PAL markets to see PS3 price drop on July 12th?

It's practically a foregone conclusion that the price drops we North Americans saw on Sony's PlayStation 3 would hit other markets eventually, but the managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment in Australia may have revealed exactly when that drop is coming. According to a blurb at SmartHouse News, Michael Ephraim has apparently stated that a "PAL market announcement will be made on July 12th regarding price cuts to the PAL market PS3." More specifically, consoles sold in Australia "could be cut by as much as 17-percent," which would purportedly lower that model to AUD$829, and gamers in the UK could see the PS3 lowered to a much more respectable £350 if the percentage discount carries over. Only time will tell, eh?

[Via PS3Fanboy]

[humpty @ Jul 10th 2007 11:23PM]

It will be interesting if they announce an 80gb model or not.

[prosthetichead @ Jul 10th 2007 11:40PM]

AUD$829 for a game console is still to much! sure its lower then the old price of AUD$1000 but even before an official price drop from MS on the xbox360 you can pickup a premium with at least 1 game for AUD$600 even seen 360s for as low as AUD$500.

[Semi-Evolved @ Jul 10th 2007 11:43PM]

$829 is still a joke of a price. The USD $499 price is only equivalent to about AUD $580 before tax. Add in 10% GST, and that's $638. I refuse to believe that it costs almost $200 more per unit to sell the things in Australia.

[prosthetichead @ Jul 10th 2007 11:50PM]

That should tell them something. When its cheaper to import the item from America then it is to buy it from the JB HiFi down the road there is a real problem with the pricing.

[JP @ Jul 11th 2007 12:00AM]

About frickin' time! In NZ its crazy expensive too, NZ$1049 before tax! (~US$820)

[JP @ Jul 11th 2007 12:01AM]

Heh, wrong kind of 'its' woops!

[ouj @ Jul 11th 2007 3:59AM]

Hey, you guys in NZ and Australia are lucky ...sort of.

Here in Finland PS3 generally sells for about 670-680 EUR (including 22% tax) which is about USD $930, AUD $1080 or NZD $1200. Some online stores might have offers below 650 EUR.

For some reason PS3 is "only" 599 EUR in other euro countries (except Ireland). Yeah, you can order it from any other EU country, but shipping is typically around 30 EUR so it's not worth it.

I expect 499 EUR, except for us it will be 629 EUR or something. In that case it would be actually worthwile to order it from some other EU country..

[Greenster @ Jul 11th 2007 4:18AM]

Does anyone know the wholesale cost of the PS3 to the retailer? Because Australian consumer laws forbid retail price fixing it seems unusual that there hasn't been anyone discounting the units below $999 yet... although then again if the demand is there, then why would they...

Cheers,
Henry
http://www.digivista.com.au/

[shaun @ Jul 11th 2007 4:38AM]

£350? If you convert the price of the 60gb model in America to sterling its £250
If it goes down to £300 we would be in business

I'm just realising now that I spend £350 on my ps2 when I first got that so maybe it's not too unreasonable

[sid @ Jul 11th 2007 5:18AM]

Sony isnt going to get many more sales in Australia, even if they were going on about quickest to 50000 or whatever. Converted, the AU equilavent price of the PS3 should be around $599-$649. $829-ridiculous.

[Karan @ Jul 11th 2007 6:23AM]

AU$829 = US$714 at today's exchange rates. At launch, AU$1000 was US$750 (approx)... which... oh, whoops, that's US$35, or barely 5%! Get real!

Sony, you've got to be kidding. I'll buy it when you at least bring it into line with the NA/JP markets. It's almost the same price as flying to Japan and buying the console there. Work that one out! What is it, personal air-frieght?!

[Paris K @ Jul 11th 2007 6:55AM]

Woohoo!!! I made a £50 bet that it was going to fall to £350. £325-£350 was paying 4:1.
Come Thursday with the official announcement and I'll afford to buy a brand new one!

[Gareth Burleigh @ Jul 11th 2007 9:52AM]

If the price drops this much so soon after launch, Id better be seeing some freebies coming my way like I did when Microsoft slashed the original Xbox price a couple months after launch.

A couple free games or some Blu Rays please Sony

Gareth

[Michael @ Jul 11th 2007 10:57AM]

Well it might not be as big a drop, as un the US market, but still it's a drop, and that is a good start.

Here in Denmark we are also paying the high price of about AUD$ 1,072.

But a statement from the Nordic distributer states that they aren't going to drop the price because the sales are going so good here for the PS3, so in other words, they wan't to squeeze the lemon as hard, and for as long as possible. :-S

[Dean Murphy @ Jul 12th 2007 4:59AM]

does anybody know what sony is doing with the prices?..

[thief @ Jul 12th 2007 9:05AM]

Lets face it, the PS3 is seriously overpriced and is having some real trouble competeting with the likes of Microsoft & Nintendo. I've been a huge fan of Sony for many years but I believe they've made a BIG mistake by not reducing the price of a standalone PS3. Sony have surely seen the benefits of having a Blu-Ray player, opposed to HD-DVD in every home. This fact alone must outweigh the initial loss at selling the console at a more reasonable price (eg; £349 GBP). Come on Sony, do the right thing.

[thief @ Jul 13th 2007 8:33AM]

BBC (source):In Europe gamers will get a "starter pack" at an unchanged price of £425 for the 60GB machine, with two games and two controllers included.

Sony, you've got to be f**king joking. I waited patiently for you to drop the price of the European PS3 to a more reasonable figure, but that E3 announcement was the final straw. I'm off to get an 360 Elite when released and I hope you and your blu-ray format burn in hell. (ok, that may seem a little harsh, but I'm f**ked off right now).

[Maxim @ Jul 14th 2007 8:23PM]

Ok, in Russia it costs 23000 roubles. Xbox 360 Premium (we haven't got basic one) costs 13000 roubles.
PS3 for 654.374 EUR and Xbox360 Premium for 369.579 EUR.
What would you buy?