PS3 Too Confusing for Consumers?

[fitbabits]

This Business Week Online article (http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/feb2006/nf2006029_0411_db016.htm?chan=tc) seems to suggest so:

Sony's new super-packed PS3 handles a lot more than games. That, some say, could confuse buyers

Picture this: you plug your TV into a box the size of a phone book and go online to check headlines. You get bored and click over to a Giants game. Later you download Casablanca, play Metal Gear Solid against an opponent in Seoul, then chat with a friend in Seattle. What sort of box is this? It could be a PC, but Sony (SNE ) hopes it will be a PlayStation 3, the video game console it plans to introduce this spring.

..........

Some question whether Sony is trying to cram too much into the new box. The PS3 is expected to cost $350 to $400. While it has the potential to be a megahit, Sony's message might get muddled in the process of going after too broad a market, says Deutsche Securities analyst Takashi Oya. "It would be difficult to sell PS3 initially as anything other than a game machine," Oya says. Sony declined to comment on such concerns.

..........

Kutaragi's Midas touch has let him down before, especially when it comes to creating multipurpose machines. Exhibit A: the PSX. Released in Japan in 2003, it was designed to appeal to a broader audience than the hard-core gamers attracted to the PS2. It comes with a 250-gigabyte hard drive and a simple Web browser and plays games, movies, and music. But the PSX bombed as consumers were confused by the hybrid and put off by its $800-plus price tag.

"If Sony wants PS3 to be a hit, it has to avoid the marketing mistakes it made on PSX," says Reiji Asakura, author of Revolutionaries at Sony, a book about the development of the PlayStation.
More or less more of the same, but there are a few interesting points in here. Namely, the author's assertion that the PS3 will have a "huge hard disk" and also the fact that fewer people are buying PSP games because of the multimedia nature of the machine. (The fact that good games on the PSP are hard to come by was not mentioned, however.)

[Reanimated]

It does seem that they're making it more of a movie machine like the PSP.

[Citizen Philip]

Yer dun konsole is too dern fancee. Ize wan oonly four buddons. 'n pleze mek shure idz drool prewfed!! I 'ate replacin miz konsoole bekause Ize drooded tood mudch onnit.

Naturally if you feel the need to burn $500 dollars on part - PART - of an entertainment system, having more functionality besides gaming isn't a bad thing. Especially with spousii.

[Major Dan]

I like my PSP but more games I want to play would be really nice, for the record I only own two movies, and Spiderman 2 came with it.

I don't know what will happen with the PS3 but I have all ready decided to wait a year before I get it, or pehaps the first price drop.

Maybe something will change my mind, but I will have to wait and see.

[Tia]

This Namely, the author's assertion that the PS3 will have a "huge hard disk" [/I]

mm... Maybe i missed something, but I can only find him talking about the PSX having a huge hard drive not the PS3.

Exhibit A: the PSX. Released in Japan in 2003, it was designed to appeal to a broader audience than the hard-core gamers attracted to the PS2. It comes with a 250-gigabyte hard drive and a simple Web browser and plays games, movies, and music. But the PSX bombed as consumers were confused by the hybrid and put off by its $800-plus price tag.

[Sl1pstream]

I hate how my toaster has this little tray to catch crums. It's too damn confusing.

[Roc Ingersol]

Stupidest analyst prediction in a while.
So long as it isn't prohibitively expensive, it'll be purchased as 'just' a game machine.

If it is prohibitively expensive, people are going to be turned off by the price itself, not the list of marketing bullet-points.

FFS: PCs can do just about everything, and people haven't stopped buying them.

[Selar]

I hate that I can also toast bagels in my toaster. If I wanted to do that, I'd have bought a bagel heater-upper machine.

[fitbabits]

mm... Maybe i missed something, but I can only find him talking about the PSX having a huge hard drive not the PS3.
Yup, you missed this quote:

Six years in the making, the PS3 is a crucial component of Sony's strategy to dominate the digital home with a full lineup of super-sharp TVs and other gear. To attract teens and parents alike, the console plays high-definition games and movies from Blu-ray DVDs. It boasts a huge hard disk to store photos, music, and TV shows.
It was in the main article, accessible by clicking the link on the main news post.

[fitbabits]

I like my PSP but more games I want to play would be really nice, for the record I only own two movies, and Spiderman 2 came with it.

I don't know what will happen with the PS3 but I have all ready decided to wait a year before I get it, or pehaps the first price drop.

Maybe something will change my mind, but I will have to wait and see.
I'm hearing more and more from people who are worried about the PS3 and are now waiting for a while before deciding whether or not to purchase one. Make of that what you will.

[Serapth]

Frankly, I just cant imagine the PS3 boasting " a huge hard disk" and still debuting in the rumoured < 400$ range.

Either a) its gonna be bloody expensive
or
b) Sony is losing their shirt on each unit sold.

In the case of b), then yes, sony could actually put themselves out of business on the PS3. Sell too many at too much lose, will hurt them. Or, the reverse, not sell enough because they couldnt afford the lose, they could end up with too little market penentration. Finally, if Sony isnt able to offset manufacturing cost year after year, and continue to lose their shirt on each unit sold over the life of the PS3, well, frankly, yeah... they are teh d00med!

[Deadend]

People complain that Sony may have software capable of doing more than playing games? Wow, I hate people now. I think the PS3 SHOULD do all that, as the hardware is capable of it, so the system should be willing.

Again, stupid analists who think in marketoid terms and antique ideas of what home entertainment machines can do.

I also don't know why everyone is gaga to be in the first wave of a console generation, just seems like more stress and more money, just to play rushed games.

[Tia]

Yup, you missed this quote:


It was in the main article, accessible by clicking the link on the main news post.

I don't click mistery links :-P

neh I clicked it, but I read it fast because I get bored easily.

Oh well, *kicks fitbabits*

Just because.

[vherub]

I thought analysts were behind the idea of convergence, believing one-stop shopping was the solution for home media centers, not a confusing overabundance of options.

I must have missed the memo.

[Serapth]

People complain that Sony may have software capable of doing more than playing games? Wow, I hate people now. I think the PS3 SHOULD do all that, as the hardware is capable of it, so the system should be willing.

No, its not so much that. THe complaint is more on a general level, that by failing to properly focus itself towards a given market and trying to be all things to all people, it will cause consumers to misunderstand and not by the product. They are insulting the marketing alignment of the PS3, not the PS3 itself.

This is all fairly straight marketing 101 stuff when it comes to building a brand. Sadly, it is fairly simple to confuse consumers. Sorta like how 80%+ people groaned that the XBox 360 was "360" and not "2". Again, marketing 101. MS point blank would have lost sales releasing a version 2 product against a version 3 product. Joe consumer truly is that stupid.

On a final note, microsoft wants to rule your living room as much as the PS3. They are just being more subtle about it ( they have to be, because people have always thought the Xbox was a trojan horse ). The only difference is, MS is doing it much more stealth, and instead of media being distributed on a new kind of media ( bluray) its distributed over the wire ( either via live, or from a PC in your home ).

[fitbabits]

I don't click mistery links :-P

neh I clicked it, but I read it fast because I get bored easily.

Oh well, *kicks fitbabits*

Just because.
Safe surfer alert...

That kick hurt. :(

[Abash Alarmist]

I don't click mistery links :-P

neh I clicked it, but I read it fast because I get bored easily.

Oh well, *kicks fitbabits*

Just because.

Let me guess, you don't check dictionary.com either because you get bored easily, huh?

[CrashCart]

I nominate this thread for the Most Typographical and/or Grammatical Errors in an Internet Forum award.

Flame on.

[Borys]

Hahaha, oh God, fitbabits.

I can't stand one thing - total lack of legitimate news from Sony camp. MS has shipping & production problems and Sony does nothing.

Unbelievable.

[fitbabits]

Hahaha, oh God, fitbabits.

I can't stand one thing - total lack of legitimate news from Sony camp. MS has shipping & production problems and Sony does nothing.

Unbelievable.
And your point is? Seriously, your little missive has me more confused than the time I spun around repeatedly and tried to spell my name backwards when I stopped.

[Tia]

Let me guess, you don't check dictionary.com either because you get bored easily, huh?

Can I help you with anything?


*gives fitbabits some morphine for the pain*

[Kelegacy]

As the PS3 official announcements creep ever closer, despeartion from other camps seems to be at an all time high. Get those jabs in quickly, while you can! Analysts better analyze falsely while they can! Let's speculate retardedly because time is running out to put a negative spin on a positive device. Too many features? Oh no!

[Phanto]

Picture this: you plug your TV into a box the size of a phone book and go online to check headlines. You get bored and click over to a Giants game. Later you download Casablanca, play Metal Gear Solid against an opponent in Seoul, then chat with a friend in Seattle. What sort of box is this? It could be a PC, but Sony (SNE ) hopes it will be a PlayStation 3, the video game console it plans to introduce this spring.

Curious, Xbox 360 have almost those features and have not confuse anybody that have bought it why the PS3 will confuse then ?

[Selar]

Curious, Xbox 360 have almost those features and have not confuse anybody that have bought it why the PS3 will confuse then ?

Because the analysts said so. Duh!

[Thenetcase]

I don't see how it'd be more confusing, unless people are really that frigging stupid.

People don't get confused because cars do alot of things. People don't really get confused when buying a PC because it does a lot more than they want to do. All they want to know is if it'll do what they want... and if it will, they buy it. If it does more than that is immaterial to them. And chances are they might eventually figure out how to do more and be happier with the produce. It's a way for a consumer to grow into their product and continue to have hieghtened enjoyment out of it-- which is the ultimate marketting strategem.

That being said, I have no hopeful expectations for the PS3 and think it'll bomb compard to the Xbox360. However, if they can pull off the kind of graphics and physics that the demos have in them, I'll be a lot more optimistic-- after I see it in motion in front of me.

-TNC-

[ElectricMonk]

i think it could be successful with a smooth interface to control it all.

but then ms will just release a live update that does everything better

[Steele Johnson]

On the other hand, when an average person goes out to buy a machine that is made to play games and comes home with a device that's built for playing, recording, and streaming movies, I can see how that might be confusing.

I already have a cable box that has build-in DVR and processes HD. Just give me a high performance game machine that allows me to play games like no other and allows me to play with friends online. That's it. The bells and whistles aren't worth the extra $$.

[DaedalusFolly]

Curious, Xbox 360 have almost those features and have not confuse anybody that have bought it why the PS3 will confuse then ?

Your post almost confuse me... ;)

[Vaginasaurus]

I'm just worried that the PS3 will end up like the PSP. Originally being sold as primarily a game machine, but then ending up shifting games to the sideline.

[Serapth]

I don't see how it'd be more confusing, unless people are really that frigging stupid.

People don't get confused because cars do alot of things. People don't really get confused when buying a PC because it does a lot more than they want to do. All they want to know is if it'll do what they want... and if it will, they buy it. If it does more than that is immaterial to them. And chances are they might eventually figure out how to do more and be happier with the produce. It's a way for a consumer to grow into their product and continue to have hieghtened enjoyment out of it-- which is the ultimate marketting strategem.



First off, yes, people really are that friggin stupid. Sad but true. :D

Second, your car analogy doesnt really work for two reasons. One, a car is such an established and ingrained aspect of our society. We have a century worth of exposure to them. When the horse competed against the car, I bet you there was confusion.

Second, the car has such a clearly defined primary purpose. Point blank, it is a transportation device. Everything else is secondary.

See, gaming machines used to be simple. They used to be gaming machines. They played games, and only games. That was a pretty simple concept, so even being new, people got the gist of it. I want one of these things because they play games. Or, I dont want one of these things because they play games. Easy.

Now its a convergence device. Its not so easy to peg it into black or white categories of why Joe Schmo wants one. Like my cell phone, a Treo. Or, is that my PDA? Hmmm, or is it my MP3 player. Its not so simple to just call it a phone anymore. Now, my selling someones gramma on a cell phone, probrably wouldnt be too hard. They grok the basic concept of a phone already. Try to sell the same person on a cell phone + pda + mp3 player, and suddenly it becomes much more confusing.

That is why, in a mass market device, more features can be bad from a marketing perspective.

From an informed consumer perspective, frankly, I dont want to see these all in wonder devices, but thats because im not cheap. ( Dont mean cheap as an insult here ). For example, I already have a tivo type device and generally a dedicated device tends to be better then an all in wonder. Same way is, even though I had a PS2 and XBox I still bought a dvd player. Yes, both would play Dvd's, but nowhere near as well as a dedicated unit.

So in the end, as a consumer, I end up paying potentially hundreds of dollars for features I dont really want. Im not saying they are useless features im just saying by including them and driving the price up, it is an example of how more features can turn off even informed consumers.

[Kamalot]

Let's speculate retardedly because time is running out to put a negative spin on a positive device. Too many features? Oh no!
Think of it this way, if you looking to pick up a game system but you already have a DVR and a DVD player, why spend more money to replace the things you already have and use?

By trying to be everything, to everyone, they may end up with a product that is 'not-quite-what-I-was-looking-for' or 'way to expensive for just a game system' to many.

Remember the Homermobile? the Homer Simpson-designed car that was designed to have features for everyone?

http://www.megahobby.com/Modeling_Zone/Snap_City/POL4000.jpg

[Zanzibar]

Just give me a high performance game machine that allows me to play games like no other and allows me to play with friends online. That's it. The bells and whistles aren't worth the extra $$.

In a few weeks you should be able to go buy an X360 on the shelves ;)

[Royal Fool]

Picture this: you plug your TV into a box the size of a phone book

I prefer to call it "plugging a box the size of a phone book into my TV". You know, since I don't actually carry my TV around with me anywhere like flight trips or to a buddy's house.

But I guess that journalist does, eh?

[Serapth]

In a few weeks you should be able to go buy an X360 on the shelves ;)

The hicktown walmart I work near has like 4 xbox premiums in stock last I was there. This is in a population 10K town.

360's cant be that scarce anymore, can they???

[Citizen Philip]

We demand more rampant speculation. The Overmind hungers.

[rein]

The 360 is not confusing? :rolleyes:

[Grimmjow]

I'm just worried that the PS3 will end up like the PSP. Originally being sold as primarily a game machine, but then ending up shifting games to the sideline.

i highly doubt thats gonna happen.. i see it as home console gaming Sony has there hands all in it but handheld wise nintendo owns that world....i think developers will cont. there PS support on a console level instead of handheld as we can see that now

[Crabby]

Why does anyone here even think half of those features are going to make it to a final feature list? History lessons, duh.

[TrackZero]

Frankly, I just cant imagine the PS3 boasting " a huge hard disk" and still debuting in the rumoured < 400$ range.

Either a) its gonna be bloody expensive
or
b) Sony is losing their shirt on each unit sold.

In the case of b), then yes, sony could actually put themselves out of business on the PS3. Sell too many at too much lose, will hurt them. Or, the reverse, not sell enough because they couldnt afford the lose, they could end up with too little market penentration. Finally, if Sony isnt able to offset manufacturing cost year after year, and continue to lose their shirt on each unit sold over the life of the PS3, well, frankly, yeah... they are teh d00med!

Nah, mega-corps like Sony never die. They just get bought out by a competitor or another mega-corp looking to expand into a new market.

[askheaves]

One set of my parents had a major resistence to the DVD player for similiar reasons. I tried to explain to them that it's just like the VCR, but better quality and a slight adjustment to the controls. The argument always was:
"I just want to put my tape in there and watch my movie. I don't want all that other stuff. It's too complicated."

The complicated stuff was the Title Menu.

This isn't a slight on my parents who actually are rather intelligent. They are perpetual savers, however, and it takes a real clear reason to get people like that to move forward. In this case they broke down because my dad started making DVDs of the digi-photos he took, the library started loaning out movies in DVD format and it's getting harder and harder to find a VHS tape.

[thecrazyd]

On the other hand, when an average person goes out to buy a machine that is made to play games and comes home with a device that's built for playing, recording, and streaming movies, I can see how that might be confusing.

I already have a cable box that has build-in DVR and processes HD. Just give me a high performance game machine that allows me to play games like no other and allows me to play with friends online. That's it. The bells and whistles aren't worth the extra $$.
You are making the assumption that it will cost you extra $$. I really doubt they will launch for more then MS did (which is still way too much).

[Mason]

I don't think "too complicated" is a good argument to make. It isn't that any given aspect of it bewilders consumers, it's just that any expensive and "horizontal" device (i.e. is meant to serve many independent needs or roles) is a weirder purchasing decision. If it's a $300 game machine with $200 worth of other features at a $500 price tag, it isn't easy for a consumer to decide if it is a good or bad deal. Maybe the game stuff is worth $300 to you, but will you still pay $500?

All the same, I think the article is predicated on way too much credulity for Sony PR. The PS2 was supposed to browse the web and download movies and whatnot; the PSX finally did that years later at 4x the price. Other than BR, I wouldn't be too optimistic about any features until we see them. And even demoing the feature (http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/NEWS/e3_2002/images/zu2_b.jpg) doesn't mean it actually shows up.

[Steele Johnson]

In a few weeks you should be able to go buy an X360 on the shelves ;)

Oh I plan on it. But I don't buy game machines until there's a game I'm really interested in playing. The 360 doesn't have a game that I care about at this point, but I'm sure it will within the next 6 months. I'm in no rush but I'm really looking forward to that first killer game. ;)

[Deadend]

I already have a cable box that has build-in DVR and processes HD. Just give me a high performance game machine that allows me to play games like no other and allows me to play with friends online. That's it. The bells and whistles aren't worth the extra $$.

The thing is, all the features they talk about are not bells and wistles that cost more. It's software. The system already has the physical ability to do all those other things.

I demand a better arguement for why a system that can connect to the Internet should NOT be able to have RSS feeds, web browsers and movie watching.

And the reason of people not liking complecation, runs counter to the point of playing games. People play games for complication and such it seems.

[Steele Johnson]

You are making the assumption that it will cost you extra $$. I really doubt they will launch for more then MS did (which is still way too much).

I'm not making any assumptions. I'm merely saying that I don't need all that from any console. I'd rather they focus on upping the tech for games, not for movies and streaming media. That goes for all the consoles.

I'm into playing games... I'm not much of a movie buff. And like I said, I already have DVR and HD. All that comes with my cable box. Tossing all that crap in a console is probably going to put off a lot of average consumers. They'll probably end up buying a Revolution. ;)

[Steele Johnson]

The thing is, all the features they talk about are not bells and wistles that cost more. It's software. The system already has the physical ability to do all those other things.

I demand a better arguement for why a system that can connect to the Internet should NOT be able to have RSS feeds, web browsers and movie watching.

And the reason of people not liking complecation, runs counter to the point of playing games. People play games for complication and such it seems.

HD DVD and Blu-Ray drives (just for watching movies), 6 USB 2.0, CF Slot (Type I, II), SD Slot (Regular, Compact), Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, 1 x Optical Audio, that's all software? All those bells and whistles add to the overall price of the unit. I might as well hook my pc up to my tv. lol

[Citizen Philip]

Mmmm Shills.

[thecrazyd]

I'm not making any assumptions. I'm merely saying that I don't need all that from any console. I'd rather they focus on upping the tech for games, not for movies and streaming media. That goes for all the consoles.

I'm into playing games... I'm not much of a movie buff. And like I said, I already have DVR and HD. All that comes with my cable box. Tossing all that crap in a console is probably going to put off a lot of average consumers. They'll probably end up buying a Revolution. ;)
Again, what is the downside of it if it doesn't cost you anything extra? Sure, if the system costs 700 bucks cause of that crap, then yeah. I would not say extra features are a bad thing if they don't artificially inflate the price. If I can get a 400 dollar game system, or the same system for the same price with a DVR, then I won't complain. Not that I will pay 400 dollars for a console, DVR or not.

[SMES]

I'm hearing more and more from people who are worried about the PS3 and are now waiting for a while before deciding whether or not to purchase one. Make of that what you will.

To be fair, I hear this quite often but mostly the complaints stem from speculation on the cost. Many people I know are worried that the wealth of features will equate a high price tag.

The idea that the playstation brand would be equated with anything other than games is, to me, nuts. The PS brand screams "games" to everyone I know, and movie and internet functionality isn't going to change that.

A $500 price tag would, though.

Edit: Eh, I see this has already been discussed. My point was that I think people are skeptical about the price. I don't think there is any confusion whatsoever about what the PS brand means.

[Thenetcase]

See, gaming machines used to be simple. They used to be gaming machines. They played games, and only games. That was a pretty simple concept, so even being new, people got the gist of it. I want one of these things because they play games. Or, I dont want one of these things because they play games. Easy.
<SNIPAGE!>

You actually make a valid point. I'm sick of gaming consoles basically starting to become... well... computers again.

Why don't they just stick to gaming? :P

-TNC-

[Pumped'Up]

You actually make a valid point. I'm sick of gaming consoles basically starting to become... well... computers again.

Why don't they just stick to gaming? :P

-TNC-
when you say "they", you mean Microsoft.

[mister_slim]

when you say "they", you mean Microsoft and Sony.
Fixed.....