Possibility of PS3 price cut soon?

[charlesr]

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/06/05/sony_cuts_price_of_blu-ray_player/

Now that the PS3 is no longer the cheapest bluray player, perhaps Sony will have to cut the price of the PS3 accordingly to keep sales up.

"Sony said growing demand for the next generation Blue-ray technology and falling production costs had made the price cut [for their standalone player] possible"

So presumably the same cost savings could be passed to the consumer to bolster demand for their games console. Perhaps not straight away, but maybe at the end of the summer? Or is the run up to Christmas more likely?

[MartyG]

A $100 cut on the price of PS3 isn't going to make it look very much cheaper to the consumer market. We're still talking £375 if ( and that's a big if ) it's done at a direct exchange rate.

IMO PS3 needs to drop to £299 before it'll start shifting in larger quantities.

[Spatial]

Cost Saving In Action.

Seems they'd rather trim back on staff first, but I'd be inclined to think you'll be looking at a price cut in time for the festive season.

[MikeRox]

Didn't they essentially say "shut up" to all the price cut rumours last week?

[Swallow]

i'd buy that. (for a dollar).

I don't think the price is THAT much of an issue, tbh - 360 had mega bundles available last Christmas, presumably the same would be true for PS3 this year.

Most of us rather that than a £50 price cut, surely..?

[eastyy]

well when its price is reasonable i will get one

when it comes to stuff like blu ray and hd i have no desire to watch them as my tv is only a basic thing.....and i have to say i am not going to fork out money for a new tv just for a better picture

i think though depending on how sales have gone for the ps3 it will be how they decided

if i am correct they make up the profits with the software and to me its logical to try and get as many ps3 units sold as possible.....cos if not many people have bought the hardware there not going to get the software.

i think if the ps3 has done not to badly then there wont be a cut for a while yet
if the ps3 has not done well at all a price cut will be sooner

[charlesr]

I'm not strapped for cash, but spending £280 on a second hand 360 with all the extras and games was a pretty hefty decision for me. £400 on something with no games or extra controllers is a show stopper, regardless of how well it's built, especially when I can barely tell the difference between upscaled DVDs and Bluray/HDDVD. The only way a PS3 will end up in my lounge is after a hefty price cut. Sad but true.

[Yoshimax]

I read an interesting article the other day which basically stated that unless Sony started SELLING 100k of these a week then 3rd party support was going to start diminishing rapidly which would leave a raft of previously multi-format titles as 360 exclusives.

I think it's time everybody took the mirage-specs off and started to appreciate what an unmitigated disaster the launch & subsequent period has been.

The release schedule has been absolutely dire with no real "you need a ps3 for this" title even in the pipeline as far as I can tell - First it was LBP but now we're all accepting that it >may< lack any substance/long term appeal, negative press is surfacing for the white elephant (HeavenlySword) and anything that you could have claimed to be an exclusive system seller (DMC4, MGS4) heading 360-bound on a monthly basis.

Price cut has to happen as it's the only tool they now have left in the arsenal - But if they start cutting the price now what will it cost in ten years ? (it's projected life-cycle).

[MikeRox]

I don't think the situation is quite as bad as it seems for PS3, so long as they get a price cut in. I know a hell of a lot of people who want the system. But as charlesr says, &#163;400 = LOL! for a "games console"

[Concept]

IMO PS3 needs to drop to &#163;299 before it'll start shifting in larger quantities.

Yup. I'm surprised, but with the delay to key games I can see myself not picking a PS3 up until March 2008. Price is an issue for the mainstream, but Sony also need more of the core audience to start making a buzz about the machine. MGS4 probably wouldn't have been a system seller to everyone, but if it had made this year (which it's looking like it won't) the hype and the anticipation would have been there.

Heavenly Sword and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune can still do that, but the pressure on Sony's first-party teams must be immense when the 360 has Bioshock, Halo 3 and Mass Effect amongst others for Q3/Q4.

[Concept]

negative press is surfacing for the white elephant (HeavenlySword) and anything that you could have claimed to be an exclusive system seller (DMC4, MGS4) heading 360-bound on a monthly basis.

Price cut has to happen as it's the only tool they now have left in the arsenal - But if they start cutting the price now what will it cost in ten years ? (it's projected life-cycle).

We don't know enough about Heavenly Sword to label it a white elephant yet, and there's a certain element of hypocrisy involved when you consider bar private showings we've barely seen a thing of Mass Effect outside of two videos. MGS4 is still very much exclusive to the PS3 as far as I'm aware. Either Konami are digging their heels in against the realities that you need to go multi-format on release to recoup development costs in big budget games, or Sony are offering them a very lucrative offer to stay exclusive.

[eastyy]

well if i was to spend that much money i would like to use it straight about the box

if they had bundled a game and a blu ray film i think while still expensive would have made it look a lot better

[Yoshimax]

We don't know enough about Heavenly Sword to label it a white elephant yet, and there's a certain element of hypocrisy involved when you consider bar private showings we've barely seen a thing of Mass Effect outside of two videos. MGS4 is still very much exclusive to the PS3 as far as I'm aware. Either Konami are digging their heels in against the realities that you need to go multi-format on release to recoup development costs in big budget games, or Sony are offering them a very lucrative offer to stay exclusive.

1-Up have played it - they weren't very kind. (HS)

latest 1up podcast says that heavenly sword isn't that heavenly

[Concept]

They said it wasn't bad, but that there wasn't enough shown, which is what I'm trying to say. Anything about the game's quality is purely speculative at this point.

It could be that SCEA are trying to do a Bungie and make sure the single-player game isn't spoiled before release. It could be that the game is crap. We don't know.

In the 1up podcast you mention there seemed to be disappointment that the game wasn't as open as the environments suggested, but that never hurt God of War. Anyway, back on semi-topic... Sony are still up against it.

Heavenly Sword doesn't just have to be good... it has to be triple AAA. From an objective perspective, MS' first-party line-up, coupled with heavyweight third-party exclusives (Splinter Cell, Bioshock, possibly Assassin's Creed during the cruical winter spell if Ubisoft's previous lax PS3 porting timetable is anything to go by), and GTAIV could really take the legs out from under the PS3's feet.

This Q4 spell is crucial to jump starting momentum on the PS3. The further it gets behind the Wii, and the more the 360 extends its advantage, is another factor in compounding the impression of a fledgling system. Sony can say what they like about it being a ten year gameplan, but the truth is, once certain preconceptions take hold within the mainstream public, they can eventually become next to impossible to shake.

[Yoshimax]

Anyway, back on semi-topic... Sony are still up against it.

The single biggest problem they have is the apathy of people who own the system towards it :

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=74936

If you've got no buy-in from the people who already own it (recommending it to friends, raving about the graphics etc) then you're pretty much dead in the water. The number of people selling these on this & other forums (at a loss) pretty much confirms that apathy.