Playstation 3 to launch under $500

[MuGen]

Japanese newspaper quotes Sony officials as saying they are aiming for a mid-level price point for the next-generation console.

After the impact of Monday's PlayStation 3 unveiling wore off, gamers began to start asking questions. Besides lingering doubts about whether or not many of the tech demos were actually of in-game footage, the biggest point of debate was the next-generation console's price.

Given that the console's Nvidia-tech-based RSX "Reality Synthesizer" graphics chip is more powerful than two GeForce 6800 Ultra video cards, which retail for around $1,000 by themselves, many suspected the console cost as least as much as a medium-end gaming PC. However, Sony will have to be competitively priced or risk being undercut by the Microsoft Xbox 360 or Nintendo Revolution.

Link: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/05/18/news_6125423.html

Wow... we're looking at a possible $465.00 price tag

For me... I'm Sold...

[Seth]

I could buy a car for that much.



Then there's the games and all that jazz. **** buying a console anytime near launch.

[GameMaster]

For the absolutley amazing demos Sony has shown, that price is MORE than fair. I'd be willing to take it to $500 but I probably will be after getting some games and the addition of tax. :p

[Null]

*puts bet down on the table*

i say 349.99 (no more then 399.99) will be the price. any takers? ;)

[MuGen]

Well I've said it before... If it goes up to $465 max, I still won't mind getting it.

But I highly doubt it will go up that high... these are estimates and the console still isn't final to even begin to put a final price on it.

I agree with null on this... Probably $399 at most...

[Neo]

Now's as good of time as any to start playing Texas scratch-off.

[DarkMaster]

That would make it nearly $500 CAD without tax, which I gotta say is a really, really bad move. If they let that happen there'll be big problems. It should be $349.99 or $399.99 USD and no more for just the sytem.

[Null]

the price being written in US is ok, but in canadian its a bad move? its the same price! hehe

i wouldnt say it'll be a bad move persay, they'll do fine with it. some people would just wait for a price drop. but that does matter since i have determined for you all that it will be no more then 399 US. rest assured.

[Xantar]

Well, a price of $465 wouldn't really surprise me. Look at how much stuff is in the PS3. That's going to be expensive, and I would bet that manufacturing the thing costs Sony more than $500 per unit. Blu-Ray technology alone should be worth $200, and then you factor in all the processors and all the ports and attachments for various memory...

It's going to be expensive for Sony, and it will probably be expensive for buyers. At least in the beginning. But at the same time, they can pretty much set any price they want and the thing will fly off the shelves thanks to Sony fanboys, so why worry?

[thatmariolover]

I'll be getting one. But I'll also be buying the biggest warranty I can for the thing. Hopefully it's more durable than the PS2 was/is but I'm not going to take any chances with Sony again.

[Neo]

I'm still banking on $349. I don't think they'll risk a $399 price point.

[MuGen]

they risked a lot on cell... i'm sure they can risk $399

[Joeiss]

If it is over $400 Canadian, I definitely won't be touching it until a price drop, lol. Factor in 2-3 games, at least 1 more controller, plus memory cards, etc, that would just be way too much money.

But then again... I will have just ended my first 4-month term at an accounting firm, so I will have lots of money, haha. So i Might just have to splurge, despite the prices. :)

[Dark Samurai]

$465 is a bit much... but hey, anything lower is a good in my book...

[DeathsHand]

That $465 number is the approx price it will sell for in Japan...

I believe PS2 made it's debut in Japan for something likeeee 380 or so? 375? Something like that...

If this is true, I'm guessing a $399 price tag at US launch...

[CamFu]

Xantar, I think you are being a little modest with this comment:

Blu-Ray technology alone should be worth $200

Come on, Blu-Ray isn't even mainstream yet. Try to remember when the DVD first hit the market. I remember when I first saw it, it was back in like 1995 or 1996 and the DVD Player was going for something like $700.

As for the price tag, I remember all the experts claiming the PS2 costing pricers hirgher then that. Sony isn't stupid, they will release the console under $400. And that is still too pricey for me. Which really sucks, but $300 is what I'm looking for in a console. And that still hurts me. Stupid Real Life Budget!

[Professor S]

If the PS3 price starts at over $400, you can bet that they will lose the next generation. Hands down. And it won't even be a contest (unless Microsoft and Nintendo are dumb enough to follow suit).

History has shown that starting console prices that high kills the consumer and doesn't move any product. Regardless of its brand name power, a $400+ price point will simply be prohibitive for parents to invest, even for the holidays. Hell, that high of a price is prohibitive for most adults as well. Thats one month's rent or a car payment or two.

And thats just the console by itself. By the time you add the cost of 1-3 games for the machine, at least one other controller, etc., your looking at costs that might be over $600 just for video game console. These amounts of money are what people put aside for life needs, not for what is still considered by most to be children's entertainment.

$300 is about what every console should start out. By going higher you are shooting yourself in the foot, regardless of how great the hardware is. Gaming is just not that important in most people's lives to warrant such an expenditure.

[Null]

They wouldnt lose the next gen because of a price. sorry but it woudlnt happen. It could slow em done, but at thsi point, theres nothing thats going to happen thats going to make sony lose the next gen, the worst would be to cut em down a bit next gen, then take them the one after. they got far too much a lead for anything like that to happen right now..


and camfu is right on, everyone said the PS2 would cost oh so much money, then everyone claimed the PSP would be over 400! sony WILL keep the price at a competitive level.

[GameMaster]

Alright, let's not jump to any conclusions. Sony Insiders are aware of the issue and claim that this is NOT a set price. I think if you all can just hold your pants on until June, you'll find a pleasant surprise in the form of a new price tag. Just something for you to think about...

[Stray_Bullet]

People are willing to invest a lot more into consoles than they are into handhelds, I'd say. And, as I've seen, PSP sales haven't been poor. There are plenty of spoiled children and plenty of "adults" with poor spending habits.

Personally, the most I'd get for Christmas or birthday is about $100 each (cumulative). The only systems I've gotten in the past were bought by my siblings and myself (GC, XBox, N64), bought as a gift to all five of the children from an outside family member (Genesis), bought while the system was dying (Saturn/Dreamcast for $50 each), or a combination between my birthday and Christmas (which are about a week apart) at a sales price (PS2).

Price has always been a problem for people like me, but we always find a way to buy the system. It's people that find price to not be a problem that have been keeping consoles alive from release, and they won't be stopped by a $300-400 price tag.

[Perfect Stu]

my guess for launch price:

$399 US

[CamFu]

They wouldnt lose the next gen because of a price. sorry but it woudlnt happen. It could slow em done, but at thsi point, theres nothing thats going to happen thats going to make sony lose the next gen, the worst would be to cut em down a bit next gen, then take them the one after. they got far too much a lead for anything like that to happen right now..

This is what really pisses me off about Sony. Nothing against Null's statement, other then it's 100% true. Most people will blindly buy Sony's products just for the name of it. Don't care about the quality of the product at all. I knew a guy in the military that was so hell bent on setting up his Car System with everything Sony (I don't even know if Sony has amps, but I'm sure he was getting one).

Even though Sony doesn't make the best product in that area. I asked him why, because he loved his Sony TV, Receiver, DVD, and Speakers. According to him, Sony makes the best products. Anything eletronical in his house was Sony Brand.

This dude even had a PS2 just because it had a "Sony" tag on it.

This might sound a little sad. But Sony has everything going for it. It doesn't matter if they release 2 years after the Xbox 360 or the Nintendo Rev. It doesn't matter if they have the worst collection of games. It doesn't matter if it was the weakest system. It doesn't matter if the price tag is insane. Sony knows that the majority of the people today will slap down their hard earn dollars on their products, just because they slapped a "Sony" symbol on it.

I've seen it happen, on more then just gaming systems. But that is just my opinion of course.

[Dyne]

I honestly wonder what launch defects this product will have.

I feel sorry for anybody who still buys first-gen Sony.

[Joeiss]

I bought first gen PS2, and after a wonderful experience with Sony Canada's customer service people, i got it repaired for free in 3 days!

Not having a console for 3 days out of 6 years isnt too damaging.

[DarkMaster]

the price being written in US is ok, but in canadian its a bad move? its the same price! hehe

i wouldnt say it'll be a bad move persay, they'll do fine with it. some people would just wait for a price drop. but that does matter since i have determined for you all that it will be no more then 399 US. rest assured.
It's the same price? Yeah, maybe you think so, dishing out $50 less from your wallet. ;)

[bobcat]

I'd pay $600 AUST for it, maybe.......

But no doubt it will continue to have those games we know and love, plus plenty more

[MasterMind]

Anything above $200 is too steep for me. I got bills to pay. I'm willing to wait for all the price drops like I did for this generation of consoles. I used to play games like crazy but now adays I can't afford/can't find time to play them like I used to. I didn't plan on buying a GC and wouldn't have access to one if my bro-n-law didn't buy it as a gift for my younger brother. I waited to buy the PS2 until it was <$200. A little late but I can still enjoy all those great games especially at great prices too.

I'm willing to wait for the next round of consoles to unfold before I invest some money into a console. Can't afford all three even though I would like to have them all. Just have to wait for the best one.

[Perfect Stu]

It's the same price? Yeah, maybe you think so, dishing out $50 less from your wallet. ;)


if the conversion rate is proper, then it IS the same amount of money being handed over by canadians

if I got to pay $300 for something here, and null had to pay $300 for the same thing there, I would be paying less money for the same product

[MuGen]

This is what really pisses me off about Sony. Nothing against Null's statement, other then it's 100% true. Most people will blindly buy Sony's products just for the name of it. Don't care about the quality of the product at all. I knew a guy in the military that was so hell bent on setting up his Car System with everything Sony (I don't even know if Sony has amps, but I'm sure he was getting one).

Even though Sony doesn't make the best product in that area. I asked him why, because he loved his Sony TV, Receiver, DVD, and Speakers. According to him, Sony makes the best products. Anything eletronical in his house was Sony Brand.

This dude even had a PS2 just because it had a "Sony" tag on it.

This might sound a little sad. But Sony has everything going for it. It doesn't matter if they release 2 years after the Xbox 360 or the Nintendo Rev. It doesn't matter if they have the worst collection of games. It doesn't matter if it was the weakest system. It doesn't matter if the price tag is insane. Sony knows that the majority of the people today will slap down their hard earn dollars on their products, just because they slapped a "Sony" symbol on it.

I've seen it happen, on more then just gaming systems. But that is just my opinion of course.

It may be so that people will spend their money on Sony products because the brand is slapped on, as you say, but theres also the fact that everyone trusts the name Sony.... It's not just the sony symbol...

You think Nintendo fans stay with Nintendo cuz of it's name or symbol? No, they love the brand, they trust the brand, and grew up with it... It's not the fact that they'll blindly spend their money on nintendo because of the symbol.

Sometimes people have brands they trust, that's all I really think matters... There are people who WILL blindly spend cuz of the brand name... but theres a lot more people who will stick with a brand because of the value it means to them.

And it's clear that there is going to be quality come next generation.... so much quality in the PS3.....

[Teuthida]

Haha. Looks like it's a Revolution for me. I would never pay that much for a console. Especially one by Sony which is expected to break in 2 years.

[CamFu]

It may be so that people will spend their money on Sony products because the brand is slapped on, as you say, but theres also the fact that everyone trusts the name Sony.... It's not just the sony symbol...

You think Nintendo fans stay with Nintendo cuz of it's name or symbol? No, they love the brand, they trust the brand, and grew up with it... It's not the fact that they'll blindly spend their money on nintendo because of the symbol.

Sometimes people have brands they trust, that's all I really think matters... There are people who WILL blindly spend cuz of the brand name... but theres a lot more people who will stick with a brand because of the value it means to them.

And it's clear that there is going to be quality come next generation.... so much quality in the PS3.....

Sony products, IMO are just a symbol. And I will agree that people that grew up with Sony will trust them. But see the problem today is that Sony doesn't make the best product... not by far. And I'm not just talking about the Playstation. I'm pointing out everything. TVs (all types), Boom Boxes, Stereoes, MP3 Players, Speakers, Computers, and who knows what ever else they produce. Back in the early 90's yes, they made a quality product, but today they don't. It's just like any other business, they put a quality product out there to get their name known and trusted, but once it's there they learn shortcuts and don't care. Just end up riding their name. Zenith is a prime example of this. In the 80's, they were the TV to have. But today, it's pretty much known it's the cheap TV to have. Why because they took the short cuts on making their product, ended up bitting them in the butt. Is this going to happen to Sony, not any time soon. Because people trust their name, even if they don't understand what crappy pieces of equipment they are buying for an inflated price.

What it boils down too is the average consumer is lazy. They will listen to what other people have to say about a product instead of looking into themselves. How do you think Nintendo got the whole "kiddy" image. It wasn't Nintendo. It was other people. And those same people blindly went out and got the "cool" system once the PSx became popular.

Which brings me to my next point. so much quality in the PS3.... I'm confused on what makes you think that they PS3 is going to have anything other some quality games. If that is what you meant, ok I will agree. But if you meant that the actually PS3 is going to be a quality machine. You are not looking at the past products that Sony has given out. PSx and the PS2. If you want to admit it or not. They were cheaply put together. If it happened to you or not. Those systems still broke down on a more regular bases then Nintendo and Microsoft. From everything that the Machine would freeze up, not reading discs, to scratching discs, to just breaking down all together. Quality and Playstation should never be used in the same sentence. It's like like saying that Nintendo shed their whole "kiddy" image during the GameCube era. It's a lie.

[DarrenMcLeod]

This price has to be too high of an estimate. Maybe it's a marketing ploy to have a price cut before system launch :)

[KillerGremlin]

My Sony Discman rocks. The thing has been through wars and it rarely skips....

But yeah, for the most part, I agree on Sony being a bit shady. I wouldn't buy a sony TV. =/