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Analysts, developers: PS3 to cost $399-$699

  • By Staff, GameSpot
  • Posted Jan 11, 2006 1:20 pm PT

Informal CNN/Money poll finds many industry insiders think Sony's next-gen console will be mighty pricey.

Ever since the PlayStation 3 was announced, industry watchers have been prognosticating its price point. Just over a month after E3 2005, Merrill Lynch predicted the game would sell for $399, even though it would cost an estimated $494 to make--before labor.

However, when Microsoft announced the Xbox 360, which uses current-generation DVDs, would sell for $399, many thought the PS3's internal next-generation Blu-ray disc drive would push its cost higher. That assumption was reinforced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, when the first stand-alone Blu-ray disc player was unveiled--with a $1,800 price tag. (The Xbox 360 uses conventional DVDs, but will get an external drive which supports Blu-ray's rival format, HD-DVD).

In the wake of CES, CNN/Money correspondent Chris Morris decided to poll a nonscientific sampling of game analysts and developers to see how much they thought the PS3 will cost. "Several developers I spoke with (under the condition of anonymity) said their studios were expecting the system to launch at $499," wrote Morris, who included quotes from analysts who concurred with the assessment.

However, Morris said that not all insiders' estimates were the same. Some pegged the console as matching the 360's $399 price point--which, according to last year's Merrill Lynch report, means Sony could lose more than $1 billion during the console's first year on the market. Several developers also lowballed the console at $450, while others said it could cost as much as $699. However, as Sony is staying resolutely mum on the PS3--until GDC 2006, anyway--no price is yet official.

884 Comments

  • lilsean

    Posted Feb 25, 2006 8:07 am GMT

    Thats **** come on, for that kind of money the damn characters in the game better come out of the t.v. and be able to slap me for realism. Now thats worth the money they are talkin about!!!!!!!

  • omegaA18

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 10:06 am GMT

    EXTREMELY pricy, I would rather purchase the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Revolution

  • Sly_wacoon

    Posted Jan 29, 2006 7:30 am GMT

    but the next gta comes out on 360 too...

  • BigChives

    Posted Jan 28, 2006 2:34 pm GMT

    Why buy it as soon as it comes out? It's not like the games are going to be awesome and in great abundance. I'm just gonna wait until the Next GTA is released...

  • zaidpass

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 2:23 pm GMT

    OMgsh that is so much in American and i live in Canada so that is like 100 to 200 dollars more in canadian moeny. ill proll bty the 360 cause the price for ps3 will go down after a long time

  • zaidpass

    Posted Jan 23, 2006 2:22 pm GMT

    How much will it cost in Canadian dollars?

  • ogsmog

    Posted Jan 22, 2006 6:28 pm GMT

    It better run my PS2 games as well if I going to by it.

  • killer_00169

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 1:18 pm GMT

    WOW! Talk about pricey! I don't know if ill get it right away now since ive seen the prices!

  • mike_escajeda66

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 9:32 am GMT

    if blu-ray drives cost 1300 and ps fanboys say ps3 is going to be 400-500, that is like a 900 price gap. people would not buy blu-ray players they would only but ps3. but they are not even going to do that cause if just a regular blu-ray player costs 1300, ps3 is going to be more expensive than anybody ever thought possible. i will stick with xbox.

  • K-Blizzle

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 9:22 am GMT

    i wont go pay more than 600

  • digitaltiger

    Posted Jan 21, 2006 6:31 am GMT

    I can see sony dropping the price to $400 and taking a loss on the price because the PS3 is going to be the door to the world for the Blu-Ray disc technology. Sony's partners in the Blu-Ray tech might even help to soften the loss all in the effort to get customers hooked on Blu-Ray. Not just to sell games but all forms of media, like movies, new burners for computers, computer programs. The list goes on, but a 200 or 300 million dollars loss now will gain them billions in the near future. No, I don't think sony is stupid at all.

  • Joe_toolbox

    Posted Jan 19, 2006 2:10 am GMT

    yea, that about makes sense...

  • morpheyous

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 11:27 pm GMT

    I think sony is smart enough to keep the ps3 price close to the xbox360 price in order to stay competitive

  • freeloader12

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 7:46 pm GMT

    as long as it doesnt go over 500$ im good

  • car_freak19

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 3:09 pm GMT

    When The Going gets tough EBAY gets Going

  • car_freak19

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 3:04 pm GMT

    If thats how much the system costs i can imagine the price of the games over $80 (canadian that is) it Doesnt mAtter its not enough to stop me form getting one.

  • snozberry

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 1:38 pm GMT

    Not very expensive when you consider the Atari 2600 went for over 200 bucks when it came out over 25 years ago

  • spirit_014

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 6:02 am GMT

    you with have to get a freaken loan to buy that thing and some games to

  • vishal123456789

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 3:28 am GMT

    Man the price is too high!

  • ZeroGravX

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 6:50 pm GMT

    No thank you! Well unless it comes out to be $400... any more than that and I'll have to pass, I'd rather put that money towards and HDTV

  • Gohan51391

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 5:55 pm GMT

    I will only pay if it $400. I will wait until it drops if it more then that.

  • cyberg4

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 4:43 pm GMT

    no kidding Misery Signals! if the americans have to pay $500 what does that mean for canadians? the current exchange rate would eaqual $585 cdn, so $600 would be acceptable, but I would expect to see a $650 price point here in canada, which sucks for us. add on GST and PST that climbs the price up to $747.50 (at a $650 cdn pricepoint before gst/pst). a little steep for a gaming system.

  • MiserySignals

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 3:53 pm GMT

    Your complaining about american prices while up here in canada we will have to pay at least 33% more

  • obiwanvader

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 3:47 pm GMT

    Keeping in mind that these are just predictions, one would hope that Sony is smart enough to know that in order to compete with microsoft and with nintendo when the Revolution is released, that the cost of the PS3 would have to fall in a similar price range; and, just a thought, but, they may end up doing what Microsoft did with the 360... putting out two systems. One for gamers who are looking for a kick _ss gaming experience and couldn't care less about meaningless extra's that wouldn't necessarily enhance that experience, and then one for those who want the extra's and wouldn't mind possibly paying as much as $699 for it.

  • mikelightyear

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 2:48 pm GMT

    I think xbox 360 will out sell the ps3 this holiday season because it will be cheaper then the ps3

  • thetravman

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 2:45 pm GMT

    And to think, that's american dollars. Whoa that's very pricey!!!!!!!!!

  • PDatsyuk13

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 2:36 pm GMT

    XBOX 360 is far superior (in my opinion) and I wouldn't pay what they wanted for it.

  • Spamchild1

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 2:04 pm GMT

    I will pay alot for a PS3 assuming they have good games. Keep in mind SONY won't make the console too much otherwise it will go out of business. $400 is my personal prediction, although i will pay up to $500 for one.

  • micklawrence

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 1:45 pm GMT

    It would want to be something very special for that kind of $$$$

  • AA7

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 1:40 pm GMT

    I am not by any means a fanboy but this will kill the PS3 if it comes out at $699. How many gamers do you know that can afford that?

  • 3604liffe

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 1:39 pm GMT

    Sonys time is over when xbox came out it blew ps2 right out the water. And xbox 360 is going to do the same thing with ps3. Sony has been tryin they cant get it done. 360 is going to have better graphics better gameplay and better everything.............sorry sony microsoft took over.

  • 3604liffe

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 1:35 pm GMT

    I HATE SONY

  • 3604liffe

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 1:30 pm GMT

    i dont care if ps3 was 200 bucks i hate playstation sony dont know how to make it microsoft is the best xbox and xbox 360 are the best screw sony ......MICROSOFT MICROSOFT MICROSOFT.........COME ON HALO 3

  • doogystain

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 1:10 pm GMT

    wow thats rediculos 699 thats gay man ya ill just stick with my 360 bill gates has more money any way so i like him better then sony. The XBOX 1 destroys the PS2 anyway and it was their first system. how much better can they get. PS3 is going to suck i hope

  • FantasyHeroX

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 12:58 pm GMT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • FantasyHeroX

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 12:57 pm GMT

    I will buy it no matter the price

  • Towly

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 10:21 am GMT

    I hope there won't be a shortage

  • mikedot

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 9:33 am GMT

    I really don't care how much the PS3 will cost. I'll pay for it even if I need to sell my soul. (Im not really using right now away)...

    Besides, if you really think about it, buying any kind of Next-Gen system will still be cheaper than PC Gaming. Buying a 400$ Xbox 360 or a 700$ PS3 would be the same as buying a really expensive ATI Radeon X1800 or a NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra Graphic Card.

  • Hero_of_Time82

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 9:05 am GMT

    I want to play MGS4 so bad, but I don't really think that I could ever afford it with a price tag like the one that the PS3 is going to have.

    SHAME ON SONY FOR TAKING MY DREAMS AND CRUSHING THEM!!!

  • gamer26690

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 8:56 am GMT

    i'm glad my parents are buying one for my birthday

  • leeveeu

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 8:54 am GMT

    I think it's a fair price considering it's raw power and the endless possibilities

  • marcosa73

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 8:19 am GMT

    499$ is a reasonable price in my opinion, any more and Sony could lose out to M$s cheaper 399$ platinum system. But since just about everyone will want a PS3 the extra 100$ won't stop them, Sony will get the lead and have most systems sold even at that price I have no doubt(give it about a year to take the lead), Sony just has such incredible momentum with their Playstation brand. personally I a am waiting for the PS3 and am holding off on the 360.

  • terminato99r

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 7:25 am GMT

    i dont give a damn how pricey it will be.....i'll get one definitely!!!!!! go SONY!!!

  • demetrius0079

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 6:41 am GMT

    Bem eu acho que o bagulho já eh moh cara pra vcs gringos aki no Brasil ( com S ) o barato vai ser muito caro mesmo.
    Mas to nem ai vo comprar e jogar muito !!!

    Falow seus otário!!

  • joezer3003

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 6:25 am GMT

    Sony is digging their own grave. They had better have some amazing advertising schemes, or they are going to lose ALOT

  • CommonerChaos

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 6:04 am GMT

    What is the Blu-Ray about? What is the Blu-Ray, and what does it do?

  • matthew_c

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 5:59 am GMT

    im not surprised. if you haven't already noticed, sony products are always to expensive. and you're stupid to buy it right away. like the psp, the price is gonna drop 3 months after it comes out. also, the games are probably gonna cost 80 bucks.

  • CommonerChaos

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 5:55 am GMT

    One word...WOW! I will have to wait until the price drops. The most I can pay is $299. I sure hope it doesn't cost more than the Xbox 360...

  • neobita

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 3:46 am GMT

    ps3... i dont think it will be coming anytime soon to my country... T_T

  • tahir_021

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 3:13 am GMT

    well thats pretty obvious to get one but its really a huge pack of bucks to buy this thing...so i would try to buy if i could thus i should have to recollect all of my penny and pocket from the precise then i could get!

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