Although only rumored, and not officially announced as of yet, the most common supposed price point of the Sony's PSP2, dubbed NGP (Next Generation Portable) lies at $299.
With a confirmed launch in at least one territory by holiday season 2011, could this possibly cause confusion for buyers new to Sony's line of gaming consoles? Currently the price of the least expensive PS3 model stands at $299 with an upgraded HDD model priced at $349.
If the NGP and PS3 are going to go head to head in terms of price on the same shelf, wouldn't some buyers opt to purchase a fully fledged console as opposed to a portable? Perhaps they may not understand why the NGP wouldn't be less expensive due to its much larger counterpart being the PS3.
This is where it gets interesting:
Perhaps however, this is in Sonys plan. Introduce the NGP at the same price of the PS3. If costumers already own a PS3, then of course they'll be looking into Sonys new portable. For those who don't own either, may choose to buy the PS3 instead. Opting for a more powerful entrance into Sonys gaming market, and thus inadvertently increasing PS3 sales.
On another note, if the NGP does launch at $299, would it make sense for gamers to expect a price drop in any of the current PS3 models? Could Sony actually effectively move more PS3s if they cost less than the NGP? Of course they can, but what about those who don't quite understand the gaming market? People may negatively speculate as to why the Portable is more expensive than the console. Perhaps they may think that the NGP is overpriced.
I'm certain just as I write this Sony are asking themselves the same questions. Personally, in order to not cause any confusion among consumers, and to prevent any delusion to the NGPs identity that the PS3 suffered at launch Sony would have to introduce the NGP at or less than the price of the PS3.
Any other ideas, concerns, or speculations about the price of the NGP?
Shift Up once again proves that they appreciate their team, as they have just rewarded their developers with new Nintendo Switch 2s to celebrate the Stellar Blade sales reaching 3 million.
Sony’s PS5 era has generated over $13 billion in profits, surpassing the combined earnings of PS1–PS4, with $136 billion in sales.
Their recent Playstation revenue is also more than Xbox and Switch combined, obviously in large part due to 3rd party sales.
I mean, if Sony is keeping third parties happy, kind of feels like a winning method.
Kinda always been that way if you look at previous gens, exclusives are important but they aint the main revenue generator.
And this is why the game output for ps5 has been a tad slower…
1) they needed to be… games take longer to develop, and they’d burn out their teams trying to maintain the same pace as ps3.
2) they can afford to… games cost more than ever to push boundaries, so Sony had to figure out a way to match Xbox’s clever profit strategies in order to afford to continue to innovate and take risks.
Techland wants to switch to a shorter development cycle of three to four year at the most for its games, starting with Dying Light: The Beast.
Very good dev length for a AAA/AA game I'd say. Companies need to set an aim for this range. 1-2 is too little, I believe 3-4 is perfect. Any more is too much. Games don't need to be these gigantic games full of a crazy amount of content. Just make a good game.
$299 = £188
But no doubt it will be £250 in the UK, same as 3DS is $250 and £220...such a rip off!! Why!!
$299 as an entry point price sounds like a pretty good possibility, and if the 3DS enters at $250 it won't be that much of a difference that it turns away people who are debating which one to get. The question about it competing with the PS3 is a good one though, especially considering what the NGP might be capable of.
I'd be willing to pay $400 for the NGP. $300 is a steal for how much technology is in this device. Sony will definitely be losing money at first if they want to price it competitively with the 3DS. Imo, the NGP is far beyond the 3DS and it's going to appeal to a different audience. I just wish the average consumer understood the gaming market like we do.
Definitely an interesting thought the PS3 vs NGP. Heres another thing though, the NGP and 3ds are the next generation, it would make some sense for it to be priced a little higher than current consoles. I see 299 NGP and a price slash to PS3 down to 250. I think this because in my eyes, comparing NGP to PS3, it seems NGP is the better video gaming system.. weird.. (Games put aside. Hardware and some software comparison)