Sony Europe president, Andrew House, is toeing the company line where the delicate subjects of PlayStation 3 cost and the long-rumoured discount are concerned. We’re all partially to blame for Sony’s continuing stubbornness regarding the latter too, it seems...

House has been talking to games trade mag MCV, telling them all about Sony’s mission to move the PlayStation business back into profitability and revealing that we European gamers are more concerned about the value of the PS3 package rather than its lofty, wallet-sapping pricepoint. Er, really?:

“Not to harp on about it, but the PlayStation 3 has a ten-year life cycle and there are issues of cost and profitability,” he begins.

“Would people buy more when they are cheaper? Of course. But on the other hand there is an inherent marketing challenge. In Europe I think people do see the value of the machine, the Blu-Ray and network services and take that all into consideration instead of just focusing on price.”

House then concludes by trotting out the now-familiar line that Sony will move on price “when the time is right.”

So that’s another nail in the price-cut coffin, although the rumours of an imminent discount still persist. House’s corporate platitudes aside, we reckon Sony will have to trim the PS3’s pricetag sooner rather than later, before its rivals mop-up the entire games market between them – which, of course, is currently happening apace. Any takers for Xmas 09?