Wow Sony.... just wow...

[Warlock]

I don't have a source for these because someone posted them in a different board without a link, but wow:


PS3 Games Not Necessarily $59.99
Sony says higher price points are possible.
by Patrick Klepek, 06/28/2006

People were understandably upset when companies decided next-generation meant charging everyone $10 more for their games -- especially when the price was applied to last-generation ports like GUN and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. Nonetheless, most have sucked it up at this point, but no one anticipated Sony would actually up the ante when PlayStation 3 dropped in November.

Yet SCEA president Kaz Hirai isn't promising a $59.99 price tag for PS3 games this fall. In an interview with PSM, the Sony leader explained. So, what I can say now is, I think it would be a bit of a stretch to think that we could suddenly turn around and say "PS3 games now $99.99" I don't think the consumers expect the software pricing to suddenly be double," he told the magazine. "So, if it becomes a bit higher than fifty-nine bucks don't ding me, but, again, as I said, I don't expect it to be a hundred bucks."

In other words, consumers should expect PS3 games to cost somewhere between $59.99 and $99.99. He doesn't expect them to be a hundred dollars, but it's only a "stretch" to expect it. Have we moved back to the cartridge ages here? Wasn't disc-based media supposed to make everything cheaper? I don't want to remember how much my parent's paid for several of Square's older SNES releases during Christmas.

Sony's cocky enough to price their hardware above the competition, but we don't seriously expect them to change consumer expectations for software prices. We hope.


Sony boss: Microsoft copies everything we do

6/28/2006 11:42:58 AM, by Jeremy Reimer

Friendly banter between competing corporate executives is nothing new. Sometimes, however, it starts to spiral out of control, and takes on a life of its own. In the days of the Super Nintendo Entertainment system, disagreements (both public and private) between Nintendo and Sony over the licensing of the planned CD-ROM addon for the SNES caused Sony to strike out on their own and create the PlayStation, effectively ending Nintendo's dominance of the video game arena.

These days, however, the big battle of words is between Sony and Microsoft. This was evidenced by recent statements from Kaz Hirai, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), in an interview with PlayStation Magazine. With the Xbox 360 recovering from an awkward launch last November—apparently reaching the company's goal of five million units sold so far—combined with the lukewarm reaction over the PlayStation 3's announced price, Sony apparently feels that the time has come to launch a few new salvoes in the war of words. Hirai was asked if Sony and Microsoft seemed to be taking similar paths:

"We seem to. Every time we go down a path, we look behind and they're right there - we just can't shake these guys. I wish that they would come up with some strategies of their own, but they seem to be going down the path of everything we do. If you look at their strategy in other business areas as well, they tend to do that."

Of course, such comments conveniently ignore the fact that Sony itself was a latecomer to the video game console business, not to mention the whole issue of Sony developing an Xbox Live competitor for the PS3, but all's fair in love and marketing wars. The jab at Microsoft's other businesses seems a bit odd, given the fact that Sony continues to ship large quantities of their VAIO laptops and desktops, all bundled with Microsoft Windows.

The conversation got even stranger when the topic veered to Microsoft's HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360. Hirai blasted Microsoft for their strategy on next-gen optical drives:

"And the other thing is, you take a look at, for example, the fact that we incorporate the Blu-ray drive from day one. You're not going to be asking me, 'So, talk to me about this Blu-ray add-on that you have. Does it work for games? Is it just for movies?' That's exactly the kind of pitfall you fall into if you launch something that's too early, too premature..."

This sort of question could well be asked about the built-in Blu-ray drive on the PS3. Was it really necessary for games, given that most games do not currently fill out a dual-layer DVD? Or was it merely a way to put millions of Blu-ray drives in consumer households to boost sales of high-definition movies? Should Sony have made the Blu-ray drive optional? Until the PS3 is released and we can all judge for ourselves, this debate is far from over.

The first story especially brings back memories of Neo-Geo ($600 system, $100 games). Someone needs to seriously put a muzzle on Sony's President. This is getting very bad.

[Darth Marsden]

I never wanted to say this, but I really want this console to fail. I really, really do. I want Sony to suffer for it. I want them to learn their lesson the hard way.

That way no-one will ever try anything even remotely like this again.

[MottZilla]

Hell no man. Sony needs to do it. They need to release a 600$ system and charge 100$ or more per game. They are the only ones in history thus far to even remotely stand a chance at a successful system with pricing that high. I personally have no interest in the PS3. So I wanna see those prices high as the sky. =)

[goKi]

I want to see it die. I want to see them at a huge loss with the PS3. I want them to launch the PS4 with the same arrogance and lack of respect for the consumer. A world without Sony is a better world indeed.

[*b*]

I hope that Square ditches Sony completley, and they return to Nintendo to make games for the Wii and DS. and I don't mean the side games, like FFTA and FFCC, I mean the numerical games like XII and XIII

Square leaves Sony... FFXII and on is ported to the Wii... Square Square leaves Sony... FFXII and on is ported to the Wii... Square leaves Sony... FFXII and on is ported to the Wii...

[Kingboo30]

I always found Kaz to be a very strange man. He always seems to think positive and thinks that "Yeah everything we do is going to win something." despite the fact that he seems to have an obsession with Ridge Racer. They already lost Megaman because of the PS3s price. That smart Kenji Inafune fled the PS3 before the big bang which is not a good bang either

[goKi]

I just can't understand how a company with such terrible customer service and mediocre products can become one of the worlds most established consumer electronics brands.

[jessethe2nd]

Square is going to pull out... but whether or not they go back to nintendo is not definate. There is always the possibility that they will publish for the 360 as well... but who knows maybe they will publish on both. Nothing would really be stopping em... after all they gave 3DO a try.

[MottZilla]

I just can't understand how a company with such terrible customer service and mediocre products can become one of the worlds most established consumer electronics brands.

Failure on their competitions part was their success. Nintendo dropped the ball. Sega was over extended. Microsoft was new to the game. But now things are changing. Nintendo seems like they might be back on their game and Microsoft has learned and put out a great system. Sony will no longer benifit from weak competition. I want to see PS3 go down in flames. To do so, Microsoft needs to win over japanese gamers. And they are trying and not giving up. That's awesome.

[Dechipher]

Honestly, I could easily see Square-Enix going back to Nintendo. They've got a lot of promise, and obviously Square-Enix and Nintendo are cool, or at least getting there. It wouldn't suprise me if SE published for the XBox as well, but it would if they neglected Nintendo.

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

Let us not forget that the Wii offers a completely unique way of playing games, something that neither of the other two can match, even if sony has motion sensitive controllers. The remote form factor just opens up more possibilities, and those are ones that I can really see Square taking advantage of. It might allow them to break the mold with Final Fantasy once again, and have a hit like they haven't had in years for the series.

Plus, am I wrong to think that the Wii-mote would finally make console RTS games a reality? The ability to use it like a mouse would make ports of PC MMO's possible too, would it not?

WoW+ Wii= Winner. That's all I'm saying.

[MottZilla]

Where's the keyboard for typing though? Plus WoW wouldn't fly on a console. Waaaay too high monthly fee.

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

Who needs a keyboard? It could have a voice chat function built in. Doesn't the Wii have a mic built in, or just a little speaker? If not, a keyboard could be attached somehow. Am I wrong once more to say that it's supposed to have a USB on it? Again, if not, they could sell wireless Wii-boards. It could happen.

Or, maybe Starcraft 2. Some kind of blizzard game would be an instant hit. has Starcraft: Ghost come out yet?

[jessethe2nd]

Actually I think wow would be a hit on the wii... assuming that those with current accounts would be able to use them in a console port and use their current chars. As for the lack of key board, any one remember hearing about that patent nintendo recently filied for voise - on screen text converion... sure it was probably meant for communication with the disabled but there is no reason this could not be utilized in the port. Aside from that it would be a great business move for Blizzard... as long as they promote it properly. They would have access to a completely new market to fill their pockets.

[Daarkseid]

has Starcraft: Ghost come out yet?

Starcraft: Ghost has been taken off of Blizzard's release schedule, and have said the project is on hold indefinitely.

Which probably means its cancelled.

[ONeilcool]

Blizzard probably isn't going to make a new game until they stop making money off WoW. By then anyone anticipating Starcraft 2 or even Warcraft 4 won't care anymore. Blizzard, just like Sony and Microsoft, are greedy bastards. I'm not saying thats bad, its just how the entertainment industry works.

[gdorf]

Blizzard probably isn't going to make a new game until they stop making money off WoW. By then anyone anticipating Starcraft 2 or even Warcraft 4 won't care anymore. Blizzard, just like Sony and Microsoft, are greedy bastards. I'm not saying thats bad, its just how the entertainment industry works.

I disagree. For them to ditch Starcraft: Ghost shows they are dedicated to producing a quality product. Most companies would have sold it, knowing the Starcraft name would carry the sales for a few months.

That said, I think you are right about Warcraft 4 not being released anytime soon, but WC3 was perfect and would be difficult to top. What I want to see is Starcraft II with the equivalent of WC3's heros. Yum.

[goKi]

There's word on a Diablo III actually. I remember seeing a link to Blizzard's website, where there were several jobs advertised (character design, map design) to work with 'The team who bought you Diablo and Diablo II'.

Diablo is the only Blizzard game i've thouroughly enjoyed, so i hope so.

[Warlock]

First off, WoW is never coming to a console period. Blizzard has said this, and besides there is no way that game would work. Believe me, the game is not all point-and-click. There *is* typing required. And honestly, voice chat? Do you want to hear 10 year olds yelling about gay sex with Chuck Norris all day? Text chat is bad enough in that game.

Second, I honestly don't think they "ditched" Ghost. The problem is, it was taking too long to come out. I mean, they moved it over to a brand new studio (which they bought) just last year for crying out loud. The problem is, who the hell is going to buy PS2/Xbox titles anymore? Those systems are old news. I think Blizzard is just putting the game on hold so they can rework it for the next-gen consoles. They even kind of hinted at this being the reason.

Third, no Blizzard is not going to stop making games just because WoW is doing so well. For one, that's idiotic. For two, that's not who Blizzard is. Hell, they probably could have retired on the money they got from Diablo II and StarCraft. That doesn't mean they stopped making games. Sure Blizzard is in it for money - everyone is. But they tend to care more about their games and customers than most game companies. Heck, they have cancelled two games now that they could have easily just released and cashed in on. So yeah :P

[MottZilla]

Not just that Warlock, but console gamers differ alot from PC gamers. Console games are far less likely to pay fees to play a game they already own. I mean Xbox Live is different (and not expensive). But WoW is just insane for a console owner. And like Warlock said, the game wouldn't even work like it should. Plus I don't think the Wii even meets the recommended amount of memory! Now WarCraft II and StarCraft, those could certainly work for Wii with the some changes and would be cool.

[SomaLlama]

i see blockbuster making a lot more money in the future >.>

also... yeah console controlers dont have enough buttons for WoW

[Cloral]

Blizzard is continuing to produce product - it's just all centered around WoW. As for the FF series, it would make a lot more sense for that to be on the 360 than the Wii. I'm sure Square could come up with some games that would take advantage of the Wii, but that wouldn't be Final Fantasy.

[Grasshopper]

Do you want to hear 10 year olds yelling about gay sex with Chuck Norris all day?

Don't you dare even bring that name into this forum.

[Warlock]

Now WarCraft II and StarCraft, those could certainly work for Wii with the some changes and would be cool.

I'd still like to see Blizzard do that for DS. I don't think SC or War 2 would happen (because they are too old at this point) but something like War 3, or an all new game (StarCraft DS or WarCraft DS - something made specifically for DS) would rock.

Wii will be cool too. I actually can't wait to see what they do with Pikmin because that game was practically designed to work with Wii controls :)


Blizzard is continuing to produce product - it's just all centered around WoW. As for the FF series, it would make a lot more sense for that to be on the 360 than the Wii. I'm sure Square could come up with some games that would take advantage of the Wii, but that wouldn't be Final Fantasy.

And see, that's the problem. Square is very much like Sony when it comes to the FF franchise. They want big graphics, big cinematics, big everything. Wii can't do that. So then you look at Xbox 360 and the problem there is that it just isn't popular in Japan. So Square is stuck with Sony. Which is a real shame. But you will notice they are at least giving Nintendo a ton of support now with games - stuff like all the FF ports to GBA, FF3 DS, all the Crystal Chronical games, and even the Dragon Quest Wii exclusive launch title (hey, it's the same company :P). They also did that Mario Basketball game on DS. So I think they are really trying to support Nintendo now. The problem is just that the system does not have the power (and probably classic controls) they want for their main FF franchise which they always want to look gorgeous.

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

Blizzard probably isn't going to make a new game until they stop making money off WoW.
I was thinking about this exact thing today, and for a moment, I pondered the math:


6,000,000 (subscribers) times $15 a month equals $90,000,000 a month, and $1,080,000,000 a year.


Seriously. A billion dollars a year. I'm well aware that the operation incurs some significant staffing and server maintenance/bandwidth costs, but I really wonder how much of that money is used to support the game and how much is profit.

[MottZilla]

That's where you're wrong Warlock, and Square. They can support Xbox 360. It's that loop where you won't do anything till this happens, but for that to happen someone has to do that but you're back to square one. If developers like Square would bite the bullet and produce for Xbox 360, systems would start to move in Japan. No one cares about Sony. They care about the developers that produce the games they enjoy.

[ONeilcool]

I was thinking about this exact thing today, and for a moment, I pondered the math:


6,000,000 (subscribers) times $15 a month equals $90,000,000 a month, and $1,080,000,000 a year.


Seriously. A billion dollars a year. I'm well aware that the operation incurs some significant staffing and server maintenance/bandwidth costs, but I really wonder how much of that money is used to support the game and how much is profit.

I heard a rumor that Blizzard is going to jack the price up to 20$. I know thats not going to happen, but the sad part is that most WoW players would pay that much.

To get back on subject, that's what it looks like sony is trying to do. Jack up the price becasue the consumers will still pay. The difference is Blizzard probably could get away with it, and Sony pretty much can't.

[Dechipher]

What's an extra 5 bucks a month? If you're already shelling out 15, 20 ain't that biga deal. Especially if you're getting 20 bucks of enjoyment out of it per month.

[ONeilcool]

I'm not saying 20 bucks is totally outrages, but I wouldnt do it.
Its just that if you think about how much WoW would be over a year(if it was 20$) plus the CD and expansion pack its a good 300$.
That is(or was) alot of money to spend on a game.

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

It is a lot of money, but like Decipher said, it depends on how much enjoyment you get out of it. A casual player would be turned off by such a price, but if you're big into the game, playing a few hours every day/night, that's a lot of content to be gone through. Far more than a typical $15-20 game would have, in all likelihood. Buy a new, cheap game every month, or play WoW. Compared side by side, I'm sure there would be a decent split, but lots of people would obviously prefer to play WoW.

Still though, a billion dollars. That's a lot. Makes me wonder how long you have to work at blizzard before you gain access to the olympic sized swimming pool full of $100 bills.

[goKi]

If Blizzard increased the cost to $20, they'd make money. The die hards who are willing to pay the $20 a month would recoup the amount lost by the people it turned away, and then some.

[Darth Marsden]

EDIT: Here's the page on 1up that basically confirms what you said in the first post. (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3151823)

Quick question to Warlock (or indeed anyone else who can answer it) - I heard a rumour that SquareEnix erre thinking about porting their FFIII remake to the PS2 after it comes out for the DS. Can this be confirmed or denied?

[Grasshopper]

The difference is Blizzard probably could get away with it, and Sony pretty much can't.
Who says? I think they can just because the amount of people I talk to who don't give a second thought on a $600 console. In fact, I've even talked to people who said they'd still shell out that money even if no games came out on launch. People who acted just as arrogant as Sony too.

[Warlock]

EDIT: Here's the page on 1up that basically confirms what you said in the first post. (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3151823)

Quick question to Warlock (or indeed anyone else who can answer it) - I heard a rumour that SquareEnix erre thinking about porting their FFIII remake to the PS2 after it comes out for the DS. Can this be confirmed or denied?

1up never works for me from home. Pisses me off.

Anyways, no that will never happen. Why would they? The graphics will look like shit and you have to remove any cool touch screen functions they add to the game. The resolution especially won't work (how do you cram a two-screen game onto one screen?).

[Darth Marsden]

The first quote you gave is everything on the link I gave. No fuss, no mess.

And with regards to FFIII... the touch-screen is apparently going to be used for the crystals in some way. Replace the touch-screen with, say, the right analogue stick and the L & R buttons, up the resolution and boom! PS2 game. Sell for $30 and you're laughing.

[Warlock]

The first quote you gave is everything on the link I gave. No fuss, no mess.

And with regards to FFIII... the touch-screen is apparently going to be used for the crystals in some way. Replace the touch-screen with, say, the right analogue stick and the L & R buttons, up the resolution and boom! PS2 game. Sell for $30 and you're laughing.

Again I refer you to my comment - "it will look like shit"

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

Or, Sony sells it for $50 and they're laughing.


Grasshopper makes an unfortunately apt point, in that there are plenty of people who buy playstation because it's playstation, and for no other reason than "X-BOX and Gaycube suck". It's these people that Sony will take advantage of initially, and claim their console to be a success. But between X360 owners having already bought the console, and the Wii demographic, long term success is going to be very difficult for Sony. As I've said before, I doubt that they'll completely crash and burn, but coming in third is still going to hurt.

[MottZilla]

Speaking of Sony, wonderful news today. The kernel mode exploit was found in PSP bios versions 2.5 and 2.6 a couple days ago released as a proof of concept program that simply proved flash/bios access. After a few days and after more information came out, there is now a downgrader out. This downgrader allows users to turn their PSP back to a version 1.5 which allows usersto run homebrew and ISOs. This now makes the pool of potential 1.5 PSPs extremely larger. Good news for anyone that hates Sony, or anyone with a PSP that wants to emulate NES, SNES, Genesis whereever they go. ;)

[jessethe2nd]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/716/716405p1.html Developers

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/716/716214p1.html Tax Fraud

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/716/716144p1.html Analysts

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/716/716047p1.html Japan

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/714/714775p1.html And Even Sony


Are hinting at the death of the PS3.

To this I have to say..... WWWWWWW0000000000000000000000000TTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:googly::googly::googly::googly::googly::googly::) :):):):):):):):):):):D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D;);) :rolleyes::cool::tongue:

[{DSG}DarkRaven]

Sony has done very little to justify why the system is worth a premium price for consumers that don't care about raw hardware performance and are not hard-core audio/visual consumers. Unfortunately we believe that represents over 90% of the consumers in the marketplace.

One developer commented, "It's more expensive than my rent."

Stringer implied that the next-generation consoles from Nintendo and Microsoft were cheaper, "transitional products" while claiming that the PS3 represented true "future-proof" technology that would remain viable for many years to come.

Ha ha.

[Darth Marsden]

Quite frankly, I want a system that's fun to play. That's the Wii right there. Period. Sony's forgotten that that's generally what people want, and they're going to fail for it. I can't wait.

[redmage777]

Stringer also expressed confidence in the company's Blu-ray high-definition DVD technology as filmmakers are "beginning to sense, in Blu-ray, that the pendulum is swinging and swinging for a clear reason" as studios increasingly acknowledge the need for the higher memory capacity offered by Blu-ray.

Actually I get the Impression that the main reason they seem to like Blu-ray and HD-DVD is HDCP. I could careless about $2000 HDTVs and $600 Game consoles especialy when the Time Bomb that is HDCP is still up in the air. Both BluRay and HDDVD can die as far as I care, the Industry has too much control as it is. It has been said many times that games don't come close to using up an entire DVD, and as it stands DVDs are also the most practical Format for Movie Distrobution. The whole "HD" thing is looking more and more like a conspericy to give more power to the entertainment industry.

[MottZilla]

Ain't that the truth. The movie industry is desperate to control whatever format they force apon you. They want your money. They don't want anyone else to offer you an alternative if they don't have a hand in it either.