Britons to Pay Most for PS3

And comments from Sony's American boss suggest we shouldn't expect a price drop soon either.

Sony isn't expected to announce the final European launch details for the PlayStation 3 until Thursday, but a report on Tuesday has already pegged the date and price of the system.

According to an unnamed industry source speaking to UK site Edge, the PlayStation 3 will be out on 23 March and it will cost a hefty £425.

The price, equivalent to around €650, would make the UK the most expensive place in Europe to buy a PlayStation 3. The system will cost €600 on the continent and €630 in Ireland.

If confirmed later this week, the details will not come as a surprise to those who have followed the turbulent path of the PlayStation 3 to launch. As far back as May, Sony's Ray Maguire told MCV that it was likely that the system would launch in only the 60 GB configuration and would cost around £425.

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Worse still, it looks like the price won't be coming down soon. Sony's new American boss, Jack Tretton, said in an interview with Game Informer that the PlayStation 3 will not see the kind of price cuts the PlayStation 2 did, according to a report at Joystiq. The reason?

"There's a heck of a lot more under the hood," Tretton reportedly told Game Informer, "and it costs us more money to make it."

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo