Don't Count Sony Out Yet

Eurogamer is hosting a GamesIndustry.biz article, an editorial that wants readers to make sure not to write Sony off yet. From the article: "Even if Sony is failing to endear itself to the media, to analysts or to gamers at the moment, that's no reason for the reality of the next generation console battle to be ignored. Judging from reports in the past fortnight, it would be easy for an outside observer to assume that it's all over already; the media paints a picture of Microsoft being victorious before the first shot is even fired, with Sony's overloaded battlecruiser set to sink before it even leaves port."

Comments

Thanks, but...

[Spazntwich]

I'll write them off anyway.

I have no interest in a $600 console and $70 games.

Sony who? Already sold my shares

[WillAffleckUW]

and bought a PS2 cheap to last until the Wii comes out this fall.

Face it, day late and a dollar short, even if Sony suddenly "decided" to sell PS3 at $299, they've already lost mind share and many game developers have already added Wii support (not originally planned) and are shorting the number of game units they're planning to ship for PS3, according to the news reports in the print edition of the Wall Street Journal ...

Re:Too much for a console.

[Doytch]

Where to start... 1) Probably the most obvious, 4D 2) You can use your PSP as a rear view mirror in racing games 3) Innovation such as real-time weapon switching 4) The ability to flip over this crab and stab it in it's weak spot for MASSIVE damage 5) The ability to swing your controller around like someone with cerebral palsy while playing an average flying game 6) Crappy Yu-Gi-Oh games 7) Being on the cusp of innovation with Blu-Ray Honestly, I could go on and on...

Not endeared to ANYBODY

[sehlat]

After the infamous ROOTKIT incident, I'm not interested in giving Sony a dime ever again.

Re:Not endeared to ANYBODY

[|/|/|||]

Hmm, this is currently modded flamebait, which strikes me as unfair. Is it not sensible to boycott a company that engages (or at least has recently engaged) in shady business practices?

Take me, for example. I own several Sony products, including a PS2, an NTSC monitor, and a receiver. Will I ever buy another product from them? Not in the foreseeable future. I've been shopping around for digital cameras and camcorders for the last few days, and I've been skipping right over the Sony models. They probably have exactly what I'm looking for, and in the right price range too, but that big SONY on the side of it might as well say 'Made by slave labor'. I'm not even going to give their offerings any consideration.

In other words, I don't like their business practices, so I won't give them my money. Not only is that not flamebait, it's completely pertinent to the topic! I was planning to buy a PS3 this generation, but not now. The high price that they've announced isn't even the deciding factor, since I was going to wait a couple of years for it to come down - the real reason is the rootkit, pure and simple.

You guys have it so cheap its not funny.

[bunbuntheminilop]

In Australia/New Zealand, we regularly pay $100-120 for games, and the Xbox360 is around $700 ffs. I WISH I could pay $600 for a console. That would be a dream! Instead, I paid nearly $1000 for my ps2 on the first day, and that didn't include the extra controller/games/memory card etc.

You guys have it so cheap its not funny.

lol

[spykemail]

You can't really lose to Microsft per se, you just sort of run out of money.

PS3 better drop in price quick!

[Brian_Ellenberger]

First, let me start with saying I owned a PS1 and a PS2. I was waiting till I heard the price of the PS3 to decide whether to get an XBox360 or wait. When I heard $500-$600 just for the console I got a 360. Why? Because despite a great job, I have a family to support and could not justify spending that much just for the console. It doesn't matter how much better it is, or how many features it has. Just plain couldn't afford it. I think that probably describes a large number of people who aren't "single no kids"---whether they are buying it for themselves or their kids. The only response I have heard to that question is, "DUDE, YOU LOZER IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD ONE YOU SUCK TOO BAD YOU DON'T DESERVE ONE.". To which I shrug, and say fine. Wii looks pretty cool and I may pick one up with the kids are a little older. And if Sony wins the console wars, and lowers the price, I may trade in the 360 for a PS3. I'm not a fanboy. But right now, it just looks like it is out of the price reach for many people.

Sony's history

[Anonymous Coward]

Sony pulled the CLIE from the US market, despite the fact they where making a profit, just because they had no hope of dominating the PDA market in the US.

Sony Connect music store remains poorly implimented and under marketed.

Sony demostrated no loyality to it's Playstation 2 consumers resulting in a class action lawsuit.

Sony demostrated no loyality to being able to install a hard drive in future iterations of the Playstation 2. If a consumer's PS2 breaks down and they get the latest version of the PS2 then Final Fantasy XI unusable and ensuring that companies would not port other classically computer style games to the PS2.

Sony demostrated no loyality to it's audio CD consumers resulting in a class action lawsuit.

Current reviews of HD-DVD's than Blu-Ray disks indicate that HD-DVD is preferable.

There is currently more HD-DVD titles available than Blu-Ray.

Sony's first priority for the design of Blu-Ray seems to be the triple copy-protection instead of any consumer friendly priorities.

If you don't learn from history then you are doomed to suffer when Sony again pulls an anti-consumer move.

Nintendo and Microsoft seem more interested in this latest round of consoles of delivering features to the consumer than pulling a fast one over on them and then excusing themselves from responsiblity.

Re:I love people's lack of memory

[dr.banes]

Where are you getting $600 from for a PS2?-You're memory is all fucked up!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playstation_2#History Price history North America * US$299.99 (October 26, 2000, Launch Price) (CAD$449.99) * US$199.99 (May 14, 2002) (CAD$299.99) * US$179.99 (May 13, 2003) (CAD$249.99) * US$149.99 (May 11, 2004) (CAD$179.99) * US$129.99 (April 20, 2006) (CAD$139.99) Japan * JP¥39,800 (March 2000, Launch Price) * JP¥35,000 (June 29, 2001) * JP¥29,800 (November 29, 2001) * JP¥25,000 (2002) * JP¥19,800 (November 13, 2003) * JP¥17,800 (June 2004) United Kingdom * GB£299.99 (November 24, 2000, Launch Price) * GB£199.99 (September 26, 2001) * GB£169.99 (September 1, 2002) * GB£139.99 (October 1, 2003) * GB£104.99 (August 18, 2004) Taiwan, Republic of China * NT$10,900 (January 24, 2002, SCPH-30007, Launch Price) * NT$ 7,980 (January 1, 2003, SCPH-30007) * NT$ 6,980 (2003, SCPH-39007) * NT$ 6,980 (October 10, 2003, SCPH-50007) * NT$ 6,480 (January 1, 2004, SCPH-50007) * NT$ 5,888 (June 1, 2004, SCPH-50007) * NT$ 5,888 (November 3, 2004, SCPH-70007) Australia * AU$749.95 (Original Price; the price begun to drop within weeks of its launch) * AU$249.95 (Slim PS2 Launch Price) * AU$199.95 (June 1 2006 Price Drop) Germany * DEM 869 [EUR 445] (Launch) * EUR 140 (August 2006) Russia * RUR 5500 (current) Middle East * US$149 (current) Philippines As of June 2006, shop bought warrantied units of PlayStation 2 Slim (SCPH-70006) run around US$ 217. A recent month long promo of a popular console shop offers trade-in of working or non-working PlayStation console to a brand new PlayStation 2 Slim for US$ 142. Portugal * EUR 129,99 (current) Poland * PLN 2,599,00 z (starting) * PLN 549,00 z for Black Slim and 599,00 z for Silver Slim (current) Finland * Eur 500 (Launch) * Eur 149 (current) Republic of Ireland * IE£ 379 (Launch) * EUR 149 (Current)