Thoughts on the Current State of Affairs...

[dendj55]

I am curious to see who, of the many PS3 owners out there, feels at all slighted by the ever changing price point and new models of PS3's being released less than a year from the original launch console.

I have owned the original 60GB PS3 since the first week of December 2006. I bought it for full retail price along with an extra controller and two games. At that point in time, and even today, I was okay with paying nearly $800USD for a system. I would consider myself more than a casual gamer but not entirely hardcore. I work a minimum of 50 hours a week and with a finance and a dog a house and responsibilities I find I can dedicate about 10 hours a week to gaming at most. Being that I make good money and knew for quite some time prior to launch what price point I was looking at, I made piece with myself and invested, wisely in my opinion, in the system I wanted.

Where my curiosity is peaked is when it comes to younger gamers, less financially stable gamers, casual gamers, etc. who spent their hard earned money on the original SKUs and less than a year later see the "holdouts" rewarded with lower prices.

Please discuss, I in mean in no way to offend anyone with my stereotypes above, please understand this is about the topic not the gamers.

[fastasleep]

Sony needs to do two major things with the ps3. Increase the install base and increase ps3 software sales. The 40gig sku should help ignite hardware sales and with no b/c, those new ps3 owners have little choice but to plunk down for ps3 games. A smart move overall, but its not a sku that I'm particularly fond of. B/c is important to me, since the ps2 library is a monster, hell, I even pick up the odd, occassional ps1 game.

Sony has little choice but to be more price aggressive with their hardware. Third parties need to be assured that sony will be competitive and that ps3 games in development won't be released on a system still languishing in the basement.

I bought the ps3 at full retail. Did I pull the trigger too soon? Yeah, but so what, vidoegame consoles, you wind up losing a bit on, its not like you take a bath. Had I bought that panny plasma back in xmas 05, I'd be screaming like a stuck pig now.

[Syncere Styles]

Nah, not slighted in the slightest cuz not only do I understand the business, but I actually feel that it was worth the money I spent then (bought mine back in March this year) and I find more value in the 60 gig that I bought than in all of these other joints just now starting to surface that are slighted as far as features go.

[jaxmkii]

im not botherd a bit buy the price drop. i bought the 60g ps3 on 11/17 @ 660usd + tax i payed the price to have it early nearly one year later its 100usd cheaper... so what i got my 100usd out of thouse 10 months

at this point i would like to see sony drop to 299 and increase the install base
installbase=better opertunitys for devs=better games for us.

what i dont want to see is critical system cuts to drop the price. like removal of BD or HHD

[cliffbo]

lol... poor Sony, they just can't win. now those that bought it at the full price are going to moan that it's cheaper and those that demanded a cheaper price are going to moan about the lack of BC...

preemptive strike: 'is anyone else annoyed that the new PS3s have dual shock and I don't' LOLOL

[BruceWayneIII]

I am a happy early adopter - no matter what (PAL March 2007).

People being concerned with price aren't usually early adopters. I know a few people who - despite their high salaries - are waiting for a price drop before buying. Nothing wrong with that. It's just one of many types of consumer behaviour.

[B Dizzle]

Quick, say your piece before Lali locks it down. Unless you're here to worship Sony, there's no room at the inn.

I'm pissed but I'll get over it.

7 months of either poor, mediocre or just plain shit next-gen games(except Oblivion/WarHawk) and then a £75($150) price cut. I know now, never to bother with Sony hardware in its first year of life. They could have at least shown us EU early adopters some love(a free game or some PSN credit would have been nice) but, when you're you're that arrogant or stupid its easy to piss on your evangelists(thats what Phil called us).

[BruceWayneIII]

^It's in our own interest. More PS3s in the market = more quality games. Simple. Support it!

[Viper]

I'd prefer they had a single SKU and worked to drop it's price. Same strategy we've always employed. Adding a bigger HDD should be a peripheral style option. Sony could make much more money this way while keeping one core SKU and dropping its price.

[Syncere Styles]

I'd prefer they had a single SKU and worked to drop it's price. Same strategy we've always employed. Adding a bigger HDD should be a peripheral style option. Sony could make much more money this way while keeping one core SKU and dropping its price.

Yeah, they should've just stuck with the 60 gig and made it around 400 bucks from jump. Or @ least debutted @ 500 for the 60 and have that sku only then drop it to 400 around now.

[curryking1]

I am not exactly amazed, or actually far from it, right now. But I think in 6 to 9 months I will become very satisfied playing some more actual PS3 games.

In that time when I have Ratchet and Clank Future, Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid 4 and hopefully Grand Theft Auto IV and Killzone 2 sitting on my desk, then I will call myself very, very satisfied.

About how the PS3 is doing in the rest of the market..... well... Good luck to Sony! I'm cheering for them :)

[RzrWire]

The huge differences in the pricing scemes in other markets is a bit out of wack, expecially with these new SKUs.

I would like to see Sony sticking to no more than two different PS3 models. It keeps things a lot more simple. Offering this new 40GB model doesn't help Sony's image with the removal of certain features including backwards compatibility. While backwards compatibility will come to these 40GB models threw software emulation down the road, having no PS2 support until then makes Sony hypocritical in regards to past P.R. speeches.

As far as the price point is concerned now compared to what the early adopters paid for, I don't believe they've been slighted in the least. Adaptation comes at a price for new technology. Considering what you get for a $399 40GB PS3 compared to a $499 60GB PS3, the $499 model looks better every day that goes by.

[VideoGame mania]

I wish I've waited with my PS3 purchase and picked up the 40gb in spring 08.
I only got it early for MGS4 and GTA4 which I thought would be out right now, Fall 07.
Overall, I'm disappointed with Sony and developers attitude toward the PS3.
It's an amazing machine but with no AAA games nobody can succeed.

[curryking1]

Good call VGM, my main purpose buying the console around now was to get a PS3 for future games and have GTA IV and MGS4 in October and Late 07 respectively. And we all know how much GTA IV got blown off course... which is a lot.

[dendj55]

lol... poor Sony, they just can't win. now those that bought it at the full price are going to moan that it's cheaper and those that demanded a cheaper price are going to moan about the lack of BC...

preemptive strike: 'is anyone else annoyed that the new PS3s have dual shock and I don't' LOLOL

Just to clarify, my position is simple, I am an early adopter with absolutley no regrets about my purchase, the sytem, the content, the accessories, etc.

If I want a new game, accessories, bigger HDD, etc. I buy one without having to save up for it.

The curiosity behind the thread really boiled down to people that typically save money prior to purchase. I am not in that boat but feel for anyone who saved long and hard for a original 60GB only to see 8 months later more affordable options are now being made available.

I was curious how these people felt. Hence the thread. I am not a Sony Fanboy, but I am a Playstion Brand supporter.

I am happy with the new dualshock, but because I could careless about rumble will not be buying one.

[PSXBatou]

It's technology, as it gets older the price to produce it becomes cheaper. I love my PS3 and feel it was worth every penny i paid for it. Soon enough ill have 20 games, which is about 2x what i paid for the system itself :) I'm at around 16 games and 18 Blu Ray movies right now, wouldn't trade the experience for anything :)

[frosty]

It's not a big deal to me, as I know my 60GB unit has the whole package with BC and all. Now if they had pulled an Apple and dropped it to $400 2 months after release, then I would have been upset.

[VideoGame mania]

It's technology, as it gets older the price to produce it becomes cheaper. I love my PS3 and feel it was worth every penny i paid for it. Soon enough ill have 20 games, which is about 2x what i paid for the system itself :) I'm at around 16 games and 18 Blu Ray movies right now, wouldn't trade the experience for anything :)

:wtf: did you buy every PS3 game ?
I have 3 systems and only have 8 games.

[qzak]

I have zero regrets about getting mine early. I don't mind paying good money for a high quality product, and the PS3 is one. In fact, I hope they drop the price even more.

Lemme put it this way: if the PS3 tanks, then my $750 was for a product that will eventually be lesser, due to reasons we've all discussed.

But if it takes off and gets more dev support, it's actually better for me and my full-price purchase. So I don't care if Sony drops the price to $250, so long as they stay in business. I won't feel they ripped me off for a console that represents a huge value to me. Not just to me, but the parts in it are more expensive than what I paid. It's value in multiple ways.


Put another way, when I think back over the (nearly) last year with my PS3, and the entertainment it has given me, I ask myself:

Would I pay $100 to have rented the PS3 for the past 10 months? Clearly.
Would I pay $200? Clearly.

So I end up with no regrets.

[Helios]

I'm mostly unconcerned with the price drop because I was already expecting it and still got my PS3 close to release. The PS2 had a price cut a year after release and so has every other console, it's just the natural financial cycle. So there's no reason to really be upset about an inevitability.

[OmniStalgic]

SImply put--the people who actually go out and get a PS3--usually find it very entertaining--even the critical guys..

The haters will just keep bashing it until MGS4 comes out..

Then it'll be "it's only got like one game..."

PS3 users like there system, many love it...

Certain things could be better, but the majority of guys who said "we don't care if PS3 becomes the Xbox this gen" meant it...

Sure some of us are probably a bit tired of the biased bashing (welcome back Ninty-boyz;)) but i think some of the potential is being shown already, and every month is improving...

Folklore and Jeanne d'Arc is next for me...

[Freeman_JI]

Can't really say at the moment I'd like to see what damage Halo3 did in the August / October NPD sales.

And i'd like to compare that to say the PS3 version of MGS4 or another mass market game that will be a good indicator on our situation.

EDIT: oh and the 40 giger of course should throw a few spanners in the works for the xbox360

[Shadow Voa]

When is my MGS4 coming? By the time it's out my PS3 and I should be best friends again, till then... we aren't speaking.

[EvilTaru]

What Sony needs to do is to continue to put out quality PS3 titles from SCEWW, REGARDLESS of what third-party publishers do, there'll be gems and there'll be duds but that's the nature of releasing games.

One of the biggest mistakes so far this gen has been Sony waiting for the third-party publishers to act, and they've been burned again and again with delays. Let the likes of Uncharted and R&CFTOD take the lead, promote these games with great marketing, series like Resistance should be THE FPS franchise of the Playstation, get Media Vision off their asses and make something for the PS3 for a change, the Wild Arms series and the Arc The Lad series need to be moved to the PS3 instead of fucking around on the PS2. Their first-party product positioning needs to be tighter, instead of hoping one of the third-party publishers to release a big title during the peak season because you never know if they'll end up delaying a product.

[Theo]

I bought the PAL version when it launched and I do not regret it. Blu-ray was the main reason for me to buy it that early and I was well aware of the lack of quality games it would suffer for the first year or so. I have been very satisfied with my investment from the beginning and it's getting better as the games are finally almost at hand now. Like stated before, lower prices should lead to more sales and with more units sold more developer support should appear... Sony really desperately needs AAA tittles for the ps3 IMO, add some price fixing for the system and things would change I believe. Those things will come sooner or later, but will it be too late for the ps3 to rise for similar glory the ps1 and ps2 shared remains to be seen.

[LiquidEagle]

And i'd like to compare that to say the PS3 version of MGS4 or another mass market game that will be a good indicator on our situation

...*sigh*... :tardbang:

that's all I have to say about that little implication...

[satriales]

I imported a Japanese 20GB PS3 and got to play Resistance a few months earlier than my fellow Brits :)
It cost me £315 including delivery and customs, which was a great price IMO. The new 40GB PS3 has only just reached the same price so I'm gald I didn't wait.

[TimmyJ]

Would the price cut have bothered me under most circumstances? No, it would be the price of being an early adopter.

Does the fact that the PS3 received a 75 pound price drop less than two weeks after I bought mine make the moths in my wallet cry? Quite a lot actually...

[Coded-Dude]

I love my 60GB chrome plated model that has PS2 B/C, in fact I would be perturbed if I had waited and not been able to get a PS3 that is in fact B/C, and has 4 USB ports(i keep a keyboard and mouse plugged in all the time as well as my BT headset and one slot to charge a controller), and the memory card slots. For the common gamer these are not necessary, but I wanted these features and wouldn't change a thing about it. I'm ready for Sony to roll out their promised features and am a bit worried that some will take longer than promised(it happens - look at the PSP), but overall.......ME = SATISFIED CUSTOMER

[Domination]

I am curious to see who, of the many PS3 owners out there, feels at all slighted by the ever changing price point and new models of PS3's being released less than a year from the original launch console.

I have owned the original 60GB PS3 since the first week of December 2006. I bought it for full retail price along with an extra controller and two games. At that point in time, and even today, I was okay with paying nearly $800USD for a system. I would consider myself more than a casual gamer but not entirely hardcore. I work a minimum of 50 hours a week and with a finance and a dog a house and responsibilities I find I can dedicate about 10 hours a week to gaming at most. Being that I make good money and knew for quite some time prior to launch what price point I was looking at, I made piece with myself and invested, wisely in my opinion, in the system I wanted.

Where my curiosity is peaked is when it comes to younger gamers, less financially stable gamers, casual gamers, etc. who spent their hard earned money on the original SKUs and less than a year later see the "holdouts" rewarded with lower prices.

Please discuss, I in mean in no way to offend anyone with my stereotypes above, please understand this is about the topic not the gamers.

Do I regret the price I paid for the console when I did? No, I don't regret it, not even a little bit. It's like I told you before, This is the first game console that has manage to hold my attention for as long as it has without a plethora of AAA content if at all when it launched the market.

[Red_Eyes]

As an early adoptor, no, I don't regret the price I paid. That's the whole point of being an early adoptor. You pay higher for it, but you get it sooner, and then the price drops later on. That's the cycle of technology. Been happening on the PC for some time now (new expensive video card coming out every 6 months and then dropping price as the time goes on).

[AC!D]

I don't regret my purchase either. You see i don't think of the PS3 brand as a single console. I purchased my PS3 knowing i would be getting great launch games like motorstorm, resistance and VF5 and in the slower months i got even better games! Yes God of War 2, FF12, Rogue galaxy, Tomb raider! Those are just some of the perks that other consoles don't get in the slower months cause nothig was released of that sort of quality in their early launch slower months of gaming. Lets not forget psp/PS3 connectivity.

Another big factor why im still happy with my purchase is i know that Sony are the third biggest developer in the world and after purchasing Evolution ( subject to correction of course ) i think they have surpassed Ubisoft into 2nd place.

As for the price cut im delighted! Why? more PS3 owners means more third party support and better games for me. Also im an early adopter i know the price of getting there first how can i possibly be pissed?
As for the guy that got his PS3 a week before the price cut i feel for you but why would you not wait for the Christmas price cut that everyone knew was coming?

With regards to the knew sku's im not upset either. Ppl asked for a cheaper stripped sku and they got it while those that don't like the stripped sku should hurry and get a 60 gig now. Sony i think have just realised that the PS2 is a gold mine beyone the timeframe they thought ,so im sure that was their thinking in dropping BC. Less PS3 BC = more PS2 console sales and a bit of a cheaper reduction to the cost of manufacturing the 40gig PS3 which im sure they are aiming at the casual gamers while the guys chatting on this forum would obviously be smart enough to opt for the 60gig before it runs out.

Sorry for the long post but im more than happy with my PS3!

[TimmyJ]

As for the guy that got his PS3 a week before the price cut I feel for you but why would you not wait for the Christmas price cut that everyone knew was coming?

I knew that there was going to be a price cut some time before Christmas but I figured that it was likely to be around late November sort of time and, put simply, I didn't want to wait that long. Had I had my PS3 for as little as a month or two before the price was cut then I'd be happy with that but the fact that the price was cut by the price of a couple of games shortly after I'd bought my PS3 is what irks me, but what really annoys me is the fact that price cut wasn't announced as such, it seemed to just happen.

Had Sony announced some time ago that there would be a price cut then I could have waited the extra week, or had they announced that the price cut wouldn't be happening for some time then I'd be happy with that, but instead I ended up forking out money that it took some time to save

[AC!D]

Well just to cheer you up TimmyJ the new PS3 40 gig is being manufactured by a new cheaper manufacturer by Sony so maybe they won't be as well built as ours :P

[Shadow Voa]

As the first day purchase I dont regret it, I love console launches and I was happy to get mine. I know I'd buy it eventually anyway so it didnt matter, its an expensive piece of equipment and I figured it would be a long time before they ever bundled the system with a game I'd want anyway (MGS4) so figured might as well get it with the money I had. I'd do it all over again too, never had so much fun camping in 2006.

Still waiting on the games, but the waiting isnt so bad anymore... even if its waiting for multiplatform games.

[Syncere Styles]

My only regret about how I bought the PS3 was that when I bought it, I bought it on credit, despite having the cash on hand and I didn't buy it from Gamestop/Ebay Games with their 100 bucks towards a PS3 from a PS2 trade-in deal. I regret not taking that deal cuz just two months later, I ended up trading in my PS2 there anyways (for only 65 bucks then) and now I'm still paying off my PS3 on my credit card, when I could've had it out the way Waaay back in March when I bought it and got it for a 100 dollars cheaper.

*kicks my own ass*

[dnpmakkah]

I don't regret my purchase but I can see why others might be pissed.

[Lekko]

I like my 20 gig system. It's all super-ultra rare now. I only wish it had wifi, but that's the only negative of it. Other than that, totally happy.