PS3 will cost $300 to $400 [Archive]

StrifeSnake13*

11-22-2005, 12:13 AM

According to an article (http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/21/technology/playstation_fortune_112805/#TOP) on cnn, Sony CEO Howard Stringer said that the PS3 will sell for $300-$400. Sony will selling the PS3 at a loss in order to popularize Blu-ray.

Sir Howard said the PS3 will sell for $300 to $400 and will come with a bundle of games, movies, and TV shows, many of which Sony also makes. The question is whether the titles will be bundled on Blu-ray DVD discs or on a built-in hard drive.Sony's CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, said recently that Sony will sell the PS3 at a loss in order to populate the world with Sony's favored high-definition DVD standard, known as Blu-ray.

StANTo

11-22-2005, 12:54 AM

Player 1

11-22-2005, 12:55 AM

Expect to see this and most other internet sites go wild with "Sony R domed!!11" and "Sony for teh w1n!!" summaries before someone questions the validity of the information.

You know what? Whichever machine does the best next gen Chess game (Havok physics and HDR lighting notwithstanding) will win. It's that simple.

dead

11-22-2005, 01:06 AM

$300-$400 is quite a good price for a PS3 seeing that a computer costs over $3000 with everything in it to play new games.
The games for PS3 will probably be where sony will make its earnings. They'll probably charge a hefty $120 per game or so, if not more.

if76

11-22-2005, 01:07 AM

I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume at this point that first-generation blue-ray lasers will burn your house down.

Borys

11-22-2005, 01:07 AM

KidCactus

11-22-2005, 01:24 AM

Sadly, this article is FALSE and that's why I didn't submit it yesterday.

Big screwup from Fortune then.

HumpYourWay

11-22-2005, 01:28 AM

WOW!!!! A news post without lame comments by the news poster!

AlmostSente

11-22-2005, 01:38 AM

Yeah Hump, that sucks. I come here for the attitude, not the news... :(

*Legion*

11-22-2005, 01:40 AM

Sadly, this article is FALSE and that's why I didn't submit it yesterday.

Here is the original story dated Nov. 01:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001393147

And here is the part where some Hollywood EXEC talks about PS3 price, not Stringer:

You're assuming that that's the only source that the article pulled from.

The article you quoted also said this somewhere else:

In keeping with the PlayStation business model, PS3 will roll out at a loss for the first six months, then rapidly turn profits on game-license fees. PS3 will be bundled with a selection of preloaded films, TV programs and games and sell for between $300-$400.

It reiterated the price but also brought up the bundles - which didn't come from the Hollywood exec, which means there's more than one source of information going on here. It also had details about selling "at a loss for the first six months", etc. - financial details that, once again, did not come from the Hollywood exec's quotes.

More likely, the story just wasn't written very well in citing its sources. But that does not mean that your conclusion is right.

51|RandoM

11-22-2005, 02:02 AM

Populating a world with a standard that, and forgive me if I'm wrong, will only be playable on the PS3 as blu-ray is far from mainstream yet since we're still struggling to push DVD-R9 as a writable standard.

...and can you name any media format change that ever happened where there was tons of content available before the equipment was?

No, you can't. :-)

The only thing you can really expect on blu-ray when the ps3 ships is ps3 games and probably a handful of sony pictures titles. I might be mistaken, but I don't think you have to worry about playing a ps3 game in something besides a ps3. As for the movies, if you don't want them in hi-def, feel free to buy them on dvd instead.

It just boggles my mind that people can find a leg to stand on to bitch about the inclusion of blu-ray in the ps3. Devs are asking for a higher density medium, and have been for awhile, Sony is giving it to them. Are they pushing their own agenda---making money---at the same time? Well of course they are, duh, that might be how they've managed to stay in business all this time. When you figure out how to maintain a non-profit consumer electronics company, including R&D, you should write a book.

Somebody has to seed the market, it might as well be sony with the ps3. They've already proven it a viable model with ps2/dvd era.

Leaving Hope

11-22-2005, 02:46 AM

This could be Sony trying to use PR on the day of the new XBox's launch to dissuade on-the-fence buyers from buying a 360. It's their way of saying, "hey, look, we have our own system coming, and it'll cost a similar amount." In fact, I'm surprised we haven't seen more from Sony to sabotage the 360 launch.

This Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000717069111/) article cites that the PS3 will launch in Japan "mid-next year, with the US launch to follow a few months later." It looks like the Xbox 360 will have atleast a 7-9 month head start.

It's kinda funny: Last generation Microsoft was taking a huge loss on the Xbox, and Sony was probably all grins and giggles. This coming generation Sony will be taking a major loss due to Cell and Blue-Ray; oh, how the tables have turned.

Jaded Fool

11-22-2005, 03:25 AM

It just boggles my mind that people can find a leg to stand on to bitch about the inclusion of blu-ray in the ps3. Devs are asking for a higher density medium, and have been for awhile, Sony is giving it to them.

What about HD-DVD? The race between the two formats is still throwing up surprises left and right, and for a while all the 'managed copy' fiasco threw me into the HD camp. A week ago it seemed as though the Blu-ray camp was all but jumping ship, now everyone seems to be hedging it as the winning format.

My overall point: people DO have a leg to stand on, it just happens to change from week to week >_<

Player 1

11-22-2005, 03:44 AM

Devs are asking for a higher density medium, and have been for awhile, Sony is giving it to them..

I read something only yesterday where one of the Gears of War X360 team were questioning if X360's storage format was going to be suficient to meet the demands of next gen development.

I'm not saying blu-ray is the answer, of course. And as many developers that may be happy with the greater storage may be unhappy with the CPU architecture. Swings and roundabouts and all that.

At the end of the day, keep your developers happy - it is they who make the games and it's the games that sell your system more than anything else.

Rirath

11-22-2005, 04:29 AM

$300-$400 is quite a good price for a PS3 seeing that a computer costs over $3000 with everything in it to play new games.

Honestly, from what decade? Computer prices are rock bottom compared to a few years back, unless you're buying from Alienware or just released yesterday bleeding edge /everything/. While I agree $300-$400 isn't too much for the system, let's be practical.

$3000 gets you your own /network/. Anything less than a absolute robbery at $3000 in this day in age is a super computer with a monitor and speaker system the quality of an HDTV with surround, so don't forget to add that to your $300-$400 estimate.

Now, let's count uses...

Taco

11-22-2005, 04:30 AM

I don't quite get the complaints about storage. I'd think the bottle neck would be a lack of a larger standardized hard drive. I'd think having 50GB of data that needs to be incrementally loaded off of an optical disc and into memory would be pretty painful. Wouldn't there be longer and more load times?

Not making a statement, trying to solicit answers from people who know more than I.

And yes, anyone who is saying a good new PC costs more than $1500(let alone $3,000) can be safely ignored. $1200 will get you a PC that can play any game for the next 2-3 years. Of course it's more expensive, not going to argue that. It's worth it.

Bydo_Empire

11-22-2005, 04:45 AM

WOW!!!! A news post without lame comments by the news poster!
Amen to that.

KhitomerRouge

11-22-2005, 05:04 AM

Populating a world with a standard that, and forgive me if I'm wrong, will only be playable on the PS3 as blu-ray is far from mainstream yet since we're still struggling to push DVD-R9 as a writable standard. The Blu-Ray standard definitely isn't going to be limited to the PS3. It's been in use as a recordable format in Japan for years, and most of the major manufacturers have been demoing working prototypes of both set-top boxes and PC drives, including writers. The best part is, since there's already a writable Blu-Ray standard (albeit one that may go through some revisions), that's already settled.

What about HD-DVD? The race between the two formats is still throwing up surprises left and right, and for a while all the 'managed copy' fiasco threw me into the HD camp. A week ago it seemed as though the Blu-ray camp was all but jumping ship, now everyone seems to be hedging it as the winning format. Well, Blu-Ray announced managed copy is definitely going to be in their specs, plus they've got 80%+ of the movie studios pledging support, with Universal being the only major holdout. They've also got the only known next-generation movie authored. Unfortunately, it's the sequel to "Charlie's Angels", but it's the only evidence from either side of an actual piece of software.

Roc Ingersol

11-22-2005, 05:48 AM

Doesn't the ps3 pretty much have to be $300-400?

Does anyone honestly think Sony could get the thing off the ground at $500 or more?
Not even Krazy Ken is that nuts.

GammaLeak

11-22-2005, 05:50 AM

I read something only yesterday where one of the Gears of War X360 team were questioning if X360's storage format was going to be suficient to meet the demands of next gen development.
That was Randy Pitchford from a development studio named "Gearbox", the guys who made Opposing Force for Half Life and did the PC port of Halo. Very different from Epic who is making a game named Gears of War.

As an aside, Gearbox's latest titles have not exactly been gaming gold. Mr. Pitchford's complaints are what they are.

CaptStu

11-22-2005, 05:54 AM

I'm a money loser. Maybe Sony can support me too.

Tennistoad

11-22-2005, 06:19 AM

bapenguin

11-22-2005, 06:19 AM

Yes sir...I like it...I like it a lot.

Phanto

11-22-2005, 06:20 AM

If they do that maybe they got a chance to demonstrate that they really know what they are doing, so far in my opinion they are in some physco freaky limbo, that don't have demonstrate almost nothing, they just keep blabing about the spec of the system e.c.t.
Anyway i can assure you that before the PS3 launch there is going to be a cut in price of the 360 and when the PS3 arrive they will likely make another cut, to compete.

abso

11-22-2005, 07:00 AM

I don't quite get the complaints about storage. I'd think the bottle neck would be a lack of a larger standardized hard drive. I'd think having 50GB of data that needs to be incrementally loaded off of an optical disc and into memory would be pretty painful. Wouldn't there be longer and more load times?

Yes. Larger optical capacity is moot without having a standard place to put it, be it in RAM or a HD. This is part of the reason why devs have wanted larger system ram in consoles. The HD just makes things run faster. You are dealing with 7-10 ms seek times instead of 2-3 seconds. For gamers, the difference between 1 second and 4 is painfully noticeable. Just play Magna Carta... That game has the worst scene loading scheme I have ever come across. Takes about 10 seconds to load anything.

Roc Ingersol

11-22-2005, 07:20 AM

Dumping only comes into play if the PS3 is sold more cheaply in the US than in Japan, and if the US determines it to be an 'unfair' price advantage.

Microsoft is actually closer to actively 'dumping', as they've explicitly set the price for the 360 to be notably cheaper in Japan than in the US, so as to better compete against Japanese producers, Sony and Nintendo.

But what exactly is an 'unfair' price advantage is wildly variable, not to mention the rulings on whether it's actually injurious to domestic production. Commerce and the ITC are all over the map, and given how the US game industry benefits from selling playstation titles, the result is far from clear-cut.
It just isn't worth anyone's time or money to stir the pot.

Player 1

11-22-2005, 07:25 AM

That was Randy Pitchford from a development studio named "Gearbox", the guys who made Opposing Force for Half Life and did the PC port of Halo. Very different from Epic who is making a game named Gears of War.

As an aside, Gearbox's latest titles have not exactly been gaming gold. Mr. Pitchford's complaints are what they are.

Easy tiger. I had a brain-fart and misquoted the source. I find the act of an Evil Avatar reader leaping on my words to point out the inaccuracies to be laden with irony. Who are you? The President of Square-Enix or something?And, correct me if I'm wrong, Gearbox's most recent titles are the award winning Brothers In Arms games are they not? Sounds more like gaming gold than.. er... Pariah.

Schnoogs

11-22-2005, 07:50 AM

Total BS...this is just damage control and an attempt to convince some people not to buy 360's.

Aint gonna work.

Meatgortex

11-22-2005, 07:55 AM

The interesting thing is with the blue-ray spec still changing (managed copy, getting dual layer disks to work) when is the standard going to stabilize in order for drives to be built?

Assuming they want 3 million consoles at launch and a production rate of 100k a week. They need to be assembling PS3's now in order to launch ~7 months from now.

KhitomerRouge

11-22-2005, 08:20 AM

Total BS...this is just damage control and an attempt to convince some people not to buy 360's.

Aint gonna work.Not really. They've been stating something similar for several weeks, and rumors had been suggesting a sub-$500 price point for quite a while. If Microsoft sold X-Boxes at a loss for two or three years, what makes you think Sony won't do the same, especially if it's a trojan horse for their own next-generation A/V format? Besides, in the real world, customers are not divided into rabid assholes like us folks on the intarw3b. In fact, I'd be willing to assume a lot more consumers this time around will be mid-20s professionals and upper-middle class families that'll end up going with both systems.

Thenetcase

11-22-2005, 08:40 AM

$0|\|Y r t3h $uxOr$.

;)

BenSkywalker

11-22-2005, 10:04 AM

Ah isn't it illegal to sell it@ a loss in direct competition to US workers..

Did I fall asleep and miss Taiwan, China and Mexico being added as US states.....? ;)

The difference between MS's product and Sony in terms of labor is that MS is using a bit more third world labor then Sony this gen(just a bit mind you).

abso

11-22-2005, 10:20 AM

And both are using North American companies (IBM, ATI, nVidia) for the processing and graphics capabilities...

The Iron Weasel

11-22-2005, 10:59 AM

Not really. They've been stating something similar for several weeks, and rumors had been suggesting a sub-$500 price point for quite a while. If Microsoft sold X-Boxes at a loss for two or three years, what makes you think Sony won't do the same, especially if it's a trojan horse for their own next-generation A/V format? Besides, in the real world, customers are not divided into rabid assholes like us folks on the intarw3b. In fact, I'd be willing to assume a lot more consumers this time around will be mid-20s professionals and upper-middle class families that'll end up going with both systems.

Because Sony doesn't have the money anymore to sell the system at that much of a loss. Microsoft does.

KhitomerRouge

11-22-2005, 11:05 AM

Out of all of Sony's many independent divisions, I doubt that SCEA is hemmoraging money.

Taco

11-22-2005, 11:11 AM

Was going to say the same. I don't think Sony is hard up for cash.

JediSanf

11-22-2005, 11:20 AM

Ah, is it not illegal to sell it at a loss in direct competition to US workers. Won't the WTO step in on behalf of XBox360 workers (game makers inc.) who will lose their jobs because of the PS3 being dumped in this country?

Ok I know this is really complicated and could be argued either way ad-infinitium...

Congratulations, your post is now legible! A bit of advice, letting your little brother type while you dictate is a bad idea. You would not believe what passes for the English language in elementary schools these days.

Now, to address your question regarding the legality of selling a product at a loss I refer you first to the WTO search page (http://www.wto.org/english/info_e/search_e.asp). Type in "anti-dumping" and you will find that they pretty much follow to US Anti-Dumping Act of 1916. This was created to combat the practice of dumping (selling below cost to harm competitors), a not atypical practice of monopolies (Standard Oil is the commonly cited example, Microsoft is another) specifically from foreign sources. This was challenged by Europe and Japan back in 2000 but was upheld given that true dumping is (apparently) extremely difficult to prove and remidies had already been put into place by Article IV of GATT and elsewhere.

In my opinon the most important part of this bill is Section 72, titled:Importation or sale of articles at less than market value or wholesale price.

So no, given that the PS3 will be sold at a similar price as the 360, dumping is not occuring. If the PS3 were being sold for $50 then a case could be made.

Other problems with your argument include listing game developers as an injured party (they have nothing to do with this) and a noted lack of monopoly or unfair business practices on either side (in this case)(yet).

Sources:
World Trading System Guide (http://www.intracen.org/worldtradenet/docs/information/trainingmat/training_packs/itcguide98/itc3-03.htm)
Law Mall (http://www.lawmall.com/rpa/rpa_dump.html)
Wikipedia,Dumping (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumping)
European Journal of International Law (http://www.ejil.org/journal/curdevs/sr12.html)

On a personal note, I'm sure that my response has errors in it given that a)I am not a lawyer and b)I did this research in all of 30 minutes. Apologies are offered and corrections requested.

mister_slim

11-22-2005, 02:09 PM

What's the usable space on a 360 disk? 6.4 gigs?

Serapth

11-22-2005, 02:32 PM

Was going to say the same. I don't think Sony is hard up for cash.

No, not yet, but their burn rate is something scary. They are sitting on 4+ billion in liquid assets, and are burning it at a rate of about 20 - 25% a year.

Error

11-22-2005, 03:41 PM

It may still cost $400, but CNN just changed their story.

Correction: An earlier version of this story appeared with statements erroneously attributed to Sir Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony Corporation, regarding pricing and availability of the PS3. Stringer has not commented publicly on how much the PS3 is expected to cost, or how soon it will appear in the US after the Japanese launch in spring 2006.

moron

11-22-2005, 04:07 PM

Kelegacy

11-22-2005, 04:52 PM

I hope the PS3 does ship in the Spring (Japan) so we can see how it fares. I'm itching for a goddamn console war. Right now it's 360 vs. PS2 for Xmas, and guess who's gonna win?

Hint: It aint the new tech.

Twigz'N'Berries

11-22-2005, 04:53 PM

Ah isn't it illegal to sell it@ a loss in direct competition to US workers.. Won't the WTO step in on behalf of xbox360 workers(game makers inc.) who will lose their jobs because of the ps3 being dumped in this country???

Ok I know this is really complicated and could be argued either way ad-infinitium..

I think it depends upon what percentage of a loss they are selling it at. But by this time next year, the price to make a PS3 will be lowered from what it is now.

bobbler

11-22-2005, 05:16 PM

I've never seen a site that can turn a positive news post into a mostly negative one. Kudos EA. You guys never cease to amaze.

Taco

11-22-2005, 05:47 PM

Give me a break. That's an internet wide phenomenon on any site with a decent amount of traffic.

But if you are comfortable up there on your horse, might as well stay.

Player 1

11-23-2005, 12:50 AM

Give me a break. That's an internet wide phenomenon on any site with a decent amount of traffic.

But if you are comfortable up there on your horse, might as well stay.

Actually, no, it's not.

However, you guys have managed to turn it into an artform and are, bizarrly, proud of your achievement.

Don't worry, I'll be nominating you for next year's SPIKE TV awards as News Site of the year. :D

Taco

11-23-2005, 05:50 AM

Name me a site that gets some traffic that doesn't.

Player 1

11-23-2005, 09:25 AM

I'd rather not. If I did you might traipse over and start preaching your gospel of untruths elsewhere. If you're genuinely interested in finding accurate reporting then it's there to be found - just use your noodle, if you're just trying to bait me then keep trying.

Additionally, the mentality of "Everybody's doing it so it can't be wrong" is just dumb herd mentality. Try excersizing some independent thought every now and again. You might get a bunch of idiots who flame you or you might not - the important thing is to try.

Taco

11-23-2005, 09:35 AM

I didn't say it wasn't wrong. The more people you have, internet or otherwise, the worse things get. It's the way it is. I'm not new to gaming sites on the internet, I've seen dozens come up and thrive and some die. They all contain the same negatives. I also specifically mentioned high traffic sites, I'm willing to bet whatever you have in mind does not qualify.

You sir are full of shit.

Player 1

11-23-2005, 01:21 PM

It's the way it is.

Apathetic.

You sir are full of shit.

I take it then that you've decided not to use your noodle, as suggested, and just resorted to throwing insults.

You might get a bunch of idiots who flame you or you might not - the important thing is to try.

:rolleyes:

Taco

11-23-2005, 01:30 PM

You see the problem is you attempt to pretend you don't do the things you accuse others of doing. That makes you a trolling dick.

I do not.

Oh yes, as far as being apathetic. Yes I am. I don't know about you, but there are more important things in life to spend time fixing than gaming message boards...

I suspect you like nothing more than pretending your an adult and rising to level you consider "reasonable".

mister_slim

11-23-2005, 04:57 PM

You see the problem is you attempt to pretend you don't do the things you accuse others of doing. That makes you a trolling dick.

Hypocrite is a good word.

Player 1

11-24-2005, 12:42 AM

You see the problem is you attempt to pretend you don't do the things you accuse others of doing. That makes you a trolling dick.

Yeah. Um. I'm seeing you do the insult thing again. Don't you have any other ways of responding to people?

Hypocrite is a good word.

Yes, it is. Thank's for the compliment.

Oh yes, as far as being apathetic. Yes I am. I don't know about you, but there are more important things in life to spend time fixing than gaming message boards...

Yep buster, you got me SO right. I crusade the entire internet going around messageboards trying to 'fix' them. I don't work, eat, sleep or do anything else! Your insight is truly astounding!

I suspect you like nothing more than pretending your an adult

Son, some of us are actually there. You seem to have incredible difficulty accepting that. Whoops - I forgot, you know everything about me, right?

:rolleyes:

OK Taco, time for you to think up another insult and hit that REPLY button.

mister_slim

11-24-2005, 10:25 AM

Yep buster, you got me SO right. I crusade the entire internet going around messageboards trying to 'fix' them. I don't work, eat, sleep or do anything else! Your insight is truly astounding!

Son, some of us are actually there. You seem to have incredible difficulty accepting that. Whoops - I forgot, you know everything about me, right?

:rolleyes:

OK Taco, time for you to think up another insult and hit that REPLY button.
C'mon, do the quote attribution right. It's not hard.