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Sony Shifting PS3 Marketing to Focus on Blu-Ray
Tabernaque86 writes "What started as joke among gamers Sony is now using as a Christmas advertising campaign. Kaz Hirai, president of the games unit, has been quoted as saying that the PlayStation 3 'makes a great Blu-Ray player'. That theme will be central to a wave of ads in North America and Europe. From the article: 'Sony on Thursday disappointed analysts by failing to cut the PS3's price, but Mr Hirai did not rule out a future price cut. "Going aggressive only on price without being able to back it up with content doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me," he said. A price cut would have a "real impact" on sales only if there were enough software titles to support the PS3. But analysts were skeptical and said Sony could miss its shipment targets for the year. "Without a price cut close to Christmas, reaching 11m shipments is going to be very tough," said David Gibson, analyst at Macquarie in Tokyo.'" This is regrettable, too, because there really are a number of strong titles coming out for the console this year.
Well, it is one of the cheapest Blu-ray players out there, and possibly one of the ONLY ones that is upgradeable to Profile 1.1. All other Profile 1.0 players are most likely not upgradeable. So, while it's not "hi-fi looking" it is not a bad buy if you want a Blu-ray player. You can always fall back on it as a gaming/media platform.
Cheers.
Mark
Because being an incredible value for the hardware and one of the (if not the) cheapest Blu-Ray players on the market is a bad thing. I should really hate the PS3, and Sony, for this.
"This is regrettable, too, because there really are a number of strong titles coming out for the console this year."
Really? In 2007? Like What? Looking at the release dates, I don't see a decent exclusive before LittleBigPlanet or Killzone, both of which are in February.
The PS3 holds down loose papers like an F-in' CHAMP!
The main problem with PS3 is not the price, it's the games. There are a few good ones, but certainly not enough. With respect to developers, developers, developers, Sony made a few wrong moves:
Conclusion: bad moves -> few games -> third place as a console
The Raven
I just finished Heavenly sword. If they need to sell more PS3s, build a few more games like that, and you'll take over MS again in no time.
Good software... good hardware sales. Just got to figure out if you need to make the chicken or the egg first.
If you can read this... 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100001 00100000 01100111 01100101 01100101 01101011
and I had the guts, I would just integrate it into an HDTV. Mark-up aside, they'd beat their competitors as having a blu-ray compatible gaming machine built in, and chances are the price of both together would be the price of them separately. This would literally catch microsoft and nintendo with their pants down as none of them have a home electronics brand!
I mean I can see the sense in the fact that more games will drive sales, but I don't see why people would pay more for a console when there are only a few titles* why not drop the price, have people buy it as a blueray player and then *not* drop the price again when the titles are out (after all it will already be as cheap enough as if they dropped the prices when the titles came out). Wouldn't that mean that more people would consider buying the console before the content is available (albeit at a lower price)
Anyway,makes no sense to me, but as I said I'm not a gamer.
*I have no real idea how many titles are available for the PS3 or how it stacks up against its rivals, so take that statement at face value rather than assume I am insinuating that the platform is not as good as or worse off than $otherplatform.
It's been argued that the Wii is dominating the current generation of gaming consoles simply because Nintendo advertises the Wii as a gaming console while Sony and Microsoft advertise their consoles as media centers.
Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
they ought to advertise linux compatibility. A lot of people are interested in linux but don't want to reformat their computer. Selling a PS3 with ubuntu installed would be pretty popular.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
I bought a sweet 47" 1080p LCD TV about a month ago. Of course, I had to get some kind of HD movie source and I don't watch cable TV. I prefer to rent movies. Since Blockbuster is now stocking Blu-Ray movies, it was a natural choice that I choose a Blu-Ray player. I looked around at prices and all the players are fairly expensive. Sony sells a standalone Blu-Ray player for $499. Imagine my surprise when I walked around the Circuit City store and noticed a 60 GB PS3 for... $499! I intended on buying a Blu-Ray player. But I walked out with a PS3. I haven't owned a console game machine since the Nintendo back in the day. And my roommate is the only one who's played games on it so far but I do enjoy watching him play it. So yes, I'm one of the few who bought a PS3 specifically because it's a Blu-Ray player. But I'm sure that if a killer game comes out that I'm dying to play and I know it's not coming out for the PC (my preferred gaming platform), I'll definitely drop $60 on it for my PS3. But for now, it's my HD movie machine.
Heh. Shows how much you know punk. I chose the red pill but am objective enough to realize that the PS3 is a good option for those considering being early adopters. Take your format-war tripe over to Bill Hunt's blog and make noise there.
Cheers.
Mark
This is regrettable, too, because there really are a number of strong titles coming out for the console this year.
Uhhh..and now this marketing plan will somehow prevent those titles from coming out? I don't get it.
they mentioned blu-ray, which is all well and good, but it also said something about the ps3 being able to predict my every move. If i believed sony's bullshit i'd be scared by that
He did say he rents movies at Blockbuster, which are now on Blu-Ray's side.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/17/blockbuster-chooses-blu-ray-is-the-war-over/
...at least those flames will be beautifully rendered at incredibly high resolution and we'll all go "oooohhhhhh! ahhhhhhhhh!" as it plows into the ground and erupts in a huge fireball.
G.
A few questions: 1. In what way does Microsoft advertise its console as a media center? 2. Isn't this article about how Sony is going to start advertising its console as a media center? (because it is not currently advertising it in this way) 3. Who has made that argument? While both 360 and PS3 have media center capabilities, I haven't seen any advertisements that tell consumers that. They're all game advertisements. I think people like to be able play movies on their consoles. There are many reasons why the Wii is selling well, but I don't think one of them involves people saying, "Gee, I really want that one because it doesn't play movies."
"because it is not currently advertising it in this way"
That's actually not accurate. In the European market, the ads I've seen say "BUY A PS3 THE BLU-RAY PLAYER! (also plays games)"
Microsoft's pushing the 360 as a media center and a gaming console, but they're still trying to push it as a media center. And if people liked playing movies on their consoles the Wii wouldn't be selling as well as it is.
It's not "it doesn't play movies" but more of a "It plays games."
Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
"He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
Why the hell would they say that they're going to drop prices November 23rd when it's only September 23rd? That's still two months away. Once you announce a future price cut, sales temporarily slow down until said price cut occurs. Then you see a spike in trading volume, followed by a trailing off toward your new equilibrium.
...to win the xmas sales season?
Big! Strong! Wow! Tada-O!
The real question is, "Are BRD players a good value?"
PS3 might be the cheapest Blu-Ray player, but that doesn't really mean shit if every player is so insanely overpriced compared to existing technology. It's the whole early adopter scenario again. Sony is trying to push the "value" argument on people who ordinarily take a wait-and-see approach, and it's not significantly helping PS3 sales. That's because the PS3 is perceiveed as a video game console. Reality might be the reverse right now, but that is still the perception. Sony only have themselves to thank for that, due to the schizophrenic way they have tried to market PS3. They thought they could push PS3 the same way they pushed PS2, and they're failing.
Then again, even the low rate of PS3 sales has pushed Blu-Ray beyond HD-DVD in market share and installed base, so at least one half of Sony's approach (try to force Blu-Ray and PS3 to drag each other to the top) seems to be working, albeit slowly.
Actually from reports I read, casual gamers really liked it because it was a great interactive movie and also kind of short - just the thing hardcore gamers hate.
The parent post I think is witness of this.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
If you give people even more reasons to buy a PS3, then it only helps expand the market which in turn helps Sony maintain developer interest. As the PS2 showed, absolutley none of the items you mentioned mattered to dvelopers really, when the number of consoles is large enough to make it worth their while.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
It's been argued that the Wii is dominating the current generation of gaming consoles simply because Nintendo advertises the Wii as a gaming console while Sony and Microsoft advertise their consoles as media centers.
And I'd say it's exclusively because the price point is where it's not a huge deal to get one while the other two you have to budget for. I'm fairly certain thats the case because the Wii commercials are pretty dumb.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
In what sense? If I turn on my PS3, all the media stuff is in the crossbar before the gaming stuff. The PS3 ads don't emphasize gaming. Sony constantly rolls out new media stuff, for example allowing the PSP to play media stored on the PS3. Personally, I sometimes use my the PS3 as a DVD player since it has a pretty good upscaler.
Sure, it's a gaming machine, but "first and foremost" seems debatable.
The PS3 is a neat console, but personally, I think the media stuff is dilluting the message. On the other hand, with the lack of games on it, there's not a lot of gaming stuff Sony could advertise.
I think it's simpler. What's causing the Wii boom is Wii Sports. There's no other game that anyone can play, and everyone wants to play. Everyone I've shown Wii Sports to has gone from "Oh, I don't play games, I'm not good at it" to "Wow, where can I get this?"
If that was the "exclusive" reason, people would only buy Tiger LCD games for their gaming needs. No, there are many reasons why the Wii is a success. Price is one of them, but only one of them.
while the other two you have to budget for. I'm fairly certain thats the case because the Wii commercials are pretty dumb.Yeah, because in bizarro world, showing people who have fun playing with your product is dumb advertising, while showing chicks on a toilet is intelligent advertising.
I've got exactly the same feelings. I've got the money to buy a PS3 - but I find I just haven't. Megadrive/Genesis onwards, I've owned pretty much every console going - some better than others, but there was usually a pretty good reason for each one of them.
I'm aware of a few PS3 games - the dirt-racing one looks fun... erm.. the FPS with the 3-eyed skull on the front... there's that online thing which is forever delayed....
Blu-ray movies would be nice, yes, but if I wanted to watch them I'd make a cheapy little media centre PC (which I keep on meaning to get around to) and put a £133 Blu-Ray drive into it (for less than the price of the £400 PS3 console). Not that I would buy Blu-Ray, buggered if I'm going to rebuy all my DVDs again.
I see what you mean there.
"The Moron" population is a very significant part or the market.
And once you get the morons to use your product (and like it), you are set for life.
Because... morons... in large groups... They do wonders.
But.
There is simple solution to your problem.
They should simply market it as BDD (Blueray Disk Drive).
And when a moron comes along and asks what does BDD stand for sellers should be instructed to answer "Better Disk Drive" or "Bigger Disk Drive" or "Best Disk Drive".
And Better beats HD every time.
High Definition - ours is Better.
Hyper Drive - ours is Better.
Humongous Dude - ours is Better.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Dudes, in Sony OZ, the US dollar is not at .52 cents.
If your stupid execs made a bulk purchase of 100000 units at 72cents, then you guys should be FIRED!!
Any one in the finance industry would tell you the dollar is falling, expect 82-86 average rates.
I know your real secret Sony Australia, you are protecting your 'buddies' in the HIFI world from not killing their BluRay player market.
If every BR player is $1200+ and ps3 is sitting there for $699, they would scream murder!
So Sony..... why is it you can sell a ps3 in Singapore for $799 ($640AU) but cannot drag your self to sell the same package here for us people.
Is it because Singapore has better anticompetive rules, and because its harder to rip people of there where its easier to grey import?
It surely isnt the shipping costs since they are marginal of 20tonne containers, and dont tell me its tax, because 10% GST vs 4% in Singapore is hardly a 40% difference.
Why is it IPODS can be sold in AU with in 15% US prices (though they should drop, Apple, since each new shipment is raking in you more profits if sold in the same AU$)
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
Sony, for the love of all that is holy please have your right hand talking to your life hand.
http://blog.wired.com/games/2007/09/kaz-hirai-plays.html
Please please please adopt some consistent marketing and executive speak.
Insert Sig Here
Having almost every game come out for every system is what is killing the high priced consoles like PS3. While Sony might be wise in trying to advertise the uniqueness of the PS3, they are also driving away gamers in a way as they will not view the PS3 as a console to play games. The Blu-Ray market is far smaller than the gamer market.
Wasn't that what they said last year? "Holiday 2007 is the real fight" or something like that? I suspect that the PS3 is already relegated to "GameCube Status". It'll find it's niche this gen and stick around unlike the Dreamcast, but Sony had too many blunders already and I feel that will keep them from reaching critical mass this gen. Today we have the Wii over the 360 over the PS3 and it'll probably play out that way for the rest of this gen. Who knows though; if BluRay gets established as the de facto HD Movie format, maybe Sony's good with that.
It's true Sony isn't going anywhere this holiday season, but their exclusive titles are all coming out in 2008. If those titles fail, consider the ps3 done for. However for arguments sake lets say they get 4-5 games that are 9.0+ on IGN or Gamespot, Sony will be a huge contender for 2008. Anyone who bought a PS3 (like myself) for now is just a believer.
sales slow down even when there's a dangling price-cut carrot
they've painted themselves into a corner on this. They can't drop the price for fear of pissing off people (shareholders and early adopters) but they need to keep the idea of a price cut alive to not piss off those who want it but can't afford or justify buying. So they come up with other ways for you to justify: 'working more hours to afford one'.
Sony need to drop the over-inflated hubris and start thinking about their customers. I don't agree with them, but some industry pundits are already starting to count Sony out of this generation - I personally think it is too early.
I want one, but I won't get one until the price drops at least $200. See you in 2 years, Sony.
certified elipsis abuser
The reason the PS2 did so well was it was cheaper than most DVD/CD players out at the time.
So cut the price to $199 and you might be able to sell the PS3.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Sony's pushing the PSP as a UMD player turned me off to it; pushing the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player is destroying what little interest I may have had left in the system. Then again, I don't own any current-generation consoles at all, so I'm probably outside of the target demographic.
Arguing about vi versus Emacs is like arguing whether it's better to make fire by rubbing sticks or banging rocks.
i'm glad i've held off buying a blu-ray player or an HD-DVD player so far. I probably would have made the wrong choice and would have a worthless investment a year later
can you please explain to me how the ps3 doing EXACTLY THE SAME in sales as the 360 in its first year is a failure?
In fact, it's possible the PS3 will outsell the 360's 1st year tally by about a million.
Considering The 360 had oblivion,dead rising, gears of war, and whatever football game was hot as pretty much the only things worth playing in it's first year, I don't think any comparison stating either is doing better is fair.
Both have been fucking disappointing (I didn't buy either one until last month)
The wii was a real surprise hit, but it has been fucking disappointing as far as game quality as well.
Nobody is going to know shit about what's happening until after holidays 08. I think everyone that wants to play halo in the world already owns a 360 (give or take a hundred thousand
Fuck 'em all. I've been disappointed in the lot. I lean toward PS3 because Sony has served me well the last 2 generations and MS sold me a short lived turd.
MS doesn't really seem to be doing anything different from the last generation.
Sony's reach exceeded their customer's grasp
Nintendo sold me the gamecube with a fancy new vagina.
1) Make sure EVERY unit going out has Firmware version 1.80 or greater so it can scale content.
2) Include a Remote. (Seriously, when was the last time you bought a TV/VCR/DVD player that didn't come with a remote?)
3) Promote the Free movies. I know every PS3 is eligible for 5 Free BluRay movies by mail, but that should be printed on the box, along with pictures of the titles.
4) Include HDMI cables. Granted, not all HD DVD, BluRay & DVD up converters have them included, but some do and it's an added selling point that would cost them pennies to offer.
I just looked, the PS3 is NOT anywhere close to being among the cheapest Blu Ray players. The cheapest are around $330, and there's lots of them for like $450 range. HD-DVD players range down to about $220.
As for Profile 1.1? I would say the PS3 most likely could support it -- looking on wikipedia, it needs 256MB of persistent storage (versus 64KB for 1.0), a second video decoder for picture-in-picture, and a second audio decoder for director commentary etc. The HD-less PS3 will not have that much persistent storage, but others will. The video & audio, well, if there's some Blu Ray decoder hardware in the PS3 that doesn't support it, I would think with all those CPUs in there the secondary video could be decoded in software and overlayed (and audio decoding is just not CPU intensive -- do it in software).
Personally (this isn't just against Sony) I will NEVER get a product that is missing features I want based on a company claim that a future update will add those features. Maybe the features will arrive; maybe the company will decide that they are impossible to implement (the promises were made by marketing without realizing actual capabilities of the hardware); maybe they'll decide not to implement features because they would be possible but hard (and expensive) to implement/"not enough customers requested it"; and finally, maybe someone at the company will decide those extra features are enough to sell as an upgraded model of the product (even if there's no hardware differences, the "model 100" doesn't get the features but a new "model 101" does.)
If my memory serves me correctly PS2 sucked as a DVD player and it cut the life of your gaming system by burning out the dvd drive. It's cool that ps3 a bue ray dvd player but how bad is it for system to use it as a DVD player. I think they just need to make some damn games for machine