PS3 Release Date & Price Announced

[Dan Lambskin]

I'm definitely getting at least one of these things to put on ebay. The XBOX 360's were going for insane amounts on there and I imagine this will be the same, but with even more money to be made.

Am I the only one who feels that doing stuff like this is morally wrong? I mean, legally, go ahead. Nothing's stopping you. But if I did this, I would feel really wrong for doing it. It's like companies that buy lots of tickets to baseball games only to turn around and sell them for a huge markup. It just doesn't seem like it's something I could feel good about later.

i think it's called "the American Way"

[Madison]

$600 for the good one, and $500 for the cheapie? Good luck with that.

Decent gamble that this will be the console generation where Nintendo gains back some market share. Nothing huge, but the Wii will probably do well given the price of it's competitors.

Am I the only one who feels that doing stuff like this is morally wrong?

Doesn't bother me too much, and it's possible that this is the year where it catches up to them. People and parents will draw the line as to what's acceptable to spend on video games, and my personal opinion (which definitely could be wrong) is that we're getting close to that point with these $500 and $600 price tags. The article didn't say for sure, but I'm assuming that of course the system won't come with a game at those prices? $500 or $600 simply for the box? Yeah, I definitely can see people and parents starting to draw a line here. You're talking $600-$700 for the system and one game. That's pretty dang steep for most people, even worse with gas and electric prices where they are.

[acsguitar]

I have been waiting a while for this. I should be getting home right about then too. Horray.

Hows the desert treating ya!

[Yoda]

$600 for the good one, and $500 for the cheapie? Good luck with that.

Decent gamble that this will be the console generation where Nintendo gains back some market share. Nothing huge, but the Wii will probably do well given the price of it's competitors.

Am I the only one who feels that doing stuff like this is morally wrong?

Doesn't bother me too much, and it's possible that this is the year where it catches up to them. People and parents will draw the line as to what's acceptable to spend on video games, and my personal opinion (which definitely could be wrong) is that we're getting close to that point with these $500 and $600 price tags. The article didn't say for sure, but I'm assuming that of course the system won't come with a game at those prices? $500 or $600 simply for the box? Yeah, I definitely can see people and parents starting to draw a line here. You're talking $600-$700 for the system and one game. That's pretty dang steep for most people, even worse with gas and electric prices where they are.

Considering Blue Ray DVD players are selling for $1000, this is a HUGE bargain. Not only do you get to watch movies in HD but you get to play the best games in the market. I would buy one if they were selling it for $1000.

[Madison]

$600 for the good one, and $500 for the cheapie? Good luck with that.

Decent gamble that this will be the console generation where Nintendo gains back some market share. Nothing huge, but the Wii will probably do well given the price of it's competitors.

Am I the only one who feels that doing stuff like this is morally wrong?

Doesn't bother me too much, and it's possible that this is the year where it catches up to them. People and parents will draw the line as to what's acceptable to spend on video games, and my personal opinion (which definitely could be wrong) is that we're getting close to that point with these $500 and $600 price tags. The article didn't say for sure, but I'm assuming that of course the system won't come with a game at those prices? $500 or $600 simply for the box? Yeah, I definitely can see people and parents starting to draw a line here. You're talking $600-$700 for the system and one game. That's pretty dang steep for most people, even worse with gas and electric prices where they are.

Considering Blue Ray DVD players are selling for $1000, this is a HUGE bargain. Not only do you get to watch movies in HD but you get to play the best games in the market. I would buy one if they were selling it for $1000.

Which is a nice selling point when selling to adults. How many parents are going to spend that much on their kids though? I've got a son who will be 8 years old in a month or so. He's got his own television with built in VCR in his room, along with a Dreamcast (Yeah, Dreamcast. It's temporary to make sure he won't destroy an XBOX, or whatever system we buy him) and a Game Boy Advance SP. Am I going to spend $700 to get him a PS3 and 1 game? Not a chance. I don't mind throwing money away on my son, but it's at least got to be somewhat reasonable as to the cost/benefit side. $500 for the XBOX 360 with 1 game is too steep as well for a kid. So what option is left in order for him to have something "new and cool"? Hello Nintendo Wii.

As an adult gamer, the expense is a little more justified for spending crazy amounts of money to play video games, but don't forget that there are kids out there, and are the future of the video game industry. While Sony and Microsoft are focusing on the adults (which is fine), someone's going to make a ton of money by keeping an affordable system out there for kids (hint: Nintendo).

[Yoda]

$600 for the good one, and $500 for the cheapie? Good luck with that.

Decent gamble that this will be the console generation where Nintendo gains back some market share. Nothing huge, but the Wii will probably do well given the price of it's competitors.

Am I the only one who feels that doing stuff like this is morally wrong?

Doesn't bother me too much, and it's possible that this is the year where it catches up to them. People and parents will draw the line as to what's acceptable to spend on video games, and my personal opinion (which definitely could be wrong) is that we're getting close to that point with these $500 and $600 price tags. The article didn't say for sure, but I'm assuming that of course the system won't come with a game at those prices? $500 or $600 simply for the box? Yeah, I definitely can see people and parents starting to draw a line here. You're talking $600-$700 for the system and one game. That's pretty dang steep for most people, even worse with gas and electric prices where they are.

Considering Blue Ray DVD players are selling for $1000, this is a HUGE bargain. Not only do you get to watch movies in HD but you get to play the best games in the market. I would buy one if they were selling it for $1000.

Which is a nice selling point when selling to adults. How many parents are going to spend that much on their kids though? I've got a son who will be 8 years old in a month or so. He's got his own television with built in VCR in his room, along with a Dreamcast (Yeah, Dreamcast. It's temporary to make sure he won't destroy an XBOX, or whatever system we buy him) and a Game Boy Advance SP. Am I going to spend $700 to get him a PS3 and 1 game? Not a chance. I don't mind throwing money away on my son, but it's at least got to be somewhat reasonable as to the cost/benefit side. $500 for the XBOX 360 with 1 game is too steep as well for a kid. So what option is left in order for him to have something "new and cool"? Hello Nintendo Wii.

As an adult gamer, the expense is a little more justified for spending crazy amounts of money to play video games, but don't forget that there are kids out there, and are the future of the video game industry. While Sony and Microsoft are focusing on the adults (which is fine), someone's going to make a ton of money by keeping an affordable system out there for kids (hint: Nintendo).

I think that is the point. Sony's business model is to create a system for all generations. A lot of people paid top $$$ to buy an Xbox 360. I'm willing to bet that even more people will pay top $$$ to buy a PS3. $600 is nothing for a system like that right now.

[Madison]

I think that is the point. Sony's business model is to create a system for all generations. A lot of people paid top $$$ to buy an Xbox 360. I'm willing to bet that even more people will pay top $$$ to buy a PS3. $600 is nothing for a system like that right now.

The problem with Sony's business model is that they are excluding kids from the equation by having such a big price tag. I agree that $600 isn't too bad for the system for an adult, but most people either cannot afford, or will not spend that much on their kid for one game. You're realistically talking about parents spending $1,000 just to get their kid started with the system, and that's just not going to happen on a large scale. Sure, some parents will do it anyway, but most will not. So Sony's plan of building a universal system for all generations is flawed big time. Coming in at a price over the 360 will hurt them much more in that department than they will admit. Not to mention that if Microsoft really wants to hurt Sony, they will do a price drop when the PS3 hits. Makes it a very easy decision for parents to make, and Sony will sell less units the first year or two than what they project to sell. Meanwhile, Microsoft will be cleaning up and getting a huge installed userbase. I can guarantee you Nintendo threw a party when they heard Sony's price announcement. It definitely increases sales for the Wii, as Sony has excluded a large part of the market simply due to price.

[j_d_mcnugent]

Considering Blue Ray DVD players are selling for $1000, this is a HUGE bargain. Not only do you get to watch movies in HD but you get to play the best games in the market. I would buy one if they were selling it for $1000.

with that large of a price difference it makes me wonder what the quality will be like or if it will be missing something, like you'll have to have decoder on your receiver or something. of course, i'd need to get a new receiver and hdtv anyway....

[Yoda]

I think that is the point. Sony's business model is to create a system for all generations. A lot of people paid top $$$ to buy an Xbox 360. I'm willing to bet that even more people will pay top $$$ to buy a PS3. $600 is nothing for a system like that right now.

The problem with Sony's business model is that they are excluding kids from the equation by having such a big price tag. I agree that $600 isn't too bad for the system for an adult, but most people either cannot afford, or will not spend that much on their kid for one game. You're realistically talking about parents spending $1,000 just to get their kid started with the system, and that's just not going to happen on a large scale. Sure, some parents will do it anyway, but most will not. So Sony's plan of building a universal system for all generations is flawed big time. Coming in at a price over the 360 will hurt them much more in that department than they will admit. Not to mention that if Microsoft really wants to hurt Sony, they will do a price drop when the PS3 hits. Makes it a very easy decision for parents to make, and Sony will sell less units the first year or two than what they project to sell. Meanwhile, Microsoft will be cleaning up and getting a huge installed userbase. I can guarantee you Nintendo threw a party when they heard Sony's price announcement. It definitely increases sales for the Wii, as Sony has excluded a large part of the market simply due to price.

I don't see how Sony AND Microsoft's business model for their video game systems is "flawed". The price will eventually come down as it always has in the past. Initial price of $600 which probably cost double that to manufacture and distribute might be too much for some people.

Nintendo is barely hanging on in the game. They are focusing mostly on kids while Sony and MS are dominating every age group.

[luckygehrig]

I'm definitely getting at least one of these things to put on ebay. The XBOX 360's were going for insane amounts on there and I imagine this will be the same, but with even more money to be made.

Am I the only one who feels that doing stuff like this is morally wrong? I mean, legally, go ahead. Nothing's stopping you. But if I did this, I would feel really wrong for doing it. It's like companies that buy lots of tickets to baseball games only to turn around and sell them for a huge markup. It just doesn't seem like it's something I could feel good about later.

As a college student facing hikes in tuition next year, I think morals get thrown out the window. The fact that I could make a pretty decent profit on one of these things just by listing it online, is very appealing. I don't really have a moral problem doing it since it's not like these people have to get one of these. Maybe if I were selling something that were more essential to everyday life, then yeah, I'd probably think twice about it. I think the reason that there is a profit to be made on these things is because people don't want to wait. They want it right away. If they were to wait a few months, there'd be plenty on store shelves for the MSRP. But, because we live in a "Gotta have it now" society, it makes it so that people like me can make a little profit doing nothing more than being a "middle-man." I really don't see a problem with doing this with a video game system, and I think most people would probably agree with me.