http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/ps3-will-be-299-in-april-analyst-predicts/1279759

PS3 will be $299 in April, analyst predicts

Xbox 360 cuts to follow; no change for Wii

By Mike Smith

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Could the days of the $400 Playstation 3 be numbered?

So says financial analyst Michael Pachter, who http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/pachter-ps3-at-299-in-april-xbox-360-price-cut-to-follow/?biz=1">predicted this week that Sony will trim the price of its cheapest Playstation 3 pack to a "more affordable" $299 in April, and that an Xbox 360 price cut will follow by June.

And the Wii? Don't hold your breath. "We expect Nintendo to maintain Wii pricing at $249 until the company sees signs that demand is slowing, which means a price cut may not happen until late in the year, if at all," Pachter said.

Upcoming PS3 Titles

Like any analyst, Pachter, who is employed by securities firm Wedbush-Morgan, isn't always right, but he boasts a healthy hit rate at anticipating similar moves in the past, notably predicting PS3 and Xbox 360 price cuts in 2007. Don't expect official confirmation from either Microsoft or Sony, though: telling your customers about price cuts four months in advance tends not to be a very common strategy.

Ailing Sony, which is tipped to be about to post its first annual loss for 14 years, could well expect a significant sales boost if Pachter's prediction pans out. The Playstation 3 is heading into 2009 with a bumper lineup of upcoming exclusive games, including Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, God of War 3, and superhero-themed DC Universe Online, and a lower price point could well lend the console much-needed momentum.

Front page news. Patcher strikes again.  PS3 sales drop in NA confirmed.

"Ailing Sony, which is tipped to be about to post its first annual loss for 14 years, could well expect a significant sales boost if Pachter's prediction pans out."

Do they not realize that selling the PS3 at a lower price will make Sony lose even more money?

it wont happen unless the CELL and RSX are both 55 or 45nm.

it doesn't matter. Yahoo saying so means its so, even if it isn't.

i ahve seen microsoft make this kind of campaign before, they are nasty

Is yahoo owned by Microsoft? If so shouldn't this be illegal?

Well, thats ps3 sales out the window then

Not yahoo's fault and MS does not own Yahoo yet. THey dropped out of bidding.

Its pachter's fault, he's a friggin Ahole for saying this

It's a smart move on Sony's part to drop the price. Everyone knows that the ps3 is faltering in comparison to the other systems; teenage kids just don't have 400 dollars to throw at a gaming system.

With the 100 dollar price cut, they may make less on the hardware sales, but they'll gain a lot from software and additional peripherals. (for every ps3 that gets sold, there is a good chance a few things will be bought from the store, a few games, maybe a controller, etc). So that 100 dollars is easily rectified by selling 2 games or a few controllers. More customers = more sales= more money.

Yahoo aren't owned by microsoft, but if they're showing a pro-microsoft bias it may be because they still want them to buy them out lol