Both Sides of the PS3 Price Cut Rumor

So here's the deal: Kotaku has a flier for an upcoming Circuit City deal on the PlayStation 3, putting the price at $499. There's some confusion about whether this is just a sale from Circuit City, or an actual price drop from Sony. Next Generation has Sony saying 'no', indicating that this isn't a sign of an across-the-board price cut. Meanwhile, GameDaily says 'yes', with sources in the retail industry indicating this is the price adjustment we've heard coming for a while now. "As it turns out, a merchandising manager (who wished to remain anonymous) at one of the world's biggest retailers has confirmed to GameDaily BIZ that the price drop is indeed retail-wide and it's scheduled to take place on July 12, although the first wave of ads to promote the PS3's new price won't kick in until Sunday, July 15. Many analysts have speculated that Sony would drop the price on the expensive console this year, and some even predicted that it could happen this summer. It's starting to look like they were right. We're sure to find out much more next week when Sony holds its press conference at E3." Luckily we won't have to wait long to see what's the real story here.

$499

[penp]

Still way more than I will pay for bare bones console.

Sadly, I could probably double the performance of my PC for that price.

Re:

[soccerace09]

The current price of the 20 Gb PS3 is $499. So if this is a price cut, it would be down $100 to make the 60 Gb $499. While it still may be more than the 360, it's hardly what I would call a "bare bone" console.

Re:

[Sciros]

Well... unless you really care about Blu-Ray movies (which IMO are way overpriced), by the time you pick up a game ($60), an extra controller, whatever other accessories (maybe component cables?), and factor in the tax on all this stuff, you end up paying $650 or more. When more must-have PS3-exclusive games come out (or Blu-Ray films become anywhere near a sensible purchase), the PS3 will become an ok purchase, but until then it seems a bit pricey.

The 360 isn't necessarily that much more bang for the buck

Re:$499

[Jeff DeMaagd]

Well... unless you really care about Blu-Ray movies (which IMO are way overpriced)

Not really, unless you mean to say that any money more than the DVD is "overpriced". For most of the new movies I looked at, the Blu-Ray version is $5 more than the DVD version. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD discs aren't any more expensive than in the first few years of DVD, so I really don't think the pricing is unfair.

Besides, you can get Blu-Ray and HD-DVD movies from Netflix for no extra cost.

I don't regret the purchase at all.

Re:$499

[Sciros]

The Netflix thing is a good point, although I tend to buy rather than rent because I'm a big moviegoer. But in terms of price, I tend to see Blu-Ray at $25-$30, with the $25 ones being bad Adam Sandler films or something. I buy DVDs at prices in the $10-$15 range usually. The only pricey ones I sometimes get are anime ones, which I'm always like "grumble grumble" about grabbing off the shelf. And if someone were to tell me that anime DVDs are overpriced, I'd say "ABSOLUTELY!"

Re:

[Jeff DeMaagd]

Are the $10-15 prices for a _new_ DVD release? That's what I mean, which is often about $20. $25-$30 is about what DVDs costed in the early days, and the HD movies I've seen are far better at the same price.

The anime DVDs are a little expensive the first time around, I really haven't been buying them until they get collected into a set. I don't blame them for their pricing, the average anime DVD probably doesn't get 1% the sales of a DVD of a US theatrical movie.

Re:

[Sciros]

It depends... if by "new" you mean "the movie was in theaters just a bit ago" then I can often find a copy for $15 for a limited time at Target. Or perhaps randomly discounted at my local grocery provided I have the "loyalty card" on my keychain at the time (got Seinfeld Season 8 for $25 new that way).

But "not-so-new" (by which I mean older movies) DVDs are often in the $10-$15 range just about anywhere, and the "not-so-new" Blu-Rays are still like $25.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Way off topic here, so posting as AC... But yes, there are good Adam Sandler movies:

- Punch Drunk Love http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0272338/ [imdb.com], great romantic comedy.
- Click! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389860/ [imdb.com] will probably make you cry.

Note that in both movies, Adam Sandler is not playing his normal Happy Gilmore / Big Daddy / Mr. Deeds role.

Re:

[Sciros]

Nah mostly it's impulse buys while looking for some game at Best Buy or something, heh. I have indeed been getting stuff online more, especially if it's a series I've committed myself to.

Re:

[ookaze]

Basically as I see it the only current-gen console that is enough *if it's the only one you have* is the 360. The others just don't have enough games to play yet...

What a load of ...
Who are you to say someone doesn't have enough game to play on a console ?
Some people have enough games to play for years on the Wii already. And with the Virtual Console, some have more than they could play in 10 years. So this thing about the 360 only having enough games is nonsense.

Re:

[ivan256]

When they first came out, sure, but now BluRay prices are within a few dollars for the DVD price, and rentals cost the same... If you don't have an HDTV, you'd be nuts to buy a PS3, but if you've got a 1080p set it's totally worth it.

Incidentally, I've bought the system, and 4 games. I've spent $27 on games. The downloadable game selection has kept me plenty entertained, the games are cheap, and unlike on the Wii, they're actually made for the system (they use all the capabilities). And who needs an extra c

Re:

[Sciros]

Well as far as RPGs go, Bioware is still sticking with Xbox so for fans of those games that makes a difference (or, at least, might make up for FFXIII being on PS3...).

As for platformers, until Wii gets Mario Galaxy I'm not sure it's ahead really... 360 has Kameo and hopefully Rare will show us some Banjo 3 in a bit here (but who knows).

For racing, 360 is well ahead with not only better games (PGR, Forza) but the pricey-yet-actually-good Racing Wheel.

Still, I totally agree with your last sentence. I like al

Re:

[ivan256]

Well as far as RPGs go, Bioware is still sticking with Xbox so for fans of those games that makes a difference (or, at least, might make up for FFXIII being on PS3...).

Yeah, I always forget about Bioware because, personally (yes, I'm in a minority with this), I tend to severely dislike their RPGs; Mainly due to their wretched interfaces. Plus they all come out for the PC too.

As for platformers, until Wii gets Mario Galaxy I'm not sure it's ahead really... 360 has Kameo and hopefully Rare will show us som

Re:

[Sciros]

I'm a "racing fan" for sure :-) (well, fan of a LOT of genres, including fighting games which atm I'd go with Xbox for due to DOA4's exclusivity. I LOVE Smash but it's in its own genre for me)

Gran Turismo games as far as "racing fans" are concerned are a bit of a joke compared to Forza. The physics model and racing customization just isn't on the same level. They're more popular because they're Sony games for Sony systems. But the MS Racing Wheel is basically the undisputable trump card. "Pure" racers like

Re:

[Sciros]

A $2-$5 premium over DVDs *at what price*? Here at Best Buy normal DVDs range from $6 to $22 (I tend to buy at or below $15, depending on the movie, most often around $10-$12). Blu-Ray movies are $25-$30, and the "cheap" $25 ones are like "Badder Santa" and other such masterpieces. ...So, it's not "bile" heh.. and when did this become about Windows Vista???

Re:

[penp]

A console with no games and one controller? It's bare bone. What does a 60 Gb hard drive in my console do for me that a 20 Gb one doesn't? Better yet, what does all that extra space do that having the extra space on my PC wouldn't?

Last I checked, 60Gb hard drives weren't $100 more than 20Gb hard drives.

Re:

[eln]

I'm not sure what you mean by "half a remote". The Wii comes with the remote and the nunchuck attachment, which is enough to play all Wii (meaning made for the Wii, not GC or VC) games. The Virtual Console controller is only needed to play a small subset of VC games, so it really should be considered an add-on rather than part of the standard controller.

Re:

[CashCarSTAR]

ERrrr..no

There's only one Wii SKU in North America, and it comes with the console, remote+nunchuk and WiiSports.

Re:

[typobox43]

Depends on your region. The only available package for the Wii in North America to this point includes Wii Sports, a remote, and a nunchuck. This is not a special "bundle" package; it's the only package available.

Re:

[eln]

That is not true. As the previous poster stated, the Wii comes with Wii Sports, a wiimote, and a nunchuck. I did not buy mine as part of a bundle, and that's what I got. All of that stuff comes in the box with the Wii itself.

Re:

[IpalindromeI]

Do you have a Wii? I've owned two. They come with a nunchuck and a game, at least in the US. I think in Japan they don't come with Wii Sports, but they still get the nunchuck. In the US, there is no way to buy the console "by itself" without a nunchuck.

Re:

[7Prime]

Unless you're in Japan... no. Nintendo is doing a universal bundle all around. They didn't want to do the same thing as with the SNES, where there were 50 different bundles to choose from. Outside of Japan (which doesn't get the Nunchuck), ALL systems come with Wii Sports, a Wiimote, and a Nunchuck. It's even pointless calling it a "bundle", since it's the most basic way you can purchase it.

Wii comes with Remote + Nunchuck

[LordZardoz]

The Wii comes with a Remote + the Nunchuck, unless something has changed since I purchased mine near launch. Wii Sports boxing game requires the Nunchuck.

END COMMUNICATION

Re:

[IpalindromeI]

Yes, it does come with a nunchuck. What is wrong with you people?

Re:

[Orange Crush]

No, it doesn't come with the Nunchuk. You're mis-remembering.

Incorrect. The console ships with one Wii remote, one nunchuck, a sensor bar, a power adapter, an AV cable, Wii Sports, two AA batteries, a console stand, a plastic stabilizer for the console stand, and a stand for the sensor bar (along with the usual assortment of manuals, warranty registration info, packing materials and etc).

Perhaps you're confused by standalone Wii remotes which do not include the nunchuck.

Re:

[Khaed]

I just got mine a month ago. I have only purchased one thing other than wii points cards since getting it, and that was Zelda.

I have a nunchuk. It came with the system.

Re:

[poot_rootbeer]

While it still may be more than the 360, it's hardly what I would call a "bare bone" console.

How many games come with it? Controllers? Accessories? HDMI cables?

Re:

[ZakuSage]

Much as I want a PS3 to play MGS4 eventually, I completely agree. I recently spent $150 on a new graphics card for my PC that, while not particularly amazing, allows me to play all the great games I've missed out on over the last few years and some of the games to come in the future (plays Lost Planet decently, hopefully DMC4 and UT3 will work OK). All of the consoles currently available, IMO, are a waste of money for what you're getting (PS3 for the high price alone; 360 for the seemingly rampant hardware

Re:

[DrXym]

Still way more than I will pay for bare bones console.

Now how about for a console with Blu Ray, DVD, CD, SACD playback, streaming video & audio, H264 video, AAC, MP3, WMA audio, an integrated web browser, wifi, gigabit LAN, bluetooth, USB connectivity, a 60Gb hard disk, HDMI 1.3 output, wirelesss controllers, free online network support, integrated store, web browser, chat & messaging, ability to run Linux and doubtless many other things? AND it is a kickass games console.

I might buy at that price....

[Fallen Kell]

I really might consider buying at that price, if only for the BluRay. Hell, I paid $1000 for my DVD player!!! I think I can pay $500 for a BluRay player and a console in one.

Hell, I paid $1000 for my DVD player!!!

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

Hell, I paid $1000 for my DVD player!!!

Really? Want to buy another one? In fact, I think I can get you all the DVD players you want at that price...

Re:

[Nick of NSTime]

I paid $5000 for my DVD player [mcintoshlabs.com].

Re:

[LighterShadeOfBlack]

I really might consider buying at that price, if only for the BluRay. Hell, I paid $1000 for my DVD player!!! I think I can pay $500 for a BluRay player and a console in one.

But a few years later you could buy a fully-spec'd multi-region DVD player for $50. Plus DVDs are already being phased out in favour of a new technology, making your investment overpriced and shortlived. And yet here you are about to do the same thing all over again. It seems you just don't learn.

Re:

[Gospodin]

Plus DVDs are already being phased out in favour of a new technology....

Er... they are? Which technology is that?

Re:

[LighterShadeOfBlack]

... Blu-Ray and/or HD-DVD.

Is this the part where you tell me that DVDs will be around for ages? I doubt it. Almost all TVs produced now are HD-capable, give it 2 years for the players to go down in price and maybe another year for people to buy them and I'll bet you any money that one or both formats will be outselling DVD.

The conversion from DVD to HD formats won't be as slow as VHS to DVD was. The fact that there is a format war just means that both parties are pushing harder than ever to get their format

Re:I might buy at that price....

[michrech]

Is this the part where you tell me that DVDs will be around for ages? I doubt it. Almost all TVs produced now are HD-capable, give it 2 years for the players to go down in price and maybe another year for people to buy them and I'll bet you any money that one or both formats will be outselling DVD.

I'm here to tell you that the 25" CRT I bought about 6 years ago is going along just fine. I'm also here to guarantee you that it will NOT be replaced, no matter how much Blue Ray/HD-DVD players and HDTV's drop in price, until my current TV dies, or the signals being sent to it from Dish Network and my DVD player quit working with it.

That being said, adding the fact that I am not alone in the US (let alone the rest of the world) in this line of thought, DVD's will, in fact, be around for a while. If they are not, then the movie studios are going to notice a sudden drop in revenue as people such as myself forgo purchasing ANY media and get it via the internet instead (legally or not).

Re:

[Ant P.]

My 10-12 year old VCR is still working fine. Strangely the 2 year old DVD player and satellite TV aren't; I can't skip the ads on the DVD player and I can't find anything in 200 channels that isn't an ad...

Re:

[Gospodin]

Or, people will realize that there isn't that much difference in quality between HD content and regular DVD content and it'll never catch on. We simply don't know yet. But it's too soon to say that DVDs are "fading away." The alternate has only been around a matter of months.

Consider the enormous advantages the CD had over cassette tape - but how long did it take before tape was dead? A lot more than 2 years. And HD just doesn't have those advantages over DVD.

Re:

[LighterShadeOfBlack]

Bear in mind my original point was never to say that DVDs were already fading away or that they would completely disappear immediately, it was that the DVD is no longer the technological pinnacle of consumer-grade media and that the price of early adoption that the GGGGetc.P was talking about didn't buy all that long a time at the top of the technological pile. Will he still be able to watch DVDs with it? Of course. Will DVDs still be available for the forseeable future? Sure. But he's now about to shell ou

Re:

[michrech]

To contrast your existence, I, on the other hand, am planning to buy a 52" lcd with 1080p. I also wonder if you really watch any TV, if you do, how can you stand your 25" tiny box and be so proud about it?

How nice for you. If I so desired, I could do the same. I'd rather put the money into my house. While I don't watch TV from 17:30 (when I get home from work) to 23:00-ish (when I go to bed), I do watch a good amount (WWE, The Powerblock (on Spike), Gearz, Holms on Homes (and shows like it), and quite a bit on Comedy Central (especially The Daily Show)). There is probably 30+ hours on my DVR right now (Dish 622, or 625, I forget the model number, but it's a two tuner, two TV 100hour DVR) waiting for me

Re:

[Achoi77]

But a few years later you could buy a fully-spec'd multi-region DVD player for $50. Plus DVDs are already being phased out in favour of a new technology, making your investment overpriced and shortlived. And yet here you are about to do the same thing all over again. It seems you just don't learn.

Huh?

Are you saying he should wait a few more years for blu-ray players to lower their costs to around 50 dollars, at a point where BRDVD are going to be phased out in favour of a new technology?

Would it be deeme

Re:

[Achoi77]

I bought a ps3 back in January, mostly for Blu-ray. If you get a chance, try and get the Planet Earth documentary - absolutely stunning. I also bought a dvd copy of Planet Earth for my coworker, and while it still looks good - it's true: you really can't go back once you go HD.

I'm sure the console is nice too :-) In all seriousness, my friends have been coming over, downloading demos like Gran Tourismo and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, and they do indeed look very pretty, I just haven't been interested in playing an

Re:

[CorSci81]

You know, on average (at least on BestBuy.com and Amazon.com) HD-DVD players are about $200-500 whereas Blu Ray players are generally in the $400-600 range. Or you can plunk down $1000 and have the dual format player. And Planet Earth is also in HD-DVD. But it's nice your player also could play games if you wanted ;)

Planet Earth HD = Win.

[trdrstv]

I bought a ps3 back in January, mostly for Blu-ray. If you get a chance, try and get the Planet Earth documentary - absolutely stunning. I also bought a dvd copy of Planet Earth for my coworker, and while it still looks good - it's true: you really can't go back once you go HD.

Ok, I must agree with "Planet Earth". I got it as an HD DVD and it is positively stunning. Really the perfect HD Demo DVD... I have a 360 with the HD DVD player, and VGA cables. Though it is not as impressive as 1080 native, the u

Nice, but not enough

[ShadowsHawk]

I bought a Wii and a DS:Lite on a whim, but $500 is simply too much. I'll consider it when it is around $300.

Re:

[ThePiMan2003]

Wow you really think highly of yourself. There is a LOT more to a video game console than how it will look on your TV no matter what the price. The Wii is simply FUN. Its about the games. If all you care about is how it looks than enjoy your PS3, I prefer a system that I can actually sit down at with my wife and play games on.

Re:Nice, but not enough

[doombringerltx]

Chilli-cheese dogs taste better than caviar and the wii is more fun PS3. Money isn't everything

Re:

[hibiki_r]

Oh, so the rest of us with bigger, better setups that are playing the Wii are just wrong. After all, there is a law against having a 4K+ entertainment center and using a component input to play the Wii. I guess I'm breaking the law.

You are right on one point though: The PS3 and the Wii are not comparable products: One is a console with a bunch of good games, the other is a bad Blu-ray player that has an anemic game library. That's why one is selling well, and the other is tanking. Metal Gear, Final Fantasy,

Re:

[ShadowsHawk]

1. The Wii and the PS3 are simply not comparable products

You're right. One is fun and the other is over priced.

2. the sales history for them is irrelevant.

You're a troll. Sony got cocky and Nintendo is kicking their ass for losing sight of the consumers demands.

3. For someone like myself who has a nice 46" LCD... $2000 television.

Your LCD looks like shit compared to my 43" Pioneer Elite. I love watching DiscoveryHD and various other channels. I do not however, need it for gaming. I have a PC that is mo

Re:Nice, but not enough

[AdmiralWeirdbeard]

Money does not determine a persons worth and it certainly will not make them happy.

yes, hi, Homeland Security? I found one of the terrorists. see above.

Just as an aside

[SuiteSisterMary]

You're a troll. Sony got cocky and Nintendo is kicking their ass for losing sight of the consumers demands.

1970s: Arcades got cocky, and Atari is kicking their ass for losing sight of the consumer's demands.
1980s: Atari got cocky, and Nintendo is kicking their ass for losing sight of the consumer's demands.
1990s: Nintendo got cocky, and Sony is kicking their ass for losing sight of the consumer's demands.
2000s: Sony got cocky, and Microsoft is kicking their ass for losing sight of the consumer's demands.

Re:

[absorbr]

you're sort of correct... the irony is that most if not all of the high end tv's have some kind of input lag. Even my 70XBR2 has 40-50 ms lag when using the HDMI input. All digital! I gave up with PC->TV for playing games. It's not even worth trying with a mouse-controlled fps'er.. I guess with a console you're limited from the get-go, controller wise, so it might work. I just decided that the next large purchase I make for entertainment will be for one of those 30" 2560x.... monitors. The TV just

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Dual-promotions...

[Rayonic]

Then again, Sony will probably just release an ad with a monkey in a diaper

Interesting. Usually ad execs don't star in their own commercials.

Re:

[adisakp]

On the more serious side, a couple weeks ago Best Buy had a promotion where if you bought one of several Sony 1080P TVs (like their nice $2,000 42" LCD) and a couple PS3 games with a PS3, they knocked $600 off the package price, effectively giving you a PS3 for free. If I didn't already have a PS3 and a LCD TV, I would have considered dropping the dough.

Wii

[Selfbain]

Now Nintendo will only be beating them 5 to 1 instead of 6 to 1.

Re:Wii

[Rayonic]

And Toyotas sell 5 times as many units as Lexus. Who cares?

Well, both Toyotas and Lexuses use the same gasoline. If fuel was brand-specific, Lexus owners might be SOL.

/car analogies ftw!

Re:Wii

[AdmiralWeirdbeard]

AFAIK, they're also the same company...

Obligatory

[coop247]

Figures, I just bought one a week ago. My sacrifice is for the good of the people.

Re:

[ShadowsHawk]

Most stores have a price match guarantee. I'm pretty sure Best Buy will refund you the difference if the sale is within a week or two.

probably not a sale

[SolusSD]

I sued to work electronics retail (best buy.. ughh), anyway- there is NO markup on game consoles, places like best buy and circuit city make their money by selling games, services, and accessories for the consoles. I highly doubt circuit city is willing to take a >$100 hit on each ps3.

Re:

[SolusSD]

edit:: > use to work

Re:probably not a sale

[KingSkippus]

I like your original version better. I figured you must have really wanted in the industry to go to such great lengths. :-D

Great Price

[Dr Kool, PhD]

It's hard to justify buying an Xbox 360 if Sony does cut their prices. There's so much more you get with the PS3 including HDMI, Blu-Ray drive for movies AND games, built in WiFi, free online forever, soon to be free MMO (Home), and HDMI. Looks like Microsoft may have to cut their own prices to compete.

Re:

[brunes69]

But for $499 (assuming you buy online) you can get an Xbox 360 pro bundle with 4 games, PLUS the HD-DVD add on drive. Makes them quite comparable IMO.

Re:

[Anthony Baby]

I'm not sure. I own a PS3. With the latest firmware, the PS3 gives me upscaling DVD and PS2 support as well as H.264 High Profile. I just encoded some video H.264/AAC and it looks and sounds awesome... but that's all I have been doing lately, video experiments. I am certainly using the PS3 as Sony intended since I am taking advantage of all of the PS3's features. However, at hundreds less, I own an Oppo reference deck that blows away most high end video components, including the PS3. Blu-Ray is nice, but at

$500 is a steal, why are people being so difficult

[Paradox]

I know Sony hating has been popular on slashdot, and I like to try and separate this from the PS3. I've got years of good karma banked, so I'm going to spend 5 minutes making a list of what my PS3 does, for its price.

• Plays PS3 games
• Plays Blu-Ray discs.
• Upconverting (1080i) DVD player
• Cross platform (Win/Mac/Linux) streaming media player (H.264, MPEG2,Many AVI-contained formats)
• Local media player (variety of flash memory cards and external hard drives)
• Can browse the internet w/ flash support
• Can access sonys (admitted lackluster, but definitely there) Online Store.
  
  • Sonys online store deals in real money, not points (which are only bought in increments which do not divide evenly into common prices).
  • Sonys online store offers PSP content if you have one (more and more people do, they are becoming quite common now)
• Plays a variety of farily good online content, with feature titles including Calling All Cars and the recent Super Stardust HD.
• Can play most PS2 games with excellent upscaling (looks great) (nearly all games with non-UK release)
• Can play most PS1 games (non-UK release) (upconversion to 480p, looks about as good as youd expect from such old tech)
• Uses standard bluetooth and USB for all peripherals. You can use your existing bluetooth headset.
• It can run linux. It cannot access the video hardware, but thats boring anyways. The Cell processor is far more exciting.
• 802.11b/g right out of the box. No external adaptor required.
• While PS3 failure is not unheard of, the box has an unquestionably better reliability rate than the Xbox 360, its major competitor.

To get an Xbox 360 that is feature competitive (elite or not), you're going to be paying within $50 of the price of the current PS3. And even then, the Xbox 360 is far less cross-platform friendly, using nonstandard technology for its media streaming and peripherals. And you'll need to spend extra money for a HD-DVD box (if that's your thing). If you're considering buying a traditional game console, the PS3 is very competitive to the XBox 360 (especially so given the troubling reliability issues with the 360, I myself am on my third which refuses to play Gears of War!)

In comparison to the Wii, I advise you go for the Wii first unless you have a big PS2 game selection, in which case the PS3 will probably be a better value. The Wii and PS3 are both game systems, but the Wii is the interesting bargain product and the PS3 is the luxury product. This is not a representation of Wii dominance, it's a representation of supply/demand economics and how they interact with MSRPs. For many people, the Wii is a lever to get gaming into homes that aren't otherwise receptive to it. That's awesome, it's the tide that raises all the boats, and no one can deny the Wii is an interesting an innovative console. I like it, I waited overnight for mine, I endorse it.

But right now, the Wii isn't much more atttractive a platform than the PS3, if you get fair about the comparison. It's only got three really great titles (WiiPlay, Zelda and Paper Mario) and a release schedule that's nearly as lackluster as the PS3's. It's got a lot of development difficulty (instead of wrangling the cell, you're designing for a completely new and somewhat alien control system that requires a lot of realtime analysis of multiple data streams).

I totally understand waiting on buying a PS3. The platform only has a few really great titles right now (Motorstorm and recently the revised Ninja Gaiden Sigma), so it's entirely reasonable to wait. But to say that this $100 price drop doesn't make it competitive is just absurd and it's hater-aide. Don't buy into the anti-hype surrounding the platform.

Disclosure: I own all 3 consoles, a high def television. I am a supporter of Blu-ray as a recordable data standard. My Wii has stayed quiet since I beat Paper Mario, my Xbox 360 (2rd replacement) has just shown hardware defects and I'm told to send it in again. I do not work or take money from any video game company or Sony. I run both mac and linux boxes in my home, so an open media streaming capability is important to me.

Re:$500 is a steal, why are people being so diffic

[Bluesman]

>Upconverting (1080i) DVD player

Huh? My PS3 doesn't do this.

Re:

[Paradox]

Unless you've been stalling a system update, it sure does. Run a DVD and have your tv show the output signal.

The PS3 is _slightly_ better than my TV's built in scaler for going from 480->1080, so I'm using it for now.

Re:$500 is a steal, why are people being so diffic

[Dr Kool, PhD]

Update your firmware to 1.80 or higher. PS3 didn't ship with upconverting working, but it was released in the update a few weeks ago.

Re:$500 is a steal, why are people being so diffic

[antime]

I would assume that with a price drop Sony would switch to the EE-less PS3 everywhere, meaning backwards compatiblity takes a hit.

Re:$500 is a steal, why are people being so diffic

[The One and Only]

• Upconverting (1080i) DVD player
• Cross platform (Win/Mac/Linux) streaming media player (H.264, MPEG2,Many AVI-contained formats)
• Local media player (variety of flash memory cards and external hard drives)
• Can browse the internet w/ flash support
• Plays a variety of farily good online content, with feature titles including Calling All Cars and the recent Super Stardust HD.
• Uses standard bluetooth and USB for all peripherals. You can use your existing bluetooth headset.
• It can run linux. It cannot access the video hardware, but thats boring anyways. The Cell processor is far more exciting.
• 802.11b/g right out of the box. No external adaptor required.

With the exception of the Cell processor and a different selection of "fairly good online content", I already own something that does all of these things. And unless you're also using your PS3 to post on Slashdot, so do you.

Re:

[Paradox]

With the exception of the Cell processor and a different selection of "fairly good online content", I already own something that does all of these things. And unless you're also using your PS3 to post on Slashdot, so do you.

Well, snarkily I note you left the online store content in there. But...

Most computers are busy doing other things, and make . If you've got a media PC already hooked up, great for you. Don't get a PS3. I am not trying to tell you that you should buy a PS3. I am just saying that a $500 p

Re:

[The One and Only]

By "eject can" I don't mean it would actually throw the can at you. You would still have to get up and walk to the PS3 to get the can. And then after two beers, you have to reload the PS3 from your fridge again.

Re:

[xero314]

With the exception of the Cell processor and a different selection of "fairly good online content", I already own something that does all of these things. And unless you're also using your PS3 to post on Slashdot, so do you.

You are correct that most of us already own a machine capable of doing some of what you listed (posting on slashdot does not require a DVD drive, Memory card reader, bluetooth, usb or wifi), but that many of us don't like to use or computers as entertainment hubs. For someone like be that has no desktop box and uses laptops exclusively having a fixed box entertainment hub is a good thing, and having one that does all of the items you listed is even better. This would also add another fully functional com

Re:

[xero314]

I have a mobile entertainment hub

So if you don't want to paly PS3 games or have a library of PS2 games already then the PS3 is not for you, I won't argue with that. But the fact that you already have all these things does not make the PS3 any less of a good value. I mean if they sold Ferrari's for 10k would you say it's not a good value because you already have a car that does everything the a Ferrari does except it's speed? You might, but I think you would be in a serious minority.

For $600, I can get a computer that can run...

With the exception of multi-booting multiple operatin

Re:

[Calculust]

Yeah, it's called a modded Xbox.

Re:$500 is a steal, why are people being so diffic

[poot_rootbeer]

To get an Xbox 360 that is feature competitive (elite or not), you're going to be paying within $50 of the price of the current PS3.

True -- but that only matters if you actually WANT all of the features that the PS3 has. It's not a cogent comparison for those of us that don't care a whit about running Linux or downloading PSP content.

And you'll need to spend extra money for a [Xbox 360] HD-DVD box (if that's your thing).

And it it's not your thing, you don't have to pay for it! I can't argue that the PS3's

Re:

[Paradox]

If you have a big PS2 game selection, you probably own a PS2 console already. And if you don't, you can buy one for 1/4 the price of a PS3. It's not a very persuasive selling point for the PS3.

On this I disagree. The up-conversion makes PS2 games bearable on high definition displays. I couldn't finish Valkyrie Profile 2 because it felt like it was sawing my eyes. Once the PS3 started upscaling that, I could play it without distress. Since a lot of new games are coming out for the PS2 still, having a backwar

Re:

[DdJ]

The up-conversion makes PS2 games bearable on high definition displays.

That's a somewhat compelling argument for both of the people I know who have high definition displays. Not so much for me. Not so much for almost every one of my friends.

If I get a PS3, I will do nothing with it but play PS1, PS2, and PS3 games on an ordinary analog NTSC television set. It's just crazy expensive for that, right now. I'll think about it once it drops below $300 or so.

Re:$500 is a steal, why are people being so diffic

[SparkyFlooner]

When I think about getting a game console, I'm only thinking about games.

I honestly don't care one flip about all the 'extra' stuff the PS3 can do, and I'd bet most everyone else is the same way. It can run linux? Ok. Then what? My Wii can edit images. I'll never use it.

Using your argument, they could've included a 3D holographic image generator that would project famous paintings on your wall for an extra $1000, and you shouldn't complain about the price because it's another thing it can do.

I honestly

Re:

[Paradox]

When I think about getting a game console, I'm only thinking about games.

I was in the lucky position of buying the PS3 as I was building my home entertainment system. In this capacity, I saved a metric ass-ton of money. The PS3 was so crazily cheap compared to the morass of equipment to provide its functionality that it wasn't even a contest.

The PS3 is a bad deal right now, and I'm not sure it will recover past the point where it's actually worth it to have it AND my 360. And with no games I'm certainly not

Re:

[Osty]

Xbox 360 upscales DVDs and video files/streams to 1080i just great.

Only if you use the VGA cable. There's no upscaling on the standard component connection. Not sure about the Elite's HDMI connection.

It is very unfortunate that it only support streaming from Windows based computers, but that's a side effect of it being made by Microsoft.

Not so. The Xbox 360 acts as a standard UPnP streaming media consumer. Any software that can stream music or videos to a UPnP media client can feed the 360. In

Gee, who to believe

[Sarusa]

Gee, it's so hard to know who to believe here. Major retailers like Best Buy, Circuit City, Target, Sears who have even printed up fliers to perpetuate this fraud on poor Sony, or the unthinkable... that Sony is lying to us yet again.

Honestly, Sony, this is just next week. Whatever the minor statute of limitations on being arrogant lying sacks of crap is, it is definitely more than 7 days.

Good for the PS crowd

[jshriverWVU]

But I'm very happy with my Wii. The only other system out that I'd consider buying would be a 360, only because there are few games on it that aren't on any other system. (Dead Rising, etc). Even then unless you have a HDTV it's kinda pointless.

I wonder if this is being done to get rid of excess inventory. When it came out there was a flood of early adopters and people buying JUST for resale on ebay. Now that it's not the hit it was supposed to be, stores are flooded with excess inventory. Simple economi

The Real Reason to Get a PS3

[Plekto]

Okay, a few, actually.

- The PS3 has a Blu-Ray player, which is going to win the format wars for the following reasons:
A:The major rental outlets all recently went with it. Buying is silly - but renting for $3-4(same price) is slick - hi-def and you can essentially toss your DVD player.
B:Larger capacity.
C:The only somewhat affordable burners for PCs that are available are Blu-Ray. I can buy Blu-Ray blank media at Best Buy and other outlets. Not so with HD-DVD.
D:Every major studio except for two have gone

Re:...zzz...Is it less than $200 yet? No?...zzz...

[twistedsymphony]

while I don't think it needs to be THAT cheap to be a success they already had a $500 price point that they ditched. IMO the extra 40GB of hard drive space (for a hard drive that you can swap out yourself with an off the shelf part) and built in WiFi wasn't really worth the extra $100 they were charging for the premium unit anyway.

If there was anyone with $500 in their pocket who wanted a PS3 they probably would have bought the 20GB model when it was still available, I'm pretty sure you can still find them lingering around stores today too.

If they want to be competitive they have to match the 360's price point... unfortunately I think if anything this price drop will cause Microsoft to follow suit, they've been hinting at a price drop [thoughthead.com] for quite some time as well.

Re:

[ivan256]

I'm pretty sure you can still find them lingering around stores today too.

Good luck with that. A week after release they were all sold, and they never really shipped any more. I saw one at target once before Christmas.

Re:

[Aladrin]

You can probably find used ones, though. I managed to snag one for $250 including an add-on fan, game, and game guide because the guy had upgraded to a 60gb model and couldn't find -anyone- that would buy the old one off of him. From what I can tell it was hardly used, as it only have a half-dozen games saves for a total of 4 games. (Not that it's a great metric, with as few games as are out yet.)

Re:

[7Prime]

You do realize that the stripped down version, practically doesn't exist? They made a few (very few), and put them out on the shelves at launch, JUST so that people would start quoting the $500 price point as the minimum... when they go to the store, though, they only see the $600 units, and most of the time, they just bite the bullet.

It was a decent business strategy. But no, the $500 PS3 was kind of a red hearring.

Is there a term for products like this? I'm sure there is... ya know, something that is put

Re:

[el_gordo101]

Is there a term for products like this? I'm sure there is... ya know, something that is put out in very small supply, just so that a company can claim it exists?

It's called bait and switch [wikipedia.org]. Advertise a low-price item and then try to up-sell the consumer to a more expensive one when they come into the shop.

Re:...zzz...Is it less than $200 yet? No?...zzz...

[eln]

I bought the Wii for $250, and I thought that was a pretty good price. For the PS3, if they got the 60 GB version down around $400, I'd probably seriously consider buying one. Anything higher than that just isn't going to happen though.

$400 seems fair

[bateleur]

It'll definitely get there, it'll just take a bit longer.

That's the kind of price I'm after too, except that because I'm in the UK I'll either have to import one from the US or wait even longer since for some incomprehensible reason prices are always higher here.

Re:...zzz...Is it less than $200 yet? No?...zzz...

[Rolgar]

Hmm, I haven't had a console since the NES, but when I bought my Wii with Sports and Trauma Center, I basically got a Gamecube, and a limited NES, SNES, TG16 and I have my Wii now. A friend loaned me Prince of Persia, Metriod Prime, and two Zelda disks, and I got a whole lot of gaming for under $400. I'm big on budget gaming, but there is a whole lot of value in having a Nintendo right now. I'll probably continue to focus on Gamecube gaming for a while and add some VC games before I pick up new Wii games next year.

Still waiting for Metroid.

[Night Goat]

I'm getting a lot of use out of my Wii also. The wait for Super Metroid on VC is tough though. I'd settle for any Metroid!
(posting from the Wii)

Re:

[jshriverWVU]

I use to do the same, wait a year till i could pick them up used for 1/2 the price. Problem now adays a lot of the fun game are for online MP. After the first 6months people stop playing. Might be nice to get Quake 4 for $2 but if noone is playing it, it's kinda pointless.

Re:

[Rayonic]

If you wait for the PS3 to come down to a reasonable price, it won't be a very long-term investment at all, seeing as the next-next gen of consoles will be right around the corner.

I suppose you could always be a generation behind, but other people would be playing GTA4 on a much cheaper console in the meantime.

Re:

[Stevecrox]

Hours of fun per pound, I like to have fun most of my activities cost a fair bit by buying a PS3 I figure I'll get the same usage that I have out of my PS2. I can't go rock climbing, pitch 'n putt, Bowling, Cinema, riding, drinking every night of the week and so with my dead time I usually read, buy a DVD or buy some programming reference book to learn a language. My reading rate is extremely fast and a 1000 page book can't be expected to last me more than a couple of hours*, my DVD collection is vast but t

Re:

[karnal]

I nominate you for the "Best Use of the Word Gimped in July 2007" award.

Congratulations!

Re:

[llZENll]

8 discs released in 2007 of 2007 DVD releases. Last I checked There are about 240 (old and new titles) HD-DVDs online, and 260 or so bluray titles on blockbuster online, netflix was about the same as far as my friend with a netflix account could tell.