500°

PS3 super slim could "shift the tides in Sony's favor"

PS3 "super slim" (PS3-4000) has been rumored for some time now, and it's starting to look more real. While the new PS3 doesn't appear to be making its official appearance at gamescom next month, the rumors suggest a 16GB model based on flash memory for possibly as little as £99 ($150). If Sony does indeed go forward with the aggressive pricing move, it could have a huge impact on Sony's competitors and the industry as a whole.

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gamesindustry.biz
donniebaseball4328d ago

Really hope Sony goes for it. The console biz could use that spark. PS3 for $150 would be awesome.

Morrigan-Aensland4328d ago

I can't wait to buy the new ps3 slim version 2.

::throws money at screen, my kitty attacks it::

Abash4328d ago

This would be huge for PlayStation All-Stars, a cheaper entry point plus a game that highlights most of Sony's best series could be the perfect storm leading to next gen

darthv724328d ago

if there is a cheaper point of entry for the ps3 then the ones who should be excited are the ones getting it for the first time.

Truth be told...the prices on all platforms are coming down to a point where it can be cost effective to pick up the ones you dont have. Each platform has a great back catalog of games worth playing.

4328d ago
Boody-Bandit4328d ago (Edited 4328d ago )

Yeah Ballmer is right. Sony should focus all of it's efforts on the PS4. There is no reason why Sony should come out with a new console revision at a cheaper price point. We all know the PS2 stopped selling the day the PS3 released. Sony can't repeat that same mistake again.

Signed,
Extreme Sarcasm

blackbeld4328d ago

When PS3 slim comes out and is only €150,- then its game over for 360.

Washington-Capitals4328d ago

Blu Ray win
MGS4
GT5
God of War
Uncharted
A million price cuts
PS Move
3D
......... and so on

Were all supposed to "shift the tides in Sony's favor"

1Victor4327d ago

@ everyone saying $150 that is the conversion of Euros to dollars if its indeed €99 it would be $99 that's how its always been .

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4327d ago
himdeel4328d ago

I read this with every iteration of the PS3/price drop and each time it moves units for a month or two then goes back to normal then people complain it's still to expensive.

I'd buy another one but oh well. Nothing to see here...

nukeitall4328d ago (Edited 4328d ago )

I think a $150 price tag on PS3 is something that will definitely have a longer term impact as the price discrepancy is huge.

However, I question if Sony is able to deliver a console at that price considering their dire financial situation.

Even if Sony did deliver, MS is more concerned about profit at this stage than market share and invest that profit into their next console. A $50 price drop from MS might just nullify a lot of the benefit to Sony, and in the process hurt themselves even more.

It just doesn't make sense to have such a steep price drop for Sony. I see a $199 16GB PS3 as the most sensible and logical step.

gaffyh4328d ago

@himdeel - The only reason that happens is because the 360 has ALWAYS been cheaper than the PS3, and when Sony drops price to the same level as a 360, you see PS3 overtake Xbox 360 in terms of sales, and then Microsoft has always responded a few months later by dropping the price below the lowest priced PS3 SKU.

That's why you see that small jump, however, if it is priced at £99, a price cut by MS probably wouldn't help because £99 is very affordable.

Mustang300C20124328d ago

@ gaffyh

The PS3 had a price drop last year this same time. The 360 was the most sold console of the 2011 without a price drop. Seeing how many years now has the 360 gone without a price drop? Your claim of following suit isn't a true claim.

gaffyh4327d ago

@RedHemi - Same thing could be said about PS3. It hasn't really had a price drop to the same level of the 360 since MS released the Xbox 360 S. So my point is still 100% true and valid whenever the price of the consoles is exactly the same, PS3 sells more.

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Patriots_Pride4328d ago (Edited 4328d ago )

$150 PS3 would be massive and I would get 2 day one being that I still have my launch phat but it giving signs of kicking the bucket.

This will also force MS to drop the price on the 360.

See fanboys this is why its good to have competition.

Edit: One thing I dont get is why did'nt Sony just mention this super PS3 slim at E3...its not a new console but this announcement would have made noise at E3. Also if they had bought Gaikai before E3 that also would have been a huge noise maker.

FunAndGun4328d ago

they didn't mention it at E3 because they don't want people to stop buying the PS3 on the market now in anticipation of the new model.

NastyLeftHook04328d ago

im pretty sure sony can do it, it would be nice to see a price drop before e3 2013.

Gamer19824328d ago

Indeed £99 would kill the competition at least for a while. As 360 could lower the price but then you add live on top and unless the 360 goes to £50 (which it wont) the ps3 is miles better value. As you get the free online and blu-ray. As gaming devices I wont argue as both have there plus sides. I'm talking value for money here. £99 is not only a sweet spot it's a KILLER.

DA_SHREDDER4328d ago (Edited 4328d ago )

I have 2 ps3s, but would buy this one in a heart beat. Add a 500GB external HDD and Ill be set.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 4327d ago
blue7_74328d ago (Edited 4328d ago )

Yeah it could but it would have to be priced at $100 to maybe $150 for it to make an impact but just 16 gb is kind of low especially seeing how a lot of PS3 games have mandatory installations.

If they just drop the price to $200 it wont do a thing just like their price cut a last year which people tend to forget happened just shows how ineffective it was they need to be very aggressive with this rumored new slim.

@donnie yes I know 16GB isn't low but the 4GB works for the Xbox 360 because no game requires a mandatory installation except for halo 4 just for the multiplayer. The Ps3 on the other hand many games do require mandatory installation so it is kind of low after a while you will have to manage the harddrive a lot like deleting some games to install new ones. Yes I understand cloud storage will become prevalent but it's not going to happen this year or anytime soon for it to be significant.

donniebaseball4328d ago

16 GB isn't that low. Xbox 360 has the 4GB SKU. Cloud storage will become more prevalent. Sony just bought Gaikai. And of course there are always external HDD storage solutions if needed.

moparful994328d ago

I can't remember the last time I had a game with a "mandatory" installation.. That trick is a thing of the past now that sony has considerably reduced the memory footprint of the OS.

Jazz41084328d ago (Edited 4328d ago )

You don't buy many games do you? Let me fix your statement so its true"I can't remember a game on the ps3 that does not require a partial install". I do know there are a few but 99 percent require it and it has nothing to do with memory it has to do with how fast the system reads from the bluray drive and that has not changed. @tentonsoftube....please show me something that shows the ps3 slim is more reliable then the 360 slim. The reports I have seen from major websites show the 360 slim being the most reliable of the two but I know most of you will not believe it no matter how true it is. What's funny is in every sony article about this new slim I see all these sony fans over and over saying they will buy the new slim because there machine is on the fritz or its loud or its overheating or it still is ylod. This does not sound more reliable to me. I will give you 360 models before the slim but after that the ps3 has the higher failure rate by far. I personaly had 1 360 replaced under warranty and have had 2 ps3's die that sony refused to fix out of there 90 day labor warranty where ms gave a 3 year parts and labor warranty so you can bet your butt they made sure the 360 slim would not cause them problems and for the most part very few.

moparful994328d ago

I have 30+ games and the last game I remember having a madatory install was mass effect 2 and that was 2 years ago.. You are making false claims, oh and yes the ram makes a huge difference because with a reduced OS footprint devs can now background load and cache information.. More ram=more background loading. Learn your facts before you try to make these baseless statements

Gamer19824328d ago

A lot of games have mandatory installations? Where you from 2006? Any game I bought in the last 4 years hasn't had mandatory installation. Devs have got around it now they know the console better. Plus its a perfect starter console for people.

Sagetech4328d ago

Bought Starhawk this month and it has a hefty 2.5 gig install guy. The install thing isn't as common as it once was but believe me it's still there.

cee7734327d ago

mortal kombat
saints row third
heavy rain
uncharted 2 & 3
red dead redemption
just cause 2

are some off the head that require partial install

units4328d ago

At that price it would bleed Sony dry

NastyLeftHook04328d ago

and yet we will get more exclusives, free online and still have a more reliable machine.

ALLWRONG4328d ago

yet Sony is in the hole, partly because of that free online.

Half-Mafia4328d ago

And how do you know that Sony is not going to making money on this 16GB PS3?

Biggest4328d ago

He doesn't know. He's just wishing really hard. He can't help himself.

Isis064328d ago

Who said Sony would make money?

Gamer19824328d ago

They would make there money back from games as they would only lose about £50 per console meaning they would only have to sell 3-4 games to break even.

GribbleGrunger4328d ago

Would these tides be American by any chance?

Patriots_Pride4328d ago (Edited 4328d ago )

**Comment exploded into a million tiny pieces of glittery magic**

BlackSharinganX4328d ago

i think thats what they are referring to, ps3 didnt sell much on past black friday thanks to the limit amount of them there were about 2 or 3 times as much xbox out, i used to work at GS most of the parents were looking for a ps3 themself but all out in a matter of seconds at least in my store and few more up miles ahead( to see if they had a ps3 so that the client would get, in a black friday doubt it but keep customers happy lol). so maybe if they shift more ps3 to america and give that lower price, people would indeed buy it.

ChunkyLover534328d ago

Haven't we heard this for years now though? we don't know what this console includes or what capabilities it offers. It might be something that is designed to go after casual gamers who want other applications like Netflix, Hulu Plus ect...

Its about time Sony offered something like this, but to think it'll have huge implications in a console war at this stage in the game would be ignorant.

New consoles are releasing next year, Nintendo is releasing one this year. You might see an immediate increase at first, but there isn't a huge group of people who want the current HD consoles, that don't already have them. If you've waited this long to get into PS3/360, your probably not a core type gamer.

FunAndGun4328d ago

man, you saw how the PS2 sold well into this current generation. There are TONS of people who still don't have PS3's or HD TV's for that matter.

ChunkyLover534328d ago

The PS2 sold well into the current generation because there was a huge backlog of games, and parents would buy them as a cheap alternative to newer consoles.

I think there might be room for some growth, but the HD consoles right now are saturated for the most part. You are not going to see a ton of sales, no matter the price.

You might see casuals or families buy it, just like the $99 Xbox 360 deal, but you will not see significant growth.

I understand this place is majority Sony, but deluding yourself with false hopes is sad at this point.

This new model is obviously aimed at casuals and families, I wouldn't doubt we see this new model bundled with a Move, Sorcery, Wonderbook, PS All Stars, LBP Karting or something like that. Is $50 off the current PS3 really going to entice the hoards like your believing? I don't really think it will.

Its not just the PS3 though, the Xbox 360 is saturated as well, even when there are $50 off coupons for the 4 gig, it doesn't really spike the sales.

Biggest4328d ago

I don't get your point, ChunkyLover53. Is it that you don't care about a cheaper PS3 (as if you cared about one to begin with) or that you think a cheaper PS3 won't sell? If your point is that a cheaper PS3 is aimed at casuals. . . Well you're wrong. It's still a PS3. It's just cheaper. You can still play each and every previous, current, and future PS3 game. The PS3 does have a huge backlog of games and a lower price point would qualify it as "a cheap alternative to newer consoles." There is no point to be made here. It's a PS3, but cheaper.

HammadTheBeast4328d ago

The PS2 is still selling extrememly well for a decade old console in the East, and this price drop will increase sales by a lot in Japan, China, and other countries. Its not really meant for North America or Europe.

joeorc4328d ago

"There are TONS of people who still don't have PS3's or HD TV's for that matter."

Agree 100%, I would say there is in my Opinion a very good chance that the growth for the PS3 is more geared to the area's in growing market's where the middle class has grown in other countries. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all touched on this very fact.

And just Like the PS2 , in other countries on the Globe, the PS2 was selling well even now , and the PS3 is set to do the same,for one the PS3 get's to a price point at $150.00 or less the system will continue to sell just as a network box alone for Media playing as a blu-ray player and with Netflix, Hulu etc. also ..Oh yea it also play's Games too!

that's the really big point about this generation the xbox360 and the PS3 are top set box's that are Less static as the PS2 and the first XBOX.

these are much more advanced in its capability to be able to be sold on the shelf world wide far longer due to that very fact, they will still have a very viable Use.Even when the new systems release. with such good price point''s both the xbox360 and the PS3 are going to be sold on the shelf for quite some time.

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270°

Sony Says The PS5 Is Its “Most Profitable Generation To-Date"

During Sony’s recent business segment meeting and investor presentation regarding its game and network services, the PlayStation company revealed that PlayStation 5 is the company’s “most profitable generation to-date.”

It’s the top slide of the presentation, showing that in its first four years, the PS5 generation has already hit $106 billion in sales, having almost caught up to the PS4’s total $107 billion generated.

Operating income for the PS5 generation has also already surpassed that of the PS4, having now reached $10 billion.

ApocalypseShadow13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

I wouldn't doubt it. They released a high quality system. A lot of high quality games from themselves and their support of 3rd party developers and indies. They released many high quality remakes and remasters. They released a high quality GaaS game going against the naysayers thinking Sony would abandon single player games. And they most likely are profiting a lot more than PS1, PS2 PS4 and the loss leading PS3 that drained all their profits.

Now, I'll wait to see what's cooking tomorrow. But can you use some of those profits to better support your high quality VR headset? Because, by supporting it, you can sell more games and more systems and make more profits?

jznrpg13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

I want RPGs for PSVR2! Good ones of course

shinoff218311h ago

If it had some rpgs I would buy right fking now. It looks dope and alot of fun, but it's biggest game resident evil 4(maybe) I've got no interest in. I'm not a fan of racing games, even with that metro game coming i was never much into that series. Rpgs would be fantastic.

MrNinosan9h ago

Lemme know if ya wanna play some Zenith 🙌
Bought it at release, but haven't played it more than 1-2 hours but for sure on my "todo list".

Cacabunga9h ago

Normal when they released mostly cross gen games so far. That’s a lot of money saved..
We haven’t seen what PS5 can do yet. 4years in and PS4 games still look great to me. The gen leap isn’t quite there yet.

--Onilink--10h ago

The interesting metric for me is the $106billion in operating income/profit (not sales as mentioned in the article) reaching the same as the PS4 did with only half the consoles sold.

In particular because they all are supposed to be making the most per hardware sold after a few years when manufacturing costs are down.

So even putting inflation aside(and the higher console price), it is interesting that they could reach PS4 $ with just half the consoles sold.

Maybe there is more to the metric thats whats seen at face value, but they have clearly been making a lot more money than before on the software side (with also less games released I suppose, given its only been half the generation so far)

VersusDMC10h ago

The bulk of the money has to be coming from the 30% cut on all games and microtransactions. Especially on all the free to play juggernauts like genshin, apex, fortnight, etc.

--Onilink--8h ago(Edited 8h ago)

@Versus

They are definitely making a lot on that for sure (which the $70 price increase factors into as well), but its not like many of those games werent around for the PS4 too.

They might be counting the gen as a whole and not just PS5 itself (so extra profit from PC sales, whatever that may be)

PS+ price increase and different tiers probably amount to part of that too.

But in general, its still quite a surprising metric. Half the time, half the consoles sold, less first party games released so far and still already making more of a profit than last gen is quite something, and as mentioned, there is probably more to it that we dont know, after all, since we are talking about operating income, all the expenses they have also factor into it, so it is also possible that they have found ways to significantly reduce that + all the means of increased revenue that appear to be factoring into the equation

All in all, just an interesting situation from a business perspective

porkChop6h ago

It's for the whole generation, so it would likely be including PC. They also make much more profit on digital sales vs retail, and digital is far more prominent these days. The generation also started at the height of COVID when everyone was home, spending far more money on gaming/hobbies. It makes a lot of sense for this gen to be more profitable.

Abnor_Mal12h ago

This will surely shut up all the new trolling accounts trying to spread lies and non facts in other articles comment sections before this article is posted.

Hofstaderman11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

Obscurely, those trolls or troll will not show in these articles as the truth is contradictory to his or their orchard-sized daily dose of copium and hopium.

Tacoboto10h ago

Or... They're intentionally trolling you guys specifically. Because they know it upsets you so easily.

Name-dropping Orchard, after this many months? How long has it been and he's still in your thoughts?

Elda10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

I'm quite sure the individual is reading these positive comments downvoting & seething at the same time. Edit: It just downvoted my comment...lol!!

Hofstaderman10h ago

No I'm entertained by this individual. I love unhinged people, they are so interesting lol.

repsahj11h ago

Wow! I am super impressed that in just 4 years, ps5 already caught up to the PS4's. Congratulations.

sagapo11h ago

Not really surprised as Sony barely has any competition at the moment.

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150°

Sony CEO says although AI "has been used for creation," it's "not a substitute for human creativity"

"AI is not a substitute for human creativity. We position it as a technology that supports creativity. Creativity resides in people. We will continue to contribute to people's creativity through technology," the CEO said.

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gamesradar.com
1nsomniac6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

...not yet but 100% within the next 10 years!

..Then Sony will use it like the drop of a hat. They're no different to the others.

isarai6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

They used to be 😞 sure it was always a business, and money's always the priority, but they used to have a very strong stance on supporting artists and creativity. "Dont f#@k with the artist" was a phrase they touted a few times back in the ps1-ps3 era, a philosophy carried over from their music branch PlayStation was created from. It's not COMPLETELY gone, but it's barely there compared to what it was back then, i just want them to return to that.

Eonjay6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

I am highly encouraged by their statement about human creativity. "Dont f#@k with the artist" is exactly what they are saying. But at the same time, I don't think people understand that Sony is a corporation. If they don't realize growth, they don't get to exist. When you say 'Sony', you are talking about a bunch of investors. To speak about them any other way is a illogical and incorrect. They haven't changed. They have been a group of investors since they became a public business.

isarai6d ago

Ugh, i really wish people would stop gambling people's livelihoods by turning a project/game into their political soapbox. Im all for statements and having your own opinion, but there's more people working on this than just druckman, ham fisting your political beliefs onto just seems inconsiderate for everyone elses job security when it can result in a failure due to people avoiding it for that reason.

I play games for escape, im so tired of nearly every AAA game blatantly dragging real world issues to shove in my face when I'm trying to take a break from it all. They don't even bother to be subtle about it, quite the opposite, it's blasted and force fed to you and it's just getting exhausting

Einhander19726d ago

People are taking a whole interview and cutting it down to clips that make him look bad and take what he actually was saying out of context. For example he also said things like this AI has "ethical issues we need to address"

-Foxtrot6d ago

@Einhander

Why defend him at this point?

It’s not taking things out of context, he said what he said.

Old ND would never talk about soulless AI taking over so many creative things they are well known for. The whole “ethical issues” is just a good PR spin people who push this crap fall back on to make their statements not seem as bad. So many AI lovers do this.

AI has no place is so many creative based things.

Einhander19726d ago

Well yeah, because everyone else is using it so they need to stay competitive. It's the same as paid online, they didn't want to go that route but their competition was making so much money they needed to add paid online just to keep up.

RaiderNation6d ago (Edited 6d ago )

AI will never replace humans in game development in terms of conceptualizing new games. Humans still need to come up with the ideas and what they want to implement. However much of the day to day menial coding could be AI driven to reduce production time and team size. I could also see AI being used for bug testing/optimization that could lead to better quality games at launch. I'm actually very optimistic about how AI can positively impact game development.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 6d ago
XiNatsuDragnel6d ago

Good statement but hopefully this holds up

NotoriousWhiz6d ago

People that aren't software developers just don't understand the benefits of AI. People who's only exposure to A.I is the Terminator movie and other related sci fi films won't understand the benefits it provides.

It's not about replacing human labor. It's about making human labor easier.

Many years ago, I had laser eye surgery done. It was performed by a robot. The doctor took my measurements and calibrated the machine to make sure it would do what needed be done. And then the robot corrected my vision in 10 seconds.

15 years later and I still have 20/20 vision.

Eonjay6d ago

AI in and of itself is not a 'bad'. Money is bad. Money is evil, and corporations will do whatever they can to get more of it. They will find ways to implement AI to replace as may jobs as possible. This isn't even up for debate. It is the charge of the corporation to maximize returns for the investors. They have no choice. I'm a developer and I know that my job will absolutely be replaced. Therefore, I have decided to become an AI dev. AI has a lot of potential to help us solve problem on a scale most can't even imagine. The issue, as ever is that our monetary system only ever allows us to focus on greed and fiscal growth.

But I am a pragmatist. Perhaps an AI model can be built to help protect us from our most dangerous instincts and habits. And perhaps Congress can pass laws to protect us from people who would use AI to manipulate and control us (spoiler: they wont).

RaiderNation5d ago (Edited 5d ago )

Progress is inevitable. Nobody driving cars today is complaining that the horse and buggy is no longer around. Yes, some jobs will be lost but guess what? With innovation comes new job opportunities. It's how the cycle of the job market works.

150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos35d ago (Edited 35d ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers35d ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos34d ago (Edited 34d ago )

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken34d ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g35d ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing35d ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H935d ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola34d ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn66934d ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle34d ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

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