Potential PS3 price drop (again?)

In January we covered some buzz about Sony possibly dropping the price on the PS3. Most of our readers made it pretty clear that a price cut wouldn’t make that much of a difference to them, and it was left at that.

Now, according to CNN Money, an analyst with Goldman Sachs predicts a $100 price cut in October, giving a bit more weight to the rumor. Yuji Fujimori of Goldman Sachs feels that a price drop will not hurt the long term profitability for the PS3, and it will give Sony a much needed push in the battle against rivals Nintendo and Microsoft.

The PS3, criticized by consumers and industry watchers for its high price, can cost up to $700, although the basic model retails for $499.

“The PS3 price has long been cited as high,” Fujimori wrote, noting that cutting the price of game consoles has historically quadrupled volumes.

Fujimori sees simplification of design aiding PS3’s profitability as well, noting Sony’s (Charts) original PS began with 700 components and concluded with 200, while the PS2 started with 2,000 parts and finished with 600. The PS3 prototype had 4,000 components but now a shift to around 2,000 is in the pipeline.

Earlier in March, press reports in Japan said Sony is planning to introduce cheaper microprocessor chips for its PS3 to help bring down the price.

Now that Sony has had a little time to flesh out the plans for the PS3’s future, and the library has developed a bit, will this potential price drop be enough to win the Wii60 crowd over? Or will there continue be cries of ‘still not enough’?

[Via CNN Money]