PlayStation 3 to cost £130 more than Xbox 360

Sony on Monday announced pricing and availability information for its next-generation videogame console, the PlayStation 3, and Daniel Terdiman of CNET.com has all the details...

"Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai said at the end of the company's E3 press conference that the PS3 would be available in the US on 17 November in two configurations -- a 60GB hard drive model for $599 and a 20GB model for $499. The prices will be at least $100 higher than the higher-priced Xbox 360 models, which retail for $399. Sony's attitude? PlayStation consumers will pay what the console costs.

"But Sony is likely to still have to subsidise the PS3, even at $599, as its component costs are expected to be at least $800, in part because of the inclusion of a Blu-ray disc drive.

"Sony also unveiled the PS3's controller. The silver-coloured device has the same shape and feel as that of the PS2, but includes technology that mimics the player's movement in six directions. Thus, as a player moves his or her hands, the character on-screen will mirror the movement." -DT

In Europe the PS3 is priced at €599 (£410) for the 60GB hard drive model and €499 (£340) for the 20GB model, and will also be available on 17 November. The Xbox 360 is £210 for the basic model and £280 for the extras pack, which includes a hard drive. You can read a preview of the PlayStation 3.