Changes that need to happen: -DS needs to drop to $99. The PSP and DS price are way too close, Sony's practically giving away a better system for peanuts more. -Nintendo needs to stop relying on 64 ports to drive the DS. -Nintendo needs to pull developers aggressively into the DS. Game availability is going to win this either way. Both have a degree of gadget fever to them. -Sony needs to stop relying on PS2 ports for the PSP. Why play the same games with worse controls on a smaller screen? -Sony needs to concern themselves a lot more with the design flaws that have popped up and address them before negative PR hits. -PSP shipments need to increase a lot more for the holidays. Without direct competition shortages feed hype and desire. With direct competition they may be more injurious. -Address concerns over cost of games. If PSP games cost the same amount and are has hard to program as PS2 games does this mean future games will cost $50? Will gamers be willing to pay that much for handheld games? -Provide more information on UMD-based movies. Also, will gamers want to buy copies of movies in a proprietary format, when portable DVD players and DVDs are so cheap? Especially since, there are portable DVD players that can play two movies without a recharge.
Unfortnately, due to initial sales, I feel the price drop in the DS won't happen for a while at least. But if Nintendo can time it for right when the actual full Metroid Prime: Hunters game comes out, well...that would be right on the money, no pun intended.
But on the other hand, the added profit will enable Nintendo to more easily justify "selling at a loss" to retain the market share.
-- But I do agree on the points involving gamage, and particularly the UMD media. I'm already anti-memory stick because I'm anti-Sony computers =P and most of their other products. Come to think of it, the only product loyalty I have with Sony is their Trinitron TVs and monitors, really. But I have a Viewsonic on my desk right now, so...
Yeah, they wont drop it for awhile. I'm not sure if Nintendo would be 'selling at a loss' at $99. I think dropping the SP's price to $70 was a very deliberate move to make the price of the DS more flexible within that area.
On the other hand, Nintendo could continue with the $150 price-point and continue to have special promotions and bundles.
Yeah, the other thing is 'hidden costs' of the PSP. Unless you get the bundle (which is like $300) you still have to buy memory stick, remote, headphones, etc. in order to get the full functionality.
The only thing Sony does well anymore is there TV and monitors, which is unfortunate. Their latest MP3 player 'iPod killer' apparently has some pretty fundamental flaws and has been drawing criticism for it's issues. I think the once great Sony has been greatly reduced.
I think the promotional way is much more conducive to Nintendo.
I guess since I don't know the manufacturing costs of the DS unit, I assumed Nintendo was making like $50 a unit. Not certain about that, of course. But I think for the time being, since they probably CAN keep making whatever they're making, they will.
I'm still very curious about game costs for the PSP. It's pretty clear that DS games will cost $20-30, with some games at $40.
It seems because the PSP uses such advanced graphics, and game costs for "modern" console games are already in the millions, that games for the PSP will also reflect this.
To me, and possibly others, paying $50 for a game seems awfully high for a handheld game. Console and PC games you are getting in theory a lot more. The ability to play a much larger and complex game on a larger system.
A handheld provides a much smaller and more simple gaming experience. Therefore, the price of handheld games is often cheaper then that of new console/PC titles. Will the developers be able to get gamers to put down $50 for handheld games? Will developers be forced to compromise games to get them to a lower price-point? How will this effect how gamers/developers alike view the PSP both as a platform and as a product.
-DS needs to drop to $99. The PSP and DS price are way too close, Sony's practically giving away a better system for peanuts more.
-Nintendo needs to stop relying on 64 ports to drive the DS.
-Nintendo needs to pull developers aggressively into the DS. Game availability is going to win this either way. Both have a degree of gadget fever to them.
-Sony needs to stop relying on PS2 ports for the PSP. Why play the same games with worse controls on a smaller screen?
-Sony needs to concern themselves a lot more with the design flaws that have popped up and address them before negative PR hits.
-PSP shipments need to increase a lot more for the holidays. Without direct competition shortages feed hype and desire. With direct competition they may be more injurious.
-Address concerns over cost of games. If PSP games cost the same amount and are has hard to program as PS2 games does this mean future games will cost $50? Will gamers be willing to pay that much for handheld games?
-Provide more information on UMD-based movies. Also, will gamers want to buy copies of movies in a proprietary format, when portable DVD players and DVDs are so cheap? Especially since, there are portable DVD players that can play two movies without a recharge.
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But on the other hand, the added profit will enable Nintendo to more easily justify "selling at a loss" to retain the market share.
--
But I do agree on the points involving gamage, and particularly the UMD media. I'm already anti-memory stick because I'm anti-Sony computers =P and most of their other products. Come to think of it, the only product loyalty I have with Sony is their Trinitron TVs and monitors, really. But I have a Viewsonic on my desk right now, so...
Reply
On the other hand, Nintendo could continue with the $150 price-point and continue to have special promotions and bundles.
Yeah, the other thing is 'hidden costs' of the PSP. Unless you get the bundle (which is like $300) you still have to buy memory stick, remote, headphones, etc. in order to get the full functionality.
The only thing Sony does well anymore is there TV and monitors, which is unfortunate. Their latest MP3 player 'iPod killer' apparently has some pretty fundamental flaws and has been drawing criticism for it's issues. I think the once great Sony has been greatly reduced.
Reply
I guess since I don't know the manufacturing costs of the DS unit, I assumed Nintendo was making like $50 a unit. Not certain about that, of course. But I think for the time being, since they probably CAN keep making whatever they're making, they will.
Reply
It seems because the PSP uses such advanced graphics, and game costs for "modern" console games are already in the millions, that games for the PSP will also reflect this.
To me, and possibly others, paying $50 for a game seems awfully high for a handheld game. Console and PC games you are getting in theory a lot more. The ability to play a much larger and complex game on a larger system.
A handheld provides a much smaller and more simple gaming experience. Therefore, the price of handheld games is often cheaper then that of new console/PC titles. Will the developers be able to get gamers to put down $50 for handheld games? Will developers be forced to compromise games to get them to a lower price-point? How will this effect how gamers/developers alike view the PSP both as a platform and as a product.
Reply
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