Kutaragi Says PS3 Is Too Cheap
Which is funny, since the rest of the world thinks just the opposite.
Sony drew gasps when it announced that it would be selling two models of the PlayStation 3 - one at $500 and another $600. Outside of some obscure old hardware, this is new price ground for a game system. But Sony boss Ken Kutaragi says that considering all that the system is capable of, the PlayStation 3 is still "too cheap".
"This is the PS3 price. Expensive, cheap - we don't want you to think of it in terms of game machines. Because the PS3 is like nothing else."
The comments, from Japanese site IT Media by way of IGN, come amid a wave of criticism from all corners of the game world about the price - most of which have been negative.
Kutaragi says the whinging is a result of people not getting the bigger picture and forgetting their history:
"For instance, is it not nonsense to compare the charge for dinner at the company cafeteria with dinner at a fine restaurant? It's a question of what you can do with that game machine. If you can have an amazing experience, we believe price is not a problem."
"When we announced the PlayStation price, it was said to be expensive. Same for the PlayStation 2. However, when released, both had sales that were unthinkable for previous game machines. This is because both offered experiences that could not be had on previous game machines."
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games