PS3 not wanted? A sign of the market?

The day before Christmas and like a fool, I was out shopping.  When I passed through my local EB Games, I was struck by something (not literally).

As I entered the store, the first sign I see is Out Of Stock on a large Wii poster.  No big surprise.  Then, 360, out of stock.  Then DS, out of stock.  Then PSP, you guessed it, out of stock.  Then, even the PS2, out of stock.

Then it hits me.  You want a PS3, no problems, that one IS in stock.

Now, I am only talking about my local store, but I would bet money that this was a microcosm of all the stores in my country of residence (Australia).  As much as I did believe that the PS3 would eventually pick up and even pass the 360, I am now beginning to have doubts.  With the world heading into a recession to probably last into 2010, is the high price of the PS3 going to make the problem worse?  Keep in mind the cost of production and Sony's economic position - can it really afford to lower the price enough to compete?

I, again have doubts.  Thoughts? Don't let your bias affect a reasoned argument.  Even if you can afford a PS3 (which I can - stable employment and a good salary), doesn't mean anything - it is still a lot of money on discretionary spending.

That sure is a hard question but it would not surprise me that a family would consider buying a cheaper console over the more expensive one that they initially wanted but now can not afford just because they "need" entertainment.

People may "want" it, but the price is too much of a hurdle for many. While the price is probably the main reason, there are just so many other factors too.

oldschool said:

"Don't let your bias affect a reasoned argument."

Too expensive, and there's just not enough of a catalogue of top quality games. When I bought mine I understood it was a very serious luxury item rather than a necessary purchase.

yeah i would have a ps3 if it wasn't for the price.

"Too expensive, and there's just not enough of a catalogue of top quality games.

There's really not a huge price difference between the PS3 and the 360, it's just that the costs for the PS3 are more upfront while you wind up paying for the same features over time on the 360 (play+charge kit or rechargeable batteries, hard drive, XBL subscription). The 360's strengths are the library of exclusives and the integration of Xbox Live to the core gamer experience. Perhaps if there were more exclusive reasons to own a PS3, such as a more unified online experience (you know, without Konami shitting things up), more worthwhile PS3-only titles, or more platform-exclusive content for cross platform titles, then people would be more interested in snapping one up.

As it is, the main reason a lot of early adopters bought it (cheapest bluray player) has been nullified by ~$250 stand alones, not to mention Sony adamantly refusing to work a deal with Netflix to broaden the media playback feature list (something that's already on the 360 and in a couple of stand alone bluray players), cross platform versions of games consistently do worse than their 360 counterparts. I mean, when your biggest cross platform success story is Alone in the Dark, you've got problems. Not to mention Sony completely ignoring the demand for a PS2-equivalent of the Xbox Originals program, as it might cut into their PS2 sales.

Don't get me wrong, I love both my 360 (best console version of Duke Nukem 3D!) and PS3 (best BD player on the market and I'm digging the games), but the entire price dispute between the two is nonsense. You're paying pretty much the same for both, but the 360 does have a lot of added value for gamers at that price point that the PS3 does not. As much as I dislike it, I hope that Home at least generates some money for them that they could funnel back into doing meaningful upgrades to the core PS3 experience.

"There's really not a huge price difference between the PS3 and the 360, it's just that the costs for the PS3 are more upfront while you wind up paying for the same features over time on the 360 (play+charge kit or rechargeable batteries, hard drive, XBL subscription). The 360's strengths are the library of exclusives and the integration of Xbox Live to the core gamer experience. Perhaps if there were more exclusive reasons to own a PS3, such as a more unified online experience (you know, without Konami shitting things up), more worthwhile PS3-only titles, or more platform-exclusive content for cross platform titles, then people would be more interested in snapping one up.

As it is, the main reason a lot of early adopters bought it (cheapest bluray player) has been nullified by ~$250 stand alones, not to mention Sony adamantly refusing to work a deal with Netflix to broaden the media playback feature list (something that's already on the 360 and in a couple of stand alone bluray players), cross platform versions of games consistently do worse than their 360 counterparts. I mean, when your biggest cross platform success story is Alone in the Dark, you've got problems. Not to mention Sony completely ignoring the demand for a PS2-equivalent of the Xbox Originals program, as it might cut into their PS2 sales.

Don't get me wrong, I love both my 360 (best console version of Duke Nukem 3D!) and PS3 (best BD player on the market and I'm digging the games), but the entire price dispute between the two is nonsense. You're paying pretty much the same for both, but the 360 does have a lot of added value for gamers at that price point that the PS3 does not. As much as I dislike it, I hope that Home at least generates some money for them that they could funnel back into doing meaningful upgrades to the core PS3 experience."

"I don't see how you're paying the same for both. One is $350 or something, the other is $599. That's nowhere close to "paying the same". The things like Xbox Live and Hard Drives are pointless arguments because at $350 you get a hard drive with it, and Xbox Live isn't compulsory (and even then, there's Silver, which lets you buy from the Market and you don't have to pay a monthly fee), and the rechargeable battery point is also moot, considering some people already own rechargeable batteries (I did when I got my Xbox). The only way you're paying the same is if your warranty ends and you get a red ring and have to buy another 360."

• $600? Oh, I get it. You're the guy that's been living under a rock for the last year or two and didn't realize that there's $400 and $500 variations of the PS3 out there. For a 360 with a hard drive, you're going to be spending between $300 and $400
• Xbox Live is compulsory if you want to play games online. Multiplayer is a major component of games these days and having to pay to play online raises the price of the 360 a good $50+/yr (cards are on sale on Amazon right now, though!). PSN doesn't come close to touching XBL (especially if you want to attempt to play Metal Gear Online), but it works well enough for the basic multiplayer that most people are attracted to.
• Hopefully you have a wired connection or are intelligent enough to set up a wireless bridge, else you'll be footing the bill on an overpriced wireless network adaptor. It's pretty easy to set up a cheaper and more flexible alternative at less than half the price, but judging by how well that thing sells, a majority of people aren't smart enough to figure that out.
• You can use/buy rechargable batteries, and that's fine. If you don't have them already then you're going to be footing the bill on those, else you can pick up something akin to the play and charge kit for another $20 or $30.

....

Perhaps it would be a nice perspective if i added the cost in euros of these consoles.

wii, about 220
360 arcade around 220 premium around 240 and elite around the 300's
PS3 400 something.

I am sure that in Australian dollars the gap would be even greater.

people definitely want it, just the rest are cheaper. this time next year the ps3 will blow away the sales of the other systems 

Seeing as it's the most expensive system by far, that's really no surprise

• $600? Oh, I get it. You're the guy that's been living under a rock for the last year or two and didn't realize that there's $400 and $500 variations of the PS3 out there. For a 360 with a hard drive, you're going to be spending between $300 and $400
• Xbox Live is compulsory if you want to play games online. Multiplayer is a major component of games these days and having to pay to play online raises the price of the 360 a good $50+/yr (cards are on sale on Amazon right now, though!). PSN doesn't come close to touching XBL (especially if you want to attempt to play Metal Gear Online), but it works well enough for the basic multiplayer that most people are attracted to.
• Hopefully you have a wired connection or are intelligent enough to set up a wireless bridge, else you'll be footing the bill on an overpriced wireless network adaptor. It's pretty easy to set up a cheaper and more flexible alternative at less than half the price, but judging by how well that thing sells, a majority of people aren't smart enough to figure that out.
• You can use/buy rechargable batteries, and that's fine. If you don't have them already then you're going to be footing the bill on those, else you can pick up something akin to the play and charge kit for another $20 or $30.

It's pretty hard for a 360 to red ring outside of the three year warranty. Those things fail way quicker than that."

• There are still single player campaigns in most games and they are still fun the last time I checked, also you can find yr XBL cards on Ebay and Amazon for like $40 and even if you do have to shell out for XBL the service is good so its worth it.

• Many people can run a wired connection in or they just go to a wiki for help.
• Lastly the 360 comes with SPECIAL rechargeable battery that you can pug into the system with an included cord to recharge so you really don't  need to pay any extra there.
  

"people definitely want it, just the rest are cheaper. this time next year the ps3 will blow away the sales of the other systems "

"TwoOneFive said:

"people definitely want it, just the rest are cheaper. this time next year the ps3 will blow away the sales of the other systems "

Not really, economic crises dont resolve that quickly, maybe mid 2010 it will pick up."

"See, but the thing is that at its cheapest, the 360 is still only 200 dollars while the PS3 is 400 dollars. So, no, you are not paying the same."

"Except

• There are still single player campaigns in most games and they are still fun the last time I checked, also you can find yr XBL cards on Ebay and Amazon for like $40 and even if you do have to shell out for XBL the service is good so its worth it.

• Many people can run a wired connection in or they just go to a wiki for help.
• Lastly the 360 comes with SPECIAL rechargeable battery that you can pug into the system with an included cord to recharge so you really don't  need to pay any extra there."

1. People suck at playing and beating single player games. Multiplayer is what keeps games alive past their standard shelflife and it's what people are willing to pay for on Xbox. I don't diagree that the service is worth paying for (especially if you can score the XBL cards at a discount), but it's still additional money that you don't expect to pay upfront. If you'd clicked the link, you would have seen that I had linked to a $39 13/mo card.
2. Many people can not run a wired connection and a vast majority of people don't understand how much of a ripoff the Microsoft-branded wireless bridges are. For fun, wait for the next "what's the best wireless adapter for my 360?" thread to spring up and watch how many people advocate buying something that costs more than $40-$50. Hell, most people don't understand that audio and video cables are a ripoff at retail, either.
3. The 360 does not come with a "SPECIAL rechargeable battery that you can plug into the system in an included cord to recharge". At least not in the Elite and especially not in the Premium. Doubtful that they include it in the Arcade version. It comes with two non-rechargeable AA batteries that'll last you about the first month.

ps3 is a good deal for all the shit u get

It is annoying that the Xbox 360 doesn't have wireless, and the Playstation Network is free, but XBLA is fantastic and the PS3 is behind in terms of its game library.

I am an Australian too and I would have no problem getting any console right now. I gather you live over East if sell outs are common if thats the case. But over here in Perth ifs not too common for this to happen. A couple of times I have seen Wii's and Elite 360's sell out in a single store or two but only rarely and you can usually just get one somewhere else within the same shopping centre or near by. The only major game product I seen sold out posters on over this Christmas was Guitar Hero 3 for the PS3 at one GAME store in Carousel branch I think it was as they were taking preorders for the new shipment.

Funny that the PS3 is actually far cheaper than the 360 as a gaming option now, and the average joe doesn't realize it. Also the game catalogue is more adult-oriented than the Wii or 360 which explains the smaller, albeit probably more intelligent, consumer base.

"Funny that the PS3 is actually far cheaper than the 360 as a gaming option now, and the average joe doesn't realize it. Also the game catalogue is more adult-oriented than the Wii or 360 which explains the smaller, albeit probably more intelligent, consumer base."

"Emilio said:

"See, but the thing is that at its cheapest, the 360 is still only 200 dollars while the PS3 is 400 dollars. So, no, you are not paying the same."

Congratulations, you fail at reading comprehension.

I'm not a fanboy of any console in the least bit, but I think that Sony has had a VERY poor showing with the PS3.  I could point out all the problems, but in the end, I could let the sales numbers and lack of interesting first party titles speak for me.  =  /

"That sure is a hard question but it would not surprise me that a family would consider buying a cheaper console over the more expensive one that they initially wanted but now can not afford just because they "need" entertainment."

"I'm not a fanboy of any console in the least bit, but I think that Sony has had a VERY poor showing with the PS3.  I could point out all the problems, but in the end, I could let the sales numbers and lack of interesting first party titles speak for me.  =  /"