Where the PS3 Stands Now

Phil Harrison and 1up's Luke Smith had a chat about the current positioning of the PlayStation 3, and it makes for some interesting reading. A quietly confident Harrison discusses the future of game distribution online, their attitude towards competition in the console market, and clarifies a few things about the potential for PS3 price cuts. The previous discussion about price cuts was apparently a big misunderstanding. "PH: Well, do you know what [Takao Yuhara] said was, cost reduction, not price drop, and there's a big difference between cost reduction and price drop. So, that I believe is where the confusion came from. Obviously, we are investing our money in making PlayStation 3s cheaper to manufacture -- that's part of our business plan. 1UP: You're not going to pass the savings along? PH: When we can, when there are savings to pass along to the consumer, we would obviously choose to do that. That's the business model. 1UP: Wait? You guys are doing this to make money? Really? PH: That's videogame hardware 101."

The PS3 stands proudly

[jdc180]

In the display cases of your local department stores.

make money?

[brotherscrim]

PH: That's videogame hardware 101."
I guess Nintendo was the only one to actually pass that class.

zzz...Is it under $100 yet?...zzz

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

zzz...Is it under $100 yet? No? Wake me up in a couple years, then...zzz

wow

[flyingsquid]

They're in this to make money?

Damn, Sony sure had me fooled...

Re:The PS3 has it rough

[Chris Burke]

As for the ego, it's there. But it's not contempt for consumers, as most detractors would have you believe. It's confidence. They're saying, "we're number 1". Sony needs to be seen as confident in this console outing. You want them to say "Yeah it sucks, get an Xbox?"

Obviously, but there's a point where confidence does become contempt. Or at least where it is seen as arrogance and presumption, and the customer is offended. As for me, that line was crossed by Sony's gaming division when they said that they thought people would get another job if they had to in order to get a PS3. It was the presumption that their shit was so hot that we would fall all over ourselves to get it, no matter what. That's not an appropriate form of confidence. It's the difference between "we will defeat our competitiors!" and Romero-esque "Ya'll are my bitches!"

It's kinda like the dating scene. You need to be confident, right? Well there's a difference between going up to a beautiful woman in a way that suggests you are not intimidated by her, and walking up and saying "Hey babe, I'm the man of your dreams, you'll be sucking my dick by the end of the night, even after I do THIS!" and then slapping her.

That might work sometimes (run screaming if it does), but it is hardly a good way to achieve broad market penetration, if you catch my drift.

Re:The PS3 stands proudly

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you sure it wasn't a bunch of PS3's arranged to spell "Wii"? It's easy to confuse the two.

I'm not sure where the PS3 stands but....

[Mizled]

I'm not sure where the PS3 stands but my Wii stands right beside my TV...

No

[Anonymous Coward]

You fool, you try that plan and you won't wake up until the we are at war with those pesky athiest otters.