Analyst: GameStop expects 'meaningful' PS3 price cut soon

by Ludwig Kietzmann

Meaningful -- as in it'll mean Sony would finally bow to ubiquitous suggestions, predictions and occasional threats that see the PlayStation 3 being lowered in price please please oh please. Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia is the latest to join the frugal chorus, telling Industry Gamers, "We continue to believe a $100 price cut on PS3 will occur around the launch of EA's Madden NFL 2010, which is scheduled for release on 8/18."

Agee claims to have encountered similar sentiment at a recent GameStop executive meeting, overhearing talk of a "highly likely" and "meaningful" near-term price drop even over the clinking of diamond-encrusted chalices and relentless pre-order thrusting.

It's Sony's decision, ultimately, but if it's alright with you, we'd rather just get this price drop over with. A lower price means more people get in on the fun ... especially when they also get to stop reading these things.

Really why can't it come with a free game of choice?

Right around the same time the significantly cheaper 120GB slim is expected to hit.

What a coincidence.

SO... a $300 PS3, bundled with Madden 2010.

I see PS3 sales in America picking up.... quite a bit.

FIFA bundle for Europe would be big also.

I doubt it. Sony really doesn't need to bundle a $300 PS3 with anything. The thing will reach Wii levels of sales all on its own for a few weeks. For another thing, the GameStop head says "around Madden". That to me suggests that it will not be bundled with Madden since he would have probably said something more in the lines of "with Madden" or "alongside Madden" if he had knowledge or was predicting a bundle. Finally, a 299.99 PS3, even with all the cost savings of the slim model, will still be losing Sony a noteworthy amount as their forecast for a 1.3 billion loss this fiscal year insinuates. There's really no reason why Sony should add more losses to that with a third-party bundle when their system's sales already gonna be through the atmosphere.

Retailers don't want to lose money.

all this talk about ps3 px cut probably becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy and sne's worst nightmare, probably a lot of demand that's being pent up because everyone's waiting for the price to drop, forcing sony's hand

lets hope its true

It's been two years. Enough of the doom and gloom, a pricecut is not a shocker, surprise or even a significant event for anyone except people who rag on the PS3 and use the fact that the 360 barely outsells it as a shield to spread FUD in the guise of logic.

Will you please stop bringing up the MS or 360 in every fuken reply you make.. I mean damn..

You hate MS, you hate vista,wxp,w7, you hate 360, we get it.. move the on...

"enough of the doom and gloom"

irony