Sony Launches PlayStation 2 In India

Thanks to The Times Of India for their article reporting the official launch of the PlayStation 2 in India, with pricing set at Rs 17,900 ($390 USD) - almost double its grey market price. The article quotes a Sony spokesman as saying "PS2 console prices are high because of the 66 per cent customs duty. We have launched it officially as there is a potential market for it in the country." But the piece continues: "Sony has a tough battle ahead with the grey market, in addition to intense competition from [other consoles via] ..the smuggled goods market", and explains that "...games like Eye Toy, Formula One 2003, Final Fantasy X, Tomb Raider, Lord of the Rings are best sellers this month in India. In general, titles in action, adventure sports, violence and wrestling generate interest in the Indian market."

India and Pakistan dont get it.

[mnmn]

Countries in the South East Asia really arent trying to push their tech sector much. There are new 'heavy' duties on software about to be imposed and gamers are taxed to death. Most of such electronic equipment pass through in the grey market anyway and the government knows it.

In Pakistan the PTCL communications carrier controls the whole countrys phone and Internet communications. For years the minimum latency from anywhere in Pakistan to anywhere outside was 700ms. Universities were constantly begging the government for a fatter bandwidth pipe while international carriers circled like buzzards around the borders hoping for a slice of business inside.

The same is true for software development. While India has grabbed the edge, in Pakistan the beuraucracy simply does not provide any support to the outsourcing companies there while the fresh blood out of colleges emigrate in batches.

Re:India and Pakistan dont get it.

[Kethinov]

Countries in the South East Asia really arent trying to push their tech sector much.

This statement is quite false. China has its own thriving Linux distro. India has the most prestigious tech college in the world. The Indian Institute of Technology declines a higher percentage of its applicants than US ivy league schools! The founder of Sun Microsystems graduated from that college and was born/raised in India. In fact, I find it very surprising that India didn't already have PS2s. If we US citizens don't start realizing that other countries are catching up with us in the tech race, we're going to fall behind.

Re:India and Pakistan dont get it.

[stovey]

The Indian Institute of Technology declines a higher percentage of its applicants than US ivy league schools!

Does this really mean anything? I mean, for a country with a BILLION people that only have SEVEN [ernet.in] Institutes of Technology, you would kinda of expect a lot of people to be declined.

Re:India and Pakistan dont get it.

[Kethinov]

The Indian Institute of Technology declines a higher percentage of its applicants than US ivy league schools!

Does this really mean anything? I mean, for a country with a BILLION people that only have SEVEN Institutes of Technology, you would kinda of expect a lot of people to be declined.

Yes, it does mean something. It means that only the best few people of that billion actually do get in. The intense competition is what drives their most valuable export to the United States: Computer Scientists.

Re:India and Pakistan dont get it.

[kmak]

The conventional wisdom on duties is that money will stay within the country, and not mined and float out off the country...

Re:India and Pakistan dont get it.

[satyap]

India and Pakistan are not in South East Asia.

Quoth, the marketting rep...

[neostorm]

"...Eye Toy, Formula One 2003, Final Fantasy X, Tomb Raider, Lord of the Rings are best sellers this month in India. In general, titles in action, adventure sports, violence and wrestling generate interest in the Indian market."

The titles listed don't really match up with their vague marketing feedback on what generates interest in India. On top of that, I have no idea what kind of genre "adventure sports" is. Did someone leave out a comma?

Re:Quoth, the marketting rep...

[Acts of Attrition]

Even better, I didn't know "Violence" was it's own genre of games. Does the ESRB know about this?

Guess it's not just us evil american's that love the violence I guess. Wait till those Indian kids get to play Grand Theft Cow, how sacrilegious!

Uhhhhhhhhhh.....

[ZosX]

Since when is violence qualify as a genre? I'm still waiting for the surrealist games....

$400?

[ChibiLZ]

This is a shining example of how Sony can totally ignore reality. They cannot really fight the grey market, why waste the time and money to have Indian PS2s? Also, is the market over there really that big? I have no experience, having never been to India. Are there really a lot of people willing and able to put down $400 just for a game system?

Re:$400?

[asimulator]

I'm an Indian, so I should know; able? yes; willing? not really.

And why should you have to?

[Da VinMan]

This means that Sony is trying to import the systems to sell for over $200 USD MSRP in India. If they dropped their system to a reasonable price and then added the 66% tariff, it might be a lot more palatable to Indian consumers. Of course, this is only worthwhile if Sony can hope to sell legit copies of games in India. I know nothing about the probability of that happening, but I suspect that the odds aren't good.

True?

Also, what price are gray market PS2's going for?

Just curious... thanks!

Jobs...

[SuDZ]

With all of the US's proggraming jobs being sent over seas they can now afford to buy a PS2. :)

SuDZ