Sony has just announced that they will spend US$ 30 million to promote the PS3 in North America alone! The big bucks will go to the 15,000 demo booths for the PS3 that will be strategically placed in the U.S. and Canadian stores during the Holiday season. In case you've been keeping track, Sony's PS2 launched with a more modest 3,000 store kiosks.

While analysts still say that gamers will balk at the PS3's hefty price, Jack Tretton, co- chief operating officer at Sony Computer Entertainment America, thinks otherwise. "Once the consumers get their hands on a PS3 and understand what's under the hood, I think price will not be a factor in the decision-making process,'' says Tretton.

The aggressive and expensive marketing move is Sony's way of keeping Christmas shoppers away from one of its rivals, the Xbox 360, as well as its other competitor, the Nintendo Wii.