Developers ditching PS3 for 360 and Wii

cablekiller · 25-07-2006, 07:02 PM

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Report: Developers are Steering Away from PS3

There's never been a company that has dominated the video game business for three straight console generations. Can Sony pull it off? It's not looking good as the high price seems to be putting off not only prospective consumers but also developers, and that could be a vicious circle.

Is Sony's PlayStation 3 in trouble before it even launches? Sony has been the undisputed champion of the last two console generations, towering over the competition, but now it seems like every analyst, developer and industry pundit is placing a laser sight directly on Sony's forehead.

The biggest problem would appear to be the pricing for the system. Even the lower priced $500 SKU is expensive, and $600 seems ridiculous to most. Ever since Sony revealed this pricing strategy at this year's E3, the company has been put on the defensive, arguing that it's a "computer" and that with the inclusion of a high-def Blu-ray player it's really a "bargain."

Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer himself has admitted that the console is expensive and that consumers are paying for its "potential." In the PS3's native Japan, the reaction has been less than pleasant, with more than 90 percent of developers in a recent survey stating that the price of the console is just too high. And indeed it seems that this high price is affecting whether or not certain developers decide to develop for the PS3. Sony's PlayStation business has always been backed by incredibly strong third-party support, but now for the first time that could be in jeopardy.

According to a BusinessWeek Online report, some developers are actually steering resources away from the PS3 in favor of the more affordable Wii from Nintendo and even the Xbox 360. Hirokazu Hamamura, president of publisher and game industry researcher Enterbrain, believes that Sony's next-gen console might not be a smash hit the way previous PlayStation systems have been. "Many developers think the console's initial high price will lead to slow sales and are holding off on creating games for Sony," Hamamura explained.

"At its autumn games preview on July 13, for instance, traditional Sony ally Electronic Arts spent far more time showing off innovative Nintendo games than it did titles for the PS3," emphasized BusinessWeek. "EA announced six Nintendo Wii launch titles and showed long working demos for two of those. But it offered only a short clip of a car-racing game for PS3. EA says it's still testing the potential of the PS3."

Ultimately, developers and analysts agree that in order for the PS3 to be a success in the long run, Sony will have no choice but to bring the cost of the system down as fast as possible. "It's likely Sony will have to discount more...and faster" than planned, commented JP Morgan analyst Hiroshi Takada.

GameDaily BIZ: Report: Developers are Steering Away from PS3

Wingman1977 · 25-07-2006, 07:44 PM

Even though I'm a Sony employee, I'm sorry to say that unless we have a ace up our sleeve (and a big ace at that), the PS3 is most likely going to do as well as the PS2 did. Before anyone says that the PS3 is going to put Sony under, totally BS. Yes, it would hurt the company but Sony would survive. It's a multibillion dollar company and that was before They got into video games. Trust me, Sony will be fine whether or not the PS3 does well or not.

BossCheese · 25-07-2006, 07:57 PM

Did Sony honestly expect anything different? I mean come on now, $600 it's just ludicrous; what were they thinking? I think they dropped the ball with Blue Ray. I'm not going to get into details, but in my opinion HD DVD is going to be a much better and stable High Definition solution. I've read up on both technologies, and read several interviews with experts and engineers.
I'm no fan boy either, this is the first X Box system I've owned and it broke after six weeks of ownership; so I have no reason to shout HOORAY for Microsoft. Scaling that console price of $600, I'm guessing games will cost what...hmm...$70-$80 each? I cringe everytime I shell out $60 for a 360 game.

John1170 · 25-07-2006, 08:45 PM

Why would I buy the PS3 which is being called a computer, when I already have a computer at home that does just fine? I want a console for games and that is all.

Wingman1977 · 25-07-2006, 08:54 PM

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Originally Posted by BossCheese

Did Sony honestly expect anything different? I mean come on now, $600 it's just ludicrous; what were they thinking? I think they dropped the ball with Blue Ray. I'm not going to get into details, but in my opinion HD DVD is going to be a much better and stable High Definition solution. I've read up on both technologies, and read several interviews with experts and engineers.
I'm no fan boy either, this is the first X Box system I've owned and it broke after six weeks of ownership; so I have no reason to shout HOORAY for Microsoft. Scaling that console price of $600, I'm guessing games will cost what...hmm...$70-$80 each? I cringe everytime I shell out $60 for a 360 game.

If HD-DVD is better than why are so many movie studios are supporting blu-ray then? I'm not saying that blu-ray is going to help the PS3 but blu-ray is the much better format. Only time will tell the truth.

My Xbox360 = Sexehness · 25-07-2006, 09:48 PM

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If HD-DVD is better than why are so many movie studios are supporting blu-ray then? I'm not saying that blu-ray is going to help the PS3 but blu-ray is the much better format. Only time will tell the truth.

Exactly. Anyways I own a blu ray player so im not really complaining. I love having a blu ray (even though I admit it was way to expensive) it looks sooo good. But im still buying a PS3 because then ill get a blu ray player in my room with my new "50" Sony Grand Wega. BOOYAH!

plexdk · 26-07-2006, 02:27 AM

Ofcourse the PS3 can't replace the PC, but it will be a good accessory to my HDTV, when i want to do some random internet browsing frmo the couch, watch a movie from the harddrive, images from my camera, listen to music i buy online via my surround system, VoIP with cam.. and so on.

thats what they mean by computer, ofcourse it wont replace the pc..
Instead..the above things which it will support, will be alot more comfortable to do sitting from your couch, in front of your HDTV display, than infront of a PC.

Drizzle · 26-07-2006, 02:42 AM

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Scaling that console price of $600, I'm guessing games will cost what...hmm...$70-$80 each? I cringe everytime I shell out $60 for a 360 game.

Where do you get the PS3 games are going to be $70-$80 dollars? The games will most likely cost 50-60 US dollars.
People spend 500 dollars on one graphic card...

oli · 26-07-2006, 02:46 AM

basically the ps3 will either be huge or it will fall terribly and sony's reputation of being the leading console manufacturer will also go down , i would like to see what sony are going to do if developers really do steer away..

plexdk · 26-07-2006, 05:01 AM

Only time will tell

Enola Bomber · 26-07-2006, 06:18 AM

I hope sony's new system does go down in price. I like the features that the PS3 offers, and the exclusive titles that are announced are still worth salavating over. Anyone to say otherwise is crazy. The PS3 will be good, and I hope it does good because I want it to stay around. Its nice having the choice of consoles, and which one to buy a game for. Microsoft, Nintendo, and PS3 are offering different things than each other, and to have all 3 would be nice. As long as there is a price drop, thats exactly what I plan on having.