Ladic Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 http://ps2.ign.com/articles/453/453967p1.h....html?fromint=1 Sony to Drop PS2 to $99?According to internal Target fliers, SCEA will drop PS2 to $99 in mid-November. October 10, 2003 - When asked whether the price of the PlayStation 2 would drop to $99 this fall at Sony Computer Entertainment America's Gamers' Day this September, North American executives officially said no, there wasn't a need for a price drop. After Nintendo America lowered the price of the GameCube on September 25 and the sales numbers came in, however, SCEA may have changed its collective mind. Sources from Target today told IGN they have received printed fliers with the price of the PlayStation 2 at $99. The change will allegedly happen in mid-November, right before Thanksgiving, the traditional starting gate for Christmas shopping in North America. But having spoken with other retailers and a Wall Street analyst with close connections to Target, there is no indication that SCEA has any intention to lower its hardware prices, much less skipping the $149.99 price point (The PS2 currently goes for $179.99). Logic works against the price drop. SCEA generally doesn't single out retailers to promote these kinds of changes; it usually works with the entire retail community. To add to that, SCEA has seen significant hardare sales thus far and it looks to make its ambitious projections for 2003 without lowering the price of the PS2. SCEA officials were unable to return IGN's phone calls before deadline. SCEA officials normally don't respond to rumors, but it usually returns phone calls regarding this topic. In this console generation, Nintendo has remained the lowest priced console, but the price hasn't ever had a major effect on the Japanese manufacturer's market share in North America. The recent cut to $99 proved huge gains for Nintendo. In the last two weeks as it has managed to outsell the PS2, with some stores in the Bay Area selling as many as 70 units in the first few days. We'll have more on the rumor as the story develops. -- Douglass C. Perry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_Fanboy Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Hey Ladic! It's me! USMC Hornet Pilot from Robotech.com! PS2 to $99? Well, maybe when the PS3 is about to be released. And then the price will steadily drop to 50 bucks maybe. But perhaps the brass at Sony realized how well Nintendo did after the price drop. But PS2 needs to have some damn good new software to come out for the price drop to truly be successful. The price drop should be synced with the release of...oh I don't know...SOCOM 2 or MGS 3 Snake Eater or GT4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladic Posted October 10, 2003 Author Share Posted October 10, 2003 I doubt it will hit $99, I believe it will be more like $150 by Xmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rogers Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Unless Sony's in a hurry to dump the old generation PS2s, I don't see a need for them to drop it to $99.99. The PS2 can play DVDs, unlike the GameCube. I can't see Sony not charging a premium for that feature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opus Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 I remeber reading somewhere that Sony is updating the PS2 for progressive scan capabilities, or something like that, and the price drop is to get rid of old stock so maybe with Nintendo's sales results Sony is going to have to drop the price to stay competetive. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rogers Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 The progressive scan is already built into the current PS2 Network package that's selling at $199.99. Unless the Xbox is also being dropped to $99.99, I really can't see Sony feeling threatened... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewilen Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 You can get a Chinese-made DVD player for $30-$40 these days, so for $130-$140 you can have a Game Cube and a DVD player... And DVD players are becoming more and more common. How many people who already have DVD players are looking to get a console? Probably lots. Bottom line: I think the ability to play DVD's is rapidly fading in importance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_Fanboy Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 Yeah. If your computer has a DVD drive and you already have a DVD player, why go out and buy a console with one built-in? Anyways, you can count on the PS2 dropping to 99 bucks before the Xbox. And the PS2s don't support Progressive Scan mode for movies, only select games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Jenius Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 The PS2 has messed up on too many DVD's for me to consider it a true DVD player. Hell, I've got a $40 dvd player that not only plays all the DVDs I have that the ps2 can't play, it also plays VCDs that I make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_Fanboy Posted October 10, 2003 Share Posted October 10, 2003 What do you mean by "messed up on to many DVDs?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eternal_D Posted October 11, 2003 Share Posted October 11, 2003 my first dvd player was on my computer from about 3 of 4 years ago. I've now got 4 other DVD players that play all my DVDs regioned or not. Do I really give a sheet about the PS2 being able to play DVDs? uh...NO! tho if it does come down to $99, I might consider buying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladic Posted October 11, 2003 Author Share Posted October 11, 2003 I've got some Region 0 dvd's that don't work on my DVD player, but for some odd reason they work on my PS2, so the DVD playback still comes in handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myk Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 Well, if the X Box dropped to $149 I'd be a happy camper... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 What do you mean by "messed up on to many DVDs?" Simple. The PS2 has a rather checkered history on wether or not it will play certain DVDs. The DVDs can be spotless, and yet, the PS2 refuses to acknowledge that there is a DVD movie in the drive. However, on topic. If the PS2 did drop to 99 USD (or about 150 CDN), I would go out and get one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeszekely Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 A lot of people that haven't bought one yet would buy one if the price dropped that low. Combine that with the fact that SCE shifted half their resources to the PSP, and the fact that the PS3 is tentatively scheduled for 2006 or late 2005, and we have to realize that things are winding down for the PS2. On top of that, as many people pointed out, the DVD playback is a nice bonus, but not a prime selling point anymore. So, I'd say that right in time for the big Christmas drive, it's possible that Sony could do it just to kill Nintendo's sales. I mean, you can say that the Gamecube was worth it at $99.99, but when people have a choice at that price, I'd say most people are going to go with the PS2. I actually hope that the PS2 drops, because then I can talk my uncle into getting that and Need for Speed Underground. Of all the people that game with me, he's the only one that can match me on racing games (sadly, I kill him at everything else), so it'll be mad fun to match up our custom machines. However, given that the rumor started at Target, it's hard to think of it as more than a rumor at this point. Even if the internal fliers exist, it could be something like "Buy a PS2 for only $99.99 if you buy it with x number of games/accessories," rather than an official drop from Sony. We at Gamestop haven't heard anything. Of course, we're at the bottom of that corporate ladder, so even if the higher ups know something, they wouldn't tell us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macross_Fanboy Posted October 12, 2003 Share Posted October 12, 2003 I think I'll only buy a PS2 for Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Megaman X4, 5, 6, and 7. Anyone know how much a pre-owned PS2 costs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladic Posted October 12, 2003 Author Share Posted October 12, 2003 I think I'll only buy a PS2 for Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3, Megaman X4, 5, 6, and 7. Anyone know how much a pre-owned PS2 costs? I think like $150 at Electronics Boutique Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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