Retail Price Of The Playstation 3 Isn’t Coming Down, Sony Claims

If you were hoping the retail price of Sony’s Playstation 3 would receive a price drop this holiday season, then it would appear that you’ve officially run out of luck. According to Digital Trends, the cost of the popular gaming console isn’t scheduled to change anytime soon. One reason: Retailers are currently running promotions for the PS3, which Sony claims already lowers the price of the console.

“There’s no price drop formally, but the thing that’s been happening in the market over the last year or so is that there’s been so many retail price promotions, and so many different gift card offers, and all those things, being done by all of us, that we’ve heard from our consumer, ‘Enough with all these weird price moves. What we really want is content and games and value,'” marketing vice president John Koller explained to Engadget.

Gamenguide points out that another reasoning for the lack of a price drop is that the arrival of the new slimmer Playstation 3, a sleeker, smaller machine that effectively replaces the older units. The redesigned PS3, which streets on September 25, has a retail price of $270 and comes bundled with Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. A pricier model, one that comes equipped with a 250GB hard drive and a copy of Assassin’s Creed III, will hit shelves on October 30.

According to the International Business Times, Sony and the Playstation 3 are facing some stiff competition this holiday season. Microsoft’s Xbox 360, for example, currently has an affordable retail price of just $199. Not only is their direct competition offering their wares at a lower cost, the company is also contending with the arrival of the Wii U. The 8GB version of Nintendo’s new console is only $299, a price tag that may lure holiday shoppers away from Sony’s older machine.

Were you hoping that the retail price of the Playstation 3 would drop this holiday season?