No longer content to let retailers like Best Buy have all the fun — and ludicrous profit margin — Sony is selling extended warranties on its PlayStation products straight from the company.

From the PlayStation blog:

With the PlayStation Protection Plan, you can extend the same coverage from the original manufacturer’s one-year warranty for one or two additional years. The pricing includes all shipping charges and repairs, which are performed by PlayStation-trained service technicians at SCEA-authorized repair facilities. The PlayStation Protection Plan is available beginning in May 2010. PSP owners can also choose the Accidental Damage Plan, which provides coverage for cracked-screen damage in the event of an unexpected drop. See pricing below:

* PS3 – 1-year extension ($44.99) or 2-year extension ($59.99)

* PSP – 1-year extension ($29.99) or 2-year extension ($39.99)

* PSP Accidental Damage – 1-year ($39.99) or 2-year ($49.99)

Unless you plan on slapping your machines around quite a bit, these protection plans aren’t worthwhile, especially with a glut of used consoles available for cheap. Also working against Sony is that its consoles are so reliable, unlike the Xbox 360.

New PlayStation Protection Plan provides added peace of mind [PlayStation Blog]

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