PS3 to launch in 'rest of world' at last (Update 1)

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 25 January 2007 20:29

Your IT - Entertainment

There are no 20Gb PS3’s set for launch in these new territories either, so no ‘cheaper option’ available to those who wanted it, although they may re-appear in the future if there is sufficient demand. Depending on the price of hard drive technology in the future, there may never be a 20Gb model again, with 40Gb or some other size the ‘new minimum’. If prices fall as storage capacities rise, it may not be economic to build them anymore. After all, when was the last time you saw a 10Gb 2.5-inch hard drive for sale?

30 games will be available at launch, 23 on PS3 Blu-ray disc, and another seven will be paid- downloads from PS3’s online store. These include Resistance: Fall of Man, MotorStorm, Genji: Days of the Blade, Formula One Championship Edition and Ridge Racer 7.

Downloadble games include Tekken: Dark Resurrection and Gran Turismo HD Concept which plays in full HD 1080p quality, a game that Sony says has been downloaded 350,000 times since it was released in December 2006 in North America and Japan. Other online games include Go! Sudoku, Go! Puzzle, Blast Factor, “flOw” and more – there’s a full list at the end of this article.

There’ll also be a limited range of expected accessories, mainly consisting of a wireless controller, a Blu-ray disc remote control and 4 cables including one that’s HD capable, prices are listed after the list of games at article’s end.

Before we go to pricing, if you do buy one, you’ll find a System Update to download upon connection to the Internet, which Sony says is “to further enhance the entertainment potential of PS3”.

So, how much will the PS3 cost in different countries? You may – or may not – be surprised to discover the different price ranges are that you’ll find throughout the world.

The cheapest price is in Japan at ¥62,980 for the 60Gb model, which is the equivalent of £265.22, USD $521.47, €402.36 or in Australian dollars, AUD $669.05 – and in Japan, the price of the 20Gb model was dropped before it even went on sale, and had an HDMI socket added to its configuration.

The next cheapest territory is the US, where the 60Gb PS3 sells for US $599. Next comes Europe at €599, and then Australia at AUD $999.95 in Australia.

At first, the territory with the highest price seemed to be the UK at £425, which when compared in US dollars would cost $835.62 according to the currency converting gadget from my Vista sidebar, for today at least. But it was surprising to discover that it’s actually New Zealand where a PS3 costs the most, at NZD $1199.95 which that currency gadget says is the equivalent of $£427.88.

So is this a good deal, even at the most expensive price in the UK and NZ, or not? Read on to page 3 for the conclusion...