Sony's "Competitively Priced" Movies, TV Shows, & $399 80GB PS3

Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Jack Tretton announced yesterday that the PlayStation Store is now offering Movie and Television purchases and rentals at "competitive prices." So what's Sony's idea of "competitive pricing?" Let's find out!

If you turn on your sexy black machine, sign-in to the PlayStation Store, select the new "video" tab, scroll down to rentals, and select a movie to rent (not very streamlined, is it?) - there you'll see HD rentals cost $5.99, a dollar more than their competitor's prices, one being AppleTV. Why are the HD rentals costing more? I couldn't locate any details if the rental was broadcasted in 1080p, if the soundtrack was presented in actual surround sound, or if the viewing duration was longer than 24 hrs? If the rental cost more (than your competitors), but no information is provided why for these competitive prices, it's not "competitive."

In retrospect, Sony has the same partnered studios as most competitors today: Disney, MGM, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, and WB. Besides the costly HD rentals, SD purchases and rentals are competitively priced at $1.99 per television episode to $2.99 - $4.99 SD rentals, $5.99 being HD. Movies are offered at $9.99 - $14.99. Purchases and rentals are placed by the Wallet. Tretton further mentioned movies and television shows are transferrable to the PSP via USB cord.

The only Sony E3 announcement that's actually "competitively priced" is the $100 price cut on the 80GB PS3 from $499 to $399. The $399 80GB is now marketed as the "Core Pack" with a Dual-Shock 3 controller available this September. At a one-hundred dollar price cut, though a hundred bucks more than the newly priced 20GB XBOX 360, it still provides a future-proof, bang for your buck entertainment system!