According to this
article Kazuo Hirai claims the PS3 will not be expensive and that it will be competitively priced with the Xbox 360. MS can offer the 360 at above $299 price tag of the current gen video consoles when it comes out November (I'm guessing on the 15th) but will have to cut prices when the PS3 comes out. Dunno if MS/Sony will cut prices when the Nintendo Revo comes out though I hope it does. All of them will probably cut prices a month or two after Christmas.
At the end of the day hardware specs hardly matters if there isnt exclusive content on it and if the venture is profitable.
The exclusion of a HD DVD drive hurts the 360. I'm guessing they did this to promote MS' proprietary Windows Media Video High Definition (WMVHD) DVDs. Having an industry standard BD drive helps the PS3. The immediate popularity of the PS2 was attributed to the inclusion of a DVD drive. At the time of release a dedicated DVD video players cost $300-500. Then again a BD drive and Windows Media Video High Definition (WMVHD) DVDs are useless if you don't have a HD display.
You all might want to read this article. Having 1080p is great on the PS3 but a lot of people here wont experience it until 5-7 years from now due to cost.
Why 1080p Is A Magic Number (And Letter)
http://news.designtechnica.com/print_talkback47.html
Toshiba HD displays that can do 1080p
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...3639403&EDATE=
Pricing and Expected Availability
-- TheaterWide models:
56HM195 (August 2005, $3,499.99);
62HM195 (August 2005, $3,799.99);
72HM195 (September 2005, $4,999.99)
-- Cinema Series models:
56MX195 (September 2005, $3,799.99);
62MX195 (September 2005, $4,099.99);
72MX195 (October 2005, $5,299.99)
Samsung's 1080p displays
http://www.advancedimagingpro.com/ar...ter.jsp?id=912
50W-inch ($4,000),
56W-inch ($4,499),
61W-inch ($4,799),
71W-inch ($6,799)