Sony Says No Price Drop for PS3 Anytime Soon

[civil_dead]

British website MCV (http://www.mcvuk.com/index.php) quotes SCEA's Jack Tretton poo pooing the notion of a price drop similar to what the PS2 experienced less than two years after its launch:
When asked by US magazine Game Informer whether Sony would cut the price of PS3 as soon as they did after the PS2’s launch, Tretton replied: “No… There’s a heck of a lot more under the hood and it costs us more money to make it.” He added that “it will be a lot more difficult” to reduce the recommended price of PS3.

The PS2 first launched in the US in October 2000 at a price point of $299. Its price was reduced by $100 by Sony in May 2002, which, according to Tretton, means that the first PS3 price drop won’t arrive until late summer 2008 at the earliest.
The rest of the article (which actually quotes from Game Informer) can be found here (http://www.mcvuk.com/SCEA-PS3-price-wont-drop-for-two-years).

I was hoping the price would drop before MGS4 came out. Doesn't look like it. :(

[Klunka]

This just in: Buyers say no to PS3 for the remaining "anytime soon"

[IrishWhiskey]

Well, on the plus side, chances are retailers will start cutting those prices with bundles and discounts to clear some of those units on shelves.

Of course, without price cuts from Sony, it will mean retailers will lose money and push the PS3 less. So, consumers might be given some better opportunities, but its still not great for Sony.

[PXG 360]

1up has a story about this. I don't feel like rewriting what I wrote, so I will just copy and paste what I said on 1up (excuse the errors please...):

Sorry for sounding a bit harsh, but a "redesigned" PS3 is NEVER going to happen. There is already (though small) a significant amount of people who a own a PS3. How could ever concieve of the idea of Sony telling developers and consumers to abandon the "Blu-Ray" ship and start all over, with a "new" PS3 with a DVD drive inside (eventhough PS3 games ARE capable of being put on DVD)? See? Crazy isn't it?

Sony has put themselves in a very sticky situation. They have created a product that is too expensive to manufacture and too pricey for consumers (meaning they won't buy it). And even if a PS3 is sold, Sony will still lose approximately $200 (20 GB) to $230 (60 GB) per console sold. That is a major issue right there.

Sony wanted to implement all of these "next-gen" features into the PS3; Cell, RSX, Blu-Ray, true 1080p capability, et cetera. But look what's happening to them:

- The Cell Broadband Engine, though a little bit stronger than Xenon (360's CPU) (both CPUs are not as powerful as their respective companies said they are because they are "in order processors"), is a programmers nightmare. Because of its assymetrical architecture and the PS3's lack of easily accessible memory, it is very difficult to harness its power. True, over time, devs will get the hang of it.

- RSX is not as powerful as Xenos. Get over it! Sony wanted the Cell to do graphics processing, and realized that it couldn't handle it. They went to nVidia at the last moment to make them a GPU. Viola! Just like the Cell, its hard to utilize its power. Not only that, its horribly (okay...too rough) inefficient and weaker than than Xenos (360's GPU).

- What is the point of Blu-Ray in regards to gaming? None (at least now). Later we may see something, but I will confidently say that we won't see (if ever) the reason why we absolutely have to have Blu-Ray for gaming. Developers have to compress game data in order to optimize load times. The only plus Blu-Ray has, is that it allows devs to create HD quality cinematics in games, because they have all of the extra space. But since many devs use real-time engines and not pre-rendered engines for cutscenes, that extra space is not needed. Also, because the PS3 lacks memory (all consoles have shitty memory compared to PCs) and god awful disk drive speed, developers (such as Bethesda...according to Todd Howard himself) have no choice but to compress the data, in order to shorten loading times.

- Kojima admitted that he was not concerned with HD. Capcom and the developers of MotorStorm have also admitted that the PS3 (and possibly the Xbox 360 as well) is not capable of running a game in 1080p and 60 FPS. One has to give so the other can perform at its optimum. Yeah, you could have 1080p, but a craptacular frame rate. Instead (and this is the better choice for developers), have the game run in 720p/ 1080i and be able to have a high frame rate (what ever you consider high...ie 60 FPS). Again, this is because the PS3 (and this goes for the 360 as well) is not as powerful as Sony made it sound it to be.

There you have it. Not only does Sony have to deal with thier moronic pricing strategy, the also have to face the aforementioned issues as well. To put it simply, developers are not going to risk (thoug some will) making a game for a console that is hard to develope for and that nobody is buying and consumers, at the same time, are not going to buy an expensive console with few compelling titels. Sony has caught themselves in this perpetual vortex of trouble, which I don't see them getting out of any time soon....That is all...

[DaXIthR]

Sony actually shouldn't have even said so much. They've already said it's a deal, it's a steal. They've said it's something you'll want to go get a second job to pay for.

Developers have called it the best meal money can buy.

They shoot themselves in the foot when they suggest price reduction.

Just toe the company line and say you're happy with the way the system is performing and selling around the world. Bloody system still hasn't seen a global launch and people are begging for a price drop? Sony should repeat the same message on the subject and tell cheap futhamuckas to stay the F away from their product.

[torrefaction]

This sucks. For Sony and for me. The odds of my buying a PS3 at a later point just dropped dramatically.

[PXG 360]

Sony would be fucked either way:

Price drop - Lowering the price may fix the sales issue...marginally. Yes, people will be more inclined to buy a cheaper PS3, but will they necessarily buy the [lacking] software? Chances are, no. However, because of this, Sony would lose even more money on every PS3 sold, because of the high component costs. Ouch!

As is - Sony is losing a big deal of money on each console sold. At the same time, sales are pretty stagnant because of the heft price tag and lack of games. Though bad, this is the "better" route for Sony to take, if they even want the PS3 to stay afloat. I never thought I would actually have say that Sony is struggling. Easy come, easy go I suppose?

[tombofsoldier]

Sony is third this generation. I've been espousing my dislike of Sony for months now, but this is my official prediction. Sony is will be third place in terms of overall console sales when compared to the X-Box 360 and Nintendo Wii.

Whether they even produce a profit from the PS3 I'll not at this time venture to guess.

[Siraris]

This sucks. For Sony and for me. The odds of my buying a PS3 at a later point just dropped dramatically.

Um, it's only one year, and they aren't going to say they are going to do a price drop (that would be idiotic and show weakness). How does that effect you long term (more than just this year).

[Zacharai]

The term is 'pooh pooh'. There is no actual poop involved when you reject something with contempt.

Is anyone surprised by this? The 360 has been out for over a year now, and they probably won't have a price drop for quite a few more months. Hell, the article even pointed out that it was a year and a half after the PS2 came out that it got a price drop. Why would they accelerate the price drop when they're losing so much for every PS3 sold?

Besides, I doubt $50 or even $100 would get a ton of people who wouldn't get it anyway. As the original poster said, he was hoping there would be a price drop before MGS4. Sony's smarter to focus on getting a better library of games to sell the PS3 rather than drop the insanely ridiculous price to something moderately ridiculous.

[torrefaction]

Um, it's only one year, and they aren't going to say they are going to do a price drop (that would be idiotic and show weakness). How does that effect you long term (more than just this year).

Given the market competition, I was really expecting a price drop around Christmas. Maybe retailers will give me enough incentive, but I just don't see myself paying that much for a console.

I have an awesome console, and for that price, I'll get the awesome video card I've been putting off (Mostly due to the 360 taking up my gaming time anyway)

[tombofsoldier]

Besides, I doubt $50 or even $100 would get a ton of people who wouldn't get it anyway. As the original poster said, he was hoping there would be a price drop before MGS4. Sony's smarter to focus on getting a better library of games to sell the PS3 rather than drop the insanely ridiculous price to something moderately ridiculous.

The problem with that statement is of course that they haven't done anything of the sort. They managed to lose Dragon Quest to Nintendo, and Grand Theft Auto is now for the 360 as well. That is to name just 2 previously exclusive franchises that they have lost since last generation.

Just to give some perspective: Dragon Quest is about as popular as Final Fantasy in Japan. The last 3 Grand Theft Auto's are all on the top 10 list of bestselling console games of all time and is the 6th bestselling game franchise in history (just below The Sims).

[Heretic Machine]

Don't worry Sony, I'll likely still be around once it is selling on eBay for $100 used. I'll be waiting.

[mkelehan]

I was hoping the price would drop before MGS4 came out. Doesn't look like it. :(
...unless MGS4 comes to the 360. Then there's a $200 drop for you.

[TheEpicOfTyler]

1up has a story about this. I don't feel like rewriting what I wrote, so I will just copy and paste what I said on 1up (excuse the errors please...):

I think it's funny that you point out Kojima doesn't care for HD, but they when the topic of Blu-Ray arises you completly disregard his opinion of how DVD is too small, and BluRay will eventually become to small for games.

[Mdot23]

that sucks. i was hoping it would drop at least a little bit in the relative future (say a year after launch). maybe buying one soon won't be that bad of an idea since i won't be kicking myself after a price drop right after getting it. tax refund check, hmmmm...

[Kamalot]

I plan on buying my PS3 used from someone on eBay. I'm sure someone out there will get tired of waiting for games. ;)

[fitbabits]

Sony is in a very difficult position right now - the proverbial rock and a hard place. They made a big deal of Microsoft dropping the price of the original Xbox so soon after launch yet they are now in a very similar situation to Microsoft, except they can't really drop their price for numerous reasons.

That being said, I believe Sony will be fine in the long term so long as they can make peace with being this generation's Microsoft (late to the party with a more expensive console and left playing catch-up for the duration because of that). They've been the leaders for so long now that they are understandably having problems adjusting to being anything other than that.

[Kamalot]

Aren't there still people waiting for a PSP price drop?

[Johan]

Too bad they didn't include a hardware scaler chip with all that ritzy technology...

woopsie! :rolleyes:

Sony is, naturally, in a hot spot of their own making...whether they're cooked or not is a question for a year or two from now.

[Jack B]

This just in: Buyers say no to PS3 for the remaining "anytime soon"

Good one! :D

[Tennistoad]

I saw 6 ps3's @ my local best buy this weekend. No premium xbox360's and no Wii's.

I'd say that sony had better drop that price or just move on to the ps4 with developer support.

[Evil Avatar]

IMHO, if you want people to buy the system you need a system seller. When the PS2 was released I didn't go anywhere near it (being the hardcore PC gamer that I was back then) until they released a game I just felt that I couldn't live without.

For me, that game was Grand Theft Auto 3. In fact, I think I purchased the PS2 and GTA3 the same day as a package.

If Sony wants the system to sell, they need to find a game like GTA3 that people just can't live without.

On the Xbox 360... if I didn't have one at launch I (personally) would have bought one for Dead Rising. (Big zombie fan.)

I think other people will buy one for Halo 3, which I feel is a HUGE franchise with the general public. (Less so with us people who have played Gears of War.)

Sony needs a game like GTA3 - a game so compelling that everyone wants to play it. And I doubt that such a game could be a first-person shooter. The general public isn't really into first-person.

[Wyrm]

They need to do something to move the ones that are just sitting there. Japan gets price drops left and right, why the hell aren't we getting the same? I'm still not going to buy one until it's less than 300, which won't be for a very very very long time. The inherent problem with a system costing 600 dollars at launch is that when you do drop the price, it's still such a huge chunk of cash, it's STILL going to be a difficult justification in terms of purchasing decisions. Do I spend the 550 on the PS3 or eat and buy three 360 games this month?

Honestly, until the games catch up, this system is lamer than my twenty dollar toaster from walmart. And yes, Resistance does look cool, but I'll buy that when it's twenty bucks and put it in storage until the system catches up.

[Wyrm]

IMHO, if you want people to buy the system you need a system seller. When the PS2 was released I didn't go anywhere near it (being the hardcore PC gamer that I was back then) until they released a game I just felt that I couldn't live without.

For me, that game was Grand Theft Auto 3. In fact, I think I purchased the PS2 and GTA3 the same day as a package.

If Sony wants the system to sell, they need to find a game like GTA3 that people just can't live without.

On the Xbox 360... if I didn't have one at launch I (personally) would have bought one for Dead Rising. (Big zombie fan.)

I think other people will buy one for Halo 3, which I feel is a HUGE franchise with the general public. (Less so with us people who have played Gears of War.)

Sony needs a game like GTA3 - a game so compelling that everyone wants to play it. And I doubt that such a game could be a first-person shooter. The general public isn't really into first-person.

And I agree, they have absolutely no good selling points for the system currently. The price is too high, blu-ray isn't stable yet as a format, there's no game that appeals to a wide audience, and the online is pretty gimped if you're used to xbox live quality, and supposedly, it's hard as hell to program. So what do they have going for them? It's powerful, for sure, but what makes it so much better than anything else without the games to back it up?

Honestly, I was sold on the 360 from about 5 months after launch. Ghost Recon, which is the type of game I never would have played on a previous generation console, sold the system for me. I knew I'd need Gears, and Halo of course, and I figured Dead Rising would be awesome (though I ended up really not liking it that much), so I bought a few other low key titles (ping pong, full auto) and had tons of console gaming fun. Now, I can't see myself without the thing.

The only reason I bought a PS2 back in the day was the Resident Evil games (and Devil May Cry, let us not forget that little gem). The only reason I bought a Gamecube was the Resident Evil games. Everything else on those two was icing on the cake (and very tasty icing I might add).

[Rune_74]

I think its really funny how sony fans are desperate for anything right now, for instance in the ps3forums it is a banable offence to discuss mgs4 possibly being ported to the xbox360.

[DaXIthR]

Everyone knows they need the next GTA.

Everyone's looking for the next GTA, Captain Obvious. That said, there's a big difference between buying $300 system for a $50 game you can't live without....

Versus paying $600 (+ cables) for a $60 you feel you would really, REALLY enjoy.

[fitbabits]

Everyone knows they need the next GTA.

Everyone's looking for the next GTA, Captain Obvious. That said, there's a big difference between buying $300 system for a $50 game you can't live without....

Versus paying $600 (+ cables) for a $60 you feel you would really, REALLY enjoy.
Captain Obvious? Really? What does that make you then? Let me guess..., Lt. Loser?

[Yeti2005]

I could see Sony dropping their price at the end of this year if MS and Nintendo did the same. It would be hard for Sony to compete for the Holiday 2007 rush if the Wii was $200 and/or the 360 was $250 and $350 (core and premium). And while I know a gimped core system offends some people but it looks more and more attractive as it approaches that "magical-even-Joe-Average-will-buy-one" $199 range.

[Stormeh]

Of course they're not dropping prices anytime soon. Why would they drop prices when the things are selling like hotca...errr...wait...nevermind.

[Tralfaz]

I saw 6 ps3's @ my local best buy this weekend. No premium xbox360's and no Wii's.


Today I saw a stack of at least 20 PS3's (premium version) right up front at Best Buy. I "think" it's the same stack that was there when a bunch of guys at work went there because 10 Wii's showed up in stock and they ran out to get them.

I will admit that the "got to have them all" part of me is tempted to pick one up, but I just can't quite justify it for $600 and only one game out that I want to play. So, that being said I think I'll head over to my PS2 and play some more Final Fantasy XII. ;)

[GrinR]

I will admit that the "got to have them all" part of me is tempted to pick one up, but I just can't quite justify it for $600 and only one game out that I want to play. ;)

QFT. I've almost pulled the trigger a few times just for Resistance, but then I look over at my loving 360 and I laugh.

[boratika]

You can't tell people there will be a price drop in 18 months because will then wait for 18 month to buy it.

There will be a price drop at some time. There'll probably even be a smaller version sometime in the future. However, if Sony says that it is a hypothetical possibility that a price drop may occur within a specified time frame. All this achieves is the stemming of those critical first year sales.

So, expect Sony (and Microsoft and Nintendo) to deny a price drop will ever happen until one is announced.

Just think back to Nintendo saying they weren't going announce a new version of the DS and then doing just that.

[Ozymandias]

I could see Sony dropping their price at the end of this year if MS and Nintendo did the same. It would be hard for Sony to compete for the Holiday 2007 rush if the Wii was $200 and/or the 360 was $250 and $350 (core and premium). And while I know a gimped core system offends some people but it looks more and more attractive as it approaches that "magical-even-Joe-Average-will-buy-one" $199 range.

Sony's dropping their price by Thanksgiving no matter what - even if Microsoft doesn't move. They can't sustain this lack of sales. They won't do it now because they need to finish launching - would look insanely bad if they had to cut the price before launching in Europe. And they wouldn't be able to take advantage of those European early adopters who will pay the premium.

Then... you wait. Give it until March/April, and you'll see the bundling happen - an attempt to keep the high price point by adding in movies, games, or peripherals to increase perceived value. That may help a tich, but it's not going to be the magic bullet. Then by Fall we'll hear rumblings of a price cut, and by Thanksgiving I predict at least $100 off each SKU.

And yes, Resistance is a fun game. Nothing mind-blowing visually, but good co-op fun (and to be fair, it's not a visual dog or anything - just not anything you haven't seen before).

[fitbabits]

Sony's dropping their price by Thanksgiving no matter what - even if Microsoft doesn't move. They can't sustain this lack of sales. They won't do it now because they need to finish launching - would look insanely bad if they had to cut the price before launching in Europe. And they wouldn't be able to take advantage of those European early adopters who will pay the premium.

Then... you wait. Give it until March/April, and you'll see the bundling happen - an attempt to keep the high price point by adding in movies, games, or peripherals to increase perceived value. That may help a tich, but it's not going to be the magic bullet. Then by Fall we'll hear rumblings of a price cut, and by Thanksgiving I predict at least $100 off each SKU.

And yes, Resistance is a fun game. Nothing mind-blowing visually, but good co-op fun (and to be fair, it's not a visual dog or anything - just not anything you haven't seen before).
Interesting observations. I can see Sony bundling a Blu-ray movie and demo disk with each console come Spring (which, by the way, is just around the corner). They may even be so bold as to do so with the European launch as a little thank you gift for making them wait so long.

You mentioned the magic bullet so I'm obligateded to ask - what, in your opinion, would be a magic bullet sufficient enough to regain some of the ground Sony has lost so far?

[51|RandoM]

Sony's dropping their price by Thanksgiving no matter what - even if Microsoft doesn't move. They can't sustain this lack of sales.

What lack of sales is that? Oh, you mean the post-christmas slump---that every console manufacturer is seeing---plus the lack of a solid library at this point in time. I suppose you're also assuming that there are no games coming out between now and Thanksgiving that will make the ps3 a more attractive platform?

There won't be a price drop unless the BD drive hits a significant economy of scale cost reduction... and probably not even then.

[easi]

Sony don't DO "thank-yous". They'll rape the UK for every penny they can get, just like every corporation ever.

[51|RandoM]

QFT. I've almost pulled the trigger a few times just for Resistance, but then I look over at my loving 360 and I laugh.

I feel that way most days, I'm just afraid I'll look over there and see a red ring or see a stack of games I've already played as much as I want to.

[Deadend]

All the PS3 needs to get massive is a nice large stable of exclusive games worth buying. Devil May Cry 4, MGS4, and FFXIII are a good start, but really... it will take much more than 3 exclusives to tempt enough people into it. And the lack of a HD cable IS a problem, as it causes most people to think "jesus fuck, they charge an arm, a leg, and a testicle, and they still do not give me a fucking HD cable for the fucking HD system."

The PS3 price drop will probably be within 2 months of the 360 price drop.

[easi]

How long did it take PS2 to get to the point where it had that killer catalogue? I don't think PS3 can hold out that long.

[Achilles]

If they don’t lower their price for 2 years they lose this round of the console war, and not by a narrow margin either. A $600 console has an extremely limited market.

[sprankton]

Sony will lower the price only in the US and Japan making it further proof that Sony hates everyone in Europe.

[Schnoogs]

Sony just doesn't want my business.

[Rook34]

This just in: Buyers say no to PS3 for the remaining "anytime soon"

Still the best post here. It's The Onion quality, right there. :D

[Uniqueusername]

They won't do it now because they need to finish launching - would look insanely bad if they had to cut the price before launching in Europe.
But the prices for the PS3 are already screwed up by the pre-release price cuts they made earlier.

For example: The Australian price of the PS3 is currently expected to be $850/$1000, with rumours that the cheaper version won't be released until later in the year. You can currently buy a new PS3 in Japan for the equivalent of $417.

THAT looks insanely bad. It is insanely bad. Surely a price cut before launch would be a lot better than having some customers charged more than twice as much as others...
Okay, Sony do have a problem in the territories already released at a high price point (US/Canada)... But shouldn't they change tactics now that they now it's not working?

Simply announce a price cut in Europe/Australia/etc before launching there. Cut the cost so it's closer to the Japanese pricing, then shift the US/NA/etc price as soon as it's reasonable to do so. (Blame it on exchange rates, if necessary.)

Blindly going ahead with a strategy you know isn't going to work is not a good plan.

[inflamez]

In other news.... Japanese stores are lowering the price on PS3s to as low as $329 for the 20GB version. Recommended prices are still the same, but it seems like they want to get rid of their PS3s. And if you take a look at eBay, many PS3s sell below retail price.

Source
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/23/1713253

[Morratut]

Sony are in a bad position because the PS3 for gaming doesn't do anything better than 360 which is cheaper.

Plus regarding online multiplayer it does it worse than the 360.

Even though I hear all this doom and gloom I still reckon Sony will pull through. I don't know how though :rolleyes:

[Achilles]

In other news.... Japanese stores are lowering the price on PS3s to as low as $329 for the 20GB version. Recommended prices are still the same, but it seems like they want to get rid of their PS3s. And if you take a look at eBay, many PS3s sell below retail price.

Source
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/23/1713253Yeah you better believe those stores aren't going to order many more if they have to take that big a loss to get rid of the ones they currently have.

[shnastybiznastic]

Funny PS3 story:

So I was hungry, and my neighbors are going out to eat. Naturally, I ask to tag along, and we ended up having a great conversation over dinner about setting up diners selling southern food in foreign countries. That's not the point, the point is, the dinner was the precursor to them waiting in line for an hour for damn BC.

So there I am, bored out of my mind sitting outside an EB with a bunch (~100) of idiots with exclamation point tiaras. Drinking magnum. And this dude rolls up beside the line and yells out the window "yall watin' on PS3?"

A golden moment of slience passes as confusion wavers over the largest raid event ever to take place outside of an EB.

"No, World of Warcraft." someone hollers back.

"Anybody want to buy a PS3?"

Another beautiful moment of bewilderment.

"Uh, no, not really."

"I got five of em' in the back, four fifty a piece."

"Nope, sorry."

Then I dropped my empty forty bottle down a hole so a cop wouldn't get me for public drunkenness.

[Reactor Voltekker]

IMHO, if you want people to buy the system you need a system seller. When the PS2 was released I didn't go anywhere near it (being the hardcore PC gamer that I was back then) until they released a game I just felt that I couldn't live without.

I agree totally. The day I took home a PS2 it was purchased with Silent Hill 2 and Final Fantasy X.

RV

[bapenguin]

I just don't see them dropping it even next holiday season. They are losing so much money per box, that unless they can significantly reduce production costs in that year period it would be silly to decrease margins even further.

[Karmakin]

You know it's funny. People keep saying..wait until FFXIII comes out! Then the systems will fly off the shelves. Or MGS4. Or whatever

What does the typical FF game sell worldwide. About 10 million? MGS? About 5 million? Or whatever. Those numbers are probably generous..I think FFXII reached about 5 million worldwide. Which is actually pretty damn good sales.

But it's not the 50 million console sales that Sony is banking on. It's not even close. The PS3 needs the library. It needs it bad. And I figure that when all the games are announced for this holiday season, the PS3 is going to be seen in a really bad light.

[jpublic]

The thing to remember about these is that MGS3 isn't out for 6 months, if it isn't delayed further *and* it's established that if you wait a couple months, the series hits XBox. FFXIII, *if* it remains an exclusive, which is becoming more and more doubtful, is looking at at least last 2008, probably 2009.

Even 6 months is a really long time in this idustry without a killer game.

[Yeti2005]

What lack of sales is that? Oh, you mean the post-christmas slump---that every console manufacturer is seeing---plus the lack of a solid library at this point in time. I suppose you're also assuming that there are no games coming out between now and Thanksgiving that will make the ps3 a more attractive platform?

There won't be a price drop unless the BD drive hits a significant economy of scale cost reduction... and probably not even then.

The Wii surely isn't having a post christmas slump. Last Sunday BestBuy, Circuit City, etc released a new batch and they were all sold out. The 360 isn't doing too bad either. I know it's anecdotally evidence but the BestBuy near me in Tampa on Dale Mabry went from 6-8 360/Madden bundles to none in a day. I don't know what spurred it (Madden fans?) and of course there were two lonely core systems sitting there but it looks good for MS...at least in Tampa :)

I think your point about the lack of games is more relevant than assuming the lack of sales is caused by the time of year.

[51|RandoM]

In other news.... Japanese stores are lowering the price on PS3s to as low as $329 for the 20GB version. Recommended prices are still the same, but it seems like they want to get rid of their PS3s. And if you take a look at eBay, many PS3s sell below retail price.

Source
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/23/1713253


Hey, you're making an indirect link to ****** here, which will eventually point to a random picture in akihabara.

[easi]

Hey, you're making an indirect link to ****** here, which will eventually point to a random picture in akihabara.

A 'random' picture of a "PS3 20% off" sign? That's pretty damning evidence, unless you want to argue the Photoshop angle, which would be pretty pathetic even for you.

[LilAbner]

So check this out: we still have like 20 PS3s collecting dust in our warehouse at my Best Buy, while the new Wii shipment of 50 units sold out in an hour on Sunday.

Here's hoping Sony's arrogance will take 'em down a few notches.

[Roc Ingersol]

The worst part about all this, is less pressure on Microsoft and Nintendo to push out price-drops.

Competition == good for consumers.
Failed PS3 -> less competition == bad for consumers.

[DangerousDaze]

I certainly won't be paying £425 for a PS3. That's well over 800 bucks which is really taking the piss. Shame, really.

[Kamalot]

IMHO, if you want people to buy the system you need a system seller. When the PS2 was released I didn't go anywhere near it (being the hardcore PC gamer that I was back then) until they released a game I just felt that I couldn't live without.

For me, that game was Grand Theft Auto 3. In fact, I think I purchased the PS2 and GTA3 the same day as a package.

If Sony wants the system to sell, they need to find a game like GTA3 that people just can't live without.

On the Xbox 360... if I didn't have one at launch I (personally) would have bought one for Dead Rising. (Big zombie fan.)

I think other people will buy one for Halo 3, which I feel is a HUGE franchise with the general public. (Less so with us people who have played Gears of War.)

Sony needs a game like GTA3 - a game so compelling that everyone wants to play it. And I doubt that such a game could be a first-person shooter. The general public isn't really into first-person.Evil:

I agree with you completely. One 'killer app' could really turn things around. The big problem is developers are less likely to develop a killer app for a console that is the most expensive for which to develop, and has the smallest install base.

PS2 already had the lions share of users when GTA started development. PS2 also got a lot of unique, quirky games like Katamari, Guitar Hero and others. Nobody developed for the PS2 because it was the most powerful. developers chose the PS2 because it had a large install base.

Every day that the PS3 sells less than the competition, the gap widens. The wider the gap, the less likely developers are to make PS3 games. the fewer PS3 games, the less of a chance that there will be some kind of unexpected breakout hit.

It isn't so much that the machine isn't capable of having awesome titles, but more that the small install base reduces the amount of attention bestowed upon it by developers. The same fate befell the Xbox and the GameCube.

This generation, Microsoft used a one-year lead to fortify their install base. Nintendo's strategy with the Wii is to compete on price and unique qualities in order to drive its install base. PS3 is stuck between a huge price point that they can't drop, a year delay, and expensive development. None of those are conducive to developers really taking chances on the system. Instead, the PS3 titles will be ports, or 'safe' bets. No more experimental wacky games. Those will go to other systems.

[Kweli]

I normally dont expect price drops for a year+
Im not sure why everyone thought it would be different for the PS3, especially after they said they loose money on each console

With that said.. if MGS4 comes out for 360 i wont be getting a PS3 at all (cause forza will also calm my racing needs)

[Johan]

With the terrific games I already have for my 360 (and a few RPGs for my PC), and too damn many of them unfinished/unplayed because my eyes desire what my time cannot complete (too many great games), there is nothing right now that makes me think a PS3 would be at all interesting to own. Hell, even FF XIII isn't a system seller to me, if titles like Blue Dragon and others are as good as they seem to have the potential to be.

Sony went for broke, in my opinion, and took their dominant position to the roulette table, putting it all on "Cell/BD." Whether that's a win or a loss for them, I don't know...but my opinion is it's a major loss (now, and into the future).

[DigitalFirefly]

For me the highlight of the PS3 is the BluRay player.

[Arphahat]

The first rule of price drop club is: "Don't talk about price drop club." If they say, "Oh, yeah, our price is crazy expensive right now, but we'll be dropping it in a couple of months" whatever sales they might have had in the meantime are going to evaporate.

[Citizen Philip]

The complaints in this thread would still be of equal negativity if it was priced exactly the same as 360. Perhaps the PS3 was released early to get it absorbed into the market as a Blu-Ray player, maybe as a treat for early adopters: Sony is still, literally printing money and collecting income from the PS2.

In any case, what does it matter if you aren't going to buy one? I mean holy hell, some of you will dig up turds about Sony in your free time like you're earning a merit badge for Boy Scouts. Slashdot in reverse: instead of people posting their conspiracy theories as to why Microsoft was 'hiring' editors to fix their Vista Wikipedia entries, it's about Sony. In either case, you get an occasional rational post with insight, stuck in-between ancedoctal evidence and random musings from the porcelain throne.

It's a daytime soap opera for gamers. What will Ken and Bill do next? Will there be a hot and heavy meeting in the truckstop with a DS and a Wii remote (with newer, tougher straps)? Stay-tuned.

[easi]

It ceases to be anecdotal when EVERYONE reports the same thing. PS3 is floundering, many respected sites have noted the surplus problem. It's not FUD.

[Draconis]

I don't see the PS3 being anywhere close to much of competition in the longrun, at least as it stands right now anyways.

The System as many know is just too damned expensive. Sony can sit there and brag all they want, (which they have, and we see where that train of thought has gotten them) but it is going to avail them none.

600$ + Tax for a System, +100$ if you want an HDMI cable, (A good one), Plus extra controllers, +games (LOL, like there are ANY worth getting), plus extra for a remote for BR-D, and the ps2 memory card transfer device. (not all of this is required, but you get the idea)

with 2 games that's like over 1 grand. I'd rather spend that money on an HDTV which would probably see a helluva lot more use then the PS3 would.


Face it, right now, the true console war is between MS and Nintendo. And right now, as it stands, Nintendo is catching up to MS's # of units sold, and FAST. We'll see if this trend continues as time goes on, but I don't forsee the train stopping considering how many 'average' people I end up talking to who are raving about the thing. People who have never even TOUCHED a video game want the thing.


Honestly, I don't forsee Sony catching up. At all.

[Roc Ingersol]

It ceases to be anecdotal when EVERYONE reports the same thing. PS3 is floundering, many respected sites have noted the surplus problem. It's not FUD.
Just like when 'everyone' reported their 360s dying?

The plural of anecdote is not data.

[Kamalot]

Just like when 'everyone' reported their 360s dying?
Are you saying that the 360 does not have an abnormal failure rate?

[easi]

My 360 was DOA from the store. Rushed back 10 mins before closing and replaced it. True story.

[Citizen Philip]

Are you saying that the 360 does not have an abnormal failure rate?

I think he is maybe saying they are a skinjob, with a preprogrammed life expectancy, perhaps?

http://www.brmovie.com/Images/Characters/Bryant/BR_Bryant_Desk.jpg

[Klunka]

Still the best post here. It's The Onion quality, right there. :D

This is the bestest compliment I have ever gotten. Thank you very much.

As for any real opinion I have: It's just too much goddamn money for something that is not necessary to my everyday survival. It really seems to me like Sony planned for 3 years down the road. At that time, HD will be much more prominent in the average home and they won't fall victim to their system looking terribly aged like the PS2 did. If that's true, my only guess is they believed the sheer power of the playstation name would carry them through the first year and a half. As of right now, they are discovering there is no brand loyalty among gamers.

[Nessus]

Aren't there still people waiting for a PSP price drop?

I am. Crush looks good. Loco Roco looks good. Maybe Maverick Hunter X.

But the system costs too much, and the Memory Stick Duo Pros cost way too much.

[51|RandoM]

A 'random' picture of a "PS3 20% off" sign? That's pretty damning evidence, unless you want to argue the Photoshop angle, which would be pretty pathetic even for you.

Damning evidence of what? Damning evidence of a limited time offer at one shop in Akihabara? Sure... if you can read Japanese and that is what it says. Can you verify exacty what it says on that sign and get back to us? Thanks.

Damning evidence that JAPAN as a whole is desparately trying to move their PS3 stock? No, but of course that is the way it has been presented.

[51|RandoM]

The Wii surely isn't having a post christmas slump. Last Sunday BestBuy, Circuit City, etc released a new batch and they were all sold out. The 360 isn't doing too bad either.

Hey great, the Wii is sold out at all those stores. It doesn't change the fact that it sold less in that time frame than it did a month before. It doesn't change the fact that the 360 sold less in that time frame than it did the month before.

Now in the case of the Wii, it could be that Nintendo isn't meeting demand after burning through their release stockpile, but I don't know that. Do you?

People see a figure and want to assume that the reason for that figure is their own personal cause and isn't because of anything else. There is a post-christmas lull. Sales for all platforms are lower. Deal with it. Sony is arguably going to get hit the worst in a situation like that due to being $100 more expensive than a 360, even moreso in comparison to the Wii, while not having the library of the 360 or the mass appeal of Wii Sports.

[bean19]

Translation of the original quote:

We are still pushing Blu-Ray on people and thus we can't afford to drop the price yet.

[TheFlyingOrc]

People see a figure and want to assume that the reason for that figure is their own personal cause and isn't because of anything else. There is a post-christmas lull. Sales for all platforms are lower. Deal with it. Sony is arguably going to get hit the worst in a situation like that due to being $100 more expensive than a 360, even moreso in comparison to the Wii, while not having the library of the 360 or the mass appeal of Wii Sports.


2 thoughts-
1.Sony has taken an absolute nosedive in Japan as well, where they do not celebrate Christmas. (heh...I made it sound like Japan is a fictional, unhappy place in a cheesy Christmas movie.)

2. Stop spouting "$100" of difference, since it's the PERCEIVED price difference that matters, and if you ask Joe Blow on the street how much the PS3 costs, he's going to say "$600".

[fitbabits]

2 thoughts-
1.Sony has taken an absolute nosedive in Japan as well, where they do not celebrate Christmas. (heh...I made it sound like Japan is a fictional, unhappy place in a cheesy Christmas movie.)
"Japan" really exists? Where? I've yet to see it on any map of consequence.

[TheFlyingOrc]

"Japan" really exists? Where? I've yet to see it on any map of consequence.

I think it didn't get added to the map until you got to the world of ruin, and you had to use your airship to get there.

[Anthony W]

Just to give some perspective: Dragon Quest is about as popular as Final Fantasy in Japan. The last 3 Grand Theft Auto's are all on the top 10 list of bestselling console games of all time and is the 6th bestselling game franchise in history (just below The Sims).

Is it just me or does Blue Dragon look alot like Dragon Quest?

[BlackPete]

Is it just me or does Blue Dragon look alot like Dragon Quest?

If you mean by art style... hmm... I think it was the same "Dragonball Z" author actually (correct me if I'm wrong, although I seem to remember reading that somewhere).

Gameplay wise... doesn't look anywhere the same at all.