The only thing that will meet their price expectations will be the Wii.



Surprise market sweep?

the casual gamer *won't* pay $600 for a PS3. it's fortunate then, that, by the time they will actually be able to get their hands on the console, it will be after all the hardcore PS3 fans have gobbled up the $500/$600 version.



by the time the PS3 is ready for mainstream consumption, it will be around 2008, and the PS3 will be undergoing a price drop (i'd guess about $400 for the 20gig, $500 for the 60gig. the casual gamer won't care for the extra bells and whistles the 60gig has).



sure, hardcore gamers may make up 20% of the market, but how many of those hardcore gamers are *SONY* fans? remember, the Playstation brand is synonymous with gaming now. if half of that 20% hardcore are Sony fans, that's 10 million hardcore Playstation fans will and are, dying to get their hands on a PS3 in the next year(i'm using the total number of PS2's sold this past 6 years as my numbers. that's over 100 million Playstation supporters, by the way).



that 10 million fits very snuggly inside of the usual sales of a Playstation console within a year (the PS2 sold about 10 million in it's first year, the PS1 sold nearly the same, if not the same).



stop underestimating the Playstation name and brand, simply because it's Sony behind it. if this story was about Microsoft or Nintendo, i'm sure you wouldn't fail to argue the point in their favor.



Playstation has *owned* gaming for the past 10 years. it's time we accepted that and moved on, purchasing and enjoying the system (s) that have the games we want to play.



this fanboyism has got to stop. seriously.

Halo 3 won't save the X Box 360. You act like:



1.) Halo is the be all, end all of video games, and also that everyone that owns an X Box owns Halo and Halo 2(here's a hint: they don't. i'm one of them).



2.) That the PS3 won't have good games besides Final Fantasy XIII and Metal Gear Solid 4.



On a final note, the 360 is failing miserably in Japan. in a few weeks, the PS3 will have outsold the 360 by a large margin. it's already sold over 80,000 in just *TWO* days. what's going to happen when Sony actually manages to supply the crazy demand that is over there? unless Microsoft pulls some mana from their asses, the 360 is lost in Japan, much like it's predecessor. you can't fail in one country, and yet still be dominant in gaming. Japan will always be a thorn in Microsoft's side. this is the only thing that is keeping them from being number one. imagine if the 360 had sold as well in Japan as it has in the US (about 3.4 million here in the states). they would have reached their 10 million goal by years end no problem. unfortunately, they still haven't given the Japanese what they want, and by the time they do, the PS3 has already launched there, and Sony plans on supplying them with more units every week from here on out.



it's true that Metal Gear and Final Fantasy can be snatched up by other developers. but Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Shadow of the Colossus, God of War, Resistance, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, Lair, Monster Kingdom, Eye of Judgement, Gran Turismo and White Knight Story cannot. Metal Gear and Final Fantasy are not the only reason's why people love Playstation, but they definitely help.



and are you seriously telling me that there aren't diehard Playstation fans that would kill to get their hands on Ninja Gaiden Sigma (especially the stubborn fanboy that refuses to own a 360 or Wii)?



i used to own Ninja Gaiden Black on the X Box (i traded it in for Final Fantasy XII), and it's a great game. the X Box sold 25 million units worldwide. the PS2 sold 100 million. there are *millions* of PS2 fans that have never played that amazing game, and now it's coming to their favorite console. do you not think that's going to boost sales of the PS3?

over 15 million PSP's sold isn't "luke warm," sales. not in the least.



how about the 8 million that the Sega Game Gear sold in it's lifetime? that luke warm?



or the 1-3 million that the Atari Lynx and WonderSwan sold in their lifetime?



technology has changed over the years. and aside from that, you aren't considering other factors. i'll list them:



1.) back when the 3DO released, the majority of gamers were aged 9-16. they hardly had the incomes to buy a $600 CD player/Game Console.



now, the average gamer is aged 25-33. it's no coincidence that these gamers are the same 15 year olds that couldn't buy 3DO's back in 1995 because they didn't have the money. things are different now.



2.) the 3DO didn't have a brand name behind it that gamers trusted. if Nintendo or Sega had released the console, it would have done better, but still, the market back then was too young.



now, the Playstation brand is synonymous with gaming. they've built up a brand trust amongst consumers, and those gamers have enjoyed many classic gaming moments and experiences thanks to the Playstation brand. they grew up on Playstation, and they are bonded to Playstation, much like how i grew up with Nintendo, and until recently, i was bonded to Nintendo.



3.) The PS3 isn't just a gaming console. for those that want just a gaming console, there are two alternatives: the Wii, and the X Box 360. for those that want a multimedia device for a fair price that plays games, there's the PS3. in the consumer's eyes, when they start comparing features of the PS3 versus it's competitors, they will make up their own minds if what Sony is offering them is what they want, and purchase accordingly. not everybody is going to want a PS3, but not everybody is going to want the other two in it's stead. it is all about choice, and all 3 gaming manufacturers are giving us a choice.



personally, i see great value in the PS3: a $400 gaming console, with a $50 Blu Ray drive, $50 Wi Fi adapter, $25 SD and Flash Slots, and $25 HDMI port equipped. i have all i need to enjoy my movies and games and internet right in one box. the $500 PS3 is a bargain as well.



and if i wanted just a gaming console, but still wanted the purty graphics, i'd get a 360.



also, the PS3 and 360 *don't* all have the same games. see my above post where i list a few of the exclusive titles for the PS3. if anyone wants to play those games, they'll have to get a PS3.



the 360 has some exclusives as well, but to me, they are still genre titles (ie, FPSes and Shooters). there are a few standouts (ie, Lost Planet and Blue Dragon), but overall, the console is an FPS and shooter lovers dream. the PS3 lineup is a bit more diverse, though it has it's fair share of FPSes and shooters two (though they are mainly multi-platform).



Microsoft knows it's audience. Sony knows it's audience, and Nintendo knows their audience. they will satisfy each, guaranteed. there will be more of a balance this time around, but due to Sony's marketshare and brand name, they have a few more advantages than it's competitors.

I'm not going to put my house on layaway just to pay for a PS3. Sure, it might be good like people say, but I won't use it as much as I use my PSP anyway.