Would Sony be fine with a $499 price tag on the Orbis?

[Dodece]

There is some revisionist history at play in this thread, and I don't know if the original author is actually forgetful, or they are trying to pass a lie off as reality, but the PS3 failed at the six hundred price point. About a month or maybe two after every launch the console fell right off the sales cliff, and without immediate price relief the product was a matter of weeks or months away from being discontinued by retailers. The sales were literally so terrible that it was a ongoing joke. The problem was obvious really. There are only so many hardcore brand loyalists in the world who will whore out their spouse, or sell their first born to organ traffickers. To pay for a games console. Sony burned through that demographic in short order. Everyone else had more sense.

For those that are confused by how a telephone, or tablet can fetch those prices. While a console cannot. I will explain it to you. A telephone is a useful tool for doing a little thing we like to call work. A good telephone or a good tablet can actually help you do a better job, or at least make you look more competent while doing that job. Regardless these devices are the corner stones of our modern lives, and people aren't likely to be terribly price conscious when it comes to something so pivotal to their existence.

Anyway given the fact that the Wii U which is priced at three hundred and fifty dollars isn't selling out. Just a few weeks after its launch. Tells me that the market as far as consoles are concerned hasn't changed even if other markets have changed. The market is hardly tolerating the Wii Us price point. There is no way in hell it is going to tolerate a price point above four hundred dollars, and if Sony tried that again it would be a total fucking public relations disaster. It would be a display of utter contempt for consumers.

If Sony tries to pull something this daft. They deserve the dissolution of the brand that would soon follow. They aren't the premiere brand anymore in anything. As far as consoles are concerned they are like the least popular choice. Any attempt to gouge would find them quickly receiving a initial torrent of hate, but that would pass to be replaced just as quickly by a eery silence. Half the bitching previously was actually done with good intentions. Basically consumers were trying to convince Sony to do better. A repeat performance would be like Sony saying that they genuinely don't give a fuck what consumers think. They would be daring people to care. That would be a really dangerous message to send.

Anyway in answer to the final question if were in charge of Sony. I would go with a conservative strategy as far as a new console was concerned. The goal needs to be stable, safe, and profitable. They don't have to be terribly competitive to achieve that. I would sell a medium powered console at a very modest profit. That actually would allow me to respond to changes in the market more quickly, and with a lot less financial resistance. It is all about being adaptable rather then the best. The game Sony should be playing is survival.