Sony Exec - Wii and 360 have questionable price points for the holidays

Reldan · October 12, 2006, 4:17pm

http://www.cepro.com/news/editorial/16078.html

Did I beat Whitta to this?

Kirian · October 12, 2006, 4:34pm

It’s all about the PS2. Actual article here.

Full quote:

Michael Ephraim:

With its wide range of titles, PS2 has become the family favourite, but it’s a mantle that will be seriously challenged by Nintendo’s Wii. Do you think Wii can attract many new consumers who haven’t previously owned a console before?

Nintendo is a great company as far as games development goes, they have been around for
a long time, they know how to deliver an entertaining product. My only question for this Christmas on Wii is the price point. Even though it’s affordable, at $400 plus whatever you need to buy accessories-wise, I’m guessing you need to spend about $500 to take home a Wii and enjoy it. I can’t judge the product because I haven’t played it but I’ve heard good things about it. For this Christmas, I think that price point is still not family entertainment because $500 is a lot to fork out, but we welcome the Nintendo heritage of gaming where they can appeal to a broader audience because long-term that is critical for the industry. What we’ve done on PlayStation 2 with social gaming has broadened the audience and we’re glad that they are attempting to do similar things to open up the market to families and never-before gamers. Time will tell. For this Christmas I think the price for what it specifically does as a video games machine is a bit pricey, but I think that their strategy long term we have great respect for.

Do you expect 360 to do well among the more traditional gaming audience now that PlayStation 3 won’t arrive until March?

If you look at what’s happening in retail, 360 has done fairly well at launch but since then it has struggled to kick up a gear to the next level of sales. I think their product offering is still not broad enough. The content is narrow and appeals only to a very core group. I don’t see content that will appeal to a family or a broader mass-market audience. It’s still pricey, and I’m sure Microsoft will do everything they can, but if you just look at the offerings from each format and the marketplace that we are now playing in, especially PlayStation 2, it has to be affordable because we are talking about mass-market and non traditional gamers. We clearly have that advantage going into this Christmas. Microsoft’s price point at $600-plus a big investment for family entertainment.

I will say that this is some rather good spin, but still only spin.

Ephraim · October 12, 2006, 6:07pm

Just want to establish, for the record, that I am not this Sony guy.

No, no. Not a viral marketer with a blown cover here. Look over there! K0NY!

/walk away whistling innocently

OrfBC · October 12, 2006, 6:26pm

PS3 won’t arrive until March? Is this only in Australia or did I miss something?

Qmanol · October 12, 2006, 6:32pm

Also in Europe.

And to note: We didn’t get our X360s in Australia until March this year either. The bastards.

KaoFloppy · October 12, 2006, 6:35pm

Nintendo counters PS2 with DSLite. Story at 11.

cliffski · October 13, 2006, 1:32am

Is this a joke? or is someone at sony seriously criticising other console prices? l33t. I seriously believe that in 5 years time, places like Harvard Business School will teach the PS3 launch as a case study of disastrous product marketing. It’s like watching a billion dollar car crash stretched over a year and a half.

K0NY · October 13, 2006, 6:15am

It’s kinda hard to look away, isn’t it? And really, that’s the whole point of successful product marketing.

Jason_McMaster · October 13, 2006, 6:19am

I don’t even know what to say to that

bago · October 13, 2006, 6:33am

You say Dave Mirra XXX!

Reldan · October 13, 2006, 7:10am

Usually it helps if the attention you get isn’t totally derision and incredulity.

Olestra was hard to ignore. “May cause anal leakage” anyone? Not the best marketing strategem though, except maybe if their target audience was people with poop-chute oriented fetishes.

There may not be such a thing as bad publicity, but there sure as hell is bad marketing.

Kirian · October 13, 2006, 9:00am

It’s about the PS2. He is comparing the PS2 and the other consoles.
Spin, damage contro, however you wish to dub it, the article is not about the PS3.

Don’t you people read articles before commenting?

BlueJackalope · October 13, 2006, 9:06am

“PS3 - anal leakage for the Next Generation”

Now I have to buy one.

Cosmic_Hippo · October 13, 2006, 9:41am

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Are you actually saying that Sony execs are sounding like idiots on purpose, so people will be horrified by their marketing techniques to the point of making the marketing successful, and therefore they’re brilliant? Because that’s what it sounds like you’re saying.

Reldan · October 13, 2006, 9:45am

It does make sense though. By that definition K0NY is brilliant.

cliffski · October 13, 2006, 9:49am

I would never have bought one anyway, I’m a PC man (tempted by the Wii), but I did find myself chatting to a console gaming (but not hardcore) friend, about what a nightmare the PS3 was likely to be and how they have totally bungled it.
Its never good when people are made evangelists into saying NOT to buy your product.

Andrew_Mayer · October 13, 2006, 1:14pm

I wish we could have just locked the thread right there.