Posts Tagged ‘Sony’
Sony Announces PlayStation 3 $100 Price Cuts
August 18th, 2009 | 
Author: Well, it’s official. After months of speculation, and persistent denials, Sony has revealed that starting tomorrow the 80GB PlayStation 3 will be available for the low, low price of $299, and the 160GB model will now be $399.
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai made the announcement during Sony’s GamesCom 2009 press conference, during which Hirai also revealed that that the long rumored and highly anticipated PS3 Slim will also be available for $299 starting the first week of September.
Both announcements are fantastic, and for many gamers out there who have been wanting to pick up a PS3, but weren’t able to commit to the $399 price tag, this news could not be more welcomed. Once again though, the price cut and the PS3 Slim were both totally expected, and having them “officially announced” was really just a formality. Still, it’s good to hear. Then again, I’m not entirely sure why anyone would throw down $299 for an 80GB PS3 when the 120GB PS3 Slim is coming in a few weeks for the exact same price.
While it’s fun to speculate about such things as consumer motivations, I can’t help but wonder what else Sony is up to with this whole price cut business. Sure, it was a necessary business move, but it also seems to suggest a much sharper strategy, especially when considered against the backdrop of Sony’s new iPhone-ish application store. Sony has clearly noticed the skyrocketing popularity of casual gaming, which owes a great deal of thanks to the $1 to $5 model that has made Apple’s iPhone/iPod Touch such a successful mobile gaming platform.
Perhaps Sony believes these new “bite-sized” games will be just the thing to make up the difference caused by shaving off $100 from the PS3. And these are just the games we’re talking about. This doesn’t even take into account the cash Sony will rake in via micro-transactions on the PlayStation Network, thanks to the introduction of new dynamic themes and premium avatars, both of which will be added in the recently announced firmware 3.0 update.
Sony started out this console generation as the big, black behemoth that was a bit overpriced for most gamers. Now though, with the new app store, the new price cut and, especially, with the Slim version, Sony has repositioned the PS3 as a much more consumer friendly, gamer loving console. And there was much rejoicing.
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TheFeed Sony Announces PlayStation 3 $100 Price Cuts http://tinyurl.com/px2cgc
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Amazon Shows Off PlayStation 3 Slim, Offers It Up For Pre-Order
Out of curiousity, I went to Amazon.com to see if the PlayStation 3 price cuts were in effect (they are). I was surprised to find numerous shots of the PS3 Slim, which is available for pre-order through the site. Some of the shots are different from the official photos sent out by Sony. Check ’em out after the break!
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TheFeed Amazon Shows Off PlayStation 3 Slim, Offers It Up For Pre-Order http://tinyurl.com/okx4qp
Report: Sony’s OLED TVs on hold
Nobody, least of all Sony, ever said it would be easy to start cranking out OLED TVs. It doesn’t help matters to be in a financial crunch.
So it should come as little surprise that according to a report in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal (subscriber access only), losses in Sony’s TV division are driving the electronics giant to put a hold on future OLEDs TVs.
Sony shows off its OLED TVs at CES 2007. That’s a 27-inch model in the middle; all the others are 11-inch models.
(Credit: Michael Kanellos/CNET)
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal says that new OLED (organic light-emitting diode) production would compound the poor performance at Sony’s TV division–which looks likely to lose money again for the sixth straight year, meaning a return to profitability is paramount.
Sony’s TV division lost 127 billion yen ($1.34 billion) in fiscal 2008, noted the Journal, accounting for more than half of the company’s operating losses for the year.
More than two years ago, Sony showed off its OLED TVs, in 11-inch and 27-inch formats, to great excitement, and the company was hopeful to start getting them out the door sometime in 2008. But the 11-inch model sported a $2,500 price tag, versus 50-inch LCD TVs that cost the same or less.
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http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10311839-1.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
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CNETNews Report: Sony’s OLED TVs on hold http://bit.ly/3RMHE
‘PS3 Slim’ rumor fervor hard to fathom
Is this the new PS3 Slim? Rumors have it Sony may unveil such a device at the Gamescon show in Germany Tuesday. On the other hand, it may all be fanboy-driven fervor with no substance. Either way, to CNET News reporter Daniel Terdiman, the excitement is unlikely to be matched by the reality of anything Sony may introduce.
While all new technology product rumors have to be taken with a grain of salt, you can sometimes tell–often by the volume of online chatter about a particular morsel–that one is more likely to turn out to be true.
That seems to be the case with the so-called “PS3 Slim,” a rumored new PlayStation 3 form factor that could well be on the horizon. And if the latest slew of blog and forum posts are right, there’s a pretty good chance Sony will formally announce the new console Tuesday at the Gamescon conference in Cologne, Germany.
That may be true, and, of course, it may not. But what I want to know is why so many people seem to be so excited about this as-yet-unseen console? After all, the PS3–once thought by many to be the most likely winner of the next-generation console wars between Sony, Microsoft (with its Xbox 360), and Nintendo (with its Wii)–has lagged far behind its competitors.
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http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10311394-235.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
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CNETNews ‘PS3 Slim’ rumor fervor hard to fathom http://bit.ly/Oy7nv
EA Reports Higher Earnings For PS3 Than Xbox 360
Electronic Arts has revealed that its PC, PlayStation 3 and Wii sales for the quarter ending June 30 were significantly higher than sales for its Xbox 360 titles.
MCVUK reports that Wii sales generated $161 million, a solid jump over last year’s $109 million, and PC sales topped $124 million. However, the most compelling disparity was between the PS3 and 360 sales, with the PS3 generating $121 million and the 360 pulling in just $73 million.
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TheFeedEA Reports Higher Earnings For PS3 Than Xbox 360 http://tinyurl.com/l7d95m
