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Sony Runs Out of 60GB PS3s
Next Generation has word from Sony that they've shipped all of their 60GB PlayStation 3s. They don't have any more in the warehouses; retailers still have ample stocks, though. From the article: "Once all of the remaining 60GB PS3s have been snapped up for $499 apiece, the only option left open to consumers will be to purchase the 80GB model, which currently retails for $100 more at $599. It has long been rumored that once all 60GB PS3 stock dries up, the 80GB will be subject to a price cut, but SCEA has failed to be drawn on the matter to date. 'We won't be making any further announcements regarding our PS3 model hardware strategy in North America until the 60GB model is exhausted and market conditions are evaluated,' the company has said."
Get 'em while they're ho-...errr...lukewarm!
Caffeine is my anti-drug!
Duranin - A NWN2 Roleplaying Persistent World
I doubt they'd cut it to $500 or lower; that would just be spitting in the face of all those who snapped up their 60GB models just months earlier for the same price. Sony wouldn't disrespect their customers that much would they?
Holy shill alert, batman!
It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the 80GB model isn't getting a price cut, even when the 60GBs are gone. Sony has a pretty good lineup coming up, and they stand to lose a lot in the short term if people buy reduced-price PS3s but only one or two games.
On the other hand, they might want to get Blu-ray players into as many homes as possible, given the recent adoption of HD-DVD by many film studios- even if it means absorbing a big short-term loss. They know PS3s will move once their AAA titles start coming out, so there isn't much motivation for a price cut now, game-wise.
Overall, I think the PS3 is just too speculative for most consumers. The price in and of itself isn't the major concern, (people will spend hundreds of dollars on home entertainment) but rather questions like "Will Blu-ray become the de-facto HD format?", "How many price cuts will occur between now and when the games I want are released?", and even "Are AAA titles eventually going to be ported to 360 or PC?"
Sorry to point this out from the article you obviously linked but didn't read:
Sony announced at E3 2007 that, through a deal made with Epic, Unreal Tournament 3 will be a PlayStation 3 timed console exclusive during 2007. The Xbox 360 version will follow sometime in 2008. The statement by Tretton confused many, therefore Mark Rein made it very clear during the Midway conference at E3 2007 that UT3 would ship for both the PC and PS3 in November, with the Xbox 360 version coming the following year. It was also announced that the PS3 version will be able to use PC-created mods and levels.[9] Epic plans on adding some level of support for the Xbox 360, but due to its closed system there is less freedom. This is the main reason this version of the game is coming out later.[10] On 2007-08-07, Mark Rein confirmed that PS3 users could use a mouse and keyboard as input devices for the game, a feature that was the subject of high demand by fans.[11]
They haven't said the 360 release date yet, but it won't be out this holiday season, nor will it have as many features as the PS3, which makes it less desirable. Which is exactly the point I was making above.
Looking at the price difference between 60GB and 80GB 2.5" HDDs, the $100 more for the larger disk strikes me as very close to theft.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
I know that I am just one random person, but I do own the PS3, Wii, and the 360. I can honestly say that out of all of them, between the games and the overall "feel" of the system, the 360 is by far my favourite.
Again, that is just a lone geek's opinion...
Living With a Nerd
I'm sorry, but games drive console sales, not brand names. The number of consoles currently in the marketplace drive the platforms that developers target. You only need to look at what the CEO of EA said to realize that. When you have the top dog of the single largest game publisher coming straight out and saying that your console was the "wrong horse," you are in some serious trouble.
The PS2 was a huge hit because they got to market early and were able to get a snowball effect going. Developers targeted the PS2 because it was the most widely-sold console, and that in turn drove additional console sales. The PS3 will not come anywhere close to experiencing that level of success. It appeared too late, it cost too much, and they've been bleeding third-party exclusive titles at a phenomenal rate as a result. They're experiencing a slight uptick in sales thanks to the (maybe temporary) price cut, but the only numbers developers and publishers are looking at are total number of consoles sold, and the weekly numbers are only a drop in the bucket compared to those totals.
Thanks to http://vgchartz.com/, we know that there are 10.5 million 360s, 10.5 willion Wiis, and only 4.3 million PS3s sold worldwide. What 3rd-party developer in their right mind is going to drop serious money on developing a AAA title if they can only sell it to 17% of the next-gen market? Without exclusive AAA third-party titles, there's pretty much no chance of a major increase in the rate of PS3 console sales. You only have to look at Nintendo's experience with the GameCube to realize that all the first-party titles in the world just aren't enough to get the job done.
As for Microsoft "flunking" in Europe, the weekly numbers may look a little rosy (or at least not dismal) for the PS3, but the 360 is still the most widely sold console in the "other" (i.e. not North America or Japan) category by a fair margin at 3.3 million, which is mostly Europe. The Wii is second with 2.8 million, and the PS3 hardly even rates with 1.3 million. The PS3 outsold the 360 by a whole 6000 units in Europe for the week ending August 19th. That's simply nowhere close to enough to erase the 2 million lead the 360 has. At a rate of 6000 more consoles sold per week, it would take the PS3 seven years to catch the 360 in Europe. For the same week though, the Wii stomped them both, selling almost twice as much as the 360 and PS3 combined.
As for Japan, MS completely botched the 360 marketing plan there, without question. You can Google for Japanese reactions to the 360's "Do Do Do" campaign, if you'd like a laugh. However, while the 360's failure to crack the Japanese market is bad news for MS, it isn't automatically good news for Sony. Japan was supposed to be Sony's stronghold, and look at the Japanese sales numbers: 3.4 million units for the Wii, and only 1.1 million for the PS3. Even in their own backyard, Sony is getting their asses handed to them.
"It should be obvious where all of those former PS2 users are going to end up over the next five years."
Yes, it is obvious to me, though apparently not to you: wherever the games are. Where are the games going to appear? This is also obvious: on whatever consoles are most common. Whether that's more frequently the 360 or the Wii depends on how things shake out this Xmas, but at this point the PS3 is simply too far behind to have much hope of making a comeback.
Also as a reminder for those sitting on the fence, I believe this will be the last model with hardware support for PS/PS2 titles. The 80GB and on have software emulation.