Is the PS3 doing any better than what it was a couple of years ago?

[atarian63]

Please, they have been everywhere on the net and here at Atariage. Why reiterate a fact gone over here many times. That a big 30Billion dollar hole to try to fill up. It gets a "FAIL".

Which means you have nothing to back it up but M$ bashers and their blogs.

Which means you are too lazy to dig here or google or most any press about Xbox.

There certainly are plenty of reasons to dislike Microshaft. Having been in the industry since 82 I can give you a long list.

In this case is just a bad design(huge failure rate) until very recently.Not innovative as it's just a pc. And well, it's M$.

All this is well documented on the Web, it you can put up with the failures and shortcomings by all means have one. Many do knowing this.

For me I'll decline. I have a Wii and ps3 and like them both.Just boght my 1st ps3 games,looks decent. There is a better selection of what I like on the Wii.

Edited April 7, 2009 by atarian63

[Atarifever]

The PS3 is supposed to be profitable by August btw.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/13741.cfm

PS3 was supposed to be a lot of things by a lot of dates. I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

They will "break even or even make a profit" by August, maybe, if analyst predictions are right. That, of course, assumes they sell at current prices. If they do a price cut to the "barely break even" price, the competition can do the same amount of price dropping, and likely turn a profit even then. Meanwhile, if they still fail to move more systems, they stop getting as many games, which cuts into the profitability of the whole division. At that point even selling the system at break even doesn't do them a whole lot of good. And of course, even then, they have to try to make enough to make back the losses the division has made already.

 

This is not the same as the Gamecube and Wii launching at profitable prices. With the Gamecube, for example, Nintendo made money from every console sold from day one. They also made money licensing even the smaller number of games they got than the competition. Added to that they made a lot of money off their own games on the system (with most of the million sellers being their own). Thus, at every step they were money in, even with low sales.

 

Given that Sony's model is the same as Microsoft's, they need the black ink from licensing to be more than the red ink from hardware. I doubt very much if they will have enough systems on the market in the next year or two no matter what happens to make that kind of licensing money. It'd be like Gillette having three years selling razors at losses, where no one bought blades, and where more people bought razors from another company anyway.

 

Selling the system at a profit means no price cuts, and selling at break even or below means needing more licensing to counteract past and future losses. And dropping the price will almost certainly lead to reactive price cuts from MS and Nintendo, leading to more of those systems sold, and a lower likelihood of Sony coming back far enough to make big money from licensing from third parties.

 

See the bind they're in?

[cimerians]

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=574206

 

Interseting tech comparison made at the above link.

 

Software I've always believed makes a system for me. So.....since I enjoy the PS3 so much its slowly taking over in my world.

 

The 360 still is in front and will probably stay there for a while longer and while my Wii library is the biggest in my house I may never claim it the winner in my book.

 

Its not the amount of software or sales, its what I actually like to play and go back to over and over again.

 

I just cant live with a Wii by itself.

 

I'm not bashing the Wii, I love it especially Homebrew but I just cant live with that being my only system so Im not sure I can ever place it number 1 in my house. Screw the rest of the world.

[gospeedde]

The PS3 is supposed to be profitable by August btw.

http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/13741.cfm

PS3 was supposed to be a lot of things by a lot of dates. I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

They will "break even or even make a profit" by August, maybe, if analyst predictions are right. That, of course, assumes they sell at current prices. If they do a price cut to the "barely break even" price, the competition can do the same amount of price dropping, and likely turn a profit even then. Meanwhile, if they still fail to move more systems, they stop getting as many games, which cuts into the profitability of the whole division. At that point even selling the system at break even doesn't do them a whole lot of good. And of course, even then, they have to try to make enough to make back the losses the division has made already.

 

This is not the same as the Gamecube and Wii launching at profitable prices. With the Gamecube, for example, Nintendo made money from every console sold from day one. They also made money licensing even the smaller number of games they got than the competition. Added to that they made a lot of money off their own games on the system (with most of the million sellers being their own). Thus, at every step they were money in, even with low sales.

 

Given that Sony's model is the same as Microsoft's, they need the black ink from licensing to be more than the red ink from hardware. I doubt very much if they will have enough systems on the market in the next year or two no matter what happens to make that kind of licensing money. It'd be like Gillette having three years selling razors at losses, where no one bought blades, and where more people bought razors from another company anyway.

 

Selling the system at a profit means no price cuts, and selling at break even or below means needing more licensing to counteract past and future losses. And dropping the price will almost certainly lead to reactive price cuts from MS and Nintendo, leading to more of those systems sold, and a lower likelihood of Sony coming back far enough to make big money from licensing from third parties.

 

See the bind they're in?

 

If you look at that article, it was written in April of 2008 so I'm pretty sure they already missed that deadline. Regardless, I'm really enjoying the system, particularly some of the downloadable games like Super Stardust HD and PixelJunk Eden that are only available through their online store. I wonder how much money they are making from the store, and if that will help them hit profitability soon.

[Atarifever]

If you look at that article, it was written in April of 2008 so I'm pretty sure they already missed that deadline. Regardless, I'm really enjoying the system, particularly some of the downloadable games like Super Stardust HD and PixelJunk Eden that are only available through their online store. I wonder how much money they are making from the store, and if that will help them hit profitability soon.

I doubt they'll hit profitability this generation, but they're managing to stay at least more important than the Saturn or Jaguar managed. If you're going to fail, it's better to fail only so much that you can come back in the future at some point. Of course, they had advantages over Sega and Atari, in that they won two generations convincingly before this, and had a good name going in.

[chrisbid]

i think the playstation brand would be best served if sony sold it off or spun it into its own company.

 

convergence killed the psp and ps3, sony crowbarred too many multimedia features into the two platforms, that raised the price points for the machines while diminishing the game playing prowess.

 

a spun off playstation company could keep the focus on games, while giving sony a sweetheart licensing deal with blu-ray discs and sony brand computer components/technologies

 

but im just a lowly consumer that only owns 4 ps3 games

[+swlovinist]

Like above comments state, Sony is pretty much screwed either way. Price drop, they loose profit. No price drop, they loose market share. I agree that maybe a spinoff redesign or relaunch of their game brand may not be a bad idea. As of now for me personally, I enjoy my PS3 for the exclusives, but their future as a driving gaming force will be ended with the PS2 unless they pull their clueless marketing minds out of their arrogant ass.

 

It is pretty amazing how bad the company has botched the last couple of years considering they were the market leader for over a decade. Hopefully they can learn from these mistakes and FIGURE IT THE HECK OUT.

[Reaperman]

in sony's defense, what they've constructed *is* the best playstation ever (by far) and, in my opinion, the best hardware this gen. They have also gotten their heads right about some things--such as analog triggers, universal usb/bluetooth accessories, user-swappable drives, built-in gigabit ethernet and decent wireless.

 

maybe if they cut down their quality, release a flash-storage based system, without wireless, with slower lan, usb joysticks, and threw in an early-release pack-in game (motorstorm maybe). Then they could cut price and let buyers upsell themselves to better units if they want (like xbox did).

 

I think their first mistake, was removing vibration from their controllers at launch. not to mention assuming that america had a use for gigabit ethernet and all the other bells and whistles stuck inside a ps3 and would see $$$ value in them.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Reaperman

[atarian63]

in sony's defense, what they've constructed *is* the best playstation ever (by far) and, in my opinion, the best hardware this gen. They have also gotten their heads right about some things--such as analog triggers, universal usb/bluetooth accessories, user-swappable drives, built-in gigabit ethernet and decent wireless.

 

maybe if they cut down their quality, release a flash-storage based system, without wireless, with slower lan, usb joysticks, and threw in an early-release pack-in game (motorstorm maybe). Then they could cut price and let buyers upsell themselves to better units if they want (like xbox did).

 

I think their first mistake, was removing vibration from their controllers at launch. not to mention assuming that america had a use for gigabit ethernet and all the other bells and whistles stuck inside a ps3 and would see $$$ value in them.

They could give it the C64 treatment with tinfoil RF shield and a high failure rate like xbox..

Yes you are right it is a great system. I am finally using mine and am so far impressed. Kind of a dearth of games I like but a few fun ones, the Wii fills that missing area in just fine. So far i like racing games,Motorstorm, Trying to figure out turock, control reminds me of Halo which I hated for the controls. Needs a good rail shooter!

Overall glad I bought one. On an on topic note, I was at Best Buy today and the PS3 section was fairly busy and so was the Wii. Xbox360 aisle however was empty. I was there about an hour. probably indicates nothing but was just an observation on a busy retail day.

Edited April 11, 2009 by atarian63

[moycon]

I was at Best Buy today and the PS3 section was fairly busy and so was the Wii. Xbox360 aisle however was empty. I was there about an hour. probably indicates nothing but was just an observation on a busy retail day.

 

Based on the sales figures right here in the U.S.A for the past few weeks... it doesn't indicate much.

[Starscream]

I was at Best Buy today and the PS3 section was fairly busy and so was the Wii. Xbox360 aisle however was empty. I was there about an hour. probably indicates nothing but was just an observation on a busy retail day.

 

Based on the sales figures right here in the U.S.A for the past few weeks... it doesn't indicate much.

 

Or maybe it indicates that 360 owners are home enjoying so many great games, while wii owners and PS3 owners are intently looking for something to play

[atarian63]

I was at Best Buy today and the PS3 section was fairly busy and so was the Wii. Xbox360 aisle however was empty. I was there about an hour. probably indicates nothing but was just an observation on a busy retail day.

 

Based on the sales figures right here in the U.S.A for the past few weeks... it doesn't indicate much.

 

Or maybe it indicates that 360 owners are home enjoying so many great games, while wii owners and PS3 owners are intently looking for something to play

Actually the 360 people probably gave up or are awaiting a replacement unit from M$. I see nothing in that library I want. Besides it's just a pc, I have bunch of those already. I don't game on my pc either.

[atarian63]

I was at Best Buy today and the PS3 section was fairly busy and so was the Wii. Xbox360 aisle however was empty. I was there about an hour. probably indicates nothing but was just an observation on a busy retail day.

 

Based on the sales figures right here in the U.S.A for the past few weeks... it doesn't indicate much.

Just lack of interest on a busy retail day.

[moycon]

Just lack of interest on a busy retail day.

 

In one store for a particular 60 minutes in Columbus, Ohio.

Like I said, it doesn't indicate much.

Still...Thanks for sharing atarian63.

Edited April 12, 2009 by moycon

[atarian63]

Just lack of interest on a busy retail day.

 

In one store for a particular 60 minutes in Columbus, Ohio.

Like I said, it doesn't indicate much.

Still...Thanks for sharing atarian63.

You are probably right. On the other hand I have a buddy who owns 2 video game stores here in the columbus area. One is south of town and mostly sell and trades 360 stuff. He has the other store in a more affluent area and gets more of a family type of customer. You know. Mom's and young kids and Exec males. That sore does Mostly Wii and PS3 and hardly any 360.

Just weird retail stuff. I am sure the companies know who their customers are.

 

Thanks Moycon!

Edited April 12, 2009 by atarian63

[moycon]

You are probably right.

 

I dunno we'll see I guess. When they become available, just check the sales figures for this past week to find out if it indicated much.

[JamesD]

On recent videogame hunts in the wild (AKA shopping) I observed:

WalMart - Wii shoppers... lots of browsing, no buying. A couple people casually looking at 360 stuff.

Target - a couple Wii shoppers, PS2 and handhelds

BestBuy - a handful of 360 shoppers, nothing else

 

And if you come in an hour later it could be a dozen PS3 shoppers and nothing else.

It proves nothing. Sales numbers are much more reliable than a random sample in a given store.

[Gabriel]

Why though? I've heard people that state similar claims, but give no reason as to why.

 

Because everything is better in Japan.

[tisaperfectdayelise]

I'm starting to feel that press attention has been Sony's biggest enemy in this war. Let me vent for a moment....

 

The press seem to lash out at Sony for its high price point. These are the same individuals that bash the Xbox for hardware failure and the Wii for its graphical inferiority. Sony could have released a crippled system, or one that isn't technologically superior at a lower price-point. Instead, they released what the gaming community begged for. Somehow, though, they're the whipping boy-- realistically, all because of price.

 

So, what is it people? You want quality, but don't want to pay for it? I suppose evidence of this is the fact that stores like Wal-Mart even exist.

 

I digress

 

[+swlovinist]

I'm starting to feel that press attention has been Sony's biggest enemy in this war. Let me vent for a moment....

 

The press seem to lash out at Sony for its high price point. These are the same individuals that bash the Xbox for hardware failure and the Wii for its graphical inferiority. Sony could have released a crippled system, or one that isn't technologically superior at a lower price-point. Instead, they released what the gaming community begged for. Somehow, though, they're the whipping boy-- realistically, all because of price.

 

So, what is it people? You want quality, but don't want to pay for it? I suppose evidence of this is the fact that stores like Wal-Mart even exist.

 

I digress

 

 

First of all, I want to state that I am a PS3 owner and the below statements are reflective of the current PS3 models offered. I have to whole heartedly disagree with you respectively For me, Sony DID release a CRIPPLED SYSTEM for playing what should have been their number one priority....games.

 

When it comes down to it, I think what people want is an affordable game machine with a wide selection of games. Sony has done that brilliantly with the PS1 and PS2. They marketed to the masses, had a huge selection of games, and more importantly...had VERY competitive prices. Their marketing was AWSOME. They were competitve with price, and offered value gaming. I dont blame the media for poo pooing the PS3, the PS3 was judged by what it offered. While there are some awsome exclusives, they are but a ghost of what previous systems offered by them. Go to any local game store. The library of the PS3 is the smallest, and mostly consists of many ports that the 360 offered as well. Online, while free, is about 1/4 the population of the 360. Also, not offering a headset and at least component cables in the box is FRIGGIN LAME. That is not quality, that is stupidity. Playing online Free is great, but when only a dozen of games are populated densely, the whole free game playing gets thrown out the window. They offered a machine that did everything but the obvious(cough cough taking out BC for one of the greatest system libraries ever). Their current library is about half of the 360. In the end it got judged for what it is. An everything player that does everything but play some of your favorite video games. Oh yeah, and it is $150 more. Also, dont even have me start with the worst marketing of a game system ever. The commercials were strange and disconnecting.

 

I know, long rant, but in the end...it is Sony who is making all the mistakes. Not the media, not the 360 or Wii fanboys. I absolutely LOVE the PS2 and PS1. Over time, I have been playing mostly those games...not my PS3 games.

[Mendon]

I own all three current systems. I enjoy my PS3 fully and it is my gaming platform of choice.

 

But I think Sony may have made some mistakes by "forcing" people to take features/options that they may not really care to pay for, such as Blu-ray or WiFi, if they wanted to own the system. I compare it, somewhat, to purchasing a car:

 

A BMW may be a great, great car with a lot of comfort and a ton of features. But not everyone needs or wants or can afford those features. Let the consumer decide whether they want to pay for a GPS or camera display for backing up or be Blue Tooth equipped or have OnStar or a 6 CD changer or built in XM/Sirious radio, etc etc etc.

 

The ideal world would have everyone able to purchase a base system that plays any software released and then the ability to add to that system only the features they want.

 

But dealing with a variety of system configurations has its own downside, as MS found out with XboxLive as some consoles having a HD and some consoles not presented problems with Arcade game releases.

 

Of course, if I was a marketing genius I would be rich and retired in the Bahama's right now.

 

 

Mendon