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PSP PRICE DROP this weekend, how long until other systems follow?

Starting February 27th, the PSP-3000 will permanently price drop from $169.99 to $129.99 at American retailers. The PSP-go continues to pray for death.

On the subject of price drops, let's get some Sales-Age speculation going.

Nintendo DS Lite current price: $129.99
Nintendo DSi current price: $149.99
Nintendo DSi XL current price: $169.99
Does it make sense for a price drop around the 3DS launch? The DS still sells great and the 3DS is relatively expensive (to average consumers, not hardcore early adopters), so I could see the current pricing working out at least until the holidays.

Nintendo Wii current price: $199.99
Rather than a price drop last year Nintendo choose to perform a "value add" to the console buy throwing in Wii Sports resort and Motion+ functionality. Since December it seems like every other week the Wii is only sale for $179.99 at US retailers. Surely that's a sign a $20 permanent price drop is around the corner...right?

PlayStation 2 current price: $99.99
The Wal-Marts, Targets, and Best Buys around me have all clearanced out all their controllers, memory cards, and other accessories. All they have now are systems and shovelware. Has production officially stopped for the PS2? Are we just months away from a final blowout sale?

PlayStation 3 160GB current price: $299.99
PlayStation 3 320GB current price: $349.99
PlayStation 3 320GB w/ Move current price: $399.99
Since November I've been seeing tons of deals where you get a $50 gift card when you buy a PS3. Is a $50 price drop across all the PS3 hardware imminent? The GT5 160GB bundle is currently $349.99, while the Killzone 3 160GB bundle that just released Tuesday is only $299.99. Is a pack-in strategy good enough until Fall or do they need a real price drop?

Xbox 360 4GB current price: $199.99
Xbox 360 4GB w/ Kinect current price: $299.99
Xbox 360 250GB current price: $299.99
Xbox 360 250GB w/ Kinect current price: $399.99
Microsoft makes a profit on 360 hardware now. The Kinect is speculated to cost around $57 to produce. Microsoft clearly can respond immediately to price drops from their competitors. Would it make sense to? They are riding high right now, would it make better business sense to withhold dropping the price until the Fall?
 

Xena

Member
SWEET! I was about to get a second PSP to maintain only my Japanese gaming, and I'm so glad I haven't one this past week.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
I like this price drop though IMO it should have happened a long time ago. We needed this kind of drop last year, and it's a little to late for me. I wanted a 3000 and was waiting for a price drop too. To late and still slightly to high IMO (though I'd be okay with the price if it came with a descent memory stick).


The Take Out Bandit said:
I noticed this yesterday when I was at Target. All of them were marked down to $129.99, including bundles. :O

Pearls before swine I tell ya!

Woah woah woah... now if it's a BUNDLE at $130 then I might be in.
 
Price-dropping in the slower sales times of the year seems kind of counter-intuitive, especially when their isn't an imminent release of a sure-fire killer app.

I don't think any of the consoles will drop their price before September, the three DS SKUs will probably drop in price by June (ie, after the launch rush of the 3DS has finally died down).
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Ninja Scooter said:
clearance the PSPGo to $99 already. I want a portable PSN/PSone Classics machine.

If the PSP Go was $99 I'd literally get my keys and drive to my 24 hour walmart and buy one now.
 
My PSP-1000 is now completely jacked, first the UMD drive went out, now the battery wont hold a minute of a charge.

Im just gonna hold out until NGP, but this is a nice little price dip
 

Ellis Kim

Banned
That's kind of intense. Peacewalker, Birth by Sleep, Tactics Ogre, Valkyria 2, and Ghost of Sparta for anyone this late to the scene. I'd say its one of the best sendoffs for a handheld :D, not even counting the games that'll be coming out in the next few months (3rd birthday, and any remaining RPGs like VC3)
 

KingDizzi

Banned
Jeez these handhelds have maintained their prices really well, particularly the DS which has actually gone up in price! Got the original PSP for £180 in 2005 and now the latest version is £130, DS for £99 on release and now it's above that price. For the PSP which is doing so badly, dropping only £50 in 5 years is kinds weird. :/ Fucking rip off come to think of it, DS released making a profit as did the PSP or was at least close to it, after all this time their margins on each handheld sold has got to be big.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Ellis Kim said:
That's kind of intense. Peacewalker, Birth by Sleep, Tactics Ogre, Valkyria 2, and Ghost of Sparta for anyone this late to the scene. I'd say its one of the best sendoffs for a handheld :D, not even counting the games that'll be coming out in the next few months (3rd birthday, and any remaining RPGs like VC3)

There are definitely enough games to keep me busy if I picked up one. $130 this late in the cycle though is still smudge to high for me considering I'd also have to pony up for a memory stick. I'm not paying over $150 this late in a cycle for a handheld.
 

Takao

Banned
What a world, on one side of the Pacific, you can't firesale PSPs, but on the other nearly 7 years after launch the platform is routinely sold out of stores.
 
KingDizzi said:
For the PSP which is doing so badly, dropping only £50 in 5 years is kinds weird. :/

It's impressive actually when you consider the amount of units sold. Don't forget that the PSP launched in 2004 in Japan at the equivalent of $185. They were the only ones that didn't get force fed the $50 "value" tax for the system. Holding the price for that long is pretty darn impressive.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
Definitely going to get it, but I have to question if the PSP has a retail presence at this point.

Large reason why despite being the slightly inferior system IMO at this point I'd almost rather have a PSP Go... especially since it would have built in storage...

Like I said I'd buy a $100 PSP Go in a heartbeat. Fat chance of Sony doing this though.
 

GeoramA

Member
Tempting, but I'll wait until Sony announces the NGP's price. I have no problem waiting because I'm not a huge handheld fan.

If NGP is over $299, then PSP 3000 here I come.
 

plc268

Member
OldJadedGamer said:
It's impressive actually when you consider the amount of units sold. Don't forget that the PSP launched in 2004 in Japan at the equivalent of $185. They were the only ones that didn't get force fed the $50 "value" tax for the system. Holding the price for that long is pretty darn impressive.

Ugh... and that $50 got you a 32mb MSDuo, a crappy fabric case, a demo video disc, and probably something else I'm forgetting.

I can't believe I paid $250 for that at the time.

I too want a PSP Go at $100. I haven't had a PSP for a few years, and I wouldn't mind getting back into it with a Go.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Jive Turkey said:
$129 you say? But I don't want a PSP.

WHY DO I WANT A PSP?

While it hasn't seen a TON of releases if you haven't played one in a while it has accumulated enough games that a lot of GAFers would use one (you don't need 100 games coming out you just need say 10 good games we'd all get that have come out). Persona 3 and MGS along with Tatics Ogre makes this intriguing to a large group of people.

PS: Beyond just not wanting to pay more than $150 for a handheld at this point I'd also agree I'm not doing that when I don't know the NGP price yet. PSP Go would be cheap enought at $99 that I wouldn't care about any of this though.
 

Salsa

Member
ItWasMeantToBe19 said:
PSP still exists?

1697429-tacticsogreletusclingtogether_super.jpg


missing out


edit: beaten, cool
 

apana

Member
Will I be able to find PSP games in stores for the next few years? I mean easily, not ordering them online, but going to a gamestop/other gaming store and getting any game I want.
 
Now if I pink model was just available I'd probably pick one up for the girlfriend so she can change it up from her DS from time to time.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
apana said:
Will I be able to find PSP games in stores for the next few years? I mean easily, not ordering them online, but going to a gamestop/other gaming store and getting any game I want.

Shit outside of buying them online it's hard to find a descent selection of PSP games for me already. Part of the reasoning for wanting a 100 dollar Go.
 
psp go is most definitely a better device in your hands imo.

It's actually portable!

Just custom fw that shit. Buy all the good stuff. obtain the one's that aren't on psn through other means (kingdom hearts?). Nothing wrong there.
 

Takao

Banned
Ya'll do know the UMD PSPs can buy games off PSN, right? There's an adapter out there that allows you to use MicroSDs on it so that you don't pay $$$ for Memory Sticks.

AbsoluteZero said:
Now if I pink model was just available I'd probably pick one up for the girlfriend so she can change it up from her DS from time to time.

lilac-psp-hannah-montana-big.jpg


Hannah Montana PSP is actually kind of pretty.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Takao said:
Ya'll do know the UMD PSPs can buy games off PSN, right? There's an adapter out there that allows you to use MicroSDs on it so that you don't pay $$$ for Memory Sticks..

Is it an adapter that I could always leave in my system and not change the shape? How much does that cost? Either way I have to buy something extra which pushes me to over $150 pretax.

I just want the system and decent storage for $99 bones. I honestly don't mind if I can't get every game on PSN. I'd deal with out say KH or something. I already have headphones and shit to. I just need the PSP with descent memory and my cable to charge that bitch.
 

woodypop

Member
plc268 said:
Ugh... and that $50 got you a 32mb MSDuo, a crappy fabric case, a demo video disc, and probably something else I'm forgetting.

I can't believe I paid $250 for that at the time.
Yeah, me, too.

Since then, I've adopted a wait-and-see attitude regarding hardware and resisted day-one purchases.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
woodypop said:
Yeah, me, too.

Since then, I've adopted a wait-and-see attitude regarding hardware and resisted day-one purchases.

I have to which is why I sort of wouldn't mind getting a new handheld this late in the game with the 3DS next month and the NGP right around the corner.

I'm just not gonna pay what they might want this late in. Call me a cheap bastard or whatever, but I don't care. LOL
 

Pein

Banned
best handheld ever is getting a price drop, neat. The 3000 is a good system but the go is leagues above it, comfortable and portable.
 

Salsa

Member
Jive Turkey said:
But there are only a couple games I want. Oh the dilemma!

I bought a PSP when Tactics Ogre was announced. Bought and played a bunch of other things along the way.

Would have been worth it just for TO anyway.
 

Jive Turkey

Unconfirmed Member
The Take Out Bandit said:
I only own 16 DS games and 7 Wii games, but they were still worth purchasing. :\
Hey I still don't have a DS capable of playing Shantae so...

Then there's the fact that I only want about 4 PSP games.

Then there's the other fact that I have a $200 gift card to Target.

I think I'll end up waiting to find out the Neo-Geo Pocket's price before I make my decision though. Hell it'll probably take me that long to make up my mind anyway.
 
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