Mark my words, Sony's end is near

[EnemyZero]

Not alot of people want to believe me, and they think I'm just a sony hater, but its not that at all.

Sony's reign is at an end...why you say?

1) PSP - reguardless of what alot of people want, the psp isnt going to sell well in the first place, and those who buy it will be dissapointed. Recently announced big name companies aren't going to be supporting it. These include companies like...

Square-Enix - they are porting Advent children to it but thats it. They said they won't be making any games because they are still unsure of its success...mm do i smell doubt?

Capcom - Porting over a DarkStalkers game

Koei - the dynasty warriors game announced is gonna be a port of a ps2 version.

There were a few other companies listed but I forgot what they were.

PSP is going to be like the ps2 when it comes out and they will have people sendin those pieces of cheaply made garbage back like theres no tomorrow. Except they won't go buy another one.

2) PS3 - according to many sources, including my stores sony rep. PS3 release date is end of 2006 beginning of 2007 with a retail price of 500 - 800 dollars. I asked him why and he said " Sony is testing new grounds, the psx failed miserably so they are trying to fix what they wronged" hence the PS3 is gonna be what the psx coulda been....once again I buy video game consoles to do one thing, play games, not use tivo and dvd recorders.

3) X -Box 2 is getting awesome support and will be out at 200 - 300 dollars. With big name companies looking into it like square , capcom, konami and sega and according to a few sources a HUGE game producer said "im sorry to say but x-box 2 lis looking amazing, we are pledging support and kissing sony goodbye, because there reign of terror will come to an end"

4) Nintendo Revolution and DS - We all know the japanese market has been falling down the hill like jack and jill. I think the big N is going to revitalize gaming - i think the DS can tell us for sure when that comes out.


my prediction - PSP will fail - sony looses lots of money. Big developers jump sonys ship and pledge support on xbox 2 because of there new xna system there using. PS3 is released, which no one can afford and in the end our choices will be...do I buy the new Nintendo or new Xbox .... hmmmm whats this in the bargain bin? mommy whats a playstation?

[Sniderman]

I'm not bustin' your balls, as everyone has their own opinion and you raise some interesting theories. But I find it ironic that these predictions of Sony's Console Doom comes from a self-professed "Sega Freak" - makers of the well-supported and well-received Saturn, Dreamcast, Nomad, 32x, Game Gear, Sega CD, etc.


Just poking ya with a stick. Pokeity-pokeity-poke-poke-poke. :D

[Nez]

I find it hard to belive that sony would release the PS3 at $700. What I see them doing instead is have a "DELUXE" moddel thats $500 and the base model for a more competative price against the Xbox 2.

I also don't think the PSP is going to die all that hard. Even though I would like it to fail I have come accross to many people who "must have" the system. SoIi think that will help the psp out in its infancey.

[Dangerboy]

Conversations I have with people about the PSP and DS are always stomped on by myself with one easy comment. And that is Sony can't build a CD drive to save their life. If people had to flip PlayStations and repair PS2s which literally just sat there, how stable is the PSP going to be? :hmm:

That and it basically boils down to being a portable PS1/2. Whoopy de freaking doo.

The DS has my interest, and that's coming from a man who hates portables. If they even only get half the potential possibilities done on the DS, it'll be a raving success.

And the PS3? Riiiight.

Sony used to be a cool company. They used to exclusively support SNK in the US, take chances on the oddball original stuff (ArtDink) and more. The Sony of the PS2 and future stages are clueless people that want nothing but GTA clones and FMV filler. No thanks.

[captain nintendo]

Sony wouldnt be so stupid as to have such a price descepency between the PS3 and the Xbox2 :roll:

Even if the PSP fails (which is likely) , Sony and playstation can afford that failure. I am sure Sony will be around for years to come in the console business. (and all this from a Nintendo fan :P )

[classic gamer]

As much as the PSP may have going against it Sony is currently the juggernaut in the video game world. Back during the first generation of handhelds (GB, GG, TurboExpress, Lynx) the Gameboy reigned supreme. The Gameboy was monochrome unlike the other three, it was not backlit like th other three and it was far less powerful than the other three. Still it has outlived all its original competitors. It achieved this incredible upset because (I believe) of Nintendo marketing and incredible brand loyalty. Now Sony is in the same position Nintendo was 15 years ago. Will history repeat itself? Or will there be a new precedent set, just because your the top of the heap doesn't mean the Lemmings will buy anything you offer them.

We can speculate until it is actually launched what will happen but I will not be buying a PSP, and probably not a DS either as I don't have enough interest in new games being released. I hope the PSP does well if for nothing else than to give Nintendo some competition in the handheld market. A nice 50/50 split would be ideal.

[tholly]

id love to see sony fail...so i hope your right....i just dont know if that will happen....i do think that the psp will be a failure....and no one knows what the next console generation will bring...so anything can happen...

[Graham Mitchell]

I might be talking out of my ass, but I don't think that companies fail for reasons as simple as that. Look at the Dreamcast. It sold REALLY REALLY well. I understood that the reason Sega had to pull out is because they invested so heavily in the online stuff, and the machine only had like 2 games that actually supported it, so nobody used it. Since Sega planned for that to be the big money-maker with Dreamcast, it failed. I could be wrong, though...

As for Square-Enix and Capcom making all those statements...who really cares? Neither of those companies have had anything fantastic in the last few years, and I don't know too many people who follow Koei too religiously.

And, being a 25-year-old med student who talks to a lot of people in the target demographic about this, I can tell you that NOBODY wants to buy an X-box 2 or a Playstation 3. Most people seem to feel that the systems they JUST BOUGHT should have plenty of life left in them. Most of them are pretty pissed that the next generation of cosoles is in the works when the current generation has games that look fantastic, but play like crap.

So, I don't think PSP will be that big of a loss for Sony, even if it does fail. Sony's finances can cover it, I'm sure. Besides, they have a lot of other problems to worry about.

[Vintage Goodness]

ATARI needs to come back as it used to be as a company and showem how it's done. I think cd media is a dying breed anyhow. I say BRING BACK THE CARTIDGE! :D

[Hep038]

I have a idea. If everyone on the board agrees to hate sony, can we stop having threads like this? I mean every week it is a who is more evil poll, or what company has hurt video games the most. It is getting so old and negative I am almost to the point where I don't enjoy the board anymore. When I first joined it seemed people were more positive about there post. They talked about stuff the LIKED, now its all about who and what they hate. Either this place has had a influx of new people or everybody is getting old and cranky. OK now everybody can post about how they hate me.
:P

[AMG]

Why all the Sony hate?

[QBert]

Im not too fond of Sony either and I HOPE their reign is at an end, but who can really say at this time? The PSP isn't out yet, neither is the DS, Xbox2 and PS3 are even further away. The way people are talking it's like the new gen of consoles are coming out this Christmas. X_x WOW REALLY? no. But chill a bit guys and enjoy the current systems.

I also don't beleive Sony would have that much of a price difference between them and either Xbox or Nintendo, if they were smart anyways.

Well thats my two cents.....oh and I hate you Hep038 :) Whoops I mean Sony.

[sisko]

Conversations I have with people about the PSP and DS are always stomped on by myself with one easy comment. And that is Sony can't build a CD drive to save their life. If people had to flip PlayStations and repair PS2s which literally just sat there, how stable is the PSP going to be? :hmm: .

Its funny cause its true! ROFL

Seriously. Whether the CD player is in a car, home stereo, portable, or a playstation, this company simply cannot make a CD player worth beans.

1) I'd like to see a list of these supported developers. A quoted list is just rambling rumors without evidence.

2) Again, sources? I doubt any company is going to RAISE the price of a console above $300. Isn't Nintendo shooting for $200? There is no way in hell a console will be ver successful with a launch price 3 times that of their competitor. Sony knows this.

I think your Sony Rep is jumping to conclusions also. On average, they know little more than we do, they just don't show it.

3) XBox 2 can go stick it. Seriously. No backwards compatability? I barely use my first one. I'm not about to rush out and buy another machine I'll use even less.

4) This is all speculation. I don't know if Nintendo will revitalize the gaming market. Alot of people around these boards see the DS as gimmick, and I believe they're partly correct. Its pretty hard to revitalize the market on a gimmick.

Much like Microsoft, Sony has money to burn. Games aren't their number one market by a long shot. If the PSP and the PS3 do fail, they will just pick of the pieces and a bottler of elmers glue to put them back together again.

Really, the only company that can't afford a failure is Nintendo.

[Cmosfm]

Sorry bud, but it sounds like yet again...this is a just a "OMG THE CRASH IS COMING" topic in disguise.

and...you're wrong.

[Vintage Goodness]

Well now I am not a Sony hater by any means. If it wasn't for them home console gaming wouldn't be as strong as it is today. However every time I fire up my PS2 I do say to myself "Please load ok Please load ok" (with fingers crossed) LOL

[musical]

1) PSP - reguardless of what alot of people want, the psp isnt going to sell well in the first place,

2) PS3 - according to many sources, including my stores sony rep. PS3 release date is end of 2006 beginning of 2007 with a retail price of 500 - 800 dollars. I agree with point 1, simply because the Gameboy has already gained everyone's love & support.

Point 2 I think is false information. Sony is intelligent enough to price the PS3 at $300 to remain competitive. Unless Sony makes a bone-headed move (cartridge storage), all the PS2 owners will buy a PS3.

[EnemyZero]

I dont see it as a market crash, i think if sony fell out the game market would be much more alive, esp because of nintendo, they have so many fresh new ideas that are overlooked because the majority of gamers only know sony, gta and sports. Another thing is everyone knows games make or break a system....look at saturn, it was a bane to develop for so alot of companies shuned from it hence for every 1 saturn game like 5 were poppin out for psx. Saturn had amazing games but most people didnt see it that way. If you take companies like capcom , konami, tecmo, square and so on and they develop for xbox 2 and release like 1 game every 2 years on ps2 thats a mediocre title, like they do now for xbox....sony wont be able to survive, and alot of publishers are really liking what xbox2 has to offer

[MegaDrive20XX]

Sorry bud, but it sounds like yet again...this is a just a "OMG THE CRASH IS COMING" topic in disguise.

and...you're wrong.

Exactly, no matter what happens, no matter what fails. The truth is, it can't happen, because Sony and Mirco have too much damn money.


As for the portable issue, are you kidding? GameBoy itself holds a 98% stronghold on the portable game market. No friggin way PSP can compete with it's numbers and status. Plus Nintendo strikes gold again, due to backwards compatiblity for GBA lovers. The DS will be the number one most wanted toy for this Christmas season, especially when you have Super Mario 64 as it's launch title.

The plumber pulls in some amazing sales numbers FAST and effectively...

[le geek]

Sony's reign is at an end...

Feh.
Meh.
Bleh.

Now I read your whole post and all, but face it SONY is Numbah ONE with casual gamers and thus is Numbah ONE.

Right now I'm more interested in the DS than PSP having not seen either, but it's just speculation at this point...

Can't we just speculate on the PSP without teh dr4m4??


I'm not on a high horse tho I get "twitchy" at times too...

Cheers,
Ben

[Push Upstairs]

Seriously. Whether the CD player is in a car, home stereo, portable, or a playstation, this company simply cannot make a CD player worth beans.

Maybe i am blessed by the electronics fairy because i have never had any Sony problems.

Discman? Still works nearly 10 years later
TV? Same thing.
I even have a first model Playstation that hasnt given me the problems people say they have.
When other people were having problems playing certain DVD's on thier DVD players my Sony player played them just fine...and it was older than the players having the problems.
And my parents owed a Sony TV that was made in 1979 and it still worked when they gave it to charity last month.

Honestly, i really dont know why people have hate for *EVERY SINGLE PRODUCT* Sony makes. PS2's i can understand...given that dirt makes them F up, but not everything.


As for this PSP/DS nonsense. I don't want either one. I don't hate portables, but neither of these things has me the least bit interested.

[Captain Wrong]

Why all the Sony hate?

One word: scapegoat.

Rather than looking at realistic and probable reasons for anything anyone perceives is "wrong" with gamers, the industry or their favorite company, it's easier to blame it all on Sony.

[charitycasegreg]

I like my Sony tv, and my sony digital handycam :D

[AMG]

Why all the Sony hate?

One word: scapegoat.

Rather than looking at realistic and probable reasons for anything anyone perceives is "wrong" with gamers, the industry or their favorite company, it's easier to blame it all on Sony.



One thing I'll never understand is hating any given game company. Play the games you enjoy (on your console(s) of choice) and have fun. Thats what games are all about.

[Nez]

I've never had a sony product fail on me. Hell I have a amp from the early 80's I belive. It was my friends' grandmothers' then my friends' and then he gave it to me. My discman has never failed of skipped. And my PSX PSone and PS2 work fine. Sony products are ok in my book.

[Jibbajaba]

One thing I'll never understand is hating any given game company. Play the games you enjoy (on your console(s) of choice) and have fun. Thats what games are all about.

I couldn't agree more. I collect for all systems and I collect games made by every company. I love my Playstations, I love my DC, and I love all my nintendo products (the N64 not as much). More game consoles and more gaming companies means more competition means more games. People who get on here and rant about how much they hate Sony, or hate Square-Enix, or hate Nintendo, or hate Sega, or hate SNK, you people really need to try to refocus your energy on something positive. I can't think of a single game company, publisher, designer, etc. that I can honestly say I have an active dislike for.

[opcode]

Probably the biggest problem with the PS3 is its over complicated multi processor architeture. I think the PS2 suffered of the same issue, but since it was released a full year ahead of its main competitors, developers just learned to live with it. Now, if the competition come out first next time, with easier hardware to program for, then maybe Sony would be in big trouble. Beside, I have the feeling that not everything is going smoothly in the PS3 hardware development front...

[musical]

Does releasing early truly matter? I saw the Dreamcast come out early, but it still ended dead last. People waited for the Sony console.

It's entirely possible that Xbox2 and Cube2 will come a year early, but history will repeat itself: Gamers will wait for the Sony console.

[le geek]

Does releasing early truly matter? I saw the Dreamcast come out early, but it still ended dead last. People waited for the Sony console.

It's entirely possible that Xbox2 and Cube2 will come a year early, but history will repeat itself: Gamers will wait for the Sony console.

This could be interesting! I think the Dreamcast "failed" because the Saturn was perceived as a failure compared to the PSOne. So Sony's "wait for the good stuff (AKA PS2)" paid off (particularly with Electronic Arts). And people waited for the "somewhat" better PS2. But then Sony had the games (FFX Madden Gran Turismo) and support (EA Square) that people wanted.

But back to coming early or late. Both the Cube and Xbox are superior systems (from a tech standpoint). So will the wait for PS3 arguement work again? I think, to the early adopters, the Xbox2 Nintendo Revolution will be tempting and I don't think they will believe that the PS3 will be so much better. Now Sony could come out with a killer tech demo, but even then unless it's game footage of Gran Turismo 5, I'm not sure if it will hold back the bleeding edge crowd.

But the exclusive brands and relationships aka GTA, GT, Metal Gear are one of Sony's strengths...

Just Speculatin' any thoughts?

[demented-yoshi]

First off I heard the Psp is gathering more Third party suppot then the Ds.

Second If Ps2 sucks so much why is it the Number one selling console out of Xbox and gamecube?

Third In my opinion they will both be over priced have crappy games and be a waste of money but thats just me.

[gavv]

The DS has my interest, and that's coming from a man who hates portables. If they even only get half the potential possibilities done on the DS, it'll be a raving success.

.

One intriguing thing about the DS that i don't think has really been brought up so i don't know if it's even being planned for it, is that the stylus/touchscreen capability suits it well for some of the '2 minute' game experiences like the bartop trivia & skills games, which other than on pc can't really be replicated on another console setup well.

gavv

[kainemaxwell]

Second If Ps2 sucks so much why is it the Number one selling console out of Xbox and gamecube?

Because they break so much that people gotta buy new ones! LOL

[-hellvin-]

Sony doesn't make nothing but game consoles ya know, I don't think slow sales or even a failure with their stupid psp is going to slaughter them. As for the new consoles, it's not like they're hardcore set in stone what they are and are not going to be able to do or even when they're coming out, so I think developer's have a long time to decide where to place most of their interest.

[zmweasel]

Not alot of people want to believe me, and they think I'm just a sony hater, but its not that at all.

Um, actually, it is, "SEGA Freak." I wouldn't expect you to think rationally about Sony any more than I'd expect Fox News Channel to admit that perhaps Michael Moore isn't Satan incarnate.


Square-Enix - they are porting Advent children to it but thats it. They said they won't be making any games because they are still unsure of its success...mm do i smell doubt?

Where did you read that Square Enix publicly stated it won't support the PSP?


Koei - the dynasty warriors game announced is gonna be a port of a ps2 version.

In Japan, the Dynasty Warriors franchise is the best-selling new franchise on the current generation of hardware. It's going to move PSPs.


There were a few other companies listed but I forgot what they were.

SEGA Freakiness has been scientifically proven to damage one's long-term memory.


2) PS3 - according to many sources, including my stores sony rep. PS3 release date is end of 2006 beginning of 2007 with a retail price of 500 - 800 dollars.

Your Sony rep is a drooling idiot, or you're making up what he told you.


I asked him why and he said " Sony is testing new grounds, the psx failed miserably so they are trying to fix what they wronged" hence the PS3 is gonna be what the psx coulda been....once again I buy video game consoles to do one thing, play games, not use tivo and dvd recorders.

The PS2 certainly hasn't suffered for including DVD support. In fact, the DVD support was a major selling point in Japan.


3) X -Box 2 is getting awesome support and will be out at 200 - 300 dollars. With big name companies looking into it like square , capcom, konami and sega and according to a few sources a HUGE game producer said "im sorry to say but x-box 2 lis looking amazing, we are pledging support and kissing sony goodbye, because there reign of terror will come to an end"

It's possible that Xbox 2 will receive more support from Japanese developers than the Xbox, seeing as the Japanese market is tanking, but they'll much more likely continue to throw their support behind Japanese hardware.

As for "reigns of terror," you should read "Game Over" to understand that anything Sony has done to gain marketshare, Nintendo did first, and with even more malice.


my prediction - PSP will fail - sony looses lots of money. Big developers jump sonys ship and pledge support on xbox 2 because of there new xna system there using. PS3 is released, which no one can afford and in the end our choices will be...do I buy the new Nintendo or new Xbox .... hmmmm whats this in the bargain bin? mommy whats a playstation?

My prediction: PSP succeeds, fanbois wail. Big developers continue to support the company that has dominated the industry for a decade and which holds a greater market share than both of its competitors combined. The bargain bins will continue to be stuffed with Saturns and Dreamcasts.

-- Z.

[ManciGames]

2) PS3 - according to many sources, including my stores sony rep. PS3 release date is end of 2006 beginning of 2007 with a retail price of 500 - 800 dollars.

Your Sony rep is a drooling idiot, or you're making up what he told you.

The word on the street is that it will indeed launch in the 500 to 800 dollar range. We shall see how that pans out. I get the feeling that Sony saw the demand for the limited supplies of PS2 when it launched and has realized that they should be the ones capitalizing on the demand.

If it does happen, expect to see major price cuts in 6 to 12 months after launch.

[petewhitley]

The word on the street is that it will indeed launch in the 500 to 800 dollar range. We shall see how that pans out. I get the feeling that Sony saw the demand for the limited supplies of PS2 when it launched and has realized that they should be the ones capitalizing on the demand.

If it does happen, expect to see major price cuts in 6 to 12 months after launch.

As the PS3's release begins to approach, it's not going to take a whole lot of market analysis for Sony to determine that a $500+ price point for a gaming console ain't gonna work. No way PS3 launches that high.

[Black Dragon]

As for the portable issue, are you kidding? GameBoy itself holds a 98% stronghold on the portable game market. No friggin way PSP can compete with it's numbers and status. Plus Nintendo strikes gold again, due to backwards compatiblity for GBA lovers. The DS will be the number one most wanted toy for this Christmas season, especially when you have Super Mario 64 as it's launch title.

Exactly! Nintendo had been around for years and has rulled over the handheld game market, so the people at Sony thought "hey let see if we can get in the handheld market and beat nintendo!" lol WRONG!!!!!!!!:frustrated: Nintendo has ruled over the hand held market and if Sony is going to try to run nentendo out of the hand held area NINTENDO WILL STRIKE BACK!!! and they did with the DS!

Long story short sony should stay out of the Hand held market if they know whats good for them,

and another thing I do have Sony stuff and I trust alot of their tech. but they should not get in the handheld gaming area!

Xbox 2 will be cool too! :D

[Half Japanese]

While I'm not the biggest Sony fanatic, and since no one else has said it, I will: will everyone that hates Sony just please shut the fuck up? Seriously, we can't go two weeks without someone whining about how Sony is holding Nintendo and their "marvelous ideas" down, like it's a goddamn civil rights battle. You want a marvelous idea? How about 4 $100 GBAs, and 3 $10 cables to play a four player game (Four Swords)? It's all about money, and you can bet your fanboy asses that Nintendo would pull the same strongarm tactics were they still top-dog. One reason I appreciate Zach posting in threads like this is that he, like myself, appears to be a strong supporter of FACTS and SOURCES as opposed to rampant SPECULATION and, frankly, BULLSHIT. Since a lot of you seem to be so intent on rubbernecking a company as they crash and burn, how about looking into Nokia, Tapwave or the Phantom instead of Sony.

[ArnoldRimmer83]

Feels like a lot of people want Sony to fail, cause they think that somehow Sony dropping out of the video game business will cause the game industry to revert back to the golden age of the 16 bit era or whatever. Obviously that's not gonna happen. And even if Sony did fail, which I doubt, nobody thinks that Microsoft won't act like Sony does now if they reached the number 1 spot? And Nintendo? Everyone acts like Nintendo are saints, forgetting their ways back during the 8 bit era. If Nintendo is ever #1 again, it probably wouldn't take long for them to revert back to their old ways. People should be glad there's competition. I think Nintendo having competition in the handheld market would be great, as it may force them to think up new ideas instead of just rereleasing old successes as they did on the GBA. It's probably cause of the PSP, that Nintendo is even trying some of the gimmicks that their fans of currently raving about on the DS.

Though Mario 64 x 4 shows that Nintendo isn't quite yet ready to stop with the endless rereleases. I mean a four player cooperative Mario 64ish adventure with Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Yoshi is cool sounding and all, but Nintendo should really make a brand new Mario 64 type 3D adventure. Building a multi player mode around a game that didn't previously have one is not going to work as well as just making a new game. Again if they have competition, maybe they will finally get around to making new games.

[lendelin]

Based on the first post, this thread can't be taken seriously. :)

Reality and assumptions can always be distorted close to an out-of-body experience. The first post has Twilight Zone quality.

$500 to $800 for a new PS3? I think that's a very realistic possibility if we assume that Sony execs are complete idiots, are suicidal, were tutored by Beavis and Butthead, and plan as the next PR stunt to hire Elvis Presley as a game designer.

[Captain Wrong]

While I'm not the biggest Sony fanatic, and since no one else has said it, I will: will everyone that hates Sony just please shut the fuck up? Seriously, we can't go two weeks without someone whining about how Sony is holding Nintendo and their "marvelous ideas" down, like it's a goddamn civil rights battle. You want a marvelous idea? How about 4 $100 GBAs, and 3 $10 cables to play a four player game (Four Swords)? It's all about money, and you can bet your fanboy asses that Nintendo would pull the same strongarm tactics were they still top-dog. One reason I appreciate Zach posting in threads like this is that he, like myself, appears to be a strong supporter of FACTS and SOURCES as opposed to rampant SPECULATION and, frankly, BULLSHIT. Since a lot of you seem to be so intent on rubbernecking a company as they crash and burn, how about looking into Nokia, Tapwave or the Phantom instead of Sony.

You are now my hero. Seriously.


And EXCELLENT point Zach...


As for "reigns of terror," you should read "Game Over" to understand that anything Sony has done to gain marketshare, Nintendo did first, and with even more malice.

I was just thinking this same thing. Everyone who thinks Nintendo is this completely innocent company and Sony is the evil empire needs to realize that anything Sony has done has come straight out of Nintendo's playbook. Monopoly on the market? Check (and the NES era monopoly was even bigger.) Locking developers into exclusive arrangements so they can't put out games on other platforms? Yep. Allowing tons of licensed crap through while turning away innovative games? Does the title "Jaws" ring a bell?

And on, and on, and on. If Nintendo hadn't lost their lead in the 16 bit era, I guarantee they'd be doing the same things, and probably worse, than anything Sony has done.

Honestly, everyone with any sort of interest in how this industry works should read "Game Over." Like it or not, this is a business and it's run like one. Yes, there's art involved but like the music and film industry, at the end of the day commerce is all anyone really gives a shit about. To think anything else is just naive.

[zmweasel]

2) PS3 - according to many sources, including my stores sony rep. PS3 release date is end of 2006 beginning of 2007 with a retail price of 500 - 800 dollars.

Your Sony rep is a drooling idiot, or you're making up what he told you.

The word on the street is that it will indeed launch in the 500 to 800 dollar range. We shall see how that pans out. I get the feeling that Sony saw the demand for the limited supplies of PS2 when it launched and has realized that they should be the ones capitalizing on the demand.

If it does happen, expect to see major price cuts in 6 to 12 months after launch.

"Word on the street"? I prefer not to get my console price-point rumors from Huggy Bear, thanks.

The $500-800 rumor is most likely stemming from the PSX, but that product was from Sony's consumer-electronics division. There's no question it acted as a testbed of sorts for PS3 features, but not in terms of price point.

If Sony perceives heavy demand for the PS3 at launch, it'll simply have more consoles available, instead of fucking over early adopters and generating no end of negative press with a 3DO-esque MSRP.

This is the company that held an E3 press conference at which all it said was "$299." Kaz Hirai spent a healthy chunk of this year's E3 press conference discussing price points. This company is not going to launch its next home console at $500-800 and ignore a decade of its own sales history.

I think it's time for another $1000 Fanboi Challenge. I will bet anyone one thousand dollars that the PS3 will have an MSRP of less than $399 at the time of its North American launch. If the PS3 launches at $399 or higher, you win the $1K. (See my thread on Madden sales for the terms and conditions.) Any takers?

-- Z.

[DigitalSpace]

While I'm not the biggest Sony fanatic, and since no one else has said it, I will: will everyone that hates Sony just please shut the fuck up? Seriously, we can't go two weeks without someone whining about how Sony is holding Nintendo and their "marvelous ideas" down, like it's a goddamn civil rights battle. You want a marvelous idea? How about 4 $100 GBAs, and 3 $10 cables to play a four player game (Four Swords)? It's all about money, and you can bet your fanboy asses that Nintendo would pull the same strongarm tactics were they still top-dog. One reason I appreciate Zach posting in threads like this is that he, like myself, appears to be a strong supporter of FACTS and SOURCES as opposed to rampant SPECULATION and, frankly, BULLSHIT. Since a lot of you seem to be so intent on rubbernecking a company as they crash and burn, how about looking into Nokia, Tapwave or the Phantom instead of Sony.

*applauds*

[WiseSalesman]

In regards to Enemy Zero, I'm inclined to take any prediction/advice/news from someone who thinks Final Fantasy 7 has the best story of any in video game ever with about a shaker's worth of salt. I don't like Sony much, but I'm betting they're here for a while. They've almost single handedly brought an entire new group of gamers (the main-main streamers) into the fold, and they're sony loyal. I think it will take a lot of wrongdoing on Son'y part to screw up a lead like this.

[PapaStu]

I read about the PS3 pricing scale being set at that $500-800 range. However it didnt come from Sony, it came from development company analysises ( ie. game producers) and oustide Analysis from a tech research firm who though based on idealised specs (that were still clueless about) would cost in that 500-800 range to sell to us peoples. I went looking for the article but im having trouble finding it.

Sheesh people, instead of spouting off random info read on the net or heard from a Rep and taken as the gospel, why dont you take the 30 seconds to actually read some real info on the pricing subject.

Both in relation to the PsP pricing.
http://psp.ign.com/articles/522/522534p1.html
http://money.cnn.com/2004/06/09/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm

Highlights include

June 10, 2004 - Sony's unveiling of the PlayStation Portable this year was one of tremendous highs and baffling lows -- the system was by far its highest profile announcement (outweighing its PS2 price drop news and its further network plans, which also came off with a good deal of unexpected uncertainty) and while the system's debut was enough to win the for Game Critics' Award for Best of Show 2004, many aspects of the system were either left up in the air or else glossed over entirely. Price was not announced, battery life expectancy was spoken of in the most vague of terms imaginable, and further development tool distribution was not given any kind of timeline for game makers to know when to expect the hardware and software support needed to meet their milestones on projects currently being created with incomplete development tools.
Voicing concerns against Sony's carefully controlled unveiling more aggressively than anybody at this level of the industry has to date, Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell unloaded his frustrations on CNN Chris Morris. "We saw pictures and a nice prototype at E3, but I want to see more," said Bonnell. In the article from the floor of a consumer conference for the online site of CNN's business magazine Money, Bonnell took Sony to task for its lack of information on pricing, on media support (the specs for PSP detail its capabilities for multimedia such as MP4 and MP3 audio, but make no mention of distribution or integration), and even on consumer policy as far as handling of returns and damaged systems.

"What about the breakable aspects of it? If it breaks, can you bring it back and get another one for free? What about the movie strategy? The wireless strategy? The MP3 downloading? We don't know. What about the connectivity issues? We don't know. What about the video output? We don't know."

Bonnell also made an estimate on pricing for the system, which is not due out until late 2004 in Japan and early 2005 in North America and Europe. His estimate -- $500, apparently taking into account his impression of the advanced console-quality technology, high resolution screen, and feature additions such as 802.11b WiFi and multimedia playback -- leans far away from more conservative estimates such as those from sources such as EA's Quarterly Update (guessing the system at $199-$249) and Japanese media estimates published in a recent Channel NewsAsia article (put at perhaps 20,000 - 30,000 yen, or somewhere between $175 and $260 after conversion). Aside from some early comments about not expecting to take a loss on hardware unit rates (which the company has since drawn back from), Sony has made few official statements regarding pricing other than that it expects the PSP to carry a price tag competitive with current electronic handheld entertainment systems, which would included everything from Game Boy to iPod.


"I think $500 is aggressive," said P.J. McNealy, an analyst with American Technology Research. "I think it's going to be in the $299-$349 range. Keep in mind that [Sony Computer Entertainment president and CEO Ken] Kutaragi has maintained that they want to break even on the hardware."

My only fears are not for Sony and the un-likely downfall, but for a individual product. The PlayStation line will do just fine. With tons of average gamers owning a PS/PSOne and/or a PS2, they have no problems unless they launch the system at some gawd awful price. They wont release the general version of a PS3 at a 500-800 dollar range. They are smart enough to know that with their system coming out later than the new Nintendo system and probably around the same time as the NeXtBox, that they would price them selves out of the market. A price that high would really be for some sort of really fancy hybrid PSX/PS3.

Sony has produced portable dics based drives for years that have worked thru tons of abuse. Look at your CD walkmans, ive got one from 1995 that still works fine. My PSOne and PS2 both run fine and have been moved all over the place. People keep forgetting about caddy based roms. They dont have to work as hard, have less spinning parts and if I remember back in the day when thats what there was, they were considered better than tray based roms. Im more worried about the one major thing that info isnt comming out about the PsP and is Battery life. A screen that big, backlit and powering a UMD drive and CPU is gonna be a real heavy drain on the battery and those things and are only going to last for a year to year and a half tops (just like an iPod's). There will be games for it, there will be movie and music based apps for it, and they will be able to promote the entire Sony entertainment line from that system like theyve allways wanted, and a partial reason they decided to help Nintendo create a disc based drive (which turned into the PS) in the first place.

[ManciGames]

The word on the street is that it will indeed launch in the 500 to 800 dollar range. We shall see how that pans out. I get the feeling that Sony saw the demand for the limited supplies of PS2 when it launched and has realized that they should be the ones capitalizing on the demand.

If it does happen, expect to see major price cuts in 6 to 12 months after launch.

"Word on the street"? I prefer not to get my console price-point rumors from Huggy Bear, thanks.

lol Colorful as always, Zach.


The $500-800 rumor is most likely stemming from the PSX, but that product was from Sony's consumer-electronics division.

I thought about that too. Makes sense.


If Sony perceives heavy demand for the PS3 at launch, it'll simply have more consoles available, instead of fucking over early adopters and generating no end of negative press with a 3DO-esque MSRP.

Yeah, kinda like how they had all those extra consoles available during the PS2 launch, right?


This is the company that held an E3 press conference at which all it said was "$299." Kaz Hirai spent a healthy chunk of this year's E3 press conference discussing price points. This company is not going to launch its next home console at $500-800 and ignore a decade of its own sales history.

You would hope not, but then again, stranger things have happened. Look, from a purely business standpoint, it is a great decision. The difference between selling 50,000 launch units at $300 and $500 is about 10 million in revenue. Now 10 million on 50,000 units is nothing to sneeze at. Are you telling me that 50,000 Sony fanbois wouldn't have spent $500 for a PS2 at launch?

From a purely business standpoint, Sony would be wise to launch at $500 and then drop the price down to $300 with the second round of shipments...

[EnemyZero]

i love how alot of people turned my personal opinion into "you hate sony , you dumb sega fanboy" post. i dont hate sony, the sony consoles house some of my fav games of all time, im just saying from all the info ive picked up from several mag's , websites and people.....that my opinion is sony is fading away...woah sorry for havin opinions. my opinion might change when more info about everything i talked about comes out. so ya'll need to back off

[WiseSalesman]

i love how alot of people turned my personal opinion into "you hate sony , you dumb sega fanboy" post. i dont hate sony, the sony consoles house some of my fav games of all time, im just saying from all the info ive picked up from several mag's , websites and people.....that my opinion is sony is fading away...woah sorry for havin opinions. my opinion might change when more info about everything i talked about comes out. so ya'll need to back off

You put your opinion out here on a public forum, making a specific thread for it thus basically highlighting the post with a giant neon billboard, and then expect people not to discuss it?

[Jorpho]

Sony will be around for a long time to come. Nintendo survived all these years, and it doesn't even have a vast electronics business.


Square-Enix - they are porting Advent children to it but thats it. They said they won't be making any games because they are still unsure of its success...mm do i smell doubt?

Now, what's this all about? Advent Children isn't just a film anymore?

[zmweasel]

Yeah, kinda like how they had all those extra consoles available during the PS2 launch, right?

That's exactly why they'll have PS3 readily available--because they were caught short at the PS2's launch. What, you don't think Sony's going to learn from its mistakes (although I'm reluctant to call the number of PS2s at launch a "mistake," as the record-breaking demand for the consoles was far beyond what Sony had foreseen)?


Look, from a purely business standpoint, it is a great decision. The difference between selling 50,000 launch units at $300 and $500 is about 10 million in revenue. Now 10 million on 50,000 units is nothing to sneeze at. Are you telling me that 50,000 Sony fanbois wouldn't have spent $500 for a PS2 at launch?

Sony is not going to launch at a $500 price point and generate no end of negative press to make an extra $10 million, or less than they make on the average first-party game. That's not a great business decision--that's an idiotic business decision.

And from my experience, there are very few Sony fanbois in the gaming world. It's mostly Nintendo freaks, with a lesser number of social retards favoring Microsoft and SEGA.


From a purely business standpoint, Sony would be wise to launch at $500 and then drop the price down to $300 with the second round of shipments...

Or they'll just ship the PS3 at $299, along with a decent range of first-party titles, and make exponentially more money. Sony has no need to rape early adopters on the hardware, because the software is where the money is.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

i love how alot of people turned my personal opinion into "you hate sony , you dumb sega fanboy" post. i dont hate sony, the sony consoles house some of my fav games of all time, im just saying from all the info ive picked up from several mag's , websites and people.....that my opinion is sony is fading away...woah sorry for havin opinions. my opinion might change when more info about everything i talked about comes out. so ya'll need to back off

It's not just that your opinion is tainted by your fanboi status, but also that your opinions are built on piles of steaming bullshit instead of facts. Y'all need to do some research.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

Sony will be around for a long time to come. Nintendo survived all these years, and it doesn't even have a vast electronics business.


Square-Enix - they are porting Advent children to it but thats it. They said they won't be making any games because they are still unsure of its success...mm do i smell doubt?

Now, what's this all about? Advent Children isn't just a film anymore?

It's a CG film, yep. Square Enix is releasing it in UMD format in addition to DVD.

-- Z.

[ManciGames]

That's exactly why they'll have PS3 readily available--because they were caught short at the PS2's launch. What, you don't think Sony's going to learn from its mistakes (although I'm reluctant to call the number of PS2s at launch a "mistake," as the record-breaking demand for the consoles was far beyond what Sony had foreseen)?

The demand for the PS2 was well known before its launch in the U.S. It wasn't as if the demand just kinda snuck up on them. I mean, didn't they learn from the Japanese launch six months prior?


Sony is not going to launch at a $500 price point and generate no end of negative press to make an extra $10 million, or less than they make on the average first-party game. That's not a great business decision--that's an idiotic business decision.

Why would it generate negative press? Maybe a couple of rabid forum posters would complain about how they had to pay $500 and then six months later it was lowered to $300, but the mainstream media will call it business as usual. Look what happened with the PS2 drive problems that came with the first round of that launch. There was some negative press, but for some reason I don't think it hurt Sony's sales


And from my experience, there are very few Sony fanbois in the gaming world.

Zach, seriously... Just rethink that statement. I would venture to say that it was Sony fanbois who killed the Sega Dreamcast (along with horrific Sega marketing blunders, of course).


Or they'll just ship the PS3 at $299, along with a decent range of first-party titles, and make exponentially more money. Sony has no need to rape early adopters on the hardware, because the software is where the money is.

Well, there's no doubt that is the best strategy. What I'm talking about is a situation in which they face high demand with a minimal number of units. Sure, if they have a half-million units ready to go on 3/15/06, it would be suicide to try to sell them all for $500. But, if they only have 50,000 units ready to go, that's another story.

[ManciGames]

The word on the street is that it will indeed launch in the 500 to 800 dollar range. We shall see how that pans out. I get the feeling that Sony saw the demand for the limited supplies of PS2 when it launched and has realized that they should be the ones capitalizing on the demand.

"Word on the street"? I prefer not to get my console price-point rumors from Huggy Bear, thanks.


Well hot damn, look what I just found on page 22 of EGM's September 2004 issue (#182):

"Analysts from Wedbush Morgan Securities recently published a report that predicts Sony will launch PlayStation 3 at $500 to $700..."

I guess Huggy Bear and all these years practicing as a CPA really do mean something. :)

And Zach, since I like you so much and I know how much you love research, I'll point your ass here:

"The Definition of Insanity: Why The Next Console Cycle Will Start Off With A Whimper" http://www.theinternetanalyst.com/download.asp?docid=32971344&sid=27&target=%2Fstocks%2Fanalystresearch%2Fhome

If that's too much (it's like 140 pages), you can also dig in here: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/525/525214p1.html

Enjoy! And don't forget to thank me after you've read it!

[zmweasel]

The word on the street is that it will indeed launch in the 500 to 800 dollar range. We shall see how that pans out. I get the feeling that Sony saw the demand for the limited supplies of PS2 when it launched and has realized that they should be the ones capitalizing on the demand.

"Word on the street"? I prefer not to get my console price-point rumors from Huggy Bear, thanks.


Well hot damn, look what I just found on page 22 of EGM's September 2004 issue (#182):

"Analysts from Wedbush Morgan Securities recently published a report that predicts Sony will launch PlayStation 3 at $500 to $700..."

I guess Huggy Bear and all these years practicing as a CPA really do mean something. :)

And Zach, since I like you so much and I know how much you love research, I'll point your ass here:

"The Definition of Insanity: Why The Next Console Cycle Will Start Off With A Whimper" http://www.theinternetanalyst.com/download.asp?docid=32971344&sid=27&target=%2Fstocks%2Fanalystresearch%2Fhome

If that's too much (it's like 140 pages), you can also dig in here: http://ps2.ign.com/articles/525/525214p1.html

Enjoy! And don't forget to thank me after you've read it!

PapaStu already mentioned this speculative report on the PS3 price point earlier in this thread. Maybe you should thank him.

I agree with the prediction that the PS2 will be a viable platform until 2008, but that's because SONY ITSELF plans to make it a viable platform until 2008. It plainly stated its intent to break the five-year hardware cycle with the PS2 (as it did to a lesser degree with the PS1) at this year's E3. This report is just confirming Sony's strategy.

I don't at all agree with the prediction of a $500 PS3 launch, as the analysts are using pure speculative bullshit to come up with that figure.

I'll bet you $1000 that the PS3 launches at $399 or less. How about it?

-- Z.

[ManciGames]

PapaStu already mentioned this speculative report on the PS3 price point earlier in this thread. Maybe you should thank him.

I guess I'm a little confused, because you claimed that none of this speculation was based on facts. Does this report not count?



I'll bet you $1000 that the PS3 launches at $399 or less. How about it?

I'm not the betting kind, especially when it comes to something that has so many unknown factors. At least you're open to $399 instead of $299. Let's talk about it again around December, 2005. Agreed?

[SoulBlazer]

$400 is still WAY out of my price range, and out of most people, I think. I pay that much a month in rent alone. :o

[zmweasel]

The demand for the PS2 was well known before its launch in the U.S. It wasn't as if the demand just kinda snuck up on them. I mean, didn't they learn from the Japanese launch six months prior?

Because the Japanese and North American markets are very different creatures. Ask Microsoft.


Why would it generate negative press? Maybe a couple of rabid forum posters would complain about how they had to pay $500 and then six months later it was lowered to $300, but the mainstream media will call it business as usual. Look what happened with the PS2 drive problems that came with the first round of that launch. There was some negative press, but for some reason I don't think it hurt Sony's sales.

Far more than "a couple of rabid forum posters" would be riled by a $500 price point. Retailers would be pissed, game publishers would be pissed, and consumers would be pissed.

DVD-drive problems are FAR different than a punitive price point. The former is anecdotal; the latter is indisputable. Competitors can't bag on the former, but they can and will bag on the latter.


Zach, seriously... Just rethink that statement. I would venture to say that it was Sony fanbois who killed the Sega Dreamcast (along with horrific Sega marketing blunders, of course).

Again, there are very few Sony fanbois. Sony gamers are mainstream Americans. These people don't post on message boards about how Sony rules; they simply associate the PlayStation with video games, which is why they bought the PlayStation 2. They didn't buy the Dreamcast because only core gamers bought the Dreamcast.

Surely you've been around this forum long enough to notice the incredibly pro-Nintendo, anti-Sony sentiment. Shit, I've been accused of being a Sony fanboi because I enter anti-Sony threads to point out the company's decade-long history of record-breaking success.


Well, there's no doubt that is the best strategy. What I'm talking about is a situation in which they face high demand with a minimal number of units. Sure, if they have a half-million units ready to go on 3/15/06, it would be suicide to try to sell them all for $500. But, if they only have 50,000 units ready to go, that's another story.

So now you're blindly speculating a March 2006 launch (?!) with only 50,000 units (?!?). I'll bet you $1000 that neither of those predictions come to pass.

Sony has NO NEED to fuck over early adopters. Again, they will make far more money on first-party software sales than on your theoretical wallet-raping of its first 50,000 customers.

The PS3 price point will drop after a year or two, but it's not going to start at $500. EVERYONE in this industry knows the importance of hardware price points, and Sony in particular.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

I guess I'm a little confused, because you claimed that none of this speculation was based on facts. Does this report not count?

The report derives its $500 price point from theoretical tech-specs that may or may not be present in the final PS3 hardware. The report is on solid ground when it sticks to opinions backed up by facts; it fails when it tries to guess what's going to be in the PS3.


I'm not the betting kind, especially when it comes to something that has so many unknown factors. At least you're open to $399 instead of $299. Let's talk about it again around December, 2005. Agreed?

So this report is good enough for you to gleefully throw it in my face, yet you don't have enough faith in it to make a simple wager?

Hell, even lendelin is backing me up on this one, and he condescendingly disagrees with me about EVERYTHING.

-- Z.

[ManciGames]

Far more than "a couple of rabid forum posters" would be riled by a $500 price point. Retailers would be pissed, game publishers would be pissed, and consumers would be pissed.

I honestly don't think anyone would be "pissed." Other consoles have been launched at that price point (or higher), and there wasn't rioting in the streets. If you can't afford it (and I don't mean you, specifically), just wait for the price drop.


Again, there are very few Sony fanbois. Sony gamers are mainstream Americans. These people don't post on message boards about how Sony rules; they simply associate the PlayStation with video games, which is why they bought the PlayStation 2. They didn't buy the Dreamcast because only core gamers bought the Dreamcast.

Perhaps "fanbois" is too strong of a word. How about "Sony loyalists." More than once during the DC launch, I asked people if they were getting one and the response was "Nah. I'm waiting for PS2." You're probably right that they weren't fanbois, but that is the very definition of a loyalist. And a loyalist will still pay $500 for the next big thing.


So now you're blindly speculating a March 2006 launch (?!) with only 50,000 units (?!?). I'll bet you $1000 that neither of those predictions come to pass.

Well, the March 2006 prediction has it's basis in business study. Sony's fiscal year-end is March, 31. We can reasonably predict that a) They will follow the precedent set with PS2 by launching toward the end of their fiscal year, and b) There's no way it's going to launch in March, 2005. So, That leaves March 2006. Yes, I am aware of how they are "breaking the 5-year cycle," but they also claimed that was what they did with PS1. While that is true in the sense that they supported it beyond 5 years, it is not true that they did not launch another console around the usual 5 year mark. No reason to think this will not continue with PS3.

The 50,000 units is indeed blind speculation. Actually, I wouldn't even call it speculation. It's more of a what-if. It's just the basis of my hypothetical. I thought I pointed that out earlier? Maybe not.


The PS3 price point will drop after a year or two, but it's not going to start at $500. EVERYONE in this industry knows the importance of hardware price points, and Sony in particular.

Ahhh, but do you remember when everyone said that the "magic price point," was $199? Last gen, it was $299. Times change, my friend.

[ManciGames]

I'm not the betting kind, especially when it comes to something that has so many unknown factors. At least you're open to $399 instead of $299. Let's talk about it again around December, 2005. Agreed?

So this report is good enough for you to gleefully throw it in my face, yet you don't have enough faith in it to make a simple wager?

As you pointed out, this report is based on speculation. I'm not going to put down $1,000 on one speculative report, because frankly, I'm only 50% convinced that they would launch at that price. You asked for studies, I just provided some links.

I think the conversation is relevant, because there are reputable sources out there reporting that it could happen (ign, EGM, Huggy Bear), but no, I do not feel strongly enough about it to wager any money on it.

[zmweasel]

I honestly don't think anyone would be "pissed." Other consoles have been launched at that price point (or higher), and there wasn't rioting in the streets. If you can't afford it (and I don't mean you, specifically), just wait for the price drop.

The last game console to launch at $499 or more was the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. The last game console to launch at $399 or more was the SEGA Saturn. Neither one recovered, regardless of later price drops. There are no second chances to make that first impression with consumers. Just ask Nokia.


Perhaps "fanbois" is too strong of a word. How about "Sony loyalists." More than once during the DC launch, I asked people if they were getting one and the response was "Nah. I'm waiting for PS2." You're probably right that they weren't fanbois, but that is the very definition of a loyalist. And a loyalist will still pay $500 for the next big thing.

Sony wasn't want to sell the PS3 to "loyalists." Sony wants to sell it to everyone, like the PS1 and PS2. Sony doesn't get everyone with $499-799 hardware.


Well, the March 2006 prediction has it's basis in business study. Sony's fiscal year-end is March, 31. We can reasonably predict that a) They will follow the precedent set with PS2 by launching toward the end of their fiscal year, and b) There's no way it's going to launch in March, 2005. So, That leaves March 2006. Yes, I am aware of how they are "breaking the 5-year cycle," but they also claimed that was what they did with PS1. While that is true in the sense that they supported it beyond 5 years, it is not true that they did not launch another console around the usual 5 year mark. No reason to think this will not continue with PS3.

The PS1 launched on 9/9/1995. The PS2 launched on 9/9/2000. The PS3 will not launch on 3/15/2006, nine months before Christmas. Just ask SEGA how much they benefited from launching the Saturn less than halfway through the calendar year.


Ahhh, but do you remember when everyone said that the "magic price point," was $199? Last gen, it was $299. Times change, my friend.

The magic mass-market price point is $149, as pointed out by Sony at this year's E3 conference, but $299 is the magic launch price point. A new system cannot and will not debut above that mark if it hopes to succeed. Sony knew that in 1995, and surely knows it now.

If Sony needs to extend the PS2's active lifetime long enough to be able to hit that MSRP, it will do so. That's surely part of the reason for Sony's stated plans to ditch the five-year cycle, in which hardware companies piss away billions in hardware R&D and then race to make it all back via software before pissing it away again.

In any case, if you decide to put your money where your mouth is, shoot me a PM and we'll get the wager set up.

-- Z.

[zmweasel]

As you pointed out, this report is based on speculation. I'm not going to put down $1,000 on one speculative report, because frankly, I'm only 50% convinced that they would launch at that price. You asked for studies, I just provided some links.

50% convinced? How about $500, then?


I think the conversation is relevant, because there are reputable sources out there reporting that it could happen (ign, EGM, Huggy Bear), but no, I do not feel strongly enough about it to wager any money on it.

These "sources" are just citing the original study and calling the $500 nonsense a "bold prediction." They're not saying it could happen.

-- Z.

[ManciGames]

The PS1 launched on 9/9/1995. The PS2 launched on 9/9/2000. The PS3 will not launch on 3/15/2006, nine months before Christmas. Just ask SEGA how much they benefited from launching the Saturn less than halfway through the calendar year.

I was actually referring to the Japanese launch date of 3/4/00. I think we're mixing up about three different POVs right now... Just to clarify: Japanese launch: 3/15/06. US launch: 9/15/06.


In any case, if you decide to put your money where your mouth is, shoot me a PM and we'll get the wager set up.

I may consider the offer on the US launch date. Have a good evening.

[ManciGames]

As you pointed out, this report is based on speculation. I'm not going to put down $1,000 on one speculative report, because frankly, I'm only 50% convinced that they would launch at that price. You asked for studies, I just provided some links.

50% convinced? How about $500, then?

If you're willing to make wagers based on a 50% level of assuredness, we need to talk! I've got a whole bunch of bets we can line up.


These "sources" are just citing the original study and calling the $500 nonsense a "bold prediction." They're not saying it could happen.

And with that, you have the last word. I want it next time. :)