@Just_Ben, Sony needs to say they think the introductory price was right for business reasons. And to an extent it was because if they offered it for any cheaper at the time, it would've hurt them severely and at launch those who bought it believed it was at the right price, it was worth it to them.
@Laoldar, Consumers should buy a PS3 now if what they want is a PS3, plain and simple. Yes, they've alienated early buyers, MS has done the same thing yet we don't see as much negativity towards them on the SE. They were only cocky to some degree based on the past where PS1 & PS2 absolutely dominated. The earliest buyers were the most loyal PS fans, just like any system. To think Sony is wrong for changing and trying to offer something more appealing to every person outside of the first 4.5 million owners isn't as big a deal as you make it out to be. MS waited until they had near 10 million sold before they screwed all of those early adopters, and it wasn't to save their future like Sony is trying to do.
Yes people did bitch about the demise of the Emotion engine but what you do not know is how many of them then did not purchase a PS3 because of it.
Also although BC may be used by only a small minority I am sure that a larger number felt that they would use it and that is why it matters. I must of fallen into the 1% category then as I played the whole of Halo 2 on my 360 and I still think that one day I will use it again.
I think everyone can see the desperation in Hirai's comments. He thinks N.America's problems is a SHORTAGE? Why did they have to drop the price of the 60 gig units to move them? It's sad when he refers to the Dreamcast as if it was a lumbering juggernaut that had to be overcome by the underdog that was the PS2. Sheesh.
Well I read an article at the euro launch that is nearly impossible to do a GS simulation by software, don't ask for a link, I don't find it. The article was really technic heavy, but as far as I understood the Graphic ships of the PS2 and PS3 are to diffrent for that. Maybee Sony found a way (rember the PS3 was rushed out). Let put under rumor for know that the 40 gig has no backward compatibilty at all.
@Joe80, Nice find! But wonder if the price is realy 449 € or will be 399 € and this retailer is speculating with people to buy it at a higher price because they don't know better.
Yes BC adds value to the PS3, but what if led the 80 gig(us) or 60 gig(EU) for 499? One high price SKU for people who want BC and one low price SKU without it? Their main problem is the price, and I don't see how they could do a BC PS3 for 399 at the moment, without taking to much loss. As i said, the GC (Chip) and is RAM should be cost about 40$ to produce. By the way Sony still thinks the introduce price of the PS3 was right. (Link)
It's not just a matter of changing with the market. Why should any consumers buy a PS3 now? All those people buying PS3s now are buying inferior controllers to the ones that will be released in a few months. Will they decide to add/remove another feature in a couple months and discontinue all old SKUs (they've discontinued two SKUs already)?
Are they alienating consumers who bought a PS3 with no rumble for $599 when 14 months later a person can buy a console with rumble for $399? At the very least, it's not going to win them any fans by screwing over those customers because they made such a gigantic misjudgement of the market (and acted INCREDIBLY cocky about it). If they had been less arrogant at the time, maybe I would feel different...I know I'd be quite bitter if I was an early buyer.
It's a bit hard to swallow the idea that they're changing with the market when 11 months ago they were so quick to tell the market what it should want.
@Laoldar, Sony is changing as the market sees fit, I see nothing wrong with that. Would you rather they not change and they fail instead? Rumble was only old to them because of the issues involved with Immersion. Sony bashed MS crippled SKU because the Core offered little value compared to what PS3's first 2 SKUs did, but now they're following suit because they realize people do want cheap SKUs. Noone could've predicted Wii's success, so pricedrops are needed. Sony is just changing in the right directions.
@welshbloke, Ya people on the Internet bitched about the EE issue, but then you never heard anyone talk about it again. People just get mad, many times over things they would barely or never use, because they feel a need to. When it comes down to it, it doesn't become a real problem. I remembering reading an interview with MS employee who talked about how many people were using BC and the figure was like 1%, excluding Halo 2.
Backwards compatibility does have value and it's wrong to discount it so much. It's no coincidence that the PS3, 360 and Wii all began with it (though the 360's was tremendously flawed at launch and the PS3 seems to want to drop it).
In our entertainment center, we have just about every Nintendo system, a PSone and a X-Box. Due to having a Wii, we're free to move the Gamecube to another room and still be able to play our GC games without having another set of power and A/V cords lying around. It's convenient and, at this point, expected by consumers.
Also, is anyone else noticing the continuing change of message by Sony? Last year, rumble was old. Next year, it'll be new. Last year, Sony bashed Microsoft for offering a crippled SKU and now they're introducing their own with a smaller harddrive and fewer features/ports. Last year their price was just right. Now it's facing its second drop this year.
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Sony needs to say they think the introductory price was right for business reasons. And to an extent it was because if they offered it for any cheaper at the time, it would've hurt them severely and at launch those who bought it believed it was at the right price, it was worth it to them.