PlayStation 3 pricing revealed, launch date confirmed

The president of Sony Computer Entertainment France and vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, George Fornay, is talking price when it comes to the PlayStation 3. In a radio show with France’s Europe 1, Fornay said that the PlayStation 3 will sell for between €499 and €599.

If the PlayStation 3 follows the Xbox 360, the console may arrive in North America for US $499 to $599. This would easily make the PS3 the most expensive console on the market, with Microsoft’s two next-gen systems coming in at $399 and $299. To round out the scene, recall that Nintendo is looking to launch the Revolution for less than $300.

Ars Technica - PlayStation 3 European pricing revealed

For sure, PS3 watchers have been expecting the machine to be expensive, but with the top-end Xbox 360 coming in at $400, it’s hard to imagine that many people being willing to fork over an additional $200–or more–for the privilege of being one of the first to have Sony’s next-gen console entrant.

CNet - PlayStation 3 to be darned expensive?

[Fornay] admitted that the price was a bit high but was really as cheap as chips when you remembered that it was going to play Blu-Ray movies too. Of course he has little in the way of proof that people are going to want to play Blu-Ray on anything, let alone their game gear.

the Inquirer - Playstation 3 will cost between €499 and €599

In the same interview, Fornay also confirmed that the PlayStation 3 would be launched in France, and presumably the rest of Europe, in November this year. He also repeated previous assertions that the delay of the console’s release (which in Europe actually saw its release date being brought forwards, thanks to the new policy of a simultaneous worldwide release) was due to last minute changes to the Blu-Ray format’s copy protection.

Gamasutra - Report: Sony France Boss Comments On PS3 Price