Rumor: Slim PS3 Announcement Next Tuesday

[biglebowski9999]

Originally Posted by Sledge Hammer!

In the first wave of release, that's true, but no previous console company has taken anywhere near as much as a loss as Sony did with the PS3and remained afloat and still producing units. I mean originally it cost well over twice as much to produce each console as it sold for, that's a big hit to take. And usually after the first year or so of manufacture they are able to find a way to reduce costs, often significantly so, and thus the price of the core console itself also drops. Unfortunately because the PS3 started out costing so incredibly much more to make than it was sold for, even when they did reduce running costs along the way they have never really gotten to a point where reducing the retail cost to a real significant degree for any length of time was all that viable. Also, the companies rely really heavily on the games revenue, but unfortunately the PS3 has under-performed compared against expectations in this arena as well, so Sony never got quite the cash injection that they may have expected from this area either. I mean just compare the sheer amount of games available for the Xbox against the number available for the PS3 and extrapolate against that. And this isn't a bash against the PS3, it has nothing to do with quality, it has to do with total overall games both licensed and sold, both during first release, and later during cut priced re-releases.

The PS3 is a good unit, great in some respects, but it costs a lot, has always cost a lot, and isn't as successful as Sony expected or would like it to be, at least in comparison to what has been spent on it, and thats why any price reduction is going to be tooth and nail to achieve, even if they finally have their manufacturing costs levelled out.

That said, they may just roll the dice and take a shot, in the hopes that a price drop will give it enough of an overall boost to warrant doing so, but I think at casa del Sony it is going to be viewed as a risk regardless of which path they choose to take on this matter. We'll just have to wait and see I guess.

On the flip side, Sony will likely be in a stronger position given this experience for when they roll out their next gen console, as I think they will have learnt a lot from the PS3 situation, production, planning, cost and business wise. As such with the next gen I wouldn't be surprised if they claw back their position over Microsoft again, at least as far as the hardcore gamer market goes. I mean after all, these things are usually quite cyclical as far as each new generation of the old console wars roll out. Now whether they can crack the casual market in the way that Nintendo has done, or if Microsoft can likewise do the same, or if either will even attempt to try, that remains to be seen...

Sony has cut production costs on the PS3 by 70% meaning it now costs them ~$250 USD. There is room for a price cut and it will happen sooner or later. The last time they did one, they were beating 360 sales every single week until MS cut the price of the Arcade unit to $200 which is giving it away. Can't wait to see how desperate they get when Sony cuts the PS3 again. Buy one Get one free sales?

[biglebowski9999]

Originally Posted by Vince-Vell

Ya bu Microsoft has gotten to take a major hit also, not in sales but in returns due to red ring of death. First batch out and then some went to crap.

Few of my friends had to return 5 X360s each due to the ring of death, were as PS3s they own are still running strong.

Damn nintendo rules the market in my eyes, simple system, fun and cost effective. Plus chicks like to play wit the Wii!!!!!

Good point that many people conveinetly forget to mention. MS set aside 1 billion to clean up the RROD mess. The 360 is not nearly as profitable as people think it is.

[Sledge Hammer!]

You know, I've been a gamer all my life, I have either owned, or extensively gamed upon, practically every single console since the Atari 2600 - all the Nintendos, all the Segas, all the Microsofts, all the sony systems, even the Atari Jaguar, but this is why I usually don't bother to talk consoles online, because it always turns to this. Every time. Every discussion. Just once it'd be nice to be able to discuss these matters without it sliding into the predictable "I like this console best, so this is why its better, and thus I will defend it at all costs while pointing out that other consoles suck" malarky. I mean it is so freakin' grade school.

And just for the record, Nintendo is kicking the crap out of both Microsoft and Sony, because they were smart enough to do something different that managed to capture the hugely profitable casual market. Hardcore gamers may not like that little nugget, I'm not a big Wii fan myself particularly, but their dominance is undeniable, and I don't see that changing any time soon, given that they are almost selling as many Wii's and both 360 and PS3 combined.

As of June, the reported total number of units sold worldwide for each was thus:
(note: these figures are based on the official number of units manufactured and sold to retail)

Wii - 52.62 million
Xbox 360 - 31.4 million
PS3 - 23.8 million

When you consider that the original Xbox only sold a little over 24 million units worldwide up until it was withdrawn from sale, compared against the PS2, which to this day is still selling, and has sold a staggering 137.2 million units worldwide, that puts into perspective just how disappointing the PS3's performance has been, sales wise.

Still, whatever. And this wasn't meant as an attack at anyone in particular, I'm just so sick of everything console related always turning into a 'pick yer sides and attack' debate, got sick of that particular roundabout over a decade ago. But then I've never seen any need to be particularly partisan to any one console. Personally I've always thought we should be glad that competition exists, and that the market is so heated and each side challenges the others, otherwise we'd all be paying much higher prices for everything, because if any one side were to ever win the console war then it'd be the consumers who will ultimately lose. In pricing, in choice, in variety, and in the march forward for new and better technological advancements. So yeah, time for me to go. Have fun folks.

[biglebowski9999]

This is hardly a pick your sides and attack debate. Sorry if my comments were construyed as fanboyish but they were mostly facts so I'm not sure what bugged you so much about them.

[snappahead]

Drop that science, Sledge. You're right..it is inevitable, but it doesn't mean you have to sit on the sidelines..rational thinkers are still needed hehe.

This new size thing is only a positive. It's a step in the right direction for Sony and a price cut is almost a certainty. Sony doesn't need the PS3 to "win" this generation's war. They've got the PS2 making them tons of money and their going strong. It's healthy for any industry to alternate the leaders once in a while. Competition only benefits the business and us gamers. Us gamers that are smart enough to not have favorites anyways.

[snappahead]

Originally Posted by biglebowski9999

This is hardly a pick your sides and attack debate. Sorry if my comments were construyed as fanboyish but they were mostly facts so I'm not sure what bugged you so much about them.

I don't think he mentioned you anywhere, mate...though it's interesting that you feel like he did

[biglebowski9999]

Originally Posted by snappahead

I don't think he mentioned you anywhere, mate...though it's interesting that you feel like he did

Yeah yeah, I see he said it's not directed at any one specifically but he made a comment, I replied w/ some info and then it seems the discussion is suddenly a "fanboy war." So I have no choice to assume his comments were directed at me...you don't have to call someone by name to be speaking to or about them.

As far as I can see, the only one being a fanboy was the guy who made the very topical "It's all about XBox360 & XBox Live!" comment.

[snappahead]

Originally Posted by biglebowski9999

Sony has cut production costs on the PS3 by 70% meaning it now costs them ~$250 USD. There is room for a price cut and it will happen sooner or later. The last time they did one, they were beating 360 sales every single week until MS cut the price of the Arcade unit to $200 which is giving it away. Can't wait to see how desperate they get when Sony cuts the PS3 again. Buy one Get one free sales?

I don't know..that sounds a bit fanboyish. I guess hatin on one company isn't necessarily a fanboy thing, but it usually connects to loving another company. Strange but true.

My thing is..I have no interest in what Nintendo is doing. The Wii doesn't do anything for me and they've taken a path that's lost me, so I was hoping for a MS win this cycle with Sony coming in second to keep the feud competition between the two I like going strong. I don't want N to die or anything, but at this point, they've got a different market from MS and Sony. Even MS and Sony don't consider Wii to be a competitor, since it's practically a different demographic now. Just as long as they are making consoles and doing well, I'm happy and we should all be. Hoping for the demise of one of these companies doesn't really serve us as gamers. Monopolies have never been a good thing, so we should all wish for the different companies to survive.

[JM28Cardiff]

I dont care which company "wins" the console war this generation, dont care who sells the most, or what profit (or loss) they make, or which machine has the better tech specs. All I care about is what I like playing, and this generation, its Xbox 360 hands down for me. Xbox live is the difference. Im less inclined to play single player games now, online gaming is what interests me, and its a better overall experience on the 360, for several reasons. Any multi format games, I buy on that platform.

My PS3 gets a good use as a Blu Ray player, and the occasional single format game like Uncharted.

On the price cut thing, all consoles come down at some point, its just a matter of time.

[Bullseye]

For the love of God I post a thread about a possible PS3 slim announcement and we get xbox fan boys wetting their pants worrying about it. Just enjoy your xbox and don't worry about what Sony is doing.