PS3 News - At it doesn't look good.

[Kanenite]

PS3: When? How much?
Speculation is flying over the possible price and likely launch date for Sony’s next generation console – and it doesn’t make pleasant reading for PlayStation fans. The latest projections have come from leading business analysts Merrill Lynch which predicts that the PS3 could be delayed by over six months. Officially, the PS3 is still due this spring – ie very soon – in Japan but, according to a Sony spokesman quoted on Reuters, the company still hasn’t finalised specifications.

Worryingly, the Merrill Lynch report also claimed that each console could cost Sony at least $800 (around £458 in real money) to produce, due to expensive components such as the Blu-Ray drive and Cell processor. The console won’t necessarily be that expensive in shops – manufacturers usually sell hardware at a loss in the early stage of console’s lifecycle – but it’s still a very high figure. Sony boss Ken Kutaragi had previously warned that the PS3 won’t be launched at a mass market price.

The good news (kind of) is that you’ve got plenty of time to save. Some reports, citing documentation leaked out of Sony, are claiming that we won’t see the console in the UK until March 2007. That could tie-in with previous console roll-outs from the company which saw Europe supplied long after Japan and North America.

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n1 Sony

I guess I'll just have to wait, but I hope they push for a Christmas 2006 release.

[darkboy17]

What worries me is the price, some reports are saying it could be as high as 900. There's no way I'm paying that or a figure somewhat close to it. Considering that we basically know nothing of the PS3 and what ever it's going to deliver. I'm not putting money on a console which has yet to announce it's spec's, final controller design and forthcoming games (apart from a select few).

[Kanenite]

I'm not sure if it mentioned it within the article, but companies tend to lose out financially on consoles themselves. For example, if it costs Mr. Kutagari £800 to make one PS3, they will most likely sell it for £350-£600. Now, you're probably all wondering "WTF? Why make them then?", ah, you see my friends, the games and accessories is where it's at. They may loose a big figure on the units themselves, but they make an even bigger one back on the controllers, games, and other merchandise.

So I expect them to sell it for around £500. Which in all honesty, is pretty fair. It'll most likely be the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market.

[pezzer123]

Ok, the PS3 is going to be a lot and I really want one, £500 is too much, how do sony expect adults to buy them for their children. Sony are losing out on people, when you think about it.

[Ultimafanatic]

In my opinion, I think sony have handled the PS3's announcment poorly. First was the controller fiasco, then no playable demos, then we learnt that all the trailers were probably fake, and now the entire price issue. Sonys lost valuable customers like... me for example.

Surfice to say I won't be buying one until the price drops, to around £200, it may do that pretty soon after release, as theres gonna be an unwillingness to buy a £500 piece of kit (Look at what happened to the saturn, the sega CD and other such consoles).

Even when I do get one, I won't be buying all that many games for it, cause if theyre blu-ray, theyre gonna cost more aswell. What with the discs being more expensive.

If the PS3 turns out dissapointingly, I won't buy one at all, but right now it appears to be lurking in the shadows.

360 all the way!

[!BENNY!]

I have no faith in the PS3 whatsoever, All of the staff at sony should hang up their coats and find somewhere new to work, like McDonalds, oh, wait a inute, scratch that, I ain't payin £500 for a next gen burger!!!