Is there any chance for Sony to beat Microsoft in 2009 ?

[Squilliam]

vthokiesrmoo said:

nightsurge said:

So many flaws in there... i don't know where to begin....

First, you are banking on the hope there will be a price cut, and a significant one at that, AND that Microsoft won't counter.  Basically Sony says there will be no cut, Microsoft says they will be ready to act if Sony does cut... soooo... yeah.

You really think that 22 million PS2 owers have a PS3?  That's odd... the PS3 LTD is only at 19.9 million.  You also seem to think that at all PS2 users will go to the PS3, but the PS2 was a vastly different console than the PS3 is.  The PS2 was last generations casual console (almost like the Wii is this generation), while this year the PS3 is ALL hardcore.  Even Microsoft has a wider variety of games with more audiences in mind than Sony.

People will still buy HDTV's and Blu-Ray players.  People who get HDTV's can get a 360 to enjoy HD out of the box with no HDMI cable (pro console) or HDMI included (Elite console).  And they can then get a $100 or less Blu-Ray player by the end of that year and a half, so why would they spend $300+ on a PS3 when by that time an Xbox 360 + Blu-Ray player would be about $250-275.

You also seem to think that Microsoft's games won't sell, and will not release any that pertain to new audiences.  The PS3 is the console with only big sequels coming and new IPs that mostly target the existing audience.  How will that cause things to increase sales-wise?

It will be about a 9 million gap by the time Sony makes a price cut this year (if they even do) and in order to close a 9 million gap in say 9 months time.... well you can do the math and realize how impossible it will be.
If Sony ever catches up to Microsoft, it will be a year after Microsoft has launched their next generation console.

 

Meh. You say my logic is flawed, I say yours is more then flawed. We could go round and round all day.

You say the PS3 isn't for casual gaming, I say yes the PS3 is (I consider myself a "casual" gamer). Numbers have actually been released now saying the PS3 has sold more than 21 million consoles, you say 19.9 (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6203876.html). Rabble Rabble Rabble.

Shipped vs sold my friend! Look at the numbers on the site if you want reasonably accurate sell through data on hardware.

Over the next year and a half Sony probably will cut the price, most definitely the latter part of that timeframe. Yakuza 3 comes out in Japan soon. FFXIII comes out in Japan this year. Those games will move lots of consoles in a place where 360 doesn't sell. Sony's console has the best games this year, can we at least agree on that? If not then I might as well be debating with a brick wall.

Games do move consoles in Japan unlike anywhere else in the world, however the market itself has become a shadow of its former self. Microsofts dominance in the United Kingdom effectively cancels out any advantage for the PS3 in this market.

Also "why would someone want a $300 PS3 when you could get an XBOX and blu ray for 250-275"? Are you serious? What the hell is $25 dollars? Who would have $25 make that decision for them? I think KZ2, or most likely KZ3 by the time frame your speaking of will sell a PS3 before someones going to save $25 to go with a cheap Blu-ray player and a noisy 360. Or the decision could come down to GT5 or GoW3 or FFXIII Versus or too many games to name that will never be on a Microsoft console. Who wouldn't want a sleek PS3 with Blu-ray built in + all Sony exclusives instead of your killer combo? Talk about flawed logic. What you're trying to say is plain and simple, the 360 appeals to the audience who doesn't have as much money/doesn't want to spend as much money on their console. That is true, but the PS3 which has its Sony exclusives developed specifically for it will be the best console with the best games, if you have the wallet. Kind of hard to debate when there really aren't games on either of the other 2 consoles to counter the Sony exclusives, especially the ones that haven't come out listed above.

The PS3 has the supreme advantage that people are willing to pay more for a PS3 than an Xbox 360, such is the value of the brand and machine. Unfortunately Sony can't really take advantage of this because they are locked into some expensive proprietary technologies and they have to pay royalties for their hardware whereas Microsoft paid upfront. Its a higher fixed cost vs variable cost and as Microsoft sells more consoles their cost per console diminishes more rapidly. One could say that the PS3 is the best console on the market, and the market appreciates this fact to a degree, however its not enough to really sway the general consumer base at this time. Theres also the install base to consider, Microsoft has the network effect of "all my friends own an Xbox 360" more in its corner, this is significant especially as it lets them charge for their Live service.

You're actually mentioning the next generation consoles in your PREDICTIONS. HAHA. Lets see how well a new 500 dollar XBOX fares when the consoles out now are perfectly capable and will be around for quite some time. When the new XBOX comes out, if its launch is anywhere in the area of 2012-2013, the current consoles (mostly the PS3) will be in their prime of producing great games and will be cheap. You think the 8th generation of consoles is going to release anytime soon, like before 2012? They won't be. Sony built their console for the long haul. The 360 will be thankful for the multiplatforms that dumb their games down around it.

Im sorry, the next generation consoles are unlikely to cost $500, well if the next Xbox does it will come with expensive software such as Microsoft Windows installed rather than expensive hardware, so the margins and desirability of the console will be improved unlike Blu Ray and the PS3 where theres a very real expense from the Blu Ray. Lastly, Its unlikely that multi-platform games will be dumbed down for the machine when the machine itself has proved time and again to be the better format for multi-platform development and dozens of games show the advantage to the 360.

PS3 will end this generation dominating the 360 starting in 2010, my prediction.

If you say so...