The tumble that MSX prices took before Christmas looks likely to continue in the new year as UK prices come down to approach Japanese levels.

Toshiba led the way (issue 92) and three other companies have responded so far. Goldstar was the first, bringing the lowest priced MSX micro in the country down to £199. Sony and Sanyo are expected to cut theirs by £60 this week.

Goldstar is still the only one below £200 and in Japan MSX costs less than half this (see View From Japan). The magic figure for the UK seems to be £150 - this is the level that MSX machines in general are expected to reach in 1985.

The figure of £150 is roughly half what MSX micros came in at when the first machines arrived in the UK a matter of a couple of months ago.

The MSX manufacturers have offered an assortment of reasons for the early high prices: a shortage of the boards which convert the output signals to match UK television protocols was one proposal you're being expected to take seriously.