Sony’s stance has consistently been to avoid discussion of a price reduction for the PS3, but this may no longer be the case, thanks to pressure from the apparent slowdown in sales and consumer sentiment for a downgrade in pricing. This is according to an announcement by Takao Yuhara, Sony’s Senior Vice President of Japan operations.
Yuhara alluded to the possibility of cheaper PS3s by stating to the Associated Press, "We may look at the price as part of our strategy to expand the market when the timing is right." Sony’s hope is to break even in the coming fiscal year, which runs until March 2008. When discussing the plan to break even, he said, "Such factors, including price cuts to some extent, are factored in."
In November of last year, Sony actually slashed the prices of its PS3 before it launched in Japan, in order to help boost sales. If Sony goes through with another price cut in Japan, the same strategy may very well be utilized for the pricing structure of the PlayStation 3 in other countries. But if adopted, the strategy may have negative repercussions with the early adopters of the PS3, who paid full price for the console.
