Japan to see PS2 price drop

US gamers have been enjoying the redesigned slimline PlayStation 2 at its $129.99 price for some time now. Japanese gamers, on the other hand, have generally had to put up with a substantially higher price.

The reason for the discrepancy is that Sony released the redesigned PS2 hardware under the open pricing system Japan, meaning that the individual shops were free to set prices themselves. The major retailers started asking what they thought the market would bear for the systems, typically around 19,980 yen, or about $170.

Fortunately for cash-strapped gamers, Sony Computer Entertainment today announced a new suggested retail price for the PS2 of 16,000 yen (about $138), effective September 15. The price will apply to both the Charcoal Black and Ceramic White editions of the latest SCPH-77000 hardware.

The move is perhaps a bid to reduce some remaining stock before the PlayStation 3 rolls out. It is also possible that Sony had become impatient with retailers' failure to voluntarily lower prices to make the PS2 more competitive.