PlayStation 3 to top out at $599
LOS ANGELES--Sony on Monday announced pricing and availability information for its next-generation video game console, the PlayStation 3.
Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai said at the end of the company's E3 press conference that the PS3 would be available in the United States on Nov. 17 in two configurations, a 60GB hard drive model for $599, and a 20GB model for $499.
The prices will be at least $100 higher than the higher-priced Xbox 360 models, which retail for $399.
Sony's attitude? PlayStation consumers will pay what the console costs.
But Sony is likely to still have to subsidize the PS3, even at $599, as its component costs are expected to be at least $800, in part because of the inclusion of a Blu-Ray disc drive.
In any case, Sony also unveiled the PS3's controller. The silver-colored device has the same shape and feel as that of the PS2, but includes technology that mimics the player's movement in six directions. Thus, as a player moves his or her hands, the character on-screen will mirror the movement.
