PS3 Price Cut Sees 135% Sales Boost

Following the announcement of hardware and software sales data for North America during June, officials from Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) have revealed that PlayStation 3 hardware sales have increased by over 135 percent in the last two weeks. A $100 price cut to $499 was announced for the 60GB hard drive model on July 9th, and, according to SCEA’s own internal data, sales at the top five retailers have increased dramatically since then. Sony says total PlayStation hardware sales (including the PlayStation 2 and PSP) have increased by 161 percent, with peripheral sales up by 60 percent and software sales by 15 percent. In the period before the price cut, Sony also point out that, according to NPD data, PlayStation 3 sales were up by 21 percent from May to June, with PSP sales increasing by 31 percent compared to the same time last year. The company also quotes a NPD figure of 270,763 for the PlayStation 2 during June – a figure that was not initially announced yesterday. “This jump in sales bodes very well for us heading into the fall as we launch an impressive arsenal of hardware and software, leading off with the new 80GB PS3 in August along with the unveiling of highly anticipated games such as Lair and Warhawk," said SCEA president and CEO Jack Tretton. “That will be followed by Heavenly Sword in September and six more exclusive first-party PS3 games in October, including Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction."