In a move that makes me think Sony seriously wants to tick off another whole market of potential buyers, the company has announced a price slash for its PlayStation 3 in Japan, but has stopped short of lessening the U.S. price.
With one public relations blunder after another racking up on the PS3’s pre-launch, I read the news of the Japanese drop with anticipation of a similar announcement for the U.S. What I ended up finding was a statement in Forbes that says Sony intends to maintain its U.S. prices at $499 and $599 for the 20 and 60 GB versions respectively.
For once I thought I was going to write a Sony-related story that was positive from beginning to end. But, alas, it’s not meant to be.
By not dropping the prices in the U.S., even by just a little bit, Sony runs the risk of turning a lot of potential buyers stone cold. This move is beyond bad in my opinion. Why should Americans pay full price for the console when discounts have already come to Japan even before the PS3’s officially rolled out?
It just doesn’t seem right and it’s sure as heck not fair. In Japan, Sony has announced the console will go for 47,600 yen rather than the original 59,800 for the 20 gig version. This equates to a little more than $100 drop in the pricing.
What’s more is that the price drop puts the console at a slightly better price than the Xbox 360 with a HD-DVD player. The kick is, however, the lower price is for the basic 20 gig PS3, not the 60 GB version. A price drop for the 60 GB is expected in Japan, too.
The news comes on the heels of Microsoft’s 1080p software update announcement and reports from industry analysts that say Nintendo will lead the next-gen race in Japan.
No matter how you crack it, the news is good for Japanese consumers and can only help Sony market its console there on a much more competitive basis. The news, however, could come back to haunt Sony during its American launch when the Xbox 360 and the much cheaper Wii could look even more attractive to consumers who are trying to stretch holiday budgets.
By its actions, Sony has already told Europeans they’re not as important. And, now it’s sending the message to Americans that it doesn’t care if it bilks them of hard-earned cash while it offers a big price break on its home turf.
Not smart, Sony. Not smart at all.
The Japanese launch of the PS3 is set for Nov. 11. The console comes to U.S. retailers on Nov. 17. A total of 500,000 units will be available for the launch, which is less than Sony initially intended.
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