Writing is on the wall for optical drives in PC's IMO. More than on the wall even. Its very obvious. How long until we reach that point is unknown though.
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NY Times: Sony is in "the fight for its life"
- Thread starter shinobi602
- Start date
Writing is on the wall for optical drives in PC's IMO. More than on the wall even. Its very obvious. How long until we reach that point is unknown though.
RukusProvider
Banned
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=Sne&ql=1
Sony stock price hovering around a 52 week low. None of Sony recovery plans and reveals has done anything (so far) to build investor confidence. We shall see.
The next psychilogical hit for the stock would be going below $15 and then obviously below $10
Sony stock price hovering around a 52 week low. None of Sony recovery plans and reveals has done anything (so far) to build investor confidence. We shall see.
The next psychilogical hit for the stock would be going below $15 and then obviously below $10
Infamous Chris
Banned
Not when it goes off-topic :lol
dreamer3kx
Member
Good time to get a Vita?
Of course, at least you don't have to worry about a huge backlog!
Sure, because you don't have to spend that much money into software now or in near future!
Definitely, they'll be valued some day by collectors, just like Dreamcast and others!
Sorry, only these came into my mind at the moment.
Father_Brain
Banned
If you're primarily buying it for software that actually exists (either currently available or announced), then sure. If you'd rather buy it as a long-term investment, I'd at least wait for E3.
For Apple this year. They are removing optical drive from all their laptops by all indications.
Optical media in general is dying. For the movie market everything is shifting digital. Blu-Ray was just a last ditch attempt to squeeze in extra money before the shift to digital really took over.
That's actually a real possibility. While the stock seems to dip as low as $16 (and has done so before in the last 6 months) and level off I could see things getting worse for them.
There just seems to be more 'negative momentum' around Sony at the moment and it can only get worse.
Only yesterday I was speaking to a friend who said that SPE really can't afford to have Amazing Spiderman be anything other than a massive summer hit.
Alebrije
Member
turnbuckle
Member
Or the major ISPs start offering competing services or alliances with the companies that provide services requiring lots of bandwidth. Xbox Live Gold accounts will come "free" (included in the price) of a cable tv + internet bundle; Netflix partners with AT&T to offer their library through Uverse with the data not counting towards the caps etc. etc.
It's anybody's guess how this will all play out, but I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that consumer-level optical media will die in this half of the century.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
turnbuckle said:
In some territories, maybe it'll become a niche product delivery mechanism (for collectors and enthusiasts who demand premium quality above convenience), but globally... not a chance in hell.
Either way, optical media isn't going to "die" anytime soon.
Okay, you have me fighting to not laugh in front of my patient's family members right now.. comedy gold, I says!
MrCunningham
Member
I think the phrase has been said on these forums before...
"Panic mode Nintendo is best Nintendo"
They did panic when the PSP was announced and rushed out the DS to compete. Who knew it would end up being the best selling dedicated gaming handheld of all time? They even panicked near the PSV launch window and dropped the 3DS price. I guess that is working out well for them too.
Funny, I had to install some DVDs for a class today, and realized that even though my laptop is 6 months old I'd NEVER used the DVD drive until now. I wasn't even sure it worked.
At home, I don't bother to order drives in my PCs/laptops anymore. I have an old Pioneer USB DVD burner that I plug in when I need it, which is very rarely.
Honestly, I can see a future where Gamestop is little more than a place you go to with your USB thumbdrive and buy copies of games, for people without sufficient bandwidth at home.
Software on media is an outdated concept, quickly joining CDs to the path of irrelevancy. Since software tends to be smaller than HD movies, it will go first.
At home, I don't bother to order drives in my PCs/laptops anymore. I have an old Pioneer USB DVD burner that I plug in when I need it, which is very rarely.
Honestly, I can see a future where Gamestop is little more than a place you go to with your USB thumbdrive and buy copies of games, for people without sufficient bandwidth at home.
Software on media is an outdated concept, quickly joining CDs to the path of irrelevancy. Since software tends to be smaller than HD movies, it will go first.
worried? sure but that's far from on the verge of becoming a niche brand.
With the same logic, you are basically saying Sony is on the verge of becoming a niche brand right now since they are in worse financial position and not dominating in any one area.
He said 50 years. That's a long time. Even in the most Internet-lethargic developed nations we'll be using broadband technology beyond our dreams by 2062. Well, someone might be. I'll be 81 years old if I'm not already dead. Ha.
In 1962 hardly anyone had their own phone line. It was all phone boxes and party lines. A woman used to sit in a chair and manually connect your call. In 2012 nearly 735million people have active cellphone contracts in Africa alone. That's 65% of the population.
I doubt anyone will be using CDs in 2062.
ScreenSplitter
Member
I agree. But when everyone finally does go digital, they're going to have to justify making the prices just as expensive as with manufacturing costs. I'm looking at you Microsoft. Games on Demand is awful.
H_Prestige
Banned
Sony sold over 60 million ps3s this gen and that number will only grow. That's nowhere near niche in the video game market.
If you don't like the word niche, then nintendo was on the verge of becoming a handheld only player. They were becoming more and more irrelevant in the home console space.
Angry Fork
Member
I really hope Sony doesn't go under. They've cared the most about exclusives and building up 1st party stuff this gen. I mainly play on PC now but I keep my PS3 for the exclusives. I don't dare want to think of a gaming world with only Microsoft and Nintendo around.
I agree, digital downloads should always be much lower. But they are stuck in that if you piss off the Brick and Motar stores by vastly undercutting game/music/video prices they will stop selling your consoles
Alebrije
Member
True, the idea that all will be cheaper once become digital its just a dream , companies will have more profits for sure but We as consumesr will get nothing fo this change.
Clear
CliffyB's Cock Holster
Burai said:
Actually he said "consumer-level optical media will die in this half of the century."
Which is before 2050. i.e. within 38 years. Kind of a push given vinyl records are still produced for a niche market despite being a technology that's been around since 1950.
You're also assuming that further enhancements won't made to optical media technology that will extend its life-span further than is currently envisaged.
I stand by my statement.
Really? Nothing is certain in the global economy these days. I'm not really disagreeing with you regarding Sony though.. but I wouldn't place confidence in many tech companies besides Apple and Google.
Infamous Chris
Banned
Your response is even worse now that you editted it.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
Everyone really needs to just tie digital pricing/timing with retail budget reprints. That way both markets would be better served, at least in this transition period.
And they are right to do so. The same thing happened with my floppy drives, for a while whenever I would build a new rig or upgrade, I would get one. But it would be dusty as hell whenever I took canned air to clean my PC.
Right now, my latest build has a DL DVD writer and a BluRay writer, both of them dusty as a motherfuck. Im sure my PC doesnt speak for an entire industry, but I would be willing to bet optical media is indeed slowly dying. Bandwidth caps will make sure that death is slow to come though, so theres a bright side.... or maybe a bit of a less dark side.
Vane_MagicCity
Banned
They don't have to justify it now so they certainly won't have to justify it when there is nothing to compare Digital Distribution to. They will just say that the cost of development has gone up.
Eh, new games usually cost 50-60 on Steam or other PC digital stores.
RukusProvider
Banned
Sure, the brand and company might be around. However, their industry focus, impact and relevance could be vastly different.
Talladega Knight
Member
sure, just like Atari is still around
Not the same thing!
The reason Games on Demand is so bad is due to Microsoft not putting any money into managing that ecosystem. Once DD becomes more widespread, services like Steam will be the rule, with constant sales to keep games selling.
MightyHedgehog
Member
An electronics and entertainment corporation, even as large as Sony, isn't immune to being merged, or just outright dissolved in a time when both of those industries are experiencing massive, corporation-killing and corporation-making changes. Twenty years is an eternity in both of those industries. On top of this, the current and ongoing economic clusterfuck is going to help to contribute to conditions which will help to take down many more. So, if you're based in a country whose economy has been stuck in a very long recession, your main moneymakers are flatlining or thinning out due to a technological sea-change and heavier foreign competition, overall, and your currency is prone to fucking you, you might be pretty well fucked, yourself.
turnbuckle
Member
Oh, I expect some kind of physical medium to still be around but they'll target niche users or satisfy other needs besides storage and consumption of media.
I can't see Spider-Man beating The Avengers and Dark Knight Rises this summer in the box office.
CadetMahoney
Member
Time to buy !!!
Brera strikes back!
Infamous Chris
Banned
Time to buy !!!
where is this from?
OldJadedGamer
Banned
It is because of retailer pressure. Something even PC games even on Steam suffer from as well.
Really?
Companies listed as Members, Associate Members, or Contributors
(may include duplicates and/or subsidiaries)
http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/19/blu-ray-vs-hd-dvd-state-of-the-s-union-s-division/
http://asia.cnet.com/crave/book-microsoft-promised-toshiba-hd-dvd-support-62106716.htm
Considering that Spiderman 4 was shelved and the Amazing Spiderman took it's place there is a lot riding on this film. And at this point it's being decisively overshadowed by TDKR and the Avengers.
..., considering the pedigree of the franchise for Sony (Spidey 1,2 and 3 are SPE's highest grossing modern films IIRC) I don't think even a third place finish this summer would be good enough for them.
They need this film to be massive hit and not just so SPE can make a profit on it.
CadetMahoney
Member
I feel the last 3 Spiderman films just give any potential audience throw up with franchise-fatigue and I'm not sure ppl will want to see the same tired old stories and cliche's. I see it as a selling about the same as any other average summer CGI distraction. Nothing "big hit" at all and a quick and nasty Blu-Ray in two months too.
Sony could spend alot more on advertising to sell more, but that in itself is a risk at this point.
test_account
XP-39C²
Indeed, i think so too. Doesnt seem that a pricecut is happening anytime in the very near future. Maybe we'll get one before this holiday season.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Definitely not Dark Knight, but Avengers? Even thought I don't think Amazing Spidey looks that good, he's just too big of a character to lose out to the Avengers. Especially when the only previous good flick out of the bunch was Ironman.
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
Yeah I shudder to think of what things would be like without retail. I mean, on paper sure we could see really cheap prices by going DD, but I don't see it happening if there's no competing outlets to purchase these games from.
Infamous Chris
Banned
The Avengers will easily outsell spidey. Easily. And Dark Knight is in a league of it's own at this point.
Sad, because Spiderman is my favorite superhero and I don't care about any of the Avengers, although admittedly I too think the Amazing Spiderman looks meh
And what film is that Shia Labeouf pic from?
Think it's Wall Street Money Never Sleeps
slaughterking
Member
Wall Street