Hey folks.... I don't post much, more I just chuckle at the flaming/trolling threads that get lobbed about.
In any event, I'm seeing many many posts from members who postulate that the PS3 is going to see a significant uptick in sales in the 4th quarter of 2008 because people will want to buy the PS3 for its blu-ray capabilities this Christmas Season.
Personally, I think that the PS3 has already received the bump. Once Toshiba pulled the plug on HD-DVD, and there was no competition for the next gen DVD market, the prices of Blu-Ray players stopped (essentially) dropping.
That meant that for the first 2 quarters of 2008 if you wanted a Blu-Ray player, the best, and least expensive, Blu-Ray players was the PS3. While Sony definatley had some big gaming hits (i.e. MGS4), I suspect that the balance of the bump at the start of the years was not from the game library that Sony had Developed, but rather from people looking for a Blu-Ray player.
Now as we approach the 4th quarter of 2008, Sony has reduced the price on its own Blu-Ray 2.0 capable player down to $300.00. Second party players are likely to be at or even below $200.00.
Yep, for those who want a next gen player, and "must" now have a Blu-Ray player, the PS3 is still going to bubble to the the top of the list.
But the reality is that consumers will be able to buy both a Blu-Ray player and an Xbox 360 Arcade for the same price as a PS3. Additionally, anyone who doesn't care about games is now less likely to pay a premium for the PS3, when they can purchase a Sony Badged played for at least $100.00 less.
Thoughts?
