PS3 is a "great machine" but pricey, says Gamestop !

[Toxa]

Gamestop chief executive Daniel DeMatteo labelled Sony’s PlayStation 3 as an impressive piece of kit, but ultimately feels the black behemoth is a tad experience compared to rival machines in the current economic climate.

A company press release detailing the retailer’s sales boost over the festive season reads: “DeMatteo called Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 a “great machine,” but said it is just a bit pricey for the current economic environment. The cheapest Xbox 360, which comes without a hard drive, costs $200 and the Wii is $250. Sony Corp.’s 80-gigabyte PlayStation 3 console, which includes a Blu-ray player, sells for $400.”

Sony previously commented this week that it feels PS3 offers better value for money than its competitors.

http://www.psu.com/PS3-is-a-+quot;gr...0006069-p0.php

[silversnake]

I saw it yesterday and decided not to post it. It's not pricey when you realize what's in it or if you compare how much a video card on a PC cost.

[Cyorg]

Originally Posted by silversnake

I saw it yesterday and decided not to post it. It's not pricey when you realize what's in it or if you compare how much a video card on a PC cost.

Yeah, I know... I was looking into building a nice gaming rig, and after I priced everything, I realized I could buy a PS3 for every TV in the house.

[Simplayer]

Originally Posted by silversnake

I saw it yesterday and decided not to post it. It's not pricey when you realize what's in it or if you compare how much a video card on a PC cost.

It's pricey compared to it's competition, ie, other game consoles.

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by Simplayer

It's pricey compared to it's competition, ie, other game consoles.

For sure , but the other competition isn't in the same class as the PS3. PS3 is a home entertainment machine compared to just a gaming machine. Apples to oranges.

Now if you focus on just the gaming aspect than ya it's pricey.

[Simplayer]

Originally Posted by silversnake

For sure , but the other competition isn't in the same class as the PS3. PS3 is a home entertainment machine compared to just a gaming machine. Apples to oranges.

Now if you focus on just the gaming aspect than ya it's pricey.

Indeed, it has better value if you're looking for a great Blu-ray player and gaming machine, but that's not what everyone is after, or possibly can't afford to spend that sort of money.

[Semp1]

The problem is besides the people who bought it when it came out as a blu-ray player like myself others want it for video games, and as a game machine it just doesn't cut it. The 360 is a better game machine hands down from selection and quantity of quality and it's $200 cheaper for the Arcade version and that's what the mass market sees, and in reality all they need to play games. Dollar value, a great video game system for a great price. So if I'm the average customer who walks in and hear the 360 is $200 and has all these must have exclusives like Gears of War and Halo, and has the best online service for game playing now, and even has NetFlix streaming now and is a DVD player too, all for only $200 I'm sold. Then you got the PS3 and the average customer sees it and is like ok every thing the 360 does minus the most popular exclusives presently out, no NetFlix and a fairly decent online experience but nothing compared to XBOX Live, and oh yeah a blu-ray player but I don't need that I own 5 DVD's and a hi-def TV I don't even care about blu-ray. Basically what I'm saying is the mass market doesn't care that the PS3 has a blu-ray player, to the mass market you get less for the money not more, and for the people who did care already bought it for that reason and Sony will not lower the price anytime soon atleast not enough to matter. The reason they're keeping the PS3 high is if they lower it than how much will companies including Sony charge for stand alone's. The PS3's price effects all SAL players, and the blu-ray market in general . What they need to do is release a blu-rayless PS3 but Sony never will because they need the PS3 to push the blu-ray format and they need blu-ray to push the PS3 too.

[Simplayer]

Originally Posted by Semp1

What they need to do is release a blu-rayless PS3 but Sony never will because they need the PS3 to push the blu-ray format and they need blu-ray to push the PS3 too.

That would be a bad idea. All new users won't be able to play any catalog titles.

[Wing Nut Jay]

Originally Posted by Semp1

What they need to do is release a blu-rayless PS3 but Sony never will because they need the PS3 to push the blu-ray format and they need blu-ray to push the PS3 too.

Sony CAN'T release a Blu-ray-less PS3, because all PS3 games are on Blu-ray discs (excluding downloaded games of course). Check it out. It's right on the back of the game box. Right there above the game's rating. The Blu-ray logo is also impressed into the plastic on the front of the box near the top. Not to mmention the BR logo on the game discs themselves.

The only way Sony could release a PS3 without Blu-ray would be to either completely redesign it, or make all of their games download only. Not exactly a good fix either way.

[Semp1]

yeah I forget games are on blu-ray discs, lol, another example of how silly it was for them to do that I bought Ps3 as a blu-ray player when it came out I have owned less than 5 games for it so I forget that it has games only on blu-ray, and not for nothing you realize that Sony has still not proven that blu-ray was necessary for gaming and now they can't sell a cheap video game system for that sole reason. A blu-ray drive will keep that system expensive...

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by Simplayer

Indeed, it has better value if you're looking for a great Blu-ray player and gaming machine, but that's not what everyone is after, or possibly can't afford to spend that sort of money.

Well for now it's both but 2009 will use the blu-ray discs more. I'd be curious to see how much is being used for killzone 2 and if it truly is a game that can only be done on PS3. (MGS4 for example) For now it's just a gaming machine and a blu-ray player but when developers start using more of the disc it will become a necessity rather than just a perk.

Originally Posted by Simplayer

That would be a bad idea. All new users won't be able to play any catalog titles.

+1. I read some ridiculous article that said they should do that. That makes no sense. They said the console would come with a bunch of games installed on the hard drive but than what? Horrible idea IMO.

Originally Posted by Semp1

Blu-ray drive will keep that system expensive...

not for long. the cost drastically went down from launch year and it will continue to go down. I'm pretty sure we will see a blu-ray player on the PS4 when that comes out. It's like PS3 was the middle man to get blu-ray out in the mainstream so that when PS4 hits , all components will be so much cheaper.

[Semp1]

The system just wasn't well thought out they should have put games on dual layered DVD's the way the 360 did, it was a silly idea for them to have games on blu-ray discs and unnecessary. Sony thought they would be the #1 system again and developers would make all games for Sony's system first and have the 360 as an afterthought, which is the exact opposite of what's happened and as long as the 360 is the more selling system not one developer is going to make a game that fills a blu-ray out when the market is focusing on DVD's...

[Semp1]

And not for nothing the cost has come down but look at what they took away backwards compatability, the PS2/PS1 components, 2 USB drives, and SD card and other slots. That's not bringing cost down that's charging $200 less for a less valuable product.

[Wing Nut Jay]

Originally Posted by Semp1

not for nothing you realize that Sony has still not proven that blu-ray was necessary for gaming and now they can't sell a cheap video game system for that sole reason. A blu-ray drive will keep that system expensive...

The cost of all technology drops. SA players cost as little as $200 now.

However, you are 100% correct in that Blu-ray is NOT necessary for making a game console. Including BR was a conscious decision by Sony in order to drive what was originally a proprietary format. As the 360 proves, you can still put out games on DVD (this is in general terms; not including the obvious differences between BR and DVD).

No matter how much people (or Sony, for that matter) want to downplay it, the PS3 having Blu-ray capabilities is a large factor in BR winning the war over HD DVD. The PS3 provided the same kind of home penetration for BR as the PS2 did for DVD.

[silversnake]

Originally Posted by Wing Nut Jay

As the 360 proves, you can still put out games on DVD (this is in general terms; not including the obvious differences between BR and DVD).

But for how long?

No matter how much people (or Sony, for that matter) want to downplay it, the PS3 having Blu-ray capabilities is a large factor in BR winning the war over HD DVD. The PS3 provided the same kind of home penetration for BR as the PS2 did for DVD.

Absolutely. They are doing the same thing they did with DVD with the ps2 and they are hoping blu-ray will do the same for them on the ps3.

[doctorD]

I get so tired of hearing that the PS3 is too expensive especially when I paid nearly double the current price for mine. I do see that not everyone who wants one can afford the price but I would be that if Sony added backwards compatibility back in the systems and kept the price the same sales would probably go up (I really think there are a lot of PS2 owners on that haven't jumped on board because of this).

Someone on here said that you can't compare the PS3 Apples to Apples with the X360 and Wii. I agree with that. I bought mine for the blu ray capability and have actually bought more games for it than I thought I would. This is an amazing machine that I believe nothing else can compare. I have no doubt that if developers used the PS3 as the leading machine to program their games that it would get more love from gamers then it currently is.

[Semp1]

The difference is the PS2 launched at $300 not $600 and dropped to $200 within 2 years and I including millions others already had owned a DVD player when the PS2 came out, kids didn't and that's what it did put DVD players into a 14 and 15 year olds room, but it did help that format and I agree Sony needed the PS3 to push blu-ray otherwise HDDVD would have taken over. I too got the system when it came out for watching the only difference is when games come out for both systems I buy for the 360 just because I know the online experience is that much better and organized...

[Simplayer]

Originally Posted by silversnake

But for how long?

Probably awhile barring some cases such as RPGs, or anything with a lot of dialogue and/or cutscenes.

[Semp1]

I don't kmow than again Grand Theft Auto had both alot of dialogue and alot of cut scenes...

[quexos]

It was more pricey when I got mine a year and a half ago. Fine piece of hardware though