales ahead of the busy fall and winter seasons.
The American and European price cuts are effective today, while the Japanese price cut takes effect on August 18.
Source: Kotaku
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RussianSensation - Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - link
I know one company that made a killing in the current generation of consoles wars without the latest and greatest hardware and charging $500-600 price tags - Nintendo. Sure, their financials weren't that great in the last 12 months but that's more reflective of the investments they are making into the new Wii U and 3DS. Also, it is expected that sales for their console are winding down given that they have announced Wii U. The slow transition to the new 3DS is understandable given the current state of the economy.But all in all, with a larger userbase, you tend sell more software and accessories. With 90 million Wiis shipped, Nintendo is the one laughing to the bank while Sony is still struggling to overcome its damaged brand image due to all the issues they have had in the last 6 months. $249-299 PS3s aren't going to make any difference because MS will lower the price on their Xbox360 shortly.
In case you are counting, Xbox360 has outsold PS3 in the last 13 of 14 months.
ssnova - Tuesday, August 16, 2011 - link
I do not have a PS3 nor am I planning to get one as I don't game... but any how... in addition to the larger storage, you also get a BLU-RAY player as well. In my opinion it's not so bad of a deal, but again, I'm not really a gamer...Harsh3090416 - Tuesday, August 16, 2011 - link
PS3 can is also a Blu ray disc player while Xbox 360 isn't. That's well worth the extra 50 bucks.Hrel - Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - link
unless you're like me and blu ray is worth literally NOTHING to you. I'm not re-buying ALL my movies most of which cost over 20 bucks. Blu Ray will never fully replace DVD cause Sony is keeping the prices out of range of most people. Players need to drop down to 30 bucks for generic cheap walmart brand versions. Blank discs need to come WAYYYYYYYYYYYY down in price. Movies that are 6+ months old need to be under 10 bucks.
Chaser - Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - link
The PS3 is a multifaceted home entertainment system that just accidentally happens to include a Blue Ray player. I understand "no one cares about Blue Ray" in your vast world of home entertainment knowledge but Red Box, Netflix and the rest of the movie entertainment industry doesn't seem to have consulted with you to gain your sage advice.Whereas the 360 is more of a piecemealed gotcha ordeal of pastic encased upgrade nickel and dime options based on the foundation of a 4GB base. Throw what you want at it and its still shackled by its obviousl design limitations. You know lipstick on an expensive pig is still a pig?
So at $250.00 for a complete system that is still way into its proven reliable lifecycle? You bet! The PS3 took the slow and steady pace and now with aggressive updating and feature expansions, along with a very robust library of exclusive games, have made it a centerpiece of gaming and entertainment. So any reduction of price today is attractive to consumers.
RussianSensation - Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - link
Oh no question about it, at $250, the PS3 is more attractive than the $199 Xbox360, esp. since you get 160 GB of space, free online gameplay, better first party exclusives, and Blu-Ray player. Microsoft has to drop the price on the 360 or add a HDD to the cheapest version.I think my main point was that by now I would expect to see these consoles at $149-199 or even lower. It's been literally 5+ years since release. The hardware technology inside them is ancient and you can get a Blu-Ray player (not burner) for $60:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
I am pretty sure Sony can produce a 12x Blu-Ram player for way less than $50. That means you are paying $200 for what? USB 2.0 ports? 160GB hard drive and 7900GT style GPU? That's pretty expensive for such obsolete parts. That was my main point.
Obviously if I had the option between 360 4GB for $199 and $249 PS3 160GB, I'd get the PS3 .