About Sony's "Big PS3 Announcement" Tomorrow

— -- You don't have to know that two plus two equals "price relief" when you ask game publishers where Sony needs to bleed to lure new sales. And you don't need me to tell you the finest razor blades in the world won't move a $400 razor.

Enter Australia-based trade mag Smarthouse, teasing Tuesday for what it calls a "big PS3 announcement," and fingering analysts who apparently say it'll be "either a massive price drop for the PS3 or the launch of a brand new browser and online content."

Details? That's all, folks.

Let's see a show of hands for "brand new browser and online content."

Yep, thought so.

My prediction: Not a PS3 price drop. The guys I've chatted with at Sony (who, I should point out, have neither official nor unofficial authority as regards pricing) suggest a price cut (should one ever occur) would naturally have to align with some other major industry event, e.g. a trade show. GDC 2009's come and gone, so that leaves — in the U.S. anyway — the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in early June 2009.

Kotaku speculates it'll be a PS2 drop to $100. Joystiq muses about a God of War III release date. And 1UP tenders the PSP as an alternative price reduction contender.

I'll toss my hat in the ring: Netflix for the PS3?

What do you think?

Matt Peckham's traveling through Scotland all this week. He's gaming with a brogue at twitter.com/game_on.