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Sony UK boss explains PS3 price

There's a lot to consider, he says.

Sony's Ray Maguire has defended the high cost of buying a PlayStation 3 in the UK, arguing that direct comparisons between dollar and sterling fail to take a number of things into account.

Maguire, who is SCE UK's managing director, told the Guardian that sales tax is the first difference to note, adding 17.5 percent to the cost of buying a PS3 in the UK.

But that still leaves some distance to go between a US price with UK VAT on top and the actual UK price.

"We don't buy anything in dollars, so the dollar can go up and down," Maguire explained.

"If it were $1.40 to the pound as it was a while ago, then the PS3 would be a bargain compared to the US; if it's anything more than that, the UK price appears to be comparatively expensive. But we're dealing with euros and yen - it's about the relationship between those currencies."

"Of course, I would dearly love to have the PlayStation 3 RRP under £400, and at such time as we can afford to do so, we will," he added.