pezus said:
TheLastStarFighter said:
-The plus subscription is very relevant to pricing. PS4 is able to be $399 because Sony can safely assume that at least 50% of owners will subscribe, creating extra revenue that was lacking on PS3. Assuming an 8 year life span, that means the cost of being a Playstation gamer is more this gen than ever before. $799 for a launch system purchase. The games are a nice bonus, but its not optional and personally I don't care about it. My tastes are specific and I mostly buy new titles and AAA titles. So for me (and most, since most software is purchased early and most consumers only purcase 10 titles for the life of their console) the bonus games are of little value. But having to pay to play COD online is a significant new cost to a significant number of owners.
-What is the difference between games and games support? As a consumer I buy for games. PS4 will not have more games this fall. Wii U will have more games. In time I have little doubt that PS4 will have more gaming options, but objectively speaking, as you like to say, this fall - which is the time frame your talking about - Wii U will have more games.
-Internet chatter about the look of a console is irrelevant. Sony fans love the look of Sony products and there are lots of Sony fans on the internet. I think it looks good. Much better than PS3, better but not as distinctive as PS2. I think Wii U looks great. Both are nice systems. Neither are especially remarkable, and outside of something really unique (and good - eg Wii) or unique and bad (eg Gamecube) I don't think looks are overly relevant. You just like the look of PS4 because you are excited about. Personally I like the thinness of it.
-Power is relevant for longevity. It helped the SNES, it helped PS3 and it somewhat helped XB360. It is of little impact as to why Wii U needs a price cut in the near future. It will be of significant impact down the line.
I think Nintendo absolutely will be battling PS4 and XB1. I think the three systems will be going head to head for consumer attention and dollars and the market will be fierce. I just don't think many will be cross-shopping this fall. PS4 will be in too limited supply and too pricey for all but the most dedicated Playstation fans to get a copy. Those that want it won't even consider Wii U and have been anticipating this launch since 2006. True cross shopping won't happen until after Christmas when buying slows down and systems are readily available on store shelves. At that stage I think Wii U will need a price cut to compete. I expect one to come near or before the release of MarioKart 8.
That said, a Wii U cut is very possible just before PS4 launch to dry to drum up excitement and hype for Wii U. Nintendo may also need to do it if sales continue to lag as they have been. But this would be due to a general lack of interest in Wii U because of itself, not because of PS4.
|
How Sony were able to price the console so low is highly irrelevant. The fact is that it's price low and a Plus subscription is optional - and it brings free games. Consumers look at the price tag, many of them not even knowing that they will need to pay for online play, and don't calculate multiple years into the future.
Game support = Announced games. Not necessarily games that will be available at launch. People actually do look at which games have been announced when buying a console, at least the hardcore gamers. See FFXIII, Versus and the like. Game support is basically the promise of games, developer and publisher support plus the games available at launch.
Of course, everything can be countered with "Sony fans dominate the internet" these days. It couldn't possibly be that people in general like the look of the console. I did say "all over the internet and in real-life". I don't know, maybe Sony fans dominate my town as well (actually, I'm pretty sure they do  ).
WiiU sales having been lagging for months now, and yet there is no price cut. I think a price cut just before PS4's launch would absolutely be partly to try to steal consumers away from them.
|
Your picking and choosing on your first to points for whatever suits the PS4. On the one hand you are saying gamers won't look into whether online has a fee, then you are saying people do their research and know about announced games. The opposite can be said, that core gamers research fees and casuals don't care about gaming announcements, making both points moot. For the record, I do think it's wise to charge for online from a business perspective since consumers aren't cmpletely rejecting it as they should, but it is a major extra cost for console gaming on both PS4 and XB1.
I think people do generally like the look of the cosole, I just don't think it's a work of art or especially better looking than Wii U, which is also simple, black, glossy and handsome. Both are nice, but unremarkable... and that was the plan of the desiners of both. They are just supposed to blend into your living room.
On your last point, do you really think PS4 isn't going to sell everything they ship this Christmas? I think they are, and as such I don't think Wii U can steal potential sales. Like I said, Nintendo may need to drop Wii U pricing, but only because people don't think it's worth it. It will do nothing to stop people from buying PS4 among the initial launch customers. The mainstream won't be able to find a PS4 till January.
