Sony to Fund 15,000 PS3 Kiosks

Sony will spend $30 million to install 15,000 PlayStation 3 demo kiosks in U.S. and Canadian stores this holiday season.

In an apparent effort to entice holiday shoppers to purchase the upcoming PlayStation 3 console, Sony plans to invest $30 million to install 15,000 demo kiosks in North American stores, according to a Bloomberg report. The report notes that when the PlayStation 2 launched in 2000, Sony funded only 3,000 kiosks.

“Once the consumers get their hands on a PS3 and understand what’s under the hood, I think price will not be a factor in the decision-making process,” said Jack Tretton, co-chief operation officer of Sony Computer Entertainment America.

The PlayStation 3 will retail in two versions, with suggested retail prices of $499 and $599. Sony currently estimates that 400,000 units will be available for the console’s North American launch on November 17th, with an additional 800,000 units shipping in the region before the end of the year.