It's official: PlayStation 3 price drops to $299

by Randy Nelson on Aug 18th 2009 1:40PM

As foreshadowed by retailers and called for by analysts (it's pretty nice for us lowly consumers, too), Sony has officially cut the US retail price of the PlayStation 3 by $100, effective ~~tomorrow~~ immediately. This new pricing affects all PS3 systems currently in the retail stream, and will carry over to the just-announced PS3 Slim.

So, now that it's finally happened, the waiting game to see just how much the drop actually helps PS3 sales begins. Take our poll below if you've been sitting on the fence, waiting for Sony to lighten the load on your wallet.

Will PS3's new $299 price entice you to buy one?
Yes	6830 (37.9%)
No	3255 (18.1%)
I already own a PS3	6804 (37.8%)
I'm a fanboy who can't see past my irrational hatred	1113 (6.2%)

Tags: finally, gamescom-2009, price-cut, price-drop, sony

Reader Comments (159)

finally....

Yeah, finally I can sell my 360 and get a second PS3! Anyone want a 360 20gig w/HDMI 4 games 2 controllers and charger kit for the low price of $200?

I'll take it. Seriously.

I'll take it for $20. no, make that $17 and some lint.

@Senecal

Why would you like to sell your original 20 gig model? What's wrong with it? Save for the hard drive capacity the Slim has all the same functionality as your 20 gig. Oh, and you have full hardware compatibility with PS2 games, which for some reason is a much needed feature now that the price has dropped.

Just for the full BC alone you should sell it for $300.

He said he can finally sell his *360*.

If it *was* a ps3 (which it isn't, it's a 360) the 20g didn't have wifi iirc.

So he wants 2 PS3's because there's no one to play with? Why would you go from gaming nirvana of being able to play all the good games to only getting half of the exclusives?

Seriously only one of my friends has a PS3. Works out well for me so I can play the good exclusives but he doesn't know anyone who has one to play multiplayer games. (he's not down with playing with random people on the net)

Welcome back to the fight Sony. Hope it's not too late.

No! too late, maybe prior to the global economic crisis, now it seems just the same high price for some of us. i want one, maybe later.

I want to buy PS2 or PS3. Can anyone help me out as i am currently in Nigeria.

Regards

Already own one should be an option in the voting.

True, I feel left out now...

bought one at $500, so i'd surely buy one at $300.

Why? How about if you already own one, don't vote?

Relax snakegriffin, it wasn't a complaint. It would just be interesting to see how many joystiqers already have one, versus how many are planning on getting one or still holding out.

And boy does the word 'joystiqers' set off the spell check alarms!

But will this entice you to buy a second one?

Yeah, but I said "yes" because now I'm willing to buy another one for my Dad's house.

Thanks Randy Nelson!

Back on topic - yes, I'll finally bite on the hardware. Good Blu-ray player, and God of War 3 is coming. I think most of my gaming will still be done on the 360, but I'm ready to take the PS3 plunge.

Uncharted also finally made Greatest Hits, so you might think about that one too. I hear it's pretty good.

That's cool...

Already purchased. Was it worth it to have it a year sooner? With 4 USB ports? And PS2-compatibility, even if limited?

Answer is yes. Still think the box just looks cool, too. But anything that gets more units in more homes is good with me.

Agreed. I got my 60gig back in 07 when Sony discontinued the model in favor of the 80gig with fewer features. It was totally worth it. That was the definitive version of the hardware.

Isn't it the PS3 crowd who always love to remind everyone that it's not about how many units are in homes?

on't recall ever saying that.

I will go on record as saying that the number of PS3 owners doesn't effect me DIRECTLY; anything that helps make the PS3 a more viable platform developers is a good thing because I get more games, in theory. Most of the Xbox exclusives I miss out on currently are because Miscrosoft bought them, not necessarily because developers simply chose not to release on PS3. I'm sure you can find an example of a non-purchased non-first party Xbox exclusive but I don't really care; exceptions only prove the rule and all that.

Now, please prove to me that I didn't waste my time with a thoughtful response by being a douchebag fanboy. Thanks.

Better late then never

Better late than first.

$299 I've been saying it for a long time, now I'll buy one.

I've been playing and using my 360 a lot and I haven't touched my wii for a long time. I'm afraid that if I buy one, I will do the same thing to it as I do to my wii.

I've been thinking the same thing. The blu-ray capability seals the deal for me. $299 for a top notch blu-ray player and a game console. I'm going to use the red2blu program to change most of my hd-dvd's to blu-ray which makes the choice easier too.

Latin_Trident, I'm not sure what to make of that post.

@ Latin_Trident

Sell the Wii for a PS3. Thats what I'm doing. The wii will NEVER be useful. I used it for wii bowling once, and haven't touched it since. I'm probably gonna sell my Wii, PS3, and (RRoD'd) 360 to get a 60GB PS3 and a new $299 X-box elite (if only for halo... why is it so addicting?)

"The wii will NEVER be useful. I used it for wii bowling once, and haven't touched it since"

Well Your a savvy shopper aren't you?

+1 Twee

Well no, because I have 2.

Wow, your wanton consumerism is a disgrace to the human race.

I expect I'll be picking up one this holiday season.

I'm interested in playing LBP, Flower, MGS4, Uncharted 2, and Infamous. I'm also interested in having a Blu-Ray player. Buying the unit for $299, and getting a lot of these games used off Goozex, starts to make this a very attractive proposition.

who said no haters!

I said no, since I already have an original 20GB unit (with an upgraded hard drive) and I couldn't resist voting. :(

I said no! I still see no point in buying one! And it's not a Hate-Sony thing, even though I do have a bad track record with them. It's a, I have a 360 and a Wii, and see nothing on the PS3 that I'm overly interested in that I can't find, or isn't coming, to the 360. I'll pass, and use that $300, err, I mean a third of that, to buy a stand-alone BluRay player, if the need ever arises, and spend the other $200 on paying off my credit cards. Maybe once it's actually carrying exclusives I care for, I'll consider it.

Why would anyone buy the fat one now?

Cause some of us like girls who are a little thick. Wait, did i say girls?

I can't decide if I should buy a slim or buy a used phatty. I bet people online will sell theirs for $200ish.

to play games...aesthetic is factor in purchase but some people recognize they both play games

I will actually be buying a Slim at this price for my entertainment center and moving my Fat(?) to the bedroom for some Blu Ray watching in bed.

Wow, that's the exact same thing I will be doing!

Why? If anything I'd do the opposite. The (as you call it) fat model is more visually appealing to be the center of an entertainment center than the newer slim is.

well i hear this new slim is nice and quiet, so it would serve as a more ideal public entertainment center option....although that glossy prettiness and chrome finish are enticing.

If I hadn't gotten my Blu-Ray player working, I might have picked one up.

But the slim is the same price..?

Dumb.

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It's official: PlayStation 3 price drops to $299

Reader Comments (159)

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