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Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"
Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"
Kotaku - December 19, 2008
Submitted by Animate (241) at 7:36PM PST on December 19, 2008
SCEE's David Reeves says no price cut for PS3 anytime soon, not even in the Spring 2009. He also says "That doesn’t mean we are going to add pieces of software – we might add original ideas to the machine."
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1apujanata posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 6:50AM PST on December 22, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@Joe80,
Must have games on DS (for me and family) :
New Super Mario Bros.
Advance Wars DS and Advance Wars Days of Ruins
Super Mario 64 DS (didn't have N64, and never played SM64)
GBA Games I have (I only have 1 GBASP, so instead of buying another GBASP, I choose to buy NDS)
Brain Age (Yeah, I am one of those people who enjoyed BA and BA2)
Pokemon Diamond & Pearl
and some other DS game I had but couldn't list (Phoenix Wright, for example)
Even though I bought PS2 for Dynasty Tactics and FFX, I did bought more game than those 2. In fact, I think I have about 50 games total on PS2, and about 30 games on PS1. Those 2 games are the trigger, the reason I have to buy PS2 NOW instead of later. I have God of War 1 & 2, I have Legend of Dragoon, Chrono Cross, Rogue Galaxy etc (most of my game is RPG). I also have DT1 & DT2, RTK 8, RTK 9 and RTK10 (I also have lots of SRPG).
HDTV and PS3/X360 as a "must pair" is probably caused by my perfectionist/techie habit. I bought component cable for GCN and PS2 (while most of my friend are happy playing them with RCA cable). I also bought component cable together with my first Wii purchase.
I don't know about your family, but rotating 3 person (me, my eldest son and my second son) to share a single machine is a big headache. Especially if you just bought a brand new game and would like to play that game non-stop(like FFXIII, for example). Having to see other person play other game (like Sponge Bob) is a torture. Even though you have DS or other console to play while waiting for your turn, you will not be able to concentrate since your mind keep on returning to that "game that I couldn't play yet because somebody else is hogging the machine". After going through it with Zelda WW on GC, I decided never to buy a single machine again, ever.[ Oracle ] [ Level 30 ] [ Rank: 14935 ]bids
1Animate posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 8:16PM PST on December 21, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@apujanata,
As I said in the past, neither me nor any of my friends who have 360 or PS3 have an HDTV. Don't force yourself to get an HDTV before getting a 360 or PS3!
I do understand better why you don't have PS3. Personally, I would've bought less DS and/or Wii and used the additional funds for a PS3, and made the kids rotate a certain amount of time spent on the games. What must have games came out on DS that made you go through with those purchases?
I take it you are not much of a Sony fan if you only bought 2 PS2 games with all the amazing games and genres on that system.[ Oracle ] [ Level 26 ] [ Rank: 241 ]bids
2apujanata posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 2:02AM PST on December 21, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@Joe80,
Well, those 5 DS are one-by-one purchase, not one-big-purchase-at-one-time. First I bought DS Silver (Fat), then DS Blue (Fat), then DSL Navy Blue, then DSL Crimson/black, then DSL White, then DSL Metallic Rose.
Even though I purchased 6 DS+DSL, 3 of them are not in working condition (either battery almost ran out, touch screen no longer responsive, cracked hinge etc).
Right now, I use DSL Crimson/black, my eldest son DSL White, and my second son and my wife share DSL Metallic Rose. This way, there will be no bickering over DS play time between my sons. The same reason (bickering) led to me having 2 Wii, 2 PS2, 2 GCN. I only have 1 PS1 since I didn't have children at that time, and by later days, my children is still too young to play game (<2 years old by the time I switched from PS1 to PS2).
Before I buy PS3, I need to also buy HDTV (yeah, I know, PS3 can be played on SDTV, but I don't feel that playing it on SDTV is enjoying it fully), which is one of the reason I didn't purchase PS3 / X360 yet.
I bought PS2 for Dynasty Tactics and FFX. So far, I don't see any single "must have game for me" on PS3 yet. I bought Wii at launch because of Zelda 480p and waggle enabled on Wii (vs. Zelda non-480p on GCN), not because it have Wii sports.
I agree that PS3 offer many great games not on 360, but those games are not the games / type of games that I play. I don't play driving game/realistic sports game/FPS/fighting. I guess it all return to personal taste and preference, and so far, PS3 are not giving ME what I want, so no purchase from me. In fact, X360 is more appealing, with their exclusive RPGs : Lost Remmant, Blue Dragon, to name a few I played and enjoyed at my friend's house. If I have to choose today, I would choose X360 over PS3. Better price and better game (personal taste) win me over Blu-Ray.
Interesting note : I am one of the early adopter of DVD. I bought DVD player BEFORE I bought PS2. However, since Blu Ray need HDTV, I have no play to buy them UNTIL I have HDTV. PS3 with blu-ray didn't appeal to me yet, and might never will (since I prefer separate devide for different functionality, and I Never use PS2 as DVD player).
After this long wall of text, do you feel you understand more why I don't have PS3, and yet I have 2 Wii and 3 working DSL (out of 6 I purchased) ?[ Oracle ] [ Level 30 ] [ Rank: 14935 ]bids
3welshbloke posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 12:04AM PST on December 21, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@deftangel,
For me the Wii will never reach PS2 numbers because of the competition. This was not a major factor for the PS2 but it is for the Wii. Also it rather depends on the competition and I do not think any of them have given up yet.
The recession is a funny beast, you could see HD decline but you could also see it increase as people invest in home entertainment. I am inclined to think it will track at a similar rate as it is at the moment.
Cost reduction; Yes of course Microsoft will continue to reduce costs on production but I also seem them adding value in the top end models. This would erode some of the PS3 benefits and I think would be a smart move. Also I suspect all three to be working on new shapes colours and alike.[ Oracle ] [ Level 30 ] [ Rank: 60 ]bids
1Animate posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 5:42PM PST on December 20, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@apujanata,
Why would you purchase 2 Wii's and 5 DS's, but not 1 PS3 because of its price? That just seems irrational to me. PS3 does offer many great games not on 360.[ Oracle ] [ Level 26 ] [ Rank: 241 ]bids
1apujanata posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 4:35PM PST on December 20, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@deftangel,
I think Wii will do something between 100 Million (worst case scenario, only happen IF SCE & MSFT do something to shorten PS3 and X360 life, and the new console made Wii later days sales goes down significantly) up to 160 Million, Max (happen IF Wii can get PS2 like years of life, and full-HD penetration didn't fully happen by Wii's end of life time. In other words, best case scenario).
Since this is Wii, and their new market is a big unknown factor, I might underestimated their influence. But so far, I think the majority Wii user (>50%) came from hardcore + some PS2 casual user, while the minority is non-gamer (including older people, women, lapsed gamer -> someone who played game a long time ago, but didn't play games in recent years). Once we get to year 4 (2010) and beyond, we would be able to see more clearly whether Wii would "only achieve PS2 figure" or "go way beyond PS2 figure". If the latter case happen, I wouldn't be surprised at 190 - 200 Million GLS.[ Oracle ] [ Level 30 ] [ Rank: 14935 ]bids
3deftangel posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 2:42PM PST on December 20, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@welshbloke,
Can't say I agree I'm afraid.
Presently we have the Wii on track to sell less than the PS2 (which hit 150m earlier in the year). Given the current trends and new markets Nintendo are opening up I would hardly say that's over optimistic.
When Wii hardware demand slows (and Japan asides, it shows very little sign of abating) Nintendo are easily placed to cut prices, introduce new colours, more functionality or whatever else they have in their bag of tricks. I expect the Wii to follow a similar pattern to the DS. You can bet your bottom dollar we will see a Wii with a better storage solution, maybe even this year. A true successor to the Wii before the other two? Not a chance. They are clearly moving to a more Apple-esque model with their products.
Consumers were not buying into HD gaming en masse before the recession started, that certainly won't be accelerating now. Blu-Ray remains a niche market and will continue to be so, subsidised by the movie studios or not. (There's no need for the 360 to go there for that matter either) I would venture HD is only a factor in console purchases for a limited segment of the market and has very little affect on Wii sales. Not competing in that regard is a cornerstone of their strategy and it's working out pretty well for them at the moment.
With regards to MS they'll be focused on cost reduction just like Sony. The latter will want to get to a PSThree style form factor as soon as possible as it's the only thing that's going to dramatically turn around their fortunes at this point. Quality software isn't doing it and there will always be a price differential.
As for the article, I rarely agree with Mr Reeves and I don't here. Sony will do something for the Killzone launch (or near launch if they want to pocket the bump in hardware sales). March will be they're new financial year kicks in. As much as the manufacturing cost / value of the yen is killing them right now, they're YoY sales will be abysmal if they don't do something.
They certainly can't afford to look like they're going backwards.[ Oracle ] [ Level 21 ] [ Rank: 291 ]bids
2welshbloke posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 6:24AM PST on December 20, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"My Vision:
Both the 360 and PS3 will have long lives. The current downturn may well extend them. The Wii may of hit its peak this year but again the downturn may extend it depending on how HD fairs this year.
For my money the Wii is still the most overpriced stock, the PS3 is on shaky ground but anything over 6000 is still a possibility. The 360 looks very likely to now overhaul the PS3 permanently having had another good year. Basically this was the holiday season Sony needed to make the move. Microsoft pounced first again and knocked Sony off balance.
Sony and Microsoft should now be concentrating to some extent on grabbing the new market that Wii has created and enticing them into HD. They have not cracked it yet but this has to be a goal.
If I was to look into my crystal ball...
I would suggest that Sony will continue to reduce cost from the PS3 and extending its life even beyond the 10 years will be a goal. This will probably lead to a reduction in development on the next console. With the prospect of a late price cut they may try to mimic Microsoft's success but unfortunately they can never leave behind the fact the PS3 was more expensive to develop make and sell in the first place.
From the Microsoft end I actually think they will increase cost by that I mean they will increase functionality. For example this year I expect to see an Elite with very similar core specs to the PS3 i.e. Wi Fi, Blu Ray for example. Like Sony I think Microsoft are going to be happy to play the long game.
The Wii would be the console which is probably now the most likely to introduce a new console before the other two. Interestingly that could put them in the situation they then have the most expensive console. I am not sure what pressure this will put on the other two though, I guess that will depend how much market share they can claw back over the next few years. On the other hand I think they may even go down the DSi route introducing non backwards compatible functionality but trying to maintain it is the same machine.
All in All another interesting year on the horizon.[ Oracle ] [ Level 30 ] [ Rank: 60 ]bids
2ixaarii posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 4:21AM PST on December 20, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@apujanata,
yep!
which is why i find that statement very bold and untrustworthy...
i mean i still believe sony can pull off their long term machine dreams, if they have a 10 year determination... but will they be able to afford it without the critical momentum and with so much competition? Even if they do manage to make the ps3 the new wii in a couple of years (via price point & targeting)... it's kinda tough as they're going to be beaten seriously at the high end and with competition on the lower levels.[ Oracle ] [ Level 20 ] [ Rank: 444 ]bids
2apujanata posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 12:42AM PST on December 20, 2008. RE: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"@Joe80,
This (no imminent price cut) is one of the reason that I dare not buy PS3 GLS, even at the attractive price of 5900 DKP, not to mention the current 6600 DKP price point. The third year of console is very important, and without price cut, the future is getting bleaker for PS3. Even I, who owned PS2 and PS1, and have hundreds of games on PS2 and PS1, and have 2 Wii and 5 DS, are not interested to buy PS3 at its current price point.
X360, with their previous reliability issue, and $200 price point, is a more attractive offering to me NOW, someone who didn't bought XBOX. Especially since most PS3 game are also available on X360.[ Oracle ] [ Level 30 ] [ Rank: 14935 ]bids
22Animate posted on PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) at 7:36PM PST on December 19, 2008. Article: Sony "No PS3 Pricecuts Before Summer 09"
About Us - The simExchange is the video game stock market and the source
for video game sales forecasts.
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Personally, I don't view the competition as having much to do with it. Certainly competition *does* have an effect but whatever that is I see being easily cancelled out by the growth in new market sectors Nintendo have opened up where quite frankly, they don't have any competition right now. Neither of these are tangible factors, so we may have to agree to disagree but thus far I think the evidence points to the latter of having the bigger impact.
Thus far;-
* There are almost zero signs of competition affecting current Wii sales momentum. Despite not being the cheapest console on the market they sold a massive 2m last month. Furthermore, that figure is clearly what they shipped so demand is still not undercutting supply, 2 years after launch.
* The different experience offered by the Wii console encourages multiple console ownership. i.e. it's quite likely those interested in upmarket (HD) gaming would consider owning a Wii as well. More so than last gen where the only real differentiating factors were a handful of exclusives and/or LIVE vs the PS2 library with a massive number of exclusives and most of what the other platforms had.
The number of users who would buy an Xbox just to play say, Halo, is less likely to be as many who may want to play HD & waggle. If the publishers get their act together and start releasing compelling third party content exclusively for the Wii, this will increases.
* There are some similarities with last gen (i.e. the Wii, 360 & PS3 taking the roles of PS2, Xbox and GameCube respectively.) Now clearly the 360 & PS3 will perform better than the Xbox & GC. How much so depends on how much the console market has grown overall. General concensus is that the console market is growing, so even without taking into account any new customers the Wii is bringing in from non-traditional sectors, there would be in theory a bigger pie than the PS2+Xbox+GC to slice up.
Now factor in the new customers Nintendo are brining in. Bigger numbers than last gen does not necessarily translate to bigger marketshare % and/or restrict sales from Nintendo, more so given the increased possibilities for multi-console ownership.
Again this isn't tangible but I don't think the theory is too loony. What I do think, which is slightly more controversial is that HD would not be making much difference even if there wasn't a recession, much less likely now there is.
Microsoft do have a problem with their top end model now they are knocking out 60GB's, the value isn't there. Adding value to it is certainly necessary but Blu-Ray isn't it. It's only technically feasible with an expensive add-on and only relevant to a dwindling market segement who have an HDTV, know what Blu-Ray is, don't have a PS3 and don't have a standalone (which themselves are declining in price rapidly). Potentially this hurts their drive to digital download which they've been VERY vocal about. Most of the HD-DVD guys seem to have moved on to working on Silverlight to boot.
Microsoft don't need Blu-Ray to hurt the PS3 value proposition and it would have limited impact on their own for the Elite. I'd feel confident enough to stick half of my networth on their not being a Blu-Ray 360 :)