Will A PS3 Price Cut Really Help?
This article was written by: Rane Pollock (Gemini Ace)We didn’t get the price cut on the PlayStation 3 that we expected at E3 this year and in the past few weeks the consumers aren’t the only ones asking Sony to drop the price. Activision has threatened to stop supporting the platform if the price doesn’t drop. Now, Tecmo Koei has stated that they’ve been asking Sony to cut the price for a while now.
While the pressure is on Sony, we probably will not see a price drop until this holiday season at the earliest. This will no doubt give Sony a boost in sales and increase the install base, but will it be enough?
Currently the cheapest PlayStation 3 on the market is $399.99. Even if Sony takes the knife to the price and cuts it down to $349.99, it is still the most expensive console on the market by $100. Personally, I don’t believe that this will satisfy Activision in the long run. Sure, a few hundred thousand more consoles will be sold this holiday, but what happens after Christmas? The sales numbers will return to the pre-price cut levels and everyone will start complaining again. The circle of life continues!
Meanwhile, everyone is waiting for the new slim version of the PlayStation 3 to be announced. We can assume that the slim version will come out at the same price as the current SKU’s. Then, hopefully, the price of the 80GB and 160GB models will come down as they clear out the retail channel. Rumors like this only hurt them in the long run, but only Sony can stop the leaks in their company.
Of course, this is all speculation. Sony hasn’t announced anything regarding the PS3 Slim or a price cut. What they have done is announce some very exciting games coming to the console this holiday and in 2010. For most people, the barrier of entry isn’t so much the price as it is the existence of Sony’s AAA titles at retail. Games like MGS4 and GTAIV can only take the console so far. Once God of War 3 and The Last Guardian hit, I believe console sales will follow.
Instead of Activision and Tecmo Koei complaining about the price of the console, they should be concentrating on bringing great games to market. Even with the recession going on, people still want to play games. That’s not going to change, whether the console is $400 or $350.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
The only way I can see a price drop really helping the PS3 is if they cut it by $100.
I don’t see only a 50 dollar cut really helping out the PS3 move consoles, that is, unless they bundle it with backwards compatibility with PS2 games and REALLY push that. But in this day and age, 50 is nothing.
Sony need to do something. Primarily start listening to install base they have and start implementing what those fans want. It is a great machine and many would buy it over the 360 if it gave them what they wanted from their previous generations collection of games.
Backwards compatibility doesn’t really impact on me personally but you hear so many fans lamenting the lack of it that it must be an issue.
Drop the price and give people what they want.
good write up Ace. they won’t cut it though. not unless they’re set on just increasing their userbase minus losses.
and the PS3 Slim won’t help.
@deacon I really don’t see a PS3 Slim helping in any way, especially if the same people that are in charge of the PSP go marketing and pricing are in charge of a PS3 Slim. It would be, “Hey look at this! It costs us 40% less to make so we are going to charge a 30% premium!”
wow hes got it all wrong the ps3 slim will cut some features that gamers don’t really need like
wow hes got it all wrong the ps3 slim will cut some features that gamers don’t really need and as for the slim it will be the cheap one using a slimmer cheaper blu ray player and they might change the motherboard construction again to make it cheaper ps3 slim will probably release this fall/winter at 299 none of the 50 dollar price cut slim is more expensive bulshit
Forget dropping the price of the PS3. The cost of the console is nothing. The price of games, now that’s where the price should drop. Hey Activision and Tecmo, why not chop off $10 from the price of all of your games? Over time if you buy a lot of games that’s where most money goes.
You can’t keep dropping the price faster than the other guys. Then it seems like it’s out of desperation. Sony is stuck with a higher price, it simply offers more out of the box. They can’t take away blu ray as it’s an integral part of being able to play games. So all they can do is ride it out and wait until the prices come down naturally, not out of pressure.
The other main problem is the PS3 really isn’t all that different as far as game selection and gameplay to that of the cheaper Xbox 360. The PS2 was THE system last generation for gamers. Now with most games being multiplatform the incentive to stick with just the Playstation is no longer there, e4specially now that it’s the most expensive. They need to go a different direction and their own games that really show off the hardware are few and far between.
@Steve, i hear ya on the PSP Go marketing. totally ridiculous. whoever came up with that should be fired or at least put on bathroom detail lol.
but i do fully expect something from Sony soon in regards to price. it’s suicide right now the longer they go without one.
introducing the PS3 Slim and cutting the price of the original makes the most sense.
keep the PS3 Slim at current market and make the original $199 and here comes your increase in userbase.
but will they do it?? that’s the question.
yes but it gives you wifi, add that to the 360 is 100 bucks.
plus 60GB HDD aint going to last long, if you want to upgrade the largest you can get is the 120GB and thats 190AUD.
im sick of people complaining that the ps3 is the most expensive console because IT IS NOT!.
you pay for what you get.
i dont see people complaining that porches are to expensive.
i dont see any one complaining how much of a rip off M$ HDDs are and wifi adaptors.
i picked up a wireless card for my PC for 40 AUD so what gives M$ the wright to charge 50 more?
i picked up a 500GB 7200RPM HDD for my ps3 for $460, what gives M$ the wright to charge so much for there HDDS?
if anything needs a price drop its M$s overpriced unreliable hardware.
just shut up please dont work with this anymore or u know what plz hang urself and put urself out of ur own fucking misery you fucking cocksucking retarded fucker. ofc it will help the ps3 u fucker just suck dick n dye
I agree that you get your money’s worth when you buy a PS3. Unfortunately, I think the majority of consumers don’t see the value-add of a lot of the features like wi-fi and blu-ray just yet. The Xbox can do a lot of the same games, and in some cases do them better (Ghostbusters). My point is it all really comes down to the developer to put out good quality games to support it. Then the sales will come. It’s a chicken and the egg problem, and I think it can be overcome. A $50 price drop at this stage won’t make a huge difference, imo.
Te problem is that most of the people don’t look up what the ps3 is offering over the 360 in terms of hardware and in terms of quality.
And when i say “people” im talking about parents. They just buy the console with the lowest price tag.
They dont care about all the things that gamers know about each console. They dont know about wifi, hhd etc…
and i believe those are the ones who buy the most.
If Sony drops the price OF COURSE it will help but a $50 dollar price cut wont do to much noise…
They have to SEE IT, a PS3 slim with a lower price, at least a $100… and im sure they are going to buy it.
They should let buyers what they are getting if they buy a PS3.
IF They just see a PS3 black box for $500 and a 360 white one for $200, which one you think they will choose. Now if you explain to them why is $500 it maybe open their eyes.
I have to wait over a year to get my ps3 (i believe i pay 400) but it was worth it, i know i made the right decision.
They have to SEE IT, a PS3 slim with a lower price, at least a $100 PRICE CUT… and im sure they are going to buy it.
I dont think they should drop the price at all! I paid 500 bucks for my 40 gig a year ago and im very pleased.
It comes with everything built in right in the box and ready to play online with no extra charge. Hello people it has a blu-ray player! Its only obvious that blu-ray is the way to go right now for really making some AAA games. More space gives developers more of a chance to really make something unique. And Im tired of people saying blu-ray is not doing well, are you kidding me, blu-ray movies keep moving up in sales not down in sales.
Internet browser and the fact that the ps3 works so well with all kinds of devices, I swear its like a mini computer and a lot of people dont know all the cool stuff you can do with the ps3. The xbox 360 elite is 399.00 and still is not as high tech as the ps3, I know because my friend has an elite and every time he comes over he always sees me doing all kinds of stuff on my ps3 and he just sits there saying aww man i cant do that, aww man xbox live wont let me do that, aww man i cant watch free porn on my elite. Lubetube works very well on the ps3 as many other sites do, ya i know its efing awesome. Then you have to pay for all the extras: wi fi, xbox live, and of course repairs. Every ps3 no matter what size hard drive comes with everything the most expensive model has. Thats not the case with the xbox 360. And I dont care how many people say I dont need blu-ray, who wants to watch movies in beautiful high definition and get the most out of there movies, they know they want it. I was one of those people saying all that crap, now all i watch are blu-ray movies especially now that blockbuster has 1 day rentals for blu-ray for 2 bucks. Bottom line the ps3 is worth the 500 dollars i paid for a 40 gig. and now you can get an 80 gig for 399.99! you people are crazy and are cheapos man i swear. SONY dont cut the price you have sold millions of units so far at the high price point. Ps3 is an elite machine hands down with a wide library of AAA games and an awesome media hub that has computer capabilities. I mean hell we should just complain about everything being so expensive. Its the future people more advanced technology costs more get over it!!
All of the people saying that the PS3 shouldn’t cut its price because it is worth it and a better overall deal than the 306 are probably right. The thing they are forgetting is that in the real world, right now, that argument is not working.
No matter the cost of the 360 after buying a wireless adapter, wireless controllers, etc, Microsoft is still able to say it costs 199 and that will convince anyone who already doesn’t own either console to get it over the PS3.
Also the price cut wont be 50 dollars, at least 100 or dont bother.
i’m sorry but its to many people talking about a price cut. i paid 700 for my 60GB when it frist came out nobody wasn’t talk about a price cut than. K-mart have Lay-way,Gamestop you can paid on it until you get it. Its ways you can get a PS3 if you don’t have a job. People want it now but if you don’t have the money you my have to wait for your’s but I don’t feel sorry for the people who are crying.
blacksand, shut the fuck up and learn how to speak english before you fucking type it. You fucking cocksucker. Your an idiot for spending 700 dollars on a gaming console.