New PS3, New Price & More News Coming

@Patrick Seybold

I’m worried about this price drop. It may not help, like at all. I’m not a hater, as that I’ve been a loyal Sony gamer for many years, and I already own the PS3 (getting better by the day I swear!) But the underlying problem still stands. Jack Tretton said in an interview with N’Gai Croal that the challenge for you guys is marketing such an expensive machine (which is primarily a game console, but also has PC-style functionality) to the average consumer, yet there has been no evidence of marketing towards any form of idea conveying the justification of the price point. Dropping it 100 bucks is a start, but if Microsoft drops their price this E3, OH, AND THEY WILL, you guys are gonna be in the exact same place as you were a month ago. The fact that Microsoft is basically (IMO) nickel and diming people to death over accessories and add-ons to their system is horrible, but average joe consumer doesn’t know any better. I did, which is why I bought a PS3, but that is me, and tech junkie aside, I wouldn’t have if I didn’t know better, as that the 360 is a far superior deal, based on just the commercials they use to advertise. The lower price point, and huge wave of games are undeniable selling points for the system. You need to find a positive way to market the system alongside the games, and no, some weird crying baby isn’t gonna do it. You need to find a way to market the Blu-Ray, the Cell, etc. You need to have commercials explaining how good this stuff is for the people wanting a game console, as well as a multimedia device. Show how this will be taken advantage of with the games you shovel out, and then people will turn their heads. I know a few people that are still angry about the cutting of the 20 GB model, as with this price cut, it couldve been $400, perfectly set to compete with the 360. But instead, you are at the exact same price point, for 2 SKU’s and the reaction, despite what you think, is going to be exactly the same. NO ONE WILL CARE. Microsoft is going to drop their price, and you are gonna end up SOL. Don’t be disappointed at the sour reactions of the crowd from this one boys, it’s impossible to avoid. But be honest with us. We are well aware that you couldn’t price slash like madmen, as that the cost of manufacturing still heavily outweighs the price points, especially now. But this is an upward struggle, take some of that (well earned) money, and put it forth into some advertising that’s worth a damn. Fix the Playstation Storefront, and add some small features on to the XMB to make it comparable to the 360’s feature set. Do that, and then MARKET THE HELL OUT OF IT. If you dont, this year will be painful. I am extremely excited for E3, but you better be able to wow us. And I mean, “HOLY GOD THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE” kind of wowing. Like everything, that people have been saying on this blog since it started, you should’ve made progress on. Show us you are really taking in our advice, and demonstrate good consumer leadership. That is all we ask. Give us what we want, not what you think we want. Thanks, and hope to see an interesting E3.