Thoughts on the expense of PS3

[dubyateeeff]

The question that needs to be addressed as far as this thread is concerned is:
Has Kutaragi-san engineered an environment that artists can use to affect you over the course of years in ways that you would be (in a cumulative sense) as enriched as traveling the first time to a place that doesn't speak your native tongue...so to speak

That is what I am asking myself. I dont know, either I will travel to Japan, for which the total expenses will be around 2000-3000 € or get a PS3 with a new HDTV which will cost about the same. Maybe I can get both, dont know yet.

 

[Mythos]

I think that possibly the price of the PS3 will be lowered nearing itz release...why?
Because, IMO it has become the past memory issue (PSP) and in that way they increase the value of itz product. Itz a classic Sony move.

 

[dubyateeeff]

I think that possibly the price of the PS3 will be lowered nearing itz release...why?
Because, IMO it has become the past memory issue (PSP) and in that way they increase the value of itz product. Itz a classic Sony move.

Possible, but I dont think so. That was a mistake MS did with X2, keeping the price too low. Everyone knows that low-price = high demand, high price = low demand, and that is how Sony will try to stop the shortages and craziness that MS had with X2 all the while making more money.

I dont mind the cost of PS3 but I do mind the cost of the games (supposedly just like X2) plus the fact that I need to buy a bunch of small items in a webshop to get the complete game!

 

[Nesh]

I think that if Sony didn't have such a hard on for Blu Ray and the PS3 debuted at $399 (premium package) it would have buried the xbox 360 and likely taken a lot of the thunder away from Wii. They would have actually gained an even bigger market share and likely had a console out on the streets by now.

An add on blu ray player would have been plenty and then people could decide if they rather buy a stand alone blu ray player or an add one. In case Blu ray does flop, Sony wouldn't have a ripple effect into their gaming budget. Instead of protecting their profitable asset they tied it directly to a risky venture. The talk of high game prices will scare off a lot of buyers also. With the lack of star titles out before 07, the launch will be less than spectacular. No you cannot compare it with the xbox 360 launch because it had no competition and now has a one year head start to build up it's game library and 2nd gen titles.

it would have burried 360 for some time and then burry Sony with it too I think

If they could sell it at $399 without any problems they would have done right now

 

[RobertR1]

it would have burried 360 for some time and then burry Sony with it too I think

If they could sell it at $399 without any problems they would have done right now

Why would it bury Sony? I'm talking about a PS3 with just a standard DVD drive, not Blu Ray.

 

[Nesh]

Why would it bury Sony? I'm talking about a PS3 with just a standard DVD drive, not Blu Ray.

oops I missed that part.

But what if BR is needed? I mean...Phill Harrisson said if I recall that the BR enables for content that wouldnt have been achievable otherwise.

I wouldnt want the quality I see now and crave be decreased.

I wonder how much the BR drive costs on each PS3 btw. That would tell us if the BR is to blame for the huge price. But I think it could be other reasons too. Isnt Linux pre-installed in it as well? The controller has motion sensing (although I dont know fow much that costs), we have a PS3 OS we havent seen in detail yet, a Cell chip that could be more expensive than Xenos, probably the fact that the powersupply was managed inside the console increased costs, its region free, has an emulation that if I remember well Ken said it would cost more,it has 7 Bluetooth recievers and probably a few other things I missed.

A report on manufacturing cost will be very informative

 

[standing ovation]

I argue that you can do the same in a video game or even by reading a good book. And for far less. And the real trip is a time thing. A video game you can experience and enjoy several times over.

I'm not talking about escaping to a virtual reality. I am talking about physically removing one's self from the daily grind to a reality that lacks repetition ... and responsibility.

Besides, you can't always coordinate time off with really good deals on travel packages. But you can always buy a book or a videogame console, as stocking shelves is one of the duties of its publisher.

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

If the PS3 didn't include the BR then Sony would still be screwed, regardless of the success of the PS3, because BR would certainly fail to win the format war and Sony would have lost all that money on R&D.

The only choice Sony had was to include it, sell the PS3 at a $100 premium due to its inclusion, and hope that people are willing to pay that price.

And of course, people will. The question is how many people will? 1M? 5M? 10M? And the second question of course, is how long can they afford to wait (depending upon the above sales figures), to lower the cost of the PS3 so that "essentially" the BR inclusion is no longer even a factor in the price. (Because a certain number of people.. 10M? 20M? 50M? Won't pay a dime extra for BR.. and that number is actually the majority of their market)

 

[wco81]

$100-200 premium at this stage for an HDTV movie player is nothing for people who have HDTVs.

There are plenty of HDTVs out there already and more being sold every day. But who knows how many want a game console.

And Blu-Ray will still look better than any other HDTV source even if you don't have a 1080p set.

 

[Moonblade]

Ok here's a question:

If we assume kuturagi dumped the boomerang controller (which is a shame) because of all the negative reactions last year, is there any chance that sony is willing to lower the launchprice this time? I mean, come on everyone is complaining. This way, they can still save their faces instead of having to lower it after 2 months, an unimpressive launch (which won't help gaining developer's trust) and pissing of early adaptors.
I expected a 399-499 price tag but 599 is very expensive. Even techgeeks like me and ******s aren't convinced, perhaps because most of them will also have to buy an expensive HDTV to max those PS3 graphics.

I might be wrong, maybe enough people are stupid enough to buy a 600 dollar PS3 to play mainly multiplatformgames but imho the price/quality ratio is not right. The games do look good but they don't look good enough to justify a price that high.
I say they should lower the price 100 $ or start showing some really, really impressive content (same level of heavenly sword). And sadly enough that last option doesn't come with a magic spell or lot's of money, at least not within 6 months.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I might be wrong, maybe enough people are stupid enough to buy a 600 dollar PS3 to play mainly multiplatformgames but imho the price/quality ratio is not right.

Maybe the people spending $600 are the ones wanting a cheap BRD player and access to the good looking exclusives like Heavenly Sword, rather than multiplatform titles...

 

[Jov]

Maybe the people spending $600 are the ones wanting a cheap BRD player and access to the good looking exclusives like Heavenly Sword, rather than multiplatform titles...

It'll be interesting to see how well the PS3 sells. I am a believer of “you normally get what you pay forâ€￾ and the fact that initial console prices can't stay at the USD$299 mark as of previous generations.

Just take into account of inflation over the last few console generations and $500 or $600 does not seem so unreasonable, considering all the added features.

Also the target audience are those who can fork out the cash. It might end up being a very smart move by Sony for this pricing as its marketed as a premium product.

 

[overclocked]

Launching at that price point makes perfeckt sense buisness wise IMO.


If i walked in and wanted a 360PREMIUM with 60GB+WIRELESS at launch it would cost me
670US bucks or 670Euro, ok i by a HD dvd also say 130Euro/US and we are at 800US/Euros.

And theres more connectivety in PS3, but some just want PS3 to fail, dont know why and really dont care.

 

[Nesh]

Ok here's a question:

If we assume kuturagi dumped the boomerang controller (which is a shame) because of all the negative reactions last year, is there any chance that sony is willing to lower the launchprice this time? I mean, come on everyone is complaining. This way, they can still save their faces instead of having to lower it after 2 months, an unimpressive launch (which won't help gaining developer's trust) and pissing of early adaptors.
I expected a 399-499 price tag but 599 is very expensive. Even techgeeks like me and ******s aren't convinced, perhaps because most of them will also have to buy an expensive HDTV to max those PS3 graphics.

I might be wrong, maybe enough people are stupid enough to buy a 600 dollar PS3 to play mainly multiplatformgames but imho the price/quality ratio is not right. The games do look good but they don't look good enough to justify a price that high.
I say they should lower the price 100 $ or start showing some really, really impressive content (same level of heavenly sword). And sadly enough that last option doesn't come with a magic spell or lot's of money, at least not within 6 months.

Well personally I am not a techgeek or a Sony****** and the graphics do look good enough for me. If it launches with games that are as impressive as the ones I saw from E3 then count me in I d want one even if its $600.

And I think the price is justifiable. It has lots of things the 360 doesnt on the hardware. The premium for starters has HDMI, WiFi, PSP connectivity, BR-Drive that plays all disc formats (except HD-DVD), Linux, Mem stick/Sd/Flash memory support, bluetooth, detachable HD, internal powersupply, motion sensing controller, PS1/PS2 game compatibility, media support, Cell+RSX. Did I miss anything?

Hey...have you just called me stupid?

Comparing the premium PS3 with the premium 360 I think its irrational to expect PS3 to cost similarly with 360 judging from the features Sony added on the machine.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

It'll be interesting to see how well the PS3 sells. I am a believer of “you normally get what you pay forâ€￾ and the fact that initial console prices can't stay at the USD$299 mark as of previous generations.

I said of the XB360 MS could have sold it for more. Early adopters are willing to pay over the odds compared to normal consumers. The concern is how quicklySony can drop the price, and whether that'll create a certain instability. If the price drops $50 every 6 moths, there's a good chance of people waiting for the drops. If it drops $100 at points, that'll seriously annoy people who just bought before the price drop. Though I guess that's tough luck really. Nowt you can do about that.

 

[crystalcube]

A lot of people thought that Sony will be under "lot" of pressure and price the PS3 close to Xbox360 , all the while Sony Execs have been indicating a US$500 price point. Now that Sony actually priced it that way people seem to be a little upset about it because they are not getting the Blu-ray player for US$50 more than Xbox360

It seems consumer have lot of choices starting from Wii all the way to PS3 with 60GB HDD. If games are going to look great and similar on all the platform its even better, again gives more choice to consumer. Dont see whats wrong with that.

We have choice in area of other products , TV , PCs, cars , now thats happening to consoles ... maybe it was bound to happen anyway. Now it has happened Pick the one that suits you most , obviously each system will bring its pros & cons with it.

 

[wco81]

I said of the XB360 MS could have sold it for more. Early adopters are willing to pay over the odds compared to normal consumers. The concern is how quicklySony can drop the price, and whether that'll create a certain instability. If the price drops $50 every 6 moths, there's a good chance of people waiting for the drops. If it drops $100 at points, that'll seriously annoy people who just bought before the price drop. Though I guess that's tough luck really. Nowt you can do about that.

I don't know, if it takes at least a couple of years before it drops from $600 to $400 or even $300, can you get enough entertainment value out of that $200-300 early adopter premium for 2-3 years?

Depends on the games released in those 2-3 years and for people interested in HDTV movies, the Blu-Ray selection in those 2-3 years.

 

[Moonblade]

@Nesh

Hmm forget about that stupid part, you convinced me.

I'm willing to buy a PS3 for 600 dollars (actually, that's only 100 euro more than PS2 at launch) but how much do these HD TV thingies cost these days? That's the only problem because hell no, I'm not going to play games like heavenly sword on an SD TV.

Now that I think about, sony might pre-install some playable demo's or HD blu-ray quality movies on that 60 GB HD.

 

[SugarCoat]

you'll be looking at a pricepoint of anywhere between 800-1500 for the basic decent HDTV capable displays. Anything cheaper is problably not using a true HD format or a generic brand which you buy at your own risk.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

That's the only problem because hell no, I'm not going to play games like heavenly sword on an SD TV.

If down-sampled, it'll still look damned fine. 1080p sets are expensive (£1500+) and will remain that way. As an interrim, Samsung are releasing a £350 720p half depth CRT. You could grab that for HD picture quality and wait for 1080p sets to come down to something reasonable.