# PS3 for $500 and $600???? Could this be the end of the reign?



## midphase (May 9, 2006)

How many are going to buy a PS3 at launch considering the just announced prices of $500 for the 20gig model and $600 for the 60 gig model?


Just as a quick commentary....I'm not. I think Sony has painted itself into a corner by opting for a technology that 6 years ago they probably foresaw as being considerably cheaper to obtain by 2006. It is reasonable to assume that MS will counterattack the already high prices by either dropping the price of the 360 or bundling a bigger hard-drive or games to sweeten the deal even more making the argument for purchasing such an expensive console (the PS3) even tougher to swallow. For those who claim that with the inclusion of a Blu-Ray drive, the PS3 is a bargain....I think that this is entirely dependent on the amount of content available for it in November (probably not a whole lot). I suspect for the majority of the masses, the inclusion of a Blu-Ray drive in the PS3 will not be a very strong argument in favor of the higher price tag.

Lastly, by November, the 360 will have a much stronger lineup while PS3 will be limited to the launch titles (which will probably be good, but limited).

All in all, this boils down to a big gamble for Sony that I'm not so sure they can win...of course only time will tell....as for me, I think I'll wait a couple of years until the PS3 drops down to around $300 before picking one up. By then, prices of 47" plasma 1080p monitors will have also come down considerably making the whole package a lot more appealing.


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## sin(x) (May 9, 2006)

I doubt they'll be keeping up that early adopter price for more than 2 or 3 months. I suspect they need to recoup some exploded R&D costs, and in good tradition they'll let the lunatics who will camp in front of the stores the night before the release bleed for it. Wasn't it the same with the N64 in its days? I seem to remember it started out with a obscenely steep price tag aswell, which dropped pretty quickly after the hardcore early adopters got their grubby fingers on it.

Myself, I'll most likely stay away from it before it gets down into the $300-$350 range, which MIGHT be the point at which I'm going to break my vow to not let the greedy bastards who brought us trojan horse copy protection ever have my money again (yes, I know, entirely different division of Sony... see? I've already begun rationalizing it :roll


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## tgfoo (May 9, 2006)

I know that I'll be getting one. Though, probably not for a year or so after it's release. Hopefully by then the price will have halved and there will be a good amount of games out.


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## Nick Batzdorf (May 9, 2006)

We recently bought a 32" LCD monitor for about $900 that looks really good, Kays. I actually think it looks better than the plasma monitors I've seen - it doesn't have that window screen look they have.

What I'm waiting for is HD to become a whole lot less expensive. (This is for entertainment, not my studio.)


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## choc0thrax (May 9, 2006)

PS3 used to be rumoured that it would cost around $800...I guess things have changed. MS might have a lead in time since PS3 is coming early 2007 about but MS has one big problem still and that's that everyone thinks the x360 is lame.  It's not exactly a powerhouse, usually the new generation of systems crush the power of PC's when they first arrive but right now a nicely set up PC is more powerful than an x360. If PS3 doesn't come out by the christmas holiday season this year then they are in trouble especially with Nintendo's Wii coming out October/November. PS3 will still be the leader in the end though especially if their internet service is free unlike xbox live. Anyways i'm ready to pre order half a dozen PS3's and throw them up on Ebay for twice the price. Every console launch there is a shortage and every console launch there are people with money who can't wait.


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## Waywyn (May 9, 2006)

i think i will never buy a console since i am a pc guy ... i'd rather spend a little bit more on the graphic card and have my fun too.


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## Stephen Rees (May 9, 2006)

Waywyn @ Tue May 09 said:


> i think i will never buy a console since i am a pc guy ... i'd rather spend a little bit more on the graphic card and have my fun too.



I really like the convenience of consoles. After dealing with all the technical issues that running several PCs for music involves, I really just want to 'plug and play' as far as games go. If I had to deal with technical compatibility issues with games on PCs it would feel too much like I was still at work.

I am not really an early adopter as far as consoles go. My PS2 will keep me happy until the prices of the XBox 360 and PS3 (together with their games) drop in a few years. I still get a big kick out of replaying 'Half-Life'. Those little lobster / spider guys still freak me out. Scary.


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## fitch (May 9, 2006)

i think the press release said something like $499/eu499 and $599/eu 599


??? i hate this .. the 2 currencies are no where near the same

$599 is something like eu470 

$499 is more like eu390 


rip off that they want to charge the same


LOL ... typical :D


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## choc0thrax (May 9, 2006)

The hardcore gamers will gravitate to using pc's while the more casual gamers love PS2 and San Andreas totally rocks dude!


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## Waywyn (May 9, 2006)

Stephen Rees @ Tue May 09 said:


> Waywyn @ Tue May 09 said:
> 
> 
> > i think i will never buy a console since i am a pc guy ... i'd rather spend a little bit more on the graphic card and have my fun too.
> ...



hehe, yes you right ... well actually the honest reason is, that we just have one tv in our appartement and in the evening there could be much more interesting stuff going on rather than my girlfriend sitting next to me while i am shooting at zombies.

on one side i really like her attitude, that she hates computergaming, but on the other side i love it, because i couldn't imagine being of those typical couples sitting together in front of world of warcraft and playing like 15h a day and the evening they go to bed they talk about the raids they did and what items they found ... interesting life, isn't it


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## sin(x) (May 9, 2006)

Waywyn @ 2006-05-09 said:


> i couldn't imagine being of those typical couples sitting together in front of world of warcraft and playing like 15h a day



TYPICAL?! :shock:

Fsck, I'm getting old...


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## Evan Gamble (May 9, 2006)

why is there a 100 buck difference for 40GB? I can gett 300 GB for that much...


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## Scott Cairns (May 9, 2006)

The PS3 is twice as powerful as the Xbox 360 and 35 times more powerful than the PS2.

It also has, at this time, the worlds most powerful graphics card. Specially built and integrated by NVidia.

Considering how much hard core gamers spend building a top end gaming pc, the price isnt too bad. Particularly if your a gaming nut and money is no object. 

The PS3 is going to kick a$$


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## Alex W (May 9, 2006)

Scott Cairns @ Wed May 10 said:


> The PS3 is twice as powerful as the Xbox 360...



Somehow I doubt that, beware of the hype...


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## Scott Cairns (May 9, 2006)

Thats not hype. Im a registered content developer for Xbox and PS(x).

We get all the specs and white papers on both consoles.


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## choc0thrax (May 9, 2006)

The new MGS4 trailer from E3 is pretty cool. http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php? ... mv&pl=game


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## Evan Gamble (May 9, 2006)

how can you not call video game art after watching that-sure its got guns and shit-but all your going to have to do is look at the sunset to observe something beautiful.

and Im sure most people have seen the killzone preveiw.. ( http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=1668 )

I mean look at those clouds...

I should say that Im not an avid gamer anymore though becauseof the price-and time. Only get to play halo with friends once every month or so :lol:


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## tgfoo (May 9, 2006)

Waywyn @ Tue May 09 said:


> couldn't imagine being of those typical couples sitting together in front of world of warcraft and playing like 15h a day and the evening they go to bed they talk about the raids they did and what items they found ... interesting life, isn't it



Sadly, I have a friend (and I use this term very loosely) who is a lot like that with his girlfriend. I think they spend more time playing that game than they do actually spend time hanging out with each other in person not playing games. Actually, what's even more sad than that, is that she probably would have broken up with him, but her WOW character is on his account... :roll:


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## Alex W (May 9, 2006)

choc0thrax @ Wed May 10 said:


> The new MGS4 trailer from E3 is pretty cool. http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php? ... mv&pl=game



Daaamn that looks awesome.
I'm halfway through MGS3... I should really get around to finishing that.

Back on topic though, I'm really looking forward to the Wii (what a stupid name), as it is the only console providing any significant attempts at innovation. PS3 and Xbox360 will no doubt have some awesome games but aside from offering graphical improvements there's nothing much that's new about the consoles themselves.


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## Evan Gamble (May 9, 2006)

whats new about the Wii?


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## Alex W (May 9, 2006)

The main new thing is the controller, which looks like a TV remote control:

http://media.cube.gamespy.com/articles/706/706228/img_3585020.html
http://media.cube.gamespy.com/articles/706/706228/img_3585018.html
http://media.cube.gamespy.com/articles/706/706228/img_3585021.html

Completely wireless, it senses angle, twist, movement and can be used as a pointing device. There's all kinds of attachments planned that turn it into a gun, a steering wheel etc.

It will allow games to be played with a much more physical approach; swinging a sword or a baseball bat for example, and first person shooters can be played by moving around with the left hand using the joystick from the "nunchuk style" adapter, as seen in the 3rd picture, while turning, aiming and shooting with the right hand.

Other than the controller, they're going to offer a service which allows you to download any game from the old nintendo systems apart from gamecube. How awesome is that!


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## Alex W (May 9, 2006)

Scott Cairns @ Wed May 10 said:


> Thats not hype. Im a registered content developer for Xbox and PS(x).
> 
> We get all the specs and white papers on both consoles.



Cairnsy ...

What can I say mate I'm still skeptical of this statement. I think the PS3 may well be marginally more powerful than the 360 overall, but not "twice as powerful." Certainly not enough for there to be an obvious difference to the end user, graphical or otherwise.

Can you post these specs?


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## Scott Cairns (May 9, 2006)

Hi mate, I cant post specs unfortunately as Ive signed NDAs on a lot of this info. What I have stated is stuff that can be found on the net or has been said publicly. The specs back it up from what Ive read.

Id have to go back and check, but I believe when Sony say their PS3 is twice as powerful as the 360, I think they were specifically referring to the new Cell processor that the PS3 has.


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## Alex W (May 9, 2006)

Scott Cairns @ Wed May 10 said:


> Id have to go back and check, but I believe when Sony say their PS3 is twice as powerful as the 360, I think they were specifically referring to the new Cell processor that the PS3 has.



The key words being "Sony say"


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

Evan Gamble @ Tue May 09 said:


> how can you not call video game art after watching that-sure its got guns and shit-but all your going to have to do is look at the sunset to observe something beautiful.
> 
> and Im sure most people have seen the killzone preveiw.. ( http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=1668 )
> 
> ...



Last years Killzone 2 video was nice but it's just movie...not ingame footage or anything.


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## Waywyn (May 10, 2006)

tgfoo @ Wed May 10 said:


> Waywyn @ Tue May 09 said:
> 
> 
> > couldn't imagine being of those typical couples sitting together in front of world of warcraft and playing like 15h a day and the evening they go to bed they talk about the raids they did and what items they found ... interesting life, isn't it
> ...



i think with those online games it is like with everything you could get addicted to. alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, chocolate etc. it is all a matter of self control.


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

I deleted my WOW account a long time ago, one of the best decisions i've made.


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## Evan Gamble (May 10, 2006)

choc0thrax @ Wed May 10 said:


> Evan Gamble @ Tue May 09 said:
> 
> 
> > how can you not call video game art after watching that-sure its got guns and shit-but all your going to have to do is look at the sunset to observe something beautiful.
> ...



darn-i thought it was a mix of both ingame and movie :???:


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

Evan Gamble @ Wed May 10 said:


> choc0thrax @ Wed May 10 said:
> 
> 
> > Evan Gamble @ Tue May 09 said:
> ...



Looks like they did trick someone afterall.


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## Evan Gamble (May 10, 2006)

choc0thrax @ Wed May 10 said:


> Evan Gamble @ Wed May 10 said:
> 
> 
> > choc0thrax @ Wed May 10 said:
> ...



:oops:


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## Aaron Sapp (May 10, 2006)

Do you have any proof of that choco? I watched another dude on a video ABOUT the killzone video saying that all those graphics were being generated by the PS3.


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

Everyone knows that wasn't ingame footage. Maybe, if i'm not too lazy i'll look for proof.


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

Here's a nice quote about the video- In a recent Playstation.com interview with Guerilla Studio's KZ2 designer Jan-Bart Van Beek admitted the trailer shown of Killzone 2 at E3 2005 was indeed not actual gameplay footage, instead a short computer generated movie of what they want the final game to represent in terms of style and gameplay.


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## Aaron Sapp (May 10, 2006)

Hmmm.. well I'm going by this: http://www.aaronsapp.com/killzone.mp3

I know it's not gameplay - the camera movements are too smooth and the action too choreographed. But the graphics are powered by the PS3 (the impression I get anyway). 

I wish they'd get their facts straight and say it like it is.


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

Well the guy is saying it's gameplay so either he's lying or doesn't know what he's talking about. It took them from November 2004 to E3 2005 to make that little movie.


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

choc0thrax @ Wed May 10 said:


> Well the guy is saying it's gameplay so either he's lying or doesn't know what he's talking about. It took them from November 2004 to E3 2005 to make that little movie.


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

Uhhh ok.


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## Alex W (May 10, 2006)

yeah I have to say I was tricked by that at first, as it was one of the first "next gen" videos I saw from E3 2005...

After I saw a few more videos of other titles though I became suspicious. Sony's pretty good at the ol' "hype it up like anything" game...

Looking at that killzone video again, it really seems far too good to be rendered realtime. The shadows and lighting effects just look way too high quality.

Just a prediction, but I'd say the standard of graphical effects in that video are what we might hope to see being rendered realtime in the next generation; PS4 or whatever.

The most amazing video which I saw being rendered by the actual console (apparantly) was of the next Getaway game:

http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/748/748448/vids_1.html

Oh, and I'm sure that MGS4 trailer would be realtime ingame stuff too.


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## choc0thrax (May 10, 2006)

Yeah Getaway looks great. I hate IGN, the best site for trailers is http://www.gametrailers.com/


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## choc0thrax (May 12, 2006)

Here's an interesting video from e3 which mentions that PS3 doesn't seem much more powerful than xbox360. http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php? ... mv&pl=game

Oh and they also mention the Killzone 2 non ingame movie.


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