I don't think Sony is going to drop their price.  I suspect their price drops were front loaded meaning they did as much as they possibly could before X'mas knowing that their hands would be tied in having another price cut for many months afterwards.

Where to start there are so many bad ideas flying around that need to be taken down with buckshot in this thread. First Sony isn't going to have a corresponding price drop. Second Microsoft is going to reduce prices both in North America and in Europe they aren't Sony they treat the market globally. Lastly Sony has no reason beyond the delusions of fanatics to alter their pricing period. They won their format war, and they have a stable user base. Their console is now safe, and now they can make up all the money they have lost getting here.

Microsoft decided to bide its time. They held off on the initial price cut. They produced a modest one, and even after Sony launched a second one they held firm. That means that Microsoft is in a substantially good position to finally make it into the mainstream. They probably will not even have to go into a loss selling their console. Which is exactly what will happen to Sony with another substantial price cut.

Sony was the desperate self destructive slasher last year, and it was not according to design. They had to push through two massive price cuts reducing the price of their machine by over thirty percent. They were already losing money on the units going out the door, and even then they weren't meeting production benchmarks. Then on top of this they had to start curbing their hardware to reduce losses. Sony didn't really have a choice in this they had to save their machine.

Now however their machine is safe the console could survive now without one single additional sale. Sony got its format war victory, and they need to start showing real profitability out of this entire fiasco. Salvaging their console was a massive drain on resources that Sony is going to need elsewhere in the coming year.

By all means don't take my word for it inform yourselves look what the companies own executives have told the media and their stock holders. Look at their quarterly financial reports, and look at how much longevity the PS2 could muster if the next generation consoles start to match it on price points, and the second hand market bloats. Sony is probably going to lose that crutch this year. So the PS3 most definitely needs to perform.

The only way your going to see another PS3 price cut before the holiday season at the absolute earliest is for the PS3 to go into a dismal tail spin, and inventory again becomes a issue. Beyond that Sony has no reason to slash themselves again. They really can't beat Microsoft in a full blown price war. They can however beat themselves by hurting Sony as a whole. This is why Microsoft is unconcerned they know they are going to get to the promised land long before Sony can.

Microsoft is probably going to play this price cut globally. They are probably going to be alone in this, and its probably going to lead to steadily higher sales of the 360 in all regions. There will be a few release weeks where the PS3 pops up to the surface, but the lower price will really help Microsoft a lot in all of its markets.

De85 said: starcraft said: Gebx could lose his bet if rumours of a price cut at the END of March, slow sales.... That bet only covers NA, so these rumors are irrelevant.

Microsoft arn't Sony, they generally drop prices globally in very quick succession.

Dodece said: Where to start there are so many bad ideas flying around that need to be taken down with buckshot in this thread. First Sony isn't going to have a corresponding price drop. Second Microsoft is going to reduce prices both in North America and in Europe they aren't Sony they treat the market globally. Lastly Sony has no reason beyond the delusions of fanatics to alter their pricing period. They won their format war, and they have a stable user base. Their console is now safe, and now they can make up all the money they have lost getting here. Microsoft decided to bide its time. They held off on the initial price cut. They produced a modest one, and even after Sony launched a second one they held firm. That means that Microsoft is in a substantially good position to finally make it into the mainstream. They probably will not even have to go into a loss selling their console. Which is exactly what will happen to Sony with another substantial price cut. Sony was the desperate self destructive slasher last year, and it was not according to design. They had to push through two massive price cuts reducing the price of their machine by over thirty percent. They were already losing money on the units going out the door, and even then they weren't meeting production benchmarks. Then on top of this they had to start curbing their hardware to reduce losses. Sony didn't really have a choice in this they had to save their machine. Now however their machine is safe the console could survive now without one single additional sale. Sony got its format war victory, and they need to start showing real profitability out of this entire fiasco. Salvaging their console was a massive drain on resources that Sony is going to need elsewhere in the coming year. By all means don't take my word for it inform yourselves look what the companies own executives have told the media and their stock holders. Look at their quarterly financial reports, and look at how much longevity the PS2 could muster if the next generation consoles start to match it on price points, and the second hand market bloats. Sony is probably going to lose that crutch this year. So the PS3 most definitely needs to perform. The only way your going to see another PS3 price cut before the holiday season at the absolute earliest is for the PS3 to go into a dismal tail spin, and inventory again becomes a issue. Beyond that Sony has no reason to slash themselves again. They really can't beat Microsoft in a full blown price war. They can however beat themselves by hurting Sony as a whole. This is why Microsoft is unconcerned they know they are going to get to the promised land long before Sony can. Microsoft is probably going to play this price cut globally. They are probably going to be alone in this, and its probably going to lead to steadily higher sales of the 360 in all regions. There will be a few release weeks where the PS3 pops up to the surface, but the lower price will really help Microsoft a lot in all of its markets.

 Wanna take a bet wether sony will cut the prices or not? Wanna bet if this "price cut" is globaly? I mean sorry, but other than a rant, I read not much research and substantial.

This comes as no surprise as the the 360pro and elite bundles both took a $50 price drop in Canada the other week. They now cost $350 and $450 with the arcade aready at $280.

@Just_Ben

Well its more a issue of pearls before swine. Providing documentation just terrifies them, and scares them into their holes. However it doesn't stop the stupidity they go right back to it in less then a week. So its a futile gesture, and a colossal waste of time. Less then ten percent of the posters in this forum will ever post at that level its a niche audience.

That said I would gladly take a bet how would one thousand VG dollars sound or a six month forum ban? I will bet that Sony will not follow suit on a price cut either regionally or globally for a period of two months following Microsoft's own price cut regionally or globally. Obviously we should probably ignore the third world markets. Those markets are inherently unstable, and prone to massive fluctuations. I assume we know what markets we are really talking about. What are your thoughts?

I was expecting a price cut in the Americas first...but this does seem real to me.  Check out the gamesindustry article.  It says 'retailers would not confirm on the record' whether rumours were true.  I take that to mean its all but certain but it can't be confirmed yet.

Easter is apparently a big sales holiday in Europe (see PS3 launch, March 2007), and since it falls earlier this year than last year the timing makes alot of sense.  It also allows Microsoft to offset, a bit at least, any boost Wii and PS3 will get in Japan from Golden Week in late April.

For the USA, Easter is mostly about looking for chocolate eggs, so I'm not expecting a price cut for the Xbox 360 until at least early April, and if I were a betting man, I'd wager April 20-25 for a 360 price cut of $50.

I think even with a price cut in Europe/Others, PS3 may still outsell 360 each week.  The Americas is a different story...a $230 Xbox 360 becomes very tempting as a second console, only $100 more than PS2, $20 less than Wii.  You'd probably see 360 sales at 90k/week+ for at least three months at $230/$300/$400 in the wake of GTA4.  Wii would still outsell it most weeks, but it would certaintly increase the potentail of having two 20+ million user consoles in the USA, and push the date of Wii catching 360 back by weeks or months in the Americas.

Sony would probably have to introduce a new bundle at least to combat a $230 Xbox 360 in the Americas. 

Dodece said: Where to start there are so many bad ideas flying around that need to be taken down with buckshot in this thread. First Sony isn't going to have a corresponding price drop. Second Microsoft is going to reduce prices both in North America and in Europe they aren't Sony they treat the market globally. Lastly Sony has no reason beyond the delusions of fanatics to alter their pricing period. They won their format war, and they have a stable user base. Their console is now safe, and now they can make up all the money they have lost getting here. Microsoft decided to bide its time. They held off on the initial price cut. They produced a modest one, and even after Sony launched a second one they held firm. That means that Microsoft is in a substantially good position to finally make it into the mainstream. They probably will not even have to go into a loss selling their console. Which is exactly what will happen to Sony with another substantial price cut. Sony was the desperate self destructive slasher last year, and it was not according to design. They had to push through two massive price cuts reducing the price of their machine by over thirty percent. They were already losing money on the units going out the door, and even then they weren't meeting production benchmarks. Then on top of this they had to start curbing their hardware to reduce losses. Sony didn't really have a choice in this they had to save their machine. Now however their machine is safe the console could survive now without one single additional sale. Sony got its format war victory, and they need to start showing real profitability out of this entire fiasco. Salvaging their console was a massive drain on resources that Sony is going to need elsewhere in the coming year. By all means don't take my word for it inform yourselves look what the companies own executives have told the media and their stock holders. Look at their quarterly financial reports, and look at how much longevity the PS2 could muster if the next generation consoles start to match it on price points, and the second hand market bloats. Sony is probably going to lose that crutch this year. So the PS3 most definitely needs to perform. The only way your going to see another PS3 price cut before the holiday season at the absolute earliest is for the PS3 to go into a dismal tail spin, and inventory again becomes a issue. Beyond that Sony has no reason to slash themselves again. They really can't beat Microsoft in a full blown price war. They can however beat themselves by hurting Sony as a whole. This is why Microsoft is unconcerned they know they are going to get to the promised land long before Sony can. Microsoft is probably going to play this price cut globally. They are probably going to be alone in this, and its probably going to lead to steadily higher sales of the 360 in all regions. There will be a few release weeks where the PS3 pops up to the surface, but the lower price will really help Microsoft a lot in all of its markets.

Of course a pricecut in one region, doesn't mean that there wouldn't be one in some other region. It's funny how you mentioned M$ as a worldwide player. Assuming they'd cut 50€ from 360 in Europe, they'd start to look like a worldwide player by bringing the WW price closer. After all, 50€ cut in Europe would mean that they would be making as much per unit sold in EU, that they currently make in US. And as you said, they're not Sony who needs to keep "milking" one market in order to start making profit. @crumas: I was meaning realistically, but if you think of it, if M$ would give 360:s away in Japan for free (in a way that you need to go to a store to pick one up), 360 would see a huge spike for a moment, but after that, sales would again go below Wii.

Well ,if truth has to be told the machine is already at that price unoficially at the stores ....its easy to go and grab a Premium and 2 games for 299 euros at least in my country .I doubt the price drop will do anything here .