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

[Poofta!]

gepeto. i didnt mean that people shouldnt complain, complain all you want, hell thats what forums are for, i was simply offering a bit of insight on the solution to the people here, who are not the average gamer, and certainly spend much more than 200 dollars on games a year (im sure to most of us its closer to 200 a month).

youre talking about the big picture indeed, and youre right it will keep a lot of people from being able to get a console on launch or at least until price drop. i wasnt addressing these people.

the industry will adjust. if the consumer truly isnt ready to pay premium for game and console, the frequency of consoles will shorten, or price will fall. for now, i anxiously await the ps3 and am really excited to jump head first into this new world.

[can_dude]

Poofta, thank you for your responses. They were informed responses, and that is all im looking for. Im nobody's fanboy, just a fan of gamers who use common sense, fact, and preference to motivate their opinions and thoroughly against "gamers" who jump on bandwagons, make assumptions, and go by hear-say.

[sabre2922]

I get the sense sony now has the arrogance nintendo used to have... and they are simply trying to ram blu ray down your throat whether you like it or not. Well a big F.U. to that!!!

Agreed

Seeing as I plan on picking up one last new Slimline PS2 in a couple weeks I wont be getting a PS3 until it hits at LEAST $299.00 U.S.

Sony has a big ass overinflated EGO thats about to get popped.

Sure the PS3 will sell but most ppl cant afford to pay $500.00 for a fucking game console, most of us have to eat ,pay bills and taxes

[Ed Oscuro]

http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=55089

I found this interview quite interesting. Among other things, he says that he thinks Nintendo has gotten things "exactly right" but that they're in a different market.

Also, something that looks like shooting down a reason to go for a PS3:

"The end user will not notice any quality difference. Perhaps if you were projecting onto a gi-normous screen you might notice some difference, but also not every HD display has HDMI. So we're providing a choice to the consumer."

View that as you will; I think he's merely saying it's not a reason to discern between units...personally...

It seems like a really insignificant feature but being able to simply slideshow your photos on your tv is actually a really compelling feature of PlayStation 3."

Hmm.

"The PlayStation 3 60 GB version has Memory Stick slots and you can use Memory Stick as a support mechanism between the PSP and PS3."

Okay, this is bugging me. I don't have straight yet what all the differences between units are - and they expect average consumers to make that distinction? What happens when Joe who has a Sony camera and wants to transfer data between his PC or PSP and his PS3 buys the 20 GB model? Joe will be angry...

[Julio III]

Okay, this is bugging me. I don't have straight yet what all the differences between units are - and they expect average consumers to make that distinction? What happens when Joe who has a Sony camera and wants to transfer data between his PC or PSP and his PS3 buys the 20 GB model? Joe will be angry...

Its going to be like going into a shop and buying a PC. Lots of little differences that most people dont understand and will just get confused over.

I don't actually know what the actual differences are in the 360 packs, but I'm thinking its as simple as hard disk + wireless versus no hard disk and wired. Anyone can understand what that means and the hard disk can be explained simply as "you can download lots of things onto it".

[jdc]

Poofta has some good points although it might not apply to everyone.

In preparation for the next gen I took a good look at how much money I've spent on idle, shelf-fodder "shit" over the past few years and decided that I had to modify my spending habits in order to comfortably afford a nice library for this 360 of mine. (I now own a whopping 8 games for it...WOOOT!!!) I had 60 PS2 games that I never even fired up!! And that was my "second" system. I think that the prices will stay a bit higher for a longer duration this gen, so I'm all set to do just the 360 as my "main" console and possibly the Wii as a secondary "toss it a bone every once in a while" system.

There's no room in my wallet to keep decent libraries for both the 360 and the PS3, since the volume of "gotta have" titles for each is too numerou$. And, I really don't want to be looking at a shelf next year that contains 60 never-played titles.

[Darren870]

...

[le geek]

you guys can complain and bitch all you want, but im glad they ripped off the wii, now i can enjoy motion sensors in games and still have a normal controller...

and again, bluray!!! im buying the ps3 as a gaming platform, and it automatically puts me on the cutting edge of visual technology with the new video format...

Enjoy your Betamax, credit card debt and and beautiful yet crappy launch titles! :P

i care about whats best for ME, not company A, B or C.

if you guys bought less loose crappy games that you never play maybe youd have a little more spare cash.

Can't argue there...

But yeah really, get what you like...


Anyway for me it's looking like Wii at or near launch and X360 when HALO 3 comes out. PS3 is too expensive for me and I don't see any games that scream play me yet. (I have yet to finish PSX Metal Gear Solid). But really I am pissed at Sony. The PS2 has been a great little machine and really the only choice if you like Japanese style RPGs. Will the 360 have Japanese support ever? I seriously doubt the PS3 will be better than the 360, but it's that lack of support that makes 360 vs. PS3 a damned if you do damned if you don't kind of proposition.

So it's more the lower price and not being able to decide about X360 vs. PS3 that points me to Wii...

Cheers,
Ben

[Oobgarm]

PS3 stunned me at the show. They took games that I enjoy and made them look really good while keeping the level of play I'm accustomed to. Exactly what I expected for launch games.

But, the need for HD visuals and the kinda high price tag mean I'm going to sit out until the price eases off a bit. It'll mark the first time I've not adopted a system I want at launch since I got the original NES.

But honestly, I tire of all the 'they ripped this off' and that crap. The big three companies borrow ideas from each other, take the borrowed idea and implement it in their own way. All businesses work that way.

[le geek]

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

<Buzzer!>

2600 was $200 on release putting it around $650 in 2006 dollars.

http://curmudgeongamer.com/

But your point is pretty much the same. BTW the above link has console prices both actual AND adjusted for inflation.


Either way the point is that the price of the PS3 is noticably higher than the competition. And Sony can talk about Cell processors all they want, the PS3 does not seem to be noticably more powerful than the X360. Sony has 1 1/2 half things going for it...

1) Strong Japanese support - if you like JRPGS or other Japanese style games, you may need to bite the bullet to play the games you want to play.

1.5) If you want Hi Def DVDs it comes with Blue Ray. But historically Sony has never won a propriety format war. So if HD-DVD "wins" you've got another Betamax/MiniDisc/UMD on your hands. Risky but could pay off...

All this could change with time. Blue Ray could become the defacto High Def DVD standard. HDTVs could come down in price. Xbox360 could get more support in Japan since the PS3 price was revealed (I can see it getting a little more, but who knows). Killzone 2 could come out when HALO3 debuts and be everything it promised to be (I'm betting NO on this one). PS3 graphics could make a discerning jump to be noticably better than X360 titles, once programmers get to know the console better. Sony could get the price down on the PS3 so it's no longer an issue. But right now it's the odd man out...

Personally the only games that looks "worth it" on PS3 right now are VF5 and MGS4. And I have yet to beat MGS on PSX.

Unless Sony loses its "you'll eat it and you'll like it" attitude, I see a lot of PS3's collecting dust on shelves come March after the hardcore have picked up theirs. And this sucks, because the PS2 is THE console to have this gen. So I hope that either Sony cleans up their act or some developers jump ship to X360 and/or Wii. Sadly, I see neither happening.

Prove me wrong Springfield! :P

Cheers,
Ben

[Poofta!]

i was and am very worried about the blu-ray format following the way of every other sony format. the major thing thats different this time around is that all of sony's movie studios (and there are quite a bit) that produce these amazing blockbusters, are going to be releasing home video ONLY on Blu-ray, NOT HDDVD. as of right now, HDdvd does not have any exclusive movie studios lined up (that im aware of), so really its bluray or bust.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'll take bust thanks

DVD's work fine by me, they want to sell me a movie it better be on DVD. The biggest reason I switched to DVD in the first place was I was tired of keeping track of counter readings of VHS tapes to tell when a certain movie was starting or a certain part of the show for that matter. Scene selection sold me you could say, and instant scene skipping.

I don't even get the full quality of a DVD outta my TV and they think I wanna upgrade to their proprietary BS media? Pfft! The videophiles may be going ape shit over these new formats but I couldn't really care less about it.

[hezeuschrist]

i was and am very worried about the blu-ray format following the way of every other sony format. the major thing thats different this time around is that all of sony's movie studios (and there are quite a bit) that produce these amazing blockbusters, are going to be releasing home video ONLY on Blu-ray, NOT HDDVD. as of right now, HDdvd does not have any exclusive movie studios lined up (that im aware of), so really its bluray or bust.

If Sony sinks Blu-Ray, they'll go HD-DVD.

But honestly, they're both doomed within the decade. The mass market is nowhere near ready for a new format before the FCC actually enforces its HD regulations in 2009. Even then, they'll probably push that date back again, and by the time it all falls into place the Media Center PC will be making large strides into market penetration and movie studios will start offering HD movies for download.

Whichever one "wins" will be the last physical format we'll really need in terms of movies... but I just can't see either of them getting off the ground to a degree that would warrant the support that DVD and VHS saw. They are the next Laser Disc.

[le geek]

P-A Tycho for the win... :P

I thought four hundred dollars was pretty f**ked when we got our 360s. Indeed, I pretty much considered it the ceiling. It should be the ceiling. I'm aware there is a chart out there showing the price of all consoles adjusted for inflation, and where the PS3 lands in the matrix. This would be great if I were buying it with money I used to have, or perhaps spending valuable, inflation adjusted "Future Bucks."

[GrayFox]

P-A Tycho for the win... :P

I thought four hundred dollars was pretty f**ked when we got our 360s. Indeed, I pretty much considered it the ceiling. It should be the ceiling. I'm aware there is a chart out there showing the price of all consoles adjusted for inflation, and where the PS3 lands in the matrix. This would be great if I were buying it with money I used to have, or perhaps spending valuable, inflation adjusted "Future Bucks."

Tycho for the win for sure.

I agree with him completely. I hate it when people defend the rather high price point with the ol' INFLATION'ED deal. At least use the 'Blu-Ray' is expensive argument.

[Daniel Thomas]

If you're going to compare console prices adjusted for inflation, then you'll also have to show American's average wages, adjusted for inflation. That's the real kicker, kids; you've been making less money than you were 30 years ago.

Also, there are far more distractions for your entertainment dollars than ever before. There's cable and satellite TV, DVD, iPod and downloadable music, computers, big-screen TV sets, Tivo, yadda yadda yadda. Heck, throw in money for books, cars, health care, student loan payments, tickets to the theatre, the Sunday beer and nachos for football, that membership to the gym that never gets used, rent or mortgage, clothes, food (I'm shocked to discover that beer doesn't count as food).

Have a main squeeze? Married? Have kids? Kiss that disposable income goodbye. Now how does $400 or $600 for a videogame console sound?