Tue, Mar 31, 2009 | 13:19 BST
Confirmed – PS2 to drop to below $100 [Update]
SCEA’s John Koller just confirmed that PS2 is to drop below $100 in the US.
“Today I’m excited to talk about another milestone in PlayStation 2’s lifespan. For the first time ever, PlayStation 2 will be offered at a price point under $100 (that’s $99.99 MSRP, to be exact), starting April 1,” said the firm’s director of hardware marketing in a statement.
Koller said the machine’s library of games will hit nearly 1,900 this year, and added that PlayStation consoles tend to outstrip normal console lifetimes.
“In the gaming industry, the typical lifecycle for a console is around five years, but because we build each of our platforms for a large and diverse consumer base, we design our platforms differently,” he said.
“With the original PlayStation and now PlayStation 2, we’ve proven that consumers can rely on our platforms for their gaming and entertainment needs for at least a decade.”
More on the PS Blog. Thanks to XDamage and Syrok.
Update – Sony’s said the European machine is to drop to €99, but there’ll be no cut in the UK.
18 comments
#1
Blerk
31/03/09, 12:32 pm
Whoo.
When are they going to start sellotaping them to the top of the PS3?
#2
Redh3lix
31/03/09, 12:33 pm
OMG OMG OMG WTF BBQ!! I cant contain myself! Thats suuuch good…… no, actually its a pretty damn boring “large announcement” Sony. >:(
#3
Retroid
31/03/09, 12:36 pm
It’s still getting Wii and PSP ports, I suppose.
#4
Gekidami
31/03/09, 12:40 pm
They should release a USB censor bar and motion device then sell it as a Sony Wii…
#5
Alakratt
31/03/09, 12:46 pm
Jesus, Sony should stop supporting the PS2, release B/C for the PS3 (for those models that don’t have it) and concentrate fully in this generation! I sure hope this isn’t their big announcement, because it fucking sucks!
#6
Shatner
31/03/09, 12:46 pm
It’s still getting original content Retroid.
Lol at “censor bar”. Interesting typo.
Alakratt, Sony are going to continue focusing on the PS2 whilst it remains profitable to do so. Why would they add to the production cost of their already pricey PS3 and damage sales of their profitable PS2 by following your advice?
#7
XDamage
31/03/09, 12:52 pm
Oh well. Gonna be alot of entertaining “announcements” tomorrow at least.
#8
Gekidami
31/03/09, 12:54 pm
NGS2 Thread affecting my spelling.
#9
Patrick Garratt
31/03/09, 12:54 pm
PS2 was/is an amazing console. Considering the games available for it, and how cheaply they’re available, $99 for a new videogames machine is a bit mental.
#10
Retroid
31/03/09, 12:57 pm
@Shatner: It is? I can only think of some late Japanese titles.
I’ve actually been tempted by the idea of some of the PSP ports for dual analogue controls.
#11
Shatner
31/03/09, 1:02 pm
Taking a glance at the first decent Google result suggests it’s getting a flow of releases in the US. I don’t know what it’s like for Japan and other ares.
Sure, the releases aren’t all likely to be triple-AAA mega budget thrillers but there’s stuff there that I’d regard as original content rather than just ports. Some of the titles could still do very good numbers such as Ghostbusters, Harry Potter and Indiana Jones.
#12
Patrick Garratt
31/03/09, 1:03 pm
Look on Play.com, or any other UK retailer. It does still get a lot of new multi-format stuff. Quantum of Solace, Rock Band, etc, all came out for it.
#13
Blerk
31/03/09, 1:34 pm
Singstar Queen was out on the PS2 just two weeks ago. Mana Khemia and Rock Band 2 came out last week.
#14
DaMan
31/03/09, 2:17 pm
I wonder, are there still people who don’t own a PS2 yet?
#15
Panipal2005
31/03/09, 2:51 pm
Sitting back and laughing.
At Sony.
Wasn’t the PS2 price cut not-megaton leaked before the first stories even appeared @ Kotaku & Shacknews or whatever the other site is?
#16
Spiral
31/03/09, 3:00 pm
I don’t own a PS2. I’ve owned at least three of them, but I don’t own one any more. Stupid shoddy DVD drives.
#17
SERAPHEMZ
31/03/09, 6:07 pm
@Panipal – SONY never said that this was going to be a “megaton”
They just said that it was an announcement. Everyone else on the internet built this up to be the “megaton” that maybe you even thought it would be.
#18
Retroid
01/04/09, 12:10 am
But then I’d class Ghostbusters, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Quantum of Solace, Rock Band etc. as more-than-likely Wii ports, or at least ‘shared heritage’ with either Wii or PSP.