Japanese magazine Famitsu has a new interview with Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutaragi in which he fills his audience’s ears with more sound and fury signifying nothing. This is his most recent quote on the Playstation 3 pricing:

“If you consider the PlayStation 3 a toy, then yes, it is an expensive toy. However, it is more than a toy. It is a PlayStation 3. And it is the only PlayStation 3. I hope that those who understand this will gladly purchase it.”

Which begs the question “if the Playstation 3 is not an expensive toy what is it?” I understand that it is certainly capable of my audio-visual functions. It will play DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. But does that really lend some value to it beyond a really expensive toy?

I have mentioned in the past that I believe that videogames are medium onto themselves. That they seek to increate an engaging experience for their audience an experience that cannot be reproduced in films, books or other media. So I suppose technically Kutaragi is correct there is only one Playstation 3 and it is probably more then a “mere toy.”

I think what Kutaragi is really missing is that there are other sources for the same or a very similar experience in each case at a lower price. So far we have seen no evidence that the Playstation 3 will offer anything that the X-box 360 or Wii does not.