so really, its 600 (premium pack) + $30-70 x the number of old (3 months) games you wanna play, which could mean more than 8 games... then theres the $100 subscription to xboxlive...

but DAMMIT! VF5 March!... without a PS3 i have to wait another 5 months >_<

Ultrasinc

TheNatural

Come March you can get ripped off in 3 Continents!

Gotta love the price here in NZ - $1200..

I think I can buy a Lung for that...

Lurch

6 people.

Oh and they're still sold out of Points cards. Mother F%#$er

SWATdoctor

dnzperson

dnzperson

Just realised the price conversion.
$1200NZ = $826US
$1000AU = $772US

>_<

psychobadger

It seems Sony has missed the point of what this is all about in the midst of all this PS3 business. 'Too big for their britches' syndrome I suppose.

John Lucas

johnlucas

John Lucas

I see price drops being a big issue in the next 2 years. As far as I'm concerned this consumer views the Xbox 360 and PS3 as perfectly substitutable luxury goods.

Even with the persistent rantings of exclusives by certain interest groups around here it won't make much of a difference. The vast marjority of decent games will hit both systems at one point or another. Software companies aren't philanthropic oraganizations, and costs related to making games for the Xbox 360 and PS3 are considerably higher than last generation.

Not that I'm a sequel fan, but If I was Joe Consumer and I heard GTA4 was just released I'd seriously question why I should pay more money to play the game on a system which appears just as good as the cheaper one. Especially since HDTV awareness/ adoption among non-techies is fairly limited.

This is where Microsoft (and partially Nintendo) have the advantage. Joe consumer didn't buy a PS2 because it was $300 and hot technology, he bought it because it was $149.99 and had some hot games out already, by that time Xbox was "hot technology". Contrary to some of the technophile's opinions on the web, normal people don't like spending lots of money on electronics, unless the NEED to.

I don't doubt Microsoft and Nintendo's ability to create mass market prices in order to generate mass market sales. The hardware prices are under control and falling from a cost accounting standpoint. I do however question how Sony is going to cut the price of he PS3 before the competition hits crtical mass market appeal price-wise.

Sony is going to have a much harder time playing catch up price-wise if the whole "PS3 is more powerful so we command a premium" rhetoric doesn't pan out like they planned.

Rioracer916

It is.
No game system should EVER cost over $300 USD.
At the end of the day these things are all toys.
High-tech toys? Yes. But still just toys.

John Lucas

johnlucas

Yup. I can swing a purchase that large, but I have to weigh the cost like so:

dollars + amount of grief from girlfriend regarding how unnecessary the purchase is = cost

So if it's something like a new TV, that she will use and enjoy, then I can sneak a 1k item in there. A game console on the other hand ... Well, she likes the DS, but that's smaller and sexier than the PS3.

PaulMorel

Why wouldn't 2K Games and Take-Two be publishing it? Perhaps they just think the real money for antipodeans lies in basketball and ice hockey...

Yeah, they just eat stuff up...

Meldy

Luke

Ominously XBox sold OK in Australia but still got thrashed by the much cheaper and older PS2 and sales are declining and Wii sold more in 3 weeks than XBox in 3 months, so price is a big, big factor. Still the delayed launch of the PS3 may actually work in their favour as they will not be going head to head against a newly launched console.

kenshin001

At $1000 bucks, I just don't need it. I have a 360 and with Live and all, I just don't think I've got time to play another console.

I have to squeeze my life in somewhere.

kevlar35

However, I think a lot of people here are expecting the PS3 to follow the PS2's pricing trajectory. The PS2 launched here for AU$749, and its price started dropping within weeks. It fell to $499 within a year, and to $399 within 20 months of launch.

There will be plenty of people waiting for a similar thing to happen with the PS3. It will be interesting to see what happens when it doesn't.

Marlor

I had a modded Xbox for while purely for the homebrew applications.I figured a lot of people had the same idea I had last gen.

But now I'm surprised to hear people talking about buying or just recently bought an Xbox 360...to play games. Seems like the system is more prolific this generation than it's predecessor.

I think I may end up getting an Xbox 360 to go with my Wii when ever I do get an HDTV. I'm just waiting for a hardware revision. A price drop wouldn't hurt either.

For now my modded PSP will continue to bask in the lime light.

Rioracer916

Walshicus

...On a serious note.

Expensive is expensive, the psychological barrier for me is the magic $500 mark, anything between $500 and $1k is practically $1K in my eyes. So you guys can whine about 100 dollar price differences and what have you but all of the regions have expensive PS3s.

If you plan to buy one then by all means do so and use it in good health. But don't complain to me about why you elected to spend the money.

Hah, to think I though Xbox 360 was too pricey 2 years ago...talk about putting things in perspective.

Rioracer916

Amazon Japan price ex consumption tax = JPN¥ 57123
US Price is 28% higher.
UK/Aud price is 51% higher.

Ow.

Jocky

But yes $1000 is way too much, why, just last week a bought a Burmese family and a Russian bride for $799 plus tax... go figure!

richhigg

And what's the $150 'wireless' for? The adapter? I just plugged it into the wireless router I had already.

I still think the price difference is pretty staggering.

TheDetective

cykeichan

You can get the core(tard) pack for $500 though. HDD seperately will cost $120.

GSB

Australian price (minus 10% GST):
AUD$ 909 - USD$ 702 - GBP£ 358 - JPN¥ 85546

US Price (ex tax):
AUD$ 776 - USD$ 600 - GBP£ 306 - JPN¥ 73086

Japanese Price (Don't think price includes consumption tax) =
AUD$ 667 - USD$ 516 - GBP£ 263 - JPN¥ 62790

UK Price (ex 17.5% VAT)
AUD$ 915 - USD$ 707 - GBP£ 361 - JPN¥ 86152

So, excluding local taxes, Australia and the UK are paying about the same for their PS3s - 35% more than the Japanese price and 17% more than the US price.

Jocky

Where can you get a 360 for $500? I'd be interested in buying one at that price.

josh85

sweetasman01

maloney

I think I'll spend that grand on something else..

Mike Brown

CrimemasterGogo

LatinHobbit

Actually it is, we have a pre-set Goods and Service tax that is pre-calculated.

Elrando

Go go Sony!! You're writing a new page in console war history as the next SNK and Hudson Soft/NEC....

Seph Blaze

Torusan

klew

twesterm

Umm, that came out kinda bad. Wanna rephrase that statement?

Doomstalk

NickSoapdish

But meh. When I was preordering my Wii at the Toys R Us here the Wii had a whole page of preorders. The PS3 had 2. Something to think about.

Mank

ReddHeretic

Who hacked the site and replace the Sony launch list with XBox 360 titles?

Curse you, hackers!

FlapjacksAreTasty

This price is right in line with the pricing of other video games in Australia.

But of course, since this article is about Sony, it gets a huge negative spin.

Smooth.

br549

The price for a 60GB with tax in the U.S. is about $650"
Oh jeez. lol for some reason I was thinking the PS3 was $700 here. Whoops.

Revolutionary

Retropants regrets nothing

Tyrannical

just came to make a loggin account

damn, i love this site...

about PS3, i think it will take a long time till i touch one...damn brazil ¬¬

hehe

WaRchiLd

stalin

God it shits me. Sony dont even include component cables in the box! WHAT THE FUCK! Oh man the amount of people that will buy this thinking its all that because of the price tag compared to the 360 - which you can get for $500 now - will be huge. God it makes me angry.

GSB

Sadly, this will actually sell well Down Under. I know I'll be buying one (if only to raffle off to unsuspecting idiots at work to raise money for our "morale-boosting social function" at the end of the fiscal year).

r1nce

out of the 30 games according to the list

Decent
alright
Crap
Crap
Port
Port
Port
crap
crap
crap
meh
Crap
Buggy Port
Buggy port
port
Shit
Crap
Crapper port
meh
Sport game
Snooker not eight ball
Crap
Crapper
terrible
Port
port
port
port
port
crap
port
looks like a crap GTA clone
crap
Meh
interesting
crap

SWATdoctor

Lol at the $1200NZ price tag.

psychobadger

The price for a 60GB with tax in the U.S. is about $650

sol705

mackprime

= $900.00

Well... if I wanted wireless and a HiDef disc format.

DunnyPanMan

Revolutionary

Rekno

TOCATL

Jay