Friday, June 03, 2005

 

Playstation 3 May Cost Up to $500

This is coming from Joystiq, a gaming blog, which, frankly, has posted up unfounded BS rumors before, but check this out:

Yes folks, it’s the latest and greatest rumor surrounding Sony’s next-gen entertainment box. And at this point, it looks like it might be close to the truth. Let’s face it, the technology the PS3 will be packing (i.e. BluRay and Cell) is simply not yet widely distributed—BluRay will not have been implemented into enough electronic devices to warrant a PS3 launch price that will presumably compete with the Xbox 360 ($350?). The PS3 is going to cost at least $400, if not closer to the $500 mark. Of course, in the estimated five-year lifespan of the next-gen console, the PS3 will certainly see a series of price drops that could help Sony end up on top in the long haul. Time will tell.

If Sony releases Playstation 3 at $500, Microsoft actually has a decent chance of becoming the dominant player in the next gen of consoles, assuming they stick to the $300 mark for their hardware. $500 is a heck of a lot of bones for a game console. The only thing that might help Sony is the Blu-Ray drive, if they can get enough movie studios to release special Blu-Ray editions of geek-popular films. Then a (rich) gamer could justify the extra expense by saying they're getting in on the next DVD-replacement. I remember when 3D0 released their extremely expensive console alongside the Sega Saturn and later N64 and PSX. It didn't fare too well, even the Saturn was more popular and it was considered a failure. This little rumor, if true, sure does put an interesting spin on the next gen console wars.

Update: Lyndal in the comments posted this:

Just read this on Gamespot...
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/24/news_6126410.html

quote... "Today, Japanese Web site Impress PC Watch reported that SCE has told its business partners that the PS3 will be under 40,000 yen ($370) at launch. The news has spurred speculation that the company might launch the machine with the same price it set for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Both machines were priced at 39,800 yen ($368) when they launched in 1994 and 2000, respectively."
$370 definitely puts it in the same ballpark as the Xbox 360 (and a final price on that I don't think is confirmed yet, $360 has been suggested, or $299). Even if Microsoft manages (and can afford) to drop the price at PS3's launch, it should still not be a major factor for the hardcore gamers. I heard another rumor that PS3 wasn't going to ship standard with a HDD but I really hope that's just a rumor because typically game developers target the base system and that would mean not a heck of a lot of games would support it. What Sony needs to do is make a deal with Rockstar and ship the next GTA game with the PS3. A billion units sold in week 1! ;)



Comments:
wateva the price - Sony will be making a loss - BluRay and Cell processor
 
you have a nice blog by the way

:)
 
Thanks for the comments! I agree, I think PS3 is going to have to blow the socks off of the 360 in terms of what the games can do in order to keep their dominance at a $500 price point. And I'm assuming for $500 you get the HDD also. If they have blu-ray + HDD + Cell for $500, and I can use the PS3 as a DVR and Blu-Ray drive, well I might consider dropping 5 benjamins on it.
 
Just read this on Gamespot...
http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/24/news_6126410.html

quote... "Today, Japanese Web site Impress PC Watch reported that SCE has told its business partners that the PS3 will be under 40,000 yen ($370) at launch. The news has spurred speculation that the company might launch the machine with the same price it set for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Both machines were priced at 39,800 yen ($368) when they launched in 1994 and 2000, respectively."
 
but then again, didn't Sony suprise everyone by the higher-than-expected PSP price in the US? (Not that it stopped me from buying one... which I'm glad I did).
 
Thanks for finding that, Lyndal. I think $250 for the PSP is a bit on the high side but I read somewhere on the net today (might have been Joystiq again) that they might be releasing a $200 version of the PSP soon that nixes the case and Spiderman movie. So it could be that they will come down close to the Nintendo DS. BTW, I also read that Nintendogs is a mega hit in Japan now and it's selling a lot of DS's.
 
The Cell wouldn't be a factor in an unsually high price, it's about the same size as the EE was when it first launched.
The Blu-ray disk will not be all that expensive for Sony to add to the PS3. The reason why new technologies like Blu-ray cost so much when they first launch is mainly because manufacturers are trying a form of price segmentation on the market, which just doesn't apply in the case of a PS3. (Sony needs market share far more heavily than it needs a few extra dollars out of a the 'latest and greatest' clique)
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?