The PS3 and what I think
Well $499 at the base and $599 totally blown out is what Sony wants for the PS3. Of course they argue that the PS3 is more then a game system, it is a entertainment center, but long and short I do not see people spending $500 to $600 for a game system right out of the box. Maybe $400 and $500, but I think the original release will sell to the hard core gamers and then there will be a time gap before the mainstream grab on.
I think that Sony will win the race long term and I do think people will spend the money eventually to buy the PS3 systems, but I think the sales and marketing will take a bit of time to take hold. To me that means a mature platform with lots of games and Blu Ray being used by more then a few titles. People will find / spend the $500 to $600 to get the PS3, but it will take a bit of time and a bit of maturation of the platform to happen. The fact that Sony has a motion sensitive controller guarentees that the Wii will be the third horse in the race.
As much of a Sony fan I am, I wouldn’t count Nintendo out so soon. They’ve yet to release any pricing information for the Wii, and there is a lot of speculation that they will release it at the $100-150 price range. If this is true, and they have their normal collection of decent games, they could still be a tough competitor.
Looking back, Nintendo has pulled this move several times with the Gameboy produceline. The Turbo Express was by far superior to the original Gameboy. It was backlit, color, and played the entire (16bit) Turbo Graphix 16 lineup. However, in the end, the Gameboy won the battle. In more recent times, the DS is currently slaughtering the PSP almost as bad. (Although I don’t think the PSP is out for the count just yet.)
Comment by
Tombo — 5/10/2006 @ 12:29 pm
Personally I hate to see the PS3 lose the vibration / feedback function in leau of motion sensitive controllers, but that is me. I think you are right that Nintendo will move some units, but I just do not see the Nintendo titles (even with the new “shoot em up” titles and a Final Fantasy title) getting the momentum from the XBOX and the PS3. Time will tell though.
Nintendo has never really be a bad box from my view, it just as not had the titles that people want. As long as MS and Sony call their stuff nex generation and the graphics / titles support that I think the Nintendo loses long term. The Mario fanchise will not die and they will get some sales, but I think they finish third when all the dust settles. Time will tell though and you may be right in the end. A $100 - $150 price will get some people to buy not matter the title and if people view it as the “the kids box” and the XBOX and / or the PS3 as the “gaming box” then there may be alot of households with 2 out of 3 (or even 3 out of the 3) boxes in them.
That Atari 2600 II all in one box in my basement is looking more fun by the minute until the dust settles though.
Comment by
admin — 5/10/2006 @ 3:20 pm