Like a petulant child making up excuses to get out of taking a bath, it seems Sony will say anything to dodge the issue of a price cut. A particular favorite tactic of Sony’s is to speak for the consumer, and that’s exactly what SCEE president Andrew House has done, claiming that Europeans don’t care about price.
“Not to harp on about it, but the PlayStation 3 has a ten-year life cycle and there are issues of cost and profitability,” harps House. “We will make that move on price when all those factors are aligned. Would people buy more when they are cheaper? Of course. But on the other hand there is an inherent marketing challenge.
“In Europe I think people do see the value of the machine, the Blu-Ray and network services and take that all into consideration instead of just focusing on price. But we will look at price and will address it when the time is right.”
I believe SCEE has drummed up this excuse before, and to some extent he is right. At least in the UK, the PS3 is a rather popular device, and many who can’t afford one at least want one. Still, it’s becoming very clear that the jaws of a price drop are closing around Sony’s jugular, and they have to do something soon.
