PS3 European pricing not what it seems
by Conrad Quilty-Harper 
{ Apr 5th 2006 at 2:10PM }
Fortunately for U.S. gamers (and unluckily for Europeans), no console manufacturer ever bases the price of its consoles on the currency exchange rates. The chances are that the US dollar figure of the PS3 will be equal to or lower than the euro numbers, not in line with the currency exchange rate. Don't believe us? Check out the Xbox 360's European pricing. For some reason the Xbox 360 price in U.S. dollars is identical to the price in euros -- working out to a €60 or €80 premium depending on which console you purchase.
Based on the example of the Xbox 360 it follows that if the European pricing outlined by Mr. Fornay is real, then the American pricing for the PS3 will be between $499 and $599 and not the crazy numbers that you get after converting the currency. Crappy for European gamers, we know, but at least the American PS3 Fanboys will stop crying!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ymmv @ Apr 5th 2006 2:17PM
The reason for the difference between US and European prices is simply VAT. European prices include 19-20% VAT, American prices are without VAT (which is between 0-5%, depending on where you live). Since Americans can mail order goods from out of state without paying taxes, it means that consoles and games are generally 20% cheaper than in Europe. A major difference.
Art Guy @ Apr 5th 2006 2:17PM
Even $499 is $100 too much.
And we don't know what all will be included with the PS3.
Miharu @ Apr 5th 2006 2:19PM
PS2 and Xbox cost 499 when they came out in Europe. Some stores even sold them for 519. Didn't they both cost 299 dollars in America? That's about 250. I believe PS3 will cost at least 599.
MarxMarvelous37 @ Apr 5th 2006 2:29PM
That's crazy... do other electronics (TV's, stereos, etc) also have the same skew from US to Europe?
Vader582 @ Apr 5th 2006 2:31PM
This article is total crap! PS3 FANBOIS NEVER STOP CRYING! ;)
epobirs @ Apr 5th 2006 2:40PM
Anything above US$499 in North America is still going to be a very hard sell unless they completely exceed expectations. For the early adopters with deeper pockets the Blu-ray playback support is worth a premium over the $399 price point established by the Xbox 360 but only so much. Go past a certain point and sticker shock will affect even many of the wealthy shoppers. It won't matter if they can afford it if it still triggers a mental alarm.
I joked about 3DO before but this is getting too familiar. The PS3 promises far better value but that only justifies so much. Otherwise we'd have all bought Neo-Geo console back in the 90s.
It's like a remark I once heard about a stunningly expensive sports car. "For that much money it needs to come with a deed, not a pink slip."
Peretz @ Apr 5th 2006 2:41PM
$500-600 bucks (plus games...) for a VG console (Oh, it has Blu-Ray!) is RAPE.
Benny @ Apr 5th 2006 2:47PM
The PS3 will be multiregion and so I don't see what would stop lots of people just importing from the US if the price was so much cheaper.
Bluray movies will have a region lock but that will probably be bypassed pretty quickly with no problem by third parties.
Alex K. @ Apr 5th 2006 2:59PM
LOL it's the 3D0 2!
Odds Bodkins @ Apr 5th 2006 3:00PM
I wouldn't pay anything more than $399.99 on a new console at this point. No way, I can wait if need be.
mercatfat @ Apr 5th 2006 3:00PM
It will not, however, stop the ignorant "get a job, it's not that much" comments.
Sorry, I won't be paying more money than I pay for rent for a console. And games. Don't forget that you have to buy games.
I want a PS3 oh-so-badly, but I'll be waiting until it hits the $200-$250 mark. By then, there'll be a bumper crop of games that I actually want; which isn't to the system's discredit, history shows that it takes a long while to get the good games rolling on ANY new system since the 16-bit era.
AceMilo @ Apr 5th 2006 3:06PM
I love the spin they put on this tho. He's like its a dirt cheap blu ray player that can do all this other shit! Sony doesn't seem to know what they are anymore. The ps3 is not a game console, its a fucking media portal / blu ray player / linux pc that can also play video games. Do you guys really think that the games are going to be great? Their focus is so spread out that not one single aspect of the ps3 will be done well. It will do everything mediocre, just look at the psp. Nintendo has the best idea imo, just games nothing more. MS is a close second due to the media capabilities distracting you only slightly from games but games are still the focus. Sony is in a distant third when it comes to games. They see the ps3 as a blu ray player and media center first and a game console last, which is going to deter the casual gamer, not attract, especially with the high price point. No casual gamer is going to want to spend $70+ on a game just because its on a blu ray disc and 500-600 for a console; hardcore gamers will, casual gamers will not. The ps3 will not offer graphically or exclusive game-wise any advantages over the 360, and with much cheaper prices the 360 should have no troubles. If I'm just a shopper in best buy or where ever and say "hey I'm gonna buy a video game" and see the 360 on the shelf for $400 (probably less by the time ps3 comes out) next to a ps3 for $600, I don't care what the ps3 has to offer over the 360, I'm buying the 360.
Are ppl gonna buy the ps3? Hells ya, I'm sure it will be sold out for quite a few months, but after that I don't see a high demand for it. Everyone was criticing ms in the beginning for saying they don't care about games, they are only trying to take over the living room, now look. Sony is the one trying to take over the living room and could care less about games. Sony has now disoriented all of their customers, I can't see the ps3 being as big as the ps2.
jay @ Apr 5th 2006 3:07PM
Even on my salary I'd never spend more than £150 on a machine to play games.
Kenneth Powers @ Apr 5th 2006 3:09PM
What is with this 499/599 stuff? Didn't Sony state that their wouldn't be more than 1 version? It would just be one pack, and that's it?
SpoBo @ Apr 5th 2006 3:11PM
It's a sad world for us europeans. But I think it's still an acceptible price to pay for a console that featurepacked. And I might just be one of the first owners mwuhahaha.
By the way did the XBox and PS2 realy launch for 299$ in the US? That's a fucking crime. That's a LOT less then normal taxes. Shouldn't stuff like this be prohibited or something ?
And AceMilo .. you don't appreciate art. If there was no Sony/nintendo your xbox wouldn't even exist. And sure ... some people just look at the price. But not me. And probably a whole lot of other people will.
Besides if cheap is what you want you will automatically buy the revolution wich will probably retail for around 200$.
AceMilo @ Apr 5th 2006 3:17PM
And AceMilo .. you don't appreciate art. If there was no Sony/nintendo your xbox wouldn't even exist. And sure ... some people just look at the price. But not me. And probably a whole lot of other people will.
First of all, whats art got to do with anything? All I said was sony doesnt care about games anymore, which is true.
Second, like I said some ppl wont care about the price, but most will. The reason the ps2 succeeded was because it apealed to the causal gamer, which is something the ps3 will not do.
The1 @ Apr 5th 2006 3:18PM
This is a Blu-Ray console that happens to play video games. I hope SONY knows what they are doing. IMO, they are trying to make sure BLU-RAY succeeds at the expense of gamers. Since games take forever to develop will this BLU-RAY device end up like UMD? I am not sure I am ready to pay $35 dollars for a Blu-Ray movie, when I can play the same movie on a upscaling DVD player.
Mal F4ct10n @ Apr 5th 2006 3:18PM
The Price includes a 15 to 20 percent tax in Europe. The reason those are so high is because they don't have an income tax. The money you pay to the government is based on the money you spend.
I would rather pay taxes on the money I spend than the money I earn.
So don't cry for our European friends and their "flat tax" rate. That's what we need in the states. I hate the fact that someone who makes 5 mil can end up paying the same in taxes as me (making less than $80K) because they pay their layers to find loopholes.
32_footsteps @ Apr 5th 2006 3:25PM
Please tell me Miharu earned a star for that post - they really deserve it for giving me the kind of info I needed to think clearly on the subject.
Now, presuming Miharu is right (and I have no reason to doubt it), then Sony may be in better shape than I thought. The implication is, Sony is prepared to charge for the PS3 what it charged for the PS2, and I think gamers at large could deal with that.
It really comes down to whether or not Sony could afford to go in the red over this. If their credit is sufficiently good, they might just gamble that they could pull it off... and it certainly seems reasonable that they could.
Thus, Microsoft's business strategy should be to cut them off right now. Ironically, it might actually behoove them to work with Nintendo a bit - MS stands the best chance of knocking off Sony in the US, while Nintendo is better positioned in Japan. I'd be very interested if the two made a momentary truce to take on Sony united.
Angry englishman (robert semp) @ Apr 5th 2006 3:30PM
You americans should find yourselfs lucky we get overcharged on everything are ipods cost $384 and yours $300 we pay 84 dollars for nothing and the same with the xbox 360 we pay $489 dollars for the same console!! damnn you world
J B Cougar @ Apr 5th 2006 3:33PM
How did a machine that was actually shown with controller and spec demos become vaporware?
Anyway, everyone posting about hidden costs (the games, xtra controller, headsets, boomerangs), is correct. Even if this thing is $450 or $499, add in $55 for one game and 30 to 50 for an additional wireless controller. Oh, and for all intents and purposes, the PS3 is still vaporware until E3. Sony, if I wanted to be insulted I'd be watching a Uwe movie. Get real.
skoobydoo @ Apr 5th 2006 3:36PM
XBox $$ + NIN RS $ = PS3 $$$
I think I will go with Xbox and RS... :)
skoobydoo @ Apr 5th 2006 3:40PM
Remeber the price difference is that Sales Taxes in Europe are ridiculous.
They probably make less money on European units than in the states...
Siraris @ Apr 5th 2006 3:41PM
First of all, none of you have any clue how much the PS3 will cost in the US, so stop bitching. The PS2 launched for 499 Euros, and was $299 here. Second of all, this was a VP from France making conjecture on the radio. He could have been talking out of his ass, or he could have just said the price to get a reaction out of people.
I highly doubt that Sony would allow one of their executives to come out in a article a month before the official announcemnt and reveal this top secret information. PS3 information has been held in the upmost secrecy to this point, why would it slip now.
I'm willing to be quite a bit of money that it will be $399 in the US and 399 in Europe. Just wait 4 weeks.
John @ Apr 5th 2006 3:42PM
Once again Joystiq is the first to get this right. This is the only article I've seen that addresses this issue. That's why I keep coming to this site, they don't have their brains up their arses.
Paul @ Apr 5th 2006 3:49PM
Mr Semp, you want to know why your stuff costs so much, it is because of the oppressive EU's policies and the horrible value-added taxes. Blame your governments, not the manufacturer.
I am also in the camp that this is too expensive, and it's not even a matter of being able to afford it. You don't have to be poor to value money and think that $500 is too much to spend for a video game system. Hell, I make that much every week, I have next to no expenses, I could easily buy one at that price, but there is just no way I'm willing to spend that much. A console isn't that valuable to me. I'd much rather put that money away in a mutual fund.
Atari Kid @ Apr 5th 2006 3:53PM
Let's put it this way, If Sony sold the PS3 for 399 it will it will sell for ~499 including VAT (VAT is 15-25% depending on the country), if they sold it for 499, it will be over 599 including VAT.
In Europe VAT is included in the sticker price, you can't compare dollar for euro for comparision.
Paul @ Apr 5th 2006 3:54PM
Hey Mal, I highly agree with you on the sales tax thing, but there is one huge difference. In Europe the tax is levied at every stage of production which is highly inefficient and encourages vertical growth, which kills trade.
If we switch to a sales tax for America it should be at the retail level only.
minus_273 @ Apr 5th 2006 4:00PM
everything in europe is expensive and games are no exception. Look at their gas rates they get something like 2x what we pay. The other problem is the europe uses PAL for whatever reason.
Douggy @ Apr 5th 2006 4:06PM
I pointed this out earlier, and to be fair, it is not just Europe, it seems to be everywhere outside of the US & Japan. Canada & Australia for example also pay a significant premium.
and Kenneth, "this 499/599 stuff" refers to an earlier article that stated:
"George Fornay -- president of Sony Computer Entertainment France and vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe -- let a little something slip: the PlayStation 3 will cost between 499 and 599."
As I said before, this seems like a reasonable expectation...
Todd H. @ Apr 5th 2006 4:24PM
I won't buy anything that supports Blue-Ray DVD until I can make legal backups of my own DVD's (or backups of Blockbuster's entire DVD Library, just kidding)...
I hope the folks at DVDClone are able to crack the encryption on HD-DVD and Blue-Ray DVD once they come out...
epobirs @ Apr 5th 2006 4:25PM
#17
Hate to break it to you but the wealthy enjoy a great advantage in sales tax arrangements, too. When you can afford a bigger home with a large pantry and a spacious freezer, for instance, it's easy to take advantage of volume purchasing of food. The big box of cereal from Costco has a much lower cost per once than the regular size box at the grocery store. This benefit also works in favor of families. Kids are expensive compared to just fending for yourself but you get more groceries for your money if the rate of consumption favors buying the big box. Of course, the well to do family with more storage capacity will be favored the most by being able to buy in volume without being forced into a monotonous diet because that item is taking up all of the storage space. (A few years ago, choosing to buy a smaller refrigerator/freezer for a one time savings of a few hundred dollars turned out to be a big mistake in the long term due to the constraints it put on my shopping flexibility.)
This can be applied to many other kinds of products and services. Wealth is always an advantage.
darryl @ Apr 5th 2006 4:37PM
"...but at least the American PS3 Fanboys will stop crying!"
Illogical.
It's the non-PS3 "Fanboys" that are crying... If you are truly a "Fanboy" (whatever that means), then you would find a way to spin whatever news in a positive manner. The moaning comes from trolls and "Fanboys" of other platforms.
LuckyT @ Apr 5th 2006 5:18PM
It seems the original report was inaccurate. Jeux-France has updated theirs - he did not provide an explicit price range as reported. He was asked if PS3 would retail at $500 (yes, US dollars, not even euros!), and he simply replied that that price would be very cheap for a Blu-ray player, but expensive for a videogames machine, when they usually retail for well below $500. He went on to say that PS3 would probably fall between the price of current video game systems (well below $500) and BD players. In other words, he basically told us nothing new at all.
Check it out for yourself:
http://www.jeux-france.com/news15148_la-playstation-3-autour-de-500-euros.html
epobirs @ Apr 5th 2006 5:51PM
#33
When you consider the announced prices for Blu-ray decks, this isn't much of an imporvement over the earlier interpretations. Hopefully it would be much closer to game console pricing than Blu-ray deck pricing. If it falls equidistant from either item's price it's still well over $500.
Dreizehnernuss @ Apr 5th 2006 6:03PM
"18. The Price includes a 15 to 20 percent tax in Europe. The reason those are so high is because they don't have an income tax. The money you pay to the government is based on the money you spend. "
Wohoo, wait a moment. Of course we have an income tax and not a small one i can tell you.
And in response to another poster, The sales tax applies not for business to business trades. Only for retail.
A lot of details get mixed up here.
DaveKap @ Apr 5th 2006 7:12PM
Half a thousand dollars for a console...
What has Sony gotten itself into... *sigh*
Alan @ Apr 5th 2006 8:03PM
I can't speak for the whole of Europe, but I can speak for the UK. We get taxed 17.5% on everything we buy because the Iron Lady decided to pull millions out of thin air.
There is no way that it'll cost over $500 in America because no one there would pay it.
The rest of the world has their prices jacked up to unbelievable amounts (for everything, not just games consoles. Petrol [gas] prices are the obvious thing here) and everyone in America still complains that they have it bad over there.
I think it'll cost $499 in America and the same amount in (different currencies in) Europe. It's a disgrace.
thatfeelsgood @ Apr 5th 2006 8:59PM
Why do European electronics companies stay away from the gaming console business? Japan and the US have their own consoles but nothing form Europe...why?
Chucky's Cat @ Apr 5th 2006 9:31PM
The PS3 prices will create a NEW TYPE OF FANBOY. The new FANBOYS will be PS3 KIOSK FANBOYS....Those who want one but can only play it at the local EB or Bestbuy.
ElCapitanAmerica @ Apr 5th 2006 10:27PM
This story is bogus, is it too much to ask for joystiq and engadget to post correctoins to the original articles? Geez people!
epobirs @ Apr 6th 2006 2:07AM
#38
You might recall Philips'CD-i product line. An immense sum was spent on trying to sell this idea but it never caught on. It's popularity for a few years in interactive kiosk applications helped soften the blow.
ndreamer @ Apr 6th 2006 2:07AM
yeah we get raped here to, xbox360(premium) is currently $650 here in australia thats with out any games, with a game your looking at $758 add controler and your up to $800+ now you can get a low end laptop here for that or even decent pc or you could buy 7 gamecubes at $99 each with some games.
Kris @ Apr 6th 2006 5:53AM
@18
Check your remarks before you post.
I live in Belgium. My boss pays roughly 37.500 a year for me. After income tax I receive a mere 16.000 a year. (I'm 35 and cost accountant)
we pay 1.25 for one liter of gasoline. (all sort of taxes)
Internet connection (ADSL : I need a subscription to regular phone service as well) cost 50 a month.(10 gig restriction a month)
Games PS2 games an xbox games currently sell at 60. (In theb beginning at 70)
The classic games sell at 30.
DVD : Between 15 and 25
We have healthcare and unemployment services and so on. we even receive money from the government if we have kids(you have to pay less income tax).
I'm a single guy who's into consumer electronics and games and Europe is not the place to be in then. (Japan or USA)
mookmookie @ Apr 6th 2006 1:42PM
IMO:
Why own a ReVo when i have emulators and all those old skool games? A new zelda/mario game is not enough for me to have another peice of electronics layin around. The controllers! lol, but hey i havnt used'em yet, so ya never know.
High Defination, here in the states, will be the only format to be broadcast over the air by the end of 2007. NO MORE STANDARD DEFF!!HOO_RAY!! This already started the steady donwfall of prices for HDTV's. If u havnt seen an HD signal yet, trust me u wont go bak, and it will only be natural to demand your movies and video games in HD. Skrew Nintendo.
I for one wont be buyin any games from store shelves as long as i can buy the full version online and download it to the console. PS3 will do this, but im not sure if there are any full version games available on xbox live, yet. Just think, no more game cases layin around and no more cd books full of freakin games that just get scratched and becomes unuseable anyway. At least the PS3 will be able to hold a decient amount of games with 60gb of hdd. NO BLUE RAY COSTS FOR MY VIDEO GAMES!
If bd-dvd wins the format war, then we with our PS3's, will be "10 steps ahead" and 360 owners will have to buy an external BD drive if they plan on watching HD movies. If not then Sony will go bak to puttin the games on DVD and have to offer an external HD-dvd drive to accomdate our HD movie needs. No matter what happens, u will have to buy an external disc drive if u want to watch HD movies on the 360.
If u do care about High Deff, we already know 360 has a max rez of 1080i(which is fantastic). PS3 will offer up to 1080p(which is F****** Fantastic!).
If i didnt care about high def, then the HDD spec alone would sell me on a PS3 just because it could hold more games.
Its fair to say that the PS3 is (at least) as high tech as the 360. When u have two machines that are generally equal, it's the little things that count! The xtra HDD space, builtin in wireless internet (360 has wireless for 99$ lol), all the memory card options, duel video outputs(360 has one), up to 7 wireless controllers at once(360 up to 4), these reasons are why i think the PS3 will preveil.
Dont get me wrong, the 360 is awsome!! My buddie brings his over all the time. It is truely awsome how good games look in HD. Eldar Scrolls is such an awsome game, im itchin to buy a 360, just for that game!lol If(or better yet "when") MS drops the price of the 360 at the PS3 launch, i might get one for christmas. Since i've never been the one to run right out and get a new system the day it comes out(cause of pricing), now is my time! The PS3 will be the only console thats worth the "starting price", the only console ever.
the ReVo is just a souped up gamecube with different controllers. If the ReVo came out when the origional xbox came out, and the ReVo had the gamecube controllers, it would be a different story.We'd be singing a different tune. Begin the Countdown to Extinction! Come on Nintendo get with it!