To Good To Be True!?!? PS2 (Rumoured) To Drop to $199 on 12/26!!! (Warning: Flames inside!)

[DefRef]

UPDATE:

For some reason, what I thought would be an innocuous posting of a pretty good tip promptly turned into an ugly flame war with calls that I be banned for reasons only known to the irrational ravers behind them.

This first post clearly asked if any Best Buy employees could confirm or deny this and when someone who claimed to work there chimed in, it appeared to confirm this. Since anyone can say anything on the Net, you have to take everything with a grain of salt, but for all the rampant debate and nasty flames, no one has said, "I work there and this is BS!" yet.

So, sit back and witness how nasty people can be over a stupid game console. So much for Christmas Spirit.

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My old boss stopped by for a dept. potluck lunch today and told me that on Dec. 29th, Sony's cutting the price of the PS2 to $199 to go head-to-head with Gamecube and cut Xbox off at the knees, because they know that M$ isn't gonna lose over $200 per console this early in the game.

He's moonlighting at Best Buy and was tipped by a co-worker who was going to buy one the other day and was waved off by the guy checking him off.

I know there are some BB guys around here, so another confirmation would be good, but I have no reason to doubt this info.

You're welcome!

 

[TranceNation]

well if it drops, i might consider getting it even though I hate Sony in general. but may bet is that it wont happen.

 

[ieee]

not bad for old tech, following suit with the dreamcast..

 

[exisle]

this don't seem right, I dunno.. I just saw a guy from sony on tv like 2 weeks ago and he said they were considering droping the price to 279.99 but they didn't because they felt confident that it would sell at the 300 price

 

[SniperWulf]

Old tech??? Hardly....

 

[DefRef]

You'll notice that the price drops AFTER Christmas. That way, they rake in the $$$ for the holiday, then they slash prices and bury the new Gamecube under a years worth of games. Extra bonus points for wacking M$ when they can't retaliate. It makes total sense to me.

 

[Maverick319]

$250.00 seems more logical, placing it within 50 bucks of either system. Can't find a Gamecube, so spend $50.00 for a PS2. Can't quite afford an X-Box, save $50.00 and get a PS2.


If this does drop to $200.00, it is an excellent deal since you are spending $100.00 on a gaming system and $100.00 on a DVD player, which might just be the reasoning to get your "significant" to let you hook it up to the main TV in the house.

I hope you are right DefRef, since that price might just get me off the fence and buy a console system again. Nice post.

 

[IshmaelLeaver]

Old tech??? Hardly....

It was old tech when it came out.

 

[potcedotcom]

I think this should be posted on urbanlegends.com until it is verified as a fact. I heard on TechTV this morning that Sony's PS2 was outselling all consoles this holiday season (yes, even the XBox), so why lower the price? I'll believe it when I see it, and I want a PS2, so I really hope it's true!!

 

[wluk]

$200?? it will definitely get one for $200.

 

[wasssup]

all consoles end up containing "old technology" by the time they're released, even the xbox (with it's PIII 733MHz processor)....the thing is, consoles don't have as much overhead to deal with as PC's do, so (at least personally viewed by me) it ends up being competitive...plus I don't like PC games, as the only thing you see are FPS (hate em) and strategy games like starcraft (hate em)..

 

[exisle]

yep potcedotcom, the high demand means the price is going to stay exactly where it is... they probably won't lower it until sales start to get sluggish

 

[LordSnailz]

wow ... even beats the vms deal post awhile ago ... I hope they drop the prices on the accessories ...

-ls

 

[GetReal]

DefRef - Your boss is yanking your chain. The Sony Eastern distributor is one of our clients and told me that there will be no drop in the USA PS2 retial within the next 60 days. The PS2 will get a price cut, but not on 12/29. The expected price cut is scheduled for mid March. PS2 console sales are much higher that expected this year, so there is no reason for Sony to drop prices while there are still consumers wiling to plunk down $300.00 for the consoles. Another reason is that part of the Sony retailer agreement is that they will give retailers a minimum of 90 days notice when a price change will occur. The reason for this is that most of the larger retailers have price protection policies that could cost them millions if an unexpected price cut was announced and they had to refund buyers who excercised their price protection rights at $100 a pop. Unless Best Buy is going to take a $75.00 loss ($275.00 US wholesale price) on each console that it sells , a $199.99 price cut is not likely. It Sony did this it would effectively kill the PS2 as stores such as Best Buy, Circuit City, etc would simply stop selling the PS2 line rather than take a huge loss on previous sales.

 

[DoctorSmurfie]

Yikes $200? But still Gamecube is $200 and its *newer* technology.

Plus Ps2 has had some bad reviews, ram problems n such.

Who knows but I really dont want a PS2 at the moment anyway, could get one for $150 from friend whose dad works for Sony ;D

-Smurf

PS: PS1 Rocked, Still Playing through my Dozen or So RPGS

 

[Vegito]

I think they sold enough at 300... i mean how many ps2 gets sold each day now ? US only

 

[DefRef]

All I'm doing is passing along what I was told by what I consider a very reliable source. I don't care for consoles that much (have a DC and totally suck at all the games - gimme a mouse and keyboard!), so it makes no real difference to me one way or the other.

I've gotten a lot of great deals here at AT-HD and wanted to give something back to those you may not have gotten a system or were planning on giving one for Christmas. If this pans out, the $100 will pay for a couple of games or a game and a 2nd controller and the DVD remote, etc. and you look like Mr./Ms. Big Spender. Just give a card with an "IOUaPS2" note inside. If the price DOESN'T drop, then you'll pay what you would've already, just a few days later. There's no real loss, unless you buy now and the price DOES drop.

Place your bets!

 

[GQUnknown]

I am gonna call BS on this one.

PS2s are selling better than both XBOX and gamecube at $299, now why would you fix something that aingth broke. Seem slike DefRef can't afford a PS2 and is trying to make every body wait till dec. 29. that way he isn't the only one with out a PS@.

Come on guys they had been over a dozen rumors that PS2 lowering prices. I heard this bs too many times now.

If you don't wanna pay $299 for a PS2 then you would have to wait till 2003. Nuff said.

PS2 is not gonna have a price drop for at least another year.

 

[LawrenceIsMyName26]

THis would be a pretty hot deal if the ps2 were to goto 199. ps2 is the best console out there right now...it offers a huge library of games. The xbox is also a decent system but i dont't suggest anyone get the gamecube because its mainly a childrens system and gamecube doesn't support dvd play.

 

[GetReal]

DefRef - I was not doubting you, I am just passing along the info that I have just like you. Let all hope that the PS2 does drop on 12/29 as it would definetly heat up the console market!

 

[DefRef]

<< Seem slike DefRef can't afford a PS2 and is trying to make every body wait till dec. 29. that way he isn't the only one with out a PS@. >>

If you actually READ what I wrote, you'd know that I DON'T CARE ABOUT CONSOLES!!!! I have a DC with a slew of great games and I hardly play it cuz I SUCK at console games!!!! My g/f's father is planning on getting one, but it's not like I'm gonna start playing it!

Jeez....if this is bad info, then so be it. No need to threadcrap over it. Buy one now and wait two weeks to see who's right. Problem solved.

BTW: I just ordered and bought a Soyo Dragon+, an Athlon XP 1800+, a Maxtor 60GB HD, a TDK 24/10/40 burner, an Antec SX635 case, an Audigy Platinum and a gig of DDR RAM. I could buy THREE PS2s for what I'm pouring into my latest computer upgrade, so I think your comments about not being able to afford a PS2 are empty nonsense. (Like your head.)

 

[tytan0]

Hey DoctorSmurfie, you buy that PS2 for $150 and sell it to me for 170+shipping and handling.

Everyone wins


Thanks.

 

[Zwingle]

This story was released yesterday so I doubt a price cut will be coming for many months.

PlayStation 2 leads holiday sales



<< As expected, Sony's PlayStation 2 is leading holiday sales of video game consoles, despite strong competition from Microsoft's Xbox, according to sales figures from research firm NPD Intelect.

Sony sold 1.4 million units of the PlayStation 2 in the United States in the fourth quarter through Dec. 8, according to sales figures tallied by NPD and compiled in a report released by Credit Suisse First Boston. Microsoft trailed slightly, selling 934,000 copies of its Xbox through Dec. 8. Nintendo came in a more distant third with 615,000 units of its GameCube console. The Xbox went on sale Nov. 15; the GameCube debuted Nov. 18.

Xbox sales were on track to reach 1.5 million units by the end of the year, in line with the high end of Microsoft's estimates, according to the Credit Suisse reports.

"We're really happy with the sales so far," James Bernard, Xbox product manager for Microsoft, told CNET News.com. "When you compare our first few weeks to Sony's first few weeks with the PlayStation 2 last year, we're way ahead," he said, referring to Sony's lingering supply supply problems with the console when it was introduced last November.

Sony, which cited more recent NPD data to tally sales of some 1.5 million PS2s from Thanksgiving week on, credited its lead in large part to hot new software titles such as "Grand Theft Auto 3" and "Metal Gear Solid 2."

"Clearly, data for the first month of the holiday sales season indicates that the entire PlayStation family of products will soundly outsell all competitors combined, despite the heralded introduction of new game consoles during this important month," Jack Tretton, senior vice president for Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said in a statement.

Nintendo representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Credit Suisse report also noted strong growth in software sales, with game software leader Electronic Arts posting $247.3 million in sales to date for the fourth quarter, a 37.8 percent jump from the $179.5 million recorded in same period last year. >>

 

[SDOG34]

I have read a couple places as many of you indicate that the ps2 is outselling gamecube and xbox. I find this hard to believe. Xbox and Gamecube shattered first week sales of any other system ever and yet somehow ps2 is outselling them. Its possible if people go for a new system and then settle on os2 since they are in stock I guess. But then my question is who the hell would go out intending to buy an xbox with far superior technology for the same price and then get a ps2 cause they didnt have any in stock? Or even more perplexing, who goes out to buy a gamecube with superior technology and at $100 Less and then gets a ps2 cause they are in stock. If I was a kid and wanted xbox or gamecube on xmas and my folks bought a ps2 I would not be a happy camper. I would much rather have a raincheck on the system I wanted than the system I didnt want. Anyone else find this strange?

 

[bubba]

The PS2 can play approximately 2,000 games. That is why people are getting it over the Xbox/GameCube.