Console prices compared

Last year saw a number of aggressive price drops take place within the global gaming console market; initiated by Sony’s introduction of its PlayStation 3 Slim at a price of $299 and the announcement of a $100 drop on its previous model.

Microsoft and Nintendo quickly followed suit, reducing console prices for the Xbox 360 and later the Wii by an equally large margin.

Since then prices within the gaming market for console hardware have now become largely standardised. Standardized pricing and solid competition have made it difficult for retailers to overcharge for consoles.

Local consumers have also felt this price reduction, with a number of prominent South African outlets now vying for the attention of customers by offering more attractive packages at lower prices.

With this in mind we have compiled a comprehensive console pricing comparison which features seven of the country’s most well known gaming retailers. It also includes a number of console variations based on package and hard drive capacity.

The findings indicate that the best offerings are not limited to a single retailer. Instead each outlet appears to advertise a single particularly competitive package.

The best deals in each category are:

Xbox 360 Arcade Look and Listen

Xbox 360 Elite 120GB Dion Wired

Xbox 360 Elite 250GB Incredible Connection

PlayStation 3 Slim 120GB Dion Wired

PlayStation 3 Slim 250GB Take 2, Kalahari, BT Games

Nintendo Wii  Kalahari, Look and Listen, BT Games