No matter what anyone has to say about the PS3, UMD, or Sony in general, it's hard to deny that the PSP is a fun little piece of kit. Unfortuntely, partially do to a slowdown in games production and partially due to aggressive Nintendo pricing, the PSP has found itself languishing in sales recently compared to its handheld nemesis, the Nintendo DS. But if Sony makes the rumoured price cuts, that might quickly change.
A $50 USD price cut is being tossed about as a potential sales incentive for the handheld wonder, bringing its street price down to $149. This brings it much more in line with the $129 price tag of the Nintendo DS - and for many people, that might just be close enough to tip the balance back in Sony's favour. But that price might not even be for just the core system - the talk goes deeper to rumour that may be the new bundle price.
The move is smart on several levels - first, Nintendo simply cannot cut its DS prices anymore, it can barely keep up with demand as it is. Second, the PSP will hit that price niche right under the Wii, helping to maybe steal some of the new Ninty offering's thunder. The PS3 is just so expensive that it's better to get some other offerings out there if Sony doesn't want to be left in the dust over the holidays. It also would be wise to pick up some extra part of the portable games user base before the platform gets its next shot in the arm - the release of GTA: Vice City Stories is just around the corner, and a new Sony online store just for the PSP is set to start of 2007.
With so many reasons to slash prices, it is unlikely that Sony would choose to keep the PSP up in the clouds compared to other handhelds. So the question becomes, at what price will one end up on your Christmas list? Let us know in the forums.
A $50 USD price cut is being tossed about as a potential sales incentive for the handheld wonder, bringing its street price down to $149. This brings it much more in line with the $129 price tag of the Nintendo DS - and for many people, that might just be close enough to tip the balance back in Sony's favour. But that price might not even be for just the core system - the talk goes deeper to rumour that may be the new bundle price.
The move is smart on several levels - first, Nintendo simply cannot cut its DS prices anymore, it can barely keep up with demand as it is. Second, the PSP will hit that price niche right under the Wii, helping to maybe steal some of the new Ninty offering's thunder. The PS3 is just so expensive that it's better to get some other offerings out there if Sony doesn't want to be left in the dust over the holidays. It also would be wise to pick up some extra part of the portable games user base before the platform gets its next shot in the arm - the release of GTA: Vice City Stories is just around the corner, and a new Sony online store just for the PSP is set to start of 2007.
With so many reasons to slash prices, it is unlikely that Sony would choose to keep the PSP up in the clouds compared to other handhelds. So the question becomes, at what price will one end up on your Christmas list? Let us know in the forums.
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