Games analyst Michael Pachter has predicted that Sony will slash the price of the 80GB PS3 in North America from $399 to $299 this April.

The news follows reports in the Japanese press claiming that Sony will report a $1.1bn operating loss for its financial year ending March 31st.

The analyst also predicted that the soon to be released North American December sales figures from NPD will show that Xbox 360 outsold PS3 by almost 2:1, with Microsoft’s machine shifting 1.35 million consoles and Sony 750,000 throughout the Christmas month.

“Once the PS3 is at a more affordable price point, we think that sales of that device will once again begin to grow,” Pachter added.

How such a price cut would translate on this side of the Atlantic is hard to say, though a drop from £299 to £249 sounds realistic. The Xbox 360 Elite currently retails for £230, whilst the Premium 60GB console sells for £160 and the Arcade for £130. Wii carries an RRP of £180.

Unsurprisingly, Pachter also predicts that Nintendo will dominate the North American December figures with Wii sales totalling 3.25 million units and DS sales hitting 2.6 million.