PS3 600 dollars? Sony is on crack

[reanjr]

Is anyone but me considering this or would it be foolish? Bearing in mind that I want to buy one for myself somewhere down the line so getting stuck with it wouldn't be the end of the world either.

Hard to say. Sony has assured the media that they will have a much larger number of units than 360 did at launch and before Christmas. Also, the higher price tag and the fact that it is not that impressive compared to existing options (360) might keep it in stores.

Even if there are enough to go around, you might find regional shortages that could make EBaying it profitable, but I certainly wouldn't be willing to invest that kind of money in a market plenty of people are already thinking of investing in after they saw the profits people got off of 360s.

 

[Vigilance]

Industry Analyst DFC says Sony could become third largest console distributor

News from an industry analysis firm:

DFC begins by saying that Sony is currently the "king of the video game market," but with the PlayStation 3, it is clear that Sony is "handing its competitors a golden opportunity." The firm believes that the premium PS3's $600 price tag will put off potential consumers, hurting the overall gaming market and possibly putting Sony dead last in terms of installed user base.

It's not just the launch price that DFC believes could hurt Sony. Sony CEO Ken Kutaragi has gone on record as saying that the PS3 is more like a computer than just a gaming console, and, according to DFC, could see upgrades such as a writable Blu-ray drive or improvement to the system's memory.

While this may appeal to gearheads, DFC believes it will mean the price of the PS3 won't drop at the rate of normal consoles. "By fixing its hardware standard for several years," DFC argues, "video game console systems have been able to significantly lower prices over time by not having to upgrade to the latest technology."

"We believe that under Kutaragi's techno-elite PlayStation 3 strategy, the PlayStation 3 could end up with a market share more resembling Apple products [in the PC sector] as opposed to the dominant PlayStation 2 market share."

As for the other consoles, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii, DFC sees scenarios where both of them could become the leader in installed base.

Even though the firm doesn't see an end to the 360's woes in Japan, it sees its strength in the North American market as reason why it could be the market share leader. The Wii, on the other hand, has "the biggest opportunity" because of its low price and potential to "expand into a much more mass market audience."

"By letting Sony and Microsoft split the hardcore teenage/twenty-something video game marketplace, the Wii could end up number one in market share for the next generation," said DFC.

Original here: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6154256.html

 

[John Crichton]

News from an industry analysis firm:



Original here: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6154256.html

That article is laughable, really.

There is so much assumption going on based on side-quotes that it actually crosses the line into pure speculation and not news. Upgradable hardware? The Wii being the best selling console? That and its huge lineup of games. In short, it's just like every other "news" article about the new consoles and the "winners and losers".

Useless.

But fun.

 

[trancejeremy]

Yeah, that article is silly. That comment by the Sony guy was referring to being able to upgrade the hard drive (it's a standard laptop SATA hard drive). Which will be useful if you want to turn it into a media center (presuming it has the video/audio/picture abilities of the PSP).

MS's the one with upgrades - having the HD-DVD drive optional for $200 and having models of the 360 with and w/o the hard drive.

The Wii has the hype behind it, but so far, the graphics of the games I've seen look pretty bad. The best look about original Xbox quality (which admittedly can be very good), the worse, well, look worse than the DS.

 

[Vigilance]

That article is laughable, really.

There is so much assumption going on based on side-quotes that it actually crosses the line into pure speculation and not news. Upgradable hardware? The Wii being the best selling console? That and its huge lineup of games. In short, it's just like every other "news" article about the new consoles and the "winners and losers".

Useless.

But fun.

Except that the article is based on statements the president of Sony made at E3.

Chuck

 

[Vigilance]

Yeah, that article is silly. That comment by the Sony guy was referring to being able to upgrade the hard drive (it's a standard laptop SATA hard drive). Which will be useful if you want to turn it into a media center (presuming it has the video/audio/picture abilities of the PSP).

MS's the one with upgrades - having the HD-DVD drive optional for $200 and having models of the 360 with and w/o the hard drive.

The Wii has the hype behind it, but so far, the graphics of the games I've seen look pretty bad. The best look about original Xbox quality (which admittedly can be very good), the worse, well, look worse than the DS.

Wii has "hype" because, wait for this, its games ACTUALLY IMPRESSED PEOPLE WHO PLAYED THEM AT E3.

Sony's did not and the Sony people made one arrogant comment after another.

But hey, what is the word of industry analysts who have PLAYED GAMES for these consoles and the executives of Sony when compared with you guys and your conventional wisdom.

Sony is handing its competitors a golden opportunity" with its high-priced PlayStation 3.

Here's something else he says, which is basically what I have been saying all along. When you price your product 100 and several hundred dollars more than your competitors, you better deliver something to justify that price.

PS3 hasn't, and I'm not sure why everyone acts like I'm dumb for saying so.

Chuck

 

[drothgery]

Here's something else he says, which is basically what I have been saying all along. When you price your product 100 and several hundred dollars more than your competitors, you better deliver something to justify that price.

PS3 hasn't, and I'm not sure why everyone acts like I'm dumb for saying so.

I don't know, either. But I don't see why so many people are convinced the PS3 must be a significantly better game machine than the 360, either; there's absolutely no technical justification for that argument.

But I think the console industry seems to replaying several software industries, where other companies by a combination of arrogance and stupidity, handed their market to Microsoft, mostly because the guys in Redmond avoided fatal mistakes.

In other news, a major financial analyst firm casts major doubts on how many PS3s Sony will be able to ship...
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060824-7588.html

One commenter noted that if their estimate, rather than Sony's is correct, MS will hit 20 million 360s before Sony hits 5 million PS3s, and that would effectively end this generation of the console wars except perhaps in Japan.

 

[John Crichton]

Except that the article is based on statements the president of Sony made at E3.

Chuck

Sure, but there were no real specifics mentioned with his comments about upgrades for the PS3 it and it was a throw away comment not something that deserves a headline or even real attention.

 

[Vigilance]

Sure, but there were no real specifics mentioned with his comments about upgrades for the PS3 it and it was a throw away comment not something that deserves a headline or even real attention.

The reason it's worth attention because, as the article states, the competition is too good for the PS3 to stay priced significantly above it's competition, so a year after it's launch, the price for the PS3 needs to come WAY down.

If the console is being upgraded regularly, then the price won't drop.

Again, the point is, if you're priced significantly higher than your competition, you need to deliver a MUCH better product (which the PS3 doesn't seem to do).

Sony is basically taking what was always a product for the masses (blue collar folks like me) and turning it into a high-end item.

With a 100 dollar price difference, that's like getting a couple of free games with the X-box.

Now if what the analysts are saying is true, the the PS3's games are going to be more expensive than X-box's, and the price of the hardware won't come down, how could they not be poised to lose a big market share?

Because they're Sony? And consoles stay on top forever? That isn't what's happened in the industry during my lifetime. Remember when Sega was king?

I'm really not against Sony. I bought the PS and the PS2 at launch and think they're fine products. But I'm not consumed with blind loyalty either and I don't think many people are.

For me to buy a PS3 at these prices, it would have to have to sweetest selection of EXCLUSIVE (not on the X-box) launch games in history or significantly better graphics.

It doesn't seem poised to have either one.

Chuck

 

[TwistedBishop]

Wii has "hype" because, wait for this, its games ACTUALLY IMPRESSED PEOPLE WHO PLAYED THEM AT E3.

I got the exact opposite impression from the various E3 related podcasts. People were keen on the hardware but the software always garnered a tepid response. Zelda, Metroid, Red Steel, Wii Sports and the orchestra game -- all were griped about either due to poor controls or bad game design. Were there other games getting lots of praise?