It’s looking as though the PlayStation 3 will be a somewhat expensive bundle of digital joy when it launches next year, with comments from Sony Computer Entertainment chief Ken Kutaragi again hinting that a new era in hardware pricing looms.
"I'm not going to reveal its price today", Kutaragi-san said at The PlayStation Meeting recently held in Tokyo. "I'm going to only say that it'll be expensive.” This is the second time such a warning (or perhaps an 'expectation-setter') has been heard from the SCEI exec. Only last month, Kutaragi made mention that pricing isn’t seen as that much of an issue, asserting the principle that if a product is good enough, buyers will still come flocking.
At the same meeting, it was also mentioned that this year’s Tokyo Game Show, slated for 16-18 October, is likely to see the final playable unveiling of PlayStation 3. “We hope to use the Tokyo Game Show as a chance for everyone to get to know, or possibly experience, what next-generation entertainment is all about,” Kutaragi said.
We’ll bring you confirmation on both of the above points as soon as it becomes available. Stay tuned and let us know how much you think the hottest next-gen machine could and should cost.
"I'm not going to reveal its price today", Kutaragi-san said at The PlayStation Meeting recently held in Tokyo. "I'm going to only say that it'll be expensive.” This is the second time such a warning (or perhaps an 'expectation-setter') has been heard from the SCEI exec. Only last month, Kutaragi made mention that pricing isn’t seen as that much of an issue, asserting the principle that if a product is good enough, buyers will still come flocking.
At the same meeting, it was also mentioned that this year’s Tokyo Game Show, slated for 16-18 October, is likely to see the final playable unveiling of PlayStation 3. “We hope to use the Tokyo Game Show as a chance for everyone to get to know, or possibly experience, what next-generation entertainment is all about,” Kutaragi said.
We’ll bring you confirmation on both of the above points as soon as it becomes available. Stay tuned and let us know how much you think the hottest next-gen machine could and should cost.
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Comments
Showing the 20 most recent comments. Read all 21.
DoctorDee 27 Jul 2005 09:19
2/21
Greg2k wrote:
I doubt people would be willing to spend 500 bucks on a console.
I spent more than that on a DVD player. I spent more than that on an amplifier. I spent more than thart on my original PlayStation. Why wouldn't I spend that on a device that is far more impressive than any of the aforementioned.
What happened, did all you pinkos become allergic to rampant consumerism?
config 27 Jul 2005 09:21
3/21
He could be trying to throw a curve ball for MS. Get MS expecting PS3 to be expensive, and thinking "woot! we can up the ticket price on 360 and cut the loss per box"
Unlikely, though.
An very expensive PS3 is a hopeless PS3. Sony could always slash the price after six weeks. After all, it's no unprecendented. Just shove a controller and a game the way of the early adopters :)
Unlikely, though.
An very expensive PS3 is a hopeless PS3. Sony could always slash the price after six weeks. After all, it's no unprecendented. Just shove a controller and a game the way of the early adopters :)
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kid_77 27 Jul 2005 09:36
4/21
Sega Saturn was released at £400, and PS1 £300. Possible omen?
Say this was also the case for XB360 and PS3 respectively. And also say there's a 3-6 month gap between releases. M$ could be cunning-lingus' and cut another £50-£100, a couple of days before PS3 release. That difference may be too much for your average chav, esp if the 3rd-party support offers them FIFA 2006/ US Army: Nazi killers/ NFS: Pimp my Nova.
Say this was also the case for XB360 and PS3 respectively. And also say there's a 3-6 month gap between releases. M$ could be cunning-lingus' and cut another £50-£100, a couple of days before PS3 release. That difference may be too much for your average chav, esp if the 3rd-party support offers them FIFA 2006/ US Army: Nazi killers/ NFS: Pimp my Nova.
DoctorDee 27 Jul 2005 09:48
5/21
kid_77 wrote:
NFS: Pimp my Nova.
That's what it'd take to make me buy an Xbox 2Pi*
*I still work in radians.
miacid 27 Jul 2005 10:41
6/21
It could be a ploy by Sony to get everyone expecting the PS3 to be expensive, them they'll reveal the price close to lunch and it will cheaper than everyone expected and sell like hot cakes. Not the most likely outcome but possible!
TigerUppercut 27 Jul 2005 10:53
7/21
*imagines the day when debug PlayStation lands on doorstep*
*gets hard*
*gets hard*
ann0uk 27 Jul 2005 12:35
8/21
Lets face it, it is going to be very expensive. But if it is good enough people will buy it, especially the older gamers who have good jobs.
I do fear though that this is going to alienate younger gamers who will not be able to afford one. Sony is putting all its money into realism and power which are going to make games more complicated. Console gaming has matured and i like that but we shouldnt be ignoring the younger audience.
PS3 is going to be expensive, XBOX 360 will be less expensive and Nintendo Revolution is going to be a fair and affordable price. I am a Nintendo fan so obviously i am interested in Revolution. But i am still excited about Xbox 360 and ps3, however, price is going to have alot to do with which one i invest in.
I do fear though that this is going to alienate younger gamers who will not be able to afford one. Sony is putting all its money into realism and power which are going to make games more complicated. Console gaming has matured and i like that but we shouldnt be ignoring the younger audience.
PS3 is going to be expensive, XBOX 360 will be less expensive and Nintendo Revolution is going to be a fair and affordable price. I am a Nintendo fan so obviously i am interested in Revolution. But i am still excited about Xbox 360 and ps3, however, price is going to have alot to do with which one i invest in.
marmaduke 27 Jul 2005 13:56
9/21
ann0uk wrote:
I do fear though that this is going to alienate younger gamers who will not be able to afford one.
Good. Kids should be outside playing football and sniffing glue with their friends and not inside playing with computers.
TwoADay 27 Jul 2005 14:24
10/21
ann0uk wrote:
Lets face it, it is going to be very expensive. But if it is good enough people will buy it, especially the older gamers who have good jobs.
I do fear though that this is going to alienate younger gamers who will not be able to afford one. Sony is putting all its money into realism and power which are going to make games more complicated. Console gaming has matured and i like that but we shouldnt be ignoring the younger audience.
I do fear though that this is going to alienate younger gamers who will not be able to afford one. Sony is putting all its money into realism and power which are going to make games more complicated. Console gaming has matured and i like that but we shouldnt be ignoring the younger audience.
Agreed. Kids who ask for a next-gen system for a birthday, or christmas, will have parents looking at the systems, see which one plays Madden, Fifa, ect, and end up buying the 360. (I'm ignoring the Revolution until there's acutal details about it. I'm not anti-ninetendo though - since I got my 'Cube, I've settled that I will buy the next system, along with either the 360 or ps3)
There will NOT be a large enough difference between the PS3 and the 360 early in the console's life to justify buying the PS3, unless they have a killer app up their sleeve (that's not KZ2. FPS' are going to be on the 360, and just as good, from the looks of them)
I would question whether gaming has really matured, rather than the gamers have gotten older, and justify their gaming fixes. Is there a huge difference between Half Life 2 and Half Life 1? Halo and Doom? Is GTA really a mature game, or does it just package mature themes in a way that is accessible by pre-pubescent kids?
I could go on (of course) but I don't want to bore people to death.
DoctorDee 27 Jul 2005 15:06
11/21
I'd pay up to £299 for one.
A few weeks ago, that was about US$590. Now it's about $523.
Sony may think price isn't an issue, and that's true ONLY when there isn't another item on the market that is, in consumers' eyes 100% as good, and cheaper. If that item also had considerably better online features. That could really hurt Sony.
A few weeks ago, that was about US$590. Now it's about $523.
Sony may think price isn't an issue, and that's true ONLY when there isn't another item on the market that is, in consumers' eyes 100% as good, and cheaper. If that item also had considerably better online features. That could really hurt Sony.
fluffstardx 27 Jul 2005 15:52
12/21
I get this horrible feeling they'll go £ for $ and sell it at £500. And nobody will buy it for 2 years. By which time nobody will care.
DoctorDee 27 Jul 2005 15:55
13/21
fluffstardx wrote:
I get this horrible feeling they'll go £ for $ and sell it at £500.
That would be suicidal madness on a akin to insanity with added self killing.
No-one would pay that. Not even me, and I'm afluent and stupid, and love shiny things.
Joji 27 Jul 2005 16:24
14/21
I'm with Anook or whatever his/her name is. Sony will price a lot of people out if PS3 is too high in price namely kids. On top of that they want us to buy their PSP too. Kids only have some much money so out of Xbox, PS3 and Rev thwe latter looks more appealing.
I hate it when Sony pulls this crap. What the Ken at Sony is trying to saying in BS talk is that it's gonna be pricy whether you like it or not, because we at Sony know how to treat a customer, by fleecing them totally.
At least MS will cut the price of 360 if it's too high. Out of the two I'll have to buy 360 because I know it's more likely to be cheaper.
The very reason I never bought a PS2 was because of the price staying so high for so long. The PS2 only recently was cut to £100. Makes you wonder how long PS3 will stay expensive. If either of them are over £300, I'll have to do a little saving in order to buy but I'll still most likely buy. I have to get a 360 this time since I never bought an Xbox.
All this talk makes me glad the Rev will be cheaper.
I hate it when Sony pulls this crap. What the Ken at Sony is trying to saying in BS talk is that it's gonna be pricy whether you like it or not, because we at Sony know how to treat a customer, by fleecing them totally.
At least MS will cut the price of 360 if it's too high. Out of the two I'll have to buy 360 because I know it's more likely to be cheaper.
The very reason I never bought a PS2 was because of the price staying so high for so long. The PS2 only recently was cut to £100. Makes you wonder how long PS3 will stay expensive. If either of them are over £300, I'll have to do a little saving in order to buy but I'll still most likely buy. I have to get a 360 this time since I never bought an Xbox.
All this talk makes me glad the Rev will be cheaper.
tyrion 27 Jul 2005 17:23
15/21
Joji wrote:
I hate it when Sony pulls this crap. What the Ken at Sony is trying to saying in BS talk is that it's gonna be pricy whether you like it or not, because we at Sony know how to treat a customer, by fleecing them totally.
At least MS will cut the price of 360 if it's too high. Out of the two I'll have to buy 360 because I know it's more likely to be cheaper.
At least MS will cut the price of 360 if it's too high. Out of the two I'll have to buy 360 because I know it's more likely to be cheaper.
If neither sells as well as Sony or MS wish, they will both cut the price very quickly.
Sony aren't an evil-pricing, monopoly-holding corporation, they can only charge what the market will support. In games, MS is the same, as seen by the week six nosedive on XBox pricing in the UK.
Enough people bought the PS2 at the prices it was sold at for Sony to be able to keep the price at that point.
No amount of crying "it should be sold for 80 quid" is going to get Sony to drop the price on the PS2 if it's still selling shiploads at 105 quid.
ohms 27 Jul 2005 19:05
16/21
It'll be no more than (can't find the pound sign on this damn canadian keyboard)299, same as the last 2 ps's.
These 'scare tactics' are like the ones used to suggest that the psps battery life would be 2 hours, then we find out it's 6 and it doesnt seem so bad.
Whatever the starting price, the 360 will force them to drop the price faster though. PS2's price was high for years. It wont be so with the playstation3.
These 'scare tactics' are like the ones used to suggest that the psps battery life would be 2 hours, then we find out it's 6 and it doesnt seem so bad.
Whatever the starting price, the 360 will force them to drop the price faster though. PS2's price was high for years. It wont be so with the playstation3.
BustyKrusty 28 Jul 2005 00:47
17/21
If Sony wants to keep Ps3's price high, it won't be an easy job for them, because they should first ask themselves:can we deliver a better quality content?
If they can't...they're toasted flys!
Exclusion of hd sucks but i'd give 'em some credit for 10 year suggested life cycle.How much will other two last is anyones guess,as 4-yr X360 wouldn't be so good.
I'm less worried about old Ninty mate though as 8th wonder of the world prototype is in their hands.
If they can't...they're toasted flys!
Exclusion of hd sucks but i'd give 'em some credit for 10 year suggested life cycle.How much will other two last is anyones guess,as 4-yr X360 wouldn't be so good.
I'm less worried about old Ninty mate though as 8th wonder of the world prototype is in their hands.
king skins 28 Jul 2005 09:56
18/21
Did Sony start the PSP battery life sacre? Thought that was Nintendo...?
Anyway, I think i'll be getting a 360. I love playing on live :) most of my mates have now moved away so I get to play computer games with them even tho they live 100's of miles away :)
Then it will be either the PS3 or Revolution, depending on when they launch and for how much. But I will only buy one of them, don't have the time to be playing on 3 consoles and a PC.
But I will not be buying a PS3 if its £300+. If it comes in at £400, you have to buy a game £50(?), MemoryCard/HDD, extra controler, AV cables, etc. Your probably looking at £550, I ain't spending that much on one.
Anyway, I think i'll be getting a 360. I love playing on live :) most of my mates have now moved away so I get to play computer games with them even tho they live 100's of miles away :)
Then it will be either the PS3 or Revolution, depending on when they launch and for how much. But I will only buy one of them, don't have the time to be playing on 3 consoles and a PC.
But I will not be buying a PS3 if its £300+. If it comes in at £400, you have to buy a game £50(?), MemoryCard/HDD, extra controler, AV cables, etc. Your probably looking at £550, I ain't spending that much on one.
way 29 Jul 2005 04:06
19/21
All I can say, it better be a computer for that price.
Come on, Word processor, personal data and office apps, can all fit in 1 MB, add Java and it is still nearly free cost for a basic computer for everybody in the family. Even allow any Hard drive to be included. Give MS the shocks. They were trying to kill Java for years because they didn't want this to happen. Java now has a lot of Open API's available, so it is a good base solution.
For the rest of us, a full computer is is to allow any hard drive to be plugged in and Linux, and your off.
"Mum.. I want a computer in every room." Mum Answers, "Sorry Jimmy, we can't afford one of those fancy dual cores in every room,.. tell you what, we can afford one top of the line computer, or a Playstation 3 in every room." Jimmy, stands there in stunned silence, with his index finger to his mouth, realising his blind allegiance to Microsoft for years has not paid off, and facing the alternative of half powered PC to 6 full powered Playstation 3 joined in a parallel computer network that he can use to frag his friends that "only" could afford 2 high end dual core PC's hooked in parallel for there First person shooter tournaments. Deciding to answer quickly, before his mother offers him Half an Intel Apple instead (not realising after Intel buys Apple that Steve Jobs will land up it's CEO, like before ;) and finally licence the CELL, because somehow that is the way he does things ). Jimmy answers, "Ohh forget the ..... Microsoft PC, we getting Playstation 3, clicking his heals with joy as he dances down the hallway. ;)
Seriously, ATI is saying that they can get double out of your typical game with the combined shader architecture than existing chips (presumably Nvidia's chip for the PS3) that puts them in line with PS3 on a good day, for $299. The upcoming MS architectures give the combined 3D unit more general purpose CPU capabilities, which mean that power becomes useful for much more data processing than 3D. I don't know if the 360 has this level of ability. So, also considering that games will take time to catch up with 360 or PS3, the PS3 better offer something more than MS.
Come on, Word processor, personal data and office apps, can all fit in 1 MB, add Java and it is still nearly free cost for a basic computer for everybody in the family. Even allow any Hard drive to be included. Give MS the shocks. They were trying to kill Java for years because they didn't want this to happen. Java now has a lot of Open API's available, so it is a good base solution.
For the rest of us, a full computer is is to allow any hard drive to be plugged in and Linux, and your off.
"Mum.. I want a computer in every room." Mum Answers, "Sorry Jimmy, we can't afford one of those fancy dual cores in every room,.. tell you what, we can afford one top of the line computer, or a Playstation 3 in every room." Jimmy, stands there in stunned silence, with his index finger to his mouth, realising his blind allegiance to Microsoft for years has not paid off, and facing the alternative of half powered PC to 6 full powered Playstation 3 joined in a parallel computer network that he can use to frag his friends that "only" could afford 2 high end dual core PC's hooked in parallel for there First person shooter tournaments. Deciding to answer quickly, before his mother offers him Half an Intel Apple instead (not realising after Intel buys Apple that Steve Jobs will land up it's CEO, like before ;) and finally licence the CELL, because somehow that is the way he does things ). Jimmy answers, "Ohh forget the ..... Microsoft PC, we getting Playstation 3, clicking his heals with joy as he dances down the hallway. ;)
Seriously, ATI is saying that they can get double out of your typical game with the combined shader architecture than existing chips (presumably Nvidia's chip for the PS3) that puts them in line with PS3 on a good day, for $299. The upcoming MS architectures give the combined 3D unit more general purpose CPU capabilities, which mean that power becomes useful for much more data processing than 3D. I don't know if the 360 has this level of ability. So, also considering that games will take time to catch up with 360 or PS3, the PS3 better offer something more than MS.
way 29 Jul 2005 04:11
20/21
TigerUppercut wrote:
*imagines the day when debug PlayStation lands on doorstep*
*gets hard*
*gets hard*
Hey, you've got taste, Peugeot, and Playstation 3.
;)
way 29 Jul 2005 04:22
21/21
ann0uk wrote:
PS3 is going to be expensive, XBOX 360 will be less expensive and Nintendo Revolution is going to be a fair and affordable price. I am a Nintendo fan so obviously i am interested in
You notice the anemic specs on the small machine (apart from the repeat of the "DVD" is not important thing, with HD, and HDDVD etc now). The low powered 1.8GHZ, Power-PC core 8 months after the xbox is supposed to be using around 3Ghz. The less than xbox ATI graphic chip. You will notice the next Gameboy is based on the Gamecube. I think it is probably that the Revolution, also game cube compatible, is designed to be portable within a few years.
Simple fact is, if you bought the Revolution you would be able to make it portable within a week yourself. I will outline:
Third party low powered OEL/FED/SED/LCD (sharp 3D one nice) display panel (with speakers). Chop up revolution Controller, and try to mount either side. High capacity Fuel Cell for those 1.8ghz processors (many times smaller than normal battery).