Sony says the PS2 will have a 10 year lifespan till 2010

[Anthony1]

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Reuters) - Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news) (news - web sites). believes that its market-leading PlayStation 2 (news - web sites) video game console can continue to sell until 2010, twice as long as most in the industry had assumed was possible, an executive of Sony's U.S. video game unit said on Thursday.


In a keynote address at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California, Andrew House, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said the success of the original PlayStation, nearing its 10th anniversary, had convinced the company that two-thirds of its potential PS2 sales were yet to come.


The PlayStation 2 was released in 2000 in the United States and game industry observers have expected Sony and rival Microsoft Corp to shift their marketing efforts to next-generation game machines in 2005 or 2006.


"There are some huge potential gains for us later in the life cycle," House told a packed auditorium.


But with the lengthening of the sales window for PS2, he said, Sony and the industry will also have to consider the advancing age of the people who own and buy the hardware.


"We have to think very carefully about the type of audience we're reaching with our games," he said.


House also sought to quash speculation that Sony might accelerate development on its next console, the PS3, to keep up with Microsoft Corp., which many in the industry have speculated is preparing the successor to its Xbox (news - web sites) console for 2005.


"Competitive movement will not be a factor in determining our launch release plans," he said.





Hmmm. Very Interesting. After reading that, it makes you think that Sony has no need to release the PS3 until like 2007.

I wonder what Microsofts and Nintendo's reaction to these comments are.

[lancelet's cousin]

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Reuters) - Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news) (news - web sites). believes that its market-leading PlayStation 2 (news - web sites) video game console can continue to sell until 2010, twice as long as most in the industry had assumed was possible, an executive of Sony's U.S. video game unit said on Thursday.


In a keynote address at the Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California, Andrew House, executive vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment of America, said the success of the original PlayStation, nearing its 10th anniversary, had convinced the company that two-thirds of its potential PS2 sales were yet to come.


The PlayStation 2 was released in 2000 in the United States and game industry observers have expected Sony and rival Microsoft Corp to shift their marketing efforts to next-generation game machines in 2005 or 2006.


"There are some huge potential gains for us later in the life cycle," House told a packed auditorium.


But with the lengthening of the sales window for PS2, he said, Sony and the industry will also have to consider the advancing age of the people who own and buy the hardware.


"We have to think very carefully about the type of audience we're reaching with our games," he said.


House also sought to quash speculation that Sony might accelerate development on its next console, the PS3, to keep up with Microsoft Corp., which many in the industry have speculated is preparing the successor to its Xbox (news - web sites) console for 2005.


"Competitive movement will not be a factor in determining our launch release plans," he said.





Hmmm. Very Interesting. After reading that, it makes you think that Sony has no need to release the PS3 until like 2007.

I wonder what Microsofts and Nintendo's reaction to these comments are.
Translation: The worldwide economy sucks!

A 10 year lifespan isn't out of the question. That's about how long they've hung onto the PSX platform. But I hope they aren't just going to rely on the PS2. I don't see them planning that.
Sure would make Nintendo and B. Gates happy, though.

[drwily008]

They could probably survive off the sale of replacement units...for all of the P.O.S. broken models. You know what I'm dead serious this is the worst built system ever made. I am now on my 4th or 5th broken one. Luckily I've always had connection to swap them out for a new one for me. I just kept getting older stock as part of the agreement. These units are built shoddy and the newer models, including the new PS TWO mini.

I have seen some of the worst problems come out of the new ones and they are less than 5 months old. Within two months time my old store had 15 to 20 of these units come back and we tested all of them.........DEAD.

I really do hope that the class action law suit sticks it to them in fines and court fees. If this occurs I will be a happy man and I hope that all of the unfortunte people who spent $300 on a broken PS2 and another $200-300 for a replacement unit. I'd also be willing to bet that more than 30-40% of those same people had to replace yet a third or possibly even a fifth unit.

Thousands of dollars spent willingly by people because they had already built up a library of games, extra controllers, memory cards, etc....

It's a shame!

[Bill Loguidice]

Well, this generation of consoles has already brought us the unprecedented occurrence of three concurrently and long-term market viable systems, with no end in sight, despite the fact that the GameCube is losing more and more third party support (as always, even without robust third party support, a Nintendo system can survive on the occasional big first party software release), so why not 10 year system viability too? Frankly though, delaying the PS3 for TOO long would play into Microsoft's hand the most with the Xbox, since that system among the three is best equipped technologically to "wait out" an extended length of time for the next generation of systems. With that said, I expect at least two of the companies, if not all three, to have successor systems out by late 2005/early 2006 at the latest. As has been the case since the PS1, the ball really is in Sony's court, and THEY will dictate the timetables more so than either Nintendo or Microsoft will be able to...

[lendelin]

Sony says the PS2 will have a 10 year lifespan till 2010


Yep, when pigs fly.

All next-gen consoles will be released around the same time. MS and N learned their lesson. With very different marketing strategies, images, consumer base, and industry experience, both couldn't catch-up to the PS2, the headstart of Sony was deadly.

The PR attempt of Sony is either a reflection of internal problems to release the new system at the same time as a perceived early XBOX 2 release, or to tempt MS and N to slow down their preparations for the next gen systems.

Either way, it's pure PR policy.

[nesuser2]

As stated before, 10 years is not unheard of anymore. The playstation was released in the states in 1995 if I remember right and they just recently ceased production of games, or are a few still coming along? That's 9 years and the PS2 has a MUCH stronger hold on consumers. I just wonder about the hardware, it's getting better but to stand the test of time they need a rock solid piece of hardware. This happened with the NES, rock solid piece of hardware and it went a long time. The NES did have it's problems but they were fixable, with an optical drive, less and less people are willing to even think about it. This may brighten things up for N and MS but maybe more so for N. I think, IMHO, that the quality of the console goes in reverse order of the rankings(Sony, MS, then N) You seem to hear about More broken PS2's than Xbox's and while gamecubes DO break, You hear about it alot less. Makes it very interested for the next more for all of them....very....

[christianscott27]

heres hoping- long lived consoles= focus off hardware, focus on software.

often the best games appear on aging platforms.

[maxlords]

I'd rather see Nintendo or MS steal the next gen market out from under Sony...but I can't see Sony waiting that long...that's stupid. They snuck in with the PS2, and they'll sneak in with their next system. This is a campaign of misinformation. Well...ok...a single minor press release of misinformation :roll:

[omnedon]

They could probably survive off the sale of replacement units...for all of the P.O.S. broken models.


DINGDINGDING!!!

I bet they could keep selling them for twenty years! LOL

[MarkM2112]

Sony says the PS2 will have a 10 year lifespan till 2010



All next-gen consoles will be released around the same time. MS and N learned their lesson. With very different marketing strategies, images, consumer base, and industry experience, both couldn't catch-up to the PS2, the headstart of Sony was deadly.

Sega's headstart didn't seem to help the Dreamcast... :(

[Bill Loguidice]

Sony says the PS2 will have a 10 year lifespan till 2010



All next-gen consoles will be released around the same time. MS and N learned their lesson. With very different marketing strategies, images, consumer base, and industry experience, both couldn't catch-up to the PS2, the headstart of Sony was deadly.

Sega's headstart didn't seem to help the Dreamcast... :(

That had more to do with Sega's financial problems and Sony's hype machine for PS2 than the launch window for the Dreamcast. Other factors include a snub by EA and other major third party software makers. Let's remember that until the PS2, the Dreamcast had the most successful sales launch in US history. It's sales in Japan were poor, despite the fact that that market STILL sees the occasional Dreamcast game release (we do here too, with games like Feet of Fury, but I'm talking from mainstream outlets)...

[AB Positive]

This makes me wonder a bit. I've had this sneaking suspicion that if anything would cause the next VG "Market Correction" it would be the release of the next gen systems.

"Why?" you may ask.


I'll tell you. XBOX and PS3 keep having all these specs (DVD/R, DVR, other such nonsense) added to their feature list, and the projected price keeps going up... up.... up.....

rewind back to november '01 when XBOX comes out. People have to get the system, 2 games and an accessory. Mandatory. I was there my friends and while people were queueing up, they were also grumbling. "OK, this time... but if they ever pull this again I'm waiting. It's not worth this." This was for a total that hit $450 at launch.


Will people REALLY buy a possibly $600 console bare at launch?



I wonder if Sony has done early market research, seeing whether people would actually bite on a next gen at that price. The N-Gage came out at $300 and didn't sell a damn thing, besides being technically superior. Even at $200 with three free games it's stuggling like a bastard.


Now, a release at 2010 would be dumb, but I don't think that's what they're saying. Maybe they think a wait until 2007 is more viable, allowing people to get the most out of their current system and release their bombshell when people are actually starting to yern for a new thing. Let the lesser names (which at this point they are, let's not argue) come out first and make ALL the mistakes. Why start the hardware money hemmoraging early? Give Sony a year to mull it over, tweak their system to avoid the mistakes of their opponents, and release a system at the same price as the competition, but virtually problem free. With the hardware fiasco of the PS2, making their PS3 seem problem-free would make them a lock in the next console wars.



This could be very very evilly smart of Sony.



-AG

[Nature Boy]

I read that article this morning as well - and I'm curious as to what it's intentions were. Throw off the competition by making them think SOny is standing pat? Laying the groundwork for releasing their next console after their competitors? Who knows. What I do know is that by 2010 the PS3 will have be in our hands for quite some time.

Beating Sony to market might help initial sales for N and MS, but I'm not convinced they can pry much market share away from Sony once PS3 is in full effect. Depends on what games are released for those other systems at launch and before PS3 hits methinks.

[Cmosfm]

heres hoping- long lived consoles= focus off hardware, focus on software.

often the best games appear on aging platforms.

The man speaketh the truth. I get tired of hearing "our next console" this and "Graphical capabilities" that. I want good games for my PS2, and not a bunch of pretty crap for PS3. I hope the PS2 does last another 10 years.

[Anthony1]

I think if you really think about it, people don't really NEED a new console until the current console that they have really starts showing it's age and it's deficiencies. As you got towards the year 2000, the Playstation started looking really long in the tooth. People saw the Dreamcast, and the burst of power that system provided over the Playstation, and people started thinking that maybe it was time for a new system.

Then Sony came out with the PS2 and they migrated over to that system.


Right now, even as poorly designed the PS2 is from a technological standpoint, I don't think that the casual gamer masses are thinking that the PS2 is looking really long in the tooth. I don't think it's obvious yet that the PS2 is simply outdated technology.


So why come out with a new system just because every 5 years is when you normally come out with a new system?


It's weird because Microsoft will likely be the first company to come out with a follow up console and they actually need it the least! The XBOX still has a tremendous amount of power from a technological standpoint, and it would seem that they could go the longest without a follow up system from a technological standpoint. Developers will start to get more and more familar with the console and will craft even better experiences out of it.

I would think that if all the players stood pat, and stuck with the systems that they have now, the XBOX would eventually start to really take off because more and more people would realize just how powerfull that machine is.


I really don't need any new systems right now, although I must admit I'm somewhat looking forward to the next generation of systems mostly because I want to see how they take HDTV into consideration. I think that the main thing that the new consoles will supply is a dramatic bump in resolution due to the ability to display games at High Definition resolutions. Once you get to a point where every single game can display at either 720P or 1080i, that would be pretty significant.

Sony needs this the most. They don't have Dolby Digital sound in game, and only a small number of PS2 games support progressive scan.

If Sony released a PS2 deluxe that would allow the PS2 to display all the games in progressive scan with in game Dolby Digital sound, then I don't think Sony would need a new console as much.

[ManekiNeko]

"We have to think very carefully about the type of audience we're reaching with our games," he said.

Well, they're not reaching me. And if they keep inundating players with Grand Theft Auto clones and denying them fun games solely on the basis of visual shortcomings, they're going to lose the rest of their audience, too.

JR

[crashdummycow01]

Yep, when pigs fly.

All next-gen consoles will be released around the same time.


I'd rather see Nintendo or MS steal the next gen market out from under Sony...but I can't see Sony waiting that long...that's stupid.



..... they're not saying that the ps3 isnt coming out till 2010.. they're saying that they could probably continue selling ps2's and ps2 games for that long, while also selling ps3's and ps3 games... like they did with the psx.....

[Ed Oscuro]

Translation: The worldwide economy sucks!
Hi there. I know you're new to the forum, but please understand that you can shorten quotes.

It's quite annoying to have to scroll down another half page because somebody thought that it's a good use of my time/bandwidth to quote the whole preceeding post.

That goes for regulars, too: Think about everybody else, please.

As for the topic, here's the part that has me most interested:


But with the lengthening of the sales window for PS2, he said, Sony and the industry will also have to consider the advancing age of the people who own and buy the hardware.

"We have to think very carefully about the type of audience we're reaching with our games," he said.
:rocker: I think it's quite evident what's being said there: their marketing strategy will have to be geared towards more casual/"20 minutes at a time" action gamers, instead of just the traditional PlayStation crowd of RPG/sports addicts. Maybe we'll get better instant-action games, eh?

[Kid Ice]

heres hoping- long lived consoles= focus off hardware, focus on software.

often the best games appear on aging platforms.

I fully agree with this statement, from a gamer's perspective. Late releases for the 2600, NES, Genesis, and Saturn blew away earlier generations (although PSX games seemed to get worse, and Dreamcast had it's most technically superior game at launch)

However, from a business perspective, this could be very harmful. If Nintendo and Microsoft introduce superior new machines, the PS2 will look like an old piece of junk and lose market share for new releases REAL fast. There is absolutely ZERO evidence that this machine is a powerhouse that can withstand a 10 year life cycle. The DC was just as good (if not better) over a year earlier, and X-Box 1 is a superior console already (sadly with very few games to show for it).

From my admittedly limited understanding of the hardware business, companies take a loss on the initial release of consoles and make gains years later on software sales, selling licenses to 3rd parties, and cheaper hardware. So in a way it makes sense to keep milking software sales for as long as possible, and it's possible that Sony's thinking is "Hey, people are still buying PS1 titles" (although you have to wonder how many of these games are being played on PS2s). But 2010? That's a long time in this business.

Frankly, I think Sony is lying.

[hydr0x]

The DC was just as good (if not better) over a year earlier, and X-Box 1 is a superior console already (sadly with very few games to show for it).


not only the X-Box but also the Gamecube, damn have you seen future releases like Rallisport Challenge 2 (X-Box) and Resident Evil 4 (Cube)?? those look so superior to 99% of all of the latest games, i really hope the next gen will have only games at least looking like that

[portnoyd]

They could probably survive off the sale of replacement units...for all of the P.O.S. broken models.


DINGDINGDING!!!

I bet they could keep selling them for twenty years! LOL

Double DING DING. When I saw the thread title, this is what I thought.

And when they say 2010, they probably are regarding to the PS1's "longevity" of budget shovelware that will never fucking end, ever.

dave

[Griking]

A 10 year lifespan isn't out of the question. That's about how long they've hung onto the PSX platform. But I hope they aren't just going to rely on the PS2. I don't see them planning that.
Sure would make Nintendo and B. Gates happy, though.

On the other hand I actually hope that they don't release another new console until then. Why do a need a more powerful console when developers have only scratched the surface of what the current consoles can do as it is?

The longer a console is out the more innovative and efficient designers need to be with their game designs in order to create a new game that stands out.

[lancelet's cousin]

Translation: The worldwide economy sucks!
Hi there. I know you're new to the forum, but please understand that you can shorten quotes.


Being new has nothing to do with it. I have no excuse. I'm a member of a few BBS's and understand what you are saying.
You're right, I should have shortened the post, and was intending to. Just got lazy. My sincere apologies. :(

[jonjandran]

On the other hand I actually hope that they don't release another new console until then. Why do a need a more powerful console when developers have only scratched the surface of what the current consoles can do as it is?

The longer a console is out the more innovative and efficient designers need to be with their game designs in order to create a new game that stands out.

Amen !!!

[sabre2922]

I think that both the PS2 and the XBOX will live on FAR longer than the normal life-span (4-5 years) becuase like so many have pointed out niether systems have truly been tapped out graphically ESPECIALLY THE XBOX :D
The Gamecube on the other hand is a different story with third party developers abandoning it like it was the second coming of the Dreamcast
I mean damn even the next Crash Bandicoot has only been announced for the PS2 and Xbox :o

[Pantechnicon]

PS2 until 2010? Why not? When you think about it, a few systems ran at least that long. As far as I remember accurately, the Atari 2600 had active development from 1977-1990. Famicom/NES ran from 1982-1994 between Japanese and US releases. And the PSX is 1995- . It's not unusual in the slightest.

Along with a decade-plus production run, the 2600 and NES also had in common with PSX the facts of: a) A nice price drop, b) a smaller redesign. So I imagine with the PS2 we'll eventually see a price drop to >$100 and a redesign into a smaller package.

Personally, I really like how Sony did such a great job promoting the smaller PSX, which was released with more of a sense that they were celebrating ("Whenever. Wherever. Forever") of a great system entering its twilight years as opposed to the redesigned 2600 Jr, and top-loading NES's, which had more of a sense of embarassment and afterthought in their respective marketing schemes.

Sony can make this work.

[lancelet's cousin]

[quote=Griking]

Why do a need a more powerful console when developers have only scratched the surface of what the current consoles can do as it is?

.

The video game industry is still relatively young. Many industries are matured and have set ways of doing things. Wall Street acknowledges the Auto industy as a "Mature" industry. That is why their shares are relatively more stable than a young industry like computers, video games,and the internet.
This is important to point out because the shareholder is boss, not the consumer. CEO's try to make the shareholders happy by doing whatever they can to boost revenues and, thus hopefully, the stock value of the company. Then the CEO and all boardmembers keep their respective jobs.

In a mature industry, the ways of increasing cashflow are known and used by all companies in the industry. In the The razorbalde industry, the King Gillette marketing strategy is how they make money. Back in the '20's or '30's, someone figured they could sell their razor at a loss and recoup the money by making a good profit on selling the only razorblade that would fit. Nintendo used this strategy to great effect to penetrate the worldwide market . Now Every console maker uses the Gillette Method. The video game industry matures a little here.
But what may be going on is that this young industry is trying another marketing strategy from the Auto Industry: Planned Obsolecence
In the '50's American Auto makers realized they could redesign cars rapidly enough to make their old one (which should last a minimum of 15 years if taken care of) look obsolete and in need of an upgrage.
But Sony baffles me. They make decent electronc equipment. Two buggy consoles in a row?
Maybe someday it will be known as the "Sony Method" of marketing. Sell 'em and make cash fixin' 'em. :D


And sorry for the long post.

[omnedon]

Sell 'em and make cash fixin' 'em

I'd say it's more like, "sell 'em, and make cash selling 'em again, and again"

Once a customer has hundreds of dollars tied up in razor blades, it's harder to switch razors, even if the razor craps out with alarming frequency.

[jdc]

Omnedon said it.....short n sweet.

IF this article held any water.....the general casual-gaming public will hold Sony in an even higher light than they already DO. What's a casual gamer's number one bitch? "We just bought the system 4 Christmases ago....and they're changing ALREADY, those bastards!!"

Yes, it's very possible that Sony will keep stamping out software for the PS2 for a few more years, but until 2010? That's another 6 years. This game is all about money....and the idea is to get people OFF of the current system and ON to the next, not give them reasons to keep hanging onto a sinking ship. Supporting the PSX didn't necessarily put a dent in the potential sales of the PS2....but the PS2 is a good machine....and unless you force people to abandon it, continued support may very well harm sales of the next machine, which can only be a suped up PS2.

It's almost like Sony's saying "We've got nothing left beyond this machine.....so we may as well milk the PS2 while we think about where to go next." That's admitting defeat. IMO the gaming industry's reached the peak, and is SO slowly starting the downward slide. I can see add-on upgrades for the current machines, online gaming being a focus, or suped up versions of these 128-bit machines being introduced, but I don't see anything much beyond what we already have.

The gaming industry viewed as being a young industry? Nope. It's a short industry.

[AB Positive]

Lemme tell you, Sony's going to be smart and let either MS or nintendo go first. Why? I like to call it "Adam's Law of Modern Era Gaming"

Once nintendo showed the public the light with the NES, the race for "16-bit" was one and people were watching. After this point, the first system in each 'console war' generation has always failed in America.


Turbo-Grafx 16


Sega Saturn


Sega Dreamcast



The first system to come out this upcoming generation will be the one to fail. Sony going last means Sony has a chance to survive. Maybe not win, but survive.



-AG

[jdc]

Not a bad point.....especially if they go bigger than 128 or deviate off of it in any form. Check this out. The Dreamcast was launched, we stocked shitloads and flung open the doors. We ran Soul Caliber on a demo machine 24/7......and our jaws hit the fucking FLOOR as we watched people file in and continue to purchase a 32-bit Sony Playstation Model 9001 DualShock over the incredible 128-bit Dreamcast. I sold 200 Dreamcasts in a 3 week period during the Dreamcast's first Christmas. Don't even ASK about what the numbers for the Playstation were.

In the end it was the fact that people were unsure about the stability of the "next new thing" and continued to put their money on the tried-and-true. It WASN'T about the price at all, as most people are led to think. If you want it bad enough, you'll magically find a $300 space on that Visa card. People didn't want it bad enough until it had earned a track record.

"Sure I'll do it.......but only after you go first." The majority of people are spineless lemmings.

[calthaer]

heres hoping- long lived consoles= focus off hardware, focus on software.

often the best games appear on aging platforms.

The man speaketh the truth. I get tired of hearing "our next console" this and "Graphical capabilities" that. I want good games for my PS2, and not a bunch of pretty crap for PS3.

Word up, troubled teens. I'm not buying anybody's next console - just give me better GAMEZ.

[SoulBlazer]

Well, I know for myself I never buy a system until it has been out for at least a year. I want to know it's going to be around, that it has good games, and that other people and my friends have them. Plus the price has dropped by then. :)

[Jasoco]

Well, I know for myself I never buy a system until it has been out for at least a year. I want to know it's going to be around, that it has good games, and that other people and my friends have them. Plus the price has dropped by then. :)Well, with Nintendo's system I will probably end up succumbing within a month or two. I did last time. I spent my entire paycheck one week on it and games. And I haven't regretted it. (Was the Cube $300 at launch or $200? I can't remember.)

But for the other players, I will wait. I did with the Xbox this time. But well, now that I have one, I may end up succumbing to the next one of those too. I'll tell ya one thing, Sony'll have to WAIT for me to pay for a PS3.

Hell, I'm actually buying the PS2 today. Brothers Birthday on Wednesday, and I wish I didn't have to get it now (Rather than wait for a price-drop) but I have no choice.