Sony has launched the PlayStation 3 in India, nearly six months after its release in Japan, Europe and the US. Apart from gaming, PS3 offers playing of movies and songs as well as Internet access.

The price of the PlayStation 3 in India is Rs39,900 (US$975), while the Xbox is available in the range of Rs19,990 (US$488) to Rs27,750 (US$677). That’s almost a $300USD higher price tag in comparison.

The games for this console will cost around Rs2,799 per unit. Xbox 360 games cost between Rs1,499 and Rs2,510. One needs to pay an additional Rs2,990 for a SIXAXIS wireless controller and Rs1,990 each for a Blu-ray remote control and HDMI cable.

Therefore, it seems PlayStation 3 is being positioned for the top-end of the gaming console market. Sony might be banking on PlayStation’s cult following and hoping the Indian PS2 users upgrade to the PS3. The PlayStation 2 console is available in the market for Rs8,000 (US$195).

Nintendo has not officially released Wii in India, but it is available in the gray market for approximately Rs15,000 (US$366). Microsoft is planning to launch the Xbox Live platform in India in a month’s time.