>>My money is on $399.
I'm at $400 -- we are essentially in agreement here.
>>It's interesting that you can make these statements, given that we don't have any PS3s to compare to Xbox360s.
You don't need games to make such a statement. The limitations of 720p are what set's the criteria. There is a limited amount of screen space, pixels, etc. Both the 360 and the PS3 can outperform the limitations imposed by 720p. My point is that the PS3 isn't going to display more colors or more "bosses" or scenery than a 360 can at 720p. I'm not talking about how fun a game is, just that from a technical perspective, neither system can outdo each other. Anything you can do on one, you can do on the other. This isn't the case with 1080p-- the 360 can't do 1080p.
>>The few realtime PS3 demos we have--Metal Gear Solid 4, the Final Fantasy 7 tech demo--look noticably better than Xbox360 games.
Exactly my point -- they look awesome at 1080p! But at 720 p they are the same quality as the 360.
>>Why not? If a developer ships a PS3 game that works at 720p, then we'll see what the PS3 can do at 720p.
It will do great, I'm not disputing that. It just won't be able to do anything the 360 can't.
>>Again: HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? I doubt even nvidia knows at this point what can be done with the PS3 at 1080p, and nvidia is making the graphics chipsets for the thing!
Well, if nothing else, the scenery will be awesome. Blades of grass will be sharp, distant hills will have awesome texture, etc. The increase in resolution will allow for fantastic scenery! Images will be photorealistic. This is not easy to achieve at 720p (it can be done, but pixellation is noticable even with anti-aliasing).
I'm not saying I know exactly what the PS3 can do, I'm saying In know what the technical limitations of 720p are.
>>Wait, wait. First you called it the LateStation 3, now it's too early?
It's late based upon Sony's Statement. It's too early since 1080p is essentially a rich man's television (or someone who likes to rack up high debt with credit cards). The average Joes are out buying 480p and 720p tvs at the moment. In about 2-3 years 1080p will be reasonable...
So very few will see the PS3 work in it's best glory. They'll see a PS3 with games comparable (from a technical perspective, not from a fun perspective) to the 360.
FYI,
Denied by Sony, but probably close. I'm still betting $400 though -- Sony is just going to shoulder the losses to get market share.
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Chicago (IL) - George Fornay, president of Sony computer Entertainment Europe, provided the first credible information on a possible price of Sony's next-generation game console. According to media reports, Fornay predicted a price range of 500 to 600 Euro, which could mean a price of at least $500 and as much as $750 for US consumers.
If you thought Microsoft's Xbox 360 was expensive, think again. Sony apparently believes that the excitement of high-definition gaming on the Playstation 3 (PS3) is worth much more of your savings than a previous generation PS2, which initially sold for $299 or even Microsoft's Xbox 360, which is offered in two versions for $299 and $399.
Several media reports today quoted an interview of European radio station Europe 1 with George Fornay, in which the executive apparently mentioned that the new console may landing in a price range between 500 and 600 Euro, which would make the PS3 by far the most expensive console on the market.
Pricing for the US console remains a mystery and we only can guess what Sony is planning. What we know, however, is that Europe pricing rarely translates 1:1 into US Dollar pricing. On this side of the Atlantic, retail prices are often lower as (1) sales taxes are already included in Europe pricing and (2) higher market volumes in the US can compensate high price tags. Of course, currency exchange rates are an unknown variable in this game.
The current Euro-Dollar exchange rate would indicate a minimum price of $610 and about $750 on the high-end for the PS3; taxes and volume benefits are subtracted, and a US retail price between $500 and $600 appears to be more realistic.
But even a $600 price tag may be considered a bargain, if Sony's production cost of the console is considered. According to a Merrill Lynch analyst and a report published in the Financial Times in February of this year, Sony's total material cost per unit could approach $900: The company could be spending as much as $230 per unit just for the 3.2 GHz Cell processor that IBM plans to produce for PS3, plus $350 for the Blu-ray drive and $70 for the Nvidia RSX 550 MHz 1080p graphics processor.
Microsoft sells the Xbox 360 well below the production cost as well. Market research firm iSuppli said in November of last year that Microsoft may be spending as much as $550 to get a $400 console out the door.
Update 1:16 pm EST: In an official response, SCEE corporate communications did not confirm reports that the PS3 will cost up to 600 Euro. Instead, the company told gamesindustry.biz that the indication of a price point has been "a mistranslation or misunderstanding of the discussion, which was actually focused on the relative value of PS3 as a Blu-ray Disc player."