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Rumor Patrol: Sony "Won't Rule Out" PS3 Price Reduction

Wed Jun 06, 2007 at 01:08 PM ET
Tags: PlayStation 3, High-Def Retailing, High-Def Gaming, Hardware, Sony (all tags)

Adding further fuel to speculation that the $600 Blu-ray enabled PlayStation 3 is headed for a price cut, Sony President Ryoji Chubachi seemed to suggest to a Japanese newspaper that that the company is indeed considering such a move.

This news comes on the heels of a surprise price drop for Sony's brand new BDP-300 Blu-ray player, which hits stores this week at a $499 MSRP -- that's $100 cheaper than originally announced back in February.

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"Sony does not rule out the possibility of lowering the price" of the PS3, Sony president Ryoji Chubachi told the daily Yomiuri Shimbun. He went on to say that the company would make a "full assessment" of the competitive situation in the game market, and then make a decision.

With Blu-ray production costs lowering, it certainly would seem an opportune time for Sony to lower the cost of its game console. While more than 3.6 millio units have been sold since launch, sales for console still lag behind Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360, and many feel the PS3's higher pricetag is to blame.

Still, the Sony President's statement about "not ruling out" PS3 price cuts is pretty ambiguous, and could, as Ben Kuchera at Ars Technica points out, easily be interpreted nothing more than "a shrug and an admission that in business, anything is possible."

One thing's for sure: with this week's release of Sony's BDP-300 Blu-ray player, at least for now, the PS3 can no longer lay claim to the title of least expensive Blu-ray player on the market.

Stay tuned...

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Related links:
Sony Mulls Cutting PlayStation 3 Price [The Daily Telegraph]
Busting Rumors: Sony's PS3 Price Drop and Square's 360 Final Fantasy Plans [Ars Technica]
Earlier on High-Def Digest:
Sony Launches BDP-S300 Blu-ray Player, Drops Price to $499 (Jun 04, 2007)


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