Comment: The PS3 price drop puts Sony back into the race

Gives you three choices for a video games console instead of just two

4 October 2007 17:03 GMT / By Stuart Miles

With the confirmation that Sony is finally bowing to pressure and dropping the price of the PlayStation 3, does the move now make this a console worth considering?

There is no doubt about it, knocking £60 off any gadget is going to boost sales, but creating an entry-level unit £125 cheaper is going to allow Sony to get back in the race that it has been so badly losing since March.

According to Sony, sales of the PlayStation 3 console have been outperforming sales of the PS2 at the same point in the life cycle. That's great, but there is no denying that Nintendo's stroke of gaming genius has caught everyone by surprise and relegated Sony to the number three spot.

Three years ago, who would have thought that the makers of the GameCube, the console that was destined from the bin from day one, would make the Nintendo Wii? The console has done wonders for the industry, bringing gaming into the mainstream and becoming the number one selling console at the same time.

But Nintendo's rise to the top isn't because it's the best spec'ed console on the block, far from it, in fact it's the worst. It's because the games are compelling, it's mass market rather than hardcore gamer and it's managed to sneak in while Microsoft and Sony have been fighting it out to convince that niche gaming gamer that their console is better.

So will the price drop make a difference? Of course it will.

For the gamer's gamer both the 40GB and original 60GB models now have a chance to battle against Microsoft's Xbox 360 line.

The Xbox 360 Elite might have the bigger hard drive, but the PS3 will have the added bonus of Blu-ray and Wi-Fi, both very compelling.

Likewise while Xbox has seen great titles like Halo 3, GTA IV, and Gears of War boost sales, titles like Killzone 2 (which looks amazing), and GT5 will finally give Sony something to shout about beyond Heavenly Sword and Motorstorm.

On the home entertainment front the Xbox does edge out on the hard drive space ready for all those TV shows, Movies and HD content you'll be downloading via their online store. Sony does of course offer a similar service, but it will be interesting to see how quick you get through it.

As for the Wii, if it carries on as is, it will be pretty much unstoppable even beyond Christmas, with so many great games like Resident Evil 4, Super Paper Mario and no doubt more instalments of Zelda to keep it on track.

So which one would I recommend? It depends what you want, but now at least you'll have three choices rather than just two.