Microsoft’s Project Natal: Bigger and Badder Than We Thought

[thabigdon24]

JaggedSac said:

thabigdon24 said:

crumas2 said:

thabigdon24 said:
Does anybody really think that MS will sell us the Natal add-on for less than $100? I just dont think that a few cameras and sensors and considering the extensive research that MS keeps talking about, that this can come in at less than $100 and certainly not less than $75. I really don't think that we will see many games at all for Natal, heck just as any add-on. Why would developers only want potential buyers not among the whole group of 360 people, but among the 20% that might actually get this? Developers just won't want to make many games for this unless ms forks over some major $$$$ for incentives.

dont mind me, i'm just being the realist over here.

A big part of what makes Natal tick is the software, which MS typically eats the R&D cost on so it can make money over time.

ok fine......even if MS bundles this for free, that's a $75 dollar loss that MS could have used towards a price cut or any other crucial operations job.   MS would be better off trashing the project.

Your amazing analysis of MS's business plan is astounding.

ok. 

Microsoft has 2 options as I see it:

1. Sell it as an add-on.  MS will probably charge just as much as all the other add-ons basically $99.   In this case, not that many will buy it and the whole natal thing will go the way of the eyetoy, something that only a minority is interested in. 

2.  Bundle it with  360:   a or b

a.  Microsoft can either bundle it in for free, in which case they would be losing at minimum $50 , money that could be spent elsewhere.  This is just stupid. Jagged, you realize that Sony just put out a cheaper version of its standard console?  It didn't just cut the price $100 like MS did, it made its product cheaper.  Assuming that Natal costs $50 to make and that Sony saved $50 by making a slim version of the PS3, sony is only losing $50.  MS would have lost the $100 for the price cut, and another $50 for bundling a dud like Natal for free.   Heck, as a Sony fan I hope that MS wastes money like this so that the good guys can win.  My mind says, though that MS is making a fool out of itself.

b.  They can add it on for full price........and few are going to spend another $50-$75 for an add-on when the systems best and most well-known games don't require the extra expense.  

 

Hey, I could be wrong and i'll let you prove me wrong, ok?  Give me an example of any add-on that ultimately proved to be a big thing.