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.
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