Following our recent stories about the future of Sony and their struggling Playstation gaming division Sony Computer Entertainment, we got tens of thousands of visitors. Many sent emails or wrote a comment on our web site and many of you asked the question “What is the overseas pricing difference between the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360 from Microsoft?”
| Console Price Comparison | JB Hi Fi/Australia | Best Buy/USA | Converted Difference | OZ Difference |
| Nintendo Wii | 399.95 | 249.95 | 371.95 | 28.95 |
| MS Xbox 360 Pro Console 60Gb | 399.95 | 259.95 | 386.95 | 13.95 |
| Sony PS3 80GB | 698.95 | 399.95 | 595.95 | 103.95 |
| A Goods & Services Tax of 10% applies in Australia this is built into the OZ price |
The answer is simple. As the chart above shows and based on a $0.67 exchange rate to the US dollar the Sony PS3 is still significantly more expensive when compared to US retail prices for both the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii.
While Microsoft has a price difference of only $13.00 to the US pricing and Nintendo a difference of $28.00 Sony with their Playstation 3 has a pricing difference of $103 dollars. We have also factored in the 10%GST that applies in Australia.
Sony has chosen not to comment on their Sony PS3 pricing other than to say that they are not price gouging however we would love to know why there is such a big difference in Australia compared to the USA.
Maybe Sony’s Computer Entertainment lawyers can give us the answer.
