After pleasing overseas reports, Sony Australia has reported that its new slimmer, cheaper PS3 has seen a dramatic increase in consumer uptake locally. While Microsoft Australia’s Xbox 360 doesn’t come down in price until next week, the company is expecting a strong performance.
While no figures are currently available on just how successful the price cuts have been in terms of sales and units sold, Patrick Lagana, marketing manager at Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, was very pleased with the consumer response.
“We are really pleased with the fantastic consumer response to the launch of the new, slim Playstation 3 120GB console. We have experienced fantastic consumer uptake in the first week of launch,” he said.
“With its ability to deliver a complete entertainment experience, and now available at a more affordable price we expect the new PS3 to be a firm family favourite in the lead up to Christmas.”
On the Xbox 360 side, the price cut for its Elite console won’t come into effect until Tuesday 22 September 2009, but Jeremy Hinton, group category manager for Xbox 360 in Australia and New Zealand, is very confident of its success.
“With our new pricing coming into effect later this month it’s a great time for consumers looking to purchase a console. We’re on track to have one million consoles sold in Australia and New Zealand by the end of the year so expect the local gaming market to perform strongly,” he said.
“The line-up of titles set for release in the coming months also bodes well for the upcoming Christmas shopping period.”
The PS3 Slim is available now for an RRP of $499 and the Xbox 360 Elite will be available for an RRP of $449 from 22 September 2009.