PS3 sale price spurs costs Sony dear

But the console's still being given away for free

Sony's PlayStation 3 pricing strategy has caused the company to lose around $3bn (£1.5bn/€1.9bn) over the past two fiscal years. But the electronics giant's still willing to give the console away - provided you buy a Bravia telly.

The firm’s 2008 annual report shows that Sony lost $2.1bn in fiscal year (FY) 2007 - the 12 months to 31 March 2007 – and a further $1.1bn in FY2008, as a result of subsidising the console's retail price. The production cost of the PS3 was thought to be about $800 (£400/€500) when it launched back in 2006.

It’s not all doom and gloom for Sony, however, because PS3 sales increased by around 5.6m units globally during fiscal 2008 - the 12 months to 31 March 2008 – compared to FY2007, bringing total sales to just over 9m consoles for FY2008. PS3 software sales also jumped by 44.6m to 57.9m units during FY2008.

Nonetheless, Sony’s still willing to give the console away for free Down Under. According to a report by Tweak Town, next month the firm will unveil a ‘buy a Bravia, get a PS3 free’ offer in Australia. It’s rumoured the deal will apply to about 11 Bravia LCD models, including the recently launched V4000 range.

Similar offers have been promoted by Sony before, but its latest Bravia-with-free-PS3 push has been limited to 35,000 units – so Aussie gamers and Blu-ray fans will need to be quick.

Such offers aren’t uncommon though, because when the console hit the UK back in March 2007 Virgin Megastore gave free 46in Bravia TVs to around 100 customers at the flagship London store.