News Analysts urge Sony to drop PS3 price

They are totally right, the majority of console buyers will look at the 360 at £100 and buy it instantly, why should they spend £180 more on a console for their kid?

(Parents point of view btw)

 

I must admit I was very surprised that MS didn't seem to have created a bundle that included the Xbox Live thing (or whatever it's called), wi-fi adapter and rechargeable pads to go head to head with the PS3. I can't help but feel slightly like MS are trying to "trick" me into buying something that I need to plough money into to bring up to a usable spec, coupled with the spotty reliability record and I get nervy.

If I was an analyst then yeah I'd probably say Sony could do with a price-cut before Christmas just for the momentum and the associated press attention, and I wouldn't be surprised if they did one at the end of this month.

 

So what caused PS3 to outsell 360 WW since December last year each week except the few select weeks 360 had a sales spike (price drop)? You are talking like the PS3 has been getting outsold all along. If you look at sales comparisons of what each console has sold the past month, the 360 had a huge sales increase because of massive price drop. The PS3's weekly sales dropped something like 20K at first and are now slowly going back up, while now the 360's sales are going back down to how they were before.

Obviously the price drop had a huge affect for the 360 as it has outsold the PS3 WW the past few weeks but the PS3's sales have not been affected very much at all.

If the PS3 was at equal price as the 360 it would be curb stomping the 360's sales.

 

My issue with sales figures is they don't take into account trade-ins - My local store won't accept any more PS3 trade-ins because they have too many. Conversly, they also don't reflect second hand sales.

The majority of the PS3 owners I know are 'loyalty' buys - they bought it on the back of their love of the PS2, rather than any of the technical aspects, but they're not playing them. Personally, on two Ps3's (Bought one on launch, sold it due to lack of use, bought a new one impuslively the other week), I've not had more than 40 hours of use out of either, of which most has been on the current one and MGS4. That's simply because that's the only game I can't get elsewhere.

What you also need to consider is that the 360 has been on the market a fair while longer than the PS3 - the sales are going to slow. Think about it this way. There are ~ 17m 360 owners, world wide. Expecting the sales to be anywhere near what they were in the previous year, or the launch year, is daft.

Theoretically, though, both consoles are within a whisker of each other price wise, barely even the cost of a game infact. Hell, if you wanted to factor in the rechargable battery packs (I wouldn't bother, I use regular batteries on all my controllers, easier to replace them than to go hunting for cables and being tethered to the console again. But for the sake of argument), a wifi dongle and an Elite bundle from Game, you're looking at almost the exact same cost.

I've not been meaning to sound like the PS3 has been out sold every week since its launch, but what I would suggest is comparing 360 launch sales with Ps3 launch sales - Comparing a product that's been out for nearly two years sales and a new products sales is always going to give false impressions.

My point is, the Ps3 is not selling aswell as it would do if Sony still 'bought' exclusivity, the negativity up to it's launch (Remember the controller uproar?) the lack of good numbers of good launch titles, the initial cost (For some people £425 is too much money for what, to parents at least, is a toy) etcetc was never going to help, and clearly hasn't. Sony would have to do something drastic to win back users that have moved over to the 360. I don't have a better alternative to a price cut, though, they could at least tie it in with a major launch, Killzone 2 for example.

 

at launch PS3 sold horrible. absolutely horrible. But it has been making huge increases each year in sales and infact reached 10 million sales WW quicker than 360 even though it wasn't released in Europe till the next spring.


Thing the is though, casual gamers dont look at all those accessories they have to buy to make the 360 equal to PS3. They see the 360 at the super low price and PS3 at the very high price. Obviously there is a reason for them buying the more expensive one.

I bought my PS3 last summer for $550 CDN. It was a little while after the price cut. I could have bought the 360, but the games I care about are PS3 exclusive or multiplatform. Only one game I have seen only on 360 would have me wanting a 360. That game is APB which I have no clue when it's coming out and I wouldn't get a system for a game I have no clue if it really will be good and that'd be the only game I get.

 

These are the reasons I love the PS3, I havent got a console because I love my pc but if I did have to choose I wouldnt think twice. PS3 it would be!

 

Being an Xbox owner, and very happy with it I must say, if the PS3 dropped to say 250 for a +1 game bundle in the next 6 months, I think I would buy one. My housemate has one and I love it, but just as much as my Xbox, i don't look at them head to head with each other, the PS3 is more capable but the Xbox is more seamless...6 of one, half dozen of the other. They are both epic machines in their own right, but then at the end of the day when Home is implemented, the PS3 WILL wipe the floor on all the competition. Just a matter of time.

 

I have to say, this is one of the first civil conversations about the two consoles I have seen in a while. Glad everyone is able to share constructive, and different views between the two consoles without it decending into madness. I own all 3, but I admit I am partial to my PS3 as of late, and many around here know I am quick to defense Sony/PS3 when I see it being ragged on for untrue, or overused "facts". Still this looks to be one of those most expensive holidays as of yet for gamers. LittleBigPlanet, Planet, Gears of War, Resistance 2, Fallout, the madness!

 

If I had an 1080p tv I would buy a PS3; bluraaay, and also being a PC gamer all decent 360 games are eventually released on PC. I've never wanted a 360 or wii, my old flatmate had both of those and I was quite unimpressed. If I wanted crap graphics (the wii mote was also disapointingly inaccurate) I would get a PS2 for the library of games, if I wanted a bunch of shooters, I'll play them online and get updates free on my PC (gogo TF2). The only thing missing from the PS3 is its backwards compatibility in newer models (?), I wish they still had an option for this.
@julianmartin Despite my my bias towards PS3, I have no idea why home will add anything of worth to the experience for the average PS3 user. Could you explain?

 

people need to quit b***hing seriously, when the 360 was $399 US people bought it with no complaints about the price. The PS3 on the other hand people cannot stop harping on about how expensive it is, even though they got their 360 for the same amount. you already bought your xbox, you plan on buying another one? then shut up about it being cheaper.

 

I don't know what Jesse Dvivinnvich is getting paid, but they should double it!

Lower price = higher sales.

That is thinking out side of the box right their my friends.

/sarcasm

 

Your forgetting that sales to great unwashed is about perception. The PS3 is always going to be percieved as much more expensive than the X360 unless it drops its prices to fall in line. Personally i can see the value of the PS3 as some one said it feels like a quality unit but since i've no kids and i'm not going to be purchasing them by the thousand at Christmas it doesn't matter what you, I or any one else on here thinks regarding the relative value since the perception in the target market for both these devices is that the X360 is much cheaper.

 

I think alot of it boils down to brand perception... Xbox and Xbox 360 have had a lot of effective marketing which have helped reduce or gloss over any defects or deficncies in the console...

PS3 advertising seems to be more viral in nature. I've rarely seen any adverts for the PS3. I got mine purly based on geeky number crunching and the fact that i still have very fond memories of my PS1...

 

The only thing remotely good out of having a higher price is that people who dont know anything about consoles will see the two and see that ps3 is prices higher and then think the ps3 must be better if its more expensive, and some will but that because they want the 'better' one.