Sony on 299 PS3 Rumor

Sony has denied claims that the company is about to drop the price of the PlayStation 3 to $299, according to a statement provided by the company. Referring to a post on SlickDeals which claims a price cut for the console "on or around" January 28th, the Sony official claims that there are no plans underway. Talk of such a change is "purely rumor and speculation," a Sony spokesman says. The cut has been indirectly linked to the appearance of the previously Japan-only white PS3 at the FCC, suggesting that the price cut would come along with the new color option.

While the rumor has received criticism both for its source and for its implication of a $100 price drop just three months after the release of the black 40GB PS3, Sony has twice denied claims that ultimately came true in the past. The firm first denied the price cut on the 60GB PS3 to $499 before E3 and later denied the existence of the 40GB model.

A $299 price would both match the cost of the original PlayStation and PlayStation 2 upon their launches but would also escalate competition between Sony and its immediate rivals Microsoft and Nintendo, both of whom sell systems under the $300 mark. Microsoft's simplest Xbox 360 sells for $350 with a 20GB hard disk and only a standard DVD drive while the PS3 provides a 40GB disk, Blu-ray, and built-in Wi-Fi.

By Electronista Staff