Video Asylum

Posted by Duilawyer (A) on July 09, 2007 at 07:47:21

In Reply to: RE: $100 price cut for Sony Playstation 3 in USA + Canada [NYT, reg. req'd] posted by 4season on July 09, 2007 at 05:57:00

Sony to slash PlayStation3 price
Eight months after its introduction, with sales trailing its rivals', the game box will be sold for $499, a $100 drop.
By Alex Pham, Times Staff Writer

The PlayStation 3 plays video games and high-definition movies. Now Sony Corp. wants the game console to play better with consumers' wallets.

The Japanese consumer electronics giant plans to announce today that it will knock $100 off the price of the PlayStation 3 in an effort to jump-start sluggish sales. The price drop, to $499 from $599, comes eight months after Sony started selling the console.

The price cut could help Sony recover from the uncharacteristically slow start of its PS3.

After dominating with its first two PlayStation systems, the PS3 is lagging behind Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Nintendo Co.'s Wii as the next-generation console of choice.

Analysts say that's in large part because Sony's console has a built-in high-definition DVD player and therefore costs more than rival systems.

"From a pocketbook standpoint, we know we've presented a challenge for consumers," said Jack Tretton, president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, which manages the U.S. PlayStation unit.