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Sony: "Unlike PS3, we are not planning a major loss to be incurred with PS4 launch"
- Thread starter Canis lupus
- Start date
Megatron
Member
Except that they're still selling the current consoles for $300. You really think brand new consoles will only be $100 more?
Toss in a game or two at $499.00 and it's all of the sudden a great deal.
Well what did they do with Vita?
They could drop the PS3 price a few months before the PS4 release. Nintendo did something similar with the Wii right?
And that's what I'm thinking I see them having the 2 sku one at
$449 and a second one at $499 and if these are the numbers then I really will be picking up my system on day 1
That's prob what's going to happen just before or just after launch.
149/199 PS3 in Europe a month or two before the PS4 or just before Xmas.
TheGreyHulk
Member
if it's $499, be prepared for slow sales sony. that's not a price that's acceptable. please don't compare a tablet to a console either... that's an apples to oranges comparison.
just think about it logically. if i buy a ps4, i want a game to go with it, so your real base price is really the cost of console + 1 game.
$499 + $60 = $559 + tax = $609.31 (my tax is 9%, but you should expect to see prices around the $600 mark when adding tax).
that's $600 just to play it. that's too much for Joe Consumer plain and simple.
they must have an SKU @ $399 to see sales success because that'll leave you at around $500 total for the system + game, which is still steep for Joe Consumer, but a larger chunk of Joes would be willing to pay that price than the $600 one.
just think about it logically. if i buy a ps4, i want a game to go with it, so your real base price is really the cost of console + 1 game.
$499 + $60 = $559 + tax = $609.31 (my tax is 9%, but you should expect to see prices around the $600 mark when adding tax).
that's $600 just to play it. that's too much for Joe Consumer plain and simple.
they must have an SKU @ $399 to see sales success because that'll leave you at around $500 total for the system + game, which is still steep for Joe Consumer, but a larger chunk of Joes would be willing to pay that price than the $600 one.
I don't understand why a lot of people expecting ps4 at 499$ to cover the cost. It's still very high compared the past generation launch (ps3 a part). Realistically talking there is nothing of so expensive in the ps4 hardware, an optimal machine, yeah, but it use a x86 cpu, 399$ is quite enough to avoid any loss. 8 GB of GDDR 5 not change so much, bandwith is pared back. In any case, it's a suicide for the first years.
Kazuma Kiryu
Member
except that both microsoft and sony will cut the price of their current gen consoles at e3 or gamescom. the ps3 will not be $300 when the ps4 releases.
MightyHedgehog
Member
Just considering the hardware differences, do you really believe that they'll only launch $100 above the highest PS3 offering now? Sounds rather unbelievable to me, but I guess we'll just have to wait until E3 or later to see.
More than 399 and I will continue my back log for the next 2-3 years. No incentive to move up at 499. $499 is also out of soccermom territory, and will only cater to the "hard core" which seems to be the issue they are having with the Vita. If they had launched at a reduced price point from the start I believe they would have a lot more marketshare. (They could also release a 64gb memory card too.... and lower the price of the others but $10-20.)
RurouniZel
Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
I think Sony will follow Microsoft's rumored structure of $300 subsidized via PS+ and $500 w/o.
flyinpiranha
Member
Yep. This is my thought. $299.99 +$14.99/month looks a lot better than what they probably have to sell it at. Will throw in Live/PS+, some free games, some 'voucher' for some service nobody wants.
And doubling down on the idea that a premium console will appeal to a wide audience would be a gigantic misread of the home console market. Whatever that console market even looks like at this point.
TheGreyHulk
Member
I think $399 is very realistic as well. They're going to lose money on the H/W period for the first couple of years. They good thing is they won't be bleeding money from the H/W like they did with the PS3 which was extremely expensive to manufacture.
blu-ray was brand new and those blue laser diodes were expensive as hell, cell was super expensive and sony was involved in it's manufacture as well, xdr ram = expensive, buying the RSX gpu cost a pretty penny... even wifi was expensive back in this age.
there's nothing cutting edge about the PS4. all of the major components inside of it is based on existing tech and they're not involved with fabrication like they were with the cell and blu-ray.
$399 low sku & $499 higher margin sku (more hdd space and psn+). that sounds reasonable.
Officerrob
Banned
Charged an insane amount of money for proprietary memory cards that you had to buy to play games.
I think it will be $499
But that's more about there being less price depreciation this gen compared to last, not so much about starting price. 360 launched at $400 and is also still being sold in $300 packages, 8 yrs later. They could very easily go the same route with the next gen - slower price depreciation, rather than higher starting prices.
I think MS and Sony would be painting themselves into a corner launching @$500. They need to have a $400 SKU to be viable, or I think their console launches are going to falter badly.
I completely agree I am still waiting for those who say it will be 499.99 what outside the Ram is expensive this time around. There is no cutting edge GPU or CPU. There is no PS3 SOC onboard for BC. These are very modest machines and if Sony really tries to launch at 499.99 it will tank.
Who said they can't do something similiar with PS4? Have they talked about their memory solutions yet?
Syphon Filter
Member
It will be at least $500, don't complain if you want something decent you need to pay up. Don't settle for less just to want a cheaper price.
If they come out with a console that costs less than their previous console, when it launched, there could be the perception that the jump in power is not that big.
The actual price of the PS3 was between $700 and $900.
But the public only saw $ 599. Sony can now sell the console at cost for
$ 599 and be in better shape then when the PS3 launched.
The actual price of the PS3 was between $700 and $900.
But the public only saw $ 599. Sony can now sell the console at cost for
$ 599 and be in better shape then when the PS3 launched.
H_Prestige
Banned
Every ps4 will have a "massive" hard drive.
HoodWinked
Member
nintendo tried this already and it blew up in their faces this seems dumb.
Conciliator
Banned
Sony hasn't shown me any really exciting games yet(such is the nature of the launch window), but they seem like they're making a lot of sound business decisions and are potentially putting out a really solid product. Hope it works out for them.
uncledonnie
Banned
I may be in the minority but I'm not encouraged at all by this news. All this really means to me as a consumer is a higher MSRP.
At $500 "decent" would at least include hardware BC. Sorry.
It also means Sony stays in business. Losing 200 dollars a machine would sink them. They are still going to take a modest loss this time around not a stupid one like last time. Its one of the reason prices stayed so high to help get back those huge losses. Should get much quicker price drops this time around and that is good for the average consumer.
Exactly the PS4 is the exact opposite of the PS3. I see nothing on the PS4 that is so costly this time around. There is no new expensive media format. There is no previous gen SOC on board to raise costs. There is no big expensive CPU to raise cost. Being a SOC it will be much cheaper and easier to cool. The GDDR5 might be pricy but so was the XDR memory they had to pay more since only 1 company made it. This is a modest machine and will have a modest price tag of 399.99 for the base unit. If this was going to be a 499.99 machine it would of had either a much better CPU or GPU.
Unknown One
Member
It's probably going to be 400-450.
Gaf was totally wrong on the Vita pricing. Tons of crows were had on the pricing.
Gaf was totally wrong on the Vita pricing. Tons of crows were had on the pricing.
metalslimer
Member
500 dollars and no cheaper model and they'll be laughed off the market. And to be honest it took until the PS3 was 299 to start to have an impact because there is definitely a mental barrier. There will be a subsidized model at 250-299.
Thats because people assumed for whatever reason that cell phones are sold to consumers at near costs when the 600 dollars for smartphones is the biggest scam. 450 sounds reasonable. This thing will not be sold for less than 399 and no subsidy.
Thats because people assumed for whatever reason that cell phones are sold to consumers at near costs when the 600 dollars for smartphones is the biggest scam. 450 sounds reasonable. This thing will not be sold for less than 399 and no subsidy.
Cthulhu_Steev
Member
Whatever the launch price is, the probability of me buying it at launch is pretty low.
It's probably going to take at least as long as the PS3 (if not more) before the PS4 library becomes worthwhile. 3rd parties are going to milk the PS3/360 generation for as long as possible, it has lasted so long that the install base for the combined two is gigantic at this point.
It's probably going to take at least as long as the PS3 (if not more) before the PS4 library becomes worthwhile. 3rd parties are going to milk the PS3/360 generation for as long as possible, it has lasted so long that the install base for the combined two is gigantic at this point.
H_Prestige
Banned
The mass market will not be signing 2 year service agreements for a fucking video games consoles. The unsubsidized price is the only one that matters. It will launch at 350 or 399.
lol they do it for the 360 apparently. Even have to get a credit check, and if you think 350 you're definitely crazy. 399 is probably insane too.
nhlducks35
Member
They'll probably be a $399 and $499 SKU. Sony is not going to have one SKU starting at $499.
H_Prestige
Banned
No, the majority of customers are not buying a 360 on contract.
400 is the upper limit. 350 if Sony feels like going in all guns blazing.
Really starting to feel like the old Vita threads. "OMG 399 HANDHELD OMBG SONY WHAT IS YOU THINKING???!!!111!"
JohnnySasaki86
Member
Exactly. Once again first post nails it. Compared to the $300 loss they incurred with the PS3 with each system, a $50-100 loss would not be major, and would be largely offset by accessories and software. As long as the average PS4 customer buys 2+ games with the system.
I'd be extremely surprised if the console doesn't launch at both those prices, though the rumors state that the Eye would come with both consoles.
$500 for the top sku and $400 for the lower sku should be entirely reasonable in 2013. This is $100 less than the PS3 launch, and you have 7 years of inflation to account for too.
Mr_Antimatter
Member
A lot of folks failed to understand whats actually in a vita. It's basically a tablet with physical controls.
Whats a ps4? An APU based PC with a joypad.
I don't think it will cost too much, despite some fancy sounding parts.
Overall the ground seems to be pretty much set for them to do well, they have done everything right thus far. As such I think there is a very good chance for $399.
The most awesomest thing would be for a PS1 style quick $299 announcement though. MS and Nintendo would shit bricks.
The most awesomest thing would be for a PS1 style quick $299 announcement though. MS and Nintendo would shit bricks.
dispensergoinup
Gold Member
399 instabuy
499 instabuy
I don't even care, I just need all this next gen goodness.
499 instabuy
I don't even care, I just need all this next gen goodness.