I\'ve just finished reading your "Is Sony in trouble" article, and I have to say, while many of your arguments were fairly spot-on, your predictions at the end contradicted everything you\'ve argued about. "PS3 might have a problem with Cell, PS3 will have a lot of work if it wants to sell Blu-Ray, PS3 is showing a slim launch window," just to say at the end "Oh, we think PS3 will be the best." Sure, it\'s easy to say, but I\'d like to counter-argue your article, if I may.
For starters, you\'ve talked about how $600 is "a deal" to the public considering what you get. But think about it. I already have a computer. I already have a DVD player. I already have videogame systems. And I already have a digital video recorder for my television shows. I paid $30 for my DVD player. It can\'t play videogames, record television, or wash my dishes, but it\'s a damn good DVD player, and that\'s what I paid for. I\'m going to want something that does what it does right, not something that does everything decently.
Secondly, the public is going to note that price point. Honestly, right now, do any of those games look like $660+ worth of fun? I\'ll say it now, I\'m buying a Wii. Why? Because to me the games look like $300+ worth of fun or more.
Third, since I\'m not paid to praise Sony, I\'ll say it like it is. I work in a videogame store. Not your big Gamestops, but a smaller store known as Game Crazy. Let\'s say on average I see 100 customers. Each day, about 45-55 rave about the Wii, how they\'re going to get one, how much fun it will be, etc. About 35-40 declare they\'re picking up a 360 as soon as the price drops, considering many games are beginning to come out at $40-$60. My remaining 5-10 say they\'ll pre-order a PS3 when they get the money. Last time I checked, 5-10% of the market isn\'t good, and my group, while primarily consisting of gamers, includes non-gamers and parents as well.
My point? If the PS3 succeeds at all, it\'ll be in last. Most people will go with the Wii60 combo, mainly for price point, and because as of right now, the game selection is looking more and more superior, from Oblivion and Zelda\'s Twilight Princess to Halo 3 and Super Smash Bros Brawl. My prediction is that it will be close between the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, with PlayStation 3 trailing along behind, trying to keep the cores in its cell running while claiming Blu-ray is the next big thing.
--Nick OT
here\'s two articles that i got from ign\'s mailbag...i broke it down into two posts so it won\'t be so overwhelming...
