Rumor: Slim PS3 on the way?

[obonicus]

D'oh, that's a shame. I like Microsoft points, there's always deals on them so I stock up and get games cheap. Oh well, I guess that's over

Again, check the video. When they click on Lego Star Wars, past the $19.99, it shows the price as 1600 spacebucks. What's not clear is if you'll be able to fill in your wallet with the exact amount to match the price, sorta like the PSN.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a dual system similar to how you can pay with either credit card or paypal at Newegg.

You may have the option to pay with either credit card or points for Games on Live. It'd be an additional safety net if parents wanted to allow their children to buy games but NOT allow them access to the credit card. While simultaneously keeping the convenience of using the credit card for those that wish to do so.

Regards,
SB

 

[patsu]

??? Why are we talking about XBL points in a Slim PS3 thread ?

Here's Jack Tretton sugar-coating Howard "Son, we got no price drop" Stringer's message to Activision:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/sony-hopefully-last-year-is-as-bad-as-it-gets

 

[Zassk]

God WHY WHY WHYYYYYY!!!??? Why do we have to have points and not dollars?

Every time a retail store like Toys R Us has a sale on "XBox 360 accessories", I am glad that MS uses the point system. I have yet to pay the actual "equivalent dollar value" for anything on XBox Live. I always buy my points at 25% or more discount.

Edit - anyway, back to the slim... Sony's latest denial of a price cut makes me think that the PS3 slim will be released at the same price as the current "fat" model. Perhaps the strategy is similar to the PSP Go - make it cooler and more profitable, but not cheaper.

 

[obonicus]

Edit - anyway, back to the slim... Sony's latest denial of a price cut makes me think that the PS3 slim will be released at the same price as the current "fat" model. Perhaps the strategy is similar to the PSP Go - make it cooler and more profitable, but not cheaper.

Didn't they do that last time? Slim releases at same price as fat, fat suffers price drop, then when stock of fat wears out, slim gets price drop too?

 

[dobwal]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a dual system similar to how you can pay with either credit card or paypal at Newegg.

You may have the option to pay with either credit card or points for Games on Live. It'd be an additional safety net if parents wanted to allow their children to buy games but NOT allow them access to the credit card. While simultaneously keeping the convenience of using the credit card for those that wish to do so.

Regards,
SB

I agree as we move to more and more DD content, the console manufacturers are going to have to do something to keep the retailers happy and thats probably going to be a bigger emphasis of console dollars sales. Thereby making up for the loss of software sales due to DD.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Edit - anyway, back to the slim... Sony's latest denial of a price cut makes me think that the PS3 slim will be released at the same price as the current "fat" model. Perhaps the strategy is similar to the PSP Go - make it cooler and more profitable, but not cheaper.

It's quite possible this will be the case. As if Sony continues to bleed money they may have not choice but to try to get as much as they can from sales of consoles.

There's the possibility that PS3 even with a slim version won't see a price reduction until Sony's books start looking better either through the global economy improving or their restructuring efforts paying off.

Regards,
SB

 

[RobertR1]

Edit - anyway, back to the slim... Sony's latest denial of a price cut makes me think that the PS3 slim will be released at the same price as the current "fat" model. Perhaps the strategy is similar to the PSP Go - make it cooler and more profitable, but not cheaper.

I was thinking about this also. Before E3, I doubt anyone expected the price tag for the PSPGo to be $249. They might be worried enough about profits that the only priority right now is to get the PS3 hardware into the black and start making money vs fighting it out for marketshare and bleeding from it. Seeing that the gaming sectore was responsible for 600mil out of 1bil total loss last fiscal year, I'm sure the investors don't mind either.

If they can do a $50 cut with a PS3 and break even, they should certainly do it and get a good boost through the holidays.

 

[Rangers]

It's quite possible this will be the case. As if Sony continues to bleed money they may have not choice but to try to get as much as they can from sales of consoles.

There's the possibility that PS3 even with a slim version won't see a price reduction until Sony's books start looking better either through the global economy improving or their restructuring efforts paying off.

Regards,
SB

A $50 cut is also a possibility. I'd be very surprised if they didn't at least do 50.

OTOH most people seem to think 50 would have little effect. Psychologically 349 isnt much different from 399. I would assume it would leave little chance of overtaking 360..basically ever if they do 50 only for the next year or whatever. If they care about overtaking 360.

I always think it's worth taking inflation into account. In a way, consoles staying at the same price is a minor price cut over time.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I agree as we move to more and more DD content, the console manufacturers are going to have to do something to keep the retailers happy and thats probably going to be a bigger emphasis of console dollars sales. Thereby making up for the loss of software sales due to DD.

Hmmm. Think about how much money these stores make from software sales and second-hand sales. Now think about how much the consoles would need to cost to replace that income. The hardware markups would need to be insane! $2000+ for a console, anyone?

 

[Phil]

What?! PSPgo is only $249?? You guys should come to Europe. For that money, I'll import two of them!

 

[dobwal]

Hmmm. Think about how much money these stores make from software sales and second-hand sales. Now think about how much the consoles would need to cost to replace that income. The hardware markups would need to be insane! $2000+ for a console, anyone?

I am not talking about money made from sales of consoles, but sales of whatever Sony, MS or Nintendo will call their alternative currency when selling DD, which do and can be sold through retailers in the form of credit cards.

These cards make alot of sense too because risk exposure to credit fraud goes down even if your DD purchase go way up. Plus, they are like gift cards meaning you don't actually have to aware of what specific games a card giftee may want, you just purchase the cards with so many points.

Walmart and Target would love a large shift to card sales if it meant only minimal decrease in sales versus software on retail shelf sales. Simply because you could really minimize the store area dedicated to gaming. Game accessories where profit margins are huge would dominate the smaller space with consoles housed in the least profitable areas such as the higher and lower shelves. You could house the whole gaming department on one shelf where usually 3 or 4 are dedicated to gaming. They wouldn't have to worry about slashing prices to get rid of junk software nor having to worry about missed sales due to limited availability of high demand titles nor overstocking underachieving well hyped titles.

If MS, Sony or Nintendo are to eventually move into the majority of their software sales coming from DD, they are going to need a way to ensure that retailer don't force higher margins on console due to software sales losses. One way to ensure this is to allow retailers to still benefit from software sales through the retail sales of points, credit or "insert you favorite manufacturer's name here" dollars.

However, Im am sure GameStop will abhor a transition like this because of used game sales losses. But GameStop doesn't have much leverage because gaming is all they do and not carrying one of the major consoles is not a healthy alternative. Nor can they sue because they don't have much of a legal argument as its not the responsibility of the manufacturers nor publishers to maintain an enviroment thats beneficial to one retailer.

The manufacturers and publishers would love this method because it would eliminate used games sales, which means a part of the revenue and profit they don't see from used sales will now go into their pocket. All manufacturers have to do is keep the big retailers happy and with the right strategy publishers and manufacturers will see more profit and revenue with more software sales and greater savings. All they need now is for the penetration of broadband to hit 90% or greater of the market.

 

[ShaidarHaran]

A $50 cut is also a possibility. I'd be very surprised if they didn't at least do 50.

OTOH most people seem to think 50 would have little effect. Psychologically 349 isnt much different from 399. I would assume it would leave little chance of overtaking 360..basically ever if they do 50 only for the next year or whatever. If they care about overtaking 360.

I always think it's worth taking inflation into account. In a way, consoles staying at the same price is a minor price cut over time.

I won't buy a PS3 again until they hit $299. $349 is just not enough of a price difference to win my hard-earned dollars. Great console and I would be able to make use of it right away with my existing B-r and PS3 games library (from the last PS3 I owned) but I'm not willing to spend $399 on a 2nd after having already spent $499 on my first.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I agree as we move to more and more DD content, the console manufacturers are going to have to do something to keep the retailers happy and thats probably going to be a bigger emphasis of console dollars sales. Thereby making up for the loss of software sales due to DD.

I could be misreading your post but...

I don't think that consoles are going to sold much differently in the future. MS has already anticipated a move to more online distribution while still allowing brick and mortar retailers a cut of the pie. Selling point cards is basically like selling software, except without a name attached to it. So retailers still get a cut of games bought through Xbox marketplace when using point cards.

MS could have easily cut them out of the loop by just allowing direct purchase, but the system serves a lot of purposes. One of those being that it helps to keep retailers happy if they do move increasingly to online distribution.

[edit] - whoops, just read your later post and it appears I did misread your post.

Regards,
SB

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I don't think that consoles are going to sold much differently in the future. MS has already anticipated a move to more online distribution while still allowing brick and mortar retailers a cut of the pie. Selling point cards is basically like selling software...

I disagree. Gamestop etc. wouldn't be worth visiting if all they had was console, peripherals and lots and lots of cards. And cards can be sold anywhere. Without a 2nd hand market and a library for people to visit, the game store would die out IMO. This'll be a long transition of course, but the writing is on the wall, and the game chains will either have to evolve to become gadget shops or similar, or maybe stack wall-to-wall demo units to advertise content and sell cards (plus what's wrong with cards? PSN works very well IMO, with no retailer involvement) to have any hope of remaining in our brave new world of download content.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I disagree. Gamestop etc. wouldn't be worth visiting if all they had was console, peripherals and lots and lots of cards. And cards can be sold anywhere. Without a 2nd hand market and a library for people to visit, the game store would die out IMO. This'll be a long transition of course, but the writing is on the wall, and the game chains will either have to evolve to become gadget shops or similar, or maybe stack wall-to-wall demo units to advertise content and sell cards (plus what's wrong with cards? PSN works very well IMO, with no retailer involvement) to have any hope of remaining in our brave new world of download content.

I totally agree that dedicated gaming stores wouldn't benefit much. It's the larger department store chains that will still see a benefit. Walmart, Target, K-mart, etc...

Add to that they would do like Japan where convenience stores also could sell them as the shelf space is small for console + point cards.

I don't think losing dedicated gaming stores concerns Sony/MS all that much as they mainly work in used game sales anyways. They both get most of their revenue from the large department chains and increasingly the internet.

Regards,
SB

 

[DieH@rd]

A new sighting of Slim has happened in Philippines!

So here's the deal.

I was walking around this underground marketplace in the Philippines, hoping to get a good deal for a PS3. Lo and behold out of nowhere i saw the PS3 slim. It looked EXACTLY like the rumored photos. I asked the guy and he said it was brand new and that our country had it first. I have a video and a few details.

What I know:

- It has a 120GB HDD.
- Two USB Ports
- The 'touch' button for eject and on seems to be gone, and there are now these random buttons.
- The ps icon is now white instead of colored.
- No more card reader
- PLAYSTATION 3 is gone, rather its PS3. It says this on the bottom as well for some reason.
- The guy was selling it with a Dualshock 3. Whether it is compatible is another matter.
- The guy was selling it for 20,000 pesos, which is roughly £250, which is roughly $410
http://ultimateplaystation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3950&sid=d9ae31c9df02eb5cff937c057bc43a2c

Very bad youtube vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBn...2eb5cff937c057bc43a2c&feature=player_embedded

 

[Phil]

Lol, maybe someone is trying to sell a empty box disguised as the 'new PS3 slim' in the Philippines.... maybe there's a PStwo hiding in there somewhere, if even that!

 

[DieH@rd]

I think its real, but who knows. We all know about that last Slim leak concerning mass production for the possible August launch.

 

[DrJay24]

Lol, maybe someone is trying to sell a empty box disguised as the 'new PS3 slim' in the Philippines.... maybe there's a PStwo hiding in there somewhere, if even that!

That's not a box, it's a console case. You can see the HDMI and USB ports. The video is bad, but it looks real enough. It is due any day now, so it has to pop up somewhere.