Tretton Talks PS4: “We’ve Never Been First, Never Been Cheapest”

[Kantor]

d21lewis said:

Fusioncode said:
I'm pretty sure the Playstation was cheaper than the Saturn or N64. Anyways, Sony needs to make sure PS4 is a home run or else their gaming department is in danger. Here's a few pointers.

1. Keep it affordable, they don't need to be cheapest but nothing over 300$.

2. Massive marketing campaign, PS2 had an awful launch lineup and was a fairly expensive console for the time. Yet it still had a huge launch thanks to a great marketing campaign. Sony didn't even bother marketing the Vita which is one of the biggest reasons for it's low success.

3.Backwards compatibility, Sony pioneered BC and made it a huge selling point for the PS2. Ideally the PS4 should be BC with every Sony home console. Realistically, just PlayStation 3 would be fine.

Nah.  N64 launched at about $250 and the PS1 was $299 at the time.  Plus PS and Saturn launched for about $400 in the US (I think).  Nintendo was actually kicking all kinds of ass until they started hitting software droughts.  Months would pass without a decent game to play.  The two were so close in sales that Nintendo and Sony both claimed to be the best selling console.  In the end, PS1 pulled away and never looked back, though.

I thought that, at E3 1995 or so, Sega came up on stage, and announced the Saturn for $399, and then Sony walked on, said "$299" and walked off? That's probably just an urban legend, but I think the PS1 launched at $299.