PS3 will start at $500. What's Square Enix to do?

Will Sony's costly system lower Final Fantasy XIII Sales?

May 17, 2006

We can't help but to wonder what Square Enix thinks about the cost of Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) hardware. It was recently revealled that the Sony PS3 will sell in two versions, with debut prices of $499 and $599 U.S. This puts the cheapest Sony PS3 one hundred dollars above the cost of the premium Xbox 360, and at least two hundred above the Nintendo Wii.

So what does Square Enix think about this? They've recently announced that the two core titles in the next generation of its flagship Final Fantasy series will be available only on the PS3. That means that sales for both Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII are dependant on the market penetration of the PS3. Additionally, Square Enix said a couple of months ago that it was working on a new MMORPG for the PS3 platform.

The Xbox 360 is already doing very well in North America and the Nintendo Wii has a lot of hype — and Square Enix isn't ignoring either of these. Final Fantasy XI was re-released for the Xbox 360, and two new games (FF Crystal Chronicles and a Dragon Quest title) have been announced for the Wii. But is Square Enix willing to limit the heart of the Final Fantasy series, the two titles that make up the base of the FF13 project, to the high-end consumer?

Final Fantasy XIII and FF Versus XIII are both PS3-only titles.

Although, it's also possible that the sheer brilliance of the Final Fantasy series could be enough to carry the PS3 into success. It's a tough call at this point, but the high price of the PS3 certainly isn't going to help its publishers.