Various Internet sites have reported that George Fornay, VP

for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, quoted a price of €499 to €599 Euros for

the PS3 during an interview with radio Europe 1. This translates to approximately

$613 and $736 US. Wow. That’s a little more than I think gamers and analysts

expected. Sony has been saying for months that the PS3 would have a hefty price

tag, but many anticipated a price closer to $399 US (see this Gamespot


article from June 2005).

Sony has yet to announce an official price and these numbers

may be an attempt to test consumer reaction. Engadget

also speculates that Sony might adopt a lower price for the US market, starting

the PS3 at $499. Regardless of the final price, it’s clear that Sony will be

asking us to pony up some serious cash for the PS3.

Will the average game consumer buy? Only time will tell and I’m

sure industry analysts will debate the point to death. But I’ll give you my 2

cents worth. At $499 average gamers and families will likely purchase Sony’s

new system. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 retails

for $399 and $299 for the Xbox 360 Core system. I can see people spending

another $100 for Sony’s “newer” system. At $600 or 700, I’m not so

sure. You can buy/build a decent computer for that price. Sony can argue all

they want that the PS3 is a “home entertainment system”, and they’re

probably right, but parents will still see this as a video game. Sure, many hard

core Playstation fans can and will spend their own money on the PS3, but I’m

not sure average electronics consumers will pay en masse.