Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has claimed reports that its senior staffers let slip how much the company plans to charge for the PlayStation 3 when the console ships next November are "incorrect".

Instead, head of the the company's French operation, Georges Fornay, says he was "misunderstood" when he appeared to indicate a price range for the PS3 during an interview with French radio station Europe 1 this week.

According to a GamesIndustry.biz report, SCEE said: "At no time did [Fornay] suggest or indicate a specific price point or price range for PS3, and any reports that he did so are incorrect."

According to the SCEE, Fornay was simply saying the PS3 would cost more than most current videogame consoles, which are priced well below €500, but would still be much cheaper than standalone Blu-ray Disc players. The PS3 will, of course, operate as such a device.

Since most consoles are indeed priced well below €500 - in Germany, the top-end Xbox 360 pack retails for around €400, for example - you have to ask why Fornay chose that particular figure. That, in turn, could be suggestive that that price point is indeed what Sony has its eye on for PS3. Why not say €600 or €700, both numbers well above the price of current consoles? ®