bingegamer.net
By Mike Masashi Murakami III • December 14, 2008
CNN has re-posted in full an article by Allyinsider writer Eric Krangel called “Sony’s PS3 A Sinking Ship: Sales Plummet“. He puts in completely laymens terms (and in list form because the internet loves lists), the reason why the PS3 is not doing well and gives the most obvious answer as to how Sony can fix this problem:
1. It’s the most expensive console on the market, $150 – $200 more than its rivals. Even if you believe the video game industry is “recession-proof” (it isn’t), a tanking economy makes consumers more price-conscious.
2. The PS3’s big bonus is its ability to double as a Blu-Ray player. Too bad no one seems to care about hi-def DVDs. The differences between Blu-Ray and DVD are hard to see on a TV less than 50″.
3. The PS3 just doesn’t have any must-have titles exclusive to the console. “LittleBigPlanet” has generated decent buzz but isn’t a game-changer, and neither is Sony’s new virtual world “Home.”
There’s really only one option left for Sony to remain in the game: deep price cuts, and not just for people with good credit.
In a complete opposite of my usual forte of being a Wii lover (with the 360 as my mistress), I can’t help but defend Sony a little.
1. About the price, I can say that it does include things like built in wifi, a 160GB hard drive, and of course the free online play. Plus I can’t deny though it is huge as hell, it looks so sleek.
2. The writer here makes a claim that the differences between Blu-Ray and DVD are hard to see on a tv less than 50″ is crazy. I only have a 19″ HD set and easily can tell if something is in high def or not. I think the point should have been that Blu-Ray is not necessary to enjoy hi-def movies, with Netflix streaming HD on not only the Xbox 360, but stand-alone players as well. However, I’m here to defend, not to help this guy make points.. so onto..
3. The exclusive title list isn’t as small as people would like to believe (even myself). We all can easily name off Metal Gear, Resistance, and LittleBigPlanet as the only Sony exclusives. However, if you dig a little deeper you’ll find the Buzz! Quiz series, Everybody’s Golf, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, SingStar, and a little underrated gem called Valkyria Chronicles. These are just games that came out this past year, go back to 2007 there are more, and then of course the future is looking good as well (Killzone, Fat Princess).
Sure, I was really reaching to try and defend Sony (I mean.. reeeeally reaching), but in the end I will completely agree with the fix the PS3 needs to turn all the fanboys frowns upside down is a price cut. Even if it was just down to $299, I would seriously reckon about entertaining the idea of thinking about considering buying a Playstation 3 (unless the Time Crisis series becomes multiplatform). So while lagging out in third place this console race, remember, it is only because of the price of the system, nothing more.
