"Sony Computer Entertainment UK MD Ray Maguire has revealed that PlayStation 3 will retail for £425 when it launches in the UK on November 17th, but has defended the price point as 'a bargain' for consumers," reports GamesIndustry.biz.
"I don't think it's an expensive machine; I think actually, it's probably a cheap machine," he commented. "If you think a Blu-Ray player by itself might be GBP 600-700, and we're coming in at just GBP 425 - it's a bargain."
Comment: 'A bargain' is when customers are offered something for less than they are happy to pay. But why should anyone pay a premium price for a Cell processor? So far, the Xbox 360 (plus a year's developer experience) seems to be delivering more and better games than the PS3, for less money, and the Wii clearly has its own appeal, so the Cell doesn't look like a bargain at all.
When it comes to working as Blu-ray player, I don't have any Blu-ray movies and I don't have an HDTV, so that feature has exactly zero value. What it costs Sony is irrelevant.
If I get an HDTV (not this year or next) and if Blu-ray movies come out at competitive prices (ie not £40 each), then I might be interested in a cheap Blu-ray player, and I might even pay twice the price of a decent DVD player to get one ... but £425 would still be too much.
There's no doubt that the PS3 could be a stunning success. In the long run, developers will presumably get to grips with programming the hardware, and mass production will bring down the cost of Blu-ray drives, enabling Sony to cut the price. Two years from now, it could look terrific value. But not when it arrives.
