PS3 price and release date

[Lefty Wilbury]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/05/08/D8HG0N881.html

Playstation 3 to Have Two Price Points

May 08 11:24 PM US/Eastern

By MATT SLAGLE
AP Technology Writer


CULVER CITY, Calif.


Sony Corp. will launch its new PlayStation 3 console in November, in two versions aimed at keeping the company's dominance in gaming.

The PS3 will launch Nov. 11 in Japan and seven days later in the United States and Europe, Sony officials said Monday night at a news conference.

There will be two versions: one sporting a 20 gigabyte hard drive for $499 and another with a 60 gigabyte drive for $100 more. Officials said they would have 4 million units ready by the end of 2006 and another 6 million by March 31, 2007.

"We're really trying to push what this machine is capable of," said Phil Harrison, president of Sony Computer Entertainment's Worldwide Studios.

Sony also showed off the PS3's new controller, which looks similar to the one for the older PlayStation 2 but adds motion sensors to detect six degrees of movement. In a demonstration, the controller was used to pilot a jet fighter.

Earlier this year, Sony delayed the system's release from the spring until the fall.

Most of the more than two-hour meeting was spent showing off new PS3 games, including a demonstration high-definition version of the racing game "Grand Turismo" and the sword fighting action game "Heavenly Sword."

The starting price of the PS3 is still $100 more than the current top- of-the-line Xbox 360.

But Sony executives touted what they claim are competitive advantages, such as the PS3's speedy "Cell" processor, the console's Blu-ray disk format for high-definition video and an online network that will include video chat and micropayments.

The Xbox 360 got an early start on the next-generation console wars and has sold 3.2 million units worldwide since it was released in November. But until recently, Microsoft Corp. has been unable to meet demand.

The presentation came just two days before the ongoing battle for living room dominance resumes at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, the video game industry's largest annual conference.

Nintendo and Microsoft, with their competing Wii and Xbox 360 systems, plan similar news conferences Tuesday.

Pricing and other details remain sketchy on Nintendo's Wii (pronounced "We"), which uses a unique TV-style remote controller that can be waved around to manipulate action on the screen.

This year's E3 conference comes with the industry in financial turmoil as it transitions from older systems to the new consoles. Much of it has been blamed on consumers' desire to hold out for the PS3 and Wii.

The period has been especially brutal for key game makers like Electronic Arts Inc., which recently lost $16 million in its fiscal fourth quarter. EA predicts video game sales industrywide would be flat to down 5 percent in 2006.

According to market research firm NPD Group, overall video game sales dropped 5 percent to $7 billion in the United States last year.

During last year's E3, Sony executives proudly showed pretty video clips of supposed PS3 games but very little in the way of actual game play. The same was true for the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360.

Expect a more hands-on approach this year, with attendees finally getting a chance to play games on the new systems, said Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, which organizes E3.

"You'll be able to kick the tires and see what's under the hood," he said. "It's no longer about specs. This is about performance, this is about `What do you have to show me?'"

___

 

[5stringJeff]

Does Sony really think people are going to spend $100 more for PS3?

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

Does Sony really think people are going to spend $100 more for PS3?

Yes.
Faster cell processor and Blu-ray is what they are banking on.
Expect to pay up to $20 more per game with Blu-ray too.

 

[Dan]

There are far too many dummies out there that will actually pay this ridiculous price for a video game system. Sony is charging it because they know they can.

I'm a loyal Sony fan, but screw them for this. Seriously.

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

A friend of mine passed this to me.
Dirtbags

 

[Mr. P]

I don't get the whole game thing myself. What's the point?

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

I don't get the whole game thing myself. What's the point?

- Experiencing what comes from ones imagination.
- Entertainment
- Better than watching TV
- Competition

 

[Dan]

I think games are fun, but no matter how fun it is, there will never be a video game worth a $600 initial investment. I'll wait three years til it's $200 like I did with the PS2.

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

I think games are fun, but no matter how fun it is, there will never be a video game worth a $600 initial investment. I'll wait three years til it's $200 like I did with the PS2.

I might consider switching back to being a PC gamer

 

[theim]

I don't get the whole game thing myself. What's the point?

Taking a break from life's crappy moments to blow things up in new and exciting ways.

 

[theim]

And hot damn...Microsoft just totally bitchslapped Sony by scoring the GTA francise.

 

[T-Bor]

I dont see what good BluRay games are gonna do. Its not like a double sided DVD doesnt have enough space to hold most if not all of todays game data. Sony is gonna rue the day they made that decision.

Yes.
Faster cell processor and Blu-ray is what they are banking on.
Expect to pay up to $20 more per game with Blu-ray too.

 

[Redhots]

Sony is making a mistake.

People are not going to want to pay $10+ more for the same game they could be playing on a 360* or possibly a Wii, even if it does look slightly better. Also the surface of the blu-ray discs are more fragile, a little scratch here or there and you're out $70.

I think one of the other reasons they're pushing blu-ray discs is that they'll be harder to pirate, which is true, for now.

Fact is people know that when they buy a new game system that its only going to last about 4 years before its phased out and and they need to buy a new system. That wasn't a big deal when you were only paying around $200 for those systems.. but $600?! with no game included... Fuck that. Yes, the PS2 launched at $299 and a lot of people still payed it, but that was only a $50-$100 increase from the PS1's launch price. Sony now expects people will pay DOUBLE what they did for a PS2...? I don't see that happening... it isn't that much better. I'm sure some will, but you wont see stores with "SOLD OUT OF PS3's" for months after its released like you did with PS2.

Thats one of the reasons the N64 struggled against the PS1. Sure N64 games looked better, especially 1st gen titles, but they also cost $10-$20 more. The core system cost more too. $250 at lauch back in 96' and the PS1 was then dropped down to $200, if I remember right. It was the first of the two to hit the $99 mark, it was always cheaper.

And yeah, its nice that it can do all this extra shit besides play games, but i'm buying it specificly to play games. I think this is where the Wii gets it right and where Sony and even X-box try too hard to replace every bit of entertainment hardware in my house with their system, which of course jacks up the price.

I don't like Microsoft... its one of the reasons I never bought an X-Box... but right now a 360* isn't looking so bad... since I don't see Nintendo getting out of the "family fun for everyone" and "making video games for people who don't play video games" mentality anytime soon.

 

[Dan]

How come you put an asterisk after 360? Just wonderin'.

I disagree with you about it not selling out, though, people were lined up around the block to get their hands on a 360 the day it came out, why should it be any different for a PS3? The only reason they're charging as much as they are is because they know for a fact that it will sell out.

I think unless Sony either drops prices or really blows away the competition, their sales will drop off very quickly, so I think your N64 comparison is apt. If you remember, the N64 was the big thing when it first came out, but once the PS1 started putting out quality games for less money, it fell apart. On the other hand, I think the Sony name has more pull these days than Nintendo did then, so perhaps that'll pull them through.

I like the fact that Nintendo is making a point to make the Wii no more than $300. Too bad it's got such a crappy name.

since I don't see Nintendo getting out of the "family fun for everyone" and "making video games for people who don't play video games" mentality anytime soon.

I don't really get this. Nearly every Mario game on the Gamecube is amazingly fun, I'm currently digging Mario soccer a lot. The Gamecube version of Resident Evil was one of the best, and downright goriest, games in the series. Fact is, Nintendo creates many games that can be enjoyed by all gamers, all ages. Yeah, they might not have as many overtly controversial games as Microsoft or Sony, but their games are just as fun, and it seems like a very high school attitude to only want to play games because of how dirty or violent they are.

 

[CSM]

I don't get the whole game thing myself. What's the point?

I just recently bought a 360. A friend of mine talked me into it and then convinced me to ge Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (GRAW). We play on line together and I have to say it is very addicting! It appeals to me because we can plan and execute small unit tactics with a variety of weapons. Since getting the Xbox, we have put together a small squad (5 people) and and are now in training so we can take on some other real life folks. It is pretty intense even without fighting anything but AI; however, we are looking forward to engaging our first "real" enemy!

 

[insein]

Basically the 1 company thats playing this smart, for the first time in awhile is Nintendo. Their system will be $250 this fall as opposed to $400 for the Xbox 360 and $600 for the PS3. Its all next gen, so while PS3 and 360 have all the bells and whistles for people with HDTV, the rest of us poor slobs with standard TV's won't be seeing a difference for another couple years. I'll be waiting as well for the PS3 and 360 to come way down in price. I'll be grabbing the system with the weird name, The Nintendo "Wii".

 

[Dan]

Agreed, Insein. The only thing Nintendo screwed up was the name. And possibly the controller, I'm not sold on that yet.

Another cool thing about the Wii (which may also be true about the PS3 and 360, not sure) is that you can download and play ROMs for old NES and Genesis games. Very cool. It seems like Nintendo's the only ones saying "hey, we have a shitload of technology already!" Whereas everyone else keeps trying to push the envelope.

 

[Redhots]

The * is just there because I seemed to remember it having a degree symbol in its name at one time...

Anywho, I suppose the PS3 probably will sell out on launch day, but I was commenting more on the fact that I don't think it'll be a repeat of the PS2 where they where sold out for over a month.

WRT to the kiddy comment.

Its not that I don't enjoy the Mario, Zelda, Metriod games ( I love 'em) , but most of the content on the gamecube is E (with some T) rated... not that games NEED to be ultraviolent to be compelling, but there are a lot of great games out there that are M rated that never had a chance of making it over to the 'cube. GTA, God Of War, most FPSes, etc etc.

Games like RE 4 are the exception... and look how long it took to bring it to Nintendo, same deal with MGS.

And mature doesn't simply mean violence... its just more mature content, how its written or portrayed. For example I find the comic character and universe of Spawn to be a lot more interesting than Superman.

Which brings me to another point which is the lack of good RPG content found on Nintendo systems... and fighting games while we're at it (SSB doesn't count, even if it is fun). Oh yeah, lack of online too... honestly online fighting games is a dream come true for me, since arcades are all but dead in the US.

Anywho, I own a GC and PS2, but I have a lot more PS2 games because its a much more diverse library. That said i'm sure i'll wind up with a Wii at some point anyways, the flagship games are just too good not to play and I think the wand controller could be pretty cool depending on what developers do with it.

 

[Dan]

I guess I'm kind of a hypocrite, anyway, because I own a PS2 and my roommate owns a GC, and we both play the PS2 all the time and never, ever play the GC (I think we have 2 games for the GC versus about 20 for the PS2).