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Analysts See 80GB PS3 Dropping To $499 For Holidays
Gamsasutra reports on analyst predictions of another PS3 price drop in time for the holidays. This time, the 80GB sku would take the place of the now fully-cleared-out 60GB unit. "Jesse Divnich from fantasy video game prediction market simExchange has said much the same, adding that 'after examining more closely the hardware sales of the PS3 over the last 6 months we have come to the conclusion that the PS3 cannot remain competitive in the current North American environment at its current retail offering at $499 and $599 ... To remain competitive against the other consoles, the Sony PS3 would have to reduce its 80GB SKU by $100 down to $499. Other options, besides a price drop, could be the bundling of more free software titles, which has always been a popular option during the Holiday season.'"
As a gamer who plays, I'm currently enjoying Metroid on a Wii..
When I finally get an HDTV, My $$$ are going to the evil Borg empire (rather than the Evil sony empire) and getting an XBox 360 for Halo and GTA IV.
So why should anyone care about the PS3? The zealots who got them got them already, and all the rest are just not gonna care, get a Wii (gameplay) or get an XBox (more games and similar "oohh, shiny" graphics)
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or Even $450... The 60 gig version with the EE chip is simply a much better value at the same price, I can't see them selling many 80 gig units at such an inflated price. Also with a comparatively weak software line up (yes there are good games, just not as many of them) they need to get the price down below $400 ASAFP.
It's either:
"Sony's 80GB PS3"
or
"Sony's N82E16868110016 SKU"
Except SKU is assigned at the merchant level, so there are approximately eleventy billion different SKUs for the 80GB PS3. The above is Newegg's SKU.
STOP FUCKING SAYING IT
Did the Analysts see me still not buying a PS3?
Not that I have anything against the PS3 personally. I am just not paying $500 for a console, regardless of the "real dollar" price.
This is SHOCKING NEWS!
The new model PS3 is cheaper to produce compared to the current 60 US/Japan model because:
1) 60 gig drives are now more expensive than 80 gig drives in large quantities - that's just the nature of the harddrive market and tech. Prices stay the same but capacity goes up. Lower capacity drives start to get expensive as less and less companies use them.
2) The removal of the EE half of the EE/GS PS2 hardware.
3) Various motherboard/chip manufacturing efficiencies - some parts of the PS3 are already moved to 65nm
Since the 60 gig PS3's appear to be selling out much faster than anyone anticipated, place like Amazon it is still the top seller or number two or three item, it certain that when the 60 gig units are effectively out of stock that the cheaper to produce 80 gig model will drop the bundle and move down to 499.
And then probably down to 399 early 2008.
Still too damn expensive for me. And most everyone else.
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The PS3 still won't hit the value sweet spot for enough people to dig out of the market share hole it's in. There just aren't any exclusive titles comparable to what MS and Nintendo have for the holidays, $500 is still a lot of money, and quite frankly I don't see the HD media formats EVER really taking off enough for people to swarm to the PS3 en-masse because of it(I mean cult-classics like Rockula aren't even out on DVD yet), much less this holiday season being "the time".
There's also no reason to go and get the 80GB right now, like there is for the 60GB with the EE chip.
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Anyone...anyone...Bueller...Bueller...
I think $500 would make more sense than $600.
I also think a publicity stunt with a decapitated goat is very unlikely.
I just don't think I trust attempts to predict Sony's future actions based on a rational evaluation of expected outcomes.
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Considering how well Nintendo and Microsoft have been doing with their 7th generation consoles, and with the PS3 losing exclusives left and right, Sony has to do SOMETHING to get them in more homes. I personally love my PS3, I'm just annoyed that there really isn't any must-have games for it (yes, I know it will take a couple years).
That being said, I know that the numbers speak differently, but in all honesty in looking at the three 7th-gen consoles (which, btw, I own all three), I see every console as having a potential market of it's own...The Wii for it's "in-person multiplayer" appeal, the 360 for it's exclusives lineup and overall "feel", and the PS3 for the folks that want their gaming system to do something other than just play games.
Really, this is a very VERY exciting time to be a gamer. It's a shame everyone is still so ass-backwords and fighting with each other. This is the first generation that I could honestly see the big three living in harmony with each other if they would simply stay in their respective niche's...which, we all know, they won't.
Oh, and one more thing. Stop using 'SKU' in article summaries...not because it's used wrong, I'm just tired of hearing people argue about it's usage. That is all.
Remember folks. Play as many games on as many different platforms as you possibly can.
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Many reviews keep stating that the PS3 may still be the best Blu-Ray player on the market, and entry-level Blu-Ray players start at $500. Many people don't care about Blu-Ray right this second, but after seeing a movie in true 1080p, I'm ready to buy a new TV and a PS3. For $500 I'm getting a good Blu-Ray player, with the gaming console/media server/web appliance thrown in for free.
Most gamers don't see it that way, and that's fine. But for me, it is actually quite a value.
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The PS3 can work with the PSP to allow remote play. You put your game into your PS3, put it in suspend or hibernate (or whatever the hell they call it), then you go somewhere with wi-fi, fire up your PSP and connect back to your PS3 and play the game. Check out this link which shows a video of the game in action and another description of it:
t e-play/
http://www.psp-hacks.com/2007/09/02/lair-psp-remo
Personally I don't care too much for the PS3 as a whole, price and lack of games being the two biggest issues, but if Sony or Microsoft could figure out a way to make this work for all kinds of games (not just Lair), or better still, incorporate real online multiplayer capabilities, that would make me buy one REGARDLESS of price. Sony taking a hit on these PS3's has so far managed to make them offer a technically superior product at a (hopefully) decreasing price and tying it into their portable player, which I think is a very good thing!
I caved in a got an XBox (first one) not because of platform exclusives, but because all the multiplatform titles looked better on the XBox than they did on the PS2. Largely I believe that will be the case with the PS3. The 360 is scaring me away with their red-rings-of-death, and the Wii looks fun, and I may buy one, but everything I hear suggests that it really is catered more to multiplayer gaming. Since getting married and having a kid, I don't have people over to play video games anymore. I rarely have any time for single-player gaming. Any multiplayer gaming is going to be online, and the Playstation allows me to game online for free.
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Make sure you buy the Sony Remote. You CAN control the movie playback with the 6 Axis, but the interface is Ass-tastic. Also "Planet Earth" is still the Best to show off your HD display... (sound not so much, but Visually, it's breath taking...)
I'm in the same boat. I'm playing God of War (which upscales nicely), and watching movies mostly.If you act quick you might be able to get a 60 gig PS3 for $350 and would still be eligable for the 5 Free BluRay Movies.
The Cell processor definitely has a raw horsepower advantage over the rather standard PowerPC in the 360. 8 cores beats 2 any day.
Now, whether the game developers are savvy enough to take advantage of the cell is a different question entirely.
Don't discount the whole multiple-DVDs vs. 1 BlueRay, either. Or the fact that the PS3 comes standard with a hard drive, allowing game manufacturers to cache textures to disk before they are needed ("streaming textures"), making gameplay smoother, with richer visuals.
Then there's the sixaxis controller, which gives some interesting gameplay possibilities. For instance, in the upcoming Ratchet & Clank game, one of the weapons produces a tornado, which you control with the sixaxis, while using the more traditional controls as per usual. You can't do that on a 360.
So, I think a more interesting question is, what technically can't be done on a PS3 that you can do on a 360? ("Halo III" is not an appropriate answer here, since that's a marketing thing, not a technical thing. A good point, but not technical.)
Microsoft is to software what Budweiser is to beer.
Over here in Britain, Sony are desperately trying to cling to a ridiculous £425 price point (that's $855 US at today's exchange rate). You could get BOTH a Wii + game AND an Xbox 360 + game for less!
Stores are not being allowed to officially offer discounts, but judging by the 'unofficial' hand written cardboard signs outside every games shop, stores can't shift the boxes without offering a huge bundle of freebies. You'd be hard pushed to buy a PS3 without art least 2 free A-list games, 2 free blu-ray films and a free sixaxis controller in my local mall.
Add in the way Sony UK are stubbornly pretending that 80Gb machines don't exist (all we get is 60Gb ones without the Emotion engine) and it seems they are hell-bent on crashing and burning over here.
A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
I am the founder of the simExchange. Thanks for covering the story that was covering our report. Our original and complete report is available on our website for free.
Just to add, our analysis examines the sales of both the Xbox 360 and PS3 for the next few months as forecasted on the simExchange prediction market. The forecasts are those of thousands of gamers, developers, and investors trading on a virtual stock market and are not the forecasts of an individual analyst. Our findings show a widening margin between Xbox 360 and PS3 sales in the coming months. However, since our long-term forecasts imply equivalent market share for the two consoles, we believe Sony will ultimately act to narrow this margin--this may include cutting the price of the console or bundling games to add value. Thank you again for interest in our report.
Wait a minute, the original X-Box was a sure thing because of Halo? Please... Buying that system was a bigger risk than buying the next PlayStation could ever be.
Don't downplay a system that plays a majority of existing PS2 games as well as a growing library of next gen games.
I don't think you can seriously call the PlayStation brand a "maybe" either. X-Box is still the newcomer here.
60gb PS3: $499
80gb SATA laptop hard drive: $90
80gb PS3: $599
So you have a choice between Motorstorm, or your entire library of PS/PS2 games (plus $10). They should have just stuck with the 60gb. Maybe they needed an excuse to raise the price, while lowering costs.
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Personally, I don't care what analysts think. How many of them correctly foresaw the Wii's success? How many of them foresaw the PS3's failure?
I'm not asking any and all analysts to be clairvoyant, but I don't recall any of them being at all accurate. The most dire prognostication was that Sony wouldn't absolutely dominate, but only lead.
As far as I can tell, 90% of analysts are going to make predictions anyone who has a passing interest in the subject could make with about as much accuracy. Basically, they pick whatever follows the old trends irregardless of the fact that trends change.
Sony might drop the price, that's always been a possibility. However, this is Sony we're talking about. I personally find it just as likely that they'll stick to their guns and keep the price as is; it wouldn't even be stupid. If they lower the price, they piss off a lot of hardcore people and potentially reduce their revenue. If they don't, they piss off a lot of hardcore people and potentially reduce their revenue.
I won't be surprised either way, but I would believe random anonymous coward Sony fanboy trolls before I'd listen to analysts.
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Please, someone explain this to me. It would seem like the general consensus on /. is that the PS3 sucks, that Sony is the devil, that everyone is perfectly content with their XBoxes, that they don't need to make up for the size of their Wiis with a PS3 (pun intended). And yet, almost every day, there's an article about a possible price drop on the PS3. And people respond with the same tired reply every time.
However, the fact that there's an article every day about this makes it seem like people actually do really want PS3s, and are just waiting for the price to come down, and they're just trying to validate it by saying what they have is "good enough for me."
Of course, this is only IMHO, and may or may not bear any resemblance to reality, so please, treat me like a child and explain this to me.
Is Warhawk worth buying if you have a PS3 (IE: A good game)? or is it Worth buying a PS3 and the game in 1 purchase? (IE: A system seller)
My impression is that it was the former, not the latter.
I'd put it in my top 10 games ever, personally. The tastes of other people may be different, but I'd say it's definitely a system seller for people who like that type of game.
It's worlds better than Halo, the latest installment of which is sure to be a system seller.
... but I already own a Wii and a new PC. And $500 would buy me 8-10 new games for my Wii or PC. 8-10 games is a whole lot of fun to miss out on to bet on an unknown quality like the PS3, which hasn't really come out with a game that grabbed me yet.
I also find that with a new job and promotion that I'm not just gaming less than I used to, I'm gaming a HECK OF A LOT less than I used to, and its very hard to justify $500 for what might be a 6 hour a month hobby for me now. On the other hand, with disposable income and not a heck of a lot of time to spend it, if I see pretty much anything in the Wii section that looks like it would make for good entertainment with my friends the next time they come over for a dinner party I can buy it without a second thought.
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What exactly is less than fantastic about the sixaxis as a remote?
A) its wireless
B) the left and right buttons move the movie back and forward
C) the big X you use in games to mean 'okay' does the same in menus
D) the big Dpad and analog stick thingies you use to move around in games does the same in BD menus
E) the square button brings up the menu while playing the movie
E) the triangle button brings up all those on-screen options to do other fancy setup stuff I've almost never done with a remote anyway
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F) the triangle button brings up all those on-screen options to do other fancy setup stuff I've almost never done with a remote anyway.
Perhaps I should have clarified. The triangle is largely the issue. Rather than organize functions in a logical maner, under the viewable area of the movie (like the BluRay menus do) they throw it up on the screen and overlay over 25% of your viewable area.
If you only do the basic functions of pause, play, scene advance, you CAN get by just fine with the sixaxis, but the remote is still preferable.