With more and more industry heads questioning the PlayStation 3’s price point, it was only a matter of time before Sony chimed in on the conversation.  In an interview with Fastcompany.com, Sony Computer Entertainment America’s President and CEO, Jack Tretton, did just that.

When asked about the criticism Sony received after failing to announce a price drop at E3, Tretton made the following statement.

“It's somewhat natural, especially in this economy. But people are always wanting you to lower your price on hardware. We could've come out with a PlayStation 2.5 for $299 or less, and in the first two or three years it would sell extremely well. But there would be a point where people would be going, "I am not really seeing the incremental leap." We feel that we're sacrificing the short term to pay dividends in the long term. People are having short-term thinking--the platform is not even three years old. It was $599; it's now $399. The focus on pricing is something we appreciate, but you have to have the conviction and the confidence that you are on the right path for the long term and ultimately you'll get all the consumers you want. You won't get them all day one, but we're looking to get them over a 10-year period. It's going to take different things to get different consumers.”

It appears that Sony is largely unfazed by the demands of Activision, Tecmo Koei, and many consumers.  Obviously, an industry leader like Sony shouldn’t change their prices because a couple of third parties want them to, but many gamers also feel the PS3 is too expensive to justify a purchase.  With the cheapest Xbox 360 priced at $199, and the Wii at $249, the PS3’s $399 base price is looking a bit steep, and may be scaring off gamers who might not balk at a $299 price tag.  Just something to think about, Sony.