• Los Angeles Times, Monday, July 9, 2007 1:30 PM

Sony plans to announce today that it will knock $100 off the $599 price of the PlayStation 3 in an effort to jump-start sluggish sales. After dominating with its first two PlayStation systems, the PS3 is lagging behind Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo C's Wii as the next-generation console of choice.

From November--when Sony introduced the console--to May, 1.4 million PS3 consoles were sold in the U.S., according to NPD Group. Nintendo sold 2.8 million Wii consoles in the same period. Microsoft began selling its next-generation console a year earlier than its rivals, and consumers have bought 5.6 million Xbox 360s since then.

The PS3's new price tag still is higher than the Wii's, at $249, and the Xbox 360's, which costs $299 to $479 depending on the size of the hard drive. Analysts say Sony's console costs more because it has a built-in high-definition DVD player.

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