John-ShepardIt's certainly one of the biggest pre-E3 rumors currently circulating, and one research firm has already bought into the hype. …or perhaps they have some inside info that we don't.
According to DailyGamesNews , Macquarie Research believes Sony will announce a revamped PSP at E3, and it will indeed be UMD-less. Sony, of course, has denied any and all rumors associated with a PSP2, PSP-4000, or the most recent PSP Go!, but that can't stop us from thinking and considering. We really don't know what Sony plans to do with their sleek little handheld, but here's the assessment from Macquarie:
"We expect Sony to announce an improved PSP including a sliding touch screen with only download games offering (no UMD disc) as well as expanded PSN offering. We don't think this will be well received, but we are worried the pricing might be well above the existing model's US$199 price point. No price cut for PS3 is expected, but we think it likely the slimmer model is announced at the same current price of US$399 and with a price cut of US$100 closer to the holiday season."
Hmm…a higher price might not go over well unless the new unit boasts plenty of brand new functionality. Then there's that tidbit about the PlayStation 3; they clearly don't expect a price cut, but they do say the possibility of a new Slim model does exist. And we have to go along with the idea of a price cut for the holidays; we've been saying that for months. When Sony's press conference rolls around next week, we'll probably have all the answers we need but for now, let's just sit back and ponder…
but sony needs a price cut to be on top of 2009-2010
Hey DaNgerSteVe You forgot the /sarcasm at the end of your post, lol. Sony has another four months to announce a price cut before the holidays. What Sony needs right now are for the games to shine at E3. A price cut will have a bigger effect come holiday shopping season. However I'm sure nobody would complain if we get one in a week at E3.
at this point in the PS3's lifespan I think a price cut would be nice…but not necessary…
No Sony needs a price raise.
I agree with this analysis about the PS3's price. Don't expect one from E3, expect one around the holidays. Of course anyone on this site already owns one so whats the difference to us? I guess we could always use an extra one in the bedroom or something.
No PS3 price cut damn!
If I'm right, Sony is still losing a bit of money on each PS3 sold (correct me if I'm wrong). Therefore, I've been wondering about whether the price drop would really be $100, or if it'd just be $50. Of course, we'd all prefer the latter, but given Sony's past pricing structures, I'm not too sure.
Maybe we'll see the current PS3 models drop by $100 to reduce stock, but we'll also see a new slim model introduced at a price in between them. So, it could be like, the 80GB version is $299, the new slim (probably 120GB) model is $349, and the 160GB version is $399. And after all the old larger PS3's are sold, only the new slim one would remain, meaning there would only be one SKU available, which is still $50 less than the lowest-priced one now. (And if we were lucky, that new model would bring back with it software-based backward compatibility).
Sony is nearly breaking even. The last credible report indicated about a $40 per unit loss. This year the Cell and RSX undergo a die shrink that should reduce their cost a fair amount as well as dropping the power requirement and heat output. BluRay drives are shrinking in size and cost as well, so later this year a slimline PS3 with a smaller PSU and HSF solution is a definite probability. Such a unit would probably cost in the region of $100 less to produce, giving Sony room to drop their price. But this won't ahppen until the chips are avialable in quantity.
Well then, it sounds like Sony waiting for the holidays to drop their prices is the most plausible.
All I can say is that I am not buying their new PSP unless you get a free voucher to download every UMD you already have
LOL, unlikely at best.
lol yea i guess your right i did forgot it , but with the games they can get out y the holiday hits, that would be a good thing
Sony doesn't necessarily NEED a price cut just yet. godam it would be nice, so nice, but Sony does still lose $$ on every unit. The problem here is that I NEED a price cut, along with the hoards of other people who can't get (or in my case replace) a PS3 until it crosses that magical $300 barrier. regardless of features, i'm not talking about value here, just cost.
As for PSP, I'm more than happy with my Slim. In fact, with my PS3 gone, that little guy has seen a lot more action these last few months. It's pretty unlikely that I'll replace it any time soon.
My kid dropped mine down the stairs about 3 months ago… I keep saying I'm gonna pick another one up but keep waiting to see if there really is a new design coming. I sold a few games and kept a few , but am also wondering what will they do to get my umd games onto the system.
I still have my 1000. Getting an upated ver isn't out of the question for me. I have a way to play UMD cartridges thanks to my trusty PSP-1000.