Unfortunately it seems like there was a bit of misinterpretation as the information in PSM made its way to the Internet. Essentially, the magazine has no new inside source on this and the $399 price is speculation.

"We just quoted what Kutaragi said a few weeks back... I think his exact quote was 'The PS3 would be no cheaper than' and he gave a Yen amount which was the equivalent of about $425," PSM EIC Chris Slate told GameDaily BIZ. "So in the article we speculate that because game consoles are typically cheaper in the U.S. than in Japan that if $425 was the price in Yen it's reasonable to assume that it would cost $399 here. We certainly don't know that for sure."

Original story:

According to the latest issue of PSM the PlayStation 3 will launch for $399 in the U.S., €322 in Europe and ¥45,965 in Japan. The magazine also reports that the 60 GB hard drive will indeed come standard with the next-gen console and will be of the non-removable variety.

As for release timing, PSM claims that the PS3 will hit retailers in North America in early November, sometime in the first half of the month so that there's plenty of build-up and hype by the time Thanksgiving comes and kicks off the holiday shopping season. The PlayStation Network Platform is expected to launch simultaneously with the console and will offer free service from the get go.

Interestingly, in terms of backward compatibility, PSM says that PSOne and PS2 games will be able to run on the PS3 in either 720p, 1080i or 1080p (for those lucky enough to own HDTVs that display a resolution that high).

This report from PSM is in direct contrast to Chris Morris' Game Over column on CNN/Money. Morris today stated that Sony will not reveal its PS3 price at E3 and isn't likely to mention the official price until later this summer. "One detail that won't be revealed is the PS3's price, which is bound to cause frustration amongst gamers, but is actually a savvy media move. By withholding those details, Sony gains additional media attention (and a renewed burst of public awareness) when it ultimately reveals the price - likely at the end of summer or early fall," writes Morris.

Similarly, Morris doesn't believe Nintendo will spill the beans on the Revolution's official price or launch date. The final system name (Revolution is just a codename) is expected to be revealed, though.


Thanks to TeamXbox.