Sony: Price Cut Lifts PS3 Sales 300 Percent

Sony says it's heard from "top retailers" that the launch of its price-reduced and slimlined PlayStation 3 has lifted sales of the console 300 percent week over week. Comparing the first week of September to the week before the $299 model hit shelves, Sony also says retailers are seeing a 140 percent boost in hardware revenues across the PlayStation product line as a whole. The company points both to the October 1 launch of the PSP Go, plus OTX purchase intent data originally published on Gamasutra that shows five out of ten most-desired titles (including God of War III and Gran Turismo 5) are on PS3, to express optimism about its positioning for the holiday. OTX's Gameplan Insights data has also showed purchase intent for the console itself rising following the Slim announcement, as the price cut and accompanying redesign of the PS3 is "resonating strongly with leading-edge male gamers", according to OTX's Nick Williams. The launch of the PS3 Slim netted Sony its biggest sales week ever in Japan with 150,252 units in its first three days on sale, saw a similarly-strong launch in the UK, where Chart-Track data saw sales up elevenfold week over week.