Sony Closes HD Player Price Gap

[JamesJ]

Well, here it is, the 13th- and no $500 PS3. In fact, I haven't noticed any significant announcement at all.

people on forums took one guy saying on the 11th Sony fans nationwide will be smiling, to all sorts of levels. Sony announced two new MMORP games on the 11th that look really good, that was the announcement.

 

[navychop]

Thanks.

One man's "significant" is another's "insignificant."

Not a gamer. Spend too much time at SatGuys.

 

[VinceT3]

The comment was made tongue-in-cheek.

The PS3 is primarily a premium gaming system...that just happens to be an outstanding BD Player and run Linux quite nicely too. What games can be played on an HD DVD stand-alone player? And what operating systems can you load onto them? As for the XBox360, it was pointed out the HD DVD options will cost an addition $199 for this capability. It's just not an apples-to-apples comparison to considered the PS3 as a stand-alone BD player only. To be honest, I am not interested in a BD stand-alone player until the price comes down a couple hundred dollars...and I really don't need one since I have two PS3.

I agree, it's a pretty good gaming machine, but like everything sony the price is always well above anyone else product. On xbox's side the HD dvd addon has dropped I've heard people pick them up for as low as 80 bux..

It's funny before either console came out I was a PS2 only expecting Blu-ray to win big time.. but I always knew cost would be a killer for blu-ray..

Both formats need to focus on getting into the burner market as quickly as possible (especially with HD video cameras starting to come onto the market stronger) and drop their players to a reasonable level.. 200 is the max and 99 is going to be a breaking point for mass acceptance..

 

[CochiseGuy]

Well, here it is, the 13th- and no $500 PS3. In fact, I haven't noticed any significant announcement at all.

How could you have missed it!

I only happened to read of the "significant announcement" in a format war zone on another forum: Sony announced they're "enhancing" the online gaming for the PS3.

Sony’s Other Games Division Makes Push in New Direction

So today, Sony Online unveils its plan to retake leadership in online gaming by unveiling three new games in development. More broadly, the new games represent an attempt to broaden the company in four major ways: diversifying its business model, expanding the demographic profile of its customer base, moving into the console market in addition to making games for PCs and increasing its presence in Asia.


Free Realms is basically aimed at children, especially girls. The game will be free to play in general, but will require paid membership for access to special zones and activities (hence the term “velvet rope”). In terms of microtransactions, players will be able to buy virtual in-game items like pets and clothing à la carte. And there may also be advertising inside the game.

The company also recognizes that among hard-core gamers there is a bit of fatigue with the elves, dwarves and orcs that seem to populate the dozens of fantasy-based online games. So in its first game for the PlayStation 3, called The Agency and due next summer, Sony Online is branching out into a relatively untapped genre for online games: spies and commandos.

“Think of it as ‘24’ meets Counter-Strike meets ‘Alias’ meets James Bond,” Mr. Smedley said.

That's it, that was their "Big Announcement".

Good thing the PS3 is a good blu-ray player, 'cause there continues to be almost no reason to pay so much for it as a game console.