and so will sony....

I'll wait for better sources.

It would be smart though. With all of Sony's games i can see why

Arcade will drop to 229, elite to 399 or 379..

Sony will respond and the price wars shall commence!

Everyone on N4G has been predicting this for almost a year now lol. But it's to be expected, if anything, it'd be a surprise. Microsoft need to drop the price of their one of their popular SKU's. People would argue they should have done in time for Christmas but they need profits for their gaming division.

But this rumour doesn't have weight in terms of source, it's just "unnamed person". That could be anyone of us here!

so xbox 360 will be 300 + the 50 online and only for 50$ more you get the better system with allot more features? ahahah

I'm sure Sony would drop the price then as well. If they did, I personally feel that its more likely we'll see a bigger spike in sales due to that price cut with the PlayStation 3 instead of the Xbox 360.

But all those saying Sony will follow suit...dont count on it. Sony needs to have a stable price for a bit. They have been dropping prices and losing money left and right to get the PS3 going in the right direction. They have finally found a price point that seems to be getting traction. You couple that and the upcoming big titles which are expected to sell units and I think Sony will be waiting to see how the consoles sales hold up. I highly doubt Sony will price cut in March. If anything I think it would come around E3 and if not then, for sure at the holiday time frame.

He wants to get a 360 because I won't let him take mine from my room lol.

If this is true, then WOOT!

Both ps3 and xbox 360 will get some kind of price cuts during GTA IV launch window or at least bundles deals

Expect the PS3 to be at $349 atleast, but maybe even as low as $299. Sony has cut prices in half, so they would have a lot more to lost not saying within range of the Xbox360 price.

I dont think they will drop the 80gb price however. They will probably bundle 2 games with it, and maybe an extra controller.

I wonder what the Wii will do? With prices being in range and below, I think they will ahve to drop price to keep momentum. Otherwise they might lose momentum with GTAIV release

Drop the price by 50 and throw in GTA and then your talking!

well if M$ do this sony is probably going to do it 2 there was already talk about another Price drop after they cut Production cost in half. I can see a new 40gb for $350 or maybe $299 and the 80gb for $450 or 399.99. I kinda doubt it will be in spring though cuz sony hasn't turned a profit on the PS3 yet.

It would be sure to snake a lot of sales away from potential customers of the other brand.

Then again, by that time I expect the PS3 to be above 10 or 11 million, with the 360 at 18 or so.

Either way, it's a safe bet that this will be a million seller for both install bases.

Really lower the price of the 360 which means Sony would have to follow suit. Which means I would buy a PS3 to go along with my 360. I can't believe people actually paid like 800$ for a PS3 that is ridiculous, if that was me I would feel like an idiot.

that wont matter since gta is a playstation brand ever since, people waiting for gta will buy a playstation to play it.

Thats 150 quid!!! ohhhhh! i'm buying a second!

If they were going to cut a price that would be the time to do it.

however this is just a rumour from an unamed source. We've had a lot MS fanboys on this site predicting a price cut for a while, but that wasn't news!

I had heard that further cuts were not likely, as there was presure on the division to actually make some cash. Given that Sony's costs are continyually falling, and they would likey respond, it probably doesn't make a lot of sense if you do a financial analysis, but you never know!

I'll nver moan if machine prices come down!

Sony cutting the cost of a Ps3 to $400 probally means now they are in a better posistion for another price cut that MS are. I mean sony make a profit per unit now in there largest current market [Europe]

Maybe Microsoft could lower the price in Canada to match the value of the American first before any price drop.

Launch a 20 GB PS3 with 65nm cell and RSX, No WiFi and no BC, drop the 40GB price to 350, and drop the 80GB to 400. They will break even on the 80GB model, and they will take a small hit by then on the other two models, but it will be worth it by not letting MSFT be so far away when it comes to price, by increasing install base even more, and by cementing Blu-ray in the market; the relatively small loss will only be temporary, as many games will be coming soon, and costs will also keep decreasing; my bet is that we will see smaller, redesigned PS3s with 45nm RSX and Cell by the end of the year, effectively allowing PS3 to further become cheaper.

They better make a marketing campaign for "Free PSN" on that to make PS3 seem like a better value.

its the only system where you can spend the less and play GTA...I want a xbox but that isnt the price i want yet

Software/accessories is where the money is cutting price on hardware will make more people buy games for 360 and inturn make profit for devs and MS on the other hand sony's another price cut will increase not only their loss per unit (they still r not making money on existing prices - tnx blu) but since people aren't buying the games, they will not be making any recovery anytime soon. And what would dropping price 3rd time will show for their precious brand name?

what happened when 360 fanboys said a price drop would not happen in july- june?

They made a price drop and a new sku.

what happeend around the holidays when xbox36- fanboys said sony could'nt afford another price drop?

They made a new sku for 400 bucks.

And now most of you are STUPID ENOUGH TO BELEIVE THAT SONY WON'T TRY TO COUNTER MS'S STARTEGY?

BESIDES IN 2008 WHO KNOWS IF SONY WILL MAKE A PS3 MGS4 BUNDLE?

AND "UNNAMED SOURCE"should be really reliable.

In 2008 games like mgs4 and ff13 will make people buy a ps3 and buy the games.

you act like this is still 2007.

Whe ms drops the price sony will too, when sony does it ms MIGHT counter it.

IN 2008, IT'S NOT GONNA BE ABOUT THE PRICE ANY WAY IS GONNA BE ABOUT THE GAMES.

The 360 should have dropped its price last year around christmas. It isnt worth what microsoft is selling it for right now. The ps3 comes with a blueray player, wifi, bluetooth connectivity, and free online gaming. The only thing xbox has is western Dev support, which is good, but its not worth $360 dollars,,, oh yeah,, Oh yeah i forgot to mention, the xbox comes with a 70% failure rate. So you get the RROD with the xbox,,,, i guess it is worth $400 dollars, lol.

Sony's best response to this would be to ensure that Rockstar are making the best version of the game on the PS3 due to its larger storage and ability to install content on the HDD.

We all know that the 360 will get more game content however, will the PS3 version be gimped because of the storage limitations on the 360 or will this be yet another case of the PS3 merely look as good as the 360 version.

What is the point of Blu-Ray if it cannot be used to make a title like GTAIV really sing on the PS3?

I think both will drop a couple of days before (not more because this would give them the upper hand if the other company does not do it) the GTA4 release.
Simply out of fear that the other one will do it and they will not have time to do it, before release if it's not planned ahead.

wow there is no shortage of "unnamed sources" on this website is there?

i don't doubt that this will happen, but personally i don't care if they drop it by $200- im still not buying it

Why does everyone insist on talking about this game being some big crazy game like Halo 3 or any of the Halos for that matter. MGS has never sold millions or broke records its not that kind of game. It has its cult following, but most gamers are not going to run out and buy this.

Nintendo prints money with each Wii they sell. They are the only ones maing money on hardware right now. I am sure SOny has lowered the cost on making PS3's, but they have also lowered the retail price. It is extremely uncommon for any manufacturer to turn a profit on hardware this early in the consoles life cycle. This is true for the 360 as well. Unless someone can post a link by a credible source stating otherwise...

Sony lowered the price of the PS3 by creating another SKU prematurely to give people incetive to buy the system since less compelling software was available for the system compared to the 360 strong Holiday lineup. With 2008's releases, it is unlikely that Sony will feel the same pressure. I doubt Sony will lower the price again if Microsoft does. The only way they will is if it is a reaction to slow sales again.

-Death

simply put

did 99$ helped HD-DVD?
did GC and xbox price cuts helped them?

p.s. i will laugh, if Sony will reduce PS3 40GB price to 299$.

how they can do price cut .
and losing money with each console .
oh and the red ring of death
sorry but i think no price cut

They force Sony to atleast drop price to $349 for 40gb. Its just putting the PS3 closer and closer to that mainstream price point. It will have a larger increase for Sony than Microsoft.

If the PS3 is already outselling MSFT I dont think a price cut will save them. They need more software exclusives like Halo 3, and unfortunately all those big exclusives remain with Sony.

Right now, RFOM2 looks bigger than Gears2. Hopefully the rumors about the first Gears pushing the limits of the 360 are false, but time will tell.

It's all about making sure PS2&XBOX users migrate to the correct console.

Well yeah the pricedrop is going to happen soonish.

And GTA IV would be a very, very good moment to do so.

Imagine all those GTA fans, that want the most complete GTA, will want the 360 version with those 2 episodic downloads exclusive, and if they can buy the console for 299 Euro/Dollar compared to the 399 PS3 the choice is easy.

And GTA IV will move a massive amount of hardware, so if the 360 could get momentum at that point it would be a very good point to do so.

and i bet Sony will cut the price of Both SKUs (40GB and 80GB)

hhhmmm interesting....... if they dropped the price for GTA 4 and then perhaps another drop for GEARS 2 i might have to buy another then......but for now i have GTA 4 on reserve for the PS3.

hasnt SONY cut the cost of what it takes to produce a PS3? SONY may very well counter what MS does.

edit: at whoever disagreed....... so i should buy another 360 now?....with a great chance of it crapping out on me? arent 360's being made more reliable? so why not hold off till gears 2? or are you just some rabid fanboy who i pissed off and are going to disagree with whatever i post.......if its the latter you are truely pathetic.

Would help...

LOL At the Sony fanboys making excuses bringing up PS3 games and saying Sony will match the move.

Even if Sony dropped the price 4 times in 13 or 14 months the 360 will be so close to mass market range none of it will mattter.

What part of not everybody is a foaming at the mouth rabid fanboy do you not understand?.

GTA fans will buy the game for what ever platform they can get.

Either way the PS3 is gonna pwn the Xbox and everyone knows it.

Seems like a no brainer to me.Were talking about a game that WOULD have decided MY hardware choice if it was a exclusive.
Next best thing is offering the (much?) lower cost system with the must have game!
Ive already reserved a copy for the 360.Ive never reserved a game before.

and I STILL wouldn't want that POS in my house! why buy software for a system that won't work in mere days/months after buying it. (or getting it for free for that matter!)

OMG I AM SO SURPRISED!!!......NOT. Who cares its expected to happen.

It will be funny because MS will make this big announcement and everyone on here will be like "360 price drop - the console war is over." MS will act all high and mighty until a week later when Sony drops a bomb on MS by either reintroducing a 20GB model for like $250 or taking the 40GB down $100 to $299.

That would make the choice easy for most consumers. At the same price level i would easily make the choice to buy a PS3 since it has Blu-Ray. Heck, even if it was only dropped to $349 ($50 drop) I would still get the PS3 over 360. Only $50 extra for a Blu-Ray player. I mean come on, what choice is there.

Of course this would exclude those who already own Blu-Ray and you would have to take into account the drop in price on Blu-Ray players. In that event, the PS3 would also drop as well anyways.

Dropping the price on the 360 this year won't help out MS that much they need to find someway to comeback Sony's 2008 line up on the PS3 which I know will be a huge challenge.
GTA made it's start on the PS2 first and with a bunch of PS2 owners out there just waiting for the PS3 to go down it'll sale like crazy.
Think about that fact for a minute now.
In March before Killzone 2 and MGS4 Sony are going to have price drops on all their consoles.
PS3
40GB=$300
60GB= $400
PS2= $99

Your under the assumption someone CARES about starting a NEW costly upgrade to their movie collection for one.
For two, I dont see Sony dropping the price AGAIN so soon.

The 360 didnt drop last Xmas season did it? I mean they did offer the "Holiday" bundle with 2 games like I got (well one game and one coaster called "Marvel Alliance").

Reason being they want customers to ignore all aspects of the PS3 and 360 and simply look at entry price. "Get a 360 for $299 and GTA, or a PS3 for $399 and GTA."

It might not work though, depending on both parties lineup for 2008. Consumers normally don't buy a console for just one title; they often look at what else is coming out in the near future.

But you also need to keep in mind someone new to the "next gen" consoles will find LOTS of 360 titles to choose from,and they are all NEW to them.Many of those are bargain priced too.

IMO,theres more interesting games coming that are multiplatform anyway.

A prediction that electronic hardware will continue to drop in price years after its release... STOP THE HEFFING PRESSES... NO WAY.

real news please

Microsoft is so desperate it's unbelievable,Who care's if they do drop the price of the Xbox 360,it's not like they have any good games in 2008 compared to the killer 2008 PS3 lineup anyway,I am expecting Sony to drop the price of the PS3(maybe $299?)around the same time those heavy juggernauts start kicking in(MGS4,KZ2,LBP ect.)

Wow a price cut with GTA4 coming just around the corner shocking. /end sarcasm

This might bring down the failure rate of the 360, if most 360's have a falcon chip installed.

KZ2 is not on the hot list anymore after COD4. I mean, how can you still be excited about KZ2 when COD4 came and stole all of it's thunder? Did anyone even buy KZ1? Let's see, the original Killzone sold 750,000 to a 100million userbase. Killzone Liberation sold 200,000. KZ2 looked awesome and blew all of us away...until COD4 came out. So what does KZ2 offer that COD4 hasn't given us?

While it may be a good year for PS3, it will also be good for 360. You know what's really funny though? How PS3 fanboys laughed at the 360 for having so many shooters yet these same fanboys are banking on KZ2, Haze, MGS4 and Resistance 2. They are all shooters!

You guys are so boring Zhuk plz come in here.

Microsoft is easily in a better position on getting a price cutt. The 360 has been making serious $$$ on software sales and accessories. On the other hand Sony cannot afford a price cutt. The multiple downgrades and price cutts in the first year was definitely a desperate move by Sony that finally got them on par with the 360 in equal sales but unfortuneatly is bringing Sony more in the red. Plus low software sales isn't helping either.

you people are making it like sony has a list of 20 monster hit games coming out this year. They have like 7 at most really great games.

KZ2 - hated the firstone and so far this doesnt impress me
mgs - I loved the others and am excited for this
R2 - thought the first games was OK nothing special
LBP- in my opinion looks to be a flop like that viva pinata thing
Home - a second life ripoff that wont add anything to the ps3.
GT5 - I always hated these games, but it does look pretty
FF - I think they died after 7

other than this theres nothing to make me( average gamer ) ( I have 1 ) wanna runout and buy a console. I am looking foward to MGS but 1 game isnt gonna do it for the average person. Also I dont see the ps3 dropping in price and theres no way the ps3 is making money. At $500 they were losing like 300 and now 100 cheaper they are making money i doubt that.

The 360 is making money and I see the 360 dropping to $250. If MS can get it to the price lvl of the Wii than thats is a good thing.I also see the wii dripping to like $175. If they do that they will get all these fools who want that stupid lil system to eat it up.
Also like someone said the ps3 is a major factor for bluray winning but I dont see people wanting to invest the money on rebuilding another library of films like we all did from vhs to dvd when DVD is still the best and most affordable format. You can buy a dvd player for $20 bucks and the quality of a dvd is way more than enough for %80 of the people in the world. These companies are forcing consumers to buy this new tech. Look at HD tv I live in NYC and we have like 40-50 HD channels and more than half are stupid sh!t channels.Watching regular tv ona 42" hdtv is poop.Bluray wont kill the dvd and I'm glad MS went with a dvd9. Also before any fanboys say anything I have a ps3 and a 360. The ps3 was a gift and its collecting dust. Lair let me down :(

even a game like GTA 4 cant save the system.its just old tech,and wont survive the years to come.PLAY B3YOND!

I mean let's face it when the console was released it was ridiculously overpriced, not it's just stupidly overpriced, people aren't gonna pay money for sh!t and the Xbox 3260 is exactly that, PS3 took a sh!t and the Xbox 360 came out.

Anyone reminder last generation when Sony was tipped off about Mircosoft cutting the price on the original XBOX what happened? Sony actually price cut first and left the XBOX out in cold. This article may be true but if mircosoft didn't learn from past history its doom to repeat and having some guy screaming out about there plan isn't too smart on M$ part.

I know the GTA franchise is mega popular, but i think the majority of players are fairly up to date gamers, so i don't see hundreds of millions of people lining up to buy a current gen system...

GTa+ 299 xbox 360+rrod+$50 live= sounds good.

is a premium console almost as low priced as the Wii and it WILL SELL LIKE GANGBUSTERS.

It has had an unmatched and stellar game library since it was released in 2005 and 2008's lineup should not be underestimated. It would be hardpressed to find somebody that won't get one.

you ps3 fanboys always bring up the rrod. Yes the xbox had its problems but its being fixed and M$ did a great job fixing them quickly. I have a launch model that is working fine. The ps3 had major laser problems when it was being produced but sony fixed the blu ray problem. So its 2008 I think its time to get off the rrod. Even with the RRoD the xbox is still selling well.

360 is piece of junk. Even if it was for free, i wouldn't bring it home. Only people who don't know any math or logical brain, who lives in basement of their mama's house, would buy 360.

Do not believe this!!!

It's a hoax!!!

It's been cleverly planted by Sony fanboys. (Trust me; I am one.)

They want people to hold off on buying a 360...and buy a PS3 instead when they find out there is no pricedrop...because "Microsoft said there would be".

Catch m'drift?

would be a suitable price for that faulty POS and Microshaft should throw in the hd dvd player for an additional 10 bucks. it would make a neat collectors item and would look retardedly lovely sitting beside a bricked 360

is a years free live with the 50 drop and ms might be in the land of the living

PLAYSTATION® 3 will undeniably become the market leader once Microsoft announces this price drop. XBOX 360 has shown through numerous price drops that consumers have no interest in purchasing a console with poor reliability issues. Dark Sniper fully expects Sony to counteract with a price drop of their own with possibly a GTA IV bundle set for the mature, hardcore gamer which will still be more economically sound for the fence-sitter to purchase PLAYSTATION® 3.

$niper

Sounds like microsoft is dropping their pants to do whatever it takes to push their console, riding this last desperate wave, because people are aware that the 360's technology is just about maxed out.

they should have lowered the price long time ago....

you just cant have th 360 priced competively against the ps3 when its got blu-ray/wireless included.

lower the price $80 on all sku's making the arcade under 200 means the massmarket will be jumping in

If MSft lowers the price and Sony follows. As far as sales this will defintely help Sony. I know alot of people that just can't afford 399 and they are still waitng for the ps3 to drop.

This is an example of the inherit greed people have. They want other rpgs to do what another game does, even if it doesnt make sense. Mass Effect had a different dialogue structure, to to mention that shepard is a voiced protagonist. Tav is not. Furthermore, we have a close to home example of why this is not so great idea. Dragon age attempted to copy mass effect when it came to dialogue structure, with slight variation. Im pretty sure most dragon age fans preferred Origins approach.

They dont beed to concern themselves too much with Larian. BioWare would be better off mastering themselves.