Ben-DutkaIt has become abundantly clear that price is the determining factor when it comes to new gaming hardware.
Not many are anticipating a huge launch for the PlayStation Vita in North America, and that's despite the biggest launch software lineup in the brand's history. No, that $250/$300 price point is putting consumers off, as did the $600 price tag affixed to the PlayStation 3 in 2006.
So if Sony does indeed unveil the PS4 at E3 2012 , the primary question will undoubtedly be- "How much will it cost?" According to sources, we won't get that answer at E3 but even so, the question will linger until Sony responds, and then the announced price will be put under the microscope. Although I don't have an unlimited bank account, I think it's a little ridiculous to only focus on price when it comes to such a complex entertainment product, but that doesn't change reality. Price is crucial.
So where does the PS4 need to be? What should be its initial price point? Bear in mind that the PS3 fell in price relatively quickly, although people continued to complain about the price until it dropped down to $300. Should they care more about what Microsoft plans to charge for the new Xbox? With a 10-year lifespan in place for the PS3, the games will continue to flow for several years (as they did for the PS2 after the PS3 launched), and it's unlikely Sony will want to put themselves back in the red (or the black) so soon. Remember, it took a little longer for the PS3 to turn a profit in comparison to the PS2.
But from a consumer's standpoint, what's a safe price tag? What's reasonable, accounting for some inflation? Would $400 be about right or is that wishful thinking? Perhaps the big question is the technology; i.e., what sort of fancy new tech should we expect? That clearly determines the cost; Sony was losing money on every PS3 sold at the start, even though it cost $600…that thing was stupid expensive to make at the time. It's five years later; people are paying $600 for new phones, but maybe that isn't a fair comparison. Electronics are pretty expensive, though.
For gamers, what is about right? $500? What would be your limit?
$500 at the most!!!!
LOL if people are willing to pay outragous prices for tablets and cell phones $500 is a very even price to pay for a new console.
Good point I meant to bring up. The iPhone is ridiculously overpriced and the iPad is certainly nothing compared to the PS3 other than it's portable, as far as gaming and media goes. So that price shouldn't be much of an issue.
I paid $500 for a motorstorm 80GB ps3, so that would be my top dollar that i would spend. Anything past that would be to much for my taste.
$500 is too much for me.
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 1/7/2012 8:24:29 AM
$500 is a lot but I hope they have awesome hardware with their system. I would at least say $400 would be a fair price, but with people paying so much for their iPads and tablets, cell phones and all that other great stuff $500 would be around what they paid for it.
I think it should be $399.99 with GT6 as a launch title….. I can only dream.
Last edited by jlch777 on 1/7/2012 9:29:09 PM
I think now that Blu-ray is established and not so expensive, that will play a good part in the PS4 being more affordable. Aside from that I'm not a huge hardware tech guy, but it would seem that would be the only thing driving the price up. To me the PS3 does so much, I have to ask what's next? What will make the next consoles stand out?
With that in mind I think $400 is probably a good starting price. If there's a significant increase on hardware and the HDD size is big enough I think I'd pay $500. Hell I paid $600 for the PS3 and don't regret it one bit so…
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 1/6/2012 9:45:56 PM
Same here!!
DITO !
your right, since Blu-Ray won the format war they don't have to think about it anymore.
I'm w/ you on this Big.
I know only a little a bit about specs and what not (haven't heard anything about the specs for the new systems yet) but I don't see any reason the PS4 should be above $400 at launch. About the only upgrading I can see is in the Ram since you can plug just about any size HD into a PS3 as it is…
Proudly spent $600 for my 60 gig which is still going strong!!!
I guess it all depends on the tech. Personally, I would like to see it cost no more than $449.99. Actually, I was thinking the other day; why can't there be more than one choice?
All that's available for the PS3 right now is the slim model; a model that has less features than the original PS3 and, I'm sorry, an uglier appearance. Why can't Sony produce both PS3s? People should be able to choose between the cheaper slim model and the more expensive "sexy" model. LOL!
Well I think the fat shiny PS3 definitely looks better. But The PS2 slim was so popular, and I'm sure price absolutely plays a role in the slim model also. But good point, I've always wondered why they got rid of the shiny look with how popular it was and great it looked in an entertainment center!
Exactly. Keep both versions around and give consumers the choice. I'd stick to the phat, no doubt.
Likewise, I love my fat PS3!
I thought I was the only one who felt that the fatty was better! I'm still going strong with my fatty 🙂 He's turning 3 years old this summer! They grow up so fast… *Sniff*
I believe $400.00 is a good price point.
I was just about to say $399.00 is the perfect, price it's not too high or to low.
I agree and they should also make JUST ONE UNIT this time with all the features in it instead of two different ones at two different prices???? Just Saying lol
I agree wholeheartedly: one launch unit, one price. They can release different configurations once the launch units are available everywhere, but not immediately.
The PS4 should be priced at 600$. As long as I get my moneys worth. 1080p, 60fps, 1080p 3D @60fps and more RAM. A whole lot more RAM. Included with a high speed HDMI and a Dualshock 4. I'd totally buy this! 600$ doesn't seem so pricey anymore now does it? But it's not up to me to decide, it's up to Sony…
It's a lot of money no matter how you look at it. What's makes it justifiable are the things you mentioned.
Hhmmm… Thats true
The out-of-work cheapskate I've had to become is hoping for no more than a $299 price point, but the realist in me thinks it will be closer to a $349 to $399 price range. And hopefully, no more than that.
Its going to be more then that. Would be nice to think $400 is the starting but if the Vita is $300 starting the PS4 is going to be at least! $500. As much as i would LOVE to grab one as soon as it comes out i know i wont. Ill wait a year or so an keep a close read on the hardware/bugs along with launching and future software.
$500 sounds good to me for a next gen :D. Reason I because, early adopters in Sonys case usually get all the good stuff example ps3 phat (flash card slots, 4 USB ports and some backwards compatibility to ps2 titles) vs ps3 skinny sure it runs quiet and has bigger hard drive but it's missing all that good stuff. And Sony never makes its customers feel like they got screwed being a early adopter psh I laught at people with the slim ps3 lol because the phat is better but apple makes its customers feel like crap the next year lol anyone who bought the iPhone first gen and ps3 when they first came out should look at who is happier spending that money early on before complaining about price points :3
I know what you mean.
My launch 60gb ps3 just got the Yellow Light of Death and so I'm sending it in to Sony to get it fixed and they gave me one price for them to fix my current one or for $30 less they said, "You could get a factory certified, refurbished, 160GB, newly redesigned, lighter, thinner PS3." (Yes, he said all those things) And I was like, "No. I very much like my fat one with the PS2 compatibility and the extra USB ports. Thanks, though."
The launch model PS3 really is the best. And new hard drives are so cheap nowadays, you can upgrade for hardly anything!
i have to say, 400 to 500. anymore and its a wait and see for me. my ps3 still have games and with sony's 10 year plan there will be more games to come. they should also have 2 models, a full backward compatiblity with ps1,2,and 3 and one with limited backwards compatiblily. that way people have a choice if they want backwards compatiblility, pay extra or pay less. of course to do that they need an amazing launch lineup. lets face it, backwards compatibility was a big part in the launch ps3s because of launch lineup. if they had an amazing lineup, i wont even look at my ps3 to play ps2 games.
i kinda wish there would be an upgrade pack to upgrade ps3 specs to ps4 specs. cost less to make for sony, we pay less to upgrade, kinda like pcs.
Last edited by johnld on 1/6/2012 10:14:38 PM
No PS4 should ever have limited backward compatibility…and if Sony leverages Cell technology as they should none will.
$400-$600. Sony wants their hardware out, but they will need to keep the PS3 relevant in order to compensate for their loss. I can see this system having way more graphical processing power along with memory (whatever form it comes in, depending on the CPU-type) to keep the filtering at sustainable levels regardless of the game engine's complexity.
It would be pretty sweet if this next console would have headroom for hardware expansion, too. I very highly doubt that'll happen, but we can dream!
I'm not an economonics major but I think $400 sounds right. I'm curious though. The stakes are higher this time, I suspect. Could Sony and MS make this a winner takes all generation? I say this because if one competitor price gouges their hardware to, say $200, for the sake of winning the landscape for the next 15-20 years… it would seem worth it, no? Sony has been facing a challenging landscape as a company for some while now. MS can reach deeper into the pocket book than Sony can right now.. just how hardcore are they going to take this?
And how do the pubs and devs feel? Games aren't easy to make, and devs have to fork out extra money to go mult-plat.. could the situation present itself where kicking off the low man on the pole by snubbing a platform in favor of a unified standard be in the cards next-gen?
Man, so many great muck-raker headlines I could generate with this next gen stuff.. it's sorta fun
=p
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/6/2012 10:22:08 PM
I believe the PS4 will lower than 600 maybe 499. Im not driven by price its about the games. Vita price is good but the launch line up is not very appealing to me.
I would expect $399 to $499 all inclusive, or maybe something in between. It will be a different type of machine today as the cost of components such as Blu Ray drives have now come down to reasonable levels.
The world has moved on, gaming has changed. Unit will probably be smaller and something like x3 to x5 the power of the PS3…
I also predict, in order to keep the price down of the core unit, we may see the optical drive sold as a separate add on. There may be people who want DL only rather buying physical.
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
I paid the initial 600 dollar price tag when the PS3 launched, and happily never looked back. I'm also sure if it came to it, I would drop that amount again.
That being said I hope it's in the 400 range.
I straight up went out and got a part-time job on top of my full-time job to buy a $600 PS3 with a couple games.
No regrets. well, maybe if I knew it'd go ylod after 2-1/2 years… mmmmh nah, still worth it =)
Mine went ylod after just under two years. But I bought mine from Circuit City and I also paid for a 2 year warranty. Not only did it ylod about a month before the warranty expired, but Circuit City was going out of business at the same time. 2 good things came out of that: 1) instead of sending me a refurbished PS3 I got a gift card for the amount I paid, which was $600 (which was fine, the retail store in my area stayed open about another 6 months). 2) the PS3 had dropped to $400 by that time so I was able to purchase 3 games on top of getting a new PS3. So I don't regret it at all! 😉
I wouldn't either way, I played the crap out of that machine, It got used a lot! Ive put so much more into my 80GB so it's a worthy, worthy purchase!
yep, that was the problem, to much gaming on the machine, these consoles need break time.
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 1/7/2012 8:34:59 AM
Something between 350$ and 450$ means it'll be a D1P but, if the PS4 doesn't have backwards compatibility with the PS3 Blu-Rays (NOT the downloadable versions like the PSP to Vita)… I think I'll hold on to my PS3 for just a bit longer
I personally want the PS4 to be at least $600. Unfortunately, Sony won't do this. I know a myriad of you believe it was a bad idea for pricing the PS3 at such a value, but I believe it is what made PS3 successful this generation.
From the onset, Sony decided to create a powerful system. Subsequent to its power, it was very expensive. This affected the sales of the console, and thus the console had a bad launch. Many consider this a gaffe, but I consider it a good move by Sony. By expanding the technological capabilities of the system, rather than limiting them due to cost restrictions, Sony was able to deliver games that could not be done on other platforms. Additionally, although the system was originally expensive, the price greatly reduced over the years due to the expansions in technology. Many praise games like Uncharted, God of War, Killzone, The Last of Us, MGS4, LBP, and Heavy Rain, but fail to realize what Sony did to provide these games to them. Sony took a loss for most of the PS3's lifespan, but greatly advanced console gaming in an unprecedented manner. This is why Sony truly won this generation.
I expect to see more Uncharted like games next generation. However, I have an uncanny feeling that Sony has or will cut technology from the PS4 to reduce cost. I would prefer that the PS4 be expensive at its launch. That way, I could wait for the price to reduce within a year and a half, then obtain a console with superior capabilities. This is what I did with my PS3, and I am extremely content with my decision.
Last edited by Bugzbunny109 on 1/6/2012 11:00:26 PM
originally the PS3 *was* worth 850 bucks, they lost 250 bucks on every 60GB sold back then. No way Sony wouldn't want that to happen again. Don't know about the 20GB but who cared about that model.
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 1/7/2012 8:42:52 AM
AlexanderTHEGR8,
Actually, in the beginning according to numerous articles scattered across the net in the past, the PS3 cost well over $900 to make, giving Sony around a $300+ loss per machine(at least here in the US).
After newer & smaller chipset revisions, they were able to drop their loss to only around $44 per machine & finally they've started seeing a small profit per machine, although I'm not sure how much it is.
Last edited by BikerSaint on 1/7/2012 11:50:35 AM
Well, this one particular article I saw in the past said 250 bucks a loss.
Last edited by AcHiLLiA on 1/8/2012 12:23:30 PM
I personally would have no problem paying $600 again for the PS4 but that's just me. If Sony wants the PS4 to sell faster out of the gate than the PS3 did maybe they should cap the price at $450 at launch.
I think $450 would be my absolute limit. $400 would be ideal and $500 would lead to me waiting for a price drop or sale.
Don't get me wrong, I fully trust Sony to make a quality product, one that will likely be worth considerably more than they'll charge for it, but $450 is going to have to be the max for my budget.
I don't think Sony will be starting at $600 again, since Blu-ray is now a household item along with Dvd's people will be more welcoming to shell out for a cheaper Blu-ray than beforehand when it was competing with HD-DVD.
And since PS3 right now is at $250-350 USD range it'll most likely won't be any higher than $500 since they would only need to upgrade the specs and add full backwards compatibility again.
Maybe they'll do the whole duo-release systems where one will be $300/400 and the other $400/500 again.
Last edited by VampDeLeon on 1/7/2012 12:20:32 AM
325 would be nice. 600 just kills me inside, but I would still consider it.
I believe they are going to do 500 though while losing 200 for every system sold. Just doing a random guess slash hunch!
hehe. How many jobs will I need this time?
there is simply no way I would pay 600 to get a ps4, given that I am totally completely happy with the ps3 and thrilled with the games it has on it.
Likewise, there is no way I would pay 300 for the PS Vita given that I am completely happy with my 6 years old PSP.
I just do not see a need to upgrading the hardware in the gaming industry like the perpetually rapid changing age; of course I do realize that eventually, a generation of consoles do get replaced; however, not in such a rapid way. Instead, what has to be focused on, as I said many times, is to produce top-notched games like MGS4, Uncharted 2 and Demon's Souls.
p.s. Nikon's D4 announcement is epic and it is by far the greatest DSLR I have ever seen. I would rather save money to get that in terms of what hardware I am actually getting, but that is another whole line of different topics.
Last edited by BigBoss4ever on 1/7/2012 1:40:11 AM
My dad's favorite hooker was approximately $524.83 at the corner of Dawson Boulevard, so i'd say that's a fair price for said new gaming console =]
souljah92,
At $524.83, I think he got himself hosed in more ways than just one.
He should've haggled for her patented 95% off "Sunrise in the side-alley" matinee special.
BTW, and during sunlight hours, that paper bag over her head is only 50 cents more, LMAo
Last edited by BikerSaint on 1/7/2012 12:01:42 PM