 It looks like the rumor is true, PS3 is getting a price cut! PS3 Fanboy has received some reports from around the nation that PS3s have been sold for $499 today. Here's a rundown of the findings from around the country:
1. A reader confirmed to PS3 Fanboy that he was able to buy a PS3 for $499 at a Target in an unspecified location. The site called up the store and they CONFIRMED that the console is listed as $499 in their computer.
2. Two units were sold in an undisclosed Circuit City location for $499.
3. A Rancho Cucamonga, California Target location has the PS3 listed for $499 in their system.
Also, the piece at PS3 Fanboy has been picked up by Digg and one commenter there has stated that he got one from a Target location for $499.
Another article at Kotaku has even more confirmation of a price cut, with Target stores in Bend, Oregon and Beavercreek, Ohio both confirming that the console is $499. However, they also mention that stores in Los Angeles and West Hollywood, CA, Dayton, OH, Orlando, FL, and Littleton, CO have the system for $599. In other words, this price cut is not Target-wide yet, it's just a few renegade stores breaking the rules and implementing the new price before the "official price cut day".
Kotaku commenter SPIKE1856 offers some insight on Target's price change policy:
"I can tell you why some Target stores have the price cut in place and others do not--Target's price change day for the Electronics department is Monday. If a store's price change team gets ahead of pace, they have the ability to start early on the next day's workload. Since Saturday and Sunday are not price change days, this means that Monday's price changes can be activated on Friday, effectively three days early. The price change team at my store, sadly, is definitely not ahead of pace at the moment and so our PS3's are still priced at $599.99."
Could the price effect be taking effect as you read this? Is it real? Am I dreaming? I don't know, but this whole situation is very intriguing. Tomorrow, I plan on doing some investigative journalism (and buying some DVD-R discs) and seeing if the local stores have the PS3 marked down in their systems.
However, when all is said and done, this is the second worst kept secret of the year, next to the Xbox 360 Elite. I bet Sony is wishing they could be more like Paramount Pictures and the trailer for that new J.J. Abrams movie. Seriously, go to that link, it's incredible.
UPDATE:
I went to the local Target in Mankato, Minnesota, and here's what I saw under the PS3s they had...
Sorry for the crappy camera phone photo, it's all I had at the time.
PS3 is now Four Hundred and Ninety Nine US dollars...
[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/1000744195468d865d96cd5circuitcityflyer.jpg[/img]
Sony hasn't gotten much love in recent times. The PlayStation 3 seems to be the whipping boy of the media and consumers. The poor thing, and poor Sony. Times haven't looked good for them recently in the gaming sector. However, there is a nasty little rumor out there in the gaming world -- a price drop.
That's right people, Joystiq has posted a nasty rumor regarding a hundred dollar price drop happening for the PS3 on July 12. There's even an alleged flyer showing the price drop! So, the question arises -- is this drop real, or is it a fabrication? I am sure that lots of people are hoping that it is real. The PS3 may have been whipping boy up to now but it doesn't change the fact that there are some nice games coming out for the system.
So is the rumored price drop real, or is it wild speculation? If it is real, would it entice you to buy the PS3, or is more required to get you to spend your hard earned cash? You know you want LittleBigPlanet.
UPDATE: Kotaku is reporting that moles at Best Buy and Target also see a 100 dollar price drop in their inventory systems. This rumor just gets better and better.
 Here's an update of a story David recently posted. Sony's President and COO, Ryoji Chubachi, told Bloomberg that they have no immediate plans to cut the price of the console. Here's the relevant quote from the Bloomberg article...
"'We have no immediate plans as of now' for price cuts, President Ryoji Chubachi said today in an interview in Tokyo. Any change in the console's price 'is a matter' for Sony's game unit, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., he said."
What's also interesting is that Bill Cimino, a spokesman for Circuit City, declined to comment on this issue, and calls to Best Buy and Wal-Mart were not returned. Also, Diasuke Nakata, a Sony spokesman said that Sony does not comment on their price strategy.
Could this be shot down? Will it be a real price cut? What's your take?
Note: This is LAST WEEK'S article! I meant to post this earlier, but I never got around to it. Better late than never I guess.
Another week, another crop of great content for you to download to your next-gen (or wait, would it be current-gen now?) console! What's new this week? Well, let's take a look:
NINTENDO WII VIRTUAL CONSOLE
  
- F-Zero X (Nintendo 64, 1-4 players, Rated E, 1,000 Wii Points)
- China Warrior (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player, Rated E10+ (Violence), 600 Wii Points)
- Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting (Super Nintendo, 1-2 players, Rated T (Violence), 800 Wii Points)
PLAYSTATION STORE
 
Also this week, Sony is offering a free update for Resistance along with a new map pack. The map pack will run you $7.99 for two maps. Welcome to the nickel and diming game, Sony. Hope you enjoy your stay. Oh well, at least PS3 owners don't have to pay for online service.
But before you go downloading all those sweet new things from the Playstation Store, you must download the new 1.82 firmware update which was also released this week. The update adds the ability to play AVC High Profile (H.264/MPEG-4) encoded videos. Why do you have to have that to browse the Playstation Store? I don't know, ask Sony.
XBOX LIVE ARCADE
In a week with so many great downloads, it's hard to pick a top title. However, I'm going to give my Download of the Week award to F-Zero X. F-Zero is a franchise that never fails to deliver fast-paced racing action, and the N64 incarnation is definitely not an exception.
In a recent interview with GameDaily BIZ, the head of Insomniac Games stepped up to the plate and defended Sony, who has published all of the independent studio's games.
"I think the PS3 has become the whipping boy for the press, quite honestly. I think everyone just wants to fill it full of arrows because Sony's had some pretty amazing success over the years. And it's easy to overlook that it's been, I think, the fastest selling PlayStation console. I think it's human nature to want to take down the guy on top, and Sony has definitely gotten its share of... mud [laughs] ... but it's unfortunate."
I'm not sure if it's the fastest selling PlayStation console ever, but if not, it's definitely the second fastest selling.
He also went on to mention Ratchet and Clank Future, which is the studio's next PS3 title, slated for release this fall. Ted states that this game is the largest and most complex game they've ever made.
The full interview will be posted on GameDaily soon.
Source: http://biz.gamedaily.com/...ndustry/feature/?id=16680
Rockstar has released a picture of what you will get in the $90 Grand Theft Auto IV special edition package. The price tag will get you a Rockstar duffel bag, a safety deposit box (with key), an art book, a soundtrack CD, and the game. At least this SE package is reasonably priced and and has some cool content, unlike a certain other game coming out this fall.
Here's the photo:
This is the first installment in a new series here at RF Generation informing you of the latest downloadable games for Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360. I will post these every Sunday or Monday. For the first edition of this article, I'm just going to post North American releases. If you would like to see this expanded, let me know
NINTENDO WII VIRTUAL CONSOLE
  
PLAYSTATION STORE
  
XBOX LIVE ARCADE
 
My pick of the week is Band of Bugs for XBLA. Know why? Simple. Turn based strategy involving bugs. Sounds really fun. It's been well received so far. It scored an 8 out of 10 in the Official Xbox Magazine, and was a finalist in the 2007 Independent Games Festival. I do not have a 360, so I cannot play it.
Until next time, happy downloading!
UPDATE: There was some stuff released for the Playstation Store this week! It's been added to this article.
 A price cut for Playstation 3 could be coming sooner than you expect if Sony CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, has his way.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Stringer said that he knows consumers want a lower price for the PS3, and that his company is currently looking into how much they can cut the price by. Then, when asked if they would "come up with an aswer by Christmas, he responsed "Yes, of course."
Not entirely related to the PS3 price cuts, Stringer observed that PS2 is selling "gangbusters" and that dropping the price on PSP has sent sales "into an upward spiral". Why do I mention that part? Because I find it funny that a CEO used the word "gangbusters" in an interview.
Another interesting fact Sir Howard stated is that "While people have not bought as many PlayStation 3s as it looks, it is no different from PS2 and PS1 in terms of percentage of sales."
When asked about the Nintendo Wii, Stringer said, "I would be the first to say to you that Nintendo Wii has been a successful enterprise and a very good business model compared to ours... Because it's cheaper." Should I call Sir Howard, Sir Obvious?
And what is an interview with a Sony executive without an utterly mind boggling quote? This time it comes when Mr. Stringer was asked if the Wii might be considered more creative and fun. "No, no. Fun is in the eye of the experiencer... I think PlayStation 3 is following a particular trend of 1 and 2, and if you looked at the history of it, it's a very similar history." Anyone care to make sense of that quote for me, because all I can come up with is that PS3 is following the same trend of PS1 and PS2. I don't see what that necessarily has to do with the Wii.
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