You might think that a price drop is just what the PS3 needs in the UK at the moment. Indeed, you may well have saluted Sony America’s decision to lop a hundred bucks off the rrp – very generous considering that the console is already cheaper over there. However Sony UK obviously has other, better ideas…

To which end they have just announced a ‘high value Starter Pack’ for the price of the standalone model. So, from July 18th onwards your 425 hard-earned squids’ll get you a bundle comprising a PS3, not one but two – two, dammit! – Sixaxis joypads and a couple of first party games. The latter selection includes such stone-cold classics *cough* as MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man and, erm, well those are the only ones worth having at the mo’.

“The exceptional value of the new Starter Pack will bring the excitement of PlayStation gaming to a much wider audience. Add to this a stellar lineup of software titles for the second half of the year and we are confident that this amazing value Starter Pack will encourage many more keen gamers to join the PlayStation 3 community,” says Sony Europe’s David Reeves, fingers crossed firmly behind his back.

Okay, so adding a hundred quid’s worth of value is not a bad offer in itself, right? Then again it does nothing to make the PS3 any more affordable – £425 is still £425 which ever way you want to dress it up. Guess we’ll see how this move plays out for Sony, but we’d take £100 off the asking price (that we can spend on software of our own choosing) in preference to an added value bundle any day of the week. Anyone else hear the distant noise of nails being banged into coffin lids?