Despite Sony officials denying a price cut is in the works for later this year, the overall manufacturing cost of the Sony PlayStation 3 has dropped around 70 percent since the console's original launch three years ago.
The news comes from Sony CEO Nobuyuki Oneda, who recently discussed the cost reduction in an interview, which caused further rumors of a pending PS3 price cut.
"The cost reduction since we introduced the PS3 is very substantial and this is on schedule," Oneda tol d GI.biz in an interview. "We don't disclose how much of the PlayStation 3, specifically the cost deduction, was achieved during the past two years. But that is on schedule."
Unconfirmed rumors indicate the PS3 cost $800 each to manufacture, which meant each console was sold at a major loss. In January 2008, it was said production costs were dropped to $400, and now it costs just $265 per unit to manufacture the PS3.
If true, then the Sony PS3 -- the 80GB model retails for $399.99 -- then a price cut is extremely likely in the future. It'd be asinine for the company to not have a price cut to help attract new consumers.
Sony President and CEO Howard Stringer denied all talks of a price cut, though analysts and gamers still believed something must be done to help boost struggling console sales.
“I (would) lose money on every PlayStation I make — how’s that for logic,” Stringer said in early July.
The Microsoft Xbox 360 is expected to have a price cut -- and several unique game bundles -- available for the 2009 holiday shopping season, while the Nintendo Wii, which has retailed for $249, may receive its first price cut.
Will you purchase a PS3 when a price cut happens?
