PS3 $400 Price Drop Rumor

[Arnwyn]

I think the problem with Warhawk being a system seller is Warhawk itself.

It's an online-only, 32 person, multiplayer shooter.

I think that's way too limited of a genre to be a system seller.

Well, it's offline too, but yeah - multiplayer only.

And yes, I know that the Call of Duty 2 multiplayer and the Halo 2 multiplayer are phenomenally popular, but I don't think those games would have been true system sellers without their single player components.

There are still a lot of players who can't, won't or don't like to play online.

Indeed. I just wish we'd get some consistent messages, what with the (aforementioned dysfunctional) gaming media screaming "if it's not online, it sucks!" and Microsoft's disingenuous "we have blahblahblahmillion Xbox Live users" while intentionally not releasing the number of Gold users (which they admittedly learned their lesson from the previous Xbox 180, in which only a tiny fraction of Xbox users bothered to subscribe to Live. No duh).

 

[Vigilance]

Well, it's offline too, but yeah - multiplayer only.



Indeed. I just wish we'd get some consistent messages, what with the (aforementioned dysfunctional) gaming media screaming "if it's not online, it sucks!" and Microsoft's disingenuous "we have blahblahblahmillion Xbox Live users" while intentionally not releasing the number of Gold users (which they admittedly learned their lesson from the previous Xbox 180, in which only a tiny fraction of Xbox users bothered to subscribe to Live. No duh).

I think many people in the gaming media believe that to be a MEGA hit in today's market, you have to have a kick-ass single player game *and* a deep engrossing multi-player component.

I've even heard people in the industry claim that the Wii will eventually fail because it doesn't have a strong multi-player angle.

Maybe these guys are right, if the standard of "hit" is Call of Duty 2 or Halo 2.

Still, there have been some pretty successful games without an online component. GTA 3 and 4, and Final Fantasy X and XII spring to mind here.

 

[Vocenoctum]

I think the problem with Warhawk being a system seller is Warhawk itself.

It's an online-only, 32 person, multiplayer shooter.

I think that's way too limited of a genre to be a system seller.

<snip>

There are still a lot of players who can't, won't or don't like to play online.

Maybe it was just more visible, but when Shadowrun was revealed as online only, there was a lot of talk about how bad it'd be, sales wise. I never really saw the discussion about Warhawk, but I can't imagine the reasoning is any different (even if Warhawk is most likely a lot better of a game).

Again though, I think the problem with Warhawk was that it's not the original game promised.

 

[TwistedBishop]

I think the problem with Warhawk being a system seller is Warhawk itself.

It's an online-only, 32 person, multiplayer shooter.

I think that's way too limited of a genre to be a system seller.

Exactly right. We hear repeatedly from publishers and developers that most players stick to the single-player portions of games, even for games with extremely active competitive communities (such as the RTS genre).

Now regarding a lack of Warhawk hype, I'd have to disagree. I've been hearing and seeing nothing but positive reports on the game since back in May. The simple fact is it's appealing to a small audience (multiplayer gamers) in an already small consumer base (people willing to spend $500-600 on a PS3) with an IP that doesn't carry a whole lot of weight. This is all compounded by the Playstation brand being, historically, not a home for the multiplayer enthusiasts. Those people are still over on the PC or Xbox. So exactly how much of a system seller was it ever supposed to be?

 

[Vigilance]

Maybe it was just more visible, but when Shadowrun was revealed as online only, there was a lot of talk about how bad it'd be, sales wise. I never really saw the discussion about Warhawk, but I can't imagine the reasoning is any different (even if Warhawk is most likely a lot better of a game).

Again though, I think the problem with Warhawk was that it's not the original game promised.

Was Warhawk originally supposed to have a single player game? I really wasn't interested in it and so never followed it.

 

[TwistedBishop]

Was Warhawk originally supposed to have a single player game? I really wasn't interested in it and so never followed it.

Yep.

 

[Rackhir]

My suspicion is that Sony has looked upon the PS3 as a way to win the HD video disk war and that's what's been driving many of their decisions. While it was expensive as a game console, it was cheap as a HD video player and even with the limited (by game console numbers) unit sales, it has been sufficient that Blu-Ray disks are now outselling HD DVD movie sales by about 2 to 1 (of course both are a drop in the bucket compared to regular DVD sales), despite fewer Blu-Ray disks being available. When you consider all the other benefits effects of dominating the next gen storage format, it makes a lot of sense to prioritize that over even winning in the console wars.

 

[Bront]

Coupled with the plummeting prices of HDTVs, there will tons of Blu-Ray & HD-DVD players/movies sold this holiday season compared to 2006.

You're still probably a year or two removed from that becoming a force compared to the blip it is now. I know I'm not planning on spending the money for an HDTV in the next year, and I'm a techie who wants one.

Still, a cheeper PS3 would help it gain market share. I'm at the point where I'd possably consider one just for the sports games, since the Wii and PC seem to be left out of the college arena.

 

[John Crichton]

You're still probably a year or two removed from that becoming a force compared to the blip it is now. I know I'm not planning on spending the money for an HDTV in the next year, and I'm a techie who wants one.

I don't disagree. That said, if you had the money, would you get one right now?

For me, this is a great time to start getting to HD tech. DirecTV is finally giving us 100 HD channels in the next 6 months, BR & HD-DVD player prices are coming down right along side HDTVs. And there are TONS of deals on home theater set-ups right now. Stuff like 3 years no interest and the like. I almost wish I'd waited!

 

[Bront]

I don't disagree. That said, if you had the money, would you get one right now?

Probably, but I do have other things I find more pressing at the moment.

Prices are coming down, but I expect a full crash in prices right around December 2008 (Give or take 2 months, more likely after than before though) on HD Tech, and finally making it a mainstream product. Which of course means it will reach a proper market saturation around mid to late 2009.

But yes, prices are droping, and it's all good if you can afford it.