Heian-kyo said:Another thing, is that people are REALLY underestimating how well this will still sell. This is the day and age where people are spending $300-400 on portable music players that do little else. Spending $30 on UMDs and $2 a pop by the thousands on TV episodes off of iTunes. $600 is A LOT of money. But you're getting the most advanced gaming system available, a high definition movie player, and 60GB HDD equipped media hub that has the right tech inside to last 8-10 years. And this is at launch. And that right there is the most important point.
EDIT: Oh and for the record, I think $399/499 would've been the better move.
Heian-kyo said:Well, I've had a night to sleep on it, and while there is no doubt the price is high (the biggest shock is how much higher it is than the PS2 launch price), the overreaction here is getting out of hand.
I'm no pyschologist, but I've a very strong feeling that A LOT of folks here are now trying extra hard to prove that everything on the system was/is/looked like shit except some undeniables, so they can subconsciously convince themselves they don't need the system. Why? Because the price hurts the wallet, and a lot of folks on this board (younger gamers) can't afford it. I'm not trying to generalize, so don't take it the wrong way, nor am I trying to say that that line of reasoning is absurd. Hell, I can afford the thing and I tried that myself last night; but too many games look too good to pass up.
Another thing, is that people are REALLY underestimating how well this will still sell. This is the day and age where people are spending $300-400 on portable music players that do little else. Spending $30 on UMDs and $2 a pop by the thousands on TV episodes off of iTunes. $600 is A LOT of money. But you're getting the most advanced gaming system available, a high definition movie player, and 60GB HDD equipped media hub that has the right tech inside to last 8-10 years. And this is at launch. And that right there is the most important point.
I think a big part of disappointment/jacket tossing is the realization that many are having that they are no longer the uber hardcore, which has usually been defined as the first folks to buy the system. If your price range is a few price drops away, that's fine; wait for the subsequent drops before you buy; Sony knows full well that right now they'll only sell this price to what will end up being less than 10% of the final installed base. But I honestly think there are enough consumers willing to purchase the system at the higher prices to maintain software support at the same level as the PS2. I've always thought that traditionally systems are ridiculously cheap, as after only 6-7 game purchases you've already spent more on software, and many of us end up with over 40-50 titles by generation's end.
Lastly, for the amount of people crying foul that they just want a games machine, I don't understand the complaints on the $500 pack, as unlike the 360, none of the omissions affect gaming. All HD resolutions from games are fine through component, the HDD is still there, the ethernet is still built in, and the memory card slots are more for the media hub than gaming. If the whole convergence thing isn't your bag, what's really wrong with the $500 pack?
Deg said:This price is cheaper than the UK Xbox 360 premium price. So its good news for Europe.
$500 would have been acceptable. Its expensive but People would be willing to pay the price. $600 is just too much. Sure people spend a lot of money on portable music devices and other things, but none of those things cost $600. When people see that price tag they;re going to be put off.Ranger X said:You see, this is exactly the problem. Everything is getting too expensive and we tell ourselve "oh look, the thing there is expensive so it's normal". People are bullshited, we are frustrated by the price because it's simply ridiculous and we don't want to encourage this trend.
I can shell 600$ tomorrow if i need. But not for a PS3, there is no videogame passion that can buy a machine at this price unless the person mix "passion" with "stupidity" of course.
I think it's really a bad move for Sony no matter the tech. 500$ is a psychological barrier they shouldn't have crossed.
Nick Laslett said:$600 = £322 at today's exchange rate.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/706/706133p1.htmlIGN said:May 9, 2006 - Krazy Ken's at it again. Following the surprise pre-E3 announcement of the PlayStation 3 price, Sony Computer Entertainment head Ken Kutaragi spoke with Japan's IT Media and offered up this beauty: "It's probably too cheap."
In case you skipped out on Monday's press conference, here's the deal. In addition to showing a slew of game demonstrations, Sony Computer Entertainment's Kaz Hirai announced launch specifics for the system. PS3 will go on sale first in Japan on 11/11 at a price of 59,800 yen for a 20GB model, with a 60GB model set at open pricing. The US will get the system on 11/17 with cost set at, respectively, $499 and $599.
Kutaragi explained to IT Media why be believes the price isn't a problem:
"This is the PS3 price. Expensive, cheap -- we don't want you to think of it in terms of game machines. Because the PS3 is like nothing else.
For instance, is it not nonsense to compare the charge for dinner at the company cafeteria with dinner at a fine restaurant? It's a question of what you can do with that game machine. If you can have an amazing experience, we believe price is not a problem.
When we announced the PlayStation price, it was said to be expensive. Same for the PlayStation 2. However, when released, both had sales that were unthinkable for previous game machines. This is because both offered experiences that could not be had on previous game machines.
With the PS3, you can have next generation game experiences that could previously not be experienced -- things like next generation graphics and various services via the network. And, as with the PS and PS2, we believe people who like games will, without question, purchase it."
Kutaragi also took the time to comment on Sony's shipping targets for the system. SCE plans to have two million units available at launch (the Japanese press reports this as the initial shipment figure for the system, and not a number that will be gradually released over a launch window), with another two million by the end of the year and two million more before the end of March 2007. Regarding this, Kutaragi said, "Of course, this is a number that we announced having made sure we can definitely prepare it. There is the possibility of unexpected problems like earthquake or theft, so I won't say it's absolute, but if this type of trouble does not occur, there's no problem with this number."
We expect to hear more from Kutaragi as E3 continues, so be sure and check back over the coming days.
Diablos said:
Diablos said:
DCharlie said:serious question : what becomes of "wait for the superior PS3 version" now?
i mean, if the choice is paying double the cost of the X360 , having a nice X month wait for the game, and it probably being the same damned game, then why wait? (of course i'm tossing away Bluray movie support and exclusives, but hey)
Diablos said:
charlequin said:Nope, you've missed the point, and so have Sony.
It's true, they absolutely can sell out their launch shipments with this price. That's unambiguous. What they can't possibly be thinking about is what hapens in April. People who early-adopt hardware or who buy lavish Xmas gifts will clean the shelves in December, but after that you hit a brick wall. During the months that PS3 needs to be sprinting ahead of X360, instead it'll be sitting there at a premium price.
The problem is that there's not much of a market for a $600 console beyond those early eBay-style adopters -- and the market for a $400 console isn't that much bigger (those are the people we've been calling the high-price early adopters up 'til this point, after all.) PS3 has to hit $250 to attract the casual purchase crowd -- that'll take them three price drops on even their cheaper (crippled) system, while Xbox 360 can do a $50 price drop and hit it for this Christmas. That's an astounding tactical error.
Playstation 3 will be released in Australia on November 17th 2006, at a retail price of $829 for the 20GB Console, or $999 for the 60GB Console.
gofreak said:I was perplexed by this too, because I'm 99% sure that PS3 is the only platform they're working on right now, or at least that was what I had heard pre-E3. Kaz mentioned Pandemic explicitly, but it seems they're leaving some developers and publishers to make their own announcements.
BTW, Pandemic's countdown teaser in the last couple of days seems to suggest co-op play is in They should make their announcement today/tomorrow.
Oneself said:Well, Mercenaries: World in Flames is pretty sure to be exclusive to PS3. All the features + insane physics - I don't see it being an Xbox360 title.
Dr_Cogent said:I'm just blown away at the price. Simply blown away.
To me, it's like they are handing the market over to MS practically. I can see people buying 360's because the PS3 is so fargin expensive.
Count Chocula said:I wonder if they collected any data on the number of 360's that sold for over $600 on ebay last fall.
Oneself said:Well, Mercenaries: World in Flames is pretty sure to be exclusive to PS3. All the features + insane physics - I don't see it being an Xbox360 title.
Diablos said:http://www.dvdbits.com/ is reporting that:
Playstation 3 will be released in Australia on November 17th 2006, at a retail price of AU$829 for the 20GB Console, or AU$999 for the 60GB Console.
Diablos said:
dalyr95 said:If you're worried about having to pay an extra $100 for HDMI, you probably don't have a spare $2000 for a HDTV to watch with your HDMI connection.
laptop HDD's run cooler and are tougher than thier larger desktop PC brothers.BigGreenMat said:My question is with such an insanely expensive console that is SO FREAKING HUGE (it is bigger and MUCH heavier than the Xbox) how come we are only getting a 20 and 60gb hard drive? They aren't exactly saving space here so I don't see why they are using laptop hard drives when they could get a 3-4x bigger HDD for the same price in the regular form factor.
Oh and for the record there is no way in hell that I am paying $600 for a console. Call me when the price is sub $300 and I'll get one. I suggest other people take a similar stance. The price will drop FASTER if you don't buy it right away, and you will still be able to play the games that come out for it. Also consider that this thing was supposed to be out earlier than now? What would it have been if it had released today, $800?
The common consumer isn't being targeted; people need to understand this fact. The PS2 is for the common consumer. Sony is attempting to lengthen both console cycles with this price, and whether it works or not we'll have to wait and see. The PS2 proved that the common consumer was willing to pay $179 and $149, which was higher than they were willing to spend on the PSone. If it's higher yet again this gen, that might make the common consumer acceptable price point almost $249.Dr_Cogent said:The common consumer isn't going to pay those prices.
Nick Laslett said:$600 = £322 at today's exchange rate.
Kung Fu Jedi said:So you're saying the 360 can't handle Mercs 2? :lol
Heian-kyo said:The PS2 proved that the common consumer was willing to pay $179 and $149, which was higher than they were willing to spend on the PSone. If it's higher yet again this gen, that might make the common consumer acceptable price point almost $249.
The bottom line however is that the PS3 won't be targeted at the common consumer until 2008 or 2009.
Diablos said:
Drek said:What everyone is really missing here is that $500/$600 is only the FIRST STEP.
Wait until next gen when the Xbox whatever and the PS4 will retail at $800 and $1000 respectively. Neither company is in the business of selling video game systems, they're selling home entertainment convergence centers. Hop on board or buy a Wii.
:lolDiablos said:
Diablos said:
MrSardonic said:That's just not how it works. The PS3 will retail at closer to 600 Euros and £400 for the premium pack. It's obvious that MS will drop the X360 price right before PS3 lanuch, probably something like £50.
So the PS3 premium pack will end up being at something like £150 more expensive than anything else on the market and double the cost of Wii. Good luck Sony
Diablos said:
VNZ said:Has anyone made a good PS3 size comparison pic yet? It'd be fun to see it dwarf the PStwo.
Like I said, buy a Wii. Nintendo isn't about convergence.GreenGlowingGoo said:See that's what really sucks, I'm a gamer, not a home entertainment convergence center-er. That would make a horrible forum! NeoHECCAF FTL!