Video-game publishers are pressurizing Sony Corp to take its pick out of two alternatives - one, lower the price of its PlayStation 3 console; and two, face the possibility increased development funds going Nintendo Wii's way! At its starting price of $399.99, the PS3 is $150 more than Wii and $200 more than the most-economical Xbox 360.

According to analyst Mike Hickey, of Janco Partners Inc. in Greenwood Village, Colorado, even though Sony has thus far stood unyielding against calls for lower price, there is likelihood that it might trim the price of PS3 by $50-$100 in the near future.

As per the data from manufacturers, Sony - which entered game consoles market three years back - has been almost wedged into the third rank in the market. Despite the fact that PS3 has been admired for its processing power, graphics and Blu-ray movie player, it still has only about half the users of Wii worldwide.

The 2008 data from Activision Blizzard Inc. - the largest game company in the world - reveals that Wii titles generated nearly 32 percent of the company's total revenue from consoles, as against 19 percent generated from PS3.

Commenting on the pressure on Sony to slash its game console price, Yves Guillemot - CEO, Ubisoft Entertainment SA, Europe's biggest video-game maker - said: "Anytime a console manufacturer reduces the price, software publishers' benefit!"