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Sony PS3 games giveaway sparks new price war Last updated at 09:07am on 13th July 2007

Daily Mail Article: Last updated at 09:07am on 13th July 2007

Sony sparked a high street price war today by announcing it will give away free games with its PlayStation 3 games console.

The company will now give away two free games and an extra controller with every £425 console, effectively saving consumers around £115.

The company hopes the move will help it gain ground on rivals Nintendo and Microsoft in the lucrative games market.

The UK has already seen record sales of computer games this year. Sales on all formats were £519 million in the first half of this year, a 17 rise over the same period last year. Game unit sales for the period have risen 19 per cent compared to the first half of last year at

However, critics warn Sony's free games may not be enough from the PlayStation's high price.

"This will make a big difference, but it doesn't get away from the simple fact a lot of people see £425 as being simply too expensive for a games console," said Tom Dunmore of gadget magazine Stuff.

Microsoft is preparing to introduce a new version of its Xbox 360 console in the UK next month, and it is believed that could coincide with a price reduction on the current version.

David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, said: "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 line-up of software titles for the second half of the year and we are confident that this starter pack will encourage many more gamers to join the PlayStation 3 community."

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