As everyone already knows Microsoft lowered their prices for their XBOX 360 for the holidays and so did Sony, kinda. Microsoft’s XBOX 360 is now the cheapest console in stores, beating both the Wii and PS3. You can now go to the store and pick one up for $200. The Playstation 3 is still the most expensive out of the 3 consoles at $400. But this amount will get you an 80gb system. Even though this model now has a larger hard drive it doesn’t make it look anymore enticing to the average consumer. People like to see lower prices and Sony did not deliver, the smarter thing would be to have a cheaper system to compete with the other prices. If they would have offered the 40gb system at a cheaper price the Playstation 3 would be more enticing to consumers with tight budgets. The price cuts are working great for Microsoft giving them even more sales and are expected to have increasing sales through the holidays. Here is an excerpt of what Microsoft said to the press:
“Coming off the heels of the console price drop last week, Microsoft Xbox 360 sales have surged, with retailers reporting over 100% sales lift for all Xbox 360 models compared to the previous weekend. Additionally, retailers are reporting that between Friday, Sept. 5 and Sunday, Sept. 7, some Xbox 360 models were selling at six times the rate they were the weekend prior.”
Sony should have tried harder to get the average consumer to buy. The first thing consumers look at is the price. Lets hope the consumer will actually see that the Playstation 3 offers a better system with better graphics, processing, and infamous Blu-ray. Some do not realize that PS3’s Blu-ray only games allow developers to not be restricted to the low storage of the DVD. Dual-layered DVDs only offer up to 8.54GB, as Blu-rays offer a little more then 5 times the storage at a whopping 50GB. This allows game developers to make larger more advanced games on the Playstation 3. Well lets see how the console sales go this holiday season. Do any of you plan on getting a console system these holidays and which one? Let me know in the comments!
I think the simple fact is that neither the PS3 nor the 360 were designed to cater to the average consumer. They both are for the hardcore gamer (I don’t really like that term) or the tech junkie. Prices do seem outrageous at first glance but as a gamer since childhood, I see the value in each system. The 360 is essentially a low end gaming pc at this point in it’s life so the prices should naturally go down. The PS3 is still at its infancy and with it being the cheapest yet most versatile Blu-ray player, it’s price point is not surprisingly staying the same. Unfortunately the general populace doesn’t know enough about each system to understand where the cost comes from. It’s hard enough for the gamers to keep track of all the SKU’s of each system.
As for the question of if I plan on getting any of the systems this holiday… I’m already completely equipped so no I won’t. But I’m considering getting the new PSP 3000 that gets released soon. It would be nice to be able to remotely access my PS3. Sounds kinda fun
By: on September 11, 2008
at 10:04 AM
Great Comment, I’m glad there are at least some smart people out there who understand what each system can really do. You make several great points in your comment.
Yea I don’t plan on buying any this holiday because i already have my ps3. But that new PSP with that beautiful new display is very enticing i have to say, but i probably wont end up getting it just because i rarely ever use portable gaming systems. But thanks for the comment!
By: on September 11, 2008
at 2:45 PM
lol, I think it’s just a little early to call this a big mistake for Sony. I’m a little concerned also, but lets see how this look at the end of the holiday season.
By: on September 12, 2008
at 8:12 PM
Gil, get the PSP.
Remote play is awesome, not sure if you’re into homebrew or anything, but I’d suggest looking into it – the latest trick I have going is running a NES emulator on my PSP, but when I USB my PSP to my PS3, I can play the same roms on the PS3.
By: on September 12, 2008
at 8:14 PM