Ken Kuturagi has announced a retail price drop for the PS3 in Japan. In yesterday's Press Conference, the Sony exec revealed that the basic pack, complete with 20GB hard drive, will now retail for 49,980 yen - the price was previously set at 62,790 yen. It seems, US and Europe price are likely to remain unchanged.
"The Japanese users and media would not stop saying a price tag of over 60,000 yen, including tax, was too expensive,'' Kutaragi apparently told reporters. True, at its previous price point PS3 was double the cost of an Xbox 360 or Wii. But this remains a puzzling move. With so few units likely to be available in the initial shipment, surely these would have been snapped up at whatever price Sony Sony dreamed up. Well... maybe not. There appears to be a crisis of confidence going on here. Nintendo is regaining its strength with DS and Wii, while Microsoft has finally secured some A List Japanese development talent to tempt domestic gamers historically skeptical of Western releases.
These is a tide of anti-PS3 feeling growing - a price drop may well be Sony's last ditch flood defense. Strange days indeed.
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