I would suppose I am more of a lone wolf. I invite others to look at my butchers bill. However I do agree with the sentiment that there are an awful lot of posters that shy away into the flock to bide their time. Those that love to take a spot at the kill even though they could not be bothered to run the prey down. It is like where the fuck were you five months ago.

Though it does play both ways in the current situation. For months we talked the mass market price point, and were rebuffed constantly. Suddenly two hundred dollars is gold in an expanding market, and suddenly we were right all along. Though you wouldn't think it. Why well because you cannot use an argument against the PS3s future success, as an excuse for its current situation, and actually credit the logic to those you mocked mercilessly can you. Hell no that requires a certain altruism.

Before anyone says recession, and let me remind you that you did not think it was a big deal. Have any of you actually looked at the sales figures. The market is expanding not contracting. Two hundred dollars is more affordable regardless of economic situation. Not that the recession is doing wonders for Sony, but the 360 would win these months regardless. Many fold more consumers buy consoles at two hundred dollars then they do at four hundred dollars. That is a entry level price simple as that.

Until the PS3 reaches a two hundred dollar price it will be outside of consideration for the vast majority of consumers. I would dare say the next price line of three hundred dollars has probably been picked pretty clean as well. You do not find prime cuts on a carcass over two years old.

What exactly are we talking about when we say "the PS3 is doomed"? If we're saying the PS3 is "doomed" for 3rd place, than I think I that's pretty much a done deal. If we're saying the PS3 is "doomed" (ie in the near future it won't be a viable gaming platform), then that's silly talk.

Really the only debate left is, which HD console will sell more going forward.  Personally, I'd put my money on the 360, but it's a tough call.

@Ender

I am not so certain it is silly as you so aptly put it. The financial situation at Sony most definitely has made things that previously seemed impossible seem to actually have a chance of occurring. I recently made a post where I extrapolated out the potential sales of the PS3 early next year, and the picture was simply grim. What surprised me is that nobody actually contested the numbers. Apparently a great many members of this community think the PS3 can very well sell under fifty thousand units weekly in North America come the spring.

I know consoles have survived on less, but those consoles were at the least profitable for all involved, but there is a real question as to whether the PS3 can survive on those margins especially with Sony in the financial bind it finds itself in. Those sales levels would strangle the console to death. They would also incentive Sony to discontinue production. Would Sony do that. I could not say. However a real possibility does exist. I think it all rests on whether Sony can sustain the fight.

I try to see things from other perspectives in a dispassionate way. Sony is only losing money in gaming. Sony got its format war victory. Sony is in bad financial straights. Finally Sony is facing off against two juggernauts. David and Goliath makes for a great story, but it just doesn't happen all that much in real life. Were sales to plummet over fifty percent year over year. Yes I could see Sony pulling the plug not just on the console, but on gaming hardware in general. I think its just a question of whether they can afford to play the game now.

I ask you where do you put a realistic line in the sand. Where do you think Sony would just give up. There has to be a point somewhere at which Sony can no longer afford the losses. All I read on these forums are plans for Sony to lose billions more annually, and all I can ask is why would you think a company would commit to just doing this year after year. It makes no sense, and it sure as hell makes no sense to make merely fifty million in a quarter with risks this high.

I consider myself a realistic person too. :)

I think it's very possible Sony will greatly deemphasize the PS3 in their plans, however I don't think it will be completely abandoned. There's still money to be made from the PS3. At the very least it will still get most major 3rd party titles and the big name 1st party titles (GT, GoW3, etc).

I always thought that the PS3 was going to be Sony's N64. A terrific console that loses a significant portion of marketshare for the company.

Part of that thought was because I believed Sony was willingly taking a hit on the games devision in an attempt to establish their new high def media format as the dominant format much like they were unable to do with Beta.

I always thought that the 360's cheaper price and one year headstart on the market would be a big help, though that certainly was tempered by it's faulty hardware issues, and of course the largest threat to the Sony's continued dominance was the fact that the Wii was a phenom monster that everybody wanted to get their hands on.

I'm not saying it will fail as a console (I'm pretty sure I never said that it would do sub xbox/gamecube levels, but if you can find me saying that, I'll apologize) and it very well might surpass the 360 some time a year or two down the line.

Of course, I also thought that Home would be one of the PS3's biggest draws, and I may be wrong on that one.

I like this thread. I am at least %70 - 30% in favor of Sony taking Q1/Q2 next year. I know the 360 has a lot of freaking steam right now but whatever that's what I think.

You can't use previous generations to really predict whats going to happen in the current generation. The generations have all been different with different circumstances, and this generation isn't playing out like any previous one. Just like the Germans could still surprise the allies with the battle of the Bulge I would say people are under-estimating the response Sony can make, just as people thought Microsoft was completely out of the game 6 months ago.  

To tell the truth, things have been going back and forth so rapidly it's very difficult for some to tell which of the two will do better in the end. However, I am sure as I have always been that the 360 would outsell the PS3. Will a price drop help? I'm sure of it, but will it make that much of a difference? Who knows, it depends on how much momentum it's lost.

Anytime I see a prediction from someone (usually a PS3 fanboy) saying "Wait until the next price drop and the 360 will be demolished", it makes me laugh. Apparently the economy doesn't affect people wanting PS3s. Apparently none of them will look at the 360 and say "This console has basically the same games and is $200 less (based off the arcade model)." It seems all you guys do is wait nowadays. Hasn't the same thing been said for the last 2 years now?

No, the PS3 isn't doomed if you mean like it's gonna die. I don't see being in 3rd place making it doomed either, as sales will most likely end up in the 40 million range, which is close to SNES levels. I'm predicting 45 million for it lifetime. As for the 360? I guess around 50-55 million. Pretty even in sales for the rest of the way.

Personally, I want the PS3 to succeed.
But I try to predict as little as I possibly can. Because I know I suck at it, and I have never ever been correct on one of my predictions. So I usually just hope

Other than opinions, what else is there?