PlayStation 3: now available for less than £ 200. Photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon/ReutersSony has announced that it cut the price of its Playstation 3 console from £ 250 to £ 199, effective immediately. Consumer electronics Giant also is set to launch a new cheaper version of its handheld console, PSP, with a price of € 99. An official pound sterling figure is yet to be confirmed.
PS3 was launched in 2006 and is now delivered more than 50 m units, with sales rising significantly since the launch of a cheaper slimline machine in 2009. It is believed that major retailers will cut the price even more and with supermarkets will probably go as low as £ 180.
The new price was revealed during Sony's press conference on the event GamesCom in Cologne, where the company also made several game messages — including resistance: Burning Skies, a new version of the hit PS3 shooter games developed specifically for the PlayStation Vita and Dance Star Party, a dance version of its hit karaoke series, Singstar.
The new, cheaper PSP, which removes the Wi-Fi functionality from the six-year-old handheld, surprised many in the audience. After the announcement of the console Playstation Vita at E3 this year, it was assumed that Sony would retiring the older technology. Instead the company repackaging PSP as an entry level machine, test out its software catalog with a number of reduced price classic titles.
Talk about price cuts, Andrew House, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe said: "our strategy is to provide the highest quality entertainment experience at affordable prices. With the PSP at € 99 feel Vita starts at € 249 and the PlayStation 3 at € 249, we trust the gamers can enjoy the games incredible available on Playstation, regardless of the level of investment suits their budget. "
However, some industry insiders question the logic of publishes two specialist gaming handheld devices in a market which is being pressured by the rise of smartphones and tablet pc games. It is possible, two will cannibalise each other's markets, or to the less expensive handheld will draw complaints about the price point of more expensive machine.
' The problem is, while the new PSP price point-makes the console very attractive, as a side effect, it puts an unflattering light on the price point of Vita, ' said Rob Crossley of industry news source develop., "I think the price of the PSP now puts pressure on Sony to also reduce the price of Vita from £ 229 to ensure that it is attractive."
The timing of the reduction in price of the PlayStation 3 have also fueled debate. "Sony release the price point at a time when there has been no significant pressure from retailers do," said Crossley. "It is a big change from the PS3 's past price falls."
Of course, away from the retailer pressures, is another reason why a console manufacturer can cut the price on its current generation technology: an imminent hardware announcement. Sony has assured gamers that the PS3 will have a 10-year life span, and it is likely the PlayStation 4 even a few years away. But with the Tokyo Game Show will take place next month, and industry in the game in an accelerated period of development, thanks to increasing social and mobile gaming, everything is possible.
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