Ben-DutkaThe PlayStation 3 started at $600 when it launched in 2006 and it now sits at half that price.
For a while, analysts said $300 would be the sweet spot for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 and indeed, both consoles have fared well enough at that price. But the flat 2010 has led Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter to predict that console prices will fall again in 2011. Despite substantial growth in the user bases of both the PS3 and 360, console sales fell 5% in 2010 (although we also imagine the falling Wii popularity contributed to that 5% drop). And so, in speaking to Industry Gamers , Pachter said he expects all systems to drop in price during the year, and the first will be the PS3:
"We fully expect each of the three consoles to be offered at lower prices in 2011, with Sony likely leading the way as its manufacturing costs continue to decline. A $50 price cut should be sufficient to drive 5% software sales growth; and, coupled with a resurgence in handheld software sales and an easy comparison for music sales, we think that overall software sales growth could hit low double digits in 2011."
So maybe we'll see the PS3 drop to $250 at some point, which of course would make it an even better deal. The user base continues to rise and several analysts have predicted that Sony's machine will pass the 360 in worldwide sales this year. Well, we'll have to wait and see.
I don't see the price tag for Sony's machine to drop until around late October through November.
The PS3 is doing good at $300.
A price drop and Sony's list of games will give anybody no reason to not own a PS3 and any gamer who has both or either of the 360 and Wii will get one. Then they all will go, "Dang, we been missing out on all this."
Yes, but, what is the reason for not owning one now? Free online, the list of games you mentioned, BluRay, Netflix, online, Internet, upscaled DVD, HD, 3D, Move, motion controllers (Sixaxis), Bluetooth headsets, keyboards and other accessories.
What more reason does anyone need? Seriously, OK, a 360 is a decent game console, but it lacks true 3D, BluRay, Bluetooth (unless they finally threw that into the squat), you have to pay to play. Never mind the epic failure rate that the 360 has endured, cooling fans that sound like a turbo-prop aircraft trying to land and the constant scratched disc problems that users endure.
Anyone still aggressively unconvinced is simply being willfully illogical and contrary.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 1/15/2011 1:47:14 AM
Most people in USA and Europe buy a 360 because their friends own one. One other reason is that you can buy a 360 with a big hard drive and modified to play copied games.
That for a lot of people is enough reason to buy a 360 over a PS3.
I thought it was worth it when I got my 60gig for $600. $300 is just an amazing deal and $250 price tag for what this machine can do leaves you no reason to not own one. With a price $250 price and after I get a new TV. I'll be getting me another one, one for the bedroom and one for the living room.
I don't really care about the hole sales gap between the PS3 and 360, But if this happens the PS3 will have that gap closed and passed in no time.
The 360 and Wii are done with in my book, the PS3 still has so much life.
I paid $400 for a 40GB PS3. If anyone is complaining $300 for a 160GB is expensive, then they are either cheap or just want a PS3 just to have a PS3. $50 isn't that much money and if anyone can't random save $5 for 10weeks to make up the rest of that $300…then you need a new job…lmao
thank you for the update pachter, in other breaking news clouds are white, water is wet and if you jump into a blazing fire you will get burned.
the ps3 will eventually get a price drop, but i doubt it will be anytime soon.
you got to remember sonys loosing quite a bit still on every system they sell, not to mention the jailbreak debacle and all the court costs there going to want to make as much off every system they can!
sure a price drop would increase sales, but i doubt it would increase them enough to offset the price drop.
In June of last year, it was reported that Sony began to see a profit on ps3's. PSXExtreme had an article on it written by John Shepard.
I just want my backward compatibility back. I've been waiting for the longest DAMMIT SONY why o why would you take such a precious feature out????? Someone please explain!!!!!
It was horrendously expensive to include the hardware in every system and almost no one used it.
well hell give all the PS2one & s games hd remakes or make them DLC at least.
Sony's already done quite a large number of game remakes in HD, so they are doing that. And it has to be pointed out that if it was possible to simply include software emulation of the PS2, they would do that instead of spending money to re-make PS2 games.
A lot of gamers used the PS2 BC.
Haven't you noticed all the complaints to bring it back,every since they first took it out?????
A PS3 price drop to start off the Summer would be sweet! Or, a price drop near or shortly after the Nintendo 3DS would be genius!
Press releases are the best way to stir up interest and take away shine from the competition.
Best cross-press releases for Sony/Playstation? The announcement of the PSP2 and Playstation Phone. The production stop of the PS2 hardware and the firmware update to the PS3 to become PS2 enabled. The release of AAA Playstion Move titles with the announcement of a new Playstation Eye release with enhanced specs/features. All this in 2011 would be gem.
PS2 compatibility will most likely not be enabled in a firmware update, full emulation of a PS2 in software is very difficult because of the Graphics Synthesizer GPU in the PS2. It used extremely wide data buses which transfer a truly huge amount of data per second. It's unlikely anything will emulate a PS2 in software without a hardware assist of some kind.