PS2 stuff...
Posted by @ 2:22 PM, EST
Nihon Keizai Shimbun Thursday morning edition had an article on the PS2, some spicy stuff from it:

"TOKYO --Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. plans to sell 250,000 PlayStation2 home video-game consoles, or 25% of the initial shipment, directly to consumers via the Internet, it was learned Wednesday

SCE will also adopt a variable retail pricing strategy for online sales in which prices of the machine and compatible game software can be changed according to demand.

Significant sales of the console along with the adoption of variable pricing may seriously affect traditional retail channels in Japan as well as retailer-led pricing, industry sources said.

SCE also plans to lower the price of video games and DVD movies for a limited time some months after their release.

The release of PlayStation2, which can also be used as a DVD player, is expected to double the DVD player market. "The release of PlayStation2 will also trigger a DVD software boom," a top official of Culture Convenience Club, a DVD software rental firm, said.

Anticipating a surge in demand, DVD retailers and rental shops are increasing their inventories of discs.

Globally, SCE plans to ship 12 million PlayStation2 machines by the end of this year, popularizing an easy-to- use Internet terminal that could replace personal computers, industry sources said."