PS3 Delayed? Say it ain't so

[Son Goku]

Yeah, the Xbox 360 has that advantage. And come to think of it, if Sony is taking a bigger loss, might they try to make up that profit loss, and if so, where? The most logical answer would be the games themselves...

Now given supply and demand, it's reasonable to assume that if the prices of both the consoles and the games go up relative to the Xbox 360, then consumers will chose the 360, given the choice. When games have been on both the Game Cube and the PS2, I've tended to chose the Game Cube variant, precisely because it's lower cost to me, and I do own both consoles...

Having to remain price competitive to MS could really hurt them, and if they try to make up the short fall, through game pricing itself, it could have the same effect. Unless of course they manage to secure exclusive titles on the latter platform. But even there, what cost would be passed onto the game company? And would the game company look at overall higher cost (as a higher cost is passed onto them, to then pass onto the consumer) as a bad thing for their own sales? Game developers might be left not liking the scenario.

And as to the employees who made this decision, if Sony's sales drop substantially, and they can't recover the full cost they put into this, heads might well roll... I guess we'll see, when we have a better idea on what consumer demand will end up being, and how much any possible higher price tag might effect it.

 

[Xie]

The blueray drive cost more then the console should cost.
Is it even possible to produce games that fit 50 gigs? Are we really there yet, or will the games be entirely cinematic based?

I really think Sony shot themselves in the foot. New chip, new optical disc drive, new everything. This thing wont be affordable for at least 2 years. They should phase in Blueray, over time... once manufacturing costs fall, and media costs become more reasonable.

I have heard that the PS3 is designed to be too many things. I would think the person(s) responsible for brainstorming up this disasterous scenario should be taken off Sony payroll immediately.

Indeed. I've read that it's basically the Bueray drives that are delaying PS3 launch right now. They are still working on a completed standard for the DRM on the Blueray. Once that is complete they can start up PS3 production anytime.

On paper it sounds like a killer system to some. In the real world though, thats alot of *new* technology going into a console of all things (or super computer do it all as Sony is trying to push it out as). Not sure I would want to buy a console with a brand new technology like Blueray that is completely untested in the "real world". Adding it as a feature later on via a hotswappable bay or something later on would make sense in the short term for Sony. It would allow them to already be in the "race" as well as bring down the overall upfront cost of buying a PS3.

Anyhoo ... </rant>

 

[falconguard]

It seems to me that they are pushing for the DRM requirements to codified. They really don't want to push Blu-ray unless it is a clear winner in the DRM wars. This is the company that got slammed with the Betamax vs. Vhs ruling, and if the consumers wait out the battle or worse yet decide to go with HD-dvd this could leave Sony with a Trojan horse (isn't irony delicious?) not to mention all the gaming studios would have to reformat their facilities or build new ones to take advantage of a Blu-ray game, where as an HD-dvd would not require that much of wholesale change. It's going to be interesting to see where they go with this.

 

[Xie]

It seems to me that they are pushing for the DRM requirements to codified. They really don't want to push Blu-ray unless it is a clear winner in the DRM wars. This is the company that got slammed with the Betamax vs. Vhs ruling, and if the consumers wait out the battle or worse yet decide to go with HD-dvd this could leave Sony with a Trojan horse (isn't irony delicious?) not to mention all the gaming studios would have to reformat their facilities or build new ones to take advantage of a Blu-ray game, where as an HD-dvd would not require that much of wholesale change. It's going to be interesting to see where they go with this.

You bring up a good point. I keep thinking of the PS3 as souly a console. It is infact a way for Sony to make sure Blueray gets into millions of homes and hopefully takes foothold in the Blueray vs. HD-DVD battle if/when it happens. Also since Microsoft opted to ship the 360 w/out HD-DVD at launch Sony sees this as it's opertunity to pounce on the market 1st, even if it means higher costs upfront and delays. Sony pushing it out in a "game console" gets it into homes of alot of people I'm sure would think twice before shelling out the cash for a stand alone Blueray player, as unlike DVD they are going to be HIGH in price.

 

[falconguard]

If that is the case then HD is a lot closer to being released then Blu-ray. So by the time Blu-ray and the PS3 do get released the HD-DVD will have the avantage of time and manufacturing to deal with price points. something Sony is having to battle even on the PS3.

 

[Son Goku]

The problem for such a marketing strategy is if it gets delayed too long, the game companies might decide not to wait for Sony, and if Xbox 360 can be marketed for less, or Microsoft can cash in on an early release to pull early titles; fewer people might shell out for a PS3.

In the last gen, I got a PS2 and a Game Cube? Will I get a PS3 now? 1+ years ago, I planned on it. Now, I'm neutral with no strong leanings either way... Too much DRM, could also result in the consumer prefering HD-DVD, which combined with a lower price for it, and also a possible earlier delay could mean the market starts moving before Sony is ready... One can only delay so long, else risk the world moving on ahead, and waiting no longer... Everyone is not going to put their own plans on hold for an undetermined amount of time...