Grumblings over the cost of Sony’s PlayStation 3 are growing--and the console isn’t even out yet.

Yves Guillemot, president of France’s Ubisoft – one of the largest game publishers in the world – recently said that while the PS3 will undoubtedly do brisk business with the "gotta-have-it-at-any-price" crowd of early adopters (known in the biz as "low lying fruit"), its relatively high price tag might be an obstacle to continuing sales a few quarters after its initial release. In Canada, the console’s basic configuration will set you back a suggested $549, while a “premium” configuration with a flash memory card slot, Wi-Fi capability and HDTV-capable output will cost a cool $659 MSRP (the two PS3 models will cost US$499 and $599 in the States). Guillemot said those prices will likely have to be cut shortly into 2007 in order to remain competitive with Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

Meanwhile, in Japan, where Sony is a Goliath of a market darling, game developers openly complained about the price, lineup of game titles, and other aspects of the PS3 in the pages of long-running gaming magazine Ge-Maga. By a nine-to-one margin, those surveyed told the publication the console was far too pricey – “It’s more expensive than my rent,” quipped one developer. More than half – 55% - also said the titles announced to date for the new system aren’t going to help sales either.

The PS3 won’t be available until November 11 in Japan with a worldwide release coming on November 17, 2006.