Playstation 3 to launch under $500

[Neo]

I'm still banking on $349. I don't think they'll risk a $399 price point.

[MuGen]

they risked a lot on cell... i'm sure they can risk $399

[Joeiss]

If it is over $400 Canadian, I definitely won't be touching it until a price drop, lol. Factor in 2-3 games, at least 1 more controller, plus memory cards, etc, that would just be way too much money.

But then again... I will have just ended my first 4-month term at an accounting firm, so I will have lots of money, haha. So i Might just have to splurge, despite the prices.

[Dark Samurai]

$465 is a bit much... but hey, anything lower is a good in my book...

[DeathsHand]

That $465 number is the approx price it will sell for in Japan...

I believe PS2 made it's debut in Japan for something likeeee 380 or so? 375? Something like that...

If this is true, I'm guessing a $399 price tag at US launch...

[CamFu]

Xantar, I think you are being a little modest with this comment:

Blu-Ray technology alone should be worth $200

Come on, Blu-Ray isn't even mainstream yet. Try to remember when the DVD first hit the market. I remember when I first saw it, it was back in like 1995 or 1996 and the DVD Player was going for something like $700.

As for the price tag, I remember all the experts claiming the PS2 costing pricers hirgher then that. Sony isn't stupid, they will release the console under $400. And that is still too pricey for me. Which really sucks, but $300 is what I'm looking for in a console. And that still hurts me. Stupid Real Life Budget!

[Professor S]

If the PS3 price starts at over $400, you can bet that they will lose the next generation. Hands down. And it won't even be a contest (unless Microsoft and Nintendo are dumb enough to follow suit).

History has shown that starting console prices that high kills the consumer and doesn't move any product. Regardless of its brand name power, a $400+ price point will simply be prohibitive for parents to invest, even for the holidays. Hell, that high of a price is prohibitive for most adults as well. Thats one month's rent or a car payment or two.

And thats just the console by itself. By the time you add the cost of 1-3 games for the machine, at least one other controller, etc., your looking at costs that might be over $600 just for video game console. These amounts of money are what people put aside for life needs, not for what is still considered by most to be children's entertainment.

$300 is about what every console should start out. By going higher you are shooting yourself in the foot, regardless of how great the hardware is. Gaming is just not that important in most people's lives to warrant such an expenditure.

[bobcat]

I'd pay $600 AUST for it, maybe.......

But no doubt it will continue to have those games we know and love, plus plenty more

[DarrenMcLeod]

This price has to be too high of an estimate. Maybe it's a marketing ploy to have a price cut before system launch

[KillerGremlin]

My Sony Discman rocks. The thing has been through wars and it rarely skips....

But yeah, for the most part, I agree on Sony being a bit shady. I wouldn't buy a sony TV. =/