We're Not Expecting An NGP Price Announcement This Evening.

There's a definite sense that the company can't win no matter how they tackle the pricing situation.

If Sony don't announce a price then people will assume the new handheld really expensive. But if the company announce a price now and don't release the device until later in the year, then that gives the competition a chance to respond. Either way, it's a tricky situation.

Sony's head of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, has told Kotaku that, whatever happens, the platform holder are very comfortable with the device's targeted price position.

“I feel very comfortably that we are going to be hitting it,” he said, explaining that the company set the price internally before beginning development of the product.

“We definitely consider this is the price that it has to be for people to even consider purchasing it.”

Yoshida added that the price will be tolerable even though “gaming portable devices may not be something people feel like they need”. Which is positive news for those worrying about another "five-hundred-and-ninety-nine US dollars" announcement.

Nintendo's own handheld, the 3DS, has been struggling because of its own high price point. That's something Yoshida, and Sony, have been watching closely.

“We have been watching closely the reaction of other people to the 3DS,” Yoshida said, adding that he doubts a decline in demand for portable consoles has affected the Nintendo system's performance.

“I think there are a combination of things. It could have been the line-up of titles. It could have been about the 3D stereoscopic capabilities. It could be about many other things.

“I was a bit surprised about how [the 3DS] is doing."

Buckle up your seat-belt folks, Sony is expected to go heavy on NGP news during its press conference this evening.

[source kotaku.com]