Sunday, March 18, 2007

PS 3 Price Controversy

Yes, the Sony Playstation 3 has launched and there's an argument over its price:

 

The PlayStation 3 has come under fire because of its £425 price tag - around £120 more than its US retail price.

It will compete with the hugely successful Nintendo Wii console and Microsoft's Xbox 360.

The PS3 launched in Japan and the US in November but its European debut was delayed due to problems with manufacturing its blu-ray disc.

It goes on sale in the UK this Friday, with the official launch taking place at midnight in Virgin Megastores on London's Oxford Street.

PlayStation manufacturer Sony said around 220,000 consoles would be shipped to the UK for Friday.

Michael Brook, editor of gadget magazine T3, said it was rumoured the price of the PS3 would be lowered in time for Christmas. "The real techies are going to love it and I think will bear the cost straight from the offset. But for it to go really mass market I think it will be Christmas when the price drops," he said.

The reason is, as everyopne should know, that property in hte UK (as well as taxes, there's 17.5 % VAT in that price) is expensive. Thus stores need higher margins on their products.