Sony has slashed the price of its basic PlayStation 3 games
console in the UAE by AED200 ($54.49) as part of a worldwide bid to revive
sales of the five-year-old console.
The cost of the device will be cut by around AED200 ($54.49)
in UAE stores, as part of the global campaign by Sony aimed at regaining lost
ground from its main rival, Microsoft Corp.
The 160GB console, which retailed at AED1,299, will be cut
to AED1,099, while the 320GB version will drop to AED1,299 from AED1,499 ($408)
by November, a spokesperson for the Japanese firm said in an emailed statement.
Sony said on Wednesday it had cut the price of the console by nearly a fifth in the US, one of the world’s
most competitive gaming markets. The news comes a week after data from retail research firm
NPD showed sales of new games had slumped to their lowest monthly rate in
nearly five years.
Sony, which has been recovering from a massive hacking
attack that turned up serious security flaws on its PlayStation network, said
at a flashy news conference it was lowering prices on the eve of Gamescom,
Europe’s largest video games show.
“Historically, we’ve seen sales increases from our
price drops and we expect to see the same here.” said Jack Tretton, chief
executive of Sony’s US PlayStation unit in an interview.
Sony’s biggest current bet is the Vita, a light-weight
handheld device with flashy graphics. Game blogs have lit up with criticism
over its launch date and price. It will face a tough fight from Nintendo, which
lowered the price of its handheld 3DS more than 30 percent only four months
after it hit stores in the United States.
*With agencies
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