Yoshida: PS3 price cut is 'a relief'

Sony Worldwide Studios president, Shuhei Yoshida, has told GamesIndustry.biz that he's relieved that the corporation finally cut the price of the PlayStation 3 - and that had that not happened it could have had a negative impact on the sales of key titles being released this year.

Yoshida, who succeeded Phil Harrison in the role early last year, agreed that the cut has come at the right time for some of the more mainstream games to be published in the next few months.

"My honest answer is that we're so excited about the products we're working on for release this year, but if there was one thing that could have prevented the success of our titles we felt that would be the price point - so we're relieved to see it finally happen," he explained during an interview at Gamescom this year.

"Games like MAG, or those hardcore games, we have no concerns over. But games like EyePet, or Heavy Rain, or ModNations - they're targeted to grow the audience, and it's crucial to make the hardware more approachable to those consumers."

But while he was quick to applaud the hardware team for their work in reducing the size and cost of the flagship console, he also explained that while the PlayStation is regarded for its chic design, once people have made their purchase they're more concerned about what happens on-screen.

"Well, our hardware design guys will totally talk about design philosophies and differentiation, and all that," he said. "But from a software side, I think once people purchase, the hardware almost falls away from their vision, and all that they see is what's on the TV.

"So it's nicer that it takes up less space - and also less power... it's eco-friendly, so you can be happier about that. But other than that, I like the new design, but as far as the game experience is concerned it'll offer exactly the same functionality."

The full interview with Shuhei Yoshida is available on GamesIndustry.biz now.