Official PS3 Thread: 11/17/06; Price $599 (for premium)

[Anthony1]

Well, will they spill the beans, yay or nay?



Also, if you reply to this thread, give us your price prediction. And you can also give a release date prediction too.

EDIT BY GAC: This thread title has been changed to keep all PS3 discussion to this thread.

[Bronty-2]

499. Black Thursday/Friday (whatever it's called, we don't have that here so I don't recall). Doubt we'll see a price until a couple months from launch.

[Anthony1]

My guess is $549.99, Tuesday November 21st and the price will be revealed during July. The exact date will be revealed in July too.



At e3, the info will be that the PS3 will be in the $500 - $600 range, and that it will ship in November. No specific price or date, but certainly some other interesting details will be revealed like the controller, online strategy, etc, etc.

[JJNova]

Please forgive this moment of Trolling...

THE ELECTRONICS ENTERTAINMENT EXPO IS 1 FUCKING DAY AWAY! WHY MAKE THIS POLL OR TOPIC?!?!?!?! Dude. Seriously. Whether they do or don't, how does/is a group of assumtpions going to matter? ONE. MORE. DAY.

At least you could of done this at a time when everyone was still interested in pretending they had inside information.

Please people. Seriously. Why?

[James]

My guess is $549.99, Tuesday November 21st and the price will be revealed during July. The exact date will be revealed in July too.



At e3, the info will be that the PS3 will be in the $500 - $600 range, and that it will ship in November. No specific price or date, but certainly some other interesting details will be revealed like the controller, online strategy, etc, etc.

Personally I don't think Sony will give us its final release date for the PS3 until it gives us an exact release date for retail stand alone Blu-Ray players as that's part of its strategy. Right now Sony's says mid-August for release of Blu-Ray so I'm betting we'll know by then when PS3 will ship.

For Sony to release PS3 to all territories within a few weeks of each other is going to leave more than too many people unhappy due to manufacturing problems of this new tech. Sony's current and future systems are more popular than Microsoft's and we all remember the supply problems Xbox 360 and PS2 had from day one to day 150 or so. So pre-order as soon as possible to get a chance at one.

Anyway enough of what we already know, I think PS3 will be released for $600 at least and won't ship until Spring 2007 due to manufactring delays, etc. Japan will get it in November as promised for even more money. Europe will get left behind for a Summer 2007 release and it will cost 600 Euros or so.

[Anthony1]

Please forgive this moment of Trolling...

THE ELECTRONICS ENTERTAINMENT EXPO IS 1 FUCKING DAY AWAY! WHY MAKE THIS POLL OR TOPIC?!?!?!?! Dude. Seriously. Whether they do or don't, how does/is a group of assumtpions going to matter? ONE. MORE. DAY.

At least you could of done this at a time when everyone was still interested in pretending they had inside information.

Please people. Seriously. Why?


True. I know. I should have done this post a week ago. Oh well, I think their big press conference is scheduled for late in the afternoon Monday, so we can vote until then at least. I think it's like 4pm Pacific Time on Monday. Or is it Tuesday morning?

[JJNova]

Please forgive this moment of Trolling...

THE ELECTRONICS ENTERTAINMENT EXPO IS 1 FUCKING DAY AWAY! WHY MAKE THIS POLL OR TOPIC?!?!?!?! Dude. Seriously. Whether they do or don't, how does/is a group of assumtpions going to matter? ONE. MORE. DAY.

At least you could of done this at a time when everyone was still interested in pretending they had inside information.

Please people. Seriously. Why?


True. I know. I should have done this post a week ago. Oh well, I think their big press conference is scheduled for late in the afternoon Monday, so we can vote until then at least. I think it's like 4pm Pacific Time on Monday. Or is it Tuesday morning?

Wow dude. I'm sorry. Your response is so awesome. I just trolled your thread, and your response was, "Yup. Oh well."

That is very commendable. For being so cool about it, I am going to apologize for being a prick, and put your name somewhere in my custom rank. kick ass.

[njiska]

I'll venture a guess that they won't. Not because i think it'll be horribly expensive and they're trying to hide that fact (which they could be) but rather because there's nothing to gain my announcing the price this early.

Launch is half a year away. THat's plenty of time to settle on the price.

[videogameking26]

I think they will announce the price later today when they do their press conference, I don't think if they say it's $500 and comes out near Thanksgiving that anyone will give a second thought. Now if they say it's $400 or below I will go thank you :D but WOW X_x X_x

[jdc]

They're going to announce a price that is so high that the average casual gamer will scream "NOOOOOOOO!!!" and proclaim that they can't afford to play videogames anymore....which will prompt massive amounts of phonecalls to videogame shops everywhere, inquiring as to "do you guys sell mod chips?"

I'll bet that it will be the exact retail of a 360. I could be wrong, but time will tell. It doesn't matter what they price it as. The thing will still sell.

[Anthony1]

I'll bet that it will be the exact retail of a 360. I could be wrong, but time will tell. It doesn't matter what they price it as. The thing will still sell.



The only way it could be priced the same as the Premium 360 ($399.99) is if they were to remove the Blu Ray drive, and roll with a regular DVD drive like the 360. Of course, there isn't any chance of that happening, considering Blu-Ray is like the key to Sony's future for the next 7 years or so. They might also have to remove the 60 gig Hdd too, to get it that low, so you can pretty much forget about $399.99, there isn't any chance of that.


The real question, is can they still figure out some kind of way to come in at $499.99 and even that will be like moving heaven and earth to get that done.

[Leo_A]

Perhaps you'r right, but you really don't have a clue.

[Leo_A]

20 gig harddrive PS3 for 499
60 gig hd PS3 for 599

November 17th

Maybe you'll stop posting your annoying speculation now that the facts are out. :)

[Joker T]

I just watched the Press conference on Gamespot.

2 versions.

$499 for version with 20gb hdd
$599 for version with 60gb hdd

[Fighter17]

20 gig harddrive PS3 for 499
60 gig hd PS3 for 599

November 17th

Maybe you'll stop posting your annoying speculation.

He's telling the real thing, saw the thing live on Gamespot. Sony just can't keep the cost down. Not too suprising.

[njiska]

Whoa.

[comrade]

I just watched the Press conference on Gamespot.

2 versions.

$499 for version with 20gb hdd
$599 for version with 60gb hdd

Sony loses.

[Juganawt]

Fucking great

Not only is the machine exorbitantly priced, but us in the UK have to pay almost double the USA price.

Absolutely disgusting. I'm furious.

[Gamereviewgod]

And it's great to see that it ships with a Wii controller that looks like a Dual Shock right in the box!

[youruglyclone]

yeah 1000 bucks for europeans...ouch

the Piii (that's my new nickname for the PS3, why not they kinda cribbed the controller...why not the name. I know I'm a comedic genius!) is still kinda worth it.

armored core and wow...raiden.

[youruglyclone]

damn double post

Piii I'M A COMEDIC GOD!

but I'll still buy one at launch...what a tool I've become.

[l_lamb]

If you get a X360 with the hard drive and WiFi adapter it costs $499.98, and you still don't get a HD movie player. The price isn't that bad.

[suckerpunch5]

I'm so pissed at this, they can keep their PS3 and their rip-off controller. I don't want it. Bring on the wiivolution!

[Trebuken]

Fucking great

Not only is the machine exorbitantly priced, but us in the UK have to pay almost double the USA price.

Absolutely disgusting. I'm furious.

You pay double for gas already, why should this be a problem?

Why should Japan get it six days sooner while we're at it? Are the units being manufactured in Japan, or do the celebrate Black Friday a few days earlier...? Why does it matter if every unit is going to sell out? How much should I sell mine for on ebay the day after? Is Killzone really going to be as cool as it looks?

Did anyone notice how quiet it was when the introduced the 'new' controller design...hehe

Later,
Trebuken

[Princess-Isabela]

Japan:
59,999 Yens
US:
$499(20gb hdd)
$599(60gb hdd)
Eur:
499 euro(20gb hdd)
599 euro(20gb hdd)

seems fairly reasonable to me.

[Joker T]

Even though they ripped off Wii, that Warhack demonstration was incredibly impressive.

[suckerpunch5]

Sony just released launch price for the PS3:
Japan:
59,999 Yens
US:
$499(20gb hdd)
$599(60gb hdd)
Eur:
499 euro(20gb hdd)
599 euro(20gb hdd)

what do you guys think?

seems fairly reasonable to me.

Haha! Then I look foward to seeing how much you bid my Tales of Destiny II auction up to!! LOL

That seems outrageous to me . . .

[kainemaxwell]

So first they rip off the Wii, then expect us to pay an arm and a leg for a dvd format that may or may not set with people? No way.

[joshnickerson]

So first they rip off the Wii, then expect us to pay an arm and a leg for a dvd format that may or may not set with people? No way.


Now now... this is the first time Sony's ever ripped off a Nintendo design...

Well, there was the basic SNES pad layout... and the analog controller... and the rumble feature...

......

F*#K SONY!

[odyeiop]

I've always thought that originality was the key to success.. so I've never really understood why Sony has made it as far as they have. It's truly an oddity.

[goatdan]

Wow, my friend just emailed this information to me.

It seems like Sony has decided to bank on the two most outrageous claims of their competitors, and get nearly the same price point as both of them put together.

Suddenly, the marketplace is definitely wide open.

[ProgrammingAce]

I think i'm going to vote "no" in the poll...

[scooterb23]

I agree with ProgrammingAce...I vote no as well

[PapaStu]

Japan:
59,999 Yens
US:
$499(20gb hdd)
$599(60gb hdd)
Eur:
499 euro(20gb hdd)
599 euro(20gb hdd)

seems fairly reasonable to me.

Ya forgot to differientate (sp butchered I know) the two Japanese prices....

59,999 for the 20 gig....
Retailer choice for the 60 gig, just like the last limited FF XII PS2 system was.

[DeputyMoniker]

Suddenly, the marketplace is definitely wide open.

I dont know, man. If history has taught us anything...a 5-6 hundred dollar console is gonna be damn hard to sell. Theres a good chance I'll buy it but I dont know many people who have that kind of $$. Especially when the 360 will cost around half that and offer Halo 2. Ouch. I wish Sony would have learned form the PSP. People SAY they want the bells & whistles but when it comes time to open their wallet, theyll tell a different story.

EDIT: Halo 3...not 2.

[petewhitley]

I wish Sony would have learned form the PSP. People SAY they want the bells & whistles but when it comes time to open their wallet, theyll tell a different story.

The PSP is the fastest selling Sony platform in history. Some 17 million people have opened their wallets for the PSP. Find a new analogy; preferrably one based on facts.

[Fighter17]

Suddenly, the marketplace is definitely wide open.

I dont know, man. If history has taught us anything...a 5-6 hundred dollar console is gonna be damn hard to sell. Theres a good chance I'll buy it but I dont know many people who have that kind of $$. Especially when the 360 will cost around half that and offer Halo 2. Ouch. I wish Sony would have learned form the PSP. People SAY they want the bells & whistles but when it comes time to open their wallet, theyll tell a different story.

Best example of this would be the 3DO.

[le geek]

I will pass until price drop...

[petewhitley]

I dont know, man. If history has taught us anything...a 5-6 hundred dollar console is gonna be damn hard to sell. Theres a good chance I'll buy it but I dont know many people who have that kind of $$. Especially when the 360 will cost around half that and offer Halo 2. Ouch. I wish Sony would have learned form the PSP. People SAY they want the bells & whistles but when it comes time to open their wallet, theyll tell a different story.

Best example of this would be the 3DO.

Oh yeah, the 3DO. The backwards-compatible successor to the wildly popular and industry dominating 2DO, which was in itself the successor to the revolutionary 1DO that became a household name.

The 3DO is a terrible example.

[hezeuschrist]

I wish Sony would have learned form the PSP. People SAY they want the bells & whistles but when it comes time to open their wallet, theyll tell a different story.

The PSP is the fastest selling Sony platform in history. Some 17 million people have opened their wallets for the PSP. Find a new analogy; preferrably one based on facts.

No no no, SHIPPED. There is a massive difference. Drop a few million from that still sitting on shelves and you'll have a more accurate number, but it still stands that it's the fastest selling PlayStation console ever. You can attribute that largely to non-NA sales, the $250 price at launch was a huge deterrent, whereas it was only $180 at launch in Japan. 18 months later and we still don't have a price that the Japanese launched with. That's fucking absurd.

As for comparing the PS3 to the 3DO, please. Sony is not the current market leader, they are the current market dominator. The PlayStation brand is one of the top recognized brands in the world, in any market. The system will sell on that alone, even at $600.

I definitely think they'll have at least half the market this time, but I think they're really going to have to work to have that big sell. They've got no DVD playback to push the system at launch this time because the market isn't ready for a succesor to DVD. Sure HD is on the way, but the point where it'll reach mass market penetration is still 10 years away. People still come into blockbuster asking for VHS movies.

They're going to have to rely on software alone this time, and if they can succeed with it, that's fantastic. That just means they'll have some excellent titles at launch that can get enough people to buy one at launch, and I might be one of them... but $500 is a really tough sell regardless of how fantastic the lineup is.

[norkusa]

http://home.comcast.net/~norkusa/caddyshack.jpg

"Well I ain't payin' no $500 for no PS3!"

[Richter Belmount]

meh ill stick to what I own >.> .

[goatdan]

I dont know, man. If history has taught us anything...a 5-6 hundred dollar console is gonna be damn hard to sell. Theres a good chance I'll buy it but I dont know many people who have that kind of $$. Especially when the 360 will cost around half that and offer Halo 2. Ouch. I wish Sony would have learned form the PSP. People SAY they want the bells & whistles but when it comes time to open their wallet, theyll tell a different story.

Best example of this would be the 3DO.

Oh yeah, the 3DO. The backwards-compatible successor to the wildly popular and industry dominating 2DO, which was in itself the successor to the revolutionary 1DO that became a household name.

The 3DO is a terrible example.

I'd agree. I meant that the marketplace was wide open meaning that the price point will make the PS3 have a much more uphill battle than it would've if it came out at the same price point as the 360. If the PS3 was $399, I would probably consider most of this round to be over by default. Putting it at $499 - $599 means that both Nintendo and Microsoft can jump on that and use it to their advantage. I wouldn't be surprised at all to hear of a Microsoft price drop on the day the PS3 comes out.

I think there will definitely be a war this time. The 3DO isn't a good example -- 3DO didn't have a proven track record. Sony does. Microsoft and Nintendo have been followers, but now they are followers with cheaper systems -- one of which does the motion thing Sony is doing, and one of which does the graphics thing Sony is doing.

To me, it seems like Sony said to themselves that if Nintendo and Microsoft are going in completely different directions, they can split the difference and that will be what gamers want, which is motion _and_ graphics. I don't know if that's the right combination. No one does.

It'll be interesting.

[Gamereviewgod]

As for comparing the PS3 to the 3DO, please. Sony is not the current market leader, they are the current market dominator. The PlayStation brand is one of the top recognized brands in the world, in any market. The system will sell on that alone, even at $600.


We may never agree on the Wii, but you nailed this one. ;)

[Richter]

the $499 model does not include wi-fi, memory stick support, or HDMI output

http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/060509ae.pdf
see pg3

[hezeuschrist]

the $499 model does not include wi-fi, memory stick support, or HDMI output

http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/060509ae.pdf
see pg3

You can't be serious...

Wow. I mean, wow. At least with the Core X360 you're given the option to upgrade all the aspects of your system (wireless controller, component cables, HDD storage, headset) to what the Premium offers... but crippling the system itself? I figured $100 for 40gb was an appropriately inflated number for what it's worth... I mean the X360 HDD is $100 for only 20gb. But no HDMI? No Memory Stick support? No WI-FI?!

I suppose those are all things you should be able to live without, but for already $500, that's inexcusable.

[Anthony1]

Wow, talk about a little detail that they glossed over. So this is another 360 deal, where the lower priced unit is just a ruse so they can claim that their system costs $499, when the real version that everybody is going to want to buy costs $599.


I'm not suprised at all by this. In fact, really, it's amazing that they have been able to get the price that low. It costs them in the neighborhood of $850 ish to get a PS3 from the factory to retail, so you have to imagine that they have to keep their losses somewhat in line.


Basically the PS3 is $599, but everybody is going to initially think that it's $499. What clever little devils. So the controller that comes with the $499 PS3 is the wired one, and the one that comes with the $599 PS3 is the wireless bluetooth one? And the HDMI plug, that could be a huge, huge factor, because it could have a huge effect on the Blu Ray DVD playback, in terms of getting the full resolution on Blu Ray disks with copy protection. You won't get full resolution via component on all the movies that have copy protection on them. Also, I don't think you can get 1080p from the PS3 via component, so the HDMI is a must. I wonder what kind cables come in the box? I'm guessing you don't get a component cable in the $499 version either, and you might get a HDMI cable in the $599 box, but no component cable either.


I wonder when they are going to drop the bomb about the prices of the games being $64.99 with Sony first party titles being $54.99

[hezeuschrist]

I wonder what kind cables come in the box? I'm guessing you don't get a component cable in the $499 version either, and you might get a HDMI cable in the $599 box, but no component cable either.

Thats the kicker, the cables. I'd be willing to be S-Video in the $500 and Component on the $600. You just get the option to have HDMI and if you want it, better go get that Sony Brand 6-foot HDMI cable for $90.

[Richter Belmount]

im not anti sony but this is funny.
http://damnsonytohell.ytmnd.com/
couldnt resist posting that sorry But Someone was quick and made those comparisons , I seriously thought sony was gonna have something great and different like they said but to many features were taken sigh.

[Bronty-2]

I can't believe those devious little bastards ripped wii off. But 599 - good christ. That means it will probably cost 850-900 here in canada with the scam artist (almost as bad as euro) exchange rates they charge. FUCK THAT. $1000 after sales taxes? BLOW ME. No freaking way.

They have definitely kissed away europe, IMO. 600 euro? Not to mention canada as I'm sure the price here will be almost as bad. I just can't imagine people in those countries going for it in a big way. Sure it's got the brand but the pricing is ridiculous. They've also kissed off the family demographic. That's one fucking expensive xmas present for little Johnny.

[Anthony1]

I can't believe those devious little bastards ripped wii off. But 599 - good christ. That means it will probably cost 850-900 here in canada with the scam artist (almost as bad as euro) exchange rates they charge. FUCK THAT. $1000 after sales taxes? BLOW ME. No freaking way.

They have definitely kissed away europe, IMO. 600 euro? Not to mention canada as I'm sure the price here will be almost as bad. I just can't imagine people in those countries going for it in a big way. Sure it's got the brand but the pricing is ridiculous. They've also kissed off the family demographic. That's one fucking expensive xmas present for little Johnny.


how much does it cost if somebody from the U.S. sent you one in the mail? Couldn't they just say it was a Xmas gift, or would you have to pay some ridiculous tarif or something. If you have a buddy in the U.S. ,then have him preorder one for your tomorrow. And then when it comes out, you just pay him the snaps for it, and he ships it to you.

[Lothars]

I live in Canada and Bronty-2 prices will still be 599 and honestly I will own one at launch

if anything this will makes me excited, like I said I will buy a 360 soon and hopefully right after launch for the PS3

gonna be a great system IMO as long as the launch titles are decent but I think Sony is gonna do really great this generation

should be really interesting none the less.

[James]

I can't believe those devious little bastards ripped wii off. But 599 - good christ. That means it will probably cost 850-900 here in canada with the scam artist (almost as bad as euro) exchange rates they charge. FUCK THAT. $1000 after sales taxes? BLOW ME. No freaking way.

They have definitely kissed away europe, IMO. 600 euro? Not to mention canada as I'm sure the price here will be almost as bad. I just can't imagine people in those countries going for it in a big way. Sure it's got the brand but the pricing is ridiculous. They've also kissed off the family demographic. That's one fucking expensive xmas present for little Johnny.

Sony has stated that the $500 20GB model is going to be $550 CAD and the $600 60GB model will be $660 CAD so it's not that bad. Charging that much would screw Canadian retail as everyone would just flock to the US boarder to get their fix.

Interesting Sony's screwing the people getting the cheaper units by not including digital outputs, I also noticed they've eliminated dual HDMI in favour of a single output, smart cost effective move by them as if. That's going to piss a lot of people off in the long run though by crippling HD Disc playback.

One of the most overlooked things about Xbox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii is the game load time consideration. Blu-Ray may hold a huge amount of data but its piss slow in comparison to the 12x DVD drive included in every Xbox 360 and Wii.

I have three very good articles on this for you guys here:

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/profile/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=23916169&user=skektek

http://www.xbox360newsresource.com/60/blu-ray-vs-12x-dvd-read-speed/

http://www.xbox360galaxy.com/news/94/Comparison-between-blu.html

Because Blu-Ray read speeds in PS3 are at 2x this makes the drive data load times half that of Xbox 360 and Wii's 12x DVD speeds. If Sony were to update the drive to 3x then the difference would be negligible even though 12x DVD is still technically faster, but like with all new optical disc technologies more speed = significant cost increase and Sony is already going to be loosing too much on these consoles as is so expect long, long load times in your next gen gaming.

Nice pic Richter! :P

Oh and damn you Sony for stealing such good ideas, I was expecting more than blatant plagiarism!!! :/

edit: messed up the pricing, whoops.

[DeputyMoniker]

I wish Sony would have learned form the PSP. People SAY they want the bells & whistles but when it comes time to open their wallet, theyll tell a different story.

The PSP is the fastest selling Sony platform in history. Some 17 million people have opened their wallets for the PSP. Find a new analogy; preferrably one based on facts.

I'm glad that means something to you but the Dreamcast was once the fastest selling console of all time.

[Vinnysdad]

so the controller is exactly the same but wireless. They ripped Nintendo for the motion sensor idea and they give you two prices like Microsoft except the cheaper model is severely stripped down and I will have to pay $600 plus tax for the ritzy version. BITE ME SONY.

[Haoie]

Assuming the exchange rate holds, and the predicted price, it'll be costing around $1000+ NZ dollars here.

Slightly higher than when the PS2 was first released, that was 2000ish for us.

But man, is that expensive or what?! And that doesn't even include any games [which will too, no doubt be pricey].

[Daniel Thomas]

I'm stunned. I didn't think this was real until I searched several different gaming sites. Sony is pretty much finished in the games business. This is so far beyond rediculous it isn't even worth discussing.

There has been a lot of bad news coming out of the financial press regarding Sony, and this just confirms everything. Good lord, they can't even fit all the components into the casing; that PS3 casing is 50% too small. Development costs for games are hitting eight figures. The Blu-Ray is a complete mess, and it's still pretty doubtful that PS3 will even ship this year. If they do, it won't matter to you, because supplies will be strained for weeks, if not months.

All this can be yours for only $600. Six hundred freaking dollars for a video game machine. With only one controller and no games.

We are about to witness the most spectacular collapse in the history of videogames.

[gepeto]

I work and make a decent living but I find this 600.00 price tag hard to stomach. If it wasn't for the fact you can preorder and slowly pay I don't think i could go into a store and plunk down 600 + dollars for the system. I believe that I would have immediate buyers remorse.

I hate to think of all the young ones going into debt charging away for a video game system. November should be interesting.

I think the only way there will be a shortage of 600.00 machines is if sony purposely releases a very small amount creating artificial demand. I can see that happening.

1 ps3 or 2 xbox360 cores? easy choice if I am buying for a kid.

[FantasiaWHT]

No, Sony won't collapse because of this... worst case scenario is the system sells like crap and they're forced to lower their price much earlier than expected, causing an even larger per-system loss. It'll hurt them financially but the market dominator for nearly a decade can handle that sort of hit.

When the price drops, their market share will start catching up again. Hard to estimate what kind of discrepancy there will be and how quickly they'll catch up once it does, but this isn't going to sink Sony.

[Trebuken]

The price tag is meaningless. They are expected to ship 4 million units by Dec. 31 (doubtful, but maybe they'll get close). I have no doubt they will have that many preorders. They could probably make it $999 and sell that many units. The $599/$499 is just keeps it on the wish list of those not wanting to pay more than $300. I believe $599 to be a steal (espeacially if the Blu-Ray format survives for video).

We all know the price will drop, maybe once a year, so I think people are just griping because they can't afford one.

Also, we all knew Microsoft and Sony were going to rip-off the Wii controller, Sony just got there ahead of schedule. Microsoft is going to do it too...not alot of effort in it...

The guy playing Warhawk at the Sony press conference looked like he was trying way too hard to control his ship with his controller; he didn't even land it well. Wonder if he was actually playing or just hand-syncing...

(I bought a 3DO at release; it would be over $1,000 today adjusted for inflation. The PS3 is no 3DO the games it will have are just too cool, never mind the Blu-Ray player...)

Later,
Trebuken

[jajaja]

A decent price. PS2 had the same launch price over here. You can also try to compare how much a standalone Blu-Ray player cost.

[gepeto]

The price tag is meaningless. They are expected to ship 4 million units by Dec. 31 (doubtful, but maybe they'll get close). I have no doubt they will have that many preorders. They could probably make it $999 and sell that many units. The $599/$499 is just keeps it on the wish list of those not wanting to pay more than $300. I believe $599 to be a steal (espeacially if the Blu-Ray format survives for video).

We all know the price will drop, maybe once a year, so I think people are just griping because they can't afford one.

Also, we all knew Microsoft and Sony were going to rip-off the Wii controller, Sony just got there ahead of schedule. Microsoft is going to do it too...not alot of effort in it...

The guy playing Warhawk at the Sony press conference looked like he was trying way too hard to control his ship with his controller; he didn't even land it well. Wonder if he was actually playing or just hand-syncing...

(I bought a 3DO at release; it would be over $1,000 today adjusted for inflation. The PS3 is no 3DO the games it will have are just too cool, never mind the Blu-Ray player...)

Later,
Trebuken

The ps3 is no 3d0 but the pricing is eerily close. The thing that hurt the 3d0 and neo geo aes was the pricing. 700.00 for a system 200.00 per game. When the neo geo came out I wanted one bad but the price prevented me from obtaining one. Once again the hardcore supporters pay the price. It will definately have a boatload of the I want one but I can't afford it crowd.

Forget the the hardcore like me. The everyday mo is not gonna shell out 600.00 after the hype. Just giving more time for Ms lead to grow.

Another thought what the percentage of parents that will pay $500-600.00 for a videogame system. truth is not many. I hear them complaining all the time when they try to pay for a $150 ps2 or xbox.

Sony knows the initial batch will be bought by jokers like me.

What is the strategy after that?

The point I think sony is missing is that it is causing the ps3 to divide people into the haves and the have nots. When everybody should have.

[jdc]

I could care less about facts and data. Spout all you want.

This thing will sell like freakin' hotcakes and you'll be lucky if you can get one. The masses approach their Sony Playstations as if they are a holy grail....and they'll do whatever it takes to afford one. Back when they were pricy I sold many PS2 consoles to people that were sacrificing other (clearly more important) things in order to be able to own one.

People have obviously decided that they can live without a 360, but they won't resist the PS3. They can't resist the PS3. Sony knows this.

[FantasiaWHT]

The fact that so many people were willing to spend big ebay bucks to buy a 360 at inflated costs shows that $500-$600 for a video game system is not TOO high... at first.

I think like all consoles, the launch date will sell out, Sony supporters will proclaim some kind of victory from that, but when the second shipments start coming in sales will drop VERY quickly, as only the die-hard gaming fanatics will be buying them.

It might even be so bad as the PSP launch, where the specialty stores that did preorders sold out, but the big box retailers had them sitting on their shelves.

[Diatribal Deity]

There are many more than 10 million hard-core and new system enthusiasts in the US alone, never-mind worldwide, so of course there is going to be ridiculous demand initially even if they could get all projected 10 million out it would be crazy. The question is this when it relates to Sony and that is cost.

900-500 = 400 loss per system

580-500 = 80 loss per system (this is after manufacturing improvements are made - never mind if they have to cut the retail cost of the system.)

Microsoft is expected to break even in 2007 with the 360.
When will Sony break-even? I think the answer will reside in the pricing and licensing of games of course and this is what they are banking on.

So of course it will be a success initially with the first adopters, the question is the long term mass market appeal which is always dependent on cost.

[Bronty-2]

I can't believe those devious little bastards ripped wii off. But 599 - good christ. That means it will probably cost 850-900 here in canada with the scam artist (almost as bad as euro) exchange rates they charge. FUCK THAT. $1000 after sales taxes? BLOW ME. No freaking way.

They have definitely kissed away europe, IMO. 600 euro? Not to mention canada as I'm sure the price here will be almost as bad. I just can't imagine people in those countries going for it in a big way. Sure it's got the brand but the pricing is ridiculous. They've also kissed off the family demographic. That's one fucking expensive xmas present for little Johnny.

Sony has stated that the $500 20GB model is going to be $550 CAD and the $600 60GB model will be $660 CAD so it's not that bad. Charging that much would screw Canadian retail as everyone would just flock to the US boarder to get their fix.

Interesting Sony's screwing the people getting the cheaper units by not including digital outputs, I also noticed they've eliminated dual HDMI in favour of a single output, smart cost effective move by them as if. That's going to piss a lot of people off in the long run though by crippling HD Disc playback.

One of the most overlooked things about Xbox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii is the game load time consideration. Blu-Ray may hold a huge amount of data but its piss slow in comparison to the 12x DVD drive included in every Xbox 360 and Wii.

I have three very good articles on this for you guys here:

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/profile/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=23916169&user=skektek

http://www.xbox360newsresource.com/60/blu-ray-vs-12x-dvd-read-speed/

http://www.xbox360galaxy.com/news/94/Comparison-between-blu.html

Because Blu-Ray read speeds in PS3 are at 2x this makes the drive data load times half that of Xbox 360 and Wii's 12x DVD speeds. If Sony were to update the drive to 3x then the difference would be negligible even though 12x DVD is still technically faster, but like with all new optical disc technologies more speed = significant cost increase and Sony is already going to be loosing too much on these consoles as is so expect long, long load times in your next gen gaming.

Nice pic Richter! :P

Oh and damn you Sony for stealing such good ideas, I was expecting more than blatant plagiarism!!! :/

edit: messed up the pricing, whoops.

To be clear on my earlier comments, I was expecting 1000 Cdn or about 800 US based on the x360 prices I saw here. the 399 xbox360 was about 560 over here, which is an exchange rate of about 40% despite the real exchange rate being 20%.

You're telling me sony's only going to charge a 10% rate? I just find that hard to believe. They're saying that now, but I'll believe it when I see it in the stores.

They'll still sell out and I guess they're wanting to keep the 'ebay resale' profits there would otherwise be to themselves.... but I can't help but think they will turn a LOT of people off when people hear the initial pricetag.

[zerohero]

Get your ebay accounts ready.

[lendelin]

Some said the price won't affect much sales figures, others even said the price is meaningless. That would be the first time for a product in the free marketplace. :)

Price matters a LOT. Within the first three months sales figures won't be touched much by the price, that is true. The demand will be much higher than the supply. But the sales figures for the first six months for a console like the PS3 is pretty meaningless.

Decisive is the first year including the second holiday season. This is when the price matters for buying decisions. A $200 more expensive price tag than the competition will matter a lot, you'll sell probably around 20% less consoles right away. With a competitor like the 360 this hefty price tag is a big burden. MS improved dramatically their chances to close the gap to Sony.

Sony put everything on the technological horse. 'We have the better machine'-policy makes economic sense for the market leader, but for the price of $200 more? 200 bucks matter to parents and teenagers a lot, and the casual gamers like always decide the console war, not the hardcore guys.

This hefty price difference is a first for a market leader(!). When the PlayStation launched it was $100 cheaper than the Saturn, and the PS2 was only $100 more expensive than the Dreamcast, and certainly not more expensive than the Xbox. Price matters over sophisticated technical quality; that goes even for a dominating brand name and market leader like Sony and the PlayStation in particular if you have an aggressive competitor like the 360 on your heels.

In my opinion this is a bad choice by Sony. They put their money on technical quality over a competitive price. Not a good decision at all.

[Kid Ice]

In my opinion this is a bad choice by Sony. They put their money on technical quality over a competitive price. Not a good decision at all.

If you ask me they put their money on blu-ray over a competitive price.

[Jibbajaba]

In my opinion this is a bad choice by Sony. They put their money on technical quality over a competitive price. Not a good decision at all.

If you ask me they put their money on blu-ray over a competitive price.

Agreed. If this thing didn't have a blu-ray drive, but instead had a 12X DVD drive, how much cheaper could it have been? What is the advatage of Blu-Ray in terms of gaming? Does the disc hold more information? If so, wouldn't it have been easier just to release double-disc games?

I'm not much of a technophile, so maybe I just don't understand. All I see is a $600 video gaming rig.

As an amusing aside, the Atari VCS was $300 when it launched, which is over $900 in 2005 dollars.

Chris

[blissfulnoise]

With Blu-Ray, it's more than just storage for additional cut scenes and bigger, more detailed textures. By using Blu-Ray they can send non-compressed High Definition signals creating incredible levels of detail (see Gran Turismo HD).

For a lot of consumers, I understand, this doesn't matter. And, for what it's worth, I don't consider myself an AV junkie. But I do love the idea that the PS3 will take full advantage of the High Definition platform. Microsoft has been doing an admirable job so far with minimum support for 720p/WS, but with the PS3 and Blu-Ray, that standard will be exceeded, perhaps drastically (need to see it in action).

As far as the price goes, it's definitely seems like a breaker, but to my surprise, no one has really been surprised. I think it was expected by even casual/non gamers that it wouldn't be cheap. What's also surprising is that the price didn't seem to matter. People will be getting one.

Kudos to Sony for pulling a giant coup on E3 by just stating what everyone already knew. I can't imagine any response by Microsoft outside of the already expected Halo 3 announcement. Even if they announce a $100 price drop tomorrow on the X360, it won't steal ANY of Sony's thunder. The PS3 will be the dominate platform in terms of graphical prowess, feature sets, and a library of exclusives. Just like the PS1 and just like the PS2.

And as far as Nintendo goes, the tilt-n-tumble dual shock doesn't exactly usurp the Wii, but what it does do is diminish the impact of one of the Wii's most striking features. Sony was very nonchalant about the feature which was the right thing to do. What this does is drop the public's perception stock in Nintendo. Sort of like, oh, yeah, Sony's does that too. Nevermind the Wii's controller offers a much more immersive experience when used spatially; the perception is set. And that perception hurts Nintendo overall.

It also looks bad on Nintendo that they're stubbornly refusing to have anything to offer gamers who want to have a high definition experience on their new set.

A lot of people here will say "who cares"? And maybe you'd be right in the immediate. But remember that consoles have a 4 year life span, give or take. And odds are good that some time in the next 4 years you'll be looking to get a new TV. Odds are also good that you'll be looking at some set that supports HD. Nintendo needs to take that under consideration.

The only real thing Nintendo can do at this stage is to launch the Wii at the expected $199.99 price point and hype exclusives and their Virtual Console. Best case, they can make a big splash by offering back-library downloads for free. Worst case, they offer them via a subscription fee (if they go the iTunes route, $0.99 a game, it will hurt them in the long run). They can ride the controller’s coat-tails for awhile longer, but Sony really put them an awkward position.

What I’m most interested to hear about is the price point for the software. Particularly from Sony.

[pacmanhat]

What a potentially suicidal move. I'd feel bad for them, but I honestly feel like they've had it coming for a long time. They've never deserved to be #1 as far as I'm concerned, and it's looking more and more like they won't be for much longer.

My opinions aside, where exactly does the $599.99 price point rank in terms of launch prices of consoles? Has a console ever been successful when costing this much?

[hezeuschrist]

What a potentially suicidal move. I'd feel bad for them, but I honestly feel like they've had it coming for a long time. They've never deserved to be #1 as far as I'm concerned, and it's looking more and more like they won't be for much longer.

My opinions aside, where exactly does the $599.99 price point rank in terms of launch prices of consoles? Has a console ever been successful when costing this much?

No console has been "successful" in the mass market at more than $300. In relation to Top Two of a generation. The Saturn, 3D0, etc. Wait, did the PlayStation launch at $400?

Well, until the Xbox 360 but even then it's still technically available at $300. But times are changing and it's pretty much a miracle that these systems last generation were only as high as $300. Inflation has finally caught up and now it hurts, $500 consoles and $60-70 games. The pricing alone is making it more exclusionary than it already is.

Enter Nintendo... although I'm not too sure how well it'll be recieved. I know a ton of people at work who do sudoku all the time, so all those puzzle games and stuff like brain age would be great for them on downtime with a DS, but they'd never pay over $100 to have those simple games.

[James]

What a potentially suicidal move. I'd feel bad for them, but I honestly feel like they've had it coming for a long time. They've never deserved to be #1 as far as I'm concerned, and it's looking more and more like they won't be for much longer.

My opinions aside, where exactly does the $599.99 price point rank in terms of launch prices of consoles? Has a console ever been successful when costing this much?

No, this is the most money any console developer who's had a great deal of market share has ever charged for a console. It's going to be tough especially since the vast majority can't use any of the consoles main features, like HD making a purchase now pretty pointless.

[playgeneration]

sony arent going to be able to make that many machines by launch date. So they might aswell make it expensive, if it were cheap then it would piss off more people who could afford it, but cant get hold of one anyway. As soon as sonys factorys have managed to pump out a few million consoles the price will fall.

I still think blu-ray is a waste of time, the graphics are good enough so that animated cg videos arent needed, and they are what uses up the most space on disks at the moment. Some quality new franchises on xbox 360, something as big as halo was for xbox would be good, could see it take a lot of marketshare.