Sony has always stardet slowly. Look at the first year of PS2 games, look at the first year of PS1 games. Sony has always made releasing the machine the first priority and getting games onto it the second. They have changed nothing about how they run their console business with the exception of having to fix PR issues created by their own hubris. Other than that, this is business as usual for Sony.

Just because the PS2 sold off of hype alone doesn't mean Sony built itup any faster than they did for the PS1 that sold as well as the PS3 is selling now. Frankly, that was due to them doing very well in the previous generation and then launching their console at too low of a price.

As far as their failures with Walkman, there are a number of issues separating that from the PS3. Firstly, the company has been heavily reorganized since then. Secondly, even if they didn't complete screw up the iPod would have still taken a very large portion of Sony's marketshare anyway for the thing that they did right. And finally, Sony is slowly (as they are always want to do) recognizing, admitting, and most importantly fixing their mistakes. They see where they failed here, and while it's too late to undo the damage done they are taking steps to make their product more appealing in the future. That's something they never even bothered with when competing against the iPod.

And it's funny that I'm arguing with someone who, in making up their own terms for the argument instead of actually focusing on what I've said, is calling me an idealist when I'm far more pessimistic about this price cut than someone like stof.  I dunno if this can catch them up in terms of WW sales, let alone close the larger gap that exists in NA.  I think this can set them on the same path as the 360 in terms of WW sales over the next year, which is pretty good considering it has much stronger competition and a higher pricetag, but I don't think it's enough unless they also plan to cut another $100 in 12 months (which they probably do).  They aren't taking number one back for a long time, but they aren't far off from beating the 360 either.  The 360 merely has a one year start, and that's not the factor some people are claiming it to be.

I'm not sure if Sony really learned any lessons from the iPod. Apple did not focus on the hardcore audiophile/tech market, instead they focused on more casual users and expanding to untapped demographics.

If anything, it's Nintendo that learned the lesson of the iPod. It's Nintendo, not Sony, that is expanding the video game market.

Well, yes, Nintendo did learn the most from Apple's business model. Sony may not have gotten the whole message, but they have learned about areas of their own model that didn't work. Learning is learning, even if they didn't get the whole lesson down the first time. They'll keep making mistakes, everyone does, but they won't make the same ones.

As I've said, they have learned about their mistakes in that sector and are trying not to make the same ones in gaming. They are slow about it, but they are taking steps to make sure they don't alienate customers as much witht he Playstation line as they did with the Walkman line. This pricecut is just one of the first steps towards admitting they were wrong and trying to produce a product consumers will want.

They can't go back and change what's been done and that does lock them into a possition where they can't fix all their mistakes right now, but time is on Sony's side in a way most people don't understand.

The way you're describing Sony 'starting slowly' could be said about every console manufacturer ... It always takes about a year before you really start to see solid game releases for a platform. 

If the price cut does happen we will just have to return to this thread a month after (when the PS3 returns to its snails' sales pace) ... 

It was not popular because everyone that went to buy one went ahaed and spent the extra hundred to get the better setup.

I think that a price cut right after E3 should have a nice impact on sales and will get a lot of fence sitters to go ahead and splurge. There is a solid software lineup already going into the fall and I think we'll here some cool stuff out of E3.

There is another factor, that some games are coming. Ninja Gaiden Sigma just came out, as well as other games such as Rainbow Six: Vegas. Fast forward to August and you have Lair, Stranglehold (the PS3's special edition of the game has the movie, Hard Boiled on the disk), Warhawk, and GRAW2 to name a couple (Taken from IGN's release date listing). September looks to have Heavenly Sword and October looks like Ratchet and Clank, Home, The Orange Box (HL2: Episode 2), and some others (that list has GTAIV in October as well, but I haven't followed it that much so I can't really say).

Anyone who thinks this won't increase sales is simply being stubborn. Obviously it will. Combined with the upcoming software releases, I expect the PS3 to see a 25-40 percent increase in sales over the next 2 months.

 Funny, isn't that what people said about E3 last year?

Also: Didn't they say that 360 had the strongest E3? If E3 is the "entertainment world", why didn't last year's E3 do much for 360? I'm confused.

*cough.* 

I'm thinking about a 30 - 40% increase in sales for a while. The PS3 has been following normal market tendencies for it's price, so we will definitely be seeing an increase. How economics works.

On the subject of E3 driving sales... for hardcore gamers and people that follow that sort of thing maybe, but there are new players flocking to the Wii in droves that wont even know about E3 or that E3 exists... the marketing is taking a dramatic trend change and I think the USA is last.

It's like saying the Sony Gamers Day would lift PS3 sales etc etc etc it's a pointless argument.

The only thing that lifts sales is software... software software software. Give a console the killer app and it jumps ahead, give it many and it says goodbye. E3 will announce software, but the change is sales wont begin to happen until they hit.