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PS2 now $129.99

Following months of protestations that a price cut wasn't imminent, Sony shaves $20 off the cost of its current-gen console.

In March at the PlayStation Business Briefing in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi insisted that no price drop was planned for his company's popular console, the PlayStation 2. However, in the subsequent weeks, numerous Wall Street analysts cited retail sources as saying that a PS2 price drop from $149.99 to $129.99 was due shortly.

While many analyst predictions have turned out to be exaggerations, underestimates, or just plain wrong, they were spot-on in this case. Just over a month later, Sony has changed its mind.

This morning, the company announced it was indeed lowering the PS2's price to $129, effective immediately. "Now even more consumers, as well as casual gamers, can experience what the PlayStation 2 platform has to offer at a new value price," said Kaz Hirai, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America.

By Sony's estimates, the PS2 is currently the top console in the US, holding a 55.6 percent market share. The company also cited NPD Funworld figures as proof that the console had "70 percent lead over any other competitor when it comes to software titles available at market in March."

168 Comments

  • tiesto_joe

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 10:41 pm GMT

    nice price drop, sony
    should be able to get another few hundred thou sales
    im sure they are saving the $99 price for when 360 drops its price to counter it. dont know what all the haters are whining about......ps2 is getting a price drop...what about the deadbox or failcube? those even still selling at all?

  • bulldog7

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 10:26 pm GMT

    Ya, i don't think $129 is worth it. It's old, it breaks, it's worth around $89.

  • krs_bg

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 10:23 pm GMT

    For those who say that the PS2 is outdated, maybe a look at the calendar may prove useful.

  • Cligini

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 10:03 pm GMT

    I saw it coming ... in with the new lower the prices on the old but hot.

  • mikethemonkey

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 10:03 pm GMT

    If you dont have a PS2 by now I would think you never wanted one in the first place! So, who cares about the price drop.

  • MoodyFlame

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 9:56 pm GMT

    now...we can pay them for this and a ps3 that way they will get millions for no reason

  • locdog517

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 9:35 pm GMT

    Wow.........what's even crazy is that they stopped manufacturing the PS1 this year.

  • rgsniper1

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 9:24 pm GMT

    -_- still doesnt explain things like the $100 20 GB HDD. I just bought an external 250 GB for $200, and their selling me an external 20 for half the price. I bet you anything it costs them $20 or less to manufacture it too. To me it sounds like the $529 manufacturing cost is bogus. I can fully understand why the PS3 will be expensive, given that everything is new including the drive, but the 360's DVD drive is a normal Read only drive akin to the ones you can buy for your computer, which you can purchase for relatively cheap. And a 20 GB HD, IF you can even find one (OUTDATED), could set you back..oh..30 bucks max.
    --------------------
    One thing to take into consideration is that it's not a desktop hard drive but a laptop drive. Which is more expensive, as an example, a replacement 40gig drive for my laptop is $100.00, a 20 gig would have been like $70.00. You wont find a new 20 gig laptop HD for 30 bucks. Second, maybe MS overpricing the HD by $30 or $40 dollars is done to offset the price of the chips I mentioned. No matter how you look at it, The GPU, 3 processors and Sound processor cost quite a bit of money. The DVD drive didn't i'm sure. But then again that's why I didn't mention it. So for them to put all of the parts mentioned above into a machine that you can buy off the shelf for $300.00, you can complain about it. But I'd say that's definatly fair.

  • godovivel

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 9:14 pm GMT

    wow it`s amazing . i want 2 for my car

  • firefruze

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 9:00 pm GMT

    Yeah I just saw this in my Future shop flyer.... but what I was wondering is why its $129 in Canada, but we get a jacked up price most other times with the PSP, Xbox 360 and other products.

  • FastEddieGomez

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 8:54 pm GMT

    I think this is pretty generous of Sony. PS2 is still the highest selling console and it probably costs less than $70 to manufacture. They're still making a killing, but not as much now.

  • dcgames

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 8:54 pm GMT

    As with any new console the PS3 will have it's share of problems. Personally, I would prefer to get a PS2 as opposed to the new (and risky) PS3. But I agree they could have shaved more than twenty bucks off the price.

  • OdinDragoonX

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 8:44 pm GMT

    Now all of you with faulty made PoS2s can now save $20

  • lalakool_16

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 8:23 pm GMT

    Meh, it's still bull. I am a total Sony fanboy, and yet I don't like the prices at all.

  • VFG

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 8:14 pm GMT

    I'd just hope that Sony doesn't abandon the PS2 when the PS3 comes out the way Microsoft gave the middle finger to Xbox owners.

  • Viquist

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 8:00 pm GMT

    I believe the whole point in keeping it at $129.99 (or rather only dropping 20 bucks) is because some people want to see a price drop but Sony is making the money at $149.99. It's smart to not drop it too much for a few reasons - 1) they will need the extra profit they'll get from it because they'll be losing on every PS3 sold quite a bit for quite a while. 2) Also with the Rev coming out around $200 - 250, Sony needs a console to rival with it and to make a statement that the Rev can't be too much next-gen if it's not much more than an "old-gen" console (which is a lie but it's a smart move.) and 3) because they want to say that the PS2 still has a few years left in it... by not dropping it to the "we're gonna kill this console off soon" price of $99.99 or "no specific sale price" then they are keeping that message alive. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't drop only 5 or 10 more dollars once the PS3 comes out or around this time of year next year, waiting until the PS3 is really booming with games and sales before they drop it to $99.99 or lower (still making mega money by then on each unit)

  • flametiger32

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:50 pm GMT

    hmmm.not bad but i already have one, im just waiting for ps3 now.

  • Snutz

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:44 pm GMT

    Next time I need a new DVD player, I might just buy this instead.

  • dhowell87

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:23 pm GMT

    After waiting for six years I can finally get a PS2! Better hurry and catch up on six years of games before the PS3 comes out! Who doesn't have one yet?

  • trick_man01

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:23 pm GMT

    Sweet, I've been wanting a PS2 for my room that way I don't keep having to go to my brothers to play.

  • Exige24_basic

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:17 pm GMT

    The hardware isn't even worth $99. Seriously, it is so out dated, peripheral intensive crap and has been for a while. Aren't console manufaturers supposed to take a loss on the stupid things? Nice try Sony, but no cigar. Inflated console hardware prices don't fly with his gamer. Delve on all the insipid Sony fanatics who think this new price point is a "god-send" all you want though. LOL

  • matt_tabb48

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:12 pm GMT

    That's totally awesome good work Sony. Great follow up to the PS3

  • Anubis240

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 7:01 pm GMT

    Too bad I won't need one. My PS2 from the first holiday it came out still works wonderfully.

  • umbriell

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:47 pm GMT

    $129 lame. Wow $20 big ones. $99 would have been a strong move.

  • pathogenb

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:43 pm GMT

    wow. still $100 too much.

  • mo_b

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:42 pm GMT

    ya nayeklakom

  • TonyAndonnis

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:33 pm GMT

    a price drop in the PS2... after all this time, must mean they need shelf space pretty soon for the PS3

  • gonzo391

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:33 pm GMT

    I dont care about any ps2 drop price. Maybe if it was xbox...

  • DarkKefka

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:33 pm GMT

    Good! I was planning on selling my Game Cube and buy me a PS2. Kingdom Hearts here I come!!!!!!!!

  • edgemtz

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:20 pm GMT

    Still an overpriced old machine, the cube is more powerful and cheaper but lacks the games of the ps2.

  • F0ZZY

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:14 pm GMT

    $20 dollars cheaper....WOW Amazing! -_-

  • F0ZZY

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:14 pm GMT

    $20 dollars cheaper....WOW Amazing! -_-

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:13 pm GMT

    Good marketing ploy by Sony, now they will sell even more PS2's and get ready for the PS3's launch.

  • iamleon

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 6:09 pm GMT

    yes, It's a Sony

  • RESIDENTEVILTWO

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:58 pm GMT

    Now the poorest people can afford the greatest console of all time!

  • CrackerRiley023

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:54 pm GMT

    reading all these comments tells me why so many ps2 are sold compared to gamecube and xbox, everyone has to buy 3 ps2 for every 1 xbox

  • Cerza

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:43 pm GMT

    i guess if you don't already have a PS2 you have little to no reason now to go out and get one...

  • borgmaster

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:24 pm GMT

    How 'bout I just wait untill 2008, when I will be able to get a PS2 and all of the katamari damacy and kingdom hearts games for less than $200.

    But seriously, if you've been waiting this long to get a PS2, why don't you just save for a few more months and get a revolution that'll cost as much as a PS2 and two games?

  • nemes1s3000

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:22 pm GMT

    If Sony's dropping the PS2 price, then it's obvious the PS3 will be one helluva' expensive console.

  • Jackrm

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:12 pm GMT

    Who doesn't have a PS2 by now?

  • Tranceplant

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 5:03 pm GMT

    Shame on me... after 6 years... I still don't have one. Is this the time to get one before it's over?? I think...
    Yes.

  • GeminiEntity

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 4:25 pm GMT

    Why don't the fanboys get a life? Seriously, step outside or just enjoy your system without bashing.

    Some of you people are so sad....

  • paulthespartan

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 4:09 pm GMT

    freakin' sweet, that's just amazing!

  • rebweiser

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:53 pm GMT


    How about 99.99? Greedy bastards!!!

  • dominae

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:38 pm GMT

    The slim PS2 isn't worth the 129.99 . . .
    Working at a major game retailer I've seen many, many come back through the store that have overheated from the lack of a fan, and the older, bigger ones for DDE's. I'm going on my third PS2, and I treat that thing like gold. My PSP is in the shop for a dead pixel and a bad analog stick. My Xbox has been replaced twice due to the Thomson DVD drive dilemma (google it). HOWEVER, my GameCube and DS are still tickin'. Not a fanboy, I just like my stuff to last longer than a year.

  • ghostrc

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:32 pm GMT

    You can buy one on ebay for alot less...

  • solidsnakeo

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:30 pm GMT

    that sucks i was going to sell it on ebay in a month now i just lost 20 bucks

  • hepcat00

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:28 pm GMT

    gay....i'll wait for the PS3 to come out, then i can play all my ps2 games (yay backwards compatibility) since my bro took his ps2 with him when he moved out.

  • scythe0925

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:26 pm GMT

    i work @ a game store, and no one cared if the price dropped today. @ least need to go to 99.99. or throw in a 2nd cont or a GH game.

  • AceBilly

    Posted Apr 20, 2006 3:26 pm GMT

    YES!!! : )

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