PLAYSTATION 3 TO GET $100 PRICE CUT ON JULY 12TH?

That’s the current rumor floating about the internet. According to Kotaku, a poster over at the DVD Talk forums is advising he got an early look at the Circuit City sale circular for the weekend of July 15th. According to the poster, the 60GB PlayStation 3 will be advertised with a $100 price break, bringing the cost of the system down to $499.99.

Many would argue that the circular could be taken to indicate either an as-of-yet unannounced price drop or perhaps just a one week sale to clear inventory, GameDaily Biz followed up the story by announcing that they had received confirmation from an insider at “one of the world’s biggest retailers” that the price of the PlayStation 3 will be dropped by $100 effective July 12th. Looks like Sony has one heck of an announcement on their hands for E3, eh?

While I think it’s definitely the right move for Sony given the relatively lackluster sales of the PS3, as an early adopter – and someone who understands that early adopters always take some degree of risk – I can’t help but feel completely shafted now. I’ll tell you why;

1. Unlike other systems I’ve owned, even after 8 months I really don’t feel like I’ve gotten any benefit by having been an early adopter. There hasn’t been a single “must have” game on the system since launch (and I’d even dispute whether one could call Resistance: Fall of Man a “must-have” title) and at this point, a price drop would just serve to reinforce the “sucker” feeling.
2. I get the feeling that by the time Sony gets any product worth playing that hasn’t been on other platforms into the stores, my factory one year warranty will either have expired or be close to expiring. From a piece of mind perspective, I would have liked to have seen that the PlayStation 3 could handle the load of being played on a daily basis. Now, given the low number of failure reports for the PS3, I doubt this will be an issue, but it’s one of those nagging thoughts that sticks with me.
3. Between the rumored price drop, new 5 Blu-Ray Disc movie offer and the prospects of having to purchase new Sixaxis controllers when the vibration feedback enabled models become available, I just can’t help but feel like Sony has taken advantage of me.
4. Everything I’ve experienced with the PlayStation 3 to this point has really made me feel like I paid to beta test the system. From the disorganization of the PlayStation Store to the lack of quality titles on the shelves, everything just feels like it wasn’t quite ready for release.

Again, I know this is a move Sony must take in order for the PlayStation 3 to have any chance of surviving, and I know that as an early adopter, there’s always an inherent risk of getting burned, but I’m not going to lie and say that I’m happy with the situation as it stands. The only thing I can hope is that since Sony has not made any official comment on the matter as of yet, there’s always a chance they will do something to show a bit of loyalty to those who were willing to buy the system at it’s original price.

I’ll be sure to update this story with any new information that comes in. As of right now, it’s looking pretty solid, so to those of you who have been waiting for a price drop before picking up a PlayStation 3, your wait may finally be nearing an end.

• PLAYSTATION 3 $100 Price Cut Hits July 15 – Kotaku
• Report: PS3 $499 on July 12 – GameDaily BIZ
• Circuit City Prices: July 15 – July 21, 2007 – DVDTalk Forums