Sony slashes PS3 development kit cost

Sony announces an almost 50 percent price cut to the cost of its development kit hardware.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) has almost halved the purchase cost of its PlayStation 3 development-kit hardware, making game creation on the console significantly more affordable for small and independent game developers.

Sony is also rolling out new software-development features, debugging tools, and support for applications such as ProDG and its SN tool suite. The price cut will see the PlayStation 3 Reference Tool fall in cost to ¥950,000 in Japan, $10,250 in North America, and €7,500 for European developers.

The move follows a similar price-cut timeline set out by SCEI on the PlayStation 2 development hardware, which saw its price reduced just a year after the console's launch in 2000.

A Sony Computer Entertainment Australia representative confirmed that the news represents a worldwide price adjustment, and as a result would also extend to Australian games developers.

Game Development Association of Australia (GDAA) CEO Greg Bondar was supportive of the announcement, and he confirmed that it would allow smaller software developers to be competitive in the Australian game industry and open the door to companies with smaller startup capital. "A lot of the larger, established studios can get into it, even they find it cost prohibitive, but in general it now gives us and our members a broader base of access to such technology and opportunity to develop. I think it has been a prohibitive factor," Bondar said.

"If we have access to such development kits, it allows us to produce a better product, so we welcome it; [we] highly welcome it and congratulations to Sony."

350 Comments

  • yugimasa9999

    Posted Nov 26, 2007 1:24 am PT

    Astig!

  • HMtheJJ

    Posted Nov 25, 2007 3:33 pm PT

    "bardkieran Valen - Im not sure for xb360, but I know a Wii dev kit costs $1,800. Pretty cheap in comparison."

    cuz al the do is stole MArio and change the charactors and weapons, then make look differently with different colors, there u go, A brand new Wii game, (the same as any other), so in comparsion they r very expensive, cuz they should pay those developers for them to buy their kits lol, well i ain't no hater cuz i do have A Wii, but ppl should open ur eyes and get ur facts str8 b4 post!!!

  • HMtheJJ

    Posted Nov 25, 2007 3:30 pm PT

    "Homerj The only major exclusive (or timed exclusive) slated holiday release for PS3 to actually be released in the holiday 07 season is Ratchet and Clank"

    r u kidding me with this? "timed exclusive"m do u know who the developer is? and do u know what they have developed b4 for SONY and what they are to SONY and what SONY is to them? check ur facts b4 u post. Thank you!!!

  • flashsc85

    Posted Nov 24, 2007 2:51 pm PT

    haaaaaaaaaaa ha sony if u are having problems selling the sytem and the games why would the dev kit cost so much in the first place should make it free

  • Heromoua

    Posted Nov 23, 2007 8:39 pm PT

    hurray, up all azzes!!

  • -SlipSkull-

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 4:34 pm PT

    Good. Now more people can start working on the PS3.

  • ctg867

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 2:53 pm PT

    Good news. Hopefully this'll bring in some more great games. I"ll be picking up a PS3 after Christmas. $400 40GB FTW.

  • Homerj

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 2:42 pm PT

    The only major exclusive (or timed exclusive) slated holiday release for PS3 to actually be released in the holiday 07 season is Ratchet and Clank. That game, though fairly well received by all major critics, has been uniformly ignored by PS3 owners, selling fewer than 150K copies. A cheaper dev kit is not going to get third party devs on board, only game sales can do that, and so far, PS3 owners have demonstrated that they will not buy even high quality games.

  • GundamRX79Live

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 12:58 pm PT

    will get a PS3 when some more games come out...its got my attention but not my money yet

  • jrt1234

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 9:14 am PT

    Sony's just following the same trend with what they did with the ps2. It says right there in the article the price cut for the kit was made after a year for the ps2 as well. Thats around the time when everyone had problems developing for the ps2.(not to mention hardware problems.) But look what happened to the ps2......

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 8:36 am PT

    all I know is that I almost got a PS3 yesterday, gonna get one soon

  • bardkieran

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 8:31 am PT

    Valen - Im not sure for xb360, but I know a Wii dev kit costs $1,800. Pretty cheap in comparison.

  • bardkieran

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 8:29 am PT

    Chaos - Umm that link is a report of the first time the PS3 outsold the Wii in Japan. Proof of your actual claim would be nice.

  • lrsp

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 7:32 am PT

    So does that mean more exclusives and better functioning PS3 games?

  • ChaosXeno

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 5:12 am PT

    Just to let ppl know the second week in a row the PS3 has outsold the wii and 360 combined in Japan. http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/hell-freezing/ps3-outsells-wii-for-first-time-ever-324271.php And people said it was just a fluke.

  • Swift18

    Posted Nov 20, 2007 2:41 am PT

    NOOOOOOoo now there's gonna be a MEss of Shovel ware. Ugh i hated having to sift through al lthe crap games on the ps2 to find the few good ones now looks like its gonna be the same for the ps3

  • Fists1

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 11:57 pm PT

    not many people seem to actually understand what this means, while its definetly a good move it doesnt really qualify for "kool" and it isnt a "price cut" like all the others this is simply suplying developers with tools

  • cadahnic1

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 11:50 pm PT

    this is the best news to date for Sony and we fans that love independent games. this means there are companies out there that don't have much cash that will be able to start implementing ideas on the PS3. It is how Katamari and games of the like got started. I think this will breed some interesting games. Not to mention it will help huge design houses and publishers cut cost, which hopefully will result in better product.

  • alberto2045

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 10:25 pm PT

    so a price cut huh again?

  • boobush

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 9:21 pm PT

    Now it's likely that a price cut could happen in some 6-8 months and I am happy about that. I like the Wii better, but that doesn't mean it's better than the others (PS3 & 360), they're unique in different ways. And I bought a PS3 about 10 months ago, but I don't consider the big price a rip off, but more like an early headstart to play some great games.

  • Temmehkan

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 7:26 pm PT

    This is off topic but

    Firmware v2.01 is now live, i am downloading it now, considering how slowly its downloading it seems pretty big

  • jimbo102671

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 7:08 pm PT

    A very good move by Sony here. Here's hoping the PS3's 2008 lineup will have more quality games, and not just from "the big boys".

  • -DarthMaul-

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 7:00 pm PT

    This is great news for Sony and future owners.

  • Valen_Ca

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 6:55 pm PT

    Now i'm curious, does anyone know what Wii and 360 dev kits run for?

  • StaticPlayer

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 6:36 pm PT

    For anybody complaining about the PS3, this news article doesn't effect you as a comsumer so stop venting your teenage drama problems here. There are forums for that stuff. What this news article does affect is, all developers, and making it easier to develop for the PS3, at least cost wise. The only further down the line implecation that this could mean however is that, we could see more games being mdae for the PS3 becasue the start-up cost for making a PS3 game is less than before.

  • EcoJak

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 6:32 pm PT

    Sweet!!

  • Zoomer30

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 6:14 pm PT

    Once again, I would still rather have they system that is having some development issues (just like the 360 did) than have the system that breaks if you use it.

  • bshaw84

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 6:07 pm PT

    I love how sony comes out with a good announcement and lame-o's like KronikKilla still try to bash them.

  • KronikKilla

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 5:41 pm PT

    I would feel slighted as a consumer if I purchased a PS3. I still want one for MGS4 and Killzone and SOCOM and other great games, but not until these games actually have release dates. I mean, seriously, the only thing I can think is that the developers are having a difficult time developing for this system. I know alot of you like to discount this fact, but I can't imagine its Sony's plan to miss two holiday seasons without a blockbuster title like MGS 4, Unreal 3, or Killzone 2. Its not about the price of the dev kit, I can assure you there are plenty of first and third party publishers that have no problem affording these at the original price point, this is more big news for independent developers who may only be able to afford a single dev kit.

    The concern I have is, why wait until a year later to start releasing tools to make it easier to develop for? Having a bunch of in-house developers, who obviously get these kits early, they should've gotten feedback or the devs should've said something. And just for clarification, the PS3 is by no means winning in Japan.

  • Hitamaru-homia

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 5:38 pm PT

    What? i remeber sony was giving Dev kits for free cause they sent dev kits to studios before ps3 was even launched.

  • F-unit2008

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 5:24 pm PT

    The ps3 was at a great amount by the $600.000 because of giving people blu ray and gb it made sense because ps3 has a 3 so if u add that to 3 it gets 6 which makes the game 60.00 and the system 600.000,the low price is good though.

  • mansfield250

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:55 pm PT

    should be free

  • markevens

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:49 pm PT

    It has taken a year but it looks like Sony is finally wising up the fact that the popularity of the PS2 won't sell the PS3 and is adjusting their business practices to actually be competetive instead of arrogent. I have to disagree with mikethemonkey, the 360 will own the PS3 this xmas since all PS3's killer apps got delayed, except UT3 of course. But if they arn't primed for the summer, they will be dead. It is not looking good as it is really.

  • Flatline304

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:38 pm PT

    It sounds like a lot of money, but how much is a dev kit for the Wii and the 360?

  • lilmp89

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:38 pm PT

    Price cut = more kits and more to work with for devs = more and better games for all of us!

    Cool! =)

  • rob3nelson posted Nov 19, 2007 4:33 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    rob3nelson

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:33 pm PT (hide)

    I'm still not impressed. Sony should have made the new system easy and cheap to program for from the beginning. That they didn't just shows what kind of company they are: arrogant, lazy, and just plain not serious about winning over gamers and developers. Even Microsoft shows less arrogance and they've got like ten times the money of Sony. I'm glad Sony's eating humble pie now, but they should have been doing this from the beginning. Instead they've been milking the PS2 for everything it's worth and just expect the PS3 to repeat the same kind of success as if it was guaranteed or something that Sony was entitled to. I'm sorry but you may get something for nothing in Japan, but you don't get anything for free in the rest of the world.

  • mitu123

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:28 pm PT

    sniper_99, that's not going to be an easy task, but it could work.

  • mikethemonkey posted Nov 19, 2007 4:19 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    mikethemonkey

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:19 pm PT (hide)

    The only thing thats going to be "slashed" is Sony's throat if they fail this Christmas. With the market down,oil up and a recession looming over are heads, Sony better sell some systems and fast! It's no longer a question who is better ..It's who has the system in place before the market crashes. Sony might be able to survive a late start but not a recession. They don't have that much money!

  • shadystxxx

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:16 pm PT

    noel010 its funny how ppl can still see the negative side in this. ppl who say that even though the price is halved the game will still be harder to make. umm sony said that they would make new software develepment feutures and they would debug certain tools. if u blatantly ignore that and say ps3 suks o well.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I agree 360 fangirl's will spin every Sony news story and put a negative spin on it.
    It's the same with PS3 fangirl's they will take any 360 news story and put a negative twist.
    Tht'a what fangirl's do......................... Be pathetic.

    But it's still true it will be hard to develop for, Sony are bringing new dev tool's out and enhancing current one's but IMO these thing's should have been sorted a long time ago, and once they have there dev tool's sorted it will take a little time for dev's to get familar with them.

    I really like my PS3 and have supported sony console's through hardware/software purchase's(not blind fangirlism) since the start but it seem's sony dropped the ball big time, it's like the PS3 was not finished when launched and i dont mean hardware wise, i mean pricing/sku's/marketing/software feature's.

    Having to design new dev tool's and enhance the original one's prove they were not ready for development from launch, constant sku re-shuffle's and multiple price drop's less than 1 year out show's that Sony have been all over the place this year without a steady plan for there system.

    They hyped this "ten year" plan before launch and i will bet my PS3 the multiple price drop's and different sku's were not part of the 1st year of the "ten year" plan.

    It's looking like they are finally getting back on there feet and i'm pleased hopefully now they can just concentrate on amazing game's and software feature's.

  • ahmsyh posted Nov 19, 2007 4:11 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    ahmsyh

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:11 pm PT (hide)

    Haters get a life. Did i tell u that Sony Rocks. Yes i belive i just did.

  • tigerfan1993

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 4:08 pm PT

    "So, does that mean sony will be getting more first-party games and ports? That is what i hope to see. Good luck to sony and by the second quarter of 2008, farewell ps3."

    More first party games, hopefully. Farewell PS3? I dont think so,bub.

  • jasonharris48

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:52 pm PT

    One step a time Sony is doing a little bit better

  • CodeMunki

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:41 pm PT

    Only 10 grand? What a bargain!

  • IKKF

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:38 pm PT

    Wouldn't it be even cooler if they made the dev kit easier to use, too?

  • hiway2hell posted Nov 19, 2007 3:28 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    hiway2hell

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:28 pm PT (hide)

    So, does that mean sony will be getting more first-party games and ports? That is what i hope to see. Good luck to sony and by the second quarter of 2008, farewell ps3.

  • King_Dodongo

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:23 pm PT

    Sony should shut the arrogance and the crap. That way, they will be competitive again

  • noel010

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:17 pm PT

    its funny how ppl can still see the negative side in this. ppl who say that even though the price is halved the game will still be harder to make. umm sony said that they would make new software develepment feutures and they would debug certain tools. if u blatantly ignore that and say ps3 suks o well.

  • SonOfSparda018

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:17 pm PT

    more good news for the PS3!

  • Giratina667

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:16 pm PT

    That's still expensive,but congratulations for them.

  • GoodGamer3000

    Posted Nov 19, 2007 3:16 pm PT

    I'm just hoping this allows Atlus to get started on the next SMT game.

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