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Pass whatever you are smoking here Kenny!
WOW. Talk about delusional

Originally Posted by Gameindustry.biz SCEI president is confident of hitting shipment targets SCEI president Ken Kutaragi has defended the PlayStation 3's high price tag once again, declaring that not only will consumers be prepared to pay the cost but that the console is "probably too cheap." In an interview with Japanese website IT Media, partially translated by IGN, Kutaragi said: "This is the PS3 price. Expensive, cheap - we don't want you to think of it in terms of game machines." "For instance," Kutaragi continued, "Is it not nonsense to compare the charge for dinner at the company cafeteria with dinner at a fine restaurant? It's a question of what you can do with that game machine. If you can have an amazing experience, we believe price is not a problem." Kutaragi reiterated comments he made earlier regarding the original PlayStation, which he says was also considered too expensive at launch. "Same for the PlayStation 2," Kutaragi said. "However, when released, both had sales that were unthinkable for previous game machines. This is because both offered experiences that could not be had on previous machines." Like its predecessors, PS3 will also offer brand new experiences, he continued: "Things like next-generation graphics and various services via the network. And, as with the PS and PS2, we believe people who like games will, without question, purchase it." The PS3 is set for a global launch this November, priced at USD 499 / EURO 499 for the 20GB version and USD 599 / EURO 599 for the 60GB model. Kutaragi dismissed suggestions from the likes of Microsoft's Peter Moore that Sony will be unable to meet its shipment targets in time - the company has said that it plans to deliver 2 million PS3 units by the end of the year, with a further 2 million arriving by April. "Of course, this is a number that we announced having made sure we can definitely prepare it," Kutaragi said. "There is the possibility of unexpected problems like earthquake or theft, so I won't say it's absolute. But if this type of trouble does not occur, there's no problem with this number."

Link: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=16971

*EDIT: The koolaid is spreading

Originally Posted by GamePro-Phil Harrison "I know what Peter was getting at with his price point issue but he's not comparing apples to oranges. He's not even comparing the same kind of food products at all. It's clearly a case that PlayStation 3's price is justified by PlayStation 3's value. That's what consumers base their purchasing decisions on -- value."

http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=55089

"we believe people who like games will, without question, purchase it."

The arrogance completely and totally... doesn't surprise me.

I can't wait to see how kutaragi defends the lackluster sales of this thing.

The price of the playstation 3 is more then fair considering a few things.

A) The sega saturn launched for 500 dollars where i lived and you couldnt find one.

B) The us dollar has devalued quite a lot since then.

c) when you put factors from a and c together, the price value your getting for the ps 3 is far superior to the sega saturn back then. So why complain.

Just because we are cheap ass gamers, does not mean the public will share our view.

Originally Posted by thingsfallnapart The price of the playstation 3 is more then fair considering a few things. A) The sega saturn launched for 500 dollars where i lived and you couldnt find one. B) The us dollar has devalued quite a lot since then. c) when you put factors from a and c together, the price value your getting for the ps 3 is far superior to the sega saturn back then. So why complain. Just because we are cheap ass gamers, does not mean the public will share our view.

Good points, because you know, the Saturn did soooo well.....

Originally Posted by thingsfallnapart The price of the playstation 3 is more then fair considering a few things. A) The sega saturn launched for 500 dollars where i lived and you couldnt find one. B) The us dollar has devalued quite a lot since then. c) when you put factors from a and c together, the price value your getting for the ps 3 is far superior to the sega saturn back then. So why complain. Just because we are cheap ass gamers, does not mean the public will share our view.

don't forget teh linux and blu ray.

Originally Posted by jimbodan Good points, because you know, the Saturn did soooo well.....

i didnt say if did soooooo well. I had just mentioned you couldnt find one, that they were all sold out on laugh where i lived.

Ken is absolutely right. For the thrill of "next generation graphics and various services via the network", six bills is a bargain. Sony is cutting us a break by not pricing it at something more reasonable, like $800 or $1,000. Maybe the PS4 will be sufficiently amazing that "people who like games will, without question purchase it" at those prices.

I think because PS1 and PS2 were so successful Sony is so full of themselves that they are way too overconfident.

Originally Posted by thingsfallnapart i didnt say if did soooooo well. I had just mentioned you couldnt find one, that they were all sold out on laugh where i lived.

The high cost of the system is one of the reasons blamed for the Saturn's lackluster showing in the states, the playstation launched around 100$ cheaper and it hurt Saturn sales immensely

Originally Posted by thingsfallnapart The price of the playstation 3 is more then fair considering a few things. A) The sega saturn launched for 500 dollars where i lived and you couldnt find one. B) The us dollar has devalued quite a lot since then. c) when you put factors from a and c together, the price value your getting for the ps 3 is far superior to the sega saturn back then. So why complain. Just because we are cheap ass gamers, does not mean the public will share our view.

Dude, WTF?

So, you're justifying the PS3's price by comparing it to one of the biggest hardware flops in gaming history? The Saturn was so absurdly overpriced to begin with and was a major factor in its failure.

The only relevance between the Saturn price tag and Sony's, is they are both overpriced. The Saturn just happened to be a lesser system, but that absolutely has nothing to do with someone being upset about the PS3's price.

Sony is gambling with the PS3 and Blu-Ray. And it's an expensive one at that.

Originally Posted by Grave_Addiction Dude, WTF? So, you're justifying the PS3's price by comparing it to one of the biggest hardware flops in gaming history? The Saturn was so absurdly overpriced to begin with and was a major factor in its failure. The only relevance between the Saturn price tag and Sony's, is they are both overpriced. The Saturn just happened to be a lesser system, but that absolutely has nothing to do with someone being upset about the PS3's price. Sony is gambling with the PS3 and Blu-Ray. And it's an expensive one at that.

i dont get what is so wrong with this comparison im making.

Im saying that the sega saturn, while inferior, still sold out where i live. So why shouldnt the playstation 3 with more features, better hardware, and hype?

Originally Posted by thingsfallnapart i dont get what is so wrong with this comparison im making. Im saying that the sega saturn, while inferior, still sold out where i live. So why shouldnt the playstation 3 with more features, better hardware, and hype?

I think the problem is that you are comparing it with a system that completely flopped for similar reasons (price)

I don't think the big question here is whether or not it will sell out at launch (I'd be shocked if it didn't) but whether after the early adopters get their PS3s will it continue to sell well at that price point?

Ken's a crazy bitch.

Sure, the Saturn sold out where you lived...but in the rest of the world, things didnt go so well.

$500/ $600 really is not that much, think of it as $200 more than an XBOX 360. While I agree that comparing it to the Saturn is absurd, it does not change the fact that the PS3 will almost certainly be successful. The only reason why, though, is because of the name that Sony has in the video game world. Will the other two systems probably be at least as good, if not better based on gameplay etc? Almost certainly. However, the PS3 is something that appeals to more than just the average gamer. EVERYONE and their mother owns a PS2, its crazy. Why will it be any different with the PS2? The price is really not that much different. As sony has stated, it will be a luxury item. While I do not agree at all that it is underpriced, it is not overpriced for what it is either. Every console launch, the price factor is thrown out there and people complain it is overpriced, yet it does well. Sony owns the US market (and the world market for that matter) and PS3 sales will probably not change that. The PS3 will sell out for its first 6 months or so (similar to the 360) at least, then sales will somewhat slow down. I personally think bluray is idiotic, but if Sony does win that war, it gives even more people a reason to buy a PS3 for its price tag. People pay for nice computers, nice TV's etc, why not for a video game system? Its not like sony is making a profit off the console itself. I personally am looking forward to the Wiii the most, for the record as I am somewhat tired of the graphics war, I want innovative and new gameplay.

This has been, without a doubt, the funniest E3 ever; but to be fair, it IS this guy's job to put a spin on the situation. I'll laugh along with you, but you can't blame the guy for trying (feebly).

Originally Posted by raregamergirl ... While I agree that comparing it to the Saturn is absurd, it does not change the fact that the PS3 will almost certainly be successful. The only reason why, though, is because of the name that Sony has in the video game world...

Someone else was in a similar situation over 20 years ago. That company was Atari. Now look where they are. They live on only by name.

Name alone will not win the hearts and wallets of people. Price is a HUGE factor in adoption rate. The higher the inital price, the longer it takes to drop. The longer it takes to drop, the slower the adoption rate. The slower the adoption rate, the less momentum in market penetration will come into play. The less systems you have out there, the less likely people will develop for your system. The less people developing for your system, the less of a potential market for your wares.

So Yes, I think just price alone has a HUGE strike against them.

Originally Posted by raregamergirl $500/ $600 really is not that much, think of it as $200 more than an XBOX 360.

Think of it as 50% more than an Xbox 360. $200 doesn't sound like a lot, until you realize that you're now paying one and a half times the price of the next most expensive competitor.

$200 difference will probably be enough to get a Wii. That's two consoles for the price of one. $600 is a lot.


Here's where I think Sony's problem is: Blu-Ray isn't half as important now as DVD was 6 years ago. When PS2 came out, DVD was already established. Was it popular? No, because stand alone players were way over priced. But there were already hundreds of disks of media and support was getting stronger every month.

Plus, PS2 cost as much as either a good game machine or a good stand alone DVD player. PS2 launched at the same price that the PS1 did, and later the Xbox did. It was not obsurd, and it included a nice extra. Similarly, if you wanted a decent DVD player, it had the added bonus of being a good gaming machine. I actually know people who bought PS2s to use solely as a DVD player, because it looked nice and the price was what they were looking to pay.

Now, the PS3 isn't reasonably priced UNLESS you consider it for a HD movie player as well. And, even then, both competing HD video players AND competing game machines are less money than it. Until the PS3 meets its competition in price - whether that be blu-ray, HD-DVD, or other game machines - it will be tough to justify. Also, there's the fact that not only is the media not established but it's battling a competing format.

The PS3 has potential, but I don't think we'll see that realized for a while. MGS4 I want to play, but I didn't see anything else that would be worth a $600 up front investment. I'll own one eventually - that goes without saying - but I don't expect it to be until the console is $300 or less, which could take quite some time, given the price it's starting from.

it still boggles my mind that they push physical media when digital distribution make so much more sense for the future. what sounds more futuristic, a plastic cd that costs x amount to produce, ship and package or digital bits to homes via broadband or hopefully fiber optic networks.

Sony+Kutaragi are punks.