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makingmusic476 on 30 January 2011
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LordTheNightKnight said:
fm81 said:

ive seen some of this people commented about how expensive the 3ds is..but here they say psp2 is very affordable..LOL..proof show that most here are sony fans..they say its doesnt matter what psp2 price is coz it have more graphical power than 3ds..thats the problem,sony never learn anything from psp vs ds battles in the last 5 yrs,having better graphics does not sell a system..heard psp2 is like ps3..if sony sold 1,they actually loss money.


Well this is the Sony board. And elsewhere, the Nintendo fanboys insist that the 3DS isn't really expensive, even when it's more than the Wii, without at least a game bundles, and unlike home consoles is expected to have more than one per household. And they also insist that the features negate that.

And I thought the Wii and DS was supposed to teach us all that specs and features are not what sell. Seems neither Sony, Nintendo, or their fans, learned. It's always whether your games are awesome (why Monster Hunter is the PSP's top series and why Gran Turismo is SCEI's).

Also, I'm not fond of selling at a loss. It's too risky a strategy. It worked for the PS2, but of course not for the PS3. Sony will have to step up their games in order to make it more like the PS2 than the PS3.

It really depends on just how much of a hit they plan to take per device sold.  The ps3 was sold for $250 below cost at launch, which was an unprecedented amount for any new piece of hardware.  I doubt the PSP2 will be sold for more than $100 below cost at launch, if that.  I could see Sony selling it at a price that would allow them to make a profit should each buyer also buy 1-2 games alongside the system.

As for the pricing of the 3DS vs the PSP2, it's all in how you look at it.  Spec-wise, I view the 3DS as a platform comparable to the original DS when it launched, despite the addition of 3D.  Even with the 3D, it probably costs well under $200 to manufacture, much like the DS did when it launched, and they're probably selling it a decent mark-up, like they have every console they've ever made.  As such, the system can be seen as overpriced to some, especially those with no interest in 3D (like me).  I think $199 would be more in line with how the DS was priced at launch, given the addition of 3D (though arguably $179.99 would be even more appropriate, given the expense of 3D is probably comparable to the expense of the new touchscreen in 2005).

On the other hand, the PSP2 is significantly more powerful than the 3DS, it will boast a variety of features the 3DS does not have - from a second analog stick to full PSN functionality - and it will be sold at a loss.  As such, even though it may cost $50 or so more than 3DS, some could view the device as a better value, considering how much more you're getting for your money.

Which, of course, means it all boils down to semantics.  People are using the term "expensive" when they probably mean "overpriced".

Of course, that's just looking at the features of each device.  Games are equally, if not more important.  I personally view the 3DS as having the better line up at the moment, which does increase its value proposition at $249 for me.  However, you pay for games in addition to the console itself, and as such I don't believe the value of the software library should effect a system's price, given the more good games there are, the more games you'll buy , and thus the more they'll make.  As such, despite the library, I still feel the device is somewhat overpriced.

Between the two, I actually can't decide which one I'd prefer to get first. I think the PSP2's hardware will probably be the better deal, but the 3DS certainly won't be a bad deal, and it currently has more games I want.  So, do I go for the Ocarina of Time and Kid Icarus or Uncharted, 3G, and PSN on the go?