PS3 Gets MORE Expensive?
I know there are probably real-world concerns like math, money and accounting to be taken into consideration, but it's gonna be hard to spin this one into anything but a great big "Fuck You" from Sony to Canadians and Europeans. Especially given the recent blunt denial of any kind of price cut on the PS3 from SCEA head Jack Tretton.
On this side of the Atlantic, our northerly neighbors have been enjoying a pleasant price break on the PlayStation 3 - which has until recently retailed for $649.99 Canadian. That rounds out to around $543 US dollars. But now a sudden shift in pricing has the big boys like Best Buy selling PS3s to Canucks at a simply delightful $699.99 Canadian, a US$50 increase in price.
Europe, of course, gets a considerably larger shaft. After finally committing themselves to a tardy post-holiday launch date (March 23, it's an Aries!), Sony will only be selling the 60GB iteration at launch. For €599 or £425 - at current exchange rates that's US$835.99.
Yowza. At least when Zeus raped Europa he had the decency to show a girl the sights...
Now I know this only really affects anyone buying a PS3 in Canada or Europe with US dollars (right?)...which, given the numbers seems terribly unlikely...and there's a whole numbery deal involving VAT that I can never remember correctly. I don't doubt that there are some artificially inflated prices here that the European market will help bolster if sales are decent, but is this business as usual or a shiv in the kidney? Let us know, ye Hosers and ye Europey-types.
PS3 price quietly jacked up in Canada [Engadget]
PS3 European Launch 23 March, $835 [Slashdot]
tiny dancer
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 29 January 2007
· Comments (7)
Other stuff like this: canada, europe, ps3, rape of europa, shiv in the kidney
Well, they always let us Europeans pay more.
You get used to it. I mean, hey! At least we... uhm... get to wait longer?
Nah, in that case, I do not even care. I mean 699 Dollar or Euro, I will not spend that much money either way.
Well, actually European figures always include VAT, but even with the taxes it's much more expensive in Europe.
Anyway, should I buy one to sell it on ebay?
Yep, they always include taxes. Here in Germany these are even 19%.
The dollar is weak so the comparsion is not fair. It still costs about the same as it does in the States if you compare the price to how much money ppl make.
Pff! There's no way I'm going to buy a gamingconsole for 600 euros. And I don't care about all their 'it's not just a gamingconsole' crap. That's the only use I have for it. Besides, even if I used its other features (whatever they are) I wouldn't pay that much for it.
I'll just wait three years or so. I'm sure it'll be cheaper then.
While Best Buy and Futureshop have both increased the price by $50, not everyone has done so I believe. It could be happening (LondonDrugs.ca has the 60gig PS3 listed at $699 as well) friends reported seeing PS3s at Superstore this past weekend still at $649.99.
I sure hope it's only a hand full of retailers increasing the price... I thought the trend was to lower the cost over time, not increase it! ;)
I was surprised to see the price incrase when I went to Best Buy today (was Wii-hunting) and saw with my own eyes that the it was true. Oh well. I'll buy my PS3 from Wal-mart. Hopefully they keep it cheaper. I'll see when I head there Wednesday, my usual Wii-hunting day.