Kutaragi: PlayStation 3 'More Than A Toy'

According to remarks translated by biz site Next-Gen, Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Ken Kutaragi has defended the pricing of the PlayStation 3 console in the latest issue of leading Japanese game magazine Weekly Famitsu. Kutaragi's remarks to Famitsu indicate: "PlayStation and PlayStation 2 were both 10,000 yen more than their competitors at launch. Yet they both sold to shortages." In addition, according to the translation obtained by the site, Kutaragi commented: "If you consider the PlayStation 3 a toy, then yes, it is an expensive toy. However, it is more than a toy. It is a PlayStation 3. And it is the only PlayStation 3. I hope that those who understand this will gladly purchase it." This is the latest in a large number of relatively defensive comments made by Sony executives following the revelation of the PS3's $499/$599 launch pricing structure, a figure which has led to significant negative publicity for the company, especially due to relatively low pricing for Nintendo's Wii.