Sony exec pegs PS3 at about 500 euros?

  • By Staff, GameSpot
  • Posted Apr 5, 2006 1:26 pm PT

Vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe says 500 euros (about $615) is expensive for a game console, but cheap for a Blu-ray player.

While Sony unveiled a number of its upcoming plans for the PlayStation 3 last month at the PlayStation Business Briefing and in its Game Developers Conference keynote address, a few details are still conspicuously unannounced, most notably the price of the machine. It's been an increasingly hot topic of discussion since a February Merrill Lynch report pegged the manufacturing cost of the system at a whopping $900, but now Sony Computer Entertainment Europe vice president Georges Fornay has addressed the issue.

In an interview with Europe 1 radio program Générations Europe 1 yesterday, Fornay was asked about speculation that the PS3 would retail for $500.

"If we take into account Blu-ray, HD video with drives priced at around 1,000 euros and above, [the PS3] will be a bargain," Fornay told Europe 1. "If we only look at the game function, it's true that consoles were usually priced under 500 euros. We will be at this price point ["nous serons dans cette fourchette," or price fork]. It will be expensive if we only look at the game aspect of the machine, but it will be very cheap if we account for the set of technologies that it will integrate."

Even if the PS3 does hit shelves for 500 euros, that doesn't necessarily mean American gamers will be paying upwards of $615 for the PS3 when it comes out. Price points vary between territories, and systems are frequently more expensive across the pond. For instance, the Xbox 360 core and premium packages launched for $299 and $399 in the US, and 299 euros (about $367) and 399 euros (about $491) in Europe.

[UPDATE 4/6]: A Sony representative eventually returned GameSpot's request for comment, saying, "This interview was misinterpreted and at this time, there has not been any official announcement from Sony Computer Entertainment on pricing for the PlayStation 3 worldwide."

585 Comments

  • ipath4life

    Posted Apr 24, 2006 2:54 pm PT

    not as expensive as i thought it would be. my friends were expecting like $750

  • anix21

    Posted Apr 24, 2006 6:11 am PT

    great games.....blue ray........pg......$600 would be a great price for ps3....xbox360 again will be unable to beat ps3 as xbox failed to do so with ps2..playstation is the best

  • R1PP3R

    Posted Apr 24, 2006 2:23 am PT

    why the hell do us brits always have to pay mor than u yanks?? the system is so screwd...we end up payin lyk 50 quid mor.

    btw...evilotto13...ur a sad bastard...go suck bill gates' dick

  • evilotto13

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 9:32 pm PT

    first all you sony people know this you will not be able to rent a ps3 game beacuse it saves and makes that game only playable on the system it started on THAT IS STUPID AND THE CONTROLLER is stupid and who cares about blue ray wow the only thing sony has over microsoft is the graphic engine is little higher that is it playstaion 3 is the next sega dreamcast and the online will suck the games will get boring and the system will problems out the wazoo remeber that ps2 problem. Hum let see here disc read error i know you ps2 owners have seen that and the online is crap with cheaters with lag. Xbox rocks

  • xxscammersxx

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 6:17 pm PT

    wow...a game console with blu-ray for less than a blu-ray player itself...

  • ryanblomquist

    Posted Apr 23, 2006 10:03 am PT

    If this thing is 600 dollars it will be a total rip off.

  • mack10

    Posted Apr 22, 2006 1:50 pm PT

    I hope it's not coming out at $615 or whatever in the states, I'd have to pay quite a bit more as I live in Canada, but if this turns out to be the final price, I'm ok with it on the condition they have the "required" hard-drive as part of the package, otherwise I'd be a little ticked off.

  • fumbly

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 2:06 pm PT

    Mate works in a video store here in Ireland and he says the PS3 is gonna cost €600 they've already started a savings/prebook scheme

  • GPSnake03

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:21 pm PT

    What!!!

  • TheJamin

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:30 am PT

    ahh btw evilotto13

    you're giving your gf hours of entertainment every night?

    good on ya

    im not biased betweens machines. i just know what i likes and sony's titles look far more impressive. as well as the spec sheet. despite already graphics cards are out that rival the machines specs. tbh i think we'd all benefit more from a solid Vista rig with dx10 and dual cards. all you so called ''gamers'' out there really should look at every aspect of what vista will bring. i mean.. using flash sticks to boost the performance? incredible!

    plus directx10 wont bottle neck at your graphics cards memory speed. but will focus on your whole computer system memory - hense adding flash via a usb port will boost your pc.

    Damn those clever cats ^^

  • TheJamin

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:24 am PT

    50gb blu ray disks? well check out the prototype ladies

    http://www.blu-ray.com/images/ifa2005/tdk_02.jpg

    100gb per disk. who the heck would need a Hard drive then lol.

    'ave it.

  • TheJamin

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:20 am PT

    Muahaha all that money eh? well i'm a brit.

    so it will be about 350 pounds.. oh wait.. no it wont..

    i have a friend in sony and will be getting one when they come out for half the price!

    Smashing.

  • arafay1

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:51 am PT

    This is cheap

  • arafay1

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:51 am PT

    This is cheap

  • cervaja

    Posted Apr 19, 2006 4:44 pm PT

    wwow, some of you really hate sony, but thenagain some of you have no idea what you are talking about. 360 can support hd-dvd, which is already losing by only being backed by 2 major movie studios, but cannot support blu-ray. and launch titles never tap what the console is capable of, and being able to hold 50gigs on a single disc, they have alot more room for creativity in their games. and with the talk of sony's online being...free?, which they have been known to do before, and including a 60gig hd, there making all the right moves.

  • evilotto13

    Posted Apr 19, 2006 7:30 am PT

    That's 'cause you mindless Sony drones will spend all your hard earned money on a peice a junk/ Sony is doing to you what I do to my girlfriend every night. Just wake up, and realize there is SO MUCH more better consoles... example = Famicon = Better than PS3 and the Xbox will win with Halo and you wish you had Halo but you have a game called Killzone, and you know what. Killzone is BORING. The best you got it.. umm.. Kingdom Hearts (GAY)... Final Fantsy (GAY)... and Metal Gear (Rahter play it on Gamecube). Keep crying. That's right... keep crying.

    Turds = better than PS3

    Okay, the price. Here's an idea to spend your $615.

    1. Buy a N64 for like 10 dollars, and most good games (Buck Bumble, Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, ect.) are under $10!
    So buy a 64, and about 60 games.

    2. Buy a 360 (premium), some games, and Xbox live, and FEEL what TRUE video games are about.

    3. Save it for the Revolution, and all the awesome crap it comes with. (Hoo-rah!) And it's gonna be about $150. See? So buy some add-ons, games, and Gamecube crap to go with it.

    4. ANY OTHER NON-SONY CONSOLE.

    So suck on that, I'm out,

  • anantha92

    Posted Apr 19, 2006 7:09 am PT

    i think that sony really needs to start work on a playstation online sort of thing rather than just talking about its blu-ray. and a good 60 gig hd is needed for downloading. blu ray would be cool but if something happens and the price does jack up any higher than i think they should just dump the blu ray and stick to hd-dvd or make a cheaper storage system.

  • nintendogamer64

    Posted Apr 18, 2006 7:00 am PT

    i think ps3 is over rated all its got is good graphics and a good DVD player
    DS has already proven that graphics dont matter and not many people buy a 500$ gamming consol for a DVD player

  • action_enzo

    Posted Apr 17, 2006 8:35 pm PT

    evil, i dont think that a safe thing to say in a sony fan convention

  • evilotto13

    Posted Apr 17, 2006 7:25 pm PT

    Xbox 360 rules and ps3 sucks

  • gamer1

    Posted Apr 17, 2006 5:49 pm PT

    I say screw the blu ray disc drive if its going to jack up
    the price so much... I mean is it realy that big of a deal
    to switch discs now and then?

  • darkwater12

    Posted Apr 17, 2006 2:54 pm PT

    I don't get this.

    NO one knows what the price point is going to be yet, and you can bet your life sony will not annouce it at E3. SO quite frankly stop whining and wait.

    The other thing is the Blu-Ray will be able to play normal DVD's and CD's. SO there will be no need to replace all of your collection as I have heard people saying. The reason the 360 did not have a HD-DVD installed on relelase was because Microsoft rushed it out to get christmas sales, which is fair enough.

    The battle between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is an odd one. Businesses will jump on Blu-Ray for the extra storage 50gb on a single disk, that is a Back-up wonderland. However the movie industry will like HD-DVD because at the moment it is cheaper. However saying that there are some big names behind Blu-Ray.

    Really what I am saying is wait for E3 and keep your fingers crossed that sony release some details, but don't hold your breath.

  • dub13

    Posted Apr 17, 2006 1:04 pm PT

    Doesn't it really matter...the real future is not BR or HD-DVD. It's what Xbox live is doing right now...downloadable content. We'll all be downloading HD games onto a hard drive. We’re doing at this present moment with demos, trailers, music, themes, and etc. We've seen a glimpse of the future of multimedia entertainment with the success of Itunes and Xbox live, Sony better stop playing around with this BR tech. All Sony is trying to do is get its base in frenzy, so they will buy they product...you know make their money now. But then...BANG!!! They will come out with some online downloading service like Xbox live/Itunes. Sony knows what the future holds and it does not involve be BR...If they don’t realize that...then some heads are going to roll. That's why I respect Nintendo...their just making games...that’s it...there corny games, but at least their games.
    .

  • nintendogamer64

    Posted Apr 17, 2006 9:17 am PT

    dose no one realiz who much more fun playing games on the revolution controler will be.

  • bigbrown69

    Posted Apr 17, 2006 12:31 am PT

    whats blue ray and why is it so good

  • Burning_Shadow

    Posted Apr 16, 2006 1:02 pm PT

    Thats still alot of money.....It better come with a psp or something

  • howisu

    Posted Apr 16, 2006 5:09 am PT

    I don't care about €. I want to know how much it will be in Ł.

  • ThatMan07

    Posted Apr 15, 2006 8:25 pm PT

    Let me break it down for you people....XBOX 360 is $400 plus $50 for Xbox live and $20 for the play and charge kit, PS3 will probably be $500 here in the US, I'm guessing, and the online play will probably be free....and you'll probably end up buying a play and chardge kit for that system as well, so there should be a $50 difference between the 2 systems.

  • Krazedperson630

    Posted Apr 15, 2006 6:14 am PT

    Sweet.... all I need to do is just get $13 a week starting from May and I will get enough money to buy the PS3 and about two games, I think....

  • Traos

    Posted Apr 14, 2006 5:31 pm PT

    "This interview was misinterpreted and at this time, there has not been any official announcement from Sony Computer Entertainment on pricing for the PlayStation 3 worldwide."

    As in, "Oh noes, the SCEE accidentally gave away pricing info! We must cover our rears and tell them it was misinterpreted!" Something tells me that, yeah, it will market for $500.

  • Truvietplaya

    Posted Apr 14, 2006 4:31 pm PT

    I don't care about the Blu Ray Player. I just want the PS3 for its game period. They say $500 will be expensive for a gaming machine but inexpensive for a Blu Ray Player. Let's have a vote. Who will buy the PS3 for its game and who will buy it for its Blu Ray Player? Can't say both now.

  • explode

    Posted Apr 14, 2006 5:23 am PT

    Do you think a $500 PS3 will play Blue-Ray movie discs well? Look at the PS2. The DVD player sucks because the picture quality is garbage compared to DVD players that are cheaper than $150. You can't think that a Blue-Ray player at $500 with more/different functionality will have as good quality as something double the price from the same company.

  • daftfan

    Posted Apr 14, 2006 1:04 am PT

    Interesting say that the Blu-Ray Rom it´s more expensive that the console game.

  • maaly81

    Posted Apr 13, 2006 9:07 pm PT

    $499 is my limit nless they throw in a game

  • THECARISMINE

    Posted Apr 13, 2006 6:23 pm PT

    damn I'm gonna be poor

  • Deoki

    Posted Apr 13, 2006 4:27 pm PT

    Even if it was true, 500€ is peanuts.

  • valarie2

    Posted Apr 13, 2006 4:19 pm PT

    anit botherd bout the money just realease already dang

  • Phantsy16

    Posted Apr 13, 2006 4:01 pm PT

    Still an AWFUL lot of money

  • nintendogamer64

    Posted Apr 13, 2006 1:18 pm PT

    the blue ray dvd player is what is putting all the cost into it.I bye game consols for fun games not hardware so im gitting the REV

  • sokatsui

    Posted Apr 12, 2006 7:34 pm PT

    $500?...thats nice....wad was it? a console for FREAKIN $ 900??? good thing that didnt happen.

  • Krazedperson630

    Posted Apr 12, 2006 5:28 pm PT

    I don't care how much it is, I'm just glad that it cost less than 900 bucks.

  • EyeNixon

    Posted Apr 12, 2006 12:31 pm PT

    $500?
    Stupid, I'm not going to buy this console if that's the price.
    Just stupid.

    C'MON SONY, IF YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE THE TECHNOLOGY. DO IT! JUST DON'T TRY TO BE AHEAD OF YOUR COMPETITORS.

    Seriously, NO console should be more than $300, it's a crime.
    Boo!

  • chrisser665

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 4:32 pm PT

    How the heck are you people able to say "Oh gosh, it'll ONLY cost around $500-$600"?! I mean, seriously, games are great and all, but people should wait for the prices to come down, and use their money more wisely. I honestly don't think I'll be able to have a PS3, simply because the cost is so much and I have to pay for college and stuff. I'm not trying to badmouth all of you rich people, but- come on!

  • mattyjose

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 3:20 pm PT

    cool

  • nintendogamer64

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 2:30 pm PT

    do u relize this means if the ps3 fails sony will be in the hole big time,im gitting revelution games will be so fun plus i dont wana spend 100 extra just for a dvd player i dont c much diffrence in blue ray and my standered dvd player anyway.i bye game consols for games not for dvds thats why i have a ds

  • action_enzo

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 10:55 am PT

    sada, it's not about the system................. it's about the feel you get from playing a system that's made especially for gaming. don't worr guys, ps3 is most probably not going to be over 500 bucks.

  • Sadat87

    Posted Apr 11, 2006 12:32 am PT

    What madness is this !! you would rather buy a #@%! 360 xbox or a brand new top of the line gaming PC than a dumb piece of S HIT worth 600$.

  • Thuganomic05

    Posted Apr 10, 2006 6:49 pm PT

    604.550 USD, that is from euro to usd, figure it out if you don't believe me

  • ajc0016

    Posted Apr 10, 2006 3:13 pm PT

    $600 how am i gunna live i i spend $600

  • nobeaner

    Posted Apr 10, 2006 12:38 pm PT

    It sounds like Sony is really putting a lot of eggs into blueray.

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