SCEE VP says PS3 will cost 499 to 599 euros

by Christopher Grant { Apr 5th 2006 at 10:27AM }

In a radio interview with Générations Europe 1 yesterday, 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. That's somewhere between $613 to $736 in American dollars! He was sure to point out that while this might sound like a lot of money for a game system, it was in fact cheap for a Blu-ray compatible playback system. Yay?

~~Since I can't seem to get the radio stream to work (and don't understand French if I could)~~ Update: The radio stream has started cooperating, though the French thing is still in the way. If you speak Français, you can jump to the 8-minute mark for the scoop. The news comes to us (via Google's translation services) from Play France. Now, this could be a language barrier problem, but the untranslated page still reads "entre 499 euros et 599 euros donc."

Sony already told us it was going to be expensive and we already know the parts ain't cheap, so either Mr. Fornay is trying to set up an unrealistic price expectation -- only to have it shattered when the PS3 price is revealed to be $7.50 -- or he broke the first (and second) rules of the Sony executive's PS3 club: don't talk about the PS3. This thing is going to cost that much just like the PSP was gonna cost $500.

Tags: France, Radio, SCEE

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Ryan @ Apr 5th 2006 10:35AM

Man... and I was gonna get a PS3. Forget that. I'm getting Revolution.

Stacey Donovan @ Apr 5th 2006 10:36AM

I wonder how much games are going to cost.

PS3 $649.99
Games $ 79.99

Still getting one!

Kye @ Apr 5th 2006 10:38AM

PS3, for Entrepeneurs, Tycools, Oil Barons, Drug Dealers and Royalty only.

Whats that sound? Oh its the rush of feet of all the people who WERE planning to buy a PS3 going to grab a 360.

Seriously, Sony just shot themselves in the foot.
Pre-orders nothing. You no longer choose to buy a PS3, Sony chooses you!

vidGuy @ Apr 5th 2006 10:40AM

I'm not that excited about Blu-ray. Blu-ray and HD-DVD are both looking like they are going to be DOA. I won't spend a dollar over $400 on any one system. I imagine the rest of the US will have a hard time ploping down $600 or $700 on this thing, especially with so many PS2 users having to buy a SECOND machine after the first one dies. Launching at this price point might be the cause of death for the PS3. The tech may be there to justify the cost, but it still caries the name "video game console" in consumers' minds... and that won't fly.

Miguel @ Apr 5th 2006 10:41AM

Hey Americans an Japanese don't worry to much, Sony, Microsoft and Ninttend think Euros = Dollars, everithing is more expensivoe here, so what is saying is 499$ fo 599$ in US and 499� and 599� in europe and I'll bet Japan is about 450$ to 550$

jaemz @ Apr 5th 2006 10:41AM

Wow, this is more money than I am ready to spend on a console. I expect we will see a $150-200 premium over the Xbox 360 when the PS3 comes stateside (more if MS drops their prices).

I have a feeling that two things are really going to stand out this generation: 1)how expensive the PS3 is, and 2) how underpowered the Revolution is.

I hope both statements above are incorrect, but without a finalized game plan by Sony and Nintendo... Microsoft looks to make huge gains this time.

$.02

doug @ Apr 5th 2006 10:43AM

And that's WITHOUT TAX!!! good. If players really want it, they should be charged every cent. then they can live in the box and hook it up to the street lights to play it.

new*allusion @ Apr 5th 2006 10:44AM

Actually thats about where European price expectations fall. There's normally a price in our continent for god knows what reason. The xbox360 premium is 399euros in France (direct conversion is US$489), but only US$399 in the US.

You Yanks should expect something around $400-$500 still... Europe FTL!!

Sense @ Apr 5th 2006 10:45AM

Urgh...I was just about to tip Joystiq about this story, too!

Anyway, I doubt it will really be that expensive. Maybe in Europe it will, because they kinda get screwed in that area. I don't think it will go above $500 in the US though. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

j @ Apr 5th 2006 10:47AM

Here�s my traslation :

Playstation 3, in the 500 Euros fork.

If the launch of the Playstation 3 is officially announced for next November, its price was still a great mystery, until last night. Talking about the new console from Sony on Europe 1 radio�s G?rations Europe 1 last night around 11PM, Georges Fornay � president of Sony Computer Entertainment France and vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe - has confirmed that the PS3 will be available in the 500 euros area, so between 499 euros and 599 euros, specifying that it will be expensive for a video games console but extremely cheap for a high definition platform that can read Blu Ray format movies.

Furthermore, he confirmed his console�s worldwide launch for November in France, even if this worldwide launch remains a challenge for the Japanese company who feels able to overcome it. Finally, Mr. Fornay said that the delay of the Playstation 3 was due to adjustments on the Blu-Ray protection system, but that it was a good thing for the launch preparation, using the PSP�s delay as an example.

In conclusion, we can't advise you enough to put 700 euros aside for the end of the year, to be certain to get your hands on your Playstation 3 and at least one game under the Christmas tree. As a matter of fact, high technology comes at a price!

You're welcome

keith @ Apr 5th 2006 10:47AM

I am such a fanboy, that I don't care if it costs a million dollars. I want the ps3 so bad, and all you haters out there can suck a grape. The ps3 will still rule, ms sucks, nincrapdo is for kids, and the ps3 is the best and only system in the world. Plus with blu-ray installed. Blu-ray is the new format, and it's going to be so sharp and crystal clear that it will blow your eyes out their sockets. PS3 forever.

leojsoap @ Apr 5th 2006 10:49AM

this is like selling lemonaide for $50 a cup, sure, not many will buy it, but people like Stacey Donovan will make up for two other people that would have bought a cheaper PS3

that makes me a little sad�

Shad Genki @ Apr 5th 2006 10:50AM

Are you sure he's not talking about how much it costs to manufacture the system? Even with the Xbox 360 as overpriced as it is, I can't see Sony being stupid enough to price the PS3 even one cent over the 360. Since when did gaming become a seller's market anyway?

Randall @ Apr 5th 2006 10:52AM

Yep, that's the european price.

I can build the best part of quite a nice PC for that money!

I would buy a Revolution and play the 1st-party games to death, have some fun and wait for Sony to smell the coffee. If Blu-Ray is a flop you haven't lost-out.

Mario 128/Revolution will probably take 6 months for most mortals to explore anyway.

Wait for the content.

Steve @ Apr 5th 2006 10:52AM

Let's see, the X360 is currently 400 euro on Amazon.de and �280 on Amazon.UK. Using that as a guide the PS3 would be between... �350 and �420! Jebus. I really hope that price includes sales tax in Europe (17.5%) or it's going to be even more insanely expensive than it is right now. Which, by the way, is something all our American friends might like to bear in mind as US sales tax isn't included in the sticker price.

This just totally destroyed any interest I had in buying a PS3. I'll wait and see what the Rev is like, or how far the 360 falls on the first price drop. In the meantime my DS is providing just the right sort of games for my lifestyle right now and the price of the PS3 can go towards buying a new laptop.

Jeremy Wright @ Apr 5th 2006 10:52AM

lol @ Keith.

I'll wait until 4 weeks before retail before calling this official. This could be as simple as testing the reaction.

Shamrock @ Apr 5th 2006 11:00AM

Anything over 500 and this system will come in 2nd in America. People don't think Jap RGP's are that cute anymore. And I have never met anyone that bought a ms system, played live, and then went back to play single player only games, or 0nline games on a crappy service like Sony's.

Fan @ Apr 5th 2006 11:01AM

Aww :( I submitted this to ps3fanboy this morning. I guess i should start double submitting again.

Anyway im scared of how much this will cost in my country, prob like 100 euros more. But i dont care, ill buy it anyway if it has all the expected features. People pay over 1600$ for a media PC here so this is really a bargain. But at this price i DEMAND that it plays divX.

I do not suspect that the games will be that much more expensive. The price, at least here, is allready at a maximun psychological price. Anything more than 100$ games, wich is the price we pay for xbox ps2 games here, and it wont sell.

Art Guy @ Apr 5th 2006 11:01AM

The PS3 costing a cent over $399 is a deal breaker for me. And it better come with a hard drive for that much as well.

Sam K. @ Apr 5th 2006 11:02AM

Hey Keith, at least you admit to being a fanboy. Some people come on here and bad mouth other companies and then pretend to be "subjective" while hiding under their disguise. I of course, disagree with you. Nintendo is not for kids. Ever played MP: Echoes? Or RE4? And tell me if that's for kids. As for the "best and only" system.. hmm... have to think about that one. Now, can I ask this: Without being such a fanboy, can you honestly defend the PS3 with more intelligence than by saying it's the best thing in the world? I mean, not to slight you or anything, but you have to make a valid argument besides it's the "best and only" and it has Blu-Ray. As for the price, some people will buy it, some won't. And if it is that high, then they would lose potential buyers, and if that is the case, wouldn't their market share decline?

Dan Choi @ Apr 5th 2006 11:04AM

Don't worry, Fan; the folks at PS3 Fanboy got the message. The corresponding post will be up momentarily!

Bender @ Apr 5th 2006 11:04AM

Here in Australia the xbox360 sell for $650 for the premium pack. They don't sell the minimal pack.

$650 is FAR TOO EXPENSIVE for a console IMHO, as a comparison, the xbox 1 is around $250 with 2 games, the gamecube a bargain at $99 and the PS2 around $250.

Sort of explains why the xbox360 is sitting on shelves here, unlike Northern America.

Now, if the xbox360 is US$399 and AU$650, then following the same calculation the PS3 will be between $814 and $977!

NO FRACKING WAY.

adam @ Apr 5th 2006 11:08AM

It will cost this much if not more. Why? Sony knows that it has fanboys that will sell their own kidneys if need be. Personally, I would just wait for it to go down in price (as all things do) and if it doesn't, just don't buy it. You fanboys should stick together so that way sony would get the message and stop ripping you guys a new one. But that will never happen because you are crazy rpg playing, lonely, hairy palmed fanboys.

Fjolle @ Apr 5th 2006 11:09AM

As France has a 20% VAT, and as ppl has pointed out we pay premium in europe..

I guess that it will be under 500$ in the states

Douggy @ Apr 5th 2006 11:09AM

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the 360 $399US and 399 euros? Therefore if the PS3 were priced at 499 euros, it would also be sold at $499US, seems about right, considering you are getting a Bluray player... I know it makes no sense with the exchange rate and all, but it seems as though these companies are content screwing over any customers outside the US & Japan.

Scooby Doo @ Apr 5th 2006 11:11AM

I can live with this price point, really I can. Hell, I'd give Sony the money for it now if it meant I'd have a system on launch day. (I really have hated this 360 launch and lack of systems.)

While I'll admit that some people may not agree with all their business practices, there's certainly a real possibility that the PS3 will do to Blu-Ray what the PS2 did for regular DVD's. I also love Japanese-style RPG's and so far, Sony's been the only company that's delivered a solid lineup of those as opposed to only a few select titles. So I do have some good consumer reasons for buying one and I'm honestly excited about the launch.

The price point may mean that the absolute console market dominance they've known may diminish, but this IS a new PlayStation. Brand loyalty and consumer expections alone should push at least a few systems. If they can garner plenty of 3rd party support, I just can't see the PS3 failing. However I hope Sony takes a note from the complaints about the pricing for games. IMHO, $60 is still about $10 too much.

soco @ Apr 5th 2006 11:13AM

expect the US price to be 1:1 with the Euro price, so if this info is correct, expect the PS3 to be 499-599$, just like the 360. that's obviously excluding sales tax, unless you live in Delaware. ;) the Euro price would include tax already.

MosquitoControl @ Apr 5th 2006 11:13AM

I'd predict $499 US. Not a penny more.
And I'd predict Microsoft does the sane thing and drops the 360 at least $50 the same day.

In any case this prediction is much more reliable than that $500 PSP. The $500 PSP wasn't from Sony, and it was prefaced with "as high as." This is a very, very different, more accurate prediction. But, as mentioned, consoles tend to be the same number in Europe and the US, but not the same price.

Martin @ Apr 5th 2006 11:16AM

I hope all the Sony Fanboys get together and say, Thats fine by me, Sony is so great, I would pay 1 million dollars for the PS3!! Sony sees this reaction and decides to mark up the price!!!

toygen @ Apr 5th 2006 11:18AM

I'm firmly in the PC and Revolution camp. I use my DS mostly at the moment. Point is I'm not a tech-ho at the moment and I don't pay over the odds for gaming systems.

However... it all comes down to the software. If and I stress *IF* Sony can deliver a landmark title with that power in the system then never say never (I say). Yeah it's expensive but it's cheap next to a top spec PC, It does blu ray (bothered? perhaps in the future) and can hook up to your hdtv stuff (if you have it). I would never buy one just because it's "playstation 3" but if it really helps a paradigm shift in gaming and our expectations then who cares about the price? Escapsim isn't cheap? If you don't want to pay then you don't want to play.

Primarily I am getting a revolution... no X360 for me.. but ps3.. I will have my eye on the games. IT IS ALL IN THE SOFTWARE!!!

Hoffer @ Apr 5th 2006 11:24AM

I want a Blu-ray player for my HDTV. So, getting a PS3 is just bonus. I would guess that the majority of people don't feel this way though.

Darth Pixel @ Apr 5th 2006 11:25AM

Sounds like a good price to me.

After all, Xbox 360 + wireless adapter + 2 games = $600+.
And you don't get a HD player with that.

So, if you skip buying 2 games (that's very easy to do these days), PS 3 will cost you about the same as Xbox 360.

I think I will pre-order.

Scythe @ Apr 5th 2006 11:29AM

ok i just got out my converter and euro to us is �499 and �599 is $574 and $689 USA

groovy guy @ Apr 5th 2006 11:30AM

I think we should stop all this non-sense about Blue-Ray being the next "DVD". It's not and it never will be. Most people are fine an dandy with their DVD quality.

1) There isn't as big a difference as the leap from VHS to DVD.

2) It is actually MORE expensive to produce Blue-Ray discs, than DVD's (VHS is much more expensive then DVD).

3) My regular TV shows a big difference between VHS and DVD quality. My TV cannot see a huge difference at all between Hi-Def and Standard Def. The cost of entering the "HD-Era" is way too friggin high right now.

4) You CANNOT push a medium and then 5 years later offer a newer medium that has VERY FEW ADVANTAGES, and MANY DRAWBACKS and expect everyone to buy it.

5)Downloads are (unfourtunately?) the future.

Captain Obvious @ Apr 5th 2006 11:32AM

People need to stop looking at this as an expensive video game machine. It is really a cheap Blu-ray player. If people are looking to get a blu-ray player, they can look at the $1000 or the $800 models and wonder why pay that much more when the PS3 is a blu-ray player and also gives their kids something to play games on. Provided that Sony is able to price this thing significantly below stand-alone blu-ray players, which they should be able to do because they will make up that loss on software licensing, then this thing is going to sell like hotcakes. However, if Samsung is able to get out a comparably priced or even cheaper blu-ray player, then Sony might be doomed.

oe @ Apr 5th 2006 11:34AM

I'll think about buying one if they change the font. Honestly, what are they thinking with that spiderman font? I know it's been said, but why, Sony, why, when the "PS2" font is iconic, and "PS3" could be even more so. Oh well, i'm a Nintendo fanboy anyway.

Bender @ Apr 5th 2006 11:39AM

Your math is pointless Darth Pixel, unless of course you don't want to actually play any games on your brand-spanking new PS3.

Dreizehnernuss @ Apr 5th 2006 11:40AM

"32. Sounds like a good price to me.

After all, Xbox 360 + wireless adapter + 2 games = $600+.
And you don't get a HD player with that.

So, if you skip buying 2 games (that's very easy to do these days), PS 3 will cost you about the same as Xbox 360.

I think I will pre-order."

Whats the point in buying a game console and skipping the games?

I dont get it but it must be ovious since you got 3 stars for your post...

RevJonathan @ Apr 5th 2006 11:43AM

I hear that #1! One Revolution coming my way!

Brandon @ Apr 5th 2006 11:43AM

Everyone I talk to from Australia says they can't even find 360's because they sold out, so maybe there only sitting on the shelf in your area. Also, $599 or 650 after taxes for a ps3 is ludicrous, and only an asshole would spend that, sony is out of there mind. I wanted a ps3 too, but not at that price, my 360 was high enough, and now they want to tack on 2-300 more dollars so I can play an already obsolete "new" movie system, just like umd people are dropping out of the BD camp and signing on to the cheaper HD-DVD, which I'm not thrilled with either considering the price, but at least HD is cheaper. Revolution better be 200 or 250 max so I can get one at launch.

copa @ Apr 5th 2006 11:44AM

"People need to stop looking at this as an expensive video game machine. It is really a cheap Blu-ray player."

If this is Sony's strategy, they are doomed. There is a much larger market out there for Sony-brand game machines than there is Sony-brand Blu-Ray players.

They could also sell PS3 inside of an Escalade for $45,000. "This isn't a really expensive PS3. It's a really cheap Escalade." Fine, but they would lose the console wars, because not that many of us are interested in buying an Escalade.

Gonzo @ Apr 5th 2006 11:48AM

That aint a keeper at that price.
Oh I'll still buy a couple to sell on ebay; especially with the November launch. But $700? That's too rich for my blood.
If they're going to sell these things for these prices, they have to make the machines capable of replacing home computers.
Then it's worth it. But I'd never buy a sony computer.

Jeremy Wright @ Apr 5th 2006 11:48AM

#32: So you'd rather have a system with no games than one with two games? Also, an HD player ... FOR WHAT?! Where are the hundreds of movies you're going to buy?

This is a gaming machine, because for the next year games are all that'll be playable on it. And, as a gaming machine, if you're going to buy 2 controllers and 2 games for the 360, budget it for the PS3.

Which means that, for most gamers, assuming a base cost of 499$ US, the system'll cost 750$ plus any extras, and tax. So, your first day costs'll be between 850-1000$ in the states, and 10-15% more than that in Canada.

puh_fifer @ Apr 5th 2006 11:56AM

I agree with hoffer, I'm all about the blu-ray and the ps3 is a bonus. My HD dlp projector wants the sweet HD signals of blu-ray to caress it's color wheel. I have a 360 already, plan to get a ps3 sometime and maybe a revolution if the price/software is right. I'm a gaming fanboy.

RevJonathan @ Apr 5th 2006 11:57AM

Guys, lets face it, $400+ is too much money. A lot of people are gonna hold out for price cuts because of the ridiculous high price. Not enough people have HDTV to make this a worhtwhile purchase. Too bad Microsoft rushed the market on Next-gen, one more year and this generation could've been much more enjoyable. Now all I really look forward to is the Revolution.

I expected to get all three at one point, but by the time the blu-ray drops enough, we could be in discussion of generation 8!