It must be the season of giving. First Apple and Creative dropped their prices on their media players, then Microsoft cut the price on their Zune, now Sony has announced that their Playstation 3 (the low-end model,) will drop its price too.
Both Reuters and Associated press have reported that the Playstation 3 20GB model will be reduced by 20% from its previously announced price in Japan. Originally set to be priced at 62,790 yen (appx. $535 USD,) the console’s price has been reduced to 49,980 yen (appx. $430 USD.) In comparison, the Xbox 360 runs 39,795 yen, and the Nintendo Wii will run just 25,000 yen.
There’s no word from Sony whether or not the price will be cut in other countries as well, or what this means for the 60GB model. In addition, rumors have started to surface that the 20GB model will get HDMI support, and the only photos we’ve seen in production are of the 20GB model. I’m beginning to wonder if the 60GB model will be killed off entirely since there really will be no meaningful difference other than storage space and lack of wi-fi connectivity now.
Ken Kutaragi was quoted as saying that the price has been dropped due to customer complaints about the high pricing.
[via Kotaku]
[UPDATE: 1UP is now reporting that the $499 and $599 price points will remain in place for the U.S. launch, so this price cut looks to be a move to only help lock up some critical Japanese market share. Too bad.]
