However my choice for most interesting tibit is the comment that Sony could have released a direct competitor to the 360 in terms of price, before the PS3.
Sony CEO, Jack Tretton:
""We could've come out with a PlayStation 2.5 for $299 or less, and in the first two or three years it would sell extremely well," he explains. "But there would be a point where people would be going, 'I am not really seeing the incremental leap.'"
For Tretton and Sony, they're "sacrificing the short term to pay dividends in the long term." Not sure how that works for Sony's bottom line, but hey, their company!
"People are having short-term thinking—the platform is not even three years old," Tretton adds. "It was $599; it's now $399." He goes on to say that Sony isn't planning to snare all customers in day one, but over a ten year period."
Bad move methinks.....
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- JClem
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It's an interesting position to say the least.
I think Sony would be safe had development not been so difficult on the PS3. Harder development means higher costs and lower ROI for publishers... Thus third party publishers are hesitant to use the PS3 to its full potential.
The console industry isn't exactly a difficult one. You launch your console, build up a respectably-sized install base. This install base encourages developers to support your platform... Consumers not snared early are hooked by the diverse selection of titles... The cycle repeats.
Sony is taking a much different approach to the PS3.
But lets not kid ourselves. the PS3 was not really ever about games. The PS3 was the vehicle to get Blu-Ray into as many homes as possible in order to secure Sony and other founding members of the consortium licensing income. Even if the PS3 were to fail tomorrow, the endeavor overall would be a victory for Sony as a corporation.
