If there’s one thing that the PS3 has been lacking since it released back in 2006, it’s the ability to achieve and maintain a competitive edge against its opponents in the pricing category. According to Michael Pachter, that could soon become a non-factor.
The PS3 definitely has an obvious weakness in its sales model, and that’s because the console has always been at least $50-$100 behind its competitors, the Xbox 360 and Wii — making it slightly less attractive to casual and hardcore gamers alike who may be swayed more-so by price, as opposed to quality. However, Wedbush Morgan video games industry analyst Michael Pachter seems to think that a PS3 price drop is just around the corner.
“We expect PS3 software sales to spike when several high profile releases launch in the coming months, and believe that overall PS3 software sales would benefit immensely from a hardware price cut, expected in June,”
A price cut would certainly mean far greater hardware and software sales for Sony, especially in a year where the PS3 has the 360 completely outnumbered in the AAA exclusives department. Speaking from retail experience, at least in America, folks can be “cheap”, and will often go for the cheaper console as opposed to one with better first-party titles. A move like this would undoubtedly shoot Sony straight back to #1 contender position in the sales department, and not just for 2011, but most likely for the remainder of the PS3’s life cycle.
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