Tuesday, 05 June, 2007
Sony cuts Blu-ray price; PS3 next?
Sony yesterday confirmed that its next generation Blu-ray player will cost $499, leading to speculation that it will also slash the price of its PlayStation 3.
“If the cost of Blu-ray is coming down, you can drop the price of anything with Blu-ray in it,” Arvind Bhatia, an analyst with Sterne Agee & Leach, told the Dow Jones News Service.
The PlayStation 3, which has a Blu-ray player inside, now costs $599. Sony officials have said in the past that the Blu-ray component is a reason that PS3 costs $200-300 more than its game console rivals, Wii and XBox 360.
However, Sony said yesterday that it was able to lower the expected price on its new Blu-ray player from $599 to $499 because of new Blu-ray production “efficiencies.”
Bhatia told Dow Jones that a PS3 price cut would quickly boost sales. The console has experienced disappointing sales numbers since its launch last November, trailing both Wii and XBox 360 in overall sales.
If Sony were to lower the price of PS3 to $499 or $399, it could attract both gamers and high-def owners seeking a less expensive HDTV DVD player.
“Feedback from retailers continues to indicate that a price cut on PS3 will be important,” Bhatia told Dow Jones.
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