For those of you that have any interest in this kind of thing, Sony Europe boss David Reeves stepped down recently and was succeeded by a fellow called Andrew House.
This year’s E3 was House’s first as president of Sony Europe, so it’s unsurprising that he wasted no time in chiming in with a typically brash Sony-style sound-bite when Edge Online interviewed him at the event.
EDGE: What are the key battlegrounds, as we go through the ten-year cycle, on which Sony will engage Microsoft? Is it encouraging people that have bought Wii into HD gaming?
Andrew House: I think you’re absolutely right. If you look back at previous lifecycles, like PS2 versus N64 [sic], we have lots of data that suggests that lots of people bought into N64 as their entry level gaming device, and were happy to upgrade to a more powerful machine later in the life cycle when the price point was right for them.
I think we’re going to see this later on PS3, and the fact that it’s a Blu-ray player as well and that there’s a [greater] wealth of network based experiences than are perhaps available on the device they already have will add to the proposition. I think that will definitely be a factor in the marketplace.
So there you have it. Better start saving those pennies because according to Sony, you WILL be buying a PS3 soon – even if you don’t know it yet.
I hope he has spare batteries for his crystal ball. It may be a spell before his hope becomes reality.
Regular BLu Rays aren’t that expensive.
Case in point:
Walmart: Magnavox Blu Ray player – $168
The N64 and PS2 weren’t the same generation. Its not an apt comparison.
I’ve toyed with the idea of buying a gaming console. I don’t think I will buy a PS3 though.
Uh…I’m not. I have Blu-Ray player already. And I like the Wii just fine. I’m not a hardcore 12 hour a day gamer, just want an occasional 15-30 minute distraction. I don’t want a PS3 or X-Box. It’s like saying a hummer is bigger and more powerful than my Toyota Corolla, so it’s better. Well…no. If it’s not what I want or need, it’s not better.
They have been saying that for the last three years!
Hardcore gamer isn’t someone who plays for a long time, although most hardcore gamers think they are. Hardcore gamers are players who play well in their games no matter their time spent on the game. A kid playing for hours on end but sucking at everything is not hardcore. A kid playing for 30min and topping the charts is hardcore.
Makes sense to me: I bought a Wii for my nephews to play with. Then I bought a ps3 for myself.
Bad news for Sony though: the ps3 is a great blu-ray player, but it’s also a great up-scaling DVD player. So far I own exactly 1 ps3 game and 1 blu-ray title. And I haven’t seen any games or movies that I’d consider buying more.
Sell your Sony stock if the goal is to sell PS3′s to a percentage of those that already bought a Wii.
If Project Natal is for real then both Sony and Nintendo will have to adapt quickly.
#3
It’s fairly apt. It’s hard to argue that the Wii is really a “next generation” console.
I don’t think he’s right, though. The people that only own a Wii right now are, generally, not the people jonesing to play Metal Gear and they don’t care about Blu-Ray.
The PS2 was a great choice at the time because it fell in price relatively quick and was a decent DVD player. The increase in value between VHS and DVD was really high, whereas the value between DVD and BD is relatively low. Especially when you remember that a BD player is backwards compatible. Oh, and they actually had platform exclusive titles that you cared about, at the time.
Multiplayer is the real Next Generation, and Sony really doesn’t compete with Microsoft in this realm. A kid growing up and wanting to trade Animal Crossing for Halo will want Halo because that’s where his friends are.
Nintendo will continue to pump the Nostalgia and Casual Gamers raw. Microsoft will always maintain a nominal lead in mindshare, and the PS3 will have a very solid, but very last-place, player base.
The only reason I’ll ever buy a PS3 is to play Gran Turismo 5. Of course, GT5 may end up unseating Duke Nukem Forever as the Exalted Grand Poobah of vaporware.
Wii and PS3 are both in trouble. XBox 360 has a clear winner. I am surrounded by Generation Y gamers… my 3 kids and their very large group of friends share all systems and games. The PS3′rs are trying to get rid of their consoles, the novelty of the nunchuck is wearing thin for Wii owners… but virtually everyone is hot for the 360…. especially in anticipation of the new motion detectors and face recognition.
I see what you’re getting at Digi, but they have it backward. Nintendo wasn’t behind with the 64, they were ahead. They opted not to fight the 32bit consoles (PS1,Sega Saturn) and jumped ahead with the more advanced N64. The reverse happened to what Sony is claiming: People opted not to get the PS1 and got an N64 instead.
They’re grasping at straws, hoping to stay relevant.
#13
I see your point. It’s hard to do comparisons with Sony. You could argue that the PS2 is doing way better than the Xbox 360 because it’s moved more hardware and games.
I think he’s got the right spirit, though. People who want to play deep games grow out of the Wii and start to look elsewhere. I just doubt they’re actually looking at PS3s. I know a lot of people who play games both seriously and very casually, and there’s a lot of Wiis and Xboxes around here, but I don’t actually know anyone who plays games on a PS3.
Hey, I have a Wii and I bought a PS3. That proves it!
…or maybe not.
Sony is delusional, but then again, they’re the ones that think the Wii isn’t a competitor to the PS3 when it outsells their system 10-to-1. I couldn’t care less about Blu-ray period and the kind of thinking they’re proposing is what’s put them into a world of financial hurt already. They’re selling the PS3 at a loss, hoping to make up for it with games, but most people are buying them for the Blu-ray player and never buying any games because they don’t care.
The fact remains that the PS2 is outselling the PS3, they’re still making games for it and it’s wildly successful and Sony has their fingers in their ears going “lalalalala!” They just don’t want to hear reality, Sony is living in their own little fantasy world and doing everything they can to downplay the massive ass-whooping that the Wii handed to them this time around.
Around these parts Nintendo rules. Period. I understand there are some 360s but don’t know of any PS3s. Wii and DS are the consoles of choice with PS2 in the distance and fading fast. And when it comes time to upgrade, legacy will have a lot to do with it.
I’m a Wii owner waiting to buy a PS3, I was ready to buy one but I was waiting until after E3 in hopes of a price cut. They didn’t cut the price so I’ll probably wait a little longer. The exclusive games that the PS3 showed at E3 has me wanting a PS3. Once games like Gran Turismo 5, Final Fantasy XIII, and the new game from Team ICO come out I’ll probably pick up a PS3.
@17
I think Sony is in for a world of hurt, for this cycle. Their machine is too expensive for the added benefit. Because…
o Blu ray – the picture quality is not that much better than dvd, and the price of blu ray disks is significantly more than dvd.
o The games are not superior to the cheaper xbox 360. In many cases the simpler to program 360 has the superior version.
I think the Wii is going to lose some steam for sure. Nintendo is probably surprised at how well they did.
So apart from blu ray – the 360 provides the better experience for less, especially when you take into account the online/multiplayer features.
So Sony goes from 1st to last. They’ll have a respectable installed base at the end, but they blew it this cycle. From a personal perspective I found the extreme arrogance of the whole PS3 launch a real turn off.
Soo.. to turn it around.
o If blu ray disks are same price as dvd
o If they have multiple games that are vastly superior (or must have exclusive)
o They lower the price
I actually think for the non fan boy PS2 crowd – the lack of backwards compatibility is a significant turn off.
Do some or all of the above, and the game may change. Their new motion tracking stuff will not.
As soon as they secretly release a method for ‘backing up’ games on the PS3 they’ll be on top of the heap again.