PS3 needs a proper price cut NOW

[cHodAX]

I just got done with reading this article...

UK PS3 and 360 Sales Finely Balanced : Next Generation - Interactive Entertainment Today, Video Game and Industry News

...and as it explains here in the U.K. the PS3 is really struggling to take off, 55% of all PS3's were sold in the month (March iirc) after launch but since then it has consistently been in 3rd place every single week for console sales.

Even in America it is struggling, the 360 shipped 210,000 consoles in the month of August whereas the PS3 only managed 89,000 units sold that month and that came of the back of the last PS3 price cut. In short the PS3 just isn't taking off, they haven't even hit 5 million consoles sold worldwide yet and both 360/Wii are already closing in on 13 million units sold each. If Sony don't get £100 off that price tag in the next 6 weeks or so they can kiss Xmas 2007 goodbye as well. The hardware can be stunning but £400 is way beyond the budget of all but the hardcore gamer.

 

[Aada]

Can't say i fancy the idea of spending over half a grand for a console + a couple of games ;/

They will have to bring it down if they want to compete.

A couple of times i've come close to buying a PS3 and getting rid of my PC PS3 has a browser so wouldn't need the PC anymore, then i tot up the price and walk away before i get the plastic out.

Your looking at £530 easy for a PS3 + a couple of games although ive seen some nice deals around for £425 with 2 games but they are crap games ;/

 

[Raven]

The fact that there aren't really any decent games for it yet is telling too, give it a year and it will do a dreamcast. They have tried to sell it on brand alone and failed, even the sony fanboys have gone quite.

 

[Ch3tan]

It will come down to the the price that the 80gb console comes out at. However if it is cheaper than the £350 or so you can pick up a 60gb console for online, then there will be many a pissed off consumer.

 

[soze]

I think the PS3 will get a nice price cut when a signature game is released maybe MGS or GT ans sell the console around that game.

I would like to see what numbers the 360 sells as the basic or premium. I wonder if the fact you can get one that dose nothing but game for sub £200 is winning this.

 

[cHodAX]

I wonder if the fact you can get one that dose nothing but game for sub £200 is winning this.

You talking about the Wii?

It is a good little console and is doing better than I expected but a year on the the graphics are already looking horribly dated, infact many of them look worse than PSP games. Ok families with kids don't give a shit about graphics, they just want little timmy to shut the fuck up for a few hours so they stick him infront of the Wii with his wand and a copy of Harry Potter!

I think over time though the novelty of Wii will wear off, Microsluts and Sony probably have wand type controllers coming out before long as well. Still, Ninty have split the market down the middle and PS3 will never reach the heights that PS2 did sales wise. The best they can hope for is 50 million consoles sold in the next 5 years but if they don't get that price down soon they are going to see even more marketshare taken away from them.

Microsluts need to slash prices as well but they are doing free game bundles as well so the console still remains too expensive for an average family. They have made some fatal mistakes in the last year with 360 and I can't see them selling beyond 35 million consoles in the next 5 years, they might have the catalogue of games now but the hardware price is still 25% too high considering that they want mass market penatration.

 

[Ch3tan]

I believe he was talking about the 360 core console. Same price as the wii now aint it?

 

[Samaroon|Terracotta]

'Bout time Playstation was knocked off the top spot I reckon anyway. Alwasy prefered the N64 to PS1 and Xbox/GC to PS2.

 

[cHodAX]

I believe he was talking about the 360 core console. Same price as the wii now aint it?

Ahh right. Yeah roughly the same price although the core is being replaced very shortly with a new version that has wireless pads and a 256mb mem card for saves. Hopefully the pricepoint will remain the same.

 

[Yaka]

price cut will come by xmas, sony just arnt saying so.

this all seems so much like the xbox 1's first year, soon as ps3 prices drops ms will cut 360 prices just like sony did with ps2. it worked wonders for sony will do the same for ms.


still the 360 is selling like shit in japan they should forget about japan and concentrate more on europe tbh


just hope when the next batch of consoles come out theyll have preoper gasmes lined up fro the 1st year

360 only had pgr3 and dead rising and crap ports of ps2/pc games

ps3 has motorstorm an heavenly sword aside from that an even worse line up than the 360 and a rat shit psn content for europe

 

[soze]

I meant i wonder how many of the 360s they are selling are Core and is it the fact that you can get a next gen machine for aroung £200 with a game really helping MS.

 

[DaGaffer]

I meant i wonder how many of the 360s they are selling are Core and is it the fact that you can get a next gen machine for aroung £200 with a game really helping MS.

Not many, which is why they're dropping it.

 

[Aada]

Thing is how far can MS go with price cutting? we already know they don't make any money on 1 console alone sold we know Bill Gates pockets are deep but just how far is he willing to go?


PS3 won't be doing anything special in terms of sales wise until MGS/FF hits it but we know those types of games in Europe are always a stupid amount of months behind the US release.


I think Gamers who like Online gaming such as FPS/Sports etc will go for the 360 as they have a better online service to boot PS3 atm just doesn't have a must have game to buy the console for.

Gears of War anyone?

 

[cHodAX]

I meant i wonder how many of the 360s they are selling are Core and is it the fact that you can get a next gen machine for aroung £200 with a game really helping MS.

1 out of 5 are core machines iirc.

 

[nath]

Thing is how far can MS go with price cutting? we already know they don't make any money on 1 console alone sold we know Bill Gates pockets are deep but just how far is he willing to go?

I think Gamers who like Online gaming such as FPS/Sports etc will go for the 360 as they have a better online service to boot PS3 atm just doesn't have a must have game to buy the console for.

Losing money on a console with the expectation of making it up on games sales is the norm though isn't it...

Also, the PS3 will get "must have" games soon - the new Gran Turismo look great and will no doubt shit all over forza. Plus there's the new MGS which will probably be decent. I should imagine some decent beatemups will appear on the PS3 too, something the xbox has never had - if anyone mentions Virtua Fighter or DOA I'll brain you - they're atrocious

 

[Ch3tan]

Another factor that should drive down the price of the ps3 is the arrival of cheap blu-ray players this xmas.

 

[DaGaffer]

Actually MS do make money on 360 hardware (or at least they claim to). Not much, granted, but it was one of the things they talked about when it first launched, as compared to the original Xbox (and the PS3) which were/are loss-leaders. Sony are relying on Bluray hadware costs to come down before they have a prayer of hitting unit b/e, which is of course why they're so reluctant to do a price cut too soon. Ironically the only thing keeping Playstation's (and the whole of Sony's) head above water at the moment is the PS2.

 

[soze]

And the mobile phone business where thay have become 2nd or 3rd largest sellers. Making a fortune.

If the PS3 numbers stay low after the first big games i will worry but not atm with the games it has. Ijust hope MGS is not like Halo wait ages for it and find it a dissapointment

 

[ST^]

PS3 is all about 2008.

 

[Overdriven]

PS3 is all about 2008.

As I keep saying to everyone who wants one for x-mas. -_-

 

[Yaka]

Actually MS do make money on 360 hardware (or at least they claim to). Not much, granted, but it was one of the things they talked about when it first launched, as compared to the original Xbox (and the PS3) which were/are loss-leaders. Sony are relying on Bluray hadware costs to come down before they have a prayer of hitting unit b/e, which is of course why they're so reluctant to do a price cut too soon. Ironically the only thing keeping Playstation's (and the whole of Sony's) head above water at the moment is the PS2.

no ms said they will make money on perials, 360 wheel, wireless head sets, qwert pad (this is rawks btw) pads and wifi adapters, hd-dvd drives. the only thing they prolyl have not sold much of is the camera no games worth playing for it unless you want yer mug mapped.

also psp slim with the new final fantasy game is selling like hot cakes, before it was just above 360 in japan. atm its the no1 selling console, with the game set to be the best seller across all formats this year.


also somat like this would be nice as well

 

[cHodAX]

Also, the PS3 will get "must have" games soon - the new Gran Turismo look great and will no doubt shit all over forza. Plus there's the new MGS which will probably be decent. I should imagine some decent beatemups will appear on the PS3 too, something the xbox has never had - if anyone mentions Virtua Fighter or DOA I'll brain you - they're atrocious

But when?? There are no fixed release dates yet from what I can see and both games have had numerous delays as has the new FF game. If they don't come out before Christmas you lose alot of potential sales, or at least you lose them for the immediate future. Once people spend up at Christmas and in the sales most people spend the next 3 months clearing debts, not buying games.

Sony need a killer game now, infact they need it just as bad as they need they effect a £100 price drop will have.

 

[cHodAX]

PS3 is all about 2008.

Sorry but it was all about Autumn 2007 until the delays, stop making excuses. PS3 needs sales this Christmas, that is when 80% of all video game consoles are sold, if they don't sell out Christmas this year they are in deep shit.

 

[Whipped]

I don't think Sony will be that worried yet. They are well aware that the first year/18 months of a console's life is slow going, simply for the development times that are required now-a-days.

I'm sure they are confident that some good games and a price drop next year will get them back on track, but then again, the states have already had a price drop and that is surely where Sony's main interests lie. That and Japan.

Console manufacturers have a history of shitting on Europe and this won't change any time soon

I just pre-ordered Eye of Judgement for the PS3. £59.99 here, $69.99 in the states. So, America gets the entire package for £35 and I have to re-mortgage my house. Hardly seems fair.

 

[nath]

Buy Video Games for Consoles and PC - From Japan, Korea and other Regions! - Play-Asia.com will save you about 20 quid if you can wait for delivery.

 

[Delket]

Problem is, and why PS3 is falling behind is a knock on effect which only builds upon itself.

The 360 came out at a good time, was a solid console with a decent price point and which had a really good lineup of games by the time the ps3 came out.
The problem now is that at this point that lead has meant developers have made some really cracking games for the 360 and theres a lot of them due to the development lead. MS have also had time to work on lowering production costs which are passed on to the consumer.

For the above reasons consumers now look at the consoles and think hey, I cant really afford both so Ill get the one with the best games lineup, which currently has to be the 360. This leads to more people owning a 360 and as such developers choose to aim their sights at developing for the 360 which in turn makes the console more popular.

Im in the same boat as many games enthusiast where I'd love to be able to justify a Ps3 but simply cant. Theres some great features but in all honesty a lot of the games id want are the PSN arcade ones which really isnt a good reason to shell out 500+ quid.

Blu-ray was a bad idea - yes 360 is struggling now with disc sizes but the cost inflation with it really puts people like me off as i dont want it for movies.
Sony making you shell out for extra stuff pumping the price up beyond the basic package is irritating, and the fact that backwards compatability (Properly done) was axed really pissed me off, so much so i bought a ps2 recently and thought sod them.


Really its all about what the consumer sees and at the moment whenever people ask me I tell them theyd be bonkers to choose a ps3 over a 360. Really, id love to be able to say choose X if blah or Y for whatever reason but my perspective is purely a 'i love good games' one and so my allegience lies firmly in microsofts court. Im certainly no 'Fanboy' and would easily swing the other way if the tables were turned.

Sony really do need to cut 100 quid if not more of the price of the console here. They have a strong brand name and the console itself is a solid piece, with a loyal fanbase. Problem is if they dont lower the price soon they only shoot themselves in the foot as Xbox gains more and more of a foothold. I dont think sony are going the way of Sega but as far as this generation goes they have a long way to catch up and need to go the right way about it.

 

[Aada]

Problem is, and why PS3 is falling behind is a knock on effect which only builds upon itself.

The 360 came out at a good time, was a solid console with a decent price point and which had a really good lineup of games by the time the ps3 came out.
The problem now is that at this point that lead has meant developers have made some really cracking games for the 360 and theres a lot of them due to the development lead. MS have also had time to work on lowering production costs which are passed on to the consumer.

For the above reasons consumers now look at the consoles and think hey, I cant really afford both so Ill get the one with the best games lineup, which currently has to be the 360. This leads to more people owning a 360 and as such developers choose to aim their sights at developing for the 360 which in turn makes the console more popular.

Im in the same boat as many games enthusiast where I'd love to be able to justify a Ps3 but simply cant. Theres some great features but in all honesty a lot of the games id want are the PSN arcade ones which really isnt a good reason to shell out 500+ quid.

Blu-ray was a bad idea - yes 360 is struggling now with disc sizes but the cost inflation with it really puts people like me off as i dont want it for movies.
Sony making you shell out for extra stuff pumping the price up beyond the basic package is irritating, and the fact that backwards compatability (Properly done) was axed really pissed me off, so much so i bought a ps2 recently and thought sod them.


Really its all about what the consumer sees and at the moment whenever people ask me I tell them theyd be bonkers to choose a ps3 over a 360. Really, id love to be able to say choose X if blah or Y for whatever reason but my perspective is purely a 'i love good games' one and so my allegience lies firmly in microsofts court. Im certainly no 'Fanboy' and would easily swing the other way if the tables were turned.

Sony really do need to cut 100 quid if not more of the price of the console here. They have a strong brand name and the console itself is a solid piece, with a loyal fanbase. Problem is if they dont lower the price soon they only shoot themselves in the foot as Xbox gains more and more of a foothold. I dont think sony are going the way of Sega but as far as this generation goes they have a long way to catch up and need to go the right way about it.

Good post its all about the games at the end of the day and the 360 has a better selection at some really good AAA titles.

PS3 atm is a console with alot of 360 ports but without the LIVE network to support a good online gamer.

A few years ago LIVE was something people thought would fail but now it is booming with most 360 owners subbing to live and at £5 a month its not breaking anyones back.

I've said it many times before Europe lags behind Japan and the States for games releases anyone actually think MGS will be out here before next summer? i mean look at Kingdom Hearts a game that takes MONTHS to get to UK shores after the US gets it.

This isn't a problem for the 360 as most games are US made and we get them usually the same week the US gets them i think thats also a big factor in 360 sales yes you can import but alot of people don't import average Johnny goes to GAME.

 

[ST^]

Delket, the thing about your post is that you're excluding pretty much the entire world outside of America. A lot of people get sucked in like this, since all the major VG sites are also American, you really only get the American point of view.

The 360 is rocking in the USA, but don't think that they're dominating in Europe, and they have zero chance in Asia.

 

[ST^]

I just pre-ordered Eye of Judgement for the PS3. £59.99 here, $69.99 in the states. So, America gets the entire package for £35 and I have to re-mortgage my house. Hardly seems fair.

I have no interest in card games, but the packaging looks HOT. That alone makes me wanna buy it

Is 60 quid the real price? I haven't seen confirmation for PAL pricing.

 

[cHodAX]

The 360 is rocking in the USA, but don't think that they're dominating in Europe, and they have zero chance in Asia.

Eh? 4 million X360's in Europe bud, barely 1.3 million PS3 so far. The Wii and X360 have gobbled up 80%+ of the European market between them already, that is a complete role reversal of the previous generation so far. If Sony don't start shifting boxes this Christmas they will have missed out on another holiday season and as I pointed out earlier roughly 80% of all console sales in the year are from the Nov/Dec/Jan quarter. They have to drop the price NOW, next year is too late and £50 will be too little. We need price parity with the rest of the world (before tax and import duty ofc) and it has to happen soon. Rumours are a price drop to £350 in November, it won't be enough. That is too high a pricepoint for the mass market, £299 would still be steep but £250 would be bareable and pull in an awful lot of those punters who have been hanging on too thier PS2's and waiting till the console becomes affordable.

Oh and as for Japan and 360, a complete writeoff imo. Very very poorly mismanaged from the start. All they needed was David Beckham to promote it and they would have sold over a million consoles there this year.