14 DAY TRIAL // Getting closer to PS3 launch day in November, the ever growing hype for the next-gen is reflected in dwindling current-gen sales. Aware of the situation, Sony is trying to squeeze the most out of Playstation 2 in Japan with yet another price drop. The console currently sells for ?19,800 ($171) in the region, so the company announced its plans to lower the suggested retail price for PS2 to ?16,000 ($138) effective September 15.
The Japanese price drop follows the European PS2 price drop being announced during the Leipzig Game Convention in Germany a few weeks back, which was anticipated by the North American PS2 price drop from April. Sony explained the pricing shift by advances in manufacturing efficiency and financial engineering. The Japanese market saw the greatest of price drops, with over 19% off the initial value, which only seems natural, considering that Japan is home to Sony headquarters and the last to receive a price cut. In addition, the company will lower memory card prices from ?29.95 ($39) to ?19.99 ($26).
It's unlikely the PS2 will see a better pricing scheme this year so this is the perfect time for the undecided to go out there and own a PS2, as current-gen titles will become scarce over the next period. As a side note, PS1 games survived three or more years after the PS2 release, thus a PS3 launch will by no means kill off the established system. Sony made a balance check on their world wide sales, confirming PlayStation 2 has more than 106 million units sold. Looking into the future, PlayStation 3 features two separate retail SKUs and respective price points, scheduled to launch in Japan on November 11, followed by Europe and North America releases on November 17.