Let me explain it to you....... after so many years on a vg sales site you should know. ffs

Video game consoles are sold to make profit on games. It's the catridge business strategy where you sell the console to sell many more games (otherwise the games would be pre-loaded).

If games are bundled, there will be no profit made with the bundled game.

OP is arguing whether this strategy is a solid one. Now discuss.

If they were new games then yes it would be desperation, but there old games, Sony have probably made the money back on them already. Sony are hopefully thinking that the customer will buy the sequel.

EDIT: I've just checked the prices of these bundles, they are more expensive than just getting the standalone controller. Sony are making profit with these.

I blame Sony because that's the third holidays of GT5 and no heavily bundle.

Heavily bundle is good for both... hardware and software.

Bundling a game or two offers value for the consumer at the expense of the manufacturer, developer, and publisher.  The intention is that by giving away a game you generate additional hardware and software sales (long and short term). 

The thing I think that's going to bite Sony in the ass is giving away games full-outright with PS+.  The intention of PS+ is to subsidize PSN.  Giving away a single player game doesn't negatively impact the service, builds value with the customer.  The only challenge of it is that it puts a strain on the network.  That aside, it's the multi-player games given away for free that just shoots Sony in the foot.  It builds value for the customer, but it costs Sony if a gamer continues to play the game after they allow their PS+ subscription to lapse.

I don't think Sony knows how to make money.  Yes, they know that gamers like free stuff and they're doing their best to give away as much as possible for free, but the end result is that it hurts their bottom line more than it helps it.

Well GT5 doesn't need to be bundled anymore its already very cheap $19.99 US (that's how much my copy was) or less and at this point there are a lot of other great games that will do a better job at pushing hardware through bundles.

ignore sales2099.

He hides behind a thin veneer of business conscious posting.

It's marketing. That's why you give previous games away, so that you can sell the newer games for higher price. It's just like ps+. Give away quality early entries to get someone to play something they might not have tried yet.

sales doesn't understand how strategy works until ms does it.

Console bundles are one thing, but bundling games with controllers shows desperation IMO. Good for the gamer im sure, but it means that the business isn't doing so good that they have to give away their best games for essential purchases like a controller.

Nevermind the console bundles. Forza bundles got nothing on the amount of Uncharted and Infamous bundling Sony is doing.

I actually find his PoV far more interesting than that of many others here.

If the strategy would work, then you would have a point. But the problem is, as he pointed out, they're bundling all their mega-hits with controllers, so it makes one wonder if they're having trouble selling these games on their own, as trad controllers never needed bundled games to demonstrate their use (a contrast with Nintendo's strategy).

ignore sales2099.

He hides behind a thin veneer of business conscious posting.

It's marketing. That's why you give previous games away, so that you can sell the newer games for higher price. It's just like ps+. Give away quality early entries to get someone to play something they might not have tried yet.

sales doesn't understand how strategy works until ms does it.