PS3 on sale in new zealand (pre order of course) - overpriced?

[Graham]

Just found out today many major online retailers here in New Zealand are now selling the PS3 on pre-order. The interesting thing is these retailers are currently not selling the PS3 in Australia for pre-order. Only here.

What surprised me more was the price.

$1200 NZ.

This appears to be the official New Zealand RRP (recommended retail price). Ie, set by Sony. It is therefore unlikely to change.

This has me somewhat concerned, as this price does not compare well the the price set for the US.
I can understand that gadgets like these cost extra the further you get from the major markets, being in the middle of bugger-all as we are. However I feel this price is unjustified.

For comparison sake, the 360 sells for $550/720 nz (often with free accessories/sometimes games).
This gets interesting when comparing to the equivalent US price.

550nz = 340us.
720nz = 445us.

So you can assume it costs around $40 to ship the unit here. Fair enough.

However,

1200nz = 745us.

That is a *very* significant markup, on a markup. $145us to ship here? come on.

To add further pain, the games that currently have RRPs are all $130 nz. No deviation, where 360 games sit at around $100nz, maxing out at $120nz for the likes of graw (when new), and as low as $60nz for table tennis.

That said, people are laying down the cash, although I can't find exact numbers on sales, the system is definitely selling.
And as with Europe, it seems we won't be seeing the 20gb PS3 at launch.

I for one was on the fence somewhat, but $1200 is just flat out nuts. Thats 4 months rent.

[edit]
Ohh and for comparison, the slim line PS2, which is well established and no doubt has very low shipping costs is the equivalent of $136US here.

(all prices include gst tax too)

 

[Stillmatic]

For the record though, PS2 launched here for $999, so it's really not that bad.

PS2 launch - US$299/ NZ$999
PS3 launch - US$599/ NZ$1199

and the game prices are estimated. Take a site like GPStore for example (noted under 'Product Description')

Also, judging by the official NZ PS3 site ("PS3 Explained"/"How much will Playstation 3 cost?), it states:

Equipped with a Blu-ray drive, pre-installed hard disc drive (HDD) and wireless controllers as standard, Playstation 3 will be available at NZD$999 (20GB configuration) and NZD$1199 RRP (60GB confiuration)

So i guess there will be a 20GB version released, though the place i pre-ordered from wasn't sure on it at the time.

 

[ZiFF]

Its the same in Europe.

499€ = 636 USD
599€ = 764 USD

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It's been suggested the EU (or at least the UK) is getting the 20 GB option as well, contrary to original rumours. That may appear at a later date though.

Markup wise, 675 dollars (600+12.5% GST) is almost NZ$1090. That's NZ$110 extra for the privellege of living in a very nice part of the world, so you're paying not quite US$70 markup, and not even that when you consider the US sale price is likely to be $50 more.

Probably I'd say the EU tends to fair worse. In the UK, $705 (600+17.5% VAT) is the direct conversion price from $600, whereas we are charged £425 = $790. That's $190 for the privilege of...um...being the most culturally advanced nation on the planet (no scoffing in the back!). Or to put it another way, the UK price is equivalent to NZ$1272, so we're paying NZ$72 more than you, and not living in a less pleasant and more expensive country too... If they charge you more for shipping and that the reason for your higher price, what's the reasn for the EU?

In summary...what are you whingeing about, man?!

 

[Arwin]

In summary...what are you whingeing about, man?!

I think people just don't realise that the dollar isn't so hot at the moment. For reference, just check what your local currency is worth in dollars. That really helps. I bought the Japanese version of Tekken for 39 euro, including shipping, at Lik-Sang. Importing a game therefore being 10 euro cheaper than buying it in the shop.

The dollar is weak at the moment, and that has pros and cons.

 

[Nesh]

Whats the per capita income in NZ?

 

[Carl B]

Typed this up before, but I'll re-introduce it here for relevence - basically a global pricing comparison that excludes VAT/GST in the figures:

In Sony's Fiscal 2007 Estimates, they assume a dollar exchange rate of 113 yen to the dollar, and 136 yen to the Euro - so we'll go with those for the sake of this math. For the Canadian dollar we'll arbitrarily use todays rate of 102 yen per dollar, and for the UK todays rate of 211 yen per BPS. Australia we'll use 85 yen to the dollar. We'll also go with a 17.5% VAT average for Europe unless someone has any better ideas. (I'm a VAT neophyte)

So we have Sony's retail take on:

The US 20GB at: 499 US and 56,387 yen ($499)
The US 60GB at: 599 US and 67,687 yen ($599)

The Canadian 20GB at: 549 CA and 55,998 yen ($495)
The Canadian 60GB at: 649 CA and 66,198 yen ($586)

The European 20GB (sans VAT) at: 425 Euro and 57,800 yen ($511)
The European 60GB (sans VAT) at: 510 Euro and 69,360 yen ($614)

The UK 60GB (sans VAT) at: 360 GBP and 75,600 yen ($669)

The Australian 20GB (sans GST) at: 750 AUD and 63,750 yen ($564)
The Australian 60GB (sans GST) at: 910 AUD and 77,350 yen ($685)

Japanese 20GB at: 59,800 yen ($529)
Japanese 60GB at: something more than 59,800 yen

Now, keep in mind the difference in yen is the difference in pricing from 'home territory,' so a better measure of how 'screwed' a country is over another vs always comparing to the US. I did normalize all prices to US dollars though as well in order to provide an easier comaprison for some.

Also keep in mind when I did it originally it was 113 yen to the dollar. Today it is ~115 yen to the dollar, and of course all the other exchange rates have changed as well. So whereas before with the 113 exchange rate the US got more of a discount for the 20GB model (as far as what Sony was reaping) relative to the Japanese 20GB model, today it is nearing price-parity. And before the dollar dropped this week on the slowing economy, it was just a 1000 yen difference between the two.

 

[PARANOiA]

Typed this up before, but I'll re-introduce it here for relevence - basically a global pricing comparison that excludes VAT/GST in the figures:

Out of interest, do you have a similar list for the 360?

 

[zed]

For comparison sake, the 360 sells for $550/720 nz (often with free accessories/sometimes games).
This gets interesting when comparing to the equivalent US price.

the warehouse are now selling the starter pack at $499nz = $307us (normally anything electronical is 10-20% more expensive in nz compared to the us)

about the cash come up + work at sealords, i worked 6 hours last night 3x$24 + 3x$32 = $168 plus i also won on the rugby $135 (nz leading 1-7 halftime) = $300 for last nights fun

 

[bRoNx]

...something about PS3 pricing...

All I could think of while reading this is..."Sh*t, I forgot to pre-order my PS3. Thanx for reminding me Graham!"

...i also won on the rugby $135 (nz leading 1-7 halftime) = $300 for last nights fun

lol! Well done! AB's rule!

 

[Graham]

In summary...what are you whingeing about, man?! ;-)

Yeah I know. I guess I'm dissapointed, microsoft seem to have done well to keep the 360's price inline with the US price. And for that I am quite greatful.

I forgot the PS2 did launch at $999 here. I guess the economics of scale simply don't apply well to a country with fewer people than most larger cities in the US. Ohh well

Average yearly income in new zealand is around $30,000 NZ / year. Which may sound low - however the cost of living is also quite low (well, except auckland). In the past few years I've been paying as little as $40/week rent (although it was a small room!). That said we pay through the nose for power and internet

Re the rugby, that was a hell of a game that last 30 minutes was hard to watch. Far too tense

 

[Rolf N]

Does the PS3-60GB really officially cost 360 pounds in the UK? What a brilliant idea!

 

[ninzel]

That Canadian price is really good considering a $399.99 360 premium is marked up a full $100 to $499.99. The $599.99 PS3 is only marked up an additional $50. It's nice to see Canadians not being gouged over the exchange rate for once.
The 360 Premium should be $449.99 CDN.

 

[Qroach]

That Canadian price is really good considering a $399.99 360 premium is marked up a full $100 to $499.99. The $599.99 PS3 is only marked up an additional $50. It's nice to see Canadians not being gouged over the exchange rate for once.
The 360 Premium should be $449.99 CDN.

Not being gouged for the exchange rate is nice and all, but the PS3 is still too expensive. With tax it's $747.48 CAD, and that's without a game!

 

[ninzel]

Not being gouged for the exchange rate is nice and all, but the PS3 is still too expensive. With tax it's $747.48 CAD, and that's without a game!

Ya it's something I won't be able to afford right off the bat but I don't think it's too expensive.
A BD-ROM player at Best Buy right now is $1300 CDN so a game player,plus next gen video player, plus HDD installed with linux,plus internet bowser and full multimedia machine for $550-650 sounds like an awesome deal to me. I don't think the system is Sony's problem assuming it get's the same level of 3rd party support as PS2 and BD-ROM takes off. Sony's problem will be marketing the system and bridging the gap in terms of perception between a game console and PC.

 

[Nesh]

Not being gouged for the exchange rate is nice and all, but the PS3 is still too expensive. With tax it's $747.48 CAD, and that's without a game!

Is that teh expensive version? If yes how much does the cheaper one cost?

 

[ninzel]

Is that teh expensive version? If yes how much does the cheaper one cost?

$550+tax. So for $50 more than a 360 premium you get a full multimedia machine(none of that 360+PC crap to deal with), a next BD-ROM player and internet browser.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

That's very good. It's crazy how prices vary so wildly.

 

[Qroach]

$550+tax. So for $50 more than a 360 premium you get a full multimedia machine(none of that 360+PC crap to deal with), a next BD-ROM player and internet browser.

This is a moot point if the 360 doesn't stay at the same price. what makes the PS3 a "full" multi media machine? Where are you going to stream files from, and where are you getting internet browsing from? Internet browsing on a TV is a useless feature imo. nobody that has an internet connection will be lacking a PC - that is so much better suited for internet browsing anyway.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

This is a moot point if the 360 doesn't stay at the same price. what makes the PS3 a "full" multi media machine? Where are you going to stream files from

The harddisk?

and where are you getting internet browsing from?

The internet?
Internet browsing on a TV is a useless feature imo. nobody that has an internet connection will be lacking a PC - that is so much better suited for internet browsing anyway.[/quote]Yep, but that doesn't stop it being a nice extra, especially for those lucky enough to have an HD set which is a fair percentage of early adopters for next-gen consoles I'd imagine.