14 DAY TRIAL // After quite a few analysts mentioned that a price cut for the PlayStation 3 is pretty much mandatory if Sony hopes to attract customers, EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich begs to differ, saying that Sony has no reason to make a discount to its home console.
Sales for both videogames and actual consoles have been gradually decreasing over the years in the U.S., according to data from the NPD, and Sony’s PS3 has consistently been outsold by Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
As such, quite a few analysts, including Michael Pachter, have deemed a price cut for the PS3 as all but certain, because Sony needs to draw in more customers, especially since its recent financial results haven’t been that great.
One analyst disagrees, as Jesse Divnich from EEDAR has expressed his thoughts with Games Industry, saying that the PS3’s price is good enough and that sales have been in line with Sony’s own estimates.
“I don't believe the PlayStation 3 needs a price drop at the moment," he said. "Sales have been consistent and in-line to what one would expect for a platform that continues to successfully grow its install base so late in a console cycle."
Even so, some retailers have even gone so far as to run special promotions, with GameStop posting a smaller price for the PlayStation last week.
While the Japanese company said that the offer was ran by GameStop on its own, without any help from Sony, Divnich believes that this wasn’t because the retailer wanted to get rid of old PS3 units.
“There could be many elements at play, but I highly doubt this is any indication of weakness for the PlayStation 3," he said.
If a price cut will be announced, you can expect Sony to do so at E3 2012, at the beginning of June, or at Gamescom 2012, where it announced a PS3 discount last year.