More Reputable PS3 Pricing Info... $399?!?

[BMXTRIX]

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/10795/New-PlayStation-3-Details-Emerge/.not

PSM Magazine is claiming a November 1st release with a price expected at $399.00 in the USA.

Ummm... sign me up!

ARTICLE:
"The latest issue of PSM has revealed new details about the PlayStation 3. While CNN’s Chris Morris claims that Sony won’t announce a price for the PS3 at E3 2006, PSM says the PlayStation 3 is expected to sell for about $399 in the U.S., €322 in Europe and ¥45,965 in Japan.

The magazine also claims that the console will come standard with a 60GB, non-removable hard drive.

For those who care about backward compatibility, PSM also revealed that PSO and PS2 games will run on the PlayStation 3 in 720, 1080i and 1080p.

The magazine also confirms some info we already knew. First, all games will come in Blu-ray Disc media and there won’t be regional lockouts. Second, the launch line-up, as well as the final design for the controller, will be revealed at next month’s E3 expo.

Finally, the console will launch in the first half of November with the PlayStation Network Platform service launching simultaneously with the console and offering free online gameplay."

 

[Spiffyfast]

If thats the real price and it'll play blu-ray movies count me in with out a doubt

 

[Max997]

I cant see them selling PS3 for 399 and having it play BluRay at 1080p

BluRay players are starting at 999.99 so why would sony sell PS3 for 399.99 with the same functionality of their BluRay players...doesnt make sense

 

[BMXTRIX]

Nope doesn't make sense and it seems that the story posted is far less substantiated than originally thought. No NEW insider info, just the same old guesswork that means nothing at all...

http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=12524

$600 is about my spending limit on the PS3... But hopefully E3 (May 10ish) will finally reveal the hard info.

 

[ian1386]

I already have 2 pre-ordered at toys-r-us...one for me, one just in case the price is twice what they cost on ebay the next day

 

[Sheep]

I wil get one, but only for Gran Turismo.

SheepStar

 

[Tsunamii]

When that story came out another one from Micr0$oft came otu too. Rumor has it they will drop the 360 $100 for the ps3 launch as well as a $100 add on DVDHD external drive.
Let the war begin

 

[3x10^8]

I cant see them selling PS3 for 399 and having it play BluRay at 1080p

BluRay players are starting at 999.99 so why would sony sell PS3 for 399.99 with the same functionality of their BluRay players...doesnt make sense

Obviously we can't confirm the price, but console manufacturers have been, as of late, selling their units at a loss. This is especially true of the X-box 360. They are counting on selling titles to make up for the losses and then some. It's the same philosophy behing cell-phone co's giving you a phone for free. They make up for it amply by selling you their service.

 

[Jedi2016]

Obviously we can't confirm the price, but console manufacturers have been, as of late, selling their units at a loss.

Yep. It's always been that way. It's usually at least three, maybe four years before the consoles themselves start turning a profit. PS2 didn't start making money until after the redesign last year. Xbox never turned a profit (they blame it on the fact that they had to keep lowering the price sooner than they wanted in order to keep pace with the PS2's price reductions).

So yes, it's quite safe to say that the PS3 will cost a fair amount less than the sum of its components. At this point in time, I'm expecting a $399 price tag.

One thing the article got wrong was the hard drive. It will be removable.. they've been very clear on that since day one, since they believe that any permanently-installed hard drive would wind up being too small by the time the console's life span ended. Simple solution, make it removable. That way, the user can upgrade if they want.

 

[ragged]

How did you manage a pre-order at toys-r-us without pricing info? I called all the stores near me and no-one would do it. Even EB games won't allow pre-orders until pricing is released.

 

[3x10^8]

Well, it's official. Price and release date have officially been set at E3. The PS3 should be selling for $499 and set for release on November 11.

It's a bit interesting to note that Toshiba (who is obviously competing against Sony in the high def disc market) is making the critical chip components, along with IBM, for the PS3. Could this be a conflict of interest on the part of Toshiba or leverage in case HD-DVD fails? Either way, it will be interesting to see how things turn out.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Looks like only Japan has the Nov. 11 release date, the rest of the world is November 17.

US pricing is 499 for a base unit with 20GB hard drive

For $599 you add a 60GB hard drive, Wi-Fi (b/g), flash card slots, and HDMI output.

All units come w/Blu-ray on board.

The full details of HDMI upgradability (?) are not known as far as I can tell, but they are claiming 1080p output for all models - perhaps over component and strictly for gaming? Not sure.

Canada, Australia, and Europe are also Nov. 17 release dates.

Worldwide unit distribution specifics aren't currently available, but overall numbers were given:
2 Million units during launch window
4 Million units total by end of 2006
6 Million units total by end of March 2007

Geez - 2 million Blu-ray players in homes in 1 week... Forcasters are saying about 40% will actually be using them for Blu-ray playback. That's 800,000... I would be worried if I were at Toshiba. But, the reality of the impact won't truly be known for at least another year or so.

 

[3x10^8]

Here's a cool little video of the next PS3 controller.

http://reviews.cnet.com/4660-12331_7-6519205.html?tag=cnetfd.sd