Expected price drop: $299 for PS3 in June
Shortly after EEDAR’s Jesse Divinch weighed in with his forecast of NPD Group’s December game sales–expected this Thursday–another game-industry wise man stepped up to the plate. Wedbush Morgan’s oft-quoted Michael Pachter nearly concurs with his peer, predicting that more than 3.25 million Wiis were sold domestically during the month, followed by 1.35 million Xbox 360s and 750,000 PlayStation 3s. Software-wise, Pachter thinks that December saw a 10 percent rise in monthly US software sales, from $2.39 billion in 2007 to $2.63 billion in 2009. He believes the top games of the month were (in no particular order) Guitar Hero World Tour, Call of Duty: World at War, Gears of War 2, Rock Band 2, Wii Fit, and Prince of Persia. Though the NPD numbers cover only console games, he also doffed his hat to the wildly popular PC expansion pack World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.
By the analyst’s estimate, $2.42 billion of US game software sales were for the PS3, Wii, 360, PSP and DS, with the remaining $205 million coming from games for legacy systems. He thinks that PlayStation 2 game sales will continue to fall by roughly half each month, having slid 51 percent year-on-year in November and an estimated 54 percent year-on-year in December. Although his comments on the PlayStation 2 were noteworthy, it’s Pachter’s predictions for the PlayStation 3 that will likely pique gamers’ interest. The financial veteran believes that, after being relegated to third place in the console race by the 360’s $199 price drop in September, the 80GB PS3 base model will be cut from $399 to $299 in April.
Source: Gamespot
Comments(52)
Nice, the price is more affordable now.
when the dollar/pound exchange rate was good a few months back this would have made imports to uk mega cheap but for the first time ever even at 299 dollars britain will pay less than the americans.
bout time sony stops ripping people off.
not surprised that wii is killing the field…..
mmm, that would be around 225 euro's, but i think they wont drop the prices that far in europe..
would be great if they do, would be a great competition for the xbox360 again
Wow, that is good news, I have one already, but for those thinking of ditching the M$ box its very good news. Hey, did you know, here in the UK a nintendo DS with a game is now more than M$ box with a game. Soon you will get one free with every packet of cornflakes. HA !!!!
Meh……..until we can run iso's
@ rich,
yeah its the same thing here in the netherlands, xbox is cheaper
i wish the ps3 what that cheap x'D lawl
#3 Sony has lost BILLIONS of dollars as of right now the ps3 is worth 444.45 or something like that. So therefore the only people Sony has ripped off is themselves.
Even when the system was at the $800 mark Sony was still losing money (actually were losing more then then they are now) they have been since the start hence why they are so protective of the system being hacked/modded.They have said 100 times they are making the money off of the games and losing it on the system.
If the ps3 was a rip off I wouldn't own 2. The thing is you cant find a piece of hardware that does what the ps3 does play blu-rays play divx (upscales pretty nice for being such low qual) upscales all dvds whether backups or original. and connects to media servers to stream video/music/pictures over the home network. Even to buy individual machines, which i dont have room for, you are still looking at atleast $200 more then a ps3 for comparable quality anyways.That and having the highest quality games on the market makes the ps3 the best system out. I'll even go as far to say that it is the only next gen console out. Not saying the Wii doesn't deserve its place its obviously a heck of a machine.
Anyone ever wondered why the xbox 360 is going for so cheap. just shows you get what you paid for. And before anyone complains that the xbox360 is a zillion times better than the other home consoles available, dont forget that the PS3 and the Wii both have some excellent features that the xbox360 is lacking. I cant really think of any special must buy features that the xbox360 has apart from a handful of games. Has anyone seen the article on Stereoscopic 3D games that are being developed for the PS3 yet?
John Frusciante – The Empyrean (Japanese Edition) 320 kbs
http://depositfiles.com/files/o898bb52h
@9
Considering the hardware performance difference between the 2 consoles is negligible, saying you get what you pay for is pointless. Neither console can maintain full HD 3d content at satisfatctory fps. Buy the one that has the games you want and stop crying about the fact that you cant afford both.
Im glad I'm rich and can afford all 3 consoles, ds and psp. You poor bastards quit arguing and go get a job that pays good.
@8: "The thing is you cant find a piece of hardware that does what the ps3 does"
I think you need a reality check. My PC does everything your crappy PS3 does and more, so you can keep sucking on $ony's teet all you want. A console is for games, a PC is for EVERYTHING.
@13
how much did your pc cost you?
@13
so you have a blu ray player in your pc??
ps3 has a web browser, and you can install an OS on it… it's a pretty good console that can do many things for something that is supposed to be just for "gaming" as you put it..
PC fanboys are really funny.. nobody is trying to compare consoles to a PC except them.. only PC fanboys are insecure enough that they compare their 2000€ power maschine to a 300-400€ console
About damn time they lowered the price I want one and In June maybe I can afford it.
@15: Learn to read and understand. Firstly I was responding to the comment, "you cant find a piece of hardware that does what the ps3 does". It's quite clear that a PC does everything stated and more. Secondly I don't need a blu-ray player because I use x264 HD rips which I play from my PC via HDMI to my HDTV, so your optical media is already yesterdays technology to me.
$ony fanboys are really funny, they think their struggling console is better than everything. n00bs.
Killzone 2 is also out next month, the best console FPS this generation.
For people who live in euroland, just buy a PS3 from some UK online vendor
Got mine for 275€ with shipping
no need to wait for summer!
Sony are about to post a 1.1 billion dollar loss – the first loss for the company as a whole in 15 years. I doubt they'll reduce the price of the PS3, as it's already lost them several billion dollars and is still sold at a loss. lol.
was amazon uk btw…
@babou, that's impossible, the ps3 at amazon uk stands at 279 pounds, converted to euro's thats more than 300€ + shipping costs or care to explain me how you did it?
I own a solid, year old HTPC but bought a ps3 so I could play my friends online.
WOW this thing sucks.
After gaming on a PC on my 52" LCD, the ps3 looks like absolute garbage. The edges are all jaggedy, graphics look like im stepping back to my old PC 6 years ago. No customization of graphics, stuttering during action, horrible effects.
Nevermind $299, I wouldnt pay $99 for this POS kids toy. Returned it and will never go back to consoles again.
If I wanted sh!tty graphics ill just turn my pc's settings from 1920×1080 to 1280×720 with no AA and lowest settings and then I will have a PS3.
Japanese yen have to weaken, otherwise it seems very hard to drop price in € or $.
And yet still the Ps3 comes crashing again and again and again. The only way this thing is every gonna launch is if somebody straps it to to a rocket ship
What's ur spec for ur PC if ur playin it on a 52" PC. Was considering doing the same.
@ lolo: well early in january, they had a special offer for PS3 little big planet pack & motorstorm: pacific rift at 295£
So in total 310€ shipping included (4 days with airmail) for PS3 along with LBP and Motorstorm 2 but they don't seem to make that offer anymore which isn't really surprising… Resell one of these brand new game on ebay and you got your 275€ ps3
Also british pound seems to have gone up a little but since, it was almost 1:1 then.
@#13 lol seriously you cant do everything a ps3 does for the same price, perhaps you missed the point i was making. says it very clear that to buy each thing individually it would be ATLEAST $200 more that includes a computer of comparable quality to the ps3 which would run about $3000-4000 and you still wont get the power of the ps3. Hence why Sony has sold the cell processor to several CG studios who are using the Sony cell processor instead of the super computers they were using.
All the little ps3 bashers need to go and read what it has inside of it and where the technology has gone to. #23 is the first time ive ever heard of someone returning their ps3 because it "looked bad" or "worse" then a pc Damn bro what kinda rig you running does it fill a god damn room?
Actually, amazon offer was even "funnier" than that: they would only let me buy the 295£ LBP pack if i took Motorstorm 2 with it, except that they would take the game price of grand total. Crazy january offer i guess…
Hell, i would have taken the LBP pack at £295 anyway!!
@ 28
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6202552/p-4.html?tag=feature;sidenav
lol you seriously think ps3 looks better? It sounds like your post is a lame attempt to start a flame war, but if you actually believe what you typed than you sir, are ret4rded.
@17 "$ony fanboys are really funny, they think their struggling console is better than everything. n00bs."
That's funny because it's true.
@17
@31
@everyone else…
What's the difference between a Sony Fanboy, a 360 Fanboy, a PC fanboy? Seriously. Shut up. Play on what you want. Stop trying to convince strangers that your preference is better based on sometimes true sometimes false information. I don't care what the hell you play on or why. Please stop spamming the internet with your fanboy wars. Thanks.
Well said 32
It is a good news for the consumers. PS3 is way too expensive when they first comes out.
yes..well said 32. I have both consol and not a fan boy at all but i think the "fanboys" are mainly 13 year old xbox owners over XBL…i must say this year will rock for the PS3…bring on KZ2
Todays average price of 80GB model of PS3 in Slovakia is 600$ which sucks when reading the prices you have guys :-/ it's simply not fair
Why do people always argue over which system is best. There is no best system just different. The XBOX 360 is aimed at people who just want a games console for the cheapest price (in build quality too), you get what you pay for there. You can also play "backups" on this system so it's great for a lot of people.
The PS3 is aimed at people who want more than just a games console as it features the ability to play HD discs (bluray) and has support for viewing web pages and installing other 64bit PPC/CELL compiled operating systems. It also is the fastest system in raw power, great for hacking those encryptions codes and networking up into a supercomputer (if that is what you like doing). It can also be used as a media server/client and can stream to a PSP (if you have one), and you can connect a DVB tuner and other accessories to it to turn it into a PVR (which can also be streamed to a PSP). It is also the most robust system I've come across in pure build quality.
The PC needs no introduction, if versatile and upgradable and can be anything you want it to be for a price. I choose this option over the 360, and the PS3 for everything else. And with the crappy console ports of late, it's a good job I have a console to fall back on for games at least.
The Wii, I don't even want to go there, I'm sure it's great but not my cup of tea. In my opintion its just a rehash of the gamecube with a funny controller, but it's relativly cheap, but then again so is the PS2.
Which comes to my final point, people just choose the system/combination of systems that suit them and stop complaining and comparing where a clear comparison is not possible due to the hardware differences.
32: I'm not a fanboy par say, I simply hate $ony and the army of morons who blindly follow them and if Killzone 2 is all you have to look forward to then 2009 is going to be a very baron year for gaming as a PS3 fanboy.
@ 37
"Why do people always argue over which system is best. There is no best system just different."
Maybe between 360 and PS3 that is true, but the PC is superior in every aspect. Every single thing you can do on the consoles can be done on a PC, and better. So yeah, you kids have fun playing with your toy with jagged cr@ppy looking games in upscaled 720, while I play in 2650×1600HD with 16xQSAA.
I just want a PS3 so I can replace my xbox 1 which I use for xbmc only. Now they have xbmc for linux I see it as a cheap and easy htpc with a hdmi plug. Can give a rats ass about the games. I'd go xbox 360 but dont want to deal with RRoD problems.
its funny, idk if any1 realized this but in the title it says price drop in June, but the article says April!
Did they manage to make a mod chip for the PS3 that overrides the copyright protection?
This is friggin awsome news. The price has been a big reason why Sony has been losing the next-gen war, the other being that the other consoles have all been hacked. If the ps3 gets hacked one of these days, with a reasonable method of playing backups, I expect console sales to skyrocket. I bought my 360 as a way of playing next-gen games for close to free (piracy) and still laugh at Microsoft (still mad at them for Vista) All the good games that were cross platform, I bought for my ps3. I'll laugh my arse off if FFXIII for 360 tanks because everyone pirated it out of spite for the back stabbing.
@39. No PC is not better in "every" aspect. How much did all of that cost? How many new PC games have come out that utilize all of those amazing graphics you purport? Exactly.
I have owned a ps1 and ps2 and both had modchips … all my games were copied …
Its not our fault sony is losing money on ps3 and is only making money off the games, this is just not fair to us consumers who have to hand over $100 Aussie dollars for a new game.
I have been waiting & waiting years for a big price drop on ps3 here in Australia so I would go buy one and actually buy a original game or two but they have to drop the price on the games.
If it takes for the ps3 the be hacked so i can play copied games and if that ruins ps3 game releases then so be it ..
@Cheddar (Post #8)
You are a fool. That thing doesn't cost THAT much to make. Blu-Ray drives are $90 now, the cost of a 80GB 2.5-inch HDD is $50. DRAM prices are at all time lows. Besides, they make profit off of each game sold anyway. Lower the price of the PS3 and more people will have them which means more people buying the PS3 games so they can make more money.
It's all logic there. Not too hard to grasp really.
44
pretty much all new PC games support the resolutions and textures he mentioned. And personally I have both, xbox for online with friends, and PC for the better graphics, gameplay, and customizations.
Who the hell buys two PS3's????
f$cking id!ot!
I bought a ps3 as a replacement media player for my aging chipped xbox, while I still prefer xbmc to sony's implementation I think the PS3 is a fantastic device for a media center. The HD content looks great.
I use a java ps3 media server. It forces the re-encode of mkv files unlike tversity.
In this f%$kin economy the price is still high….not interested
I would pay $75USD and no more
@18 "Killzone 2 is also out next month, the best console FPS this generation."
serious? "this generation"??? you know this because u got in your little time machine and went into the future??
K I have been building computers since i was 15 years old for 1 thing. For 2 go to any computer store and build a top of the line (not the phenom 1's they are trash,phenom 2,intel quad) quad core with top of the line video cards top of the line ram and top of the line mobo tack onto that a minimum of 800 watt psu and a bluray drive with a case and a minimum of 32 inch lcd monitor . tell me what that comes to if its even under $2000 I'll take it all back.
Have fun trying!! because you seriously wont be able to unless you got some inside deal where you get all the parts for 90% off. Seriously buddy hit the nail on the head the only ones comparing your $2000+ rigs to consoles are you guys. The rest of the world realizes its a heck of alot cheaper to buy a ps3 which outperforms most pc's.
@51 no, he prolly knows this based on the demo they released when you pre-ordered flame on flamer.