New speculation says PS3 launch price will match PS2

Sony Computer Entertainment may be planning to follow exactly the same pricing model with PlayStation 3 as it did with its two previous consoles, according to the latest speculation on price to emerge from Japanese reports.

Both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 launched at 39,800 Yen (294 Euro at today's conversion rates) when they arrived in the Far East, while the Xbox and the Cube both launched at lower prices - 34,800 Yen (257 Euro) and 25,000 Yen (185 Euro) respectively.

Now a report on Japanese website Impress PC Watch is indicating that Sony Computer Entertainment has cited a price point of less than 40,000 Yen for the PS3 launch in conversations with its business partners.

That would certainly seem to indicate that the traditional 39,800 Yen price point could be adhered to, and would bring the console in significantly lower than the 50,000 Yen (370 Euro) price point quoted by Japanese newspaper Mainichi Daily News last week.

The PlayStation 3 was unveiled by Sony at a special event in Los Angeles last week, and isn't expected to launch in Japan until next Spring. Microsoft's next generation console, the Xbox 360, is slated for a worldwide launch late this year, but no price point has yet been set for the device.