The PlayStation 3 Price In Europe; Launching ...

The PlayStation 3 Price In Europe; Launching In March, Not April

With speculation on the rise about the European PlayStation 3 launch details, Sony has actually bothered to clear things a bit, ahead of their official announcement on this matter, which is expected to take place next week. As with any other big console launch, there are two issues that are most exposed to rumours and speculation: the price point, and the launch date. So here we go.

For most European countries, the PlayStation 3 price has long since been announced as €599 for the 60 GB model, and €499 for the 20 GB PS3, with both models said to be available at launch. The UK and Ireland, however, are something of a special case. Initially, they will probably receive only the 60 GB PS3, for which they'll have to pay a significantly higher price.

In the UK, the price of the 60 GB PlayStation 3 is expected to remain at £425 (€647 - almost €50 more expensive than the rest of Europe), as previously suggested back in May 2006. And once the 20 GB model becomes available, it could cost around £350 (€533).

The price in Ireland was revealed this week on the local PS3 website - and confirmed by Sony on GI.biz - as being somewhat cheaper than in the UK, but still more expensive than in Continental Europe: €629 for the 60 GB PS3, and €529 for the 20 GB PS3.

Now, before you brits jump at Sony's neck, do note that these spiced up prices aren't (entirely) their fault: as one retail source told Gi.biz this week, "the higher UK price has not been driven by Sony but by British retailers, who traditionally seek bigger profit margins than their Continental counterparts".

As for the launch date... well, that one's still out in the open, although Sony seems pretty confident they can ship it in March. This contradicts a recent CNET report in which they quote Sony CEO Howard Stringer as implying the PS3 would launch in April. But, then again, his statement was in turn contradicted by other sources within Sony (on MCV and GI.biz), who insisted that Stringer was mistaking and that the launch is still set for March. Ultimately, it all comes down to who you'd rather believe: a Sony CEO saying "April", or a stubborn Sony spokesperson saying "March"?

P.S. Debian Live Linux was released for PlayStation 3. 'Nuf said.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)