The Great PS3 Pricing Problem
Gamespot are reporting that Sony Australia MD has admitted what many suspected. The new PAL PS3's are dropping hardware backwards compatibility and using software instead to cut costs. As PS1 support is said to be broad the the PS2's limited it's also looking like this is indeed a case of re-use of the PSP emulation codebase and in turn the technology bought from Connectix. Unfortunately consumers won't know how bad the story is until launch itself, with the site publishing the all important list not going live until then. This in itself is a suspicious move and I don't hold out much hope of more than a handful of top selling PS2 titles being playable on these new PS3's. More will undoubtedly be added, but don't expect coverage to be anything special. These comments also come mere weeks after SCEA boss Kack Tretton stated that it would be hard to cut the cost of the PS3 due to the cost of the hardware, so don't expect to see any drastic drops soon. Well, they've half stayed true to this and consumers won't be saving any money for now. The contradiction and confusion between Sony spokespeople throughout the now extended PS3 launch has been amazing.
What is is interesting is that this miraculous cost-cutting exercise is being countered by pretty reasonable first party titles pricing. Games such as Motorstorm and Resistance: Fall of Man will have an RRP of €59.99 (£39.99, AUD 99.95, NZ 109.95). Less than many expected, closer to US prices and less than the normal Xbox 360 RRP. In the end I expect PS3 and Xbox 360 software prices to remain pretty consistent with each other at retail though. Additionally Playstation Network 'introductory' pricing is enticing and more in line with the Wii's Virtual Console than full priced downloadable games with software prices ranging from €2.99 to €9.99 (£2 to £6.70). Something which sadly goes to show how overpriced Nintendo's service is. In other words Sony are clearly pushing the software side here and encouraging people to pony up for the hardware. A balance which may shift in the future with Sony (and many other companies) moving more towards a micropayment model.
Sony have also unsurprisingly announced that Gran Turismo HD Concept, the one-track demo to show gamers where the franchise is heading, will be available for free download at launch. This may just be enough to convince those who pick up a PS3 to stick with it through the frankly lengthy and tedious Playstation Network registration process. The good news here is that it is at least free to use the network itself, with revenue being generated on top of this through individual transactions and subscriptions.
So, all in all a somewhat mixed bag of announcements sandwiching the weekend and a lot for potential purchasers of the final offering in what is rapidly becoming inaccurately called the 'next-gen' battle to ponder.
2 comments:
undoubtedly £39.99 will translate to at least £44.99 on the UK highstreet ¬¬
It's perhaps not the most considered perspective to adopt, but my general attitude is "fuck Sony". I do feel that this is a fairly reasonable response to the institutionalised contempt with which they appear to regard European consumers.
At such an outrageously high price for the console (not to mention the associated cost of an HDTV if you want to enjoy those lush and lavish visuals which are such an important selling point) - almost double the converted equivalent elsewhere - with cut-down launch hardware (although I'm aware they'll be making the same cutbacks in other territories once they sell those initial units), the machine arriving three months after elsewhere in the world, and a current lack of killer titles, I can't say I'm even tempted. For a few hundred knicker and cheaper HDTV tech I might bite, but I can't see that happening for a good few years.
Still, the Xbox 360 was a bit of a joke when it launched, and Sony certainly have the ability to sort out their overpriced and unappealing console, just as MS eventually did.
Tell you what, though, it's absolutely hilarious that not a single UK chain appears to have flogged all of its pre-orders, and over in the USA the PS3 is hardly flying off the shelves. There's nothing quite as entertaining as seeing an enormous multinational corporation shoot itself in the foot time and time again.
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