Sony launches PS3 in India at Rs 39,990

Consumer electronics major Sony India on Thursday launched its high definition gaming console PlayStation3 (PS3) at a price of Rs 39,990. The company aims to sell 10,000 units of Playstation3 and 50,000 units of Playstation2 during this financial year.

The Indian gaming market, which includes computer games, mobile games and consoles, is expected to grow to $425 million by 2010 from $50 million (including grey market) at present, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe sales and marketing director Tim Stokes told TOI. “Sony is a leading player in the market and would work towards retaining its position here,’’ he added.














Sony has initially shipped 1,200 units of the console for sale in India. The company plans to sell half of its new consoles through its own outlets ‘Sony World’, while the balance would be sold through retail chains and music stores.

The PS3 comes with the blu-ray disc drive which provides a high definition next generation gaming and movie experience at home, as well as up to 50 gigabyte of data capacity for video game developers to store content—five times the capacity of a DVD. PS3 also features a 60-GB hard disk drive and built-in wi-fi adapter.

Microsoft (Xbox) and Nintendo are the main competitors for Sony in the gaming business. The premium version of Xbox is available in the country at Rs 27,990, while Nintendo is yet to be officially launched.
















Stokes said the company was targeting over five-fold jump in its gaming business in India, which would primarily be driven by earlier versions of its console—PS2 and the portable version PSP.

The company has also slashed the prices of the earlier versions of its gaming consoles. It would now sell PS2 for Rs 7,990 while the portable PSP would be sold for Rs 9,990.

The company’s main volumes will continue to come from the earlier version Playstation2, Stokes said. The Playstation2 was launched in the country in 2003. Stokes said that the company has been seeking lower duties and levies from the existing 35%, to bring down prices for the Indian consumer. At present, the segment attracts an import duty of 10%, a CVD of 16%, besides various state and central levies. The company is also developing India-specific gaming content which will hit the market later this year.

















Sony has sold three million units of PS3 across North America, Japan and Europe since its launch five months ago. Buoyed by the increased buying power of the Indian customer, Sony India MD Masaru Tamagawa said the company is targeting a twofold jump in the consolidated revenues to $2 billion by 2010.

“The group, including consumer electronics, mobile phones, entertainment, music and pictures crossed $1 billion revenue mark in 2006,” he added.

The consumer electronics division, Sony India, closed the previous fiscal at Rs 2,300 crore and we are anticipating a 30% increase in our revenues from this division year on year,” he said.