It's not at all.

The first batch will sell out regardless of the price.

Is the price sustainable? Well no, that's why they introduce price cuts. They'll try to lure people in with big budget titles for as long as they can but eventually the price will go down.

Unfortunately it's not affordable for everyone, but it's affordable for enough people to make the price justifiable.

no,but anything higher then that is. That's the highest i'd be willing to pay for a system.

Meh, price cut in 2 years time. That's what i'm waiting for as early adopting is for chumps :P

My views are not clouded.

I don't spend large sums of money on cycling, or cars, or pot. If other people choose to do so, that doesn't mean I should have to as well.

$400 is the maximum reasonable price for a video game console in my view; if it's more than that then its almost certainly asking me to pay for extra fatures I neither want nor need.

Phone and tablets, like computers, serve features people need.  A videogame console, in no shape or form does, unless you find gaming a need.  That is a key difference here.  For example, when I was looking for a portable device to be able to carry PDFs to my game designs with me, the 3DS and Vita both got ruled out as options.  The only option was a tablet.

And then, after people spend money on these devices, they feel less inclined to want to spent yet another $500 for a console.

Way too much....Honestly the maximum Im plopping down on a new console (bar something extreme happening like VSXIII or MGSV being next gen launch titles) is 399.99

And I'm one of the guys that paid $700.00 CAD for a launch PS3. I've regretted paying that much ever since. Especially since that by the time the console was getting some decent games, the price drops started coming in.

i am sorry but i disagree @bold, not that i am accusing you of anything, some people just don't realize, some don't want to see, some are stubborn in their ways... its a legit situation for anyone to be in sometime in life.
i was pointing out that people spend money on things they like... how much? not large sums, it is as much as they can to be able to do these things they like with much more comfort, pleasure, you name it...
if you can't spend more than $400... that is ok... but choosing to not pay more than $400 is just saying you don't like gaming that much and that you are fine in being in the low end of gaming forever, and that console manufactures must sell HW at loss or near it... selling HW at loss will only make consoles last less because if there is no gain, there will not be much effort in making them...

question to you... do you put these maximum prices on everything? cars? no more than 20k? more than 20k is features and extras you don't want or need? laptop? no more than $500 because there will be features and extras you don't want or need? smart phone? no more than $300 cause will have  features and extras you don't want or need? see where i am going with this?

to me this is organic, i pay if i feel its worth... reread my last sentence in the previous post.

I read the survey as what is viable for sales, not what people would pay indivdually.  It is highly presumpted for a gamer to presume that people have the same values as they do.  Unless you are arguing people should take up videogaming as a hobby (even giving up other hobbies) because it cheaper, the argument is whether or not a $500 console is too much for people.  The answer to that is very much yes.  Early adopter prices are usually far more expensive than the price of the masses pay.  And the cost of a console is also a cost of a TV to.  And with XBox a subscription, and then factor in the cost of games.  For a console to be worth it at $500 it needs to do more than just a single game.  So your initial cost estimate is much higher.

No, I'm just saying $200 back then was worth a lot more than $200 today. :P

Minimum wage was $3.80 in 1990. It is $7.25 today. The relative value is still similar, but wages have increased. They will always have to increase as prices increase...