Sony CEO: PS3 to launch under $400

If the PS3 launches at $299, I'll be in line on launch day with my cash in hand. If it's $399, there will have to be some awesome games before I plunk down the cash. The dismal launch lineup, IMO, is what kept me from buying the 360 this morning.

I'd rather have a 360 with a unified online community and marketplace, a hard drive and the ability to play HD movies off of my home network thank you.

Absolutely! $299 or even $399 will be a bargain. Hell I'll buy at least two just for the Blu-ray. This is good news. This is when competition is good for consumers.

My bet's on $399. No way they can pull off a $299 PS3 with the $494 manufacture costs, that's nearly a $200 loss on each console.

hell yea. now that i see a strong chance in a ps3 price drop ill be camping for sure....btw you guys have a GREAT site. i recommend it to all of my friends and its good to have something to read that keeps me informed when the hassles of life keep me down..wow that came out weird

Just seems like another PR move to downplay the 360...

Remember the 360 (Core) will come in at $199< at the same launch time.

I will believe SONY (<400$) it when I see it...

I guess I'll believe it when I see it, but that's great news

Considering that a stand alone blu-ray player will still be in the $700 range at the time of launch, I would say this will be 1 helluva selling point.
But hey, the 360 plays DVDs right?

eff yes this will be very very very very good. Now all they need is some killer games for their launch and Sony should be fine :).

No doubts in my mind im getting a PS3 for sure.

Good question... So far, this is the only encouraging news I've seen on the PS3. Butt ugly controller, no real online strategy, no really solid exclusive games (I'm not an RPG'er, sorry)...

But, a price on par with the 360 would certainly make me consider the PS3 if I didn't have a 360 yet.

Much, much more likely. When Sony was claiming you'd have to give your first born for the console and a kidney for an extra controller, I was really turned off by the whole thing. If they manage to price this at $350.00 or less, I'll be the first in line. Maybe it will help wash the horrible taste of the XBOX 360 out of my mouth.

If it's $299, plays blu-ray, and plays ps1/ps2 games, then yes, I'll get one as soon as it's out. No question.

If it's $299 I'll get one too, and it will sit next to my xbox 360. If its $399, I'll pass. Blu-ray is overrated and easily damaged so t nearly $400 without the harddrive, no thanks.

The real question is, can Sony afford to take a potentially $200 hit per console sold? Yes BluRay adoption is in their best interest, but that is one massive risky roll of the dice if it loses. They don't have MS cash hoard.

i think i just piddled a little

I was in line to get a Xbox360 this morning and wasn't able to get one. Microsoft couldve had one extra Xbox360 owner, but too bad they messed up the launch. Cause of their screw up, I'll probably just wait for a PS3 now since the price sounds similar and there are no games on the 360 that is a must have for me right now. If MS made more xbox360's, more and more ppl would've plunked down for one, therefore, most likely, crippling their chances of getting a PS3 next year. I'm only going to throw down that kinda money on one system. It would've been the Xbox today, but now it looks like its going to be the Revolution or PS3.

-John
http://www.FreeMovieScreenings.net/

#10
Sloopydrew - Why r u putting a 360 in your mouth? Thats a big system, how did u fit it all in there?

The GameIndustry.biz article doesn't directly show the quote.

What Stringer said was that the system "could be" $300-400. He did not announce an actual price range.

After playing the 360 launch games, i don't feel like its really a "next-gen" console. I'm sure we'll see more impressive games in the future, but 360 is sorely lacking that "Itsa Meeaa MAARIO!" Next-gen "OMG" experience.

If PS3 launches with any of the games they've shown (killzone2, MGS4, Warhawk, I-8, etc), it'll be a much more impressive launch.

This, I believe is rubbish. This is just to piss on Microsoft's bonfire.

this....is good. this is very good. i was hearing before anywhere from 500 dollars up. of course those are the same xbox fan boys who said that who also said that the ps3 would be delayed because it kept lighting on fire...oh wait, thats right, the people at sony already have working models that their possibly playing right now!!! i would have to agree, the thing that gets me away from the 360 the most is the weak launch of titles that they have. im a sports gamer, but i hear...madden - sucks, nba live - sucks, nba 2k6 - graphics dont look too appealing to me. i admit an xbox 360 would be nice to have at the moment, but by the time ps3 comes out, the games that i want, such as ncaa football and madden, will soon be released, much better than the 360 im assuming, because they just tried to cram the graphics in as much as possible in the 360, eliminating features like challenges, and all this other crap in the menu's. the blu-ray will be a huge advantage.

Hell no, I won't buy a ps3.

Xbox 360 "Half the Price of PS3" by Late 2006
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1497&Itemid=2

Some of the highlights include:"…The PS3 will not only be significantly more costly than Xbox 360 at launch, but will continue to operate at a cost disadvantage for several years. … We think that the Xbox 360 could be selling at half the price of PS3 in the latter half of 2006."

hardwood2001: now if the stock market can't predict the ps3 price than who can? and by the way the article is talking about the core system.

I will believe that price when I see it on a box and not popping up around the 360's launch.

Definitely makes me more inclined to buy it. When I first heard about this in the morning, it sort of made me want to just forget about the xbox 360 for a while and maybe just preorder a PS3 as soon as they start allowing it. This chaos surrounding the 360 launch has completely turned me off. The hype is meaningless to me. I don't want one because it's the "hot product". I just want a new gaming system because I'm a gamer, and I'm starting to think that this gaming system may not be worth the trouble.

MS should have staggered this launch a little more. I know what they were thinking (global launch... yeah, yeah), but the people that obviously want this thing... those in the US... are having trouble getting them and there's no way to look at this as a positive thing. It's just a complete pain in the ass... even for those that got one at launch. I mean... people shouldn't have to wait outside in the cold for 15 hours to buy a console. It should be much, much easier to get one. Meanwhile, in Japan, the consoles will likely be sitting on the shelves for weeks, readily available. How about taking care of your main consumer base first and pushing back the Japanese launch a month? Do you think they would have cared in Japan and decided not to buy it because it was released a month later?

Basically, in short, MS may have lost this customer to Sony, and I can't imagine I'm the only one. I always said that if the PS3 was over $400, it would be past my comfort level, but if it was less, I would be very tempted to wait. Blu-ray over plain old DVD, and more power (even if not that much more) seem worth it for about the same price. MS seems like they rushed out the 360 and didn't keep their core customers in mind... let's see what Sony gives us.

The ps3 will have little to no online support. This doesn't seem like much, until you realize that you can play games before you buy them. In addition, existing titles in your library will be updated with new levels, costumes, weapons etc... Now I'm not some damn fanboy, but just looking at it from it's expansive capabilities, the 360 seems like a better buy.

a few dollars less does not make up for the fact that Sony refuses to establish an online service. Product + Services is "Next-Gen". If you don't believe that you are sorely mistaken. I really did think Sony was smarter than that.

Matt... a man with a head on his shoulders.

Why the hell are there not more normal people like this on the internet?

Just typical Sony marketing B U L L S H I T !!!

They're trying to dissuade you from buying a 360, they did it to the dreamcast, hopefully you fanboy fools won't let them do it to the 360, as well. (Either way, i'm a proud 360 owner, and i've already got money down on a PS3 and Rev)

I'm still trying to figure out why Sony is trying to force all this stuff on the public.

Does the public really want Blu-Ray? The market says no, but it'll be a moot point if the PS3 is 300-400 bucks.

Is Sony really caring more about Blu-Ray then the PS3? With Developer worry about filling up those Blu-Ray disc and keeping cost low on making games ouside of the BIG franchises, it seems the win here is more in Sony getting 80 million Blu-Ray players into our homes then having innovative and new games.

If this thing backfires, not only with it damage the PS3, but Sony overall.

Sony stills > MS

#19
I completely agree. What happened today is the result of MS taking things WAY too fast. No killer app,bugs and 15 hours waiting in the cold to get a 360? Plus shortages? No thanks.

All this talk of online is great but I for one prefer my online gaming to be free. If you just spent $400 for a 360 you still are paying a monthy fee to use Live. On top of that have you seen the figures for Live? The penetration is under 20% of Xbox owners are on live. You are already limiting people to HDTV how much more money do you want to spend to game. PS3 idea is to let the game companies create their own format for online gaming it may not be as unified but at least I'm not missing half the experience of a 360 by not paying more money for live

It's amazing that people in this thread still believe, even after this, that the PS3 will be more than $400. These are the same people who believed the brain dead analysts who were claiming the PSP would be $500.

The PS2 initially had manufacturing costs at about $450 and yet they released it for $300. Why would anyone expect they are suddenly going to change the formula that helped them sell 100 million consoles?!? Why would they raise the price by $200 from one generation to the next?

Answer: obviously they won't.

There's a serious lack of critical thinking going on here, and perhaps some bizarre wishful thinking on the part of the anti-Sony people that Sony will price itself out of the market.

Sheesh, get a clue people.

If it's true then im sure it'll be a great buy. However as of right now i'll be buying a 360. The online gaming to me is the best with Microsoft Systems. But I imagine if the PS3 has some awesome games that i have to have, i'll buy one of those too. I mean i currently have a PS2 and Xbox, so why not get em both again. ;)

The reason DVD is a sucess was that you could get a PS2 and play them for less than buying a standalone DVD player. Sony is repeating the same success formula they used with both DVD and PS2. Nobody complains anymore about DVD's I remebver people were dumb and happy with VHS too now look at it... The same thing will happen with Blu Ray

That guys looks so much less cool than the microsoft guys.

#23

As a sidenote, that's exactly how the PS2 launched. Only it still has technical problems.

Hell NO. I Dont want a PS3. Why? Because I am an online gamer and the 360 is the King of ONLINE GAMING!

Plus at $400 I guarantee you that does not include the hard drive.

I think one thing learned from the 360 launch is that we had better pre-order the PS3 as soon as its available. Even people who had, say, the 51st reservation for the 360 were not getting theirs today because the store only recieved 50.

I agree with people's comments that the PS3 will see a much stronger launch. Even besides the fact that it will have better exclusive titles (MGS4/KillZone2), I also think that the multi-platform developers of games like Madden, NBA 2k6, etc will have sufficient time to actually finish making their games, and will be able to make them look next-gen as well (no excuse for the pologonal coaches next to high-def player models in NBA 2k6).

Scampy, maybe you're idea of getting raped by microtransactions and subscription services are next-gen...but the general public's idea of this box as a gaming machine (plug, play, and that's all there is to it) is still intact..and it's not going away anytime soon.

You people just don't get it. The vast majority of people who buy this stuff don't use it like you or I. They use it casually. As long as its got a breadth of quality content, a good brand image, and adequate technical capabilities (puts the "video" in videogames), the machine is going to do well. Therefore XBOX and PS3 should do well on these merits alone. NO matter the imaginary world we think exists here at a site like this, it's going to come down to which brand name kids' moms recognize at christmas time.

I think you all lost sight of what put companies like nintendo and sony on the map in the first place. They are paramountly Entertainment companies. They focus on content. Microsoft was never an entertainment company. They've always been a manufacturer of business and personal software in a completely different environment. This makes me believe that vast majority of joystiq commenters are pc gamers that have transitioned into the console realm. Very unrepresentative of the general public.

Two things.

First, if the $300 t0 $400 rumor is true, that is great news for Sony and my pocketbook.

Secondly, if you already own an HDTV, you are better off with a 360 than a PS3. :(

Sony missed the boat by saddling up with a DRM that makes the PS3 unplayable in high definition on MOST HDTVs. In case you are unaware, Sony is requiring HDTVs to support HDCP in order to watch Blu-Ray movies, and most HDTVs owners do not have this. What's the point of using Blu-Ray when most HDTV owners wont be able to watch movies in high definition because they crippled the system? Why is Sony so anti-consumer lately? I'm not going to run out an buy a new HDTV just because Sony tells me to. http://www.drmadness.com/

People are going to be shocked when they learn that the only game system that can play on all HDTVs is the 360. Lets just hope that Sony will change their stance.

I hate it when people copy another post that is already proven to be false on a new forum damn plagurists. The only thing that the HDCP support is for is displaying at 1080p. no one has a tv that will support that right now anyway

If Nintendo can do wifi gaming online for free for the DS, why can't the Playstation or Xbox do it? The DS is cheaper to own, has fun games already, and are startig to take advantage of the online play features for free. I think this will be the only system I find myself playing for most of my free time.

-John
http://www.deliveryblog.com/

Art Guy,

Utilizing HDCP is possible with Bluray...but they already stated it's not going to be implemented within the PS3.

PS3 will work with almost any HDTV...don't go around spreading FUD.

After the rootkit fiasco, I will NEVER buy another Sony product again. I wasn't even affected sice I use a Mac, but to think they can get away with secretly installing dangerous software on a users PC is completely insane and ILLEGAL.

Why anyone would consider supporting Sony completely stumps me.

Microsoft is trying to make global launches the norm, and I commend them for it. This North American isn't as greedy as some others (*cough* Matt *cough*). It's a fair decision for a product that will be sold worldwide.

I have doubts that they'll sell the PS3 for under $400, but you never know. Xbox 360 is going to be looking pretty damn good by that point with similar specs, an established online community, and a larger game library, all for a reduced price.

I'm interested to see what's going to happen in the spring/summer when the PS3 comes out in Japan.

I'm not sure how anyone could complain about the graphics. Sure, you can get the same level of detail on a PC...for 2 grand. A good comparison though is Call of Duty 2 - supposedly the Xbox 360 version looks better than the PC one. Cool.

I personally think that the 360 is way over priced, and has a terrible selection of games at launch. It does not support future HD resolutions like 1080p etc.... I think the Xbox 360 was simply Microsoft saying "oh crap we better have a new one too." My buddy ordered his 360 and quickly had to cancel the order and resubmit because there are so many packages. The first one he chose had a single wired controler and no Hard Drive. I think alot of people are going to get screwed thinking they are getting everything and really they are getting just another Xbox. My buddy that got the "full package" 4 wireless controllers, Hard Drive and 5 games paid $899!!! So keep that in mind when you are thinking about an Xbox. The $399 or $499 version is probably not going to have what you thought it would.

I would also like to comment on a previous statement about "the public not wanting Blu-Ray" No the public does want Blu Ray the MPAA wants HDDVD! Blu Ray will be cheaper than HDDVD, have more space on a disk, and be able to expand in ways HDDVD can not.

I personally plan on buying a PS3 and a Revolution. We are aproaching 1080p TVs right now. In 2-3 years that will be the HD standard, and people that bought the first gen 360 got screwed.

rog27, I think I might love you. Excellent post, my good wo/man. I would expand on your thoughts, but you hit it dead on.

spick. you talk as if MS doesn't do the same thing with windows. If you're going to base your opinion of a product on the company's policies with something completely unrelatd, that's fine and a valid opinion. But it works on all sides. What about iTunes having a security hole that they just discovered? You gonna get rid of your Mac, now? :D

(#35)

That has got to be the DUMBEST statement I've heard all day. Do you realize how much stuff Sony has their finger in? If you're not gonna buy any more Sony stuff then you might as well not buy anything with electronics again b/c chances are it might have a Sony microchip or circuit in it.

"They're trying to dissuade you from buying a 360, they did it to the dreamcast, hopefully you fanboy fools won't let them do it to the 360, as well."

It's called MARKETING. EVERY COMPANY (regardless of the industry) does this when a competitors product comes out. I don't get why you people act so god damn surprised. PLUS the Dreamcast failing wasn't entirely Sony's fault either...you should go back and look at the history of the system and see where it failed. SEGA shot themselves in the foot NUMEROUS times with that system, which was a shame b/c it was damn fun yo play with a large group.

Who cares...everyone knew they would come out around the same price as the 360 launch price. Of course the 360 will probably be cheaper next Christmas. Sony needs to show some real product, like real hardware and real playable games before they tell us how much they want. All we know is that the thing will have blue-ray. We don't know anything else for sure including what games will look like or feel of real controller.