Sony Sticks by PS3 Price as Sales Lag Behind Rivals

Bloomberg.com reports:

Sony Corp.'s games-division chief ruled out any immediate cut to the $400 price of the PlayStation 3, whose sales lag behind cheaper game consoles from Nintendo Co. and Microsoft Corp.

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edit: URL, title and content has been updated to reflect original source.

[morganfell]

Good. We do not need a cut. I am still getting the best games out there and I like the current PS3 crowd online.

[Mindboggle]

I agree, they dont need one. They are not in a desperate situation, although the media likes to think so.

I still find it amazing how most games sell pretty much equal on PS3 and 360, despite a 7 million+ units advantage for 360. Just proves they dont need one really. If the software is selling then why do they need a price cut.

However a price cut would surely put them in a very very good position.

[lociefer]

good thing theres no price-cut , keep the ps3 community matures, i dont like listening to kids yell and cry while playing online

[himdeel]

...could have saved up the extra $100 and bought the $400 system by now. [Broad Statement]I know $400 is a lot of money but if you cannot save that much money over the course of a year then you have larger problems than just wanting a cheap PS3.

Besides I read about people complaining about the price of the PS3 so much, I'm really starting to believe that even if the price was lowered to $300 people would complain about it not being $200. At this point I would not be surprised if the sales numbers didn't explode with a price reduction.

[GIJeff]

with 12 million people on live, do you really think that only 40-50% have the internet? my best guess is the live numbers are closer to the real number of consoles in use. aka almost half of the total sold are dead and theyre counting replacements.

PS. i just got a 360..is there any way to make the horrible buzzing sound go away?

[XxSpiiKeZxX]

listen with 400 $ u get EVERYTHING bluray, wi-fi, internet, games, reliability,free online and much more
the ps3 is doing fine i can understand everyone wants to get the best out there for the cheapest but sometimes u got to cough up a little more for much more quality...
but if they do give it a 300$ tag imagine the sales for the ps3..it would eventualy surpass the 360
but to me i dnt care bout sales i jus want the best experiance

[-MD-]

@1.4 Uhh buzzing sound?

[ArsArcanum]

imo, it costs about the same as a 360 if u own the console for a few years due to the 360 live subscription fee.

not to mention blu-ray, wi fi, cheap hard drive upgrades, less hardware issues etc. It's just better value for your money

[SprSynJn]

I am glad there are those out there that realize the value you get when you get this system. I got mine back when it was still $500 for a 60GB. And I still think it was a very good investment. Have absolutely no regrets about getting it, but I do wish I would have invested in the previous Playstation systems instead of the competition. I feel I missed out on some really awesome games. Still, it's great to finally own one of the family. I wonder if I will ever allow myself to experience the PSP Go...

[50CALheadshot]

yes . turn it off

ontopic:

i was having a debate witha guy on n4g that said: "The fact remains that Sony will drop the price this year and more people will be able to get it. Which is a good thing."

to which i responded: "listen i understand times are hard now. but if you cant make it rain, get another job.

theres no alternative, exclusivity has its cost."

furthermore, i agree with a sh1tload of your opinions above me. so instead of reiterating and beating a dead horse, ill just bubble u guys up

[rockleex]

PSP Go = $249
PS3 = $299

Hmm... something is AWFULLY wrong about this picture. O_o

Anyways, it's still possible though, since they'll still be selling PSP-3000s.

[Immortal Kaim]

The PS3 most certainly does need a price cut. If not in the US then in other regions. There is a huge disparity between Sony's pricing, for a 80gb PS3 (thankfully It now comes with Killzone 2) it's $699 RRP in Aus... Seriously they need a bloody price drop.

To put it in perspective, the 360 Arcade is RRP $299 (with 2-3 games at most places), Pro is $399 (with 2-3 games, and Elite is $549 (with 2-3 games)... The wii is $399...

So as you can see, Sony really needs to drop the price in certain regions.

[50CALheadshot]

, honestly.

everyone overlooks major details like:

the world consists of more territory than just the north american soil.
also, sony has 3 platforms on the market. 2 of them outselling everyplatform continuosly. Of course, when these so called ANALysts make their ASSumptions, they never mention such things.....

funny, because if they did, then sony would obviously hold the upper hand

[morganfell]

I am glad to read posts similar to mine here. Especially those that bring to light the ignorance of the average consumer. If they were to examine cost over time they would see the PS3 is actually cheaper than the 360. But the instant gratification crowd - the ones responsible for the worldwide financial mess - are not that bright. And the maturity remark is spot on.

Sony is more interested in quality and profit over bragging rights. That said they owned 30% of the TOTAL market last year. That includes ALL platforms - PCs too. They are not as worried as the press thinks.

[table]

You guys are forgetting that SONY is in no rush at all to drop the price because we are looking at a console with a 10+ year life span. You don't drop the price in half(which is what it would be since the $600 launch) in the space of a 2 or 3 years when you are looking to make it have long legs.

[shawnsl65]

I should've bought more of Sony's (SNE:NYSE) shares. I usually do this before E3 each year. For some reason I forgot.. due to my SPNG stock sky rocketing during the past few months...

[Syronicus]

You can always drop the price but you can NEVER bring the higher price back. As long as people realize they are getting a very good piece of hardware and are willing to pay the 400, Sony will continue to sell the unit at its current price.

I bought mine at launch and have never looked back. Even at its original price the PS3 was well worth it IMHO.

[Lifendz]

when they can. All these critics and psuedo-analysists are begging for a price cut and saying Sony has to do it but if Sony does it and goes bankrupt they'll look back and say they never should've cut the price. Hilarious. It's 399.99. It's the same price as an Elite. It is the "elite" system of the three just based off the fact that it does so much more than the other consoles. Software sales are good, worldwide sales are great, and Sony's console is just hitting it's stride.

That said I expect Sony to cut the price by this Holiday season.

[callahan09]

At people talking about a mature crowd on the PS3... well, quite frankly I don't like playing games online very much on any console because none of them have a mature crowd. I used to get addicted to online games, but I'm mostly a single-player kind of gamer now unless I'm playing with friends locally. I just tried out the Uncharted 2 beta the other day, and while I really enjoyed the mechanics, the graphics, the controls, the level designs, and everything else about it, I had to turn it off after 2 matches due to stupid kids being ridiculous. The first match had some kid screaming the N-word at everybody and cursing up a storm because he has some kind of attitude problem. The second match had some other kid killing everybody on the team so he could take the statue back for the points. I said to him, "Hey we're on the same team here." I don't know. It was making me frustrated, I had to turn the damned thing off. And that was two matches in a row on a beta with a small user-base. Just goes to show, the horrible, annoying little kids show up everywhere online.

[LoVeRSaMa]

1st in Japan and 2nd in europe does not = 3rd...

[All-3]

Sony is interested in profits - and nobody else in business is? LOL!

--> That said they owned 30% of the TOTAL market last year. That includes ALL platforms - PCs too. They are not as worried as the press thinks.

30% which includes ALL PlayStation consoles and ALL handheld gaming devices... yet Sony still lost money - YES?

The PS3 software and hardware sales certainly isn't 30% total market share... LOL

Oh no... Sony isn't interested in 'bragging' rights... nope nope nope... Just delete all those press statements about PSOne and PS2 sales.... just ignore all those E3 2009 charts Sony had up... LOL!

[LoVeRSaMa]

PlayStation 3:
US- 3rd
EU- 2nd
JAP- 1st

__________________
Xbox360:
US- 2nd
EU- 3rd
JAP- 3rd

Total:
PS3- 2nd
Xbox360- 3rd

Please someone explain this to me if its wrong, because I am sure these are the figures right now, and even if PS3 slips back down to 2nd in Japan its still on the same level as te Xbox360, except this year Sony have a MEGA line up...

Sony will make up the Total sales figures when Xbox makes its new xbox to compete with the PS3..

[mattgdumb]

and if ppl actually opened up their eyes they would see how much more ur getting than u pay for im surprised it isnt any more money ppl are retarted ignorant bastards seriously compare all the things u get and can do wit a ps3 compared to 360 no comparison period!!!!!

[DeadlyFire]

Slim PS3 = Price cut. Slim PS3 isn't going to be ready to ship until Fall most likely. Then we will see a $100 drop.

[Beast_Master]

Why should Sony cut price in June? They may have the Price cut planned for when it matters (Fall). There are no system sellers really hitting until Uncharted 2, so why not wait until Oct/Nov when you can use the profit from PSP Go! to offset the pricedrop of PS3?

Last year Sony sold 10 million PS3s, they plan to sell 13 million by E3 next year. I don't see how they could do that without a planned price drop? They are behind last years pace of 10 million now, so either Sony has a price drop planned at some point before GoW3 or they have a lot of faith in Drake. I think they will live with selling 200k (US) consoles over the summer and I think to coincide with the PSP Go launch they will have the extra income to make up for a price drop in Oct.

[neeno]

i hate all this fanboy suff!!!
as the owner of a 360 i say as price cut would always be good.
i love my 360, it cost me £215 with 7 good games and 2 controllers.
and i have to say its the best 215 quid i ever spent.

i know the ps3 is probably a better machine and understand why it costs more, damn good blueray player for a start, but when i went shopping cost came into effect.
in saying that if i wasn't for hardwiring it i might of went for a ps3, thinks it awful that its not wireless straight out of the box.

i dont mind paying for live, seems pretty good value the cost of a game here in uk, but i can only compare it with the wii, which i found to be bad.

so come on sony, make it cheaper so a family man like myself can easily afford it and have access to all the good bits from all the machines on offer. you should n't limit yourself to just one system, all this tribal sh1t over machines is a waste of web space.

cause as you all know the best games system, multi media system out their is a top line pc and not to many of us can afford that

[da720izcumin]

you sir are an idiot...
since when did ps3 lead in europe...
and beside the gap between 360 and ps2.5
is only getting wider by the days...

[gamera]

You know I use to feel good about my xbox 360 being in 1st place until the red ring of death and then i bought my second one and then the dvd stop reading disk and the only reason i bought a third one is because i have games for it, So I just wonder is the reason xbox360 is in the lead is because of the failure rate?? I feel like i bought a leamon whats going to go wrong next.

[The Master Chief]

lol@ the picture.

PS3rd ftw

[KingItachi]

I'm tired of people asking for one, Sony loses money on every PS3 sold so until the PS3 turns a profit there wont be one.

[dragonyght]

even then they not suddenly drop the price now they start getting return

[Christopher]

Actually, that was true only in the first year of the PS3. Now Sony is making a profit, though small, on each PS3 sold.

From their last statements, they will drop the price when the cost to make them get low enough that they will still make a profit on each sale.

[yoghurt]

The PS3 does not need a price cut. You are paying a premium for the best gaming out there and the ability to watch Blu-Rays from one box, after Killzone 2, then E3 seeing Uncharted 2, God of War 3, GT5, The Guardian, Agent + more, it has only reaffirmed that exclusive games are now surpassing what the 360/wii can offer

And, if there was a price cut coming, they wouldnt tell you would they! random: "excuse me Sony, are you having a PS3 rice cut?" sony: "yes, that is correct, as of September the PS3 will be $100 cheaper, so please, don't go and buy one now, everybody wait until then"

Gees.

[baodeus]

Again,

I kept hearing Sony fanboy claiming their games are the best and xbox fanboy claiming their games are the best.....

How is that possible?

The thing is, both consoles have good games....owning only one console give u the illusion that one is better than the other while people who own both know they both have great games, except well one is cheaper than the other one, while the other one have free online (although i seriously think Sony should charge for online to help them improve the dam PSN, no money no improvement.) It is like u opening up a company without support from investors. In business world, there is only money...period.

If you guys want to support Sony, go and subscribe Qore or should help them out paying 3 dollars a month for online. U just can't get everything u wanted and demand that they should do it for free. Jeez, other people need to feed their family and such....they don't have time to do charity so that u guys can have your bragging right.

kids that doesn't have a job bragging about owning a console that was given to them by their parent. Go get a job (although not right now, cause it is really hard to find one....see that is real world for u).

P.S.

STOP PREACHING TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE BUY SONY PRODUCT. Sony reliability just isn't as great as they used to be. I never had any CD or DVD player from Sony that last for more than a year. And yes i do know 4 people that had PS3 and 2 of them have to pay $150 dollars right after one year warranty expiration, because the PS3 refuse to read disk (same problem that happen to the CD and DVD player for some reason). I don't know why Sony still have not improve on that aspect.

[mattgdumb]

no

[mrv321]

Sony not dropping there PRICE on a blu-ray player, with a built in hard drive, web feature, advanced graphics they are monsters!

But seriously how much would a 360 cost to get upto similar specs?

360 60gb with two games £170 PS3 60gb with 3 games £300

So first we need wireless that's

£50

360 60gb with two games £220 PS3 60gb with 3 games £300

Online pay

£40

360 60gb with two games £260 PS3 60gb with 3 games £300

HD-DVD player

£50

360 60gb with two games £310 PS3 60gb with 3 games £300

HD cable 360 free PS3 £10

360 60gb with two games £310 PS3 60gb with 3 games £310

Both console are the around the same so please leave it. The PS3 doesn't need a price drop. It has great games and it's got great value for money.

[Bucky Sligo]

You get a wireless controler for free and HD-DVD have been discontinued. Clearly you don't know whats going on.

[Arsenal4Ever]

You're silly... HD-DVD was discontinued time ago and no games are on HD DVD for a start so forget that. Not everyone wants wireless either so for me you'd cut that one out.

[swiftshot93]

OT: Sony should raise the price of the PS3. Not everyone deserves to play The Last Guardian :P

[PirateThom]

I agree.

The PS3 should retail for no less than $1000/£700/€750. This will make the PS3 an exclusive club, while also giving early adopters reason to be happy.

[kaveti6616]

Never thought I'd see the day.

[Christopher]

You must have never played an MMORPG :p

[ShabzS]

argh ... come on sony ... wtf guys

[snaz27]

are you looking to buy a ps3 then? if so then just save up dude its worth every penny and then some! i mean they lose money actually making it, your getting more tech than you money is worth! and all the great games coming out, a guy down my road traded his 360 in last week to get one after seeing the ps3 lineup, and the fact that his friends and family have all gone over to ps3 too, im not trying to flame by saying that its just true lol

[ShabzS]

dude i AM saving .. i'm at 300 $ now... havent bought a new game in like 4 months ... a price cut would really help me out here ....

i dont want to sell off my 360... it is still one of the best consoles i have ever onwned... i dont want to jump ship so to speak... the 360 has a killer line up that i dont wanna miss... i just to want experiance both of the worlds

[snaz27]

and im glad your nearly there good on ya, but can i just say that if your struggling now getting the money together to buy the ps3, how do you plan on buying the games that are on both platforms? i will struggle buying the games that are on the ps3 alone! lol, and if the 360 didnt have shoddy hardware and i had more money coming in i would probably get one, but really there isnt that many games i want for the 360, maybe mass effect thats about it, and most so called 360 exclusives find their way over to the ps3 eventually and with more content ala ninja gaiden sigma 2, im not trying to get you to trade your 360 in, im just giving you some food for thought... anyway pm me when you get one and ill give you my gamertag and well have a few games on something.

[ShabzS]

no no i got that part figured out... i buy 2 games every month for the 360... post ps3 i'll probably buy 1 for each system every month depending on the catalouge that is... i was just really hoping for a price cut... i'm not struggeling per say to save money for the ps3 i'm just struggling to control my self from spending away that saved money on useless stuff... DONT BUY A SNUGGY !

[cryymoar]

trade in your xb360!
you'll get the same 90% of multiplat games anyway, with free online play.
AND the BEST exclusives out there with superior graphics.
Bluray player.
You'll never have to worry about scratching your discs or breaking your system.
Cut the price yourself and sell your xb360 and your games. Trust me, you'll feel like a god after you've done it.

[mrblacknut]

Funny now that E3 has passed and they had already said before no price drop is coming now everyone is high fiving about no price drop it is worth every penny blah blah blah. Some of you need a life.

[San Frandisco]

^^^ yes sir.

[Gaystation 3]

Sony must love 3rd place!

[moparful99]

You must apparently have no qualms about not having a social life... If the highlight of your day is trolling a ps3 post so you can show off your unwaranted disdain of a product then I honestly feel remorse for the events that brought you to this sad little world that you obviously occupy by yourself...

[AssassinHD]

Just remember, 2nd place is the first loser.

[user3915800]

And last place its always last lol................
Its alright, dont worry sony will get there by year 2099.
Dont hate the console price, just hate the garbage console itself.

[AssassinHD]

The difference between you and I is that I don't hate on a product at all. I don't even hate the companies behind the products. I do hate the immature, ignorant, and downright unreasonable people who act like there is some sort of war going on between the 2 consoles. People who use terms like "droid and bot". People who name themselves gaystation. People who are so hung up on sales and metacritic reviews that they forget about games. Only executives and shareholders should care about sales. Only sheep care about metacritic. If I find a game to be good then it does not matter to me how many other people buy it, and I have never been one to let others decide my opinions for me.

[Oner]

Sony = PS2, PSP & PS3

SONY is not in last place.

That's the truth no matter how anyone TRIES to spin it.

[borgome]

LOL at the cheesy 3rd place medal, ahhh classic.

[talltony]

"We are not interested in being first, we are interested in being the best"

[JeffGUNZ]

First off, that makes no sense. How could someone be the "best", and not be in first?

Second, that's like someone telling a fat girl that they are "beautiful on the inside, and that's what counts".

[AngryTypingGuy]

Something tells me Jack wasn't being totally truthful when he said that. After dominating for two gens and then falling to 3rd place and staying there for this long into the current gen and foreseeable future has to sting.

The PS3 will pick up steam in the long run as it becomes cheaper, and it will finish strong. The question is though, will it be too little too late? Yes, it will pick up steam, but in the meantime it continues to lose marketshare.

[talltony]

Well why dont you go ask jack if you dont get it. I understand what he means and the console that sells more is not necessarily better than the one that sells less. LOOK AT THE WII!

[JeffGUNZ]

There is no doubt that the PS3 is slightly more advanced then the 360. But, overall, the experience you receive ALL TOGETHER with the 360 is more vast and enjoyable than that of the PS3. That's what the sales mean. Better sales doesn't depict which hardware is better. The sales indicate what the masses decide is best for them and what experience they would benefit the most from. I am not arguing that the hardware in the 360 is the same as the PS3. I don't own a PS3, but my brother does and I have played it several times. The issue of live over PSN isn't even close, not even remotely.

[talltony]

First off that is your opinion, everything you just said is your opinion if you think its more enjoyable to play on xbox. I think its more enjoyable to play the most high end games on a console that I dont have to worry about breaking all the time. Also I prefer trophies to achievments.
Dont forget the Playstation 3 is the more expensive system. And doesnt really appeal to any kids. I have the wii and I hate it except for a good game once in a long while. The wii sells the most cause it tries to appeal to families, something the ps3 doesnt quite do yet but still the ps3 appeals to me a whole lot more. I have a 360 with 50 games and I get most multiplat games on it cause I have friends who only own a 360 and I want to play with them. Just because I get the most games on it doesnt I have to like it more.

You say live and psn are not even remotely close and you are right to a degree but the psn does get the job done. It gets easier in every game released and its not like their is a 30 on 30 fps on xbox with no lag. Or a 16 on 16 game with insane graphics and no lag. Warhawk is 32 players and the upcoming MAG is 256 players. You cant find these kinds of ambitious games with dedicated servers on xbox . you just cant... this is all on a free service. It pisses me off that the service you pay for doesnt have these kinds of ambitious games with dedicated servers. you have to understand where I am coming from now.

[Aclay]

A PS3 price cut is probably most definantly coming in several months, it's just a matter of when. It would be silly for Sony to even HINT at a PS3 price cut because that would only hinder sales (all the PS3 price cut talk has probably already hindered sales)...after all of the leaks about Sony's press conference before E3, I'm pretty sure they'll deny a price cut until the day it happens.

Sony is projecting to sell 13 million PS3's, and there's no way Sony is going to meet that at the rate that PS3's are selling now unless they cut the PS3's price, so it's obvious that some sort of price reduction IS going to happen if Sony wants even come close to meeting their goal.

I can imagine Sony has probably been running out of ways to cut costs on the current PS3 model, and all of those PS3 slim rumors are starting to sound more and more believable because a PS3 slim is probably the only way Sony will be able to cut costs on the PS3 significantly at one time.

Even if the PS3 does get a price cut, I really think Sony also needs GT5 to drop before the end of their 2009 Fiscal Year in order to meet 13 million because FFXIII is pretty much the only big "System Seller" type of game coming out this year (in Japan) for the PS3 that will really move a TON of systems and have a big impact.

[Johnny Rotten]

If the PS3 has a price cut now it would only make the PSPgo look way overpriced.

[wildcat]

It doesn't make sense. PS3 @ $350, PSP @ $250. The PSP Go is way overpriced. Which means either there will be a price cut on ALL systems (including PSP Go) this fall, or there won't be a PS3 price cut until sometime next year.

[cpt_kaos]

Sony is doing fine and like any console maker they wont shoot themselves in the foot and announce a price drop months in advanced.

Wii being selling like hotcakes at pretty much the same price since launch and PS3 already had one price cut and its due mainly to production costs being lower and well the all reliable xbox360 had no fricken choice as who would be stupid enough to hand over the cash at there premium price point when all the crap started hitting the fan and + how much was it again mmmm bout 1 billion to fix every heap that died.

LOL 360 is not making money until they make that 1 billion back which would not have been needed if they put more effort into research and development and maybe tested one or 2 before releasing the dud.

[Spike47]

release a PS3 slim, or a stripped down PS3 and just cut $100 off? It sounds better than just cutting the price of the current 40gb and losing even more money.

Either way, as a gamer, Sony's console is the right price, but they can sell more units if they play their cards better.

[terrandragon]

It is not so much that they NEED a price cut, but I WANT a price cut.

[qface64]

i know people want a price cut already
but it doesn't seem like its coming anytime soon is it really worth missing out?

[Droid Smasha]

sony is proud of there 3rd place medal. they polish it every night.

[NegativeCreep427]

After all, You polish it off with your tongue every other weekend!

[Droid Smasha]

describing his fantasies. No wonder your dad has to unzip his pants when he wants to slap you.

[NegativeCreep427]

Yet your the C*nt here trying to prove that console you don't have (as your anti-sentiment avatar) is the worst anyone could ever buy...

At least the PS3 has highly-significant software available in the year 2009 and to advance beyond, instead of your "Smoke and Mirrors" console that tries to trick you idiots into thinking that what it has planned for the near-term isn't just horse sh*t (A.K.A. The Xbox 360)

[saimcheeda]

enough of ur gay jokes...come out of the closet and go suck on bill gates like u fantasize about!!

[Kevin McCallister]

I'd guess that it's coming at some point this year, along with the Slim PS3 model, after the current PS3 inventory is exhausted. Most of the other recent rumors regarding Sony were true, so there's no reason to believe the Slim announcement wasn't held off like a few sites stated. They've got to slow/halt the production of the current models and get them sold before putting a cheaper model on shelves.

[INehalemEXI]

/DL U2 MP BETA

at least my PS3 has not broke down 3 times like ...some boxes. Why does it feel like you get platinum for owning the 3rd place console ?

[morkendo]

I have 2 ps3 60gb 80 gb anyone buying?? dont need either. contact me private plz!!! 400.00 4 ps3 60gb. 300.00 4 80gb... brand new 60 gb never been used

[testerg35]

Since the 360 is beating the PS3 in NA sales, all I kept hearing from PS3 fans was the typical "JUST WAIT TILL they lower the price at E3". So when should consumer WAIT TILL now?

[Oner]

Key word = NA (North America) ~ i.e. not the World...

[N2NOther]

But if you add the total units sold, they're in 3rd place. No matter how you spin it those are facts.

I had some goon on here try and compare the PS3 to a Ferrari. The simple point he's missing is that high performance cars aren't meant to be bought by everyone. Sony wants their console in as many homes as possible. The best way to do that is make it affordable. That might not please the more elite-minded owners but it would please me because some of my friends can't afford to drop $400 on a console along with their bills that are actually more important.

[KingKionic]

It would be interesting to see the price cut next year with all its biggest games coming out.

[commodore64]

surely you don't mean that .....

.... 2010 the year of ps3?

[KingKionic]

Im saying if you look towards the future of there games. its a pretty big lineup.

[commodore64]

yeah that sounds familiar....

;)

[ShabzS]

haha every other year ... so true

[Mr_Potato_]

well yeah since the PS3 has the best lineup every year (with 30+ internal studios vs 3 for MS, it's not very hard actually...), it's only logical you hear that every year ;)

every year is the year of the PS3, until MS buys 20-30 internal studios...

[deshon09]

thay must have forgot nitendo was in 3rd lat gen and the game qube sucked hard core but they did not die out there mite be a price drop later this year but still some of the best game coming out only on playstaion so you know what that means

[DNAgent]

It's not Sony's fault that you decided to buy a faulty last gen system (360) and it's not Sony's fault that you are now having buyer's remorse after seeing the AAA exclusive lineup that the PS3 has for this year & next year (which will also extend into future years). You can buy a PS3 for as much as the 360 cost when it was launched except you won't need to buy a bigger harddrive, online subscription, wifi adapter, and a rechargeable battery pack/batteries.

[ptotoy]

suck on that xbots.. however, we both do not have AAA exclusives to play this year

[Shnazzyone]

Why can't they just admit they made an overly expensive monstrosity who's price they couldn't drop if they tried. The PS3 will always stand as a symbol of an overly confident company who made a console believing there was no way they could fail... that just because it said playstation on the side that suddenly they would sell 30 million at 800 bucks... let alone the 400 price tag they set.

[DJ]

The price isn't a big deal. If you want the best, you have to pay for it. That's just how life is.

[Coolrah]

Ps3 is not overpriced...Its a very very good system I mean the average joe smoe might just see it as a blu ray player and a game system. But theres so much this system can do. Me I installed linux on my 500 gb (used to be 60gb) ps3. I love it I mean even without linux theres so much the ps3 can do if you care to learn its ways of awesomeness. I mean seriously its an excellent media hub.

[WikusVanDeMerwe]

Everyone should just stop crying and read this. The PS3 cost more than a 360 because it does more. End of story.

[Jaces]

Considering that I bought mine for the full $600...a $400 system is golden.

Specially with all that it comes with along with the awesome bundles they have out nowadays. Even then you can buy a cheap $350 40G then upgrade its HDD and in the end turn out with a 500G PS3 for close to $400.

And for those who were wondering, I found the HDD on amazon on sale and it works beautifully. lol.

[commodore64]

for what you are buying.

However, the Ps3 sales, at this price, are not fine.
The momentum has actually been going backwards.

In time, the ps3 will pricedrop.
At that time, the momentum will surely pick up again.

In the meantime, however, Sony is treading a VERY fine line between getting profitability back (by keeping its current price) vs. keeping sales at acceptable levels.

[Obama]

Is the 360 out a year earlier FIRST place? NO, then what are you bots bragging about?

[Deadman64]

Probably that an established video game console that has been in the market for a long time (Playstation) is getting it's ass handed to it by a new comer to the market altogether (Xbox).

Regardless whether you think PS3 is getting it's ass handed to itself, you cannot deny the fact it's not doing nearly as well as the PS2 did.

Thx.

[mistajeff]

While it's certainly worth the value, if they dropped the price I have a feeling the sales would skyrocket. They simply can't do it yet, though, because they're still losing money on each console they make. Until they get those production costs down, a price cut would only cause them to lose more money regardless of how many units they move.

[kaveti6616]

People say that Microsoft has limitless cash, but SCE has been losing money since the release of the PS3 and it's still making great games.

So, the worst thing to do for sony is to go out and buy the PS3 but not buy games. The only way to support Sony is through Software sales, so the current PS3 owners have to step it up and continue buying all of those great exclusives.

If I bought a PS3 now, I wouldn't be able to buy any games on it for quite some time, and therefore I would be hurting Sony because they would be losing money on the console I bought from them.

It's a dilemma.

[Persistantthug]

There's a slew of $20 games out there.

THE ORANGE BOX, for example, is the the absolute BEST $20 game you can buy.

Last month I bought OBLIVION (Game of the YEar editon) for $20.
I also bought Unreal Tournament 3, but I don't like it too much, although it got pretty high ratings.
[anybody wanna trade?]

Couple months before that I bought LEGO STAR WARS: The complete Saga

Considering that were talking about someone like yourself, or someone hypothetical, who's coming in new to PS3 like I was 5 months ago, you/they should have no problem finding great games that you haven't played before for cheap.

[ultimolu]

Sony also needs to step up in advertising. People have to know about these games.

[LJWooly]

Agreed x10 on the advertising part... Halo gets stuck on the side of bottles of Mountain Dew and highway billboards, and a game like LittleBigPlanet gets a television spot and a wee Youtube free Sackboy doll promo... ;_;

[kevoncox]

Look at the sony fanboys holding standing under umbrellas while the roof is falling. The PS3 needs a price drop. I have a PS3 and a 360 but even I can see that the ps3 neds a price cut.

However, I believe that Sony is playing a different game. Sony is happy living off the psp and ps2. They will sell just enough Ps3 to saty compeative while the price to make Ps3 will continue to go down. They will then jump head first into the market in 2011 and catch the 360.

[commodore64]

you are probably right.

But is 2011 too late?

[mistajeff]

If I'm not mistaken, the Xbox people said that the 360 will be around until at least 2015, so that would mean that 2011 is not too late.

That doesn't stop MS from declaring this gen to be over in 2012 or something by releasing that new rumored console, the one where games will work on both the 360 and the new one, but look better on the new one.

We'll see. All I care about is the fact that the PS3 is not a failure, it didn't go Dreamcast, it's sold over 20 million and the games are absolutely fantastic. It was a good investment, and to be honest, I've gotten more out of it than my 360, though this is obviously based on personal preference and nothing else.

[FantasyStar]

Sony better enjoy that 3rd Place spot because they're starting to dig their own hole their rather big with that $400 price tag.

But what am I kidding? I paid $600 for my PS3 and never looked back.

[donnie-2105]

to me the ps3 is worth every penny but i must admit if all you want is to play the lastest games(multi) the 360 is by far the better system

[bjornbear]

I think if they did price drop to 299€ (once they can get the costs of production down of course) I guarantee they will rise from 3rd. Not only will it be far more price per value than it is now, but non hardcore gamers will buy it too (remember if it was just based on hardcore games it wouldn't be able to see that well)

If it was 299, my god the sales would rocket, and easily clime to 40 million within 2 years =)

In that sense, I do hope for a price cut. However, i agree, 399 is already great price per value =)

[stonecold3]

take your fanboyism to the open zone this article is not about xbox

[donnie-2105]

why am i a fanboy when i just mention the main competitions price and commented that the ps3 is worth every penny.tit

[yoghurt]

The thing is, we all write on here saying they need a price cut, they don't need a price cut bla bla bla, oh they are in 3rd etc etc

Do you think Sony is REALLY that worried about being so called '3rd'??

They have one of the best line ups (again), which they know will attract some new buyers - waiting for GOW3, or waiting for Heavy Rain, or Waiting for GT5, they have already sold over 22 million (even at it's current price), so I don't think they are in any kind of hurry

[TheMART]

Well it will be announced @ TGS or maybe at Gamescom in Germany.

And for those saying keep it @ 400 because you don't want kids to come in online and shout in your ear...

I'VE BEEN PLAYING KZ2 ONLINE AND THE NUMBER OF SHOUTING KIDS IS A LOT HIGHER THEN IN ANY, I REPEAT ANY 360 GAME.

It was insane. Couldn't hear anybody anymore. Plus the voicechat is one big echo, whats up with PSN?

[Mr_Potato_]

I never heard any child shouting on the PSN, but I regularly play with adults like me. The average gamer is much older than on Live, where retarded 12 year old American kids are numerous.

Sometimes, a higher price is better. I agree with Morganfell. I'm not sure I want to play with dutch retards like you. My nephews are 6 years old and they're more mature.

TheMART : ignored by 312 users. Good job, kid, go on like this and soon nobody will ever read your posts, you'll be talking to yourself, like in your real life.

[ultimolu]

I find it really cute that commodore 64 posted this article but whatever.

Sony cannot drop the price. They're still losing money on each PS3 sold. Unless people want them to lose more money, then they better learn how to save money and buy what they want.

$400.00 is a far cry from what I had to pay for concerning my PS3 in 2007.

As long as Sony continues to deliver really cool games, they could be in 4th for all I care. All I know is that they come 1st where the quality of games are concerned.

[commodore64]

Heya Bud.

It's cute? How so?
oh wait... you mean the 3rd place medal?
...... Yeah that was my personal touch.

No need to thank me for making everyone smile/smirk!

Perhaps I should have used this one?
http://www.skyelab-ny.com/w...

laugh with me!
;)

[BIGBOSS08]

cant people just wait a few more months? we know a price cut is coming.its as good as confirmed with sony increasing their fiscal year target to 13 million ps3's. thats 3 million more than last year, with both GTA4 and MGS4 releasing in that year, on top of that, sales are down year on year, whcih means sony must be expecting a huge increase in sales sometime this year! man i wonder what can increase sales so much? if you add all the pieces they fit perfectly together, sony increasing their targets, rumoured GT5 december 2009 release date and leaked pics of a rumoured slim ps3. i bet all these come true. we'll find out soon enough.

[saimcheeda]

is doing superb with the ps3 at its current price...u wouldnt expect a competitor to keep going strong after the price is muchhigher than its competitors!!If u would put the 360 price the same as the ps3 i bet the ps3 would outsell it easily!!

[Mr_Potato_]

yeah, Ferrari will always sell less cars than Ford, it doesn't mean they're less successful, since the price is much higher.

By the way, here, PS3 sells roughly the same as the 360 worldwide despite being twice more expansive. Quite an achievement, err trophy I mean.

[ItsIncognito]

I bought mine at launch for 600 euro's in 2007. I play a lot, i am also a beta tester and the thing is the PS3 still works. Where as a lot of my friends are on their third or fourth 360. I always pay for quality. Just bought a new bravia for 1500 euro's. Tough it is a lot of money but quality of the image is so damn awesome. I am glad I saved 2 years for it.

A lot of people want to sit in the front row for a dime, when you finally use your braincells you know that isnt possible. So pay up or by inferior stuff.

Because it is expensive doesnt mean it is always better, but in a lot of cases it is a fact.

[mac4u10]

YOU CAN BUY ONE HERE IN THE UK ON EBAY FOR £200 SO WHAT ALL THE FUSS ABOUT.

[kewlkat007]

Well that didn't happen...I guess Sony doesn't need one after all.

[SnukaTheMan]

Never mind the fools who say its not..its deathly needed right now...The writings on the wall.

[JeffGUNZ]

lociefer - 14 hours ago
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good thing theres no price-cut , keep the ps3 community matures, i dont like listening to kids yell and cry while playing online

Really? So, in order to be mature, you have to spend $400 on a system? Every system has idiots who act like morons, not just live. Chances are, you are going to hear more on live because more people are on live. Stop trying to justify a lack of a price-cut with stupidity. Live also has a Party chat option, where you can make a room with your friends and only communicate with them. You're comment4 is so ignorant it's borderline pathetic.

Sony fanboys will spin anything around. They need a price cut to move systems, they are falling behind more and more and you morons think that is ok?

[Mr_Potato_]

Well of course it's ok. PS3 sells at twice the price, and it sells the same number worldwide as the 360 (source vgchartz), so it makes double the money for Sony... I don't see where is the problem there.

And as gamers, we're happy too since you've got the greatest number of AAA games on PS3...

The fact that poor people can't buy the console doesn't make it less enjoyable or profitable.

Ferrari will always sell less cars than Ford.

[JeffGUNZ]

"The fact that poor people can't buy the console doesn't make it less enjoyable or profitable. "

Yeah, that's what you said.

Come on man, re-read your post before you post it. "poor people" can't afford ANY system, they barely can provide necessities for themselves and their families. I have a 360, and I am not poor. If I wanted a PS3, I would have purchased it. Your Ferrari example is a little too far fetched. First off, the PS3 is not the Ferrari of systems. If ANYTHING, the 360 is a Honda Civic and the PS3 is the Honda Civic LS model. The PS3 is ultimately not TOO superior to a 360. Other than graphics, the PS3 does little to step away from the competition. The PS3 is a slightly powerful 360 with a blue ray player. I have seen little to show me that the PS3 is worth the price tag, and obviously a majority of consumers, especially here in the United States, seem to share a similar opinion, hence it being in third this generation.

A little tid-bit of information you'd like to know. In a few years, Blue-Ray is going to be gone, no one cares enough for it to prosper. First off, within 5 years, most of everything we own will be purchased digitally. Streaming a HD movie from net flix in 1080I/P better than purchasing a blue ray disc. All discs are going to die out. Eventually, you are going to purchase the rights to a movie, basically paying a fee, like 4.99 to rent it for a select period of days, or 9.99 to have the rights for the movie (meaning you can play it whenever and how often you want to). If you can't see the wave of the future is all going to be digital downloading, then you need to open your eyes and look around. Blue-Ray is a joke, give it 2-3 years and it will die out. Other than graphics, PS3 games don't shine above the 360 or other way around. It's an over priced console with a blue-ray player that will die out before this gen is over.

[Persistantthug]

Then you still pay for LIVE service...($50).
You still will most likely need to buy the battery attachment ($20)

The actual price difference between an XBOX 360 and a PS3 seems to be roughly $30-$50.

[CypH]

SONY is number 1 their is no competition for them

[KoB4EMvPi]

I just got a PS3 bout almost 3 year ago..
Is there anyway of talking to my friend while playing different games.?

[d--keller]

Good one: the consoles should recognize the current economic environment and drop the price. REALLY! Well I look forward to modern warfare 2 @ $39.99.

[Flewid638]

Are so much cheaper on eBay and Craigslist. I bought a backwards-compatible, 60gb PS3 on Craigsist for $275. Thats a better deal than I'll ever get, even when Sony DOES drop the price.

[Dick0]

since is a blue ray player that can play games

[ak1200]

lol @ your comment ther krakdol,
Yea ps3 maybe 3rd in another dum sales chart but the playstation brand is still number1 last i checked the ps2 was selling wel more than many xbox360 games in chart.
I sold my 360 last week on ebay got 80quid ,a 20gb prem with hdmi however had a ps3 from launch and no matter how hard i tried i just kept going back 2 tha ps3, fanboy crap aside the 360 is good but when we get the price drop its down to number 2 or 3

[I-SEE-YOU]

If the customer wants a proper gaming product that has a large lifetime of products and games on offer then who is to question its price!?

At the end of the day, Sony has everything under wraps. Not only will the price different show gamers that the difference in price shows the difference in quality but it also keeps Sony in the lead.(In the long run) As if gamers are willing to purchase a PS3 now, even at this price. Then when they need to bring the attention back in the future, they lower the price. Look at it now, 360 is fighting with the Wii. Sony is fighting.....Well no one.

They will let Microsoft beat themselves into an early grave and let themselves wash out of existence. People like to make out Sony are losing in a battle that does not exist. They are being nice if anything, they are allowing Microsoft and Nintendo to flourish and try to build a good report with gamers but the fact of the matter is, they are doing a bad job at this.

You just wait for it. Microsoft will lower their price soon again and will fall into the PS2 and Wii category and then Sony will hold the position of casual and hardcore gaming and thus take hold of this industry once and for all.

Just imagine what more content, more games and a price cut would do for the PS3? Never mind more free services to pull people in with and more incentives to help gamers get involved.

[PS360PCROCKS]

I've said it time and time again you pay for what you get. The PS3 has a lot of technology in it. But i've also said it's just too expensive for a system and they won't see sales like the PS2 did unless it gets a lot cheaper.

[dj55555555]

you cant sell quality to an american it seems

[JeffGUNZ]

I guess you can't obtain a quality education in whatever joke of a country you are in.

This site is full of ignorant morons.

[dj55555555]

hey your the one that invests in broken old technology and helping hold back development. I think you should invest more time in your superior education system.

[JeffGUNZ]

Funny how that "broken old technology" is still outselling the PS3. What does that say about the PS3?

[ak1200]

Yea ps3 maybe 3rd in another dum sales chart but the playstation brand is still number1 last i checked the ps2 was selling wel more than many xbox360 games in chart.
I sold my 360 last week on ebay got 80quid ,a 20gb prem with hdmi however had a ps3 from launch and no matter how hard i tried i just kept going back 2 tha ps3, fanboy crap aside the 360 is good but when we get the price drop its down to number 2 or 3

[Droid Control]

i'm lovin it!

[gamingparadise]

Don't have $400 in your wallet? Buy a 360 for $300(if you have that much money in your wallet all at once, but you get the picture) Both consoles have their own share of exclusives and pretty much share the same number of multiplats, so it really depends on the customer and how much they really want to invest in a console for entertainment and connnecting with people online. besides, it's not like everyone who has either a PS3 or 360 plays 24/7 nonstop. It's all entertainment for us to enjoy.

Sony and Microsoft both have other types of products to offer than just gaming consoles. That's just my 2 cents for ya.

[badkolo]

how many times can we go down the same road, the ps3 is selling ok for a 400 buck system and when the time is right the price would drop, i expected doom for sony by not reducing price but i think i was wrong.

it has the games and it has the features, and as long as the elite is 400 then sony can stay at 400 as well since it offers more at 400 then the elite at 400

[ColecoVision]

I'm not the biggest Sony supporter, but I don't blame them. Sony and other companies are aiming for profits these days, and are not worried about who the biggest and the best is. They are tired of taking losses Just ask GM, all they cared about for years is being #1, but were not making a penny.

[whengeeksgobad]

Before I get flamed, I own, and like both systems. Cheaper is better. End of story. The less expensive the console, the more they can sell. This is a good thing for consumers and I'm kind of stunned that we actually have people so dedicated to a console that they'd rather not see the price adjusted. I realize that Sony has a profit to make, but its always been a model that lends itself to making that up in software.

[Finalfantasykid]

I think at this point Sony really needs to do a price cut. If there isn't one by the end of this year, Sony might as well just start looking forward to the next generation.

But the fact that the 360 is just barely outselling it at double the price, says how much a $100 price cut would do. If they do a price cut the same time as the PS3 slim(assuming it is coming this year) should make the PS3 the big item for christmas and BEYOND!

[360DownINflames]

I thought the Ps3 would never sell? LOL WRONG...

Sorry but M$ is going down and fast... Enjoy that 59.99 how long before you wake up? Youve already paid more than I have for my launch ps3.. :P

[Saaking]

Well imagine this: SONY will have a price drop however they'll keep it extremely secret. They will also release GT 5 this years but keep it secrets. Then at TGS they announce a $299 model and a $399 bundled with GT 5 in Christmas time. That would definitely push the PS3 up a lot (not that it's extremely necessary).

[rjackson1]

So what if Sony is in 3rd place. We all know that ps3 has the best games! It only matter if sony wants to win or care about marketshare.About ps3 in 3rd place Tell us something that we dent know.Xbox360 was already had a 8million plus lead before E3! Then what did sony and there fansboys do when out got the sh!t kick out them at E3!

[chisox100]

oh so sales matter? Last gen the Xbots said sales don't matter

[xXKingofStingXx]

Do people honestly think Sony cares they're in third place?

I mean if they gave a damn about it i think Sony would have been looking a hell of alot more desperate to catch up to the others. You know kinda like MS releasing an incredibly faulty system early just to get ahead of the others.

Facts are PS3 might never see 1st place or even 2nd but that's not going to stop me from enjoying the system any less.

What is the fun in owning a system if all you're worried about is it being number 1?
Nevermind games or anything else so long as it's number 1 that's all that matters...

By that logic, all Wii owners should be feeling mighty big headed as their system is pounding the other two into the ground.

[Rhezin]

all of them have an IQ less than 60.

[NewZealander]

as much as i would love to see sony drop the price of the ps3 i can understand why they are holding off, last report showed they are still loseing 10% of the price of every console sold, no way in todays economy would it be smart to drop the price now.

sonys gameing devision is more then profortable with the ps2 psp etc, but aslong as the ps3 is selling then they should probably keep the price they have untill the console shows real profert.

[rjackson1]

Here's just the facts why sony will stay in 3rd place. Sony CFO Nobuyuki Oneda noted recently that the PS3's cost is still 10 percent higher than the system's price, reports Andriasang.com. With the console's price differences in each region, if Oneda is talking about Japan, that would be approximately ¥4,000 ($42). In North America the same $40 loss would also hold true.

As bad as losing money on each console manufactured sounds, it used to be worse. Just a year ago the estimate was that Sony was losing over $100 per system. Losing a couple Jacksons (four Hideyo's in Japan) per console isn't great, but it appears that Sony's costs and sales on the console are slowly finding equilibrium. Unless, of course, there's another $100 price drop in the PS3's near future.