$149's possible but I say it'll be $179 for the US launch
http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/27/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/27/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm
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CNN: Sony's PSP for $150 in the U.S.?
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Guns N' Poops
Banned
+Nuclear plant to power it for few trillions. Ok ok, that is wearing out.
it must also be noted though that when the PSX and PS2 launched in Japan, the Yen was much weaker against the dollar than it is now.... I wouldn't expect similar price cuts for the US as the PSX and PS2... if anything I would imagine the prices to lineup pretty comparably.
I say $180-200.
has it been confirmed if WiFi will be built into the PSP or not?
I say $180-200.
has it been confirmed if WiFi will be built into the PSP or not?
soundwave05
Member
Well they kinda have to drop the price, considering Sony is taking large losses like this on the PSP, they have little choice.
DS obviously will be $99 sooner now rather than later, that just goes without saying.
DS obviously will be $99 sooner now rather than later, that just goes without saying.
i was at best buy yesterday lookin at portable media players and i saw all these "media center" machiens and what not for like 399-499.
the thought of psp being 150 with that screen seems insane. i dont know hwo sony can afford it, but whatever, if they can convince people to buy umd's its not just nintendo thats gonna be screwed.
the thought of psp being 150 with that screen seems insane. i dont know hwo sony can afford it, but whatever, if they can convince people to buy umd's its not just nintendo thats gonna be screwed.
this is a good point, and also a very shakey proposition.sp0rsk said:
how Sony can do it compared to those other systems is that Sony has control over everything. Sony doesn't have to support quicktime, WM9, MPEG4, MPEG2, AAC, etc. All they have to support is their standard (likely an MPEG4 type). cheaper hardware.
but you said it.. they have to convince everyone that buying your DVD isn't enough. with one of the other media players, most of them include programs that will shrink your DVDs down to be played on them. So you buy a DVD and can play it multiple places.. With the PSP, Sony has to convince you that Spider-Man 2 is worth buying on UMD even though you already own it on DVD.
sonycowboy
Member
borghe said:
IAWTP.
They will sell craploads at $199 regardless, so I think they'll let that price sit until the holidays. They really won't have any numbers to show them otherwise initially. They won't be able to produce enough units in Japan to determine if the $185 is the right price point as the system will be completely sold out until, at least, March.
I think this is especially true, because of how soft the Japanese market is today. It's been bad for years, folks and it hasn't gotten much better. Sony can't launch it in Japan at the price they'd like because of this weak market.
However, the US & UK markets are booming and are in the position Japan was in for years. Eager to aquire new toys, even if the initial cost is a little on the higher side
Shrike_Priest
Member
"it must also be noted though that when the PSX and PS2 launched in Japan, the Yen was much weaker against the dollar than it is now...."
The key-word in the article being "equivalent". Regardless of the currency exchange, the PS2 cost a hell of a lot more in Japan, even factoring that in.
As for Wifi, it's been confirmed from the first spec-sheet shown at E3 2003.
The key-word in the article being "equivalent". Regardless of the currency exchange, the PS2 cost a hell of a lot more in Japan, even factoring that in.
As for Wifi, it's been confirmed from the first spec-sheet shown at E3 2003.
Guns N' Poops
Banned
borghe, come on. You are the starter of the DS hype thread, so it's kind of poor to enter here and post one "I have this and this doubt" comment after another in this thread.
mashoutposse
Ante Up
$179 is the most likely pricepoint.
You know, for all of the bashing Sony receives for being overpriced in other markets, every major product launch has had very reasonable pricepoints attached to them. You could even say that most were "a good deal."
You know, for all of the bashing Sony receives for being overpriced in other markets, every major product launch has had very reasonable pricepoints attached to them. You could even say that most were "a good deal."
open_mouth_
insert_foot_
:lol :lol :lol @ the noobs who said the PSP wouldn't be less than $299 (or even $249)
... I was one of those noobs
... I was one of those noobs
no, I'm probably getting a PSP also.. no alliegances in the worlds of handheld..
and the doubt has nothing to do with the PSP.. Sony has tried (and failed) to gain momentum for the MiniDisc, Super AudioCD, and Blueray... I am pointing out a pretty obvious fact.. While I will love playing PSOne+ style games on the device, to say I'm skeptical on it's abilities as a media player for more than audio is an understatement.. Aside from CD, Sony doesn't have a very good track record with that.
As for wireless, it was always part of the first spec as an add-on... so that still doesn't answer the question.. is it built-in? And before someone answers with yes, please provide a link so I know its for real.
and the doubt has nothing to do with the PSP.. Sony has tried (and failed) to gain momentum for the MiniDisc, Super AudioCD, and Blueray... I am pointing out a pretty obvious fact.. While I will love playing PSOne+ style games on the device, to say I'm skeptical on it's abilities as a media player for more than audio is an understatement.. Aside from CD, Sony doesn't have a very good track record with that.
As for wireless, it was always part of the first spec as an add-on... so that still doesn't answer the question.. is it built-in? And before someone answers with yes, please provide a link so I know its for real.
soundwave05
Member
I think they'll launch at $199.
There's no difference in the amount of initial units they'll sell at $179 vs. $199 in all reality.
Either price is still a bargain for that level of technology, at either price they will sell out initially.
They can always use a price drop to $179 down the line to give sales a boost if they start to sag for whatever reason.
19800 yen generally = $200 USD anyway, it's just been off lately because of the wild yen/dollar flucuations.
There's no difference in the amount of initial units they'll sell at $179 vs. $199 in all reality.
Either price is still a bargain for that level of technology, at either price they will sell out initially.
They can always use a price drop to $179 down the line to give sales a boost if they start to sag for whatever reason.
19800 yen generally = $200 USD anyway, it's just been off lately because of the wild yen/dollar flucuations.
The chances of PSP being priced at $149 are a bit greater then a $199 tag given the latter is more expensive then JPN unit. All in all, I'm 99% sure it'll be $179 keeping it inline with the JPN price or the base unit will be $149, while the pack-in with extras will be priced at $199.
tehrik-e-insaaf
Member
The problem with the article is that it assumes market conditions were the same at Japan launch and US launch in regards to the PS2.
About 8 years ago there was a rule that products sold in the USA cannot be cheaper than their Japanese counterparts. Sony almost got in trouble for it when they launched the original Playstation at 299 and the Japanese price had fallen to 320. Regulators were filing suits against against them with a dumping charge. At the end of the day the judge decided the prices were close enough to not warrant further investigation into the case.
This rule, or at least its applicability to modern gaming systems, has pretty much become irrelevant now. As a result, there is no hard and fast rule about how consoles will be priced upon launch.
Remember - when PS2 launched in Japan... there was incredible hype for it. People were going crazy trying to purchase it. Thus Sony was able to charge 370. However, by the time the system released in the USA - the Japanese price had come down to a similar level as well.
Infact, I believe when the Yen was extremely weak a couple of years back - Japanese PS2 consoles were actually cheaper to import into the USA than buying a domestic PS2 at a local store.
So my whole point is to say that there is no guarantee the PSP will be cheaper or more expensive. What is more likely is that Sony will assess how much inventory they have, how much they'd like to push, gauge market demand, examine how well the DS is selling, look at their long-term lineup - and decide on a price point based on that. Depending on how things pan out over the holiday season and the momentum Nintendo has built up - it could be as cheap as 149.99 to be very aggressive to 199.99 to play the revenue game based on limited inventory.
About 8 years ago there was a rule that products sold in the USA cannot be cheaper than their Japanese counterparts. Sony almost got in trouble for it when they launched the original Playstation at 299 and the Japanese price had fallen to 320. Regulators were filing suits against against them with a dumping charge. At the end of the day the judge decided the prices were close enough to not warrant further investigation into the case.
This rule, or at least its applicability to modern gaming systems, has pretty much become irrelevant now. As a result, there is no hard and fast rule about how consoles will be priced upon launch.
Remember - when PS2 launched in Japan... there was incredible hype for it. People were going crazy trying to purchase it. Thus Sony was able to charge 370. However, by the time the system released in the USA - the Japanese price had come down to a similar level as well.
Infact, I believe when the Yen was extremely weak a couple of years back - Japanese PS2 consoles were actually cheaper to import into the USA than buying a domestic PS2 at a local store.
So my whole point is to say that there is no guarantee the PSP will be cheaper or more expensive. What is more likely is that Sony will assess how much inventory they have, how much they'd like to push, gauge market demand, examine how well the DS is selling, look at their long-term lineup - and decide on a price point based on that. Depending on how things pan out over the holiday season and the momentum Nintendo has built up - it could be as cheap as 149.99 to be very aggressive to 199.99 to play the revenue game based on limited inventory.
sonycowboy
Member
borghe said:
I think the Blu-Ray comment is wayyyy wrong, although it's too early to declare a victor in the HighDef DVD race. However, beyond getting all movie publishers to sign (1/4 is controlled by Sony), they've gotten absolutely everyone possible on board.
soundwave05
Member
Blu-Ray is not an explict Sony format anyways, not anymore than say DVD is. Several other companies are involved with the format.
I included Blueray in there because it will fail..
HD-DVD and Blueray will unfortunately both fail. Sony has failed to build momentum for blueray as an HD recorder, and having to go head to head with the DVD Consortium will make matters worse (see DVD-Audio). Not to mention that most people won't care and just be happy with DVD...
It is all my opinion, and I will be there for the first players next year, but I never epxect it to do more than Laserdisc... (yes, I had one of those also).
HD-DVD and Blueray will unfortunately both fail. Sony has failed to build momentum for blueray as an HD recorder, and having to go head to head with the DVD Consortium will make matters worse (see DVD-Audio). Not to mention that most people won't care and just be happy with DVD...
It is all my opinion, and I will be there for the first players next year, but I never epxect it to do more than Laserdisc... (yes, I had one of those also).
It is Sony and Philips.. the same people as CD and SACD. By way of comparison the DVD Consortium is comprised of over 100 active comapnies (which is why it takes so freakig long to get anything ratified).soundwave05 said:
BigGreenMat
Member
open_mouth_ said::lol :lol :lol @ the noobs who said the PSP wouldn't be less than $299 (or even $249)
... I was one of those noobs
I don't think it has anything to do with being a noob. I think it has something to do with being rational. I mean we haven't been given any indication that the PSP is costing any less to manufacture so it was completely rational to see a $300 pricepoint. It seemed simply insane to have a $200 pricepoint. Now the thing that will be interesting is how many PSPs will actually get out to the public I mean Sony said only 200k to start and 1 million afterwards? That isn't a lot as the DS is supposed to have 3 million units available in that time.
soundwave05
Member
I don't think Blu-Ray will fail.
Once Matsushita came on board, that was it IMO. If Matsushita had backed HD-DVD instead, then the tide probably would've swung the other way.
Once Matsushita came on board, that was it IMO. If Matsushita had backed HD-DVD instead, then the tide probably would've swung the other way.
At $300, PSP was going to be the biggest handheld competitor Nintendo ever witnessed. I do think Nintendo would've still managed to come out on top, but it'd be a struggle to maintain dominance.
At $200, I think Sony was going to eat away at a little more than half of Nintendo's handheld marketshare. At $200, I don't think it'd be pretty for Nintendo.
At $150, maybe Nintendo should consider making games for PSP.
At $200, I think Sony was going to eat away at a little more than half of Nintendo's handheld marketshare. At $200, I don't think it'd be pretty for Nintendo.
At $150, maybe Nintendo should consider making games for PSP.
I don't see why they would go as low as $149. They are going to sell every unit they can make for at least the first 6 months at $199. The thing may even be sold out through holiday 2005. It will take a while for production to catch up. After that, they can always consider a price drop.
soundwave05
Member
Plus the kicker IMO for Blu-Ray is the recordability.
There's so many average joes and even soccer moms bitching about having to record on VHS still, being able to record and archive TV shows and home video for those who still are too tech illeterate to get into DVD burning is a big deal.
There's so many average joes and even soccer moms bitching about having to record on VHS still, being able to record and archive TV shows and home video for those who still are too tech illeterate to get into DVD burning is a big deal.
CrimsonSkies
Member
At $150 I see the PSP as the handheld market leader in 2 years.
Matsushita couldn't do shit with VideoCD in America or Japan.. no to mention the fact that other movie studios won't see as much of a cut with Blueray as they will with HD-DVD (they all receive residuals from HD-DVD players just like DVD players). Incentive for them to support that format instead? Maybe..soundwave05 said:
The average consumer can't see much of a difference between filmed DVD and filmed HD (as opposed to HD video which is dramatically better). Furthermore, the average consumer sits too far back from their TV to even resolve 720p fully. the biggest selling point of HD is seeing HD video (sports, etc). And that won;t be the main stuff available on HD-DVD.DekuTree said:
Blueray won't be recordable out of the gates.. at least the consumer priced stuff.. expect $400 player only units to start with. Blueray recorders won't hit under $1000 till probably 2007 or so.. (they are $4000 in Japan right now).soundwave05 said:
seismologist
Banned
They need to keep going lower. $99 and plays Divx I'm in.
soundwave05
Member
Even if the initial stuff won't be recordable, eventually it will be and by 2007/2008 I think even a healthy chunk of casual joes will be willing to upgrade from DVD.
borghe said:
nope, the Yen was was pretty much in the same 105-110 per USD range in 2000 just as it now
http://www2.marketwatch.com/tools/q...avor=basic&origurl=/tools/quotes/intchart.asp
by 2007/2008 I agree..soundwave05 said:
that is the question.. which of the formats (if either) will be able to sustain themselves for 2-3 years.. DVD exploded almost right out of the gate (less than a year). and if they can sustain, is the landscape going to be any less confusing then than it is now?
and to bring this back in topic, this brings up yet another point.. Sony is effectively marketing two video products now.. UMD and Bluwray (not to mention selling DVDs). Is this too many formats for the consumer?
This is what I am skeptical about.. Not the (almsot guaranteed) success of the PSP as a handheld game machine.. just as a formidable media player.
also to those who want MPEG/DivX/XviD, give me cheaper memory sticks first. a 1GB Pro is $450... and anything less can't hold a full movie.
but at least the games will freaking rule..
soundwave05
Member
DVD was still slow in 1998, but started to gain steam in the second half of 1999.
Blu-Ray adoption will probably be slower, but being in each Playstation 3 unit certainly won't hurt.
Blu-Ray adoption will probably be slower, but being in each Playstation 3 unit certainly won't hurt.
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/cemadvdsales.htmlsoundwave05 said:
by the end of 1998 they were selling 5x what they were during 1997. the format actually never grew as rapidly as it did in 1998. granted the numbers were smaller etc, but the level of adoption was huge.
as for the PS3, it can help, but the problem is they need to avoid confusing the customer. if they can pull that off, they will succeed. Unfortunately a consumer sees Star Wars on DVD (or HD-DVD) and Spider-Man 3 on Blueray, they wonder what the hell is going on... and then to throw UMD into the mix....
soundwave05
Member
Well it doesn't really matter if the consumer is confused, they are going to buy a PS3 for the games anyway, then they'll have a Blu-Ray player in their home.
Then if they're at Best Buy and wonder if they want a movie on DVD or a higher-def version on Blu-Ray (possibly with extras and everything else all on one disc), they at least have that option.
Then if they're at Best Buy and wonder if they want a movie on DVD or a higher-def version on Blu-Ray (possibly with extras and everything else all on one disc), they at least have that option.
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