PS3 to retail less than $500

[jvd]

Well look at what we kinda know

The x360 cpu will be smaller than the cell cpu

The x360 gpu is smaller than the rsx

The dvd drive is cheaper than a bluray drive

512 gdr ram should be cheaper than 256 xdr + 256 gdr ram

So looking at this and factoring in that the x360 will be in mass production by the time ps3 production ramps up . We can figure that hte x360 will be cheaper

So ms can launch at 350$ usd . Keep it close to that price around the world . Sell a bunch of consoles . When sony launches they can see the sony price and lower or higher depending on what they think is a good idea .

I think ms will have the price advantage for a very long time .

 

[PC-Engine]

If Xbox 360 comes standard with a HDD then it's not really cheaper overall.

 

[jvd]

If Xbox 360 comes standard with a HDD then it's not really cheaper overall.

depends on how much the hardrive costs .

If its a 20-60 gig i can see them still being cheaper

6 months will give them much better yields on all the chips , the chips are smaller also. They will buy ram in much bigger bulks . They also have a ton less ports and support that they don't have to pay for .

 

[London Geezer]

Why are we discussing this? Price is something that will be adjusted depending on demand.
It's very easy to say "expensive consoles always failed against the cheaper ones".
But in the end, we have to remember that for some strange reason, this doesn't seem to apply to the Playstation brand, obviously for the name recogniction.
PS2 was more expensive than any other newer console for quite some time, and even now i think it's price is the same as the Xbox.
Does or did that hurt PS2 sales at all? No.

Price is driven by demand, if Sony see that demand for PS3 will be high enough (and who are we kidding, kids will want a PS3 like they want to have sex with Pamela Anderson), they will price it accordingly. Not too much more expensive that the X360, but just enough.

Also remember, they have the whole "added value" thing going on for them, together with the "high end hi-fi equipment" thing. People will buy PS3 even if it's slightly more pricey than the X360 because they will feel they're ultimately getting a better deal, since the box has so much stuff in it (BlueRay, 2 HDMI, MS, SD, CF slots, Gigabit, WI-FI out of the box, Bluetooth). Even i am falling for the "lots of value for the price" and i usually don't care about that.

I'm not saying that PS3 will destroy anything, i'm merely pointing out that Sony will adjust the PS3's price accordingly to the demand, and we all know how things will work out, demand for PS3 will be through the roof so the thing will stay at a high price point for a LONG time, much like PS2.

 

[PC-Engine]

I don't think demand for PS3 is going to be as high as previous SONY consoles. I also don't think BR movies is going to be a big factor at all considering the number of movies will be very limited. Ultimately a higher price will scare away a lot of people no matter how much more features you get with PS3. Just take a look at demand for PSP, it's has slowed down considerably.

 

[jvd]

Why are we discussing this? Price is something that will be adjusted depending on demand.

looking at how things could shape up depending on how it goes . It can help ms sell more units if it can get a price advantage and it could be interesting seeing the roles completely reversed from last gen

 

[London Geezer]

I don't think demand for PS3 is going to be as high as previous SONY consoles. I also don't think BR movies is going to be a big factor at all considering the number of movies will be very limited. Ultimately a higher price will scare away a lot of people no matter how much more features you get with PS3. Just take a look at demand for PSP, it's has slowed down considerably.

PSP is another market.
There are a lot more adults buying consoles than handhelds.
And i'm pretty sure demand for PS3 will be just as high as with previous consoles, sony knows how to wind the kids up with all those videos and the "cool stuff". Not MS cringeworthy kind of "cool", the Sony kind of cool.

 

[rabidrabbit]

The much cheaper price of the GC hasn't helped much in completely reversing the roles this gen.
Imo the price has surprisingly little effect on the overall success.

Below the $1000 price point, a couple of hundreds really mean little to a customer who is not making an impulse buy.

 

[PC-Engine]

The much cheaper price of the GC hasn't helped much in completely reversing the roles this gen.
Imo the price has surprisingly little effect on the overall success.

Below the $1000 price point, a couple of hundreds really mean little to a customer who is not making an impulse buy.

GCN came out 1 year after PS2 and PS3 is coming out after Xbox 360.

 

[jvd]

The much cheaper price of the GC hasn't helped much in completely reversing the roles this gen.
Imo the price has surprisingly little effect on the overall success.

Below the $1000 price point, a couple of hundreds really mean little to a customer who is not making an impulse buy.

Price matters a great deal

There is a segment of the market that will buy a console at 300$ and that is greater than the segment that would buy one at 400$

There is a segment that is greater than those that will buy a console at 300$ if its provided at 200$

Then there is a greater segment that would buy a console at 100$ instead of 200$

Price matters alot and alot of parents will buy the cheaper console.

At the end of the day will it make ms win ? Not at all but it can help them 1 ) sell more consoles and 2) hurt sony in the pocket book .

 

[London Geezer]

The much cheaper price of the GC hasn't helped much in completely reversing the roles this gen.
Imo the price has surprisingly little effect on the overall success.

Below the $1000 price point, a couple of hundreds really mean little to a customer who is not making an impulse buy.

GCN came out 1 year after PS2 and PS3 is coming out after Xbox 360.

And PS2 came out a year after DC, at a much higher price point, so?

The point still stands. Within certain boundaries, price matters very very little, i thought this generation showed this.

Obviously a $700 PS3 will be hard to sell, but ultimately a PS3 that costs even $100 more than the X360 will have no problems selling.

Besides, if anything will hurt sales initially, it will be the shortages, which in turn will drive demand through the roof, which in turn will leave the price where it is.

 

[jvd]

Besides, if anything will hurt sales initially, it will be the shortages, which in turn will drive demand through the roof, which in turn will leave the price where it is.

which in turn will send consumers to the x360 esp if its at a cheaper price point .


We got alot of that at the stop in regards to the psp .

People came in , we told them they could put 50$ down and get it in a month (Thats how many preorders we had ) They siad no thanks and some walked out with a ds .

Now i'm sure they will buy a psp in the future (very near future ) but they still pickedu p something else instead of going nuts trying to find the other thing .


Remember the dc was selling very well even with the ps2 out . It was when ms announced entering the market that sega new it was doomed .

 

[PC-Engine]

PSP is another market.
There are a lot more adults buying consoles than handhelds.

But PSP is targeted at adults not only because of the price but the superfluous features. Same with PS3. I predict PS3 will sell well at a higher price initially but will quickly slow down like PSP.

 

[London Geezer]

PSP is another market.
There are a lot more adults buying consoles than handhelds.

But PSP is targeted at adults not only because of the price but the superfluous features. Same with PS3. I predict PS3 will sell well at a higher price initially but will quickly slow down like PSP.

That's the problem, PSP is something aimed at adults, in a market adults don't dip into too often.
PS3 is aimed at adults, in a market where most of the customers are adults.

PSP is trying to change the handheld market by making it more adult oriented, and until that happens, it's not gonna sell too much. PSP needs the big break PS1 got when it suddenly exploded and pushed over the Saturn in sales.

PS3 doesn't need to change the market cause most Xbox/PS gamers have passed the teenage years some time ago. PS3 just needs to be PS3.

I'm quite convinced that Sony will not dominate the market the way they did this time around (and the one before).

My point was simply, Sony will keep the PS3 at a high price for obvious reasons.

 

[PC-Engine]

PS3 is aimed at adults, in a market where most of the customers are adults.

The problem is an 18yr old is an adult, but I doubt they'd have the money to buy a higher priced PS3 vs a cheaper Xbox 360. That 18yr old doesn't care about HD movies either.

 

[hey69]

if you can afford 300 you can also 375 -400 plain and simple
most younger adults work or save their allowance for their gaming needs

 

[London Geezer]

PS3 is aimed at adults, in a market where most of the customers are adults.

The problem is an 18yr old is an adult, but I doubt they'd have the money to buy a higher priced PS3 vs a cheaper Xbox 360. That 18yr old doesn't care about HD movies either.

You make it sound like the X360 will be half the price of PS3. Matey, PS3 will surely be expensive, but don't fool yourself, X360 aint gonna be cheapo either.

The 18yo will buy the X360 if he wishes, or wait for PS3 if he feels like it, whether it costs more or not. If he feels like he wants a PS3, he will save a bit and wait (he'll have to wait anyway)

 

[PC-Engine]

It all depends on how much PS3 will cost. I think for the majority of younger adults $300 is already pushing it.

 

[London Geezer]

It all depends on how much PS3 will cost. I think for the majority of younger adults $300 is already pushing it.

It is for me that's for sure.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

if you can afford 300 you can also 375 -400 plain and simple
most younger adults work or save their allowance for their gaming needs

That's a pretty wild assumption. Some people scrape a living together and every dollar counts. They still enjoy gaming, one of the cheapest pasttimes available, so they still buy consoles and games, but that 75-100 dollars/euros/pounds can be a large amount of their disposable income, potentially more than they can afford.