Author Topic: The end of the Playstation Era? (Read 26924 times)

Avinash_Tyagi · « **on:** May 09, 2006, 05:46:57 AM »

So what do you guys think is the PS3 enough to torpedo Sony's chances of maintaining its hold on the console market?

Renny · « **Reply #1 on:** May 09, 2006, 06:28:52 AM »

It's going to torpedo any chance of salvation for the human race when it leads the next gen with its sparkling imitation.

stevey · « **Reply #2 on:** May 09, 2006, 09:06:21 AM »

No need, sony is already dead after AWESOME nintendo press conference.

Requiem of Darcness · « **Reply #3 on:** May 09, 2006, 09:36:17 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: stevey
No need, sony is already dead after AWESOME nintendo press conference.

Are you kidding? Sony was dead after their press conference. I mean Nintendo could have showed off the old cream spinach screened Gameboy and they couldn't have possibly bombed as bad as Sony. The half assed Wii controller functionality in the "new" Dualshock and the $600 PS3 pricetag sunk them. Sony came off as desperate IMO. They seemed to think the PS name and some half assed versions of Nintendo and MS' best features would hide the fact that the PS3 games look no better than 360 titles and the system is $200 more expensive than the 360. Iwata and Gates had to be getting drunk last night in celebration of Sony's complete self destruction. For the price of the PS3 you will be able to buy a 360 and a Wii. I knew Sony had grown arrogant but at this point they have surpassed N64 era Nintendo.

archioverload · « **Reply #4 on:** May 09, 2006, 11:15:09 AM »

The Sony shark has jumped. Even Sony enthusiasts are non-plussed.

http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/09-05-2006-2758.html

Quote
"When it comes to the power of the system, I was impressed, but it seemed to me that there was little that the Xbox 360 or a decent PC couldn't do. Certainly nothing to match what Sony has been boasting about over the past few months. We're talking the difference between Xbox and PS2 here, if that, and it didn't help that the list of games wasn't particularly inspiring - Tekken, Ridge Racer, etc. The stuff that I really wanted to see, like Virtua Fighter 5, didn't even get any in-game footage."

couchmonkey · « **Reply #5 on:** May 09, 2006, 12:42:59 PM »

A mess-up at E3 doesn't mean that much. The system still has Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and practically every other big franchise people want to see. I think Sony is going to lose a lot of marketshare this generation, but it's up to Microsoft and Nintendo to capitalize on Sony's failures. I'd say Nintendo has, big time, but I find myself still totally underwhelmed with Xbox 360. News is starting to come out of the press conference and it seems like the only big thing is Halo 3 - a VERY predictable game that won't be available for at least a year. Boring.
If Microsoft doesn't step up, Sony will continue to beat them. I'm still not sure where Nintendo stands in all this, but I see it as a big gainer, at least.

Frozen Atlantic · « **Reply #6 on:** May 09, 2006, 06:14:09 PM »

We all love MGS. We all tolerate Final Fantasy because nobody's decided to spend the money to dethrone Square.

But... somebody said earlier... you can buy a Wii AND a 360 for the price of a PS3. That is insane. What's worse is that Sony's STILL taking a huge hit on all their systems. And when (WHEN) Blu-Ray tanks, it'll be the 2006 version of a Laserdisc based game system. Fail.

couchmonkey · « **Reply #7 on:** May 10, 2006, 06:19:07 AM »

Yeah, but $600 spent on Wii and 360 is pointless if you like the games Sony provides the most. Japanese RPGs in particular. Microsoft has a few, Nintendo's getting some spin-offs, but right now the safe bet for anyone who is crazy about Japanese RPGs is PS3. Maybe that will change a year or so from now, but Square Enix has already shown that it intends to support PS3 most of all by only releasing spin-offs on the Wii. I'll bet Namco and the rest will be no different (until Wii starts to outdo PS3 in marketshare in Japan, which I think is quite likely).

Requiem of Darcness · « **Reply #8 on:** May 10, 2006, 01:23:36 PM »

Well the 360s first Japanese RPG hits on 6/1, Enchanted Arms looks to be a good game. I will probably pick it up. When I do, I will let everyone knows if it turns out well. I seriously wonder if third parties new that the PS3 would be so insanely priced before they announced exclusives for it. If they didn't they have to be reconsidering 360 versions at this point. I just don't see the PS3 reaching a mass market friendly price until Christmas 2008 at the earliest. Thats a long time for 3rd parties to be dealing with a smaller userbase. Especially with the Wii starting off in the mass market price range and the 360 will most likely be at a mass market pricing level next year. As for my assumptions on the 360's price, I firmly believe that if Sony would have announced the PS3 at $399 that the 360 would have gotten a price drop, but since the PS3 is priced so high MS has no need to drop the price at this time.

Fps_Doug · « **Reply #9 on:** May 10, 2006, 06:47:57 PM »

This is definately not the end of the playstation era. While nintendo could certainly gain ground on them, the fact remains that there are the PS2 sold 33 million consoles in the U.S. with Xbox and Game Cube selling 14 and 11 million consoles. There are still alot of people who are going to buy the PS3 based on Sony variety of titles and the fact that they have the best game designers working for them.(Activision, Square Enix, Capcom, Konami, Namco, ect.)
Another reason that Wii will probably not eclipse the PS3 is the fact that Sony has developed an "Xbox Live" type online service. The ablitiy to compete online is still the biggest concern of gamers. While Nintendo will appeal to non-gamers much more than the other systems, non-gamers are a small minority when it come to console sales. They are much less likely to go out and buy a $300 system if they have never owned one or know much about one.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #10 on:** May 11, 2006, 04:43:53 AM »

The PS2 sold so much while being priced no higher than the XBox and being released a year earlier. 600$ could easily knock them to second or even third place. Their biggest source of income were the casuals that bought the PS2 for Madden and GTA and those aren't going to drop 600$ on a console, especially when the 400$ console plays Madden and GTA just as well. Sony's main asset are third parties and if those feel that the PS3 won't sell enough to warrant exclusive games then Sony is going to suffer for it. When the PSP was released, they had as many developers lined up as the DS. Look how that ended after the PSP got trashed by the DS.

capamerica · « **Reply #11 on:** May 11, 2006, 06:53:59 AM »

Unless Square comes out and says that FFXIII is coming to the Xbox360 or the Wii I'm sadly going to have to find a way to buy a PS3. I just hope that by the time FFXIII hits the market the PS3 will have dropped to at least $300 for the basic system.

Right now more then ever I hope that Square takes note at how people are reacting to the $600 price tag and truly decides to bring their games to other consoles. Even the dieiest of Die hard Final Fantasy fanboys are having a hard time justifying the idea that they are going to have to drop $600 on a PS3.

Blu-Ray was to big of a gamble on Sony and I think its really going to bite them in the ass in the end.

Requiem of Darcness · « **Reply #12 on:** May 11, 2006, 07:32:12 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: couchmonkey
A mess-up at E3 doesn't mean that much. The system still has Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and practically every other big franchise people want to see. I think Sony is going to lose a lot of marketshare this generation, but it's up to Microsoft and Nintendo to capitalize on Sony's failures. I'd say Nintendo has, big time, but I find myself still totally underwhelmed with Xbox 360. News is starting to come out of the press conference and it seems like the only big thing is Halo 3 - a VERY predictable game that won't be available for at least a year. Boring.
If Microsoft doesn't step up, Sony will continue to beat them. I'm still not sure where Nintendo stands in all this, but I see it as a big gainer, at least.

You are missing one big problem for Sony. Final Fantasy (2007? 2008?) and Metal Gear (2007) don't hit this year. At $600 they aren't going to get any casual gamers. Casual gamers determine the market winner. X-box and Gamecube were mostly bought by hardcore gamers and sold a lot less than the PS2. By 2007, Sony will most likely be behind MS and Nintendo. What do you think will happen to their exclusives when they have the smallest userbase? They will go straight to 360. The same way a lot of Cube exclusives went to PS2.

Quote
Originally posted by: capamerica
Unless Square comes out and says that FFXIII is coming to the Xbox360 or the Wii I'm sadly going to have to find a way to buy a PS3. I just hope that by the time FFXIII hits the market the PS3 will have dropped to at least $300 for the basic system.

Right now more then ever I hope that Square takes note at how people are reacting to the $600 price tag and truly decides to bring their games to other consoles. Even the dieiest of Die hard Final Fantasy fanboys are having a hard time justifying the idea that they are going to have to drop $600 on a PS3.

Blu-Ray was to big of a gamble on Sony and I think its really going to bite them in the ass in the end.

You see thats the thing. I don't think the PS3 will hit $300 until 2008. By then the Wii will probably be around $100 to $150 and the 360 will probably be around $200. Both the Wii and 360 will have a huge installed base by then. $200 is the sweet spot as far as the casual gaming public goes and the PS3 won't even be at that level two years from now. The slower it sells, the harder it will be for Sony to reduce its production costs. I mean they probably will still be taking a loss on the hardware at $300 in 2008. As sales lag, they will start losing support. Square Enix puts Dragon Quest on the best selling system. That being the case, Dragon Quest will probably end up on Wii. That will finish Sony in Japan as DQ is more popular than Final Fantasy in Japan. I don't know what will happen with Final Fantasy. Since the 360 is a non factor in Japan, I don't know what will happen with the series. It will most likely stay on PS3, but if the Wii takes off like the DS it wouldn't be out of the relm of possibility for it to get the main series in the event of a PS3 failure. Although, from a technical standpoint it would make more since for it to be moved to 360. I just don't see FF going to 360 barring the system getting PS1 like market share.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #13 on:** May 11, 2006, 08:56:01 AM »

In Japan, the PS3 is launching at 71,800 yen...That's around 650 dollars in U.S. dollars right now...And that's before tax, of course...Good grief...

KDR_11k · « **Reply #14 on:** May 11, 2006, 09:09:24 AM »

I wonder how Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy will fare against that price? I could imagine a large drop in sales compared to previous iterations. I wonder if Sony was thinking "no matter what we charge, we have DQ and FF, nothing can hurt us"?

Ages · « **Reply #15 on:** May 11, 2006, 09:16:15 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
In Japan, the PS3 is launching at 71,800 yen...That's around 650 dollars in U.S. dollars right now...And that's before tax, of course...Good grief...

Remember they passed a law in Japan that all games (systems too I believe) include tax in the price reported. Still, it really doesnt make the experience of buying one any less painful

Sessha · « **Reply #16 on:** May 11, 2006, 10:13:10 AM »

I can't wait until Christmas to see the looks on parents faces when they see the PS3 price tag.

Bill Aurion · « **Reply #17 on:** May 11, 2006, 11:18:23 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ages
Quote
Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
In Japan, the PS3 is launching at 71,800 yen...That's around 650 dollars in U.S. dollars right now...And that's before tax, of course...Good grief...

Remember they passed a law in Japan that all games (systems too I believe) include tax in the price reported. Still, it really doesnt make the experience of buying one any less painful

No, no, that's BEFORE the tax is included...75,390 yen is the price with tax...(This info is from someone who actually lives in Japan...)

Ian Sane · « **Reply #18 on:** May 11, 2006, 11:35:05 AM »

The price is ridiculous and I think that above all else will hurt them. But as couchmonkey said E3 doesn't really mean anything. I remember at E3 2001 Microsoft was the big loser because Halo wasn't playing all that hot. It had a wonky framerate and I think there was some other problems. The assumption was that either it wasn't going to be available at launch or it was but it wouldn't be any good. Considering that was pretty much the only really big game for the Xbox at the show people were starting to predict doom for the Xbox. It wasn't even that illogical since they were newcombers.

In the end Halo was ready and it delivered and the Xbox survived almost entirely on that game alone. Then a year later it surpassed the Cube and has been in second place ever since. The poor E3 showing didn't mean anything.

I think the price is everything. The question is will the initial strong third party support the PS3 gets be enough to make people spend that kind of a money on a console. Ignoring the price the PS3 still has a lot of momentum. When Nintendo fell they lost the third party support before the N64 was even released. The weak third party support was noticeable at the N64's first E3. Sony has this high price and lame rip-off controller but they haven't scared away their support yet.

MysticGohan · « **Reply #19 on:** May 11, 2006, 11:37:23 AM »

heh, sony won't be releasing PS3 in NA until sometime in 2007, so it they will feel the pain. I can't wait to see how well Wii will do. It should be intresting... I think Nintendo will gain a large slice of the market and gain momentum.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #20 on:** May 11, 2006, 05:40:09 PM »

With the sales tax on a PS3 in CA (8.25%), I could practically buy a full-priced GameCube game.

odifiend · « **Reply #21 on:** May 11, 2006, 07:10:34 PM »

I could in TN (9.75%). Ouch.
I'm sorry, I don't care how much 3rd party support Sony has (and there have been rumblings that they've been losing a lot of it - I wonder if that was the impending price or last minute motion control), 600 dollars is show stopping. I work now and could get whatever console I choose but I could not sell my mom on 600 dollars for a game machine, in fact, I might be smacked for even suggesting it. I mean, six... hundred... dollars? That is more than a car payment for most people... And that is with no games.
EB Games must love this... so much merchandise will be traded in.

Griffin · « **Reply #22 on:** May 11, 2006, 08:56:30 PM »

That's more than my car payment, car insurance, and a ($75) full tank of gas.

It's weird. At the release of the last systems, I swore I would never buy a Microsoft console, and that I MIGHT buy a ps2 (I didn't). Now it's the complete opposite. GG Sony.

ThePerm · « **Reply #23 on:** May 11, 2006, 09:54:00 PM »

http://articles.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20060510163809990001

Arbok · « **Reply #24 on:** May 11, 2006, 10:41:50 PM »

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Originally posted by: ThePerm
http://articles.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20060510163809990001

Looking at the link on the side, seems that Sony's stock prices are also in a pretty constant decline... maybe investors are getting scared at the price too?

News:

Author Topic: The end of the Playstation Era? (Read 26924 times)