Here’s the official March 31 announcement from Sony everyone has been waiting for. Starting April 1, 2009, the PlayStation 2
will be available for $99.99. That’s a $30 price drop from the previous $129.99 MSRP, the lowest retail price since the PS2 has launched.
From John Koller, Director of Hardware Marketing for SCEA:
"Why is this so significant? Well most importantly, this new price means that more people than ever will be able to join in on the fun that so many of you PlayStation 2 owners have been enjoying for years, which means new families will become part of the platform’s record-breaking install base. With this new price, we intend to introduce a new generation of consumers – some of whom weren’t even alive when the system was first introduced in 2000 – to the immense entertainment value offered by PlayStation 2.
In the gaming industry, the typical lifecycle for a console is around five years, but because we build each of our platforms for a large and diverse consumer base, we design our platforms differently. With the original PlayStation and now PlayStation 2, we’ve proven that consumers can rely on our platforms for their gaming and entertainment needs for at least a decade. This speaks to the technology and features that were packed into PlayStation 2 from the beginning, as well as to the ongoing support the platform enjoys from the publishing and retail communities and, well, all of you fans."
Read more at the PlayStation Blog
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UPDATE 3/31/09: Here’s the official March 31 announcement from Sony, the $99.99 PS2.
Sony’s expected to make some kind of an announcement tomorrow, which has the wheels of the internet churning on what it could be. A $99 PS2? A $299 PS3? A cheaper PSP? Or is it game, PlayStation Home, or Firmware update related? Retailers have been sweetening the deals on the 80GB PLAYSTATION 3 recently, but maybe this is for something else? The $99 PS2 seems like the most concrete thing right now.
Sony hasn’t officially announced anything, but Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Al DeLeon sent out a statement this afternoon to some of the gaming media, which GameSpy posted:
"As we have stated previously, we do not have plans for a PS3 price drop, and any rumors to that effect are false and are the result of speculation. SCEA remains focused on the long-term momentum of PS3. With the industry’s best software lineup this year, combined with our most aggressive marketing campaign to date, we remain confident in our approach and the value we’re delivering with PS3."
Let us know if you hear of any leaks or evidence before tomorrow’s anticipated announcement! Watch for updates here.
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GameStop is offering a $50 GameStop.com online gift card with the purchase of a Sony PlayStation 3 80GB system
or a PLAYSTATION 3 160GB Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Bundle
. No word on how long the offer is good for, so if you’re thinking of getting a PLAYSTATION 3, now’s a good time. You might as well pick one of those up and get Killzone 2
with that extra $50 credit!
The older PS3 60GB system
has also appeared as a refurbished item, and GameStop knows it’s worth more with its PS2 backwards compatibility and memory card slots. That will cost your more than a new 80GB PS3 ($399) at its $429.99 refurbished price tag (and no $50 gift card with the 60GB PS3 refurbished model).
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Anticipating Star Wars: The Force Unleashed? You know we are. To get us more hyped up for the release, LucasArts today announced that the launch trailer for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will appear on Entertainment Weekly’s ew.com at 6am Pacific Time on Wednesday, July 9th.
What you can expect, as noted in the announcement: “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a new chapter in the Star Wars Saga. The launch trailer will delve more deeply into its storyline, and contains never-before-seen scenes from the game.”
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed will be available in the US on September 16, 2008, in Asia/Pacific region on September 17, and in Europe on September 19. The game takes place in between chapters III and IV of the Star Wars saga and will be available for the Xbox 360
, PLAYSTATION 3
,
Wii
,
PS2
,
Sony PSP
and
Nintendo DS
.
Visit the official website here.
Atlus has announced a 12/9/08 release date for Persona 4 in the US. The PS2 game will come as a deluxe 2-disc release, including a soundtrack CD from the game.
From Atlus:
“Experience a thrilling murder mystery RPG set in the Japanese countryside. A mysterious chain of deaths remains unanswered and only you and your team of gifted supernatural sleuths can uncover the truth. Develop strong friendships to aid you in battle, take direct control of your party in combat, acquire and fuse Personas, craft weapons, sign up for part-time jobs… You’ll never be short of something to do in Persona 4.”
See a trailer for Persona 4 below.
Visit the official Persona 4 website here.
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