More from the "what are they thinking?" department at Sony. The Japanese electronics giant has cut the price of its PlayStation 3 in Japan, months before the system's Nov. 11 debut there. No change to pricing in the U.S., however.

The PS3 price will drop in Japan from $515 to about $410, making it competitive with Microsoft's Xbox 360, which, with an HD-DVD player, sells for about $427, according to the Associated Press.

Sony Computer Entertainment chief Ken Kutaragi didn't mention the price drop in his keynote address at the Tokyo Game Show, but told reporters in a Q&A session later that day.

The PS3 price in the U.S. is still set at $499 and $599.