The rumors came to fruition today as Sony started selling its Playstation 2 console for $99.99, down $30 from the previous pricing.
Kotaku reported earlier this week that a "global announcement" was on the way from Sony, speculating that it could be the Playstation 3 price drop everyone's been waiting for, but figuring it was more likely a cheaper Playstation 2. The latter rumor was based on price info leaked from a KMart employee. Obviously there was a bit of disappointment as the news was confirmed, with Ars Technica saying Sony cut the price on "the wrong Playstation."
But even with Sony flatly stating that it will not sell its flagship console for cheaper, the Playstation 2 price drop represents a missed opportunity to lead consumers along to Sony's current generation console. Business Insider raised this point originally, and it's a good one.
"Perhaps Sony could have added support to the PS2 for the PS3's wireless controlller and bundled one in, so anyone buying a PS2 now would already have a second controller for any future PS3," Eric Krangel writes. "Or maybe include a PS2 game like God Of War, whose (second) sequel is a hotly anticipated PS3 exclusive."
I'll take it a step further: Why not include a coupon of some sort, such as $50 off the purchase of a Playstation 3, good for a year or two? Or maybe throw in a copy of Metal Gear Solid 3 with a voucher for the PS3 blockbuster Metal Gear Solid 4. I'm not keen to the business logistics, but as Insider says, there's nothing in the new Playstation 2 pricing that would prevent consumers from turning around and buying an Xbox 360, or a Wii for that matter. Sony already dropped the ball on backwards compatibility.
If a PS3 price cut isn't in the cards, it might pay to get a little creative.
