Want one at launch? You can now reserve it online, but prepare your wallet for a spanking – it ain’t cheap.

£425 should get you one of these on launch day. Roll on 17th November...



UK retail outfit Gamestation has started taking pre-orders for the PlayStation 3, allowing consumers to put down a deposit and reserve a console for launch. This should, in theory, let gamers avoid missing out on a PS3 when the inevitable shortage hits.


Fair enough. What might get up some people’s noses is the price that Gamestation has slapped on the console: £425 for a 60GB version (there is no mention of the cheaper, HDMI-less 20GB model on the website).


Last week, Sony revealed that the 60GB PS3 will be priced at 599 Euros at launch, which converts roughly to £410. Why Gamestation has added an extra £15 on to this is unclear, but it seems that the retailer may be taking advantage of both the virtual certainty of a shortage and of Sony’s failure to provide a definitive UK price. A disclaimer under the pre-order form suggests that the figure could change depending on any further pricing announcements Sony make.

__________________

Sony has yet to give the official word, but it seems that the 60GB version of the PS3 will be priced at £425.


Sony Computer Entertainment UK's managing director Ray Maguire has told games website Eurogamer that the machine will cost £425 - that's over £15 more than the figure you'd get if you convert Sony's official Euros price into pounds.


It's a lot of money for a games console (the priciest Xbox 360 is £280) but Maguire thinks that the PS3's Blu-ray drive makes it well worth the cash: "I don't think it's an expensive machine; a Blu-ray player by itself might be £600 to £700, and we're coming in at just £425 - it's a bargain."


An obvious retort would be: "Yes, but only if you were planning on getting a Blu-ray player at launch anyway."


We're still waiting to get an official announcement on the price from Sony, but it seems very much like £425 is the figure for the 60GB version. What will the 20GB one cost - and will it even be available in the UK? We'll let you know as soon as we do...



Thanks Eurogamer & T3

__________________

It doesnt matter what you buy in the UK....we ALWAYS get screwed