Sony explains reason for Playstation 3D Display price drop

VGW: Earlier in the week, we noticed that BestBuy.com had cut the display from $499 to $399. Then, we noticed Amazon.com match it, followed by the Sony Style store. Was this a case of price-matching, or had Sony officially dropped the price? To be sure, we reached out to a representative at Playstation and got this official reply.

[PCRockStar]

It's not selling and 3d is flopping. Look at the numbers folks.

[RememberThe357]

I think it's more that the glasses are a flop. I don't mind the idea of 3d gaming, I like the movies, I just don't want to sit there for hours with classes on just to play a game. A 3d movie every once in a while is one this but in my house on my tv I don't want to be wearing glasses all the time.

But thats just me.

[inveni0]

Well, you don't HAVE to wear glasses all the time. That's the thing. If you don't want to watch in 3D, then don't. It's not like a 3DTV is 3D all the time. You can choose when to go for 3D...just like at the movie theater.

I think the biggest turn off is the expensive glasses. I think the newer passive 3DTVs will be a better sell than the active shutter glasses. Some people will want the better picture, but people with kids like mine are more interested in having glasses that can be tossed into the wall or accidentally sat on without shattering.

Also, 3D is far from flopping. Saying it's flopping is like saying HDTV is flopping back in 2007. It takes time. Development of the 3DTVs isn't slowing. If it was slowing, we could consider cutting production to be an indication of "flopping", but it's not. 3DTV will soon be pretty standard, and when you by a new TV, it'll have 3D. Whether or not you use it will be up to you.

[irepbtown]

With movies, there are only a FEW that actually look absolutely amazing in 3D.
Avatar, Transformers, Tin Tin, Inception, and a few others (Btw I've watch these in Imax, normal 3D, and normal screens).
Not alot. The rest just ruin the film, Clash of the Titans is a good film, but the 3D just ruined it completely.

With gaming, if they can invent some sort of hologram then that would be brilliant. But 3D is just not that great today.

[Army_of_Darkness]

It was to [email protected] small!! 24"?!?! Like really Sony?! Wtf?! If it was at least a 32" TV then hell yes I would have bought it!

[gamingdroid]

Glasses are definitely part of the problem, but there is more to it than that. The 3D effect itself isn't pleasant to many, and the price is sky high. It's also very uncomfortable to view long periods of time as it strains the eyes.

For $400's I can easily get a 40" LED these days. Do you want 3D or twice the screen size?

Prices will come down, people will buy it, but by then it is hardly a selling point. Consumers don't seem to care anymore....

[ShoryukenII]

What about people that already wear glasses? :(

[gamingdroid]

You mean like me?

I wear glasses, so when using 3D I have to use contact lenses or put the 3D glasses in front of my regular glasses in a very uncomfortable manner.

The good news is that the wow factor of 3D wears off pretty quickly....

[badz149]

40" LED for $400? I think you meant LCD with LED backlight.

3D was, is and will always be an extra feature and personally I think it's really nice bar some games!

I wear glasses and I wear 3D glasses over my glasses too. a bit awkward at 1st but it's a well thought design for people with or without glasses. I have a Samsung Plasma 3D btw and I play all 3D games in 3D for hours without much problem and totally loving it! Uncharted 3 3D is straight out gorgeous!

[gamingdroid]

Frankly, they just say LED so I'm assuming it is LED TVs. They seem to pop up on those deal sites from time to time.

I have seen the LED-LCD, which you are referring to with the cheaper brands. The other day, Best Buy had a 32" LED Panasonic for $300!

[etebitan]

at shoryukenll my passive 3d tv comes with 3 pairs of glasses and one pair that's special to fit on normal glasses... that sould be the norm right??

[Frankfurt]

Using 3D glasses over regular glasses isn't uncomfortable at all. 3D glasses are made to cover even big regular glasses. I would know, i have 3 different glasses, two of them fairly big.

[frelyler]

You know nothing. You can get a 46 inch plasma which technically speaking still has better black levels and color production with a refresh rate that blows any non plasma out of the water that is 3D for around $600 usd. Panasonic makes one of the best so don't tell me its a crappy brand im referring to. Why do people still bring up price? 3d tv s are the same price as standard hdtvs were a year and a half ago. Do everyone a favor and stop babbling nonsense like a faux news anchor. Does someone pay you to talk nonsense about 3D? That is one of the only reasons I an think of that would explain your comment. Either that or your a moron.

[STONEY4]

Basically all "LED" TVs are LCDs with an LED backlight. There's no such thing as just an LED TV. It's the backlight, the advantage being that it saves energy.

If you're going to mention OLED, it's something else entirely.

[Sevir]

I Got a Passive 3d TV from Vizio for 600 bucks back in september and its a 42 inch, full HD 1080p 120hz wifi. and Its actually very enjoyable! You toggle the 3d experience on and off, its nothing to really be put off by! Ive enjoyed plenty of of great 3d content in games, Uncharted 3, Pictures via the Evo 3d and ofcourse movies!!! people are talking about high prices need to research! 3d TV's are getting much more attractive and more affordable its why manufactures continue to make more!

The Most successful have been LG and Vizio who use the passive glasses, because they are very inexspensive and compatible with each other, and dont look dorky like the active shutter glasses!

[gamingdroid]

Ironically with all this chatter, the monitor has dropped another $100 and is now $299! WOW!

Still about a $100 too much though.

Source for those that want it:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site...

... but it will be $200-250 in January.

[ForROME]

Agreed; 3D is flopping...again

[evilunklebud]

Agree... it seems to be struggling....

The day we get rid of the glasses is the day I look at the tech.

[clrlite]

PCRockStar:

Yes, judging by the "number" of disagrees you have, 3D is not flopping.

Just looking at the numbers.

I happen to have a TV capable of 3D and just bought a 3DS on ebay. The masses will buy these devices in droves when they are hyped, cheap, and made to seem practical. If you don't think the easily sold public will buy 3D, give it a bit more thought.

[tigertron]

Its probably because those disagreeing already bought 3DTVs and don't want to accept that 3DTVs with glasses will be on their way out in a few years. Electronics companies like Sony are already working on glasses free TVs, but they still need to work on them.

That said, I think 3DTVs do look awesome. I watched some Jpop video on a 60 inch Samsung, and it looked fantastic. Although I am with the anti-glasses crowd.

[wsoutlaw87]

how does sony working on improving 3d by getting rid of the glasses mean that 3d is flopping?

[showtimefolks]

I think more people are buying 3d tv than ever before but it needs more content.

The biggest issue for me is the extra glasses I already wear glasses so I don't want to wear one on top of that. If Sony or who ever makes a good 3d tv that does not require glasses I will happily spend 2500-3500 on it. Until than I am holding out. But I do need a tv and maybe down the road I can lick it up but I also wish it was a little bigger

[JsonHenry]

The ONLY reason any company would lower their price is to either stay competitive or try to boost lagging sales. Typically both go hand in hand..

[Ddouble]

Sony should drop it in the UK as well.

[TitanUp]

tried 3d gaming on pc and 3ds and i didn't like either 3d gaming just isn't for me i don't like motion gaming either.

[kramun]

It wasn't selling. Simple as that.

[kaozgamer]

they have some pretty bad advertisements for it over here in australia, if they are even selling it here coz i havnt seen the display anywhere

[NBT91]

Answer - the total sales figures stood at about 4.

[Hicken]

Then we must have sold all four at my store.

[NBT91]

Yep probably.

[gamingdroid]

... and Hicken probably bought all four himself.

[dinkeldinkse]

Sony too much money.

[gamingdroid]

I don't know if Sony is making a "big" profit, but does it surprise anyone that it isn't selling?

I mean a 24" at $400-500 is hardly competitive when you can get a 40" instead for the same cost. Sure it doesn't have 3D, but I gather most will take the extra screen estate with a TV tuner, as opposed to a 24" 3D monitor that's Playstation branded.

[GrandTheftZamboni]

Yeah, I got an 80 inch carpet for $400. Sure it's not 3D, but the resolution is fantastic: 200 thread count per square inch.

[gamingdroid]

Well, some people can't tell the difference I suppose....

[Neko_Mega]

Alot of trolls saying it isn't selling well and no numbers to back it up.

-_- just like trolls, no proof.

As for me, I'm waiting for 3D Tv's without glasses. That is the money makers their.

[El_Barto]

When you look at the fact that only 50% of the population have HDTV's at this point, then you realize that 3-D TV's are at less then 1% right now.

[Biggest]

Oh nice! Another stat pulled from a crack! I bet that 100% of El_Bartos have no clue what they're talking about. Maybe next time you could at least narrow the total number to a certain population. THE population is a bit broad.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

You don't need numbers to know something isn't selling. It is a nice TV but you can get a bigger TV for the same price or less.

[Neko_Mega]

Yet you can't get one with the full screen view for each two players.

[kaveti6616]

@Neko-Mega

True, but the online gaming phenomenon sort of makes that feature obsolete for many people.

[Sevir]

The use of dual full screen is very muchg the direction These TV's will be heading its an advancement in technology! Infact its an innovation many will "copy" Vizio already has it in their Brand of 3D TV's The only thing I slander sony for is the price! I have 42in 3d TV with the same spec at 120hz, full HD, wifi and Dual full screen view in 3d all for $600! the only thing thats diff is My Glasses cost 15 bucks because they are passive and light weight

[Messatsu290]

Have fun waiting for years and years and years.

[fullmetal297]

So if the displays were selling well, then why would Sony lower the price? Specifically, why would Sony lower the price in North America?
The TV is only 25 inches which is no bigger than a nice computer monitor, and it comes with an old game (it was originally suppose be Resistance 3) that's worth no less than 30 dollars. It doesn't take a genius to put one and one together.

[schlanz]

Another $100 drop and I may consider it.

[acemonkey]

ill be right behind u in line buyin it then

[gamingisnotacrime]

at $299 i pull the trigger too

[Tres21]

imagine if it was $299 & they still had the deal 2 throw in a ps3 for an extra $100

[ceedubya9]

count me in on that.

[Lubu]

Picked up Vizio 42" 3DTV for $600 at Walmart's Black Friday Sale. First 3DTV I've owned and I gotta say I really dig it. I've played Uncharted 3, God Of War Origins, Arkham City, and others. The depth really ads to the games.And movies like Despicable Me, Pirates 4 and Cars 2 are amazing.

I'm also a glasses wearer, and don't mind wearing the 3D pair over them. It's Passive 3D so I don't need the expensive glasses.

On a side note, I can't get my 360 to work with this TV's 3D. Does anyone know if the 360 supports Passive 3D? I have an HDMI 1.4 cable hoked up to it.

[jetlian]

work!! I got the same TV back in july/aug. I use a regular HDMI cable. The 360 doesn't auto detect 3d like ps3.

When you go into the game menus you have to select 3d then do it on the tv remote

[Bolts]

The depth isn't worth the decrease in image quality and even more importantly, the frame rate loss. The PS3 simply do not have the horse power to render 3D games without a noticeable performance hit.

[etebitan]

i actually think uncharted 3, resistance 3 and motorstorm apocalypse look better in 3d... you get more inmersed in the game... but hey maybe that's just me

[ThatOneGuyThere]

I take it you havent played any games in 3d. They looks breathtaking. I play on a 100inch HD 3D projector with DLP Link glasses. Amazing. its a far better 3D experience than the theater.

[Sevir]

Uncharted 3, Batman AC, AC:Revelations, and Resistance 3, all look beautiful in 3d and suffer no performance or visual grandeur especially Uncharted 3! go play them in 3d and see it for yourself and stop throwing the tech bs!

[ozstar]

Glasses free 3D tvs will release next year, and Nintendo will be vindicated with their decision.

Of course if people really don't want 3D TV's all the time in their homes, perhaps this really is the 2nd death of modern 3D Films and Television yet again.

Personally i don't believe for a second that 3D is dead yet, and neither should Nintendo with 1.3 million 3DS Consoles sold this week.

[Hicken]

The 3DS isn't using the same type of 3D at all. It's almost the exact opposite of what you get at movies and on TVs: instead of the scene popping OUT at you, you're looking INTO the scene.

TV sets without glasses will likely have the same technology, and in my opinion it's nowhere near as immersive; I haven't, of course, seen it on a large screen, but on the 3DS, it feels like peering into a small window.

[Rhythmattic]

@Hicken

Finally.. Someone that knows the difference.

[Bolts]

LOL glasses free 3D sets won't be available at a consumer level for years. In fact I would be shocked to see it in 3 years. The technology involved is incredibly complex and will require a completely new manufacturing process.

[Frankfurt]

There are two already, son. Google is your friend.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I don't think Sony really "needed" to give a reason for the price drop...seems pretty obvious.

[Ninjamonkey82]

Recessions make us cheap ;)

[Krew_92]

Would it be worth buying this if I'm used to a 32 inch HDTV? I think I may buy this, and give my 32 inch HDTV to my sister, since she has an old 15 inch television.

I don't know. Any opinions, I would like to hear from people who own the television first hand accounts of their experience with the 24" size.

[FFXI101]

I don't have a 24" tv but I have a 42" and a 51" One's in living room the other is in my room.

I don't think you'll feel much different. You'll adapt to it.

[ThatOneGuyThere]

It all depends on how close you sit. I would be totally fine playing games on a 24inch. But they would have to be pretty close to my face.

[Horny]

If I didn't didn't have a damn girlfriend to suck up all my money I would have a 3d tv by now. Holidays suck when you are in a relationship.

[FFXI101]

Would you rather hug your tv or your girlfriend?

[ThatOneGuyThere]

TV. 3D girlfriends FTW.

[Horny]

Tv ;)
TVs have been entertaining for 25 yrs, she has for 5. It's only right

[TheLastGuardian]

This is a really good deal for $400. It's just not big enough. Hopefully there is a 50+ inch version released next year.