Hirai: I Think About PS3 Pricing Everyday

Sony Computer Entertainment's chief executive Kaz Hirai acknowledged that the PS3's pricing situation is such an important factor that he thinks about it everyday. That said, he didn't announce a price drop at TGS, a move that left analyst Michael Pachter confused.

[fenderputty]

Seriously ... until the moment the price is dropped, they aren't going to say a freaking word. People would just wait hurting all current sales. They are going to have to lower the price by the holidays though.

Even the recent price drop this July was denied the previous week of it happening.

[SonySoldiers]

Hirai san is our prophet!

Listen to HIM, not Master Chief.

He's kind of confused about prices but he can't be blame. He is the master of masters.

[rogimusprime]

he figured the bukkake session he regularly receives from the Sony bigwigs in exchange for correct analyst predictions would be enough for Kaz to tell him the truth this time. Apparently not.

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

Maybe the NPD charts the next couple of months will make them reconsider.

I'm one of those who belives, there's just no way PS3 can pull out this Christmas without something. They can talk about 2008, but 2008 won't even come for PS3.

[achira]

what are you eating ? you must be very ill.

[Chris_GTR1]

ps3 has nothing.. no must have games.. no nothing... even home got delayed... i cant think of a single game i would want to buy at all for ps3 for this holiday season..

[socomnick]

Hopefully they do lower the price they have to bring down the premium xbox to 250-300 dollars imagine all the sales the xbox would get.

[cartman313]

I wouldn't say they don't have anything. From now until next year, there are 8 games that interest me. Just have to wonder how many of them will get delayed...Although some delays will help my bank account.

[Chris_GTR1]

so what are those 8 games you want? cause i have no idea at all waht they are. the ONLY game i can consider getting would be uncharted.
and that dosent have multiplayer so i dont really know if its a MUST buy since its probably a 10 hour game at most.

[DrPirate]

Games that vindicate my PS3 purchase:(To be fair, a disclaimer, I do understand any of those unannounced games can flop like Lair did. This list merely states what has my captive attention and from what we see on early builds, are in the right direction to be solid, good titles.)

Metal Gear
Killzone 2 (Wasn't there before I saw the trailer)
Uncharted
Final Fantasy 13
Final Fantasy Versus 13
Ratchet and Clank Future
InFamous
Socom Confrontation
Honorary Mention: Everyday Shooter.

Multiplatform games: Rock Band (Free Online, cheaper,wireless guitar), Army of Two (again, free online coop which is the meat of the game, Haze (interesting 4 player online coop that can potentially be alot of fun), MAYBE Unreal Tournament 3 I'm not all that big one FPS's, I'm a huge third person shooter/action game fan, Potentially Burnout Paradise depending on how many of my friends get it.

Where's the mystery in that? Most of the games I want are scheduled for 08, but until then, it's not like I don't have good multiplatform games to satisfy my gaming appetite.

And it's really not like I didn't have an enjoyable time beating Ninja Gaiden, getting full completion and all glyphs on Heavenly Sword, or getting all the skill points and ranking up on Resistance which is severely underrated as a shooter, it was rushed for launch but the underlieing elements that make a solid shooter are existent.

Additionally, reasons I have to be excited for: Firmware 2.0, dualshock 3 controller, Home functionality, God of War 3 announcement, potential FF7 remake announcement one day.

I will agree that Sony had a slow start, but they have to pick up the steam and get that momentum rolling.

Edit: Why are you laughing? If you read, I just SAID most of those games are out in 08, but that there are good multiplatform games that will be out this holiday season to pass the time.......Stop being a child, I tried being mature, and you laugh at me?

ALl the disclaimers I put make anything I wrote insubjectable to any tearing down. I covered my bases on all ends. I show there's fallibility, and I come right out and say there's nothing great that's exclusive in 07 except for Everyday Shooter, Ratchet and Uncharted (which MAY flop), but there are great multiplatform games I will be getting, so what's your problem?

[Chris_GTR1]

EVERY GAME u just mentioned isnt out till 2008! only 2 games on that whole list are coming out this year and are exclusive..uncharted and rachet clank. both of them have NO multiplayer....as i said before... THERE ARE NO GOOD GAMES ON PS3 FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

[cartman313]

Since I only own a PS3, I will list multiplatform games too.

1. Uncharted
2. Ratchet and Clank
3. COD4
4. Guitar Hero III
5. Assassins Creed
6. Haze
7. UT III
8. Clive Barker's Jericho

There you go, and yes I will get all of them.

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

Trust me it matters. Every game that is multi platform is a loss for PS3, because it costs more. If it was PS3 that costed less, then Assassins Creed and Devil May Cry 4, and Grand Theft Auto 4 being on both consoles wouldn't look bad for PS3. It would look bad for XBOX 360.

You look at Europe, where even with the lower price the XBOX 360 isn't selling that much more than the PS3. That place is open for the taking, Sony would make a huge mistake not to give them a price cut.

[cartman313]

Don't worry man, some sort of price drop will happen.

[FF7numba1]

(Bump)

[PimpHandHappy]

Lighting just prediced the end of the world! I got my shot gun ready

hahahahahahaha

"They can talk about 2008, but 2008 won't even come for PS3"

hahahahahahaha

dude get off ur own nuts

dam

[Mario18]

Nasim = Idiot

[BaMYouRDeaD]

Perhaps if Sony can drop the price by 50 dollars this Christmas, and by another 50 around spring, then that could spur demand. But going a full 100 dollars this Christmas would not be very wise, since like Hirai said, there's not much content to back it up.

[risk]

look @ wii. Crap software, with crap hardware, cheap price new control mechanism = $$$

[Snukadaman]

sorry man but they have too do better then that.....microsoft sucked with their price drop but as its showing...people think its a better deal regardless of the RROD. I think if they dont come out with 400 dollar console before 2007, they have a long road ahead of them.

[Vojkan]

Price does matter. I know 10s of people(including me) that would buy PS3 instantly if price was lower. I live in Europe BTW so you can imagine how expensive it is for us.

[-CaT-]

Of course he's not going to say anything pre maturely .. That would only slow sales down to a crawl...

i would expect to see it the first week of October, or the first week of November.. This way they can talk about how much sales have increased in the month of the cut..

It will happen. Hell we all already know about the 40 gig SKU coming real soon.. They simply can NOT only have the 80 gig version only on shelves...

Funny thing is.. My freinds are now looking for PS3's here, and you can not find any 60 gig models anywhere, so they are waiting for the new SKU.. I believe that this is the reason why sales are a bit slouched these past few weeks..

[ATLRoAcH]

Sony is a sneaky company Kaz continued to mention that a price cut makes no sense without good titles.Well Metal Gear Solid 4 is a big good title and rumors are it could be released in 2007.If they cut the price when MGS:4 comes out it would definitely sell PS3s.I still have a feeling despite whats being said by Sony that there will be a price cut this holiday.I think it will be a spur of the moment type thing.Sony likes surprises.

[jackdoe]

They might announce the price drop when Spidey 3 comes out on Blu-Ray or Ratchet and Clank. You never know.

[jackdoe]

If there is a price drop, it would probably occur in the US or UK as the PS3 is beating out the 360 in Japan. Which makes me wonder why people would think that Sony would announce a US or UK pricedrop at the TOKYO Game Show? If a price drop should occur it will probably be announced outside of TGS.

[scorch66]

they could go for a new bundle with metal gear and the price drop about october just in time for christmas and after some of the halo3 excitements worn off

[Chris_GTR1]

mgs comes out in 08 noob!

[ATLRoAcH]

@ Chris_GTR1
Yeah #1 if intended for me don't call me a noob.#2 I said there are RUMORS MGS:4 could be released in 2007.RUMORS jackass do you need the definition.

[popup]

If Sony did it now, I think it would be a mistake.

Think of the headline, "PS3 price drop does little to strengthen demand as Xbox Halo 3 frenzy continues"

To all the people who bought the last 2 and their friends who enjoyed watching before, Halo 3 is going to sell very well and its better to leave it be from a Sony perspective.

Sony has some great franchises to come and the situation will be just as reversed during that period too.

Sony did however, keep TGS perhaps a little barren of new info but they gave more than a few reasons to keep potential buyers happy at their decision to keep waiting on the fence for a reason to buy and there are alot of those judging by overall sales this generation so far.

[Nameless]

This guy cant even decide what the PS3 is. Pricing should be last on his mind

[cmrbe]

And do something about it. I agree with most of you guys that sony really needs to drop the price. I believe their initial plan of marketing the PS3 as a media hub and so deserved to be priced higher than most gaming device is backfiring. I agree that with what the PS3 has inbuilt is worth more than its being currently being sold but that mind frame is not revelent to people that just want a gaming device priced at gaming console price at an acceptable range of 300-400 max. I still maintain without a doubt that PS3 will succeed eventually but if they lower the price this year then that will put them in a much better position for 2008 when they will really start dominating with established PS franchise start appearing and the migration of the massive PS2 fanbase.

-----At most 20% Console Market captured sofar-------------------------
--------Console war far from over ------------------------------ -------

[shodown19]

14.1
This guy cant even decide what the PS3 is. Pricing should be last on his mind

No. Pricing should be the FIRST thing on his mind. Because the price is the sole reason why the PS3 isnt sweeping off shelves like it should.

[Meus Renaissance]

I've given up on 2007 in terms of expecting a Sony fightback. I'm not interested anymore, I'm just shutting up and playing my games.

[Meus Renaissance]

Yes the PS3 would sell well if cut down to $400 but Sony would be taking a £1.1billion dollar deficit for cutting the price down again. Without the content, games like MGS4, FF13 and KillZone 2 for starters, he does not believe that Sony could recuperate enough financially.

So he is thinking to wait until those titles are going to come out, then cut the price to cut down loss and maximise profit (sales). 2008 could be a runaway train for Sony in that regard.

This is why he is not willing to cut the price at the moment.

[THUNDERMARE]

They barely announce anything long before they actually do it (except games). Think about how stubborn they kept quiet about Dualshock 3. We never know what they will announce in the next couple of months.

[Raptors]

Sony is in a very hard spot. As consumers everyone would like to see the price come down but think of the loss sony will be taking if they drop the price. I do believe isupply once said it costs $800 plus to make each ps3. Sony is subsidizing their hardware by ALOT of money. We poke fun at the ps3 but all jokes aside the hardware is very impressive and unfortunately impressive comes at quite the price. So if Sony doesn't lower the price then demand doesn't grow (no huge games until 08), if they drop the price they take an even bigger hit in terms of loss per console and who knows..might be forced to charge for the psn (just an example) or something to make up on the losses incurred. Double that with the fact that the HD format war isn't going to go away anytime soon, Halo 3 is upon us, the Wii craze, most ppl don't own HD hardware to truly take advantage of what the ps3 can do and most importantly how do the majority of ppl (not us harcore gamers) justify paying $659 for a gaming system? A price cut and some big games are vital to sony at this point. It's pretty interesting to see how 08 turns out.

[razer]

It makes no sense to do it now. You can only lower the price so much before you are giving them away at even more of a loss. Why do it now before the PS3 has had a chance to mature with it's titles. PS3 owners just need to sit back and wait it out this holiday.. But in 08 there will be a bunch of new titles and THEN a price drop and Sony will be off to the races.. No worries the PS3 hasn't even begun to hit it's stride yet. News media love to give everything a doom and gloom outlook, that's how they get hits. It's definately not as bad as many of these folks make it out to be.

[eagle21]

Sony will be fine. Uncharted over halo for me, UT3, GTPrologue, Ratchet, Haze, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, Sigma, Time Crisis 4, Singstar, Eye of Judgement, wireless Rockband, multiplats, Folklore. The blu ray market will help tremendously. People buy at xmas for the immediate spring also. Sony fans know what late winter/spring has in store. Sony should be safe.

[rogimusprime]

Despite how you feel about the TEMPORARY PRICE drop, you can get your hands on a PS3 for $500 at best buy if you want one. So don't pretend you HAVE to pay $600. U can use the same bluetooth headset on the PS3 as you do for your phone...so no HAVING to buy more MS accessories. Wireless connectivity out of the box, no subscription charge. I would imagine the people on this forum claim to be hardcore gamers, so why the narrowsightedness about the price. Yes, the initial hit will hurt. You can't get online with a brand new xbox for less than 400 with a 1 year live subscription. That's not a huge price difference considering you get RELIABLE hardware.

Even if Sony drops the price, people will STILL find some $hit to whine about. Don't claim to be a serious gamer if you can't foot the bill for
the extra 80 dollars. I have a hard time believing any of you xbox fans never owned a playstation at one time or another and now since M$ is doing well you just jump on the D1ck like M$ is giving you a discount?

How is that different from a groupie???

I only have XBOX 360 because MS abandoned the xbox and only made the games they felt were popular backward compatible. I play ps3 quite often at friends houses. Both systems are worth the money. I will get a ps3 when more games come out. It's not about the hardware...its about the games.

was XBOX360 hot before gears game out...Call of Duty??? Blazing angels??? DOA??? Cooling fans, scratched disks, RROD? You roll the dice every time you turn it on. Even if you get it fixed, you still have to wait and speak to customer service INDIA while they troubleshoot your problems in broken english (ive done it).

I will give M$ and Nintendo this, they have sony scared as hell and we probably wouldn't see a price drop this soon without a good war. Sony may be a bit arrogant, but microsoft played dumb and tried to blame the Hardware failure and disks scratches on consumers until they were about to get smacked with a class-action lawsuit. So no company is without faults.

So to me, anyone who doesn't need mommy to buy their games and pretends to hate a system when they really just cant afford it will win out this gen. by having access to the best games on all platforms.

F-ck a monopoly.

[Shaka2K6]

But you get what you pay for.
just ask the cheap x360 owners they pay less and get and a towel wearing POS.

[bootsielon]

...60GB supplies haven't been depleted? Seriously... STFU. Sony has to wait at least a month after Halo to drop its price, and also wait till 60 GB console is depleted; or at least to small levels, so that they drop the 80 to 500, the 60 to 450, and the 40 to 400.

[DJ]

and it's a lot easier to put out great titles than to lower the price (financially speaking). They just dropped the 60GB to $499 two months ago, so a second price drop would probably just diminish consumer confidence. Unfortunately, gamers and analysts alike were anticipating a price drop announcement (especially with the 40GB rumor) and most people have held off from purchasing a PS3 until that price drop occurs.

We still have one more event, Gamers Day in October, but really I don't expect them to make a price drop until Spring at the earliest. Depends on how the software/hardware sales for the system look this holiday season.

[QuackPot]

Basic business practise.

* They have set a target of 11 million by march so obviously there's a major price cut coming.

* Special package deals will keep sales respectable until Christmas.

* major AAA titles are also coming in 2008 so they need a console base of 11 million+ for better game sales & profits.

* They are likely to still be making losses on "older" consoles so need to recoup/or reduce the losses by keeping the price high as long as possible - run out the old stock of consoles & controllers.

* the game library is currently still small so again no need to reduce price - ie. still continue to recoup/reduce losses on each console sold.

* Even at the the high price the Ps3 is selling at about the same rate as the xbox but a year behind - again no need to reduce cost as the AAA have yet to come.

* By Christmas quality games like R&C, HS, UT3, Uncharted, Haze, COD4, GTPrologue, Warhawk, Singstar etc will be available for current owners and potential buyers.

Then bring on 2008 with the arrival of rumble, Home, Little Big Planet, MGS, FF, GT5, Killzone 2, The Getaway, etc.

It's obvious that 2008 is the year when everything is going to change in favour of the Ps3.

[beavis4play]

i own a ps3 and am very happy with it. but, for many people, it's just too expensive. if sony wants continued success over its rivals, they need the price to be 399$. just that simple. put out a system without wi-fi and reduce hard drive to 40 gig. it's the right thing to do for all the ps2 owners out there who can't afford the current price.

[FF7numba1]

Maybe it would be stupid to drop prices now since they already losing money on ps3. Best time to drop the price or introduce 40g would be November to December. Or they could drop the price of 80g next year Q2.