PS3 Price Cut To Follow End of Blu-ray Laser Shortage?

Via Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog, a DigiTimes article reports that the shortage of Blue-ray lasers is ending. Back in April Sony Shiroishi Semiconductor, a maker of the blu-violet laser diodes needed to make the PlayStation 3, ramped up production to fully meet the needs of production for Sony's new console. As a result of more readily available components, the article theorizes that a price cut may be possible sometime later this year. "Until now, the question has been: how could Sony afford it? If the Blu-ray supply chain is indeed poised to pump out Blu-ray PUHs, perhaps this is the first major step to seeing $50 to $100 shaved off the cost of the console. Would $100 off the cost of the PS3 bring in more buyers? I don't think this can even be considered a serious question. With few exceptions, and leaving aside a handful of loyal fanboys, the PS3's biggest problem is its price. We look for a Sony price cut later this year if sales stay ho-hum."

Comments

Re:Think like a business...

[MBGMorden]

If that's how a business is thinking they risk not being a business for much longer.

Instead, the business has to think like a consumer.

Yeah, Sony built a machine that is a game console, Blu-ray player, DVD player, computer, music player, etc, etc.

You know what? Nobody really cares about anything but the game console part, and MAYBE the Blu-ray player. Even the Blu-ray part will only be college kids and real savers who want the latest greatest movie format but don't have the cash or desire for a "proper" player (take note for example: aside from the group I just mentioned, almost ANYONE who has a PS2, also has a standalone DVD player in the same cabinet).

As such, we're not gonna bow down and thank generous Sony for their wonderful gizmo which costs a fortune. Instead, we simply don't buy it. Sony getting stuck with all these things isn't good for that business, and they certainly better have a better plan than whining "but it washes dishes too!" to try and entice people to buy it.

Re:Think like a business...

[Churla]

The crux of your argument seems to be that the value of the console isn't realized because developers have not "figured out how" to get the maximum our of the cell architecture. There's a problem with this.

The continued popularity of the 360, coupled with the surprise success of the Wii has made many game designers rethink what console they're developing for. Look at the sudden increase in Wii titles in the pipe.

Also, by the time they "figure it out" there will be newer products out. Do you think there won't be an upgrade to the 360? Do you think Nintendo plans on never making another console upgrade?

Sony put all their eggs in the "look at this fantastic new technology and pay for it now on the promise that uses will be made for it later" basket. They should have taken a few eggs into the "have some killer apps ready for it on release day". And this doesn't start to address the fact that whereas you're a hardcore who will pay for the console if it can't find a mass market it won't have legs in the long run.

If the most innovative technology with the best capacity won the fight we'd all be using RISC driven Mac's right now.

Re:This is just stupid

[_xeno_]

I'm sick and tired of hearing this story repeat itself over and over. It goes something like this:

I can't afford a PS3, therefore nobody can afford the PS3 and since I see them on the shelves, nobody must be buying them.

I don't think it's so much "can't afford" as "don't value the PS3 at the current price." I can afford a PS3 (well, could have afforded a PS3 until I had to spend $1000 to repair my car, but you get the point), I'm just not willing to spend $600 on one. It's not worth $600 to me, and I get the impression that it's not worth $600 to a lot of other people.

What I can afford and what I'm willing to spend are two completely different things. If I were willing to set aside the money, I could already have bought a PS3. Instead I spent the money on other things that I find more worthwhile (such as car repairs, but also a new digital camera and a Wii).

Now I'm not saying that I'll never buy a PS3 - I expect I will, eventually. I just don't plan on spending $600 for it. If it comes down in price to $300 I'd be much more willing to try and buy one.

Really, though, it all comes down to games. The Wii is backwards compatible with the Gamecube, and since I skipped the Gamecube, I'm planning on using the Wii to play some of the Gamecube games I missed. Since I already own a PS2, the PS3's backwards compatibility isn't much of a draw for me. All this adds up to different personal valuations for the consoles. The Wii is more valuable to me than the PS3 is. Therefore, the $300 I spent on the Wii (plus game) is a better value, to me, than $600 for a PS3.

It's not that people can't afford the PS3, it's that people simply don't think it's worth $600.