BenVTrigger said: snakenobi said: BenVTrigger said: Gotta say I'm surprised. I really thought they would cut early next year so they could try to recoup their massive debt from the PS3's first couple years and R&D costs. They must have really brought down how much it costs to make the console. Well that means a X360 cut is imminent now. There goes that prediction i had look at the bigger pciture   sony could do what you said but it would lose ground in the long term   SONY has to keep the brand relevant otherwise even if they recoup the massive debt,after a while the company will lose as other brands will grow I did look at the bigger picture Sony globally has been in the lead all year so I simply thought they would ride out the rest of the year trying to maximize profits then cut early next year.  For shareholders profits are much more important than market share. I don't think its a mistake that they are cutting price just unexpected for me.

they have the lead but that is because of old brand value which has been receding for a while,they need to revitalize before next gen

shareholders look at profit but that is not how long term businesses work

its like if APPLE's shareholder's today said they want a payout of all the cash reserves,they will be happy now but that would create problems for APPLE and continue pay in the long term

oh okay, I thought you just prefered the boobs looks over the substance, guess I was wrong then.

they won't cut to $100 as they don't need it and it will hurt them in the long term as they won't have anything next year for a cut

they will cut $50 at most and cut more on bundles to offer value

Why would they cut the price, when they're the #1 console by a landslide in the U,S, making a singificant amount of money, just because the PS3 might match or get close to the amount of consoles they sell in the U.S, doesn't mean it'll scare microsoft into cutting the price just so that they could distance themselves, and throw away potential revenue out of it's current price..

it doesn't make sense, and you can't say they will, you aren't microsoft, they MAY cut the price, but it wouldn't be wise to cut, and you can't say to expect a moderate bump either, you aren't a forecaster, nor are you a fortune teller.. the $50 cut might not even push the ps3, or it could do more than just a moderate push, or vice versa, it doesn't matter, it won't make sense for microsoft to cut, just because little XBOX fans want the 360 to beat the ps3

@nightsurge

for the most part I agree with you. While I think this $50 price cut will give a modest boost to PS3 I do however think that MS dropping the X360 in price even to $149 will be very attractive. a $149 HD console is very attractive to customers with not as much money to their name. PS3 will no doubt have a boost but expect a very quick price cut by MS that will eliminate any large sale separation PS3 made from X360 with their price cut.

You don't loose much.

With so few people playing psp in the west you don't have much chances for local multiplayer, streaming from ps3 is rather pointless and all psn content can be bought from ps3/pc and transfered to psp by usb cable.

Not that suprising really. I always find it hilarious when these price cut threads start though, people immediately say "Microsoft/Sony (delete as applicable) will cut in a few weeks!". I don't think this has ever happened, lol. As always, the rival console manufacturer will spend a long time analysing the situation and if they do cut, it will have been planned for a long time.

I sometimes like to download games when I'm bored at work and have a desire to play a game not on my list from the store at a moment's notice.

I'm one of the few people who actually uses remote play

Sony have announced £199 for the UK now.

I think 50$ drop is enough. I'm buying one today. :D

@boutros

The 200$ barrier really just represents the average weekly buying power of the gamer demographic.

The average income circa 2005 for a 15-24 year old is about 13,000 dollars after taxes. This roughly translates into a 250$ income per week. 

What this means is that if someone is broke, and gets a check, they can go out, buy a 200$ system and a used game, putting off buying peripherals. When the system is 250$ it means a week of saving, which is difficult for the demographic as christmas or a birthday or graduation might be right around the corner, so "why bother". But you're right, a  50$ drop might not do as well as a 100$ drop, but hey, it's enough for me since I'm getting one tonight. Hopefully 250 is the new 200, in terms of spending ability.

Sorry to explain it to you, I'm sure you don't need explaining, but someone reading the thread might. Just useful to clarify that it's more than a mental block, it's a financial one that clashes with a cultural mentality about spending and saving.