14 DAY TRIAL // On March 31, the fiscal year officially ends for Sony, the big game publisher and console manufacturer based in Japan. Taking into account the history of the company and some inside sources, there are reports suggesting that a big announcement will be made, in relation to its PlayStation brand of gaming devices.
Some of the reports are saying that, at last, Sony will announce the coming of a price cut for the PlayStation 3, its flagship console, which has seen some pretty bad sales slumps in the last few months. Taking 100 dollars off the cost of the device would make it more competitive, allowing it to take on the Microsoft created Xbox 360, which received a price cut in September of 2008. Considering that the PlayStation 3 will be part of some bundles in the coming period, a price cut would really come as a surprise.
Other reports don't specifically mention the PS3, saying that the topic of the announcement will be the PlayStation brand. This could mean that Sony is getting ready to announce a price cut for the PlayStation 2, getting the console to 99 dollars and making it attractive again despite its age, or that Sony is thinking of cutting the price of the PlayStation Portable, which is preparing for tough competition from the Nintendo DSi, set to launch in North American and Europe pretty soon.
Of course, there's also the possibility that the coming announcement from Sony is not related to prices. There have been rumors for quite some regarding the PlayStation Portable 2 and tomorrow might be the day that the new handheld is officially unveiled.
It might be that none of the above is on Sony's announcement list. The company could only be communicating some data related to its economic performance, while showing off the performance of the PlayStation brand. We'll only know for sure tomorrow.