The price difference between the two regions is less than it appears.
US prices don't include sales tax which is imposed at a city or state level but ranges from 0% in Montana, (where you'd be hard pushed to find a PS3) through to about 10% in Chicago.
But a far bigger cost to Sony is that US warranties run for shorter periods (often 90 days) and are far less extensive than those offered as standard in Europe. So we pay more for better protection.
But, yes, it'd be nice if Sony at least offered early PS3 users some form of rebate on their purchases.
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US / UK pricing
@ Michael,
The price difference between the two regions is less than it appears.
US prices don't include sales tax which is imposed at a city or state level but ranges from 0% in Montana, (where you'd be hard pushed to find a PS3) through to about 10% in Chicago.
But a far bigger cost to Sony is that US warranties run for shorter periods (often 90 days) and are far less extensive than those offered as standard in Europe. So we pay more for better protection.
But, yes, it'd be nice if Sony at least offered early PS3 users some form of rebate on their purchases.