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[sonycowboy]

Too little, too late

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=4427

Rob Fahey 16:26 14/09/2004

Official price cuts make PSX even more competitive, but will it woo consumers?

Following reports that Japanese retailers had unofficially slashed the price of the Sony PSX hybrid media system, the company has now dropped the official RRP of the devices to less than two thirds of the original price.

The company quietly dropped the price of the low-end PSX system, which incorporates a 160Gb hard drive, to 44,800 Yen (333 Euro), while the high-end system, boasting a 250Gb hard drive, will now have an RRP of 59,800 Yen (444 Euro).

These latest drops shave 15,000 Yen (111 Euro) off the low-end system's price tag, and 20,000 Yen (149 Euro) off the high-end one - but when combined with some earlier price drops, which also happened without fanfare a few weeks ago, the cut is even more drastic.

In total, the official recommended retail price of the low-end system has fallen by 29,200 Yen (217 Euro) in the past month, while the high-end model has fallen by a massive 35,200 Yen (261 Euro).

Sales of the PSX in Japan have lagged badly throughout this year, despite a relaunch of the device by the company in early summer, and retailers were already discounting stock heavily when Sony's official price cut came into effect this weekend - with some already offering the device at under that RRP.

The official cut will undoubtedly stimulate sales of PSX in the short term, not least because the hybrid device - which incorporates a PlayStation 2 console, DVD recorder and hard disc video recorder, along with a number of other media features - will now be significantly cheaper than competing DVD recording systems from other manufacturers.

However, it's not clear whether this is an aggressive move by Sony to resuscitate the fortunes of the system - and with it, perhaps, the credibility of the company's drive towards convergence gaming and media devices - or whether the silent nature of the price drop indicates that Sony, too, is keen simply to free up some warehouse space and drop the PSX from its line entirely. Much will be read into how prominently the PSX is featured in Sony's holiday season marketing campaigns in Japan.

 

[Wulfer]

The bargin bens are open for business... (Please take this thing off my hands the owners say.) You guys have to agree this was almost a 32X move.

 

[kaching]

No.

 

[SpoonyBard]

The bargin bens are open for business... (Please take this thing off my hands the owners say.) You guys have to agree this was almost a 32X move.

Only Sega made that kind of moves, but yeah, there was no way PSX was going to sell...

 

[Brofist]

The PSX wasn't meant as a mass market machine with PS2 type numbers. What I'd like to see is a comparison between PSX sales and sales of other DVD Recorder/HD combo units to see where it stacked up.

 

[Miburou]

The PSX is by Sony Electronic, not SCEI. I'm sure Sony Elec. has released dozens of devices in the past that haven't sold well.

 

[mashoutposse]

PSX is probably a blessing in disguise... there have always been stories of the more traditional parts of Sony wanting a heavier influence on SCEI and Playstation hardware design -- this should show them that the game division is best left largely alone.

 

[ninge]

Perhaps now these electronics giants will realise that they are the only people that get excited by "convergence"

If i put all my entertainment eggs in one basket and it breaks i'm FOOKED. Why would i ever buy something that is all in one box? what if i want to upgrade to blue ray? do i just chuck the whole thing away?

Thanks all the same i'll keep them seperate so i can just buy the bits i want when i want..

 

[Brofist]

Perhaps now these electronics giants will realise that they are the only people that get excited by "convergence"

If i put all my entertainment eggs in one basket and it breaks i'm FOOKED. Why would i ever buy something that is all in one box? what if i want to upgrade to blue ray? do i just chuck the whole thing away?

Thanks all the same i'll keep them seperate so i can just buy the bits i want when i want..

I'm not gonna say the PSX was a great idea, but what is the difference between owning a DVD recorder/HD all in one unit and the PSX. Really the PSX is the same with PS2 compatibility thrown in as a bonus. It wasn't supposed to appeal to people who wanted a PS2 (those people already own a PS2). It's for the people who want DVD recording/HD set top box functionality, and might play a PS2 game now and again as a second thought.

And what technology ever allows you to upgrade like that. Pretty much with any electronic device when something new comes out you're shit out of luck.

 

[doncale]

from.... 'retailers drop PSX prices in Japan'

to.... 'Sony officially drops PSX prices in Japan'

and prolly soon.... 'Sony officially drops PSX altogether in Japan'


:lol

 

[Brofist]

from.... 'retailers drop PSX prices in Japan'

to.... 'Sony officially drops PSX prices in Japan'

and prolly soon.... 'Sony officially drops PSX altogether in Japan'


:lol

I wouldn't doubt it lol

I think the PS2 compatibility actually hurt this thing. People who spend $1000 on DVD recorders don't want to think they are buying a glorified video game system. People who want video game systems don't drop $1000 for an all in one box (well maybe some dropped the $700 launch price for the 3DO, but they are in a different class )

 

[xsarien]

Too little, too late

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=4427

You know, if Sony released it in the States with TiVos basic service installed, it'd probably do pretty well. At those prices, it's probably undercutting the Phillips TiVO/DVD-R system by a fair amount.

 

[sonycowboy]

You know, if Sony released it in the States with TiVos basic service installed, it'd probably do pretty well. At those prices, it's probably undercutting the Phillips TiVO/DVD-R system by a fair amount.

If I wanted Tivo and to pay the lifetime fee, I would have already gotten it. I was hoping this would come here and they would introduce a Tivo-like service without the damn subscription.
Why should I have to pay to be able to download the TV guide? That info is freely available. I don't want to pay the subscription just so they can subsidize the hardware.

 

[Brofist]

If I wanted Tivo and to pay the lifetime fee, I would have already gotten it. I was hoping this would come here and they would introduce a Tivo-like service without the damn subscription.
Why should I have to pay to be able to download the TV guide? That info is freely available. I don't want to pay the subscription just so they can subsidize the hardware.

that's why you get a decent TV card for your computer and do it for free that way

 

[sonycowboy]

that's why you get a decent TV card for your computer and do it for free that way

Nah. For far, far too many reasons. TV/Computer hookups suck, have to buy a decent card, have a decent computer, download and install too much, etc.

I'm just too lazy and cheap. I want an appliance.

 

[xsarien]

If I wanted Tivo and to pay the lifetime fee, I would have already gotten it. I was hoping this would come here and they would introduce a Tivo-like service without the damn subscription.

But...TiVo's basic service is free. It's usually bundled into 3rd party convergence players, like Toshiba's TiVo/DVD player and Pioneer's TiVo/DVD-R burner, hence my wishful thinking.

 

[mrklaw]

Why should I have to pay to be able to download the TV guide? That info is freely available. I don't want to pay the subscription just so they can subsidize the hardware

you are paying for the service. That includes season passes (without which I wouldn't buy a DVD/HDD recorder IMO) and wishlists.

Otherwise all you have is a VCR with no tapes. Thats only a fraction of the benefits of moving to a HDD.


How are PC based systems? I know you can get access to listings etc, but can you leave them alone to record reliably?

 

[kaching]

PSX is probably a blessing in disguise... there have always been stories of the more traditional parts of Sony wanting a heavier influence on SCEI and Playstation hardware design -- this should show them that the game division is best left largely alone.

Actually, cja posted an interesting article from the Asian Wall Street Journal a few weeks back that spelled out Kutaragi's role with the PSX, PSP and so forth:

http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?t=12787

But Mr. Kutaragi's strategy is a gamble. The first set of products produced under his reign -- still available only in Japan -- all take the radical step of marrying videogames with consumer electronics. That may confuse consumers. An early pet project of Mr. Kutaragi, a device that combines a videogame machine with a DVD recorder, has struggled in Japan. Also, Microsoft and Intel are angling to control the software and semiconductors used in the living room.

Inside Sony, Mr. Kutaragi's grip has yet to extend to some devices, including Vaio personal computers and the Walkman division. In a sign that Sony has yet to fully rid itself of internal fiefdoms, the Vaio and Walkman divisions both recently released products designed to compete with the iPod.

There is some irony in the sight of Mr. Kutaragi, long the bad-boy iconoclast of Sony, urging warring divisions to work together. The man whose PlayStation unit was so defiant toward headquarters that one executive called it a "rebel organization" is now himself in Sony's inner circle with the title of executive deputy president.

Mr. Kutaragi's elevation to the center of Sony's electronics business, which accounts for almost 70% of the company's revenue, is part of a broader restructuring. Earlier this year, 5,000 Japanese employees took a buyout package and left the company. Sony is standardizing parts to cut costs.

So, chalk up the failings of the PSX venture more to growing pains which it sounds like they'll have to learn from rather than simply walk away from, because these divisions are not going to be able to avoid increasing collaboration with each other.

Perhaps now these electronics giants will realise that they are the only people that get excited by "convergence"

Speak for yourself, ninge. There are already plenty of existing and successful convergence devices out there. The problem with the PSX wasn't that it was a convergence device, it was that it was a poorly implemented device rushed to retail to meet its launch date.

Thanks all the same i'll keep them seperate so i can just buy the bits i want when i want..

Nothing stopping you from owning more than one of these convergence devices for redundancy and greater multitasking.