PS3 price will drop soon, predicts MS Comments by Ellie Gibson

@justanotherdave

Oh god yes, I agree. Although thrown slightly off-kilter as moms and sisters buy Wii's as well now - we have 3 Wii's between my family, myself not included - and none of them would ever have considered buying a PS3 or 360. Saying that though, PS2 did begin to break the fun-for-the-family crowd with Singstar and Buzz and the like, but nowhere near as much as the Wii has crowbarred itself a brand new market!

But again, yeah, the Wii has kicked a phenomenal amount of arse compared to the Gamecube!

I own a 60GB PS3. This means I get backwards compat, memory card readers and 4 USB ports.

Back compat is useless to me. At the beginning, I put some PS2 games into it to see how they ran, but now I play all PS2 games exclusively on my PS2. Three reasons: 1) the PS3 is quiet, but the PS2 is quieter, 2) the PS2 uses less electricity (I'm poor) and 3) PS2 games look a lot better on my 21" CRT than they do on my 1080p projector screen (also, the CRT uses less electricity than the projector and the bulb doesn't burn out). Both are connected to the same sound system.

I like the card readers and use them. I'd miss them if they were gone, but probably not much.

Of the 4 USB ports, I've only ever used two at the same time. I don't have PlayTV, though.

Of course, YMMV. But I don't consider myself especially blessed by the 60GB PS3. I kind of like it, though. ;-)

@Rash': "ms is the only company that comes out and talks like this about the competition. honestly they make the whole thing into a soap opera."

Oh dear, someone wasn't paying attention to Sony around and after the PS3 launch.

"The next generation doesn't start until we say so", "only the PS3 is HD, the 360 doesn't support 1080p", "360 BC is lacking, we do it properly" and all of those gems from various Sony top brass.

From Sony's point of view, having the Xbox 360 only a few million in the lead is very good considering the trogan horse for Blu-ray movies has worked.

Why MSFT talking about the PS3 price point is beyond me!

Retroid, i bet you over the course of this gen you'll find more stories about ms execs bitching about the competition than any any other. i know because it's what i've picked up and detest most about the way they run things. the whole "we'll sell more 360s than PS3s" from last year's E3 was another prime example. my thinking is if you were confident of where you were at why would you want to talk about the competition? and of course ninty's never a subject for debate. i reckon they can feel sony breathing down their backs, and they're worried as hell.

I'm really not sure about that. But MS could be catching up, it's true :)

Some of the hateful arrogance from the MS software division does seem to have seeped through since Peter Moore buggered off to EA Sports.

The price is the problem to me, owning a 360, wii, PC bluray player and Dreamcast (had to include that) the PS3's only selling point to me is the exclusive games and none of them are worth £300 to play.

The other problem is as technology gets older the price I am willing to pay goes down, it seems my price is dropping quicker than Sony so I may never own one at this rate.

^^^ GoW3, Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, Infamous, Heavy Rain... seriously? I'm looking forward to the year ahead as gamer. Now is definitely the time for a price drop.

@Woodnotes

SCE's balance sheet is in Yen.

Of course ms want Sony to lower price, that would probably finish them off financially.

Its funny isn't it! I would think nothing of buying a £300 iTouch but i hate the idea of buying a £300 PS3 which is also a blueray player, media pc, and has free multi-player.

Will these mouthpieces ever learn to STFU? MS or Sony all as bad as each other when it comes to this shit.

If Sony do cut the price it will be minuscule they simply cannot afford to drop the price that much it would ruin them.

one thing is for sure sony dropping price is on everyones lips even the competition. that speaks volumes really.

But last year's "this year" has since become last year - now this year's "this year" is fully underway, will there be a price cut this year? No idea, still trying to work out what I've just written.

Personally, this is my favourite funny of ought nine. Also, I think that this news coming from MS, is a tacit admission that the rumoured march price cut for PS3, is quite likely.....although, it could also be smoke and mirrors on MS's part to make the most of their own xmas sales by putting doubt in consumer's minds about the possibility of a PS3 price cut.

/pours another beer
/regrets sounding so gawd awful on "teh interweb"

@DVR - I might be slightly confused but wasn't the run up to Christmas a few weeks ago? Looks like they have missed the boat.
Or are we living in some time traveling alternate reality where Christmas 2008 hasn't happened yet?

On second thoughts stay off the beer and move onto the whiskey ;)

If Sony didn't drop the ps3 price for the christmas season it would seem illogical to do it now. Personally I think they'll bring in the cost reduced (45nm chipset) ps3 sometime this year but still sell it for £299 until about august or september and then officially drop to something like £219 or 209 to allow a £199 discounted price. I do think 2009 is going to be the year of the ps3 but it will mainly happen at the end of the year. I wonder if the wii will get a price cut this year, surely demand for that fairly basic console is going to start faltering at some point.

"I do think 2009 is going to be the year of the ps3"

glol. I swear I've heard that one before...

Wasn't 2008 supposed to be the year of PS3?

I suppose the tag line 'This is waiting' is appropriate :D

Good point one game changes everything :D

/moves onto the whiskey
/starts talking to self

;o===

@ Barton Fink- I mean't that perhaps Microsoft, knowing how well they did over the festive period, and guessing at the possible moves their chosen competitor might make, have decided that they can continue to sell units to consumers who wanted to buy 360's over xmas, while at the same time stymying Sony's potential consumers by suggesting the possibility of an imminent PS3 price cut. On the other side of the coin, it could be that Microsoft really do think a PS3 price cut is in the off, and hope to make this old news in the eyes of the public so as to "steal their thunder", in so far as it's no longer news-worthy, thus reducing the exposure and influence of that news.

I'm probably wrong on both counts but "he-ho" that is what it sounds like to my drink addeled mind :p

26 360 mentions vs 23 PS3 mentions, how exactly does that make it the year of the PS3? :/

Also, Picard's hand isn't big enough to cover the comments in this (and the other) thread that we have been hearing since 2001.

Nah you could very well be right. Nothing would surprise me coming from any of these mouthpieces.

I believe DVR is on the right track at least it was the scenario I pictured when I read the article. Nothing stops people from purchasing a product if they believe they will get it cheaper. MS saying that a price drop is a done deal lends more credibility and thus is a very sly way of killing sells for the PS3 until the price drops

The problem Sony has is that with their current condition, a price drop is probably the furthest thing they would want to do. If Sony is looking at April or May for a price drop, how much of a drop can they afford to take. Banks are stingy on loans and the fact that pretty much all of Sony units I believe are in the red doesn't help. Not only that, if you get a lot of people waiting on that price drop, the PS3 sells will fall steeply thus putting a lot of pressure on Sony.

MS on the other hand is sitting pretty because weather the PS3 price drops or not, the fact that Sony is probably not ready to drop any time soon make the situation for the PS3 worst not better. With Blu-Ray players selling much less than the PS3, the PS3 is no longer the player to get. If 360 sales continue to eclispe the PS3, then the 8 million lead will grow. This will then cause developers to definitely lead on the 360 and we know the PS3 needs it the other way.

Just because Sony will break even this year doesn't mean they want to go back into the red with a price cut. Personally, I feel Sony will not drop the price of the PS3 this year. Sony wants to get cost down and make a profit. If Sony is hurting as a lot of reports are saying, Sony might feel they can hold out until either they come out with a new PS3 so stripped of features that they can compete with the 360 on price or that their 10 year plan means that they need not rush to keep up with the 360 or Wii in sales as long as the PS3 sale at a decent pace.

"Wasn't 2008 supposed to be the year of PS3"

in terms of games I believe it was; MGS4, LBP, Wipeout HD, Pixel Junk games, Motorstorm, R2, Valkyria Chronicles, Siren + all the excellent 3rd party stuff like Deadspace, Prince of Persia, Fallout, Bioshocl, Grid, Bad Company, FIFA, Burnout, Soulcalibur, GTA 4 etc.

Also in terms of online gaming; XBLA has much better community stuff but Lets not forget that you can't get online play like Warhawk and R2 or even LBP on 360 yet. Playing 60 player Skirmish is refreshing after playing countless Pier to Pier 8 - 12 player MP where latency plays a part in creating unbalanced fire fights on XBLA (CoD kill cam speaks volumes at times).

I think PS3 just about scraped it last year.

In terms of sales, I think they did very well without dropping their trousers like MS did, but who gives a **** anyway. Poor sales didn't stop me getting an XBox 1 many moons ago or a 360 two and a half years ago.

BTW: I do own a 360, 3 of which have failed, and despite this I'm not a 360 hater I just think PS3 *for me* started to pull ahead in 2008

Mach, that's a great point eloquently put. of course it's on the bases that consumers buy into ms's propaganda by being dedicated enthusiasts like us on here and keep constant tabs on gaming developments. that's a big stretch for me. i guess what i'm saying is you're probably right regarding ms's motives, but whether it bares fruit is debatable.

as for a price drop, i definitely think it's on the cards internally. when it will come will be dictated by market trends. a wii price drop, declining sales, holiday season build up etc. i think sony are privately prepared for price war but as you point out they will hold off to gain as much profits as they can.

The PS3 needs a price cut and it needs to be a big one, a £30 drop won't impress nobody. If they cut it to £199 in march I wouldn't hesitate in buying one.

I think MS would love to go on a price war with Sony. I believe at this time a price war is definitely not what Sony needs if their Financial situation is not in great shape. As you stated Rash, the proper time and place for a Price drop is what Sony is looking for but how long can they wait. How much can Sony drop the price and not continue to bleed money. I really believe that Sony is looking at the long term and feel they can stay the course, become profitable and find a way to maintain profibility. A price drop would not obtain Sony those goals especially in today's market. The only way I see Sony dropping the price on the PS3 is when they completly redesign the system with enough cost cutting components and be able to sell the PS3 at cost or a profit.

The thing about Greensberg comment is that you will see it getting picked up by news agency and could even make print. Next thing you know, you will walk into a game store and one of the help will tell you to wait on getting the PS3 until the price cut.

lol! The sales assistant that says wait for a price cut isn't doing his/her job properly. I worked in retail and it's not the obligation of the assistant to inform the customer about heresay, especially if it hits store takings. after all what does a ms employee know about sony's business?

I agree profit in the current economical situation will be the governing factor in business strategies at sony. but whether that will impact a potential price cut this year i'm not sure. they definitely have a strong enough line up of games to go into the festive period at a mass market price. of course what that price is is open to debate. certainly wii has set a benchmark for one price if the product is compelling enough to the consumer. with a line up worth bragging about i think that price is feasible in the lead up to christmas.

of course this all depends on how sales hold up at the current price point through this year.

having reread Reeves' recent comments i think there's good reason to be optimistic.

"Right now the 120GB Xbox Elite carries an RRP of GBP 229.99, while the 80GB PS3 is GBP 299.99"

But it will cost you about £50 a year to play on line with the X-Box which brings the X-Box price up to 279.99. So, with the PS3 you get a Blu-Ray player for about an extra 20 quid.

Also, you can easily (and I mean really easily) swap out the PS3 Hard Drive (I picked up a 320gig hd for about 50 quid last year).

PS3 will have a price cut this year for sure though.

"But it will cost you about £50 a year to play on line with the X-Box which brings the X-Box price up to 279.99. So, with the PS3 you get a Blu-Ray player for about an extra 20 quid."

But that isn't how most people think, is it? The razors/ blades model and all that.

Plus... although you are comparing like with like, MOST people aren't really pricing the PS3 against the Elite, they are pricing it against the more basic models, and then the difference becomes a lot bigger. (I wonder what the breakdown is on arcade/ std/ elite xboxes?)

I play my download stuff on the PS3 (and the Wii) and the multi format stuff on the 360.

The best stuff on a PS3 right now is the PSN only titles. If they could bundle it with Wipeout HD, Pixel Junk Eden/Monsters, Riff: Everyday shooter and Linger in Shadows they would have a good proposition. Throw in a LBP disc (and an HDMI cable FFS) to sweeten the deal further.

I've only recently picked up a 360 and whilst I've enjoyed it so far, in retrospect I do feel the PS3 is considerably better value for money for my needs. I have a new Full HD TV which I can't watch full HD movies on due to a lack of sky/cable or bluray player. I had to pay £40 for a wireless network adaptor for the 360. I can't browse the internet at home on my 360 (my laptop died).

So really if I'd thought about it more in advance my 2 options were:

1) Buy cheap blu-ray player (£150) + buy 360 (£150) + wireless adaptor (£40) = £340 (and I'd still have no way to browse internet at home)
2) Buy a PS3 = £279

So there you have it Mr Microsoft Exec. The PS3 would actually have worked out better value for money for my circumstances and for an extra £50 I could have got PlayTV to record TV and it would still work out cheaper to have the PS3.

Am I missing something here? I'm sorely tempted to dump my 2 week old 360 on ebay and get a PS3.

I dont want one even if its free. I have a couple of 360s and a standalone blueray player.

No you're not missing anything, the PS3 is extremely good value if you use all what it has to offer.

Plus you can easily install Linux on it if you need it to be a PC aswell, not blisteringly fast but it does the job.

i don't thing sony will go for a price drop anytime soon.
sony is loosing loads of money, and shares has dropped since the financial crisis is here.
i personally don't see a pricedrop before christmas, they will have to do something by then, but probably will be able to beceause of cost reduction.
MS should put a browser out for the xbox, why IE7 isn't on there is beond me, it would be ideal.

this year finally looks good as far as exclusives go for the ps3, but as always with sony, you'll have to wait and see what is actually delivered instead of promised.
still 2008 was a great year for games! so roll on 2009 :)

"But it will cost you about £50 a year to play on line with the X-Box which brings the X-Box price up to 279.99. So, with the PS3 you get a Blu-Ray player for about an extra 20 quid. "

50 quid? Try 25 for 13 months if you shop around and i'll pay for the service cheers, the PSN is such a pain in the arse in comparison.

"Am I missing something here? I'm sorely tempted to dump my 2 week old 360 on ebay and get a PS3"

if you clearly didn't buy one due to the games selection and quality and only wanted a blu ray player that can play the odd game then yes.

if you're a gamer then no.

I installed linux and then never used it far too slow. Get a cheap laptop cause you need a pc for more then just the net.

So much awesome stuff in these comments. Console wars, not games, are the peak of digital entertainment.

@ MoFo: video games is clearly not your thing, hence what you said, hence the "thing" with Mr. Microsoft.... :D


PS3 for Linux and to be a PC..., lol!

Oh dear not the old "T3H PRICE!" bs again. When will people realise that this is entirely dependent on the user? i.e. all those extra functions may be fine and dandy for you but they are completely useless for me so I'm happy not to pay for them. That makes a 150 euro machine a whole lot more attractive than a 370 euro machine.
As for PSN...you get what you pay for. Our test machine here took 45 minutes to download (only download) the tiny system update. In comparison, live took just under 10 minutes to download 2 old expansion packs (total 700 something mb) while being switched off.

If you think that 50 euro's in a year is too much, you might want to reconsider having such an expensive hobby such as gaming - 13 cents a day, are you really that poor? ... you spend more money each day on junk food and candy and random crap.
Not that it has to be that expensive as I bought my account in 2007, it ends in dec 2010 and cost me the mighty figure of 7 euro's in the end. Shopping around does work...

trebell : "if you clearly didn't buy one due to the games selection and quality and only wanted a blu ray player that can play the odd game then yes.".

The PS3 is as an accomplished gaming system as the 360. For sure the 360 does some things better, but the PS3 wins out over 360 in other areas. Suggesting it's only good as a Blu Ray player with the odd game thrown in isn't really true. I've got abuse for saying this in the past, but I will always buy a multiplatform title on PS3 simply because I think the end-user experience is nicer (noise levels, build quality etc. etc.).
That said, you can't really argue against the 360 price point if you were in the market for one or the other now. For all that I mentioned above, I couldn't say it's worth the extra £130 ish.

'Dear Sony,

Drop the goddamn price already, you're getting spanked. And when God of War 3 comes out, bundle it up with a PS3 for less then £200 (and I don't mean £199.99) and I'll be there queuing up before the shop opens.'

LOL; Why dont you ask them for a free blow job while you're at it

@ miiiguel & trebell: Not sure how you came to the conclusion video games are not my thing. Especially as we're writing these posts on a video game website! It's just that for my personal taste in video games both the 360 and ps3 have an equal number of games that appeal. Since the PS3, as mentioned, also offers other benefits that I need at a lower ultimate price than the 360 then clearly the PS3 is the winner for me in terms of value for money.

Of course we all have different needs but clearly the Xbox 360 is not a cut-and-dry price winner as this Microsoft bigwig is implying. Indeed from my point of view Sony do not need to drop the price at all as it already seems to be the better value console of the two. Not that I'd complain if they did!

So for now I shall continue enjoying my 360 gaming and when I have the extra dosh I'll swap for a PS3 and enjoy the extra benefits it has to offer.

i bit the bullet and bought one for £292. considering i paid £300 for my 360 a couple of years ago im happy with my new purchase.

Oh flogged my Wii to help me purchase the PS3 as that hasn't got any love for soooooooooo long

ffs, what is this utter "if you want a PS3, you are not a gamer" BOLLOCKS

@ MoFo, what I meant is (and I'm a Linux user for over 10 year, and I was in that "hate MS" trend issue for too long -I only have a Win box for less than a year and that solely because VMware plus Zune ain't cool), PS3 is plain bollocks for Linux use. And even worse to work as a PC.
And, imo, 360 (forget it's MS) for the price/performance (ludic software wise) is... well... let me say... I don't understand how they can seel it at this price.

Xerx3s, well i think you'll find mofo's post was a personal account of his needs not a generalisation. its the 360 boys such as yourself who predictably get touchy whenever value is mentioned as a possible deciding factor.

trebell, if games were a deciding today PS3 would capably hold its own.

no no, if you like GAMES you HAVE to own a 360 and NOTHING ELSE

"The PS3 is as an accomplished gaming system as the 360. For sure the 360 does some things better, but the PS3 wins out over 360 in other areas. Suggesting it's only good as a Blu Ray player with the odd game thrown in isn't really true. I've got abuse for saying this in the past, but I will always buy a multiplatform title on PS3 simply because I think the end-user experience is nicer (noise levels, build quality etc. etc.).
That said, you can't really argue against the 360 price point if you were in the market for one or the other now. For all that I mentioned above, I couldn't say it's worth the extra £130 ish. "

No fair point. I put it badly. PS3 has a good games selection now but I meant that the360 cannot be beaten by it on that front at the moment and thus is my preferred system (especially for multi format titles where it tends to get better versons).

My PS3 is mainly used for exclusives and yes there are some great ones and more coming.

I prefer to own both and would advise that to any gamer if their finances allow.

how much does the price of a wireless adapter and having to pay to play on line add to the price of the Xbox Elite?