UK retailer drops PlayStation 3 price by �25

by Justin McElroy { Apr 5th 2007 at 9:28AM }

Two weeks out from the PlayStation 3's launch, UK retailer Play.com
has the has given the system a price cut of around $50. Sweetening the deal is the inclusion of a free HDMI cable and a Blu-ray copy of Adam Sandler comedy, Click, all for £399.99, which is £25 less than the current asking price for the console.

It could be easy to look at this as Play.com trying for attention or moving some excess stock were it not for a recent 82% UK PS3 sales drop reported by Chart-Track. The tracking group later made efforts to downplay the importance of the statistic, but this price cut would seem to justify, in some small part, the poor PS3 reception that the drop indicated.

While it's unclear if this is necessarily a portent of doom for the console's future in the UK (we suspect not), it's at least a good deal for our friends in the UK; though, at nearly $800, still not even close to what US customers are paying for the thing.

[Thanks, fromat]

Tags: play, playstation3, price, pricecut, ps3, uk

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

AirIntake @ Apr 5th 2007 9:32AM

I got excited for a second there....I thought it read "UK retailer drops PlayStation 3 price TO 25pounds"

C. Grant @ Apr 5th 2007 9:35AM

Haha, fixed!

idioteraser @ Apr 5th 2007 9:44AM

So this retailer has added the cable that should have been in their from the start and another blu-ray movie and cut down the price? They are losing over a 100 bucks on each PS3 sold.

I smell desperation from the retailer. They obviously figure those cables won't sell themselves.

mattclarkie @ Apr 5th 2007 9:48AM

The truth is that until now play.com only did a compulsay bundle for £549.

I am considering this for £400, but I was planning to wait until I got a 1080p TV in July, so maybe the price will be better then. I still think it is a bargain, but as I can't make proper use of the blu-ray before July I'll hold off. I mean my 360 is good enough till then.

Neal @ Apr 5th 2007 9:49AM

I got a 60 GB PS3 for sale if anyone wants it.
Included with Madden 07, Resistance, and Need For Speed Carbon. Includes HDMI cable, and extra SixAxis controller.

$640 shipped to your door.

oliecan@hotmail.com

DBX00 @ Apr 5th 2007 9:51AM

People seem to forget that currency does move around considerably around the world. They strength of the Yen or Pound could easily make it possible to cut the price. As a matter of fact, shipping savings could also play a role in driving the cost down. I wouldn't read too much into a single retailer lowering the price of the console. Large retailers are more concerned about driving software sales (high margin) product and will take a small to no profit on the hardware.

Wayne @ Apr 5th 2007 9:52AM

"Sweetening the deal is the inclusion of a free HDMI cable and a Blu-ray copy of Adam Sandler comedy, Click"

I'd rather pay the fill price to avoid getting an Adam Sandler movie!!!

jan_halmes @ Apr 5th 2007 9:56AM

You just can't charge this much money for a videogame system and expect the main stream to by it, no matter how great the system is.

The PS3 is laser disc/Neo-Geo for the new generation. Both were great pieces of hardware, before their time and too pricey for %90 of the world population.

rfom @ Apr 5th 2007 9:58AM

Just to add a few numbers - resale prices for boxed units at cex
PS3: 395 (retail 425, 7% discount)
360: 235 (retail 270, 13% discount)
Which is shocking given that the PS3 is just getting into its stride while the 360 has a year's lead in hype, titles.

#3 "the cable that should have been in their from the start "
So much publicity against Sony for not adding a cable worth a few dollars while MS merrily loots you for so many missing items ranging from HD, decent size hard discs, wifi and multiplayer.

Todd @ Apr 5th 2007 10:03AM

If only this would translate over to the US retailers. Though I would still want more than a mere $50 to be cut.

rfom @ Apr 5th 2007 10:03AM

Also, current exchange rate: 1.97
Or fair price based on exchange rates
= USD599 = GBP (599*1.175/1.97) = GBP357
Add shipping costs, and the cost should go down to GBP380 or so.

Incidentally, fair price = GBP238 for 360 premium.

nick @ Apr 5th 2007 10:22AM

It's more than just a price cut, there's also items bundled in.

Bundles happen all the time. While price cuts typically come later. But both together, less than a month after release?

mnemo @ Apr 5th 2007 10:26AM

Sorry to be nitpicking, but Play is located on the Isle of Man, which is not part of the UK and not part of the European Union. That's why there's a not-so-small chance of paying additional customs and (local) VAT on articles ordered at Play for most Europeans.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man

Yubal @ Apr 5th 2007 10:26AM

I'm sorry but the price is not directly comparable as you might know by now.

http://el-cabron.blogspot.com

mnemo @ Apr 5th 2007 10:28AM

Awww, crud. Play is located on Jersey, not the Isle of Man. Sorry! The same still applies: Not part of the EU.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey

sy kane @ Apr 5th 2007 10:41AM

also.. 360 Core,Premium, Elite has built in Windows media entender. Apparantely people forget that part(Tivo anyone?)

Josh* @ Apr 5th 2007 10:42AM

Remember UK prices have tax factored in before checkout. How much is $599 once it's put through the till? That should bring the prices a little closer together...

Saneless @ Apr 5th 2007 10:45AM

Damn.. I'd be a bit pissed if I bought one at launch. Is there a restocking fee? Time to do some returns and rebuys

eldee @ Apr 5th 2007 11:09AM

I've just been down my local shopping centre in the UK and a major high street store (WH Smiths) has also cut 25 GBP (~$50) off the retail price of a PS3.
It's only a week long offer, but the fact that a major, new (here anyways) console has a price cut less than 2 weeks after launch must say something?

Slaziman @ Apr 5th 2007 11:18AM

Incidentally, aren't there 3rd party Wi-Fi adapters for the 360? Everyone happily shouts the 100$ price tag, but I'll be damned if there isn't some kind of USB dongle you can use instead.

why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 5th 2007 11:19AM

Is it just me, or is joystiq now intentionally trolling?

I just looked at the article about the Microcenter Xbox 360 $100 rebate last fall:

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/15/100-xbox-360-mail-in-rebate-from-micro-center/

Despite Microcenter knocking a drastic 25% off the price, and despite all reported 360 sales to that point having been dismal, joystiq didn't report this as the emminent doom of 360.

So, what gives joystiq?

Why is a 4.25% price cut (and some throw-ins) and unconfirmed reports of slow sales for a week doom? While a 25% price cut amid confirmed reports of slow sales for 11 months a "savings opportunity"?

Ian @ Apr 5th 2007 11:33AM

In response to mnemo, Play are located in Jersey. However, all electronics purchases from Play are shipped from their warehouse based within the UK and there is 0% chance of paying any customs/excise duty or additional VAT as the consoles are pre-imported and that import cost is factored into the retail. I've ordered many things from Play including a 42" plasma and in all cases they have been courier-shipped from a Play warehouse in England and not from Jersey.

DrXym @ Apr 5th 2007 11:46AM

I think it's happening simply because £400 is a nice round number. And besides, that's exactly what PS3s sell for in France and Germany when you convert to Euros. It's not like the UK even has a high VAT rate to cut into the store's margins.

Slaziman @ Apr 5th 2007 11:48AM

@LS2

Could it be maybe because... THE PS3 JUST LAUNCHED?!!! Douche.

sy kane @ Apr 5th 2007 11:49AM

you are right!

However, it was last fall and when was the 360 launch?

daniel @ Apr 5th 2007 11:56AM

its psychological pricing £399 sounds a lot cheaper than £425 even though its only really £26 difference this doesnt necessarily say anything about the ps3 this is what play do theyre also doing a premium 360 with crackdown and gears of war for £290 only £10 more than the rrp of the premium so thats about $20 for 2 games

why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 5th 2007 11:58AM

When was launch?

Does it matter? It's a 4% price drop!

I guess I should have reported that my local store had a "we pay the sales tax" sale right after 360 was launched. That'd be an 8% drop. CERTAIN DOOM!

When there are units on shelves in retail stores (and there are, because Sony shipped many many units to retailers), online stores have to discount to gain sales. That's the beginning and end of the story.

It's a pretty simple equation, and it is not a cause for joystiq to opine two paragraphs about how this indicates failure.

If PS3 sold 30,000 units in the UK last week, it's still 60% as many as 360 sold in the US each week from spring->fall 2006, and the US has 5x the population of the UK.

CERTAIN DOOM!

Slaziman @ Apr 5th 2007 11:58AM

A year prior?

It's not the same lowering the price of the successor to the bestselling console ever 2 weeks after it's launch as lowering the price of a year old console.

Duh?

Slaziman @ Apr 5th 2007 12:04PM

Sorry bud but the PS3 was supposed to sell muuuch more, probably sell out no matter how much stock. If the demand was like it was for the 360 and Wii, there should be no units on the shelves, let alone discounted ones.

Justin McElroy @ Apr 5th 2007 12:07PM

LS2, just out of curiosity, how is "it's unclear if this is necessarily a portent of doom for the console's future in the UK (we suspect not)" the same as reporting this as an omen of doom?

Isn't it, you know, the opposite?

sy kane @ Apr 5th 2007 12:19PM

@ why not the LS2/LS7?

"I guess I should have reported that my local store had a "we pay the sales tax" sale right after 360 was launched. That'd be an 8% drop. CERTAIN DOOM!"

I live in DE tax free BABY!!!!! $399.99, I even got my penny back ;)

why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 5th 2007 12:22PM

It's one sentence at the end of two paragraphs of doomsaying brought in from nothing but the mistaken idea that selling 30,000 units in the 2nd week in a country of 60,000,000 is a bad thing.

Let me try the article:
Two weeks out from the PlayStation 3's launch, UK retailer Play.com has the has given the system a price cut of around $50. Sweetening the deal is the inclusion of a free HDMI cable (are you listening, Sony?) and a Blu-ray copy of Adam Sandler comedy, Click, all for £399.99, which is £25 less than the current asking price for the console.

This is a good deal for our friends in the UK; though, at nearly $800, still not even close to what US customers are paying for the thing. Still, for those of you in the gift-giving business, this is a bargain not to be missed.

Look at that? I wrote (well, mostly plagiarized) an entire article about the sale without bringing in outside and questionable ideas about "poor sales"!

Chrispy @ Apr 5th 2007 12:30PM

They just need to drop the price of TV's to go with it now and play.com need to get my damned PC monitor back in stock!

Jethro @ Apr 5th 2007 12:31PM

The Xbox360 was selling as many as could be manufactured for roughly the first six months of it's release. As soon as a store recieved stock, they were quickly sold, often before they even hit the shelves. I still remember my own amazement the first time I actually saw an Xbox360 sitting on a store shelf, in May 2006.

The fact that PS3 is being discounted in stores a mere two weeks after launch speaks volumes. There is a die-hard group who would buy a dead cat if Sony called it the PS4, and those are the folks who purchased in the first week. Everyone else is either waiting for a real price drop, a real killer app, or simply doesn't care.

Mr Khan @ Apr 5th 2007 12:50PM

Why wouldn't Jersey be part of the EU? last i remember it was a British Crown dependency, same with Isle of Man

Unless they have some crazy levels of autonomy, and exist outside of an institution Britain is part of...

Saneless @ Apr 5th 2007 1:15PM

"Despite Microcenter knocking a drastic 25% off the price, and despite all reported 360 sales to that point having been dismal, joystiq didn't report this as the emminent doom of 360."

Because they were the only retailer doing that. And MicroCenter did it to PROMOTE their BRAND NEW gaming department. They didn't have much for games before (well, what they had sucked and wasn't organized)

Play.com sounds kinda like a gaming store, no?

Just settle down. Your system of choice (ps3 I'm guessing by your oddly defensive remarks) will simply have less exclusives. You can pull your panties from your vagina anytime now.

sy kane @ Apr 5th 2007 1:16PM

@9 rfom

Hey buddy;

360 Premium = headset,wireless controller, 20gig, HD component(HD out of the box).
PS3 = blu ray, wireless,composite cables(composite cables???? WTF? not HD out of the box) wifi(that is great, something M$ should have considering they are big with xbox live)

"while MS merrily loots you for so many missing items ranging from HD, decent size hard discs, wifi and multiplayer."

1. HD - video market place
2.HDD - 20gigs is great size to start up with.
3. Wifi - for a few dollars more I can get this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833176105) just like with your HDMI.

;)

mccomber @ Apr 5th 2007 1:32PM

"The Xbox360 was selling as many as could be manufactured for roughly the first six months of it's release."

And the fact that the ps3 shipped over 3x as many at launch as the 360 is a big part of why it didn't sell out. Everyone seems to conveniently forget the number of units that were shipped, and instead focuses on the fact they didn't sell every single one of them right off the bat. It's a simple truth that if Sony only shipped 70k, just as MS did, they would have sold every one of them, and consoles would be hard to come by... judging by current sales, they would have been supply constrained until Sony shipped about 200k of them total.
How many 360 systems has MS sold to date in the UK?

Aberu @ Apr 5th 2007 1:44PM

Apparently there is a misinformed sony fan here. The X-Box 360 apparently shipped 300,000 boxes for the first shipment. That's comparable to Sony, and it broke the record of the Gamecube, which Joystiq didn't report on either. If you want to claim bias back it up. I've claimed bias here before so I know. I'm not talking about little snyde remark bias but slightly bigger things.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=13441

why not the LS2LS7? @ Apr 5th 2007 1:55PM

Aberu:

'simply because the roughly 300,000 units shipped for day one in Europe for Xbox 360'

This is the UK, population 60,000,000, 200,000 PS3s sold. You're talking about 300,000 360s in Europe, population 780,000,000.

Jethro:
MS sold all they 360s they could make for a while because they couldn't make any. This is not the case here.

Tyler @ Apr 5th 2007 3:47PM

599.99 LOL $ONY LOWER THE PRICE AND I'LL THINK ABOUT BUYING IT

once retailers lower the price

LOL $ONY CANT SELL THIER STUFF FAIL FAIL FAIL

Th3 Ripper @ Apr 5th 2007 4:01PM

I work for Tesco as we have yet to sell out of PS3's. The console just isn't selling, one of our biggest electrical stores in the country recieved 26 for launch night and sold just 8 during the following 24 hours, thats shocking. The 360 soldout instantly at midnight and continued to do so for about 3 months after, the Wii still sells out.

Its all down to the price, its just to high!