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 As the discussion on the PS3 price point is still going on, articles (arstechnica.com, next-gen.biz) on the net are analyzing the situation, coming to the conclusion that Sony is putting its business on risk by making the console as expensive as it is today. Well, lets look at facts and lets then draw the conclusion.
It's not a Console anymore and then again it is "the" ConsoleThis is most probably one of the more emotional topics to discuss. Is the PS3 still a gamer console with all its feaures build in? To some extend I must agree that the PS3 is no longer a pure game console as there are so many features build in that go beyond pure consoles. Ok, then lets ask the following: Are console games today the same as they were like 5-6 years ago? Definitly no. Todays games (as long as you are not an old skool gamer) have changed over the last decade. Online gaming is more and more key for gamers today as many of todays games support online modes and some only make sense online. This requires both network capability and HD drives. Even WiFi is no longer a option as wireless is really required to go online. Or did your wire your home with Ethernet? Then let's look at what gamers are expecting today. Concepts like EyeToy, Buzz or Singstar are all going into the same direction: multimedia. Consoles are no longer about using just a controller and just do classical gameplay. The PS3 is the only console today that does all that in a comprehensive package not requiring to buy massive addons that are both even more expensive and bulky. I don't want ten different devices in my living room all targeted to my TV set but all separat. At the other end PC-based Mediacenters are becoming more and more an alternative to MP3 & DVD-Players, HD-Recorder, Internet PC, console setting. The PS3 is all of that in one nice box. NextGen HD Games require sufficent Disk SpaceAs Final Fantasy XIII Producer Toriyama and Versus Producer Hashimoto have just pointed out in an interview Blu-ray and its capacity was one of the reasons why they decided to go for an PS3 exlusive with FF XIII. Final Fantasy always challenged consoles in terms of required disk space in the past. Other examples worth mentioning are games like Gran Turismo, God of War. Some of the best games available on the good old PS2 where pushing the envelope when it came to disk space. Ok, procedural animation technology at the same time gives you again some headroom, but the general trend is clear. On PS3 many more games will demonstrate this trend (Getaway, Singstar, etc.) showing the benefits of this technology. Another topic that should not be underestimated is the ability to publish all variants of a game (due to the different regions) on one disc. This can not be done on other consoles as this usually requires, that both video and audio need to be provided on one disk multible times for the different regions. Your next Console will be only out in 6 years!One thing that is always pushed aside is the fact that the next generation of consoles will 6-7 years away. Should todays consoles be based on old technology right from the start? There is no real practical way to upgrade a console over time as the core specs are not going to change during this time. It is quiet normal that new consoles are way more expensive in the beginning. As this is going to change over the lifetime of a console new customers are targeted which are more price sensitive. Again, it is key for a console that the major specs are all written in stone at the beginning. Given this, all PS3 competitors have some major issues here: Microsoft did not include a HDD, HD-DVD, 1080p drive as a standard, basically cutting off certain functionalities that are mandatory during the next years. The HD-DVD addon that will be available soon is not going to change this as it only supports movie playback and is not able to used for games. The missing HDD that was standard in their first generation console disables certain features that are required for online communities and in addition required a 12x DVD that causes a lot of noise while playing. Sure 1080p is not the dominant video format in these days, but again over the next years this format will become the standard for both content and TV sets. Nintendo on the other side is anyhow playing in a different league as it is technically not next generation but more or less a pimped current generation console. PS3 is in line with Sony's overall Startegy Bottomline is that you can not build a console today without having the road ahead in mind. The PS3 is doing this at best. Sure, Sony is betting a lot onto this strategy, but as most of their other business are also tied to these technologies and trends (movies, TV sets, home electronics) it is clear that Sony is aligning the PS3 with this strategy. Anything else wouldn't make sense at all. Again, it is important to note that the initial price point is not going to impact the sales in the first year, as there is a very loyal customer base out there. Over time, production costs of the most expensive pieces within the PS3 (Blu-ray, Cell) are going down tremendously and more price-sensitive target groups are going to attracted by the new device. When PS3 exclusive titles are come into play the PS3 is in a very good position when it comes to winning the NextGen war this time. Most of the comments on the PS3 are just missing the whole picture just focusing on one single aspect. Sorry folks, but it is not that simple this time.
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