NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier has predicted that Sony’s PlayStation 3 will turn in a 40-60 percent rise in sales for the month of September on the strength of the recently introduced price cut.
Speaking with InformationWeek, Frazier noted that the reduced $299 price tag for the machine will stimulate sales of the high-spec console in the U.S.
"The $299 price point is important to getting to a point where the next segment of price-conscious consumers can jump into the market and it most certainly will re-energize sales of the platform," said Frazier.
However, she observed it’s ultimately the software that will sway punters in favour of investing in Sony’s black box, warning that a price cut for competing consoles is always a possibility.
Content is still the key motivator of a hardware purchase decision," she said. "Other systems might too take a price cut, so there’s a lot playing into which system tops sales any particular month."