Playstation 2 News / Info

[spooky]

Link: PS2 to drop under $100 on April 1

Sony confirmed in the early hours Tuesday that it will be dropping its price by $30 for the Playstation 2 to $99.99. The price drop was previously leaked by an insider at retailer Kmart, who spotted a price change in his system and tipped off gaming blog Joystiq about the news.

Price cuts are always welcome, but it's not quite what hardcore gamers were hoping to hear.

Consumers and industry analysts have been calling for a price cut on Sony's flagship Playstation 3 system for months now: the PS3 is the most expensive games machine on the market by a hefty margin.

But Sony put a stop to that speculation in a statement today, saying "We do not have plans for a PS3 price drop, and any rumors to that effect are false and are the result of speculation."

So, is the nine-year-old PS2 a good deal at less than $100? Assuming you don't already have one, there's no question about it. Sure, it's no match for current-gen consoles like the Xbox 360 or PS3 (or even, more arguably, the Wii) but it has a software selection that's absolutely superb. If you're looking for a way to play great games on the cheap, and you're prepared to be a little behind the tech state-of-the-art, you can't do much better.

[spooky]

PS2 is Outselling PS3

July 2009

Mired in an overall slump, the once recession-proof video game industry is finally experiencing some adverse effects from the troubled economy.

Just ask Sony.

The games giant saw losses pretty much across the board in the year's first quarter, as sales of its flagship Playstation 3 system fell from last year's 1.6 million to only 1.1 million.

Its PSP handheld saw a huge drop, too, from 3.7 million to only 1.2 million.

The one bright spot? The nine year-old Playstation 2, which managed to outsell the PS3 by roughly 500,000 units despite being older than some of its fans.

Part of the system's continued success can be attributed to the ailing economy. At only $99, it's a significantly cheaper alternative to the entry-level Xbox 360 ($199) and Nintendo Wii ($250), not to mention the still inordinately pricey Playstation 3 ($399).

Adding bang to the buck is the system's massive library of highly-rated, value-priced games, which includes seminal titles from huge franchises like Grand Theft Auto, God of War and Final Fantasy.

The PS2 also boasts the ability to play DVDs, which, despite Sony's efforts to promote its hi-def Blu-Ray technology, remains the industry's leading format (though video game sales outperformed both in 2008).

Unfortunately, software sales for all three Sony systems took a serious tumble, with PS3 games suffering a decline from 22.8 million last year to 14.8 million this year.

However, the company has also noted that they've managed to reduce the production costs of the console by about 70%. Could consumers soon reap the benefits of those savings in the form of a long-awaited PS3 price cut?