Appearing on the SonyStyle USA is a PlayStation 3 advertised as “starting at $199.99” (R1492). Bear in mind that this is not some random e-tailer, and Sony owns and runs this portal.
This is a whole third off the actual current price of the entry level 120GB PS3 Slim ($299), which you will find if you click on the image, along with various other PS3 bundles. There is no sign of a sub-$200 PS3 anywhere else on the site. Is this a simple typo, or is it something far more meaningful? Could Sony be planning yet another price cut? It is difficult to tell right now, and we have (vainly) emailed Sony HQ querying the price tag.
My – rather optimistic – guess is that Sony will announce a price cut on the PS3 at E3 next week, and someone at SonyStyle updated the text on the site early, either by mistake, or in bid to get the rumour mill churning and generate free publicity.
As likely as a full blown price cut, is a new PS3 bundle, possibly with a smaller harddrive that will sell for this low price.
It is well documented now that Sony has managed to get the cost production of the PS3 down to below its retail price, giving them room to become more competitive with pricing, and increase their install base.
A fully 3D enabled PS3 at under $200 is an exciting prospect, and along with PlayStation Move, may be just what Sony needs to target the broader Wii audience.
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