Sony Still Mum on UK PS3 Plans

Still no word on which hardware models Britons will be able to or how much they'll pay for them.

Sony launched the official PlayStation 3 site earlier in the week, but there was still one giant unknown for potential buyers in the UK - how much will it cost? Sony revealed the price of both versions of the console on the continent back at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but a spokesperson told Kikizo this week that the company is still thinking through its UK plans.

A senior Sony executive said earlier in the year that the PlayStation 3 could cost somewhere in the vicinity of £425 in the UK for the premium model with the 60 GB hard drive. (A cheaper model with a 20 GB hard drive, no HDMI connector, and no consumer memory card support is also being planned).

"We've said that we won't be announcing the official price until closer to launch," Sony's Jonathan Fargher told Kikizo. "However, as we've gone on record as saying the 60 GB model will be approximately £425, it's safe to assume it'll be very closely in the region of that figure, if not exactly."

The lack of acknowledgement given the cut-down model is no mistake. Sony says it's speaking to retailers about how it will break down the ratio of premium to standard consoles, but it seems that there's already a favourite:

"In the launch window, we will be heavily supporting and promoting the 60 GB model, as this is where we believe most demand will be," Fargher said.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games