(updated)SONY press conference. its official..ps2 price drop to $149

SONY CONFERENCE


Update #1

Kaz Hirai has just started the show with an opening about the history of PlayStation. He is discussing the 10-year life cycle.


Update #2

Kaz is continuing to talk about how successful the PlayStation brand is and how much more they've sold than their competitors. They want to extend lifespan to 10 years. Sony also believes that pricing is very important. Sony was able to keep the PS2 at $299 and then at $199 for very long periods of time because the console was selling so well. "The health of the business rests on our shoulders."


PS2 is being reduced to $149 and it includes network adaptor and ATV Offroad Fury 2!


Update #3

Kaz is boasting about how many million seller titles there are for PS2. In fact, the PS2 has more million sellers than Xbox and GCN combined. Upcoming hit titles: God of War, Gran Turismo 4, Metal Gear Solid 3, Getaway Black Monday, Killzone, Jak 3, Ratchet & Clank 3, Sly 2 (they call it "year of the platformer"), GTA San Andreas, and more.


Update #4

They are talking about EyeToy and how it's challenged developers to think about the existing market. Many more EyeToy games are in development by both first and third party developers (Harry Potter, Sega Superstars, DDR, etc.).

Update #5

They have sold 3 million network adapters which is 10% of the installed user base, and they get 100,000 new users per month. They believe online gaming for PS2 in 2004 will be huge. More than 100 online titles on PS2 by the end of this year.


They are now showing a video of some of the upcoming online games for PS2... Mortal Kombat: Deception, Gran Turismo 4, Ghost Recon 2, MLB SlugFest: Loaded, Hot Shots Golf, and more.


Update #6

President of Insomniac Ted Price is now there talking about Ratchet & Clank 3. The two previous R&C games sold nearly 4 million worldwide. This will be the first online R&C game. Insomniac believes that R&C online will bring online gaming to more mainstream gamers.


Update #7

8 simultaneous players online and 6 online battlefields will be in R&C: Up Your Arsenal. There will be full community support...clans, tourneys, etc. Online modes will include capture-the-flag, deathmatch, etc. There will be co-op vehicles and destructible environs. Now they are demoing the multiplayer with employees from Insomniac. Using gadgets is very important for multiplayer, and they are showing off the vehicles in multi like the hovercraft. It's similar to onslaught in Unreal Tournament. One team is trying to defend the base from another that is trying to take it. You can turn players into sheep with one of the gadgets. Everything being shown now is real-time gameplay. They are showing off the different weapons now as well.


Update #8

Kaz Hirai is saying commerce, customization and community building are the three keys to realizing potential for online gaming. The most important thing is to give publishers control over their online systems. The only thing holding online gaming back is how to make money. They are comparing mini-transactions like downloadable content, episodes to downloadble music over the Internet; this could be a way to make money.


Update #9

An example of the above system would be a gamer willing to spend a little money to buy a super-tweaked out car for Gran Turismo. Online gaming will be a critical bridge from this generation of consoles to the next.


They are now introducing the PSP! Kaz is holding one in his hand right now and it seems pretty similar to the concept that was shown many months ago. It also seems a little bigger than the GBA.

Update #10

PSP is as revolutionary as the original PSOne says Kaz. It includes wireless connectivity, and it will offer high-quality movies, music and video in addition to 3D gaming similar to PS2 quality graphics. The initial target audience for the PSP is the 18-34 year-old market, people who have more disposable income.


The display is a 16x9, 4.3 inch widescreen LCD. This enhances in-game perihperal vision. The PSP has stereo speakers and 32MB ram and 4MB VRam. They will have regional lockouts on the UMDs. The PSP is also going to include a USB 2.0 slot and and infrared dataport. The PSP will contain a lithium-ion battery. They claim roughly 10 hours of playback with this battery.


Update #11

They are now talking about UMDs and how they can hold three times as much as traditional CD-ROMs. Development for the PSP should not be a problem because it uses OpenGL. They keep on stressing the "advent of wireless gaming"... PSP to PSP, PSP to PS2, and PSP to PC. All major game companies are on board for PSP development. 34 from Japan, 24 from North America, etc.


They are now showing a video of some PSP games (not running off PSP architecture however)...Death Jr., Ape Escape, Spiderman, FIFA, Twisted Metal, Tony Hawk, and more.


Update #12

They just introduced John Mattrick, president of EA Worldwide Studios. EA will provide same degree of support for PSP that they have shown the PS2. EA will have a min. of 4 titles for PSP's launch... Need for Speed Underground, Tiger Woods, NFL Street and NBA Street. These games are now being shown running off PSP hardware, and they look pretty similar to PS2 games.

decent price drop, but 139 woulda been better

Yah, but it's not that bad. But I wonder what this will mean for the current crop of PS2 only packages. Maybe it will be $20 cheaper. That would put it at $129.

Maybe they'll drop the price on the network adapter. $40 is too much for me. If you're a true cheapass, $40 is like 8 games. Bring it down to $20-$25.

As far as games go, I'm looking forward to MGS3 and the next GTA. Not seeing much in the lineup for me beyond that (not a big Gran Turismo fan). I'll have to look up Killzone.

BTW, the bit about making money...look for Sony to develop an Xbox Live type of service eventually. Free online play is fading, so enjoy it while it lasts.

[quote name='Grave_Addiction']Yah, but it's not that bad. But I wonder what this will mean for the current crop of PS2 only packages. Maybe it will be $20 cheaper. That would put it at $129.[/quote]

i hope so b/c the used ones should be like $99 by then

My wallet just grew wings and flew twards gamestop...CATCH IT!

Now to look out for the freebies with new ps2 purchase...

[quote name='doraemonkerpal'][quote name='Grave_Addiction']Yah, but it's not that bad. But I wonder what this will mean for the current crop of PS2 only packages. Maybe it will be $20 cheaper. That would put it at $129.[/quote]

i hope so b/c the used ones should be like $99 by then [/quote]

Hell yes! I've been wanting to get another PS2 for a while now, but I've been too much of a cheapass to throw down that much money on it. I've been feeding my cheapass addiction through Xbox, N64 and Game Gear games for a while now.

[quote name='videogamejunkie']The initial target audience for the PSP is the 18-34 year-old market, people who have more disposable income.[/quote]

I think that's a nice way to say it's going to be expensive as hell.

Any news on the upcoming GTA such as exclusive previews? I'm dying to see some GTA.

[quote name='Grave_Addiction']I think that's a nice way to say it's going to be expensive as hell.[/quote]

Agreed. I think Sony realizes it can't jump in the portable market by going for the young kids, so they use the original PSX plan: go mature.

[quote name='PsyClerk']Agreed. I think Sony realizes it can't jump in the portable market by going for the young kids, so they use the original PSX plan: go mature.[/quote]

If that's the case, then Nintendo and Sony won't really be competing against each other. Nintendo will probably still go after some of Sony's demographic, but I'm thinking that the Big N will still go after the younger audience first and an older audience second.

psp sounds nice, but not only am i a cheap ass, im also a big fan of 2d gaming. ill prolly get a DS, and when psp hits 100$ ill pick that up.

i think the most exciting thing from this article is the R+C announement. looks like conker is gunna have a run for his money

"All major game companies are on board for PSP development. 34 from Japan, 24 from North America, etc. "

this quote annoyed me, as Nintendo and Microsoft won't be developing games for it. Microsoft is obviously a software juggernaut and Nintendo is the number one game developer in the world, so to say that "all major game companies are on board for PSP development" without excluding two of the biggest companies there are is a pretty big oversight. i dont know if this was your own personal quote or a quote from someone at sony, but if it is from Sony themselves, they need to stop being so arrogant and realize they are not the only company out there.

[quote name='scargums']"All major game companies are on board for PSP development. 34 from Japan, 24 from North America, etc. "

this quote annoyed me, as Nintendo and Microsoft won't be developing games for it. Microsoft is obviously a software juggernaut and Nintendo is the number one game developer in the world, so to say that "all major game companies are on board for PSP development" without excluding two of the biggest companies there are is a pretty big oversight. i dont know if this was your own personal quote or a quote from someone at sony, but if it is from Sony themselves, they need to stop being so arrogant and realize they are not the only company out there.[/quote]

Obviously nintendo and ms wont be making psp games... :imwithst:

[quote name='videogamejunkie']An example of the above system would be a gamer willing to spend a little money to buy a super-tweaked out car for Gran Turismo. Online gaming will be a critical bridge from this generation of consoles to the next.[/quote]

That would piss me off to no end. No longer can you compete online with the cars you've accumulated through skill and perserverance.. you can only have the best cars if you pay extra money to unlock or download it. If they went this way it could seriously make me stop buying anything PS2/PS3/etc.

If I pay $50 for a game, I don't expect to have to pay extra just to use one of the best cars in the game.

[quote name='scargums']"All major game companies are on board for PSP development. 34 from Japan, 24 from North America, etc. "

this quote annoyed me, as Nintendo and Microsoft won't be developing games for it. Microsoft is obviously a software juggernaut and Nintendo is the number one game developer in the world, so to say that "all major game companies are on board for PSP development" without excluding two of the biggest companies there are is a pretty big oversight. i dont know if this was your own personal quote or a quote from someone at sony, but if it is from Sony themselves, they need to stop being so arrogant and realize they are not the only company out there.[/quote]

Sony wants to play up their announcement as much as they can. Do you really think they will say "All the major game companies, with the exception of Nintendo and Microsoft are on board."? C'mon, it's common sense that they won't be giving support to the system.

[quote name='Cornfedwb'][quote name='videogamejunkie']An example of the above system would be a gamer willing to spend a little money to buy a super-tweaked out car for Gran Turismo. Online gaming will be a critical bridge from this generation of consoles to the next.[/quote]

That would piss me off to no end. No longer can you compete online with the cars you've accumulated through skill and perserverance.. you can only have the best cars if you pay extra money to unlock or download it. If they went this way it could seriously make me stop buying anything PS2/PS3/etc.

If I pay $50 for a game, I don't expect to have to pay extra just to use one of the best cars in the game.[/quote]

If that ever happens, be smart, and speak with your wallet and encourage others to do the same.

It will be a happy day for me when every gamer understands that your wallet speaks louder than online petitions or developer forums. These people only understand one language - money. They will only see that charging for extra content is a bad idea when their games or online services flop.

Anyway, $149 is nice, but is disapointing. I was expecting sony to do one better than M$ after selling so many units. IMO it is rather dumb to talk about how well you have done in sales and then only match your competitor in price. Sony is begging to be ridiculed with this move.

Also, after all the news on what the psp is supposed to be and have, it should be common sense that the psp is gonna cost an arm and a leg. I still say it will be ~300 dollars.

[quote name='Scrubking'][quote name='Cornfedwb'][quote name='videogamejunkie']An example of the above system would be a gamer willing to spend a little money to buy a super-tweaked out car for Gran Turismo. Online gaming will be a critical bridge from this generation of consoles to the next.[/quote]

That would piss me off to no end. No longer can you compete online with the cars you've accumulated through skill and perserverance.. you can only have the best cars if you pay extra money to unlock or download it. If they went this way it could seriously make me stop buying anything PS2/PS3/etc.

If I pay $50 for a game, I don't expect to have to pay extra just to use one of the best cars in the game.[/quote]

If that ever happens, be smart, and speak with your wallet and encourage others to do the same.

It will be a happy day for me when every gamer understands that your wallet speaks louder than online petitions or developer forums. These people only understand one language - money. They will only see that charging for extra content is a bad idea when their games or online services flop.

Anyway, $149 is nice, but is disapointing. I was expecting sony to do one better than M$ after selling so many units. IMO it is rather dumb to talk about how well you have done in sales and then only match your competitor in price. Sony is begging to be ridiculed with this move.

Also, after all the news on what the psp is supposed to be and have, it should be common sense that the psp is gonna cost an arm and a leg. I still say it will be ~300 dollars.[/quote]

very good point.

FFXI is the first final fantasy game i DIDNT buy the day it came out since ff2 for snes(which i still dont have) if ffxi was free to play and cost 50 instead of 100, i might have picked it up and given it a try, despite the fact mmorpgs dont intrest me

FFXI IS FREE.

You only pay for the HD which costs $100 and get the game for free. Square makes up the money in online fees.