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TheBigFatJ on 01 October 2007
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madskillz said:
starcraft said:
The problem with this is that those prices will struggle to compete with a $399 PS3, even if the PS3 is dummed down. You cant have a blu-ray-less console at just 50 dollars cheaper even if it does come with good games and have access to a better library. it also has a smaller hard drive

I beg to differ. Seriously, if Sony drops the price of the P$3 to $399, it will be losing money like a hemophiliac losing blood. They would be in it just to say they beat the 360, but it would still need a huge surge to sustain momentum. And at what cost? Just look at it - the 40gb PS3, with just software emulation, will compete with a 360 with 2 games (That's like $100) and the even lower Arcade version at $279. The PS3 will still suffer a gaming defiency, and with no real games out this holiday season, the sales will surge temporarily and then start falling again.

My question is ... what compelling reasons NOW does the average gamer have to buy a PS3? Nothing comes to mind for me ...

And of course, M$ will just match their price cut - eventually - but with Halo 3 burning the charts, Sony's looking very, very desperate these days ...

 

Getting two free games isn't like $100.  It's like 80 cents.  And if you don't want the games, it's no value at all.  Giving people $100 off would be real value, and that was a big part of MS' success last holiday.  Let people decide which games to get with that money.

The average gamer may have no compelling reasons to buy the PS3 now other than the Playstation brand.  And for many gamers, that is still enough.  They may not be able to point to a game and say, "Man, I want that" but they know the PS2 is where they had their fun last generation and the PS3 seems like the logical choice.  They don't know MS and Nintendo have all of the good games right now.

A $399 PS3 would be compelling for me.  The biggest reason I prefer the 360 over the PS3 right now is because the 360 has Viva Pinata, and that's not even for me but for my fiancee.  Sure, there are a few other reasons I want a 360 and no reasons I want a PS3 yet, but there just isn't enough motivation to put another device in my crowded entertainment center.

Want to know why MS won't offer good discounts this holiday?  Because they need to show their investors they can generate a profit.  They've told them that this will be the fiscal year they generate a profit, and even if they don't count the cost of repairs and considering the huge financial windfall from Halo 3, they are going to be right on the edge of generating a profit.  This would be a big opportunity for Sony if they had any good games coming out.