01-29-2007, 09:20 PM
PLAYSTATION fans, stand by to be milked: Sony expects you to hand over $1000 for its new console, more than 50 per cent more than Japanese gamers are paying.
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<br> If it is any consolation, you'll get 5c change when, from March23, Sony Computer Entertainment's long-awaited 60-gigabyte PlayStation 3 goes on sale in Australia, Europe and New Zealand.
<br> Anyone hoping to save a few dollars on Sony's lower-spec 20Gb model had better hunker down for an even longer wait, because a Sony Computer Entertainment spokesman would only say yesterday that it would start arriving "later this year, depending on demand".
<br> In Japan and the US, where the gaming console went on sale in November, the 60Gb model's recommended price is $US599 or Y59,980. At yesterday's exchange rate, Australians will be paying Y94,095.
<br> Sony's Australian retailers, nervously watching Nintendo Wii consoles marching out the door at $399 since December and the older Microsoft Xbox 360 still selling solidly, will be wondering how families, in particular, respond to a $999.95 console.
<br> Sony spokesman Adrian Christie said that while the PS3 was dearer than its competition, it offered features beyond its ability to play games, including a high-definition Blu-ray DVD.
<br> "For the product offering, assessed by features, I don't think it's a high price," he said.
More...
<br>
<br> If it is any consolation, you'll get 5c change when, from March23, Sony Computer Entertainment's long-awaited 60-gigabyte PlayStation 3 goes on sale in Australia, Europe and New Zealand.
<br> Anyone hoping to save a few dollars on Sony's lower-spec 20Gb model had better hunker down for an even longer wait, because a Sony Computer Entertainment spokesman would only say yesterday that it would start arriving "later this year, depending on demand".
<br> In Japan and the US, where the gaming console went on sale in November, the 60Gb model's recommended price is $US599 or Y59,980. At yesterday's exchange rate, Australians will be paying Y94,095.
<br> Sony's Australian retailers, nervously watching Nintendo Wii consoles marching out the door at $399 since December and the older Microsoft Xbox 360 still selling solidly, will be wondering how families, in particular, respond to a $999.95 console.
<br> Sony spokesman Adrian Christie said that while the PS3 was dearer than its competition, it offered features beyond its ability to play games, including a high-definition Blu-ray DVD.
<br> "For the product offering, assessed by features, I don't think it's a high price," he said.
More...