Can God of War III save the PS3?

Or is it all about the price cut?

Will the release of God of War III really turn round the fortunes of the PS3? Analyst Nick Williams certainly thinks so, although price will still be a factor.

The launch of God of War III in late 2009/early 2010 will mark a pivotal moment for Sony. But in order to ensure that this game is a hardware sales driver, the cost of the base-level PS3 will need to be in the same ballpark as the Xbox 360 and Wii. According to our latest consumer tracking study, only two in three people who plan to purchase God of War III currently own a PS3

Like most who played them I enjoyed the two previous God of War games but would I be waiting around for the third game before I bought a PS3? Maybe, I guess, but chances are most God of War fans will have either got a PS3 or moved over to 360. That's if they can afford one of course. Williams, like most analysts, states the obvious, although price is clearly still a huge factor in the PS3's slow start.

The price point for the PS3 remains a real problem for Sony. Sony execs now find themselves in the precarious position of trying to balance consumer price expectations with the high costs of producing each PS3. That said, the PS2's continued success more than eight years after launch suggests that Sony is thinking long term with the PS3. If Sony can continue to bring down hardware manufacturing costs, it seems likely that it will offer a price cut by the end of Summer 2009.