James Delahunty
19 May 2006 4:06
Eurogamer has revealed that the 60GB version of the PlayStation 3 will cost £425 in the UK when it is launched on November 17th. The details came directly from Sony Computer Entertainment UK's managing director, Ray Maguire, who has followed in line after Sony executives and said the price is a bargain because the machine includes a Blu-Ray player. "I don't think it's an expensive machine; I think actually, it's probably a cheap machine," he said. "If you think a Blu-Ray player by itself might be £600-700, and we're coming in at just £425 - it's a bargain."
Sony unveiled two models of the PS3 console at E3 this year, but well informed retailers have suggested Sony will not release the lower spec console in the UK at all. The more expensive model has a 60GB HDD compared to the 20GB HDD in the €499 model. In addition to lower storage capacity it also lacks Wifi capabilities, High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) support and doesn't include a card reader. A direct conversion of €599 to GBP is £405.
The PS3 will cost £140 more than Microsoft's Xbox 360 console and it has been reported that Microsoft told retailers that that the cost of an Xbox 360 plus HD-DVD peripheral will be less than the price of a PS3 around Christmas. "£425 is definitely not a mass market price, no," Maguire admitted. "But you think about the price, think about the price of just a Blu-Ray player. It will be cheaper than a Blu-Ray player just by itself. So fundamentally we're going to be great value just from that point of view without even looking at the games side."
Maguire mentioned the Blu-ray functionality about four times to Eurogamer, but admitted that it'll be up to Sony to communicate this message to consumers who might not be that knowledgeable when it comes to next-gen disc formats. Sony's use of Blu-ray to justify the price tag of the PS3 is being criticised by gamers who are upset that the console war and next generation DVD format war have been forcefully tied together - members of the Blu-ray camp are not shy about admitting how much relies on the PS3 as Blu-ray players will cost about $1,000. HD DVD players are available for several hundreds less.
Source:
Eurogamer