Ken Kutaragi defends PS3 price:
CEI president Ken Kutaragi has defended the PlayStation 3's high price tag once again, declaring that not only will consumers be prepared to pay the cost but that the console is "probably too cheap."
After being interviewed by Japanese website IT Media, which was then partially translated by IGN, Kutaragi said: "This is the PS3 price. Expensive, cheap - we don't want you to think of it in terms of game machines."
Kutaragi went on to say; "For instance, is it not nonsense to compare the charge for dinner at the company cafeteria with dinner at a fine restaurant? It's a question of what you can do with that game machine. If you can have an amazing experience, we believe price is not a problem."
Kutaragi then went on to compare the original PlayStation, which he says was also considered too expensive at launch. "Same for the PlayStation 2," Kutaragi said. Both PS1 and PS2 have sold over 100 million units each so it sounds to us like they got the pricing spot on.
"However, when released, both had sales that were unthinkable for previous game machines. This is because both offered experiences that could not be had on previous machines."
Like its predecessors, PS3 will also offer brand new experiences, he continued: "Things like next-generation graphics and various services via the network. And, as with the PS and PS2, we believe people who like games will, without question, purchase it."
The PS3 is set for a global launch this November, priced at USD 499 / EURO 499 for the 20GB version and USD 599 / EURO 599 for the 60GB model.
Kutaragi dismissed claims from the likes of Microsoft's Peter Moore that Sony will be unable to meet its shipping targets in time - the company has said that it plans to deliver two million PS3 units by the end of the year, with a further two million arriving by April 2007.
"Of course, this is a number that we announced having made sure we can definitely prepare it," Kutaragi said.
"There is the possibility of unexpected problems like earthquake or theft, so I won't say it's absolute. But if this type of trouble does not occur, there's no problem with this number."
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