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What's Sony using to counter Xbox 2/Zelda this fall?
- Thread starter Hollywood
- Start date
1) Releases great games on PSP. Perhaps a price drop on PSP.
2) Releases great games on PS2. Perhaps a price drop on PS2. Perhaps a little laugh if MS really stop selling Xbox 1
3) show off some tech stuff about PS3. Maybe even leaflets in Sony published PS2 games.
They don't have to do much, just say "PS3" and people will know that something is coming. Promise it soon (eg march) and they'll wait. Then, come march, delay it a bit more. Worked a treat with DC.
2) Releases great games on PS2. Perhaps a price drop on PS2. Perhaps a little laugh if MS really stop selling Xbox 1
3) show off some tech stuff about PS3. Maybe even leaflets in Sony published PS2 games.
They don't have to do much, just say "PS3" and people will know that something is coming. Promise it soon (eg march) and they'll wait. Then, come march, delay it a bit more. Worked a treat with DC.
sonycowboy
Member
Hollywood said:
:lol :lol
Hollywood said:
What do you mean, counter as in... sales? Because Sony doesn't need to do anything to counter Zelda. And in terms of games, well, depends on what you're looking forward to.
For the US, they have the "triple threat" for Christmas 2005-Winter 2006 of Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts II and Dragon Quest VII. And of course they have PSU and Soul Calibur III, and I'm sure their will be lots of other shit that gets announced at E3. And if they actually advertise it well this time, they can get some mileage out of Shadow of the Collossus (maybe).
But aside from big games, there's a shit-fuck-ton of quirky out there games coming for PS2 that'll also be bad ass. There's also the inevitable price drop and the advertising bonanza and shit.
Here's some games I'm interested on the Sony side of things:
Ape Escape III
Atelier Iris
Basura (Bakura?)
Code Age Commanders (2005?)
Digital Devil Saga 1
Digital Devil Saga 2
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Dragon Quest VIII
Final Fantasy XII
Front Mission 5
Genji
Grandia III (2005?)
Haunted Ground
Jak X
Katamari Damacy 2
Kingdom Hearts II
Okami
Phantasy Star Trilogy
Phantasy Star Universe
Phantom Kingdom
Radiata Stories
Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song
Ratchet Deadlocked
Shadow Hearts 3
Sly 3
SOCOM III
Soul Calibur III
Stella Deus
Wanda and the Colossus (Shadow of the Colossus)
So, what is Sony doing to counter them? Same thing they've always done, Pinky.
There is really nothing major to do against Zelda and Xbox 2.
- As always, the hardcore will buy the initial Xbox 2 shipment.
- Zelda will be, perhaps, the best selling game this year, regardless of what Sony releases.
- PS2 will continue selling as strongly as it has been as it won't have a direct competitor, other than the GCN. Xbox 2 will cater to a different audience during the first few months.
- As always, the hardcore will buy the initial Xbox 2 shipment.
- Zelda will be, perhaps, the best selling game this year, regardless of what Sony releases.
- PS2 will continue selling as strongly as it has been as it won't have a direct competitor, other than the GCN. Xbox 2 will cater to a different audience during the first few months.
soundwave05
Member
Sony is going to dominate this Christmas IMO.
$99 PSTwo slim + a very, very strong lineup of games ...
Final Fantasy XII (hopefully), Jak X, Resident Evil 4, Soul Calibur III, SOCOM III, Wanda & Colossus, etc. There's also the EA stuff like The Godfather and Madden NFL 2006 which will obviously sell very well on PS2.
The PSP should sell very well too, especailly if they introduce the regular pack for $199.99.
I think PSTwo and PSP will be the number one and number two top selling hardware for the holidays.
$99 PSTwo slim + a very, very strong lineup of games ...
Final Fantasy XII (hopefully), Jak X, Resident Evil 4, Soul Calibur III, SOCOM III, Wanda & Colossus, etc. There's also the EA stuff like The Godfather and Madden NFL 2006 which will obviously sell very well on PS2.
The PSP should sell very well too, especailly if they introduce the regular pack for $199.99.
I think PSTwo and PSP will be the number one and number two top selling hardware for the holidays.
sonycowboy
Member
IJoel said:
Most likely PS2 version of Madden, NFS, & whatever the big PS2 monster release is this fall will all outsell anything on Xenon or Gamecube.
Not saying they'll be better, just outsell.
soundwave05
Member
I think they could also moves games like Gran Turismo 4 and God of War over to the Player's Choice line.
Hero said:
I seriously doubt it too, that's why I put a wide timeframe. At the very least Kingdom Hearts II will definitely make it for Christmas, which is a HUGE game by any measure.
PS2 KINGDOM HEARTS 2,307,291
GCN ZELDA: THE WIND WAKER 1,819,692
So it should be interesting to see how sales stack up again.
soundwave05
Member
Nooooo ... I want Final Fantasy XII this Christmas, not Kingdom Hearts 2 
They're already amassing a great exclusive high profile lineup from their Japanese partners...
-Dragon Quest VIII
-Final Fantasy XII
-Kingdom Hearts II
-Soul Calibur III
-Phantasy Star Universe
-Sega Rally 2005
-Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
-Onimusha 4
-Resident Evil 4 (enhanced)
...plus their own stuff...
-SOCOM III: US Navy Seals
-Shadow of the Colossus
-Genji
-Jak X
-Rachet Deadlocked
-Sly 3
-Killzone 2
-24
...combine that with a price drop to $129, the best multiplatform support around and PS2's got nothing to worry about.
-Dragon Quest VIII
-Final Fantasy XII
-Kingdom Hearts II
-Soul Calibur III
-Phantasy Star Universe
-Sega Rally 2005
-Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
-Onimusha 4
-Resident Evil 4 (enhanced)
...plus their own stuff...
-SOCOM III: US Navy Seals
-Shadow of the Colossus
-Genji
-Jak X
-Rachet Deadlocked
-Sly 3
-Killzone 2
-24
...combine that with a price drop to $129, the best multiplatform support around and PS2's got nothing to worry about.
soundwave05
Member
Er, I think the price drop will be to $99, not $129.
Doom_Bringer
Banned
Amir0x said:
word! I watiting for Grandia III too, that game looks fantastic.
Too early for both I think, they'll sell well reagrdless. New GH games will be last fall's stuff (Killzone, R&C3, Sly 2, Jak III, etc). GT4 in particular has huge longeveity, there's no reason for SCEA to miss out on easy money.soundwave05 said:
KH did sell amazingly well but it also had half a year's lead on Zelda (1.5 years as a budget game). This time I get the feeling Zelda's going to come out on top with all the buzz it's getting (while KH2 looks like a fairly by the numbers sequel).Amir0x said:
jarrod said:
I don't doubt Zelda has the chance to come out on top, but I'm pretty positive that Kingdom Hearts 2 is "on the same level" in terms of massive sales potential. Being a "by the numbers sequel" (whatever bullshit that means) really has no impact on how well a game sales, especially one with such universal appeal as KH2 on the system with the biggest userbase by far. And if you consider KH2 is just such a game people who are taking advantage of the 99 PS2 might buy, the sales potential is still great. I mean, KH sold more than FFX. Who would have thought some Disney-Square orgy would be Square's strongest franchise going forward?
So whoever comes out on top, I bet it'll be relatively close. But I think by the end Zelda will have won, and on top of that I think it might end up the second or first best selling Cube game behind Smash Bros.
soundwave05
Member
2006 is a bit late.
2005 will give them a bigger impact at that price and also probably deter players from choosing other platforms (read XBox 2 or GameCube).
They do have a good lineup, but it also should be noted that they don't have a new Grand Theft Auto or Gran Turismo for the holidays this time out, so a price drop is more likely.
2005 will give them a bigger impact at that price and also probably deter players from choosing other platforms (read XBox 2 or GameCube).
They do have a good lineup, but it also should be noted that they don't have a new Grand Theft Auto or Gran Turismo for the holidays this time out, so a price drop is more likely.
SonicMegaDrive
Member
I agree. $99 PS2 is it. Not many major software releases, except for RE4, Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts II. That might put a dent in Microsoft's plans for world domination.
But I doubt it.
But I doubt it.
soundwave05
Member
I think GameCube in terms of selling hardware will struggle this Christmas. I just think Nintendo's exhausted the market for those who want a console heavy on traditional Nintendo franchises.
Shouldn't stop Mario Kart or Zelda from selling big, but I don't think they'll be getting many new recruits.
The state of the GC at retail is abyssmal too, I dunno about you guys, but I've noticed that retailers are starting to make their GCN shelf space smaller and smaller, sometimes just lumping it with the GBA/DS.
Shouldn't stop Mario Kart or Zelda from selling big, but I don't think they'll be getting many new recruits.
The state of the GC at retail is abyssmal too, I dunno about you guys, but I've noticed that retailers are starting to make their GCN shelf space smaller and smaller, sometimes just lumping it with the GBA/DS.
soundwave05 said:
Sony don't need to deter players from choosing a $300 xbox2 instead of a PSTwo, completely different market. If there is no xbox1, then there is no incentive for a large cut.
They do need to deter from the xbox2 for the sake of the PS3, but thats a different matter.
Gran Turismo 4 and SOCOM III will probably outsell it if sales from the previous versions are anything to go by. And that's ignoring the fact that Madden 2006 being the only NFL game on the market means it's going to kill everything else in sales.
SonicMegaDrive
Member
mrklaw said:
Is Xbox2 going to be $300 for sure? Or is the possibility of a $199 launch totally out of the question?
soundwave05
Member
Well the strategy Sony would be using isn't all that different from what Nintendo did with the SNES, when they had their system at $99 with a good library and aggressively marketed gamers to stay put and not invest in other platforms like the 32X, Saturn, Playstation, etc.
That's the same tactic Sony will use this holiday, and it works better at $99 then it does at $129.
I think hardware sales over the holidays will break down something like this ...
1.) PSTwo
2.) PSP
3.) DS
4.) XBox 2 (limited by manufacturing capability)
5.) GBA SP
6.) GameCube
That's the same tactic Sony will use this holiday, and it works better at $99 then it does at $129.
I think hardware sales over the holidays will break down something like this ...
1.) PSTwo
2.) PSP
3.) DS
4.) XBox 2 (limited by manufacturing capability)
5.) GBA SP
6.) GameCube
Why? It's not like PS2's going anywhere. It's going to be selling well into 2007 probably.soundwave05 said:
But they don't need a bigger impact. They rule the market, 90% of console games produced show up on their system... they've got nothing to worry about. So why not make $30 in profit rather break even on each PS2? Especially with massive PS3 investment just around the corner and PSP eating a loss concurrently?soundwave05 said:
To $129.soundwave05 said:
sonycowboy
Member
mrklaw said:
Exactly. A PS2 @ $99 vs $129 WILL NOT SLOW DOWN Xenon sales one bit. The only reason Sony would drop the PS2 to $99 would be ; hell I can't think of a reason. Maybe if Xbox dropped to $99 just to piss them off (since it would barely affect them, but really, really hurt Sony) or if PS2 sales were just too slow at $129.
Hell, Sony's already sold 1M PS2's @ $149 just this year, in two of the slowest months of the year. I really don't think they need to go down to $99 yet.
soundwave05
Member
Heh, you're hoping on $129 for the PSTwo, cause you know Nintendo is dead if they go to $99.
I think the $99 price point is very, very likely because while their lineup this holiday is strong, there is no GTA/Gran Turismo level new release.
The other reason is its the same tactic that's been employed in the past by Sony (PSOne vs. the Dreamcast) and Nintendo (SNES vs. Saturn/Playstation).
You never know what the market is either. Who's to say someone who was going to buy a XBox 2 may not think "hey I hear the PS3 is coming out too though, maybe I should just wait and buy a cheap PS2 in the meantime".
I think the $99 price point is very, very likely because while their lineup this holiday is strong, there is no GTA/Gran Turismo level new release.
The other reason is its the same tactic that's been employed in the past by Sony (PSOne vs. the Dreamcast) and Nintendo (SNES vs. Saturn/Playstation).
You never know what the market is either. Who's to say someone who was going to buy a XBox 2 may not think "hey I hear the PS3 is coming out too though, maybe I should just wait and buy a cheap PS2 in the meantime".
sonycowboy
Member
soundwave05 said:
But, Sony really doesn't want to blow their wad too early. They still want to sell PS2's into 2008 and beyond. Each price drop brings a new set of buyers in and you get a bounce. Skipping a bounce just seems crazy and it gives them very little price adjustment room in 2006 and 2007.
The Abominable Snowman
Member
I'll put it like this: Zelda looks to be the only major title on that level coming out for the GC if the next Mario title doesn't make it. That'll make Zelda the biggest GC title of this YEAR. However, GC sales have been slow and the upcoming Zelda is the only title that could attract a big audience, aside from a further price drop.
The GC won't be a thought for Sony nor Microsoft. It most likely will not even get any major 3rd party games aside from Madden (and some other EA games).
Microsoft's affect on Sony depends on their launch lineup. Since we only know of Oblivion and EA games for the launch, we should wait. For all we know, GTA:Mars could be on it exclusively.
The GC won't be a thought for Sony nor Microsoft. It most likely will not even get any major 3rd party games aside from Madden (and some other EA games).
Microsoft's affect on Sony depends on their launch lineup. Since we only know of Oblivion and EA games for the launch, we should wait. For all we know, GTA:Mars could be on it exclusively.
PS2 looks to have another nice selection of releases this holiday season, but will it be enough to counter "The Next Generation" of gaming?? For example, when people see and hear about what some of the next-gen games on Xenon can do, will it make PS2's selection of games pale in comparison?? If so, how much could that affect sales of these quality current gen games??
If I had to guess on system pricing I'd say PS2 goes to $129 @ E3 and $99 in October or November. I wouldn't have thought of them trying to drop the price that low before since the sales are still strong now at $149 but with the Soul Calibur III announcement and the other games lined up I think they do in fact take the Xbox 2 launch seriously. PlayStation did a good enough job of holding people over to wait for PS2 when Dreamcast came out, they may try the same approach again.
I think Xbox 2 will launch at $299 this fall and drop to $199 a few weeks before PS3 comes out next fall. I don't see them dropping the price by $100 after only six months like they did with Xbox.
I think Xbox 2 will launch at $299 this fall and drop to $199 a few weeks before PS3 comes out next fall. I don't see them dropping the price by $100 after only six months like they did with Xbox.
soundwave05
Member
sonycowboy said:
Fair enough, but they've waited already a long ass time in getting to $99. If they want people to "wait" on buying an XBox 360, in favor of a PS3 down the line, especailly existing XBox owners, its an advantage to have the PS2 as cheap as possible for them.
Because then the person can say "well I need something new to play this Christmas, maybe I'll pick up a PSTwo with God of War while I wait to see how XBox 360/PS3 playout".
You can sway people at retail, I know I've worked retail and other times a person will come in set on buying something but walk out buying something else. This happened a lot with the Dreamcast, a lot of people came in interested in a DC, but walked out with a PSOne model instead.
Some people are just late in getting into a certain gaming generation, it doesn't neccessarily mean that everyone buying a PSOne at $99 can't afford a pricier system. It doesn't mean that the people who buy a PSTwo at $99 couldn't opt to buy an XBox 360 at $200-$300 either.
sonycowboy
Member
sol5377 said:
Wait for E3. Well over half of the fall games for the PS2 haven't been announced yet. Also, the yearly retreads unfortunately enough sell VERY, VERY well, especially on the PS2. (Madden, NFS, Tony Hawk, WWE, Sony's stuff, etc)
I'm just looking at the market at large. You're just hoping on $99 for PStwo, cause you know Microsoft is dead if they go to $99.soundwave05 said:
There's enough stuff though, and FFXII might be the big ticket. Like FFIX was used against DC launch.soundwave05 said:
We're talking platforms with a $100 difference there though. Unless 360 is $199 at launch, I just don't see a $99 PS2. Besides, when has Sony skipped the $129 before? They've alwyas dropped PS2 slower than PS1, why would that suddenly change?soundwave05 said:
And $129 is still "cheap". Hell, they could probably keep it $149 still and be fine.soundwave05 said:
sonycowboy
Member
soundwave05 said:
Again, and it's been said already, those who buy the system @ < $129 ARE NOT the people who buy systems at launch. Most likely Xenon will sell out of all the systems they release this year. The PS2 is NOT an effective deterrent. HYPE, more impressive tech, & exclusives for the PS3 will be the ammunition sony has at it's disposal.
soundwave05
Member
I think $99 is in the bag.
If no other reason than that Sony wants to spite Microsoft and they want to keep retail channels flooded with PSTwo inventory.
The lower the price, the more demand retailers will anticipate, and the more Sony hardware they'll order.
You can't just blow Christmas' either, yes there will be more holiday seasons for the PSTwo, but this is really the last big one that its going to get. They should look to maximize their sales potential.
Just because the PSTwo will be around in 2006/2007 doesn't mean its going to have the same sales capability in those years that it does now.
By next year the PS3 will be out and will be able to play PSTwo games. By next year the XBox 360 will be cheaper. So will the PSP. The Game Boy Next might also be out too. There will be a lot of choices for consumers, you don't waste windows of oppurtunities when you get them.
If no other reason than that Sony wants to spite Microsoft and they want to keep retail channels flooded with PSTwo inventory.
The lower the price, the more demand retailers will anticipate, and the more Sony hardware they'll order.
You can't just blow Christmas' either, yes there will be more holiday seasons for the PSTwo, but this is really the last big one that its going to get. They should look to maximize their sales potential.
Just because the PSTwo will be around in 2006/2007 doesn't mean its going to have the same sales capability in those years that it does now.
By next year the PS3 will be out and will be able to play PSTwo games. By next year the XBox 360 will be cheaper. So will the PSP. The Game Boy Next might also be out too. There will be a lot of choices for consumers, you don't waste windows of oppurtunities when you get them.