AfterDawn: News

Sony Australia boss talks about PS3 price

SCE Australia boss Michael Ephraim responded to criticism in the region over the price of the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console. He explained the price by claiming that the PS3 is in a whole different league to its rivals. "We think PS3 is not a product to be compared with Wii, it is a completely different product. This is a digital hub, that is a games console," he told news site The Age.

He took some shots at what many believe to be Xbox 360's disappointing multimedia features. "To maximize Xbox 360, you need Media Centre, you need a PC. And now if you want to play high-definition movies (and we can argue which format is going to win) you have to spend another AUD $249 [EUR 150]. Xbox is significantly dearer than PS3 for what it can do straight out of the box," he said.



He said there was no other product on the market that offers the same digital content or Blu-ray features as the PS3. The 60GB PS3 will cost AUD$999 when it launches on March 23rd, which is equal to the European price of €599 (60GB model).

Source:
GamesIndustry.biz

Written by: James Delahunty @ 27 Feb 2007 14:56

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• 29 comments

• deesy32

  that is a lie u do not need windows media center.a xp based pc can also stream files to the 360 and also the HD add on is just that a add on i u dont have the extra cash dont buy it.it is not forced on you for 200.00 more than the cost of a 360 premium.

  27.2.2007 15:18 #1

• tabletpc

  this guy is a %%$#$%#%$#$%#%$###%$$#%$###%$#%$#%$#%$#%$#%$#$@$#@$#@$%#@%$
  
  sony is so desperate to sell there overpriced piece of junk that they will say anything to make money

  27.2.2007 15:19 #2

• limelight

  OMG $1000 to play video games, youve got to be kidding me!!
  
  That kind of money can buy a nice PC that can play games and run circles around the ps3 in the context that it can do so much more "out of the box".

  27.2.2007 17:51 #3

• escalante

  It's in Australian dollars so i don't know how much that comes out to. I'm guessing that 1 Australian dollar is not worth the same as let's say the US dollar or of a Pound.

  27.2.2007 17:56 #4

• mduga

  whoops, double post.
  sorry.

  27.2.2007 18:33 #5

• mduga

  i agree... sony will say anything to sell their ps3, even if it includes lying.
  
  the 360 doesn't need a media center pc to stream media. what a f***ing lie. i have windows xp and stream my media to my 360 wirelessly without a problem.
  
  i don't have any problem with the ps3. i think it is a great system, but i am not going to buy one until they are half the price which may be a few years. i am also not buying a HD-DVD or Blu-ray player. dvd is good enough for me right now. prices will come down and they will be just as cheap as current dvd's and players someday. that's when i buy mine. i am very patient. :)
  
  -duga-

  27.2.2007 18:33 #6

• Dela

  Well people need to calm down a little bit because he didn't say you need a Media Center to stream media, he said you need a Media Center to maximise 360, which is true, you need Windows Media Center operating system to use Xbox 360 as a Windows Media Extender, other than that you can either use Windows Media Connect to stream Windows Media content or TVersity to on-the-fly transcode everything else to WMV and stream.
  
  However, as pointed out, you do not "have" to buy an HD DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 as it is a gaming console first, and multimedia device second. He also said that you need to buy a HD DVD addf-on to enjoy High-definition movies - that's complete crap, you can buy HD movies on Xbox Live, yopu don;t even have to reliable on optical disc format. Also, I'm sure you can stream HD content via Windows Media Connect and TVersity... you can even tweak TVersity to upscale.
  
  Quote:It's in Australian dollars so i don't know how much that comes out to. I'm guessing that 1 Australian dollar is not worth the same as let's say the US dollar or of a Pound.AUD999 == US$787.23

  27.2.2007 19:08 #7

• jmaestro

  To assume gamers think that the Wii and the PS3 are not different products, is an insult. Yes we agree that the PS3 is not a Wii... like I've been trying to play FlOw on the Wii or something. Michael Ephraim , if you don't have anything valid to say, don't speak like you are gracing us with revelations of wisdom or something... better yet don't speak at all (we generation Ys are far to cynical and smart for this crap).
  
  Notice how he doesn't comment on comparing two similar products for price... the US PS3 and the Australian PS3! This is the main reason people are pissed, not because it is more expensive than the Wii.

  28.2.2007 01:57 #8

• BobbyBlu

  Quote:Notice how he doesn't comment on comparing two similar products for price... the US PS3 and the Australian PS3! This is the main reason people are pissed, not because it is more expensive than the Wii.Go back and read what you typed.You just answer your own question why it cost more than Wii.
  
  
  Quote:Yes we agree that the PS3 is not a Wii ? ? ?

  28.2.2007 04:21 #9

• deesy32

  i think that sony is only thinking of one thing that is pushing blueray in your living room.i also dont think 600.00 is too much for what you get if that is what you want .but i dont think to many people care about blueray right now.because blue is still expensive and did not win the formate war as of yet.so if you like great games and a really kick ass online gaming service than the 360 is for you and the premium is 200.00 less than the ps3 60gig.but if you prefer just fun and nothing ele than the wii is the way to go.but i wonder if the wii cost more would it still sell like hot cakes.

  28.2.2007 05:38 #10

• jmaestro

  BobbyBlu, read my post again, I'm not sure if you followed it. I was commenting on Michael Ephraim' statements, this in particular:
  "it is a completely different product." Just saying obvious bull.
  
  Basically he is trying to convert the criticism away from the regional price gouging to comparing the PS3 with consoles with less expensive technology

  28.2.2007 06:00 #11

• SProdigy

  Wii would still sell like hotcakes. An increased price would mean increased hardware, which was not Nintendo's strategy. They figured one thing out from the get-go: most of their games are multiplayer WITHOUT online gaming. I have about 15 360 games and besides sports games (Madden, etc.) I couldn't have much fun with my friends in my own living room. Now take the Wii. I have 4 games. Zelda stands on its own obviously, but I could play Wii Sports, Red Steel or Monkey Ball with up to 4 players. Take into consideration the many games on Virtual Console that are also multiplayer. Almost all of the games on Live Arcade need to be played on Live to enjoy multiplayer, which of course, is at an additional cost. I'm not knocking live, but think of all the people that can save money by getting a cheaper system that can be shared by multiple people at the same time within the same household. The Wii and 360 are value driven in different ways. The only value you can get from a PS3 is that it plays Blu-ray. Sure there's other stuff the PS3 does, but the 360 can do most, if not all of it, better.
  
  Plain and simple: some Sony exec was sitting in the office one day, picked up a worldwide sales sheet from the PS2 and thought, "Hey, if we include Blu-ray in the PS3 and sell this many systems as we did with the PS2, we'll win the upcoming format war! Now, how do we make $600 sound attractive? Oh, I know, let's retail our stand alone Blu-ray players for $1000! That makes the PS3 a value! And it can play games! Let's not release a Sony branded stand alone player right away. We'll let Samsung play the bad guy. They sell the expensive player, we 'save' our blue lasers for the PS3! Great idea! They can sell the expensive players and we'll sell the value-priced PS3! Next Gen gamingis here! 360 who? Wii who? We're online, we can play music, and our controller is wireless and has motion too. Who cares about rumble, we don't need that! Oh yeah, let's sell a cheaper PS3 without an HDMI port for the people who don't care about high-def. That way, they can afford to buy a PS3 too!"
  
  Good lord, Sony is so full of themselves. Batteries, rootkits and Blu-ray. Good job guys! Thanks for screwing anyone interested in HD-DVD over too, as your Sony Pictures studio only releases in Blu-ray. Makes me want to go out and buy BOTH players so I can watch any HD movie released. (add nauseum) I'll stick with the 360 downloads as they come. No extra hardware needed! :-)

  28.2.2007 07:35 #12

• mduga

  i agree that sony is trying to push the Blu-ray on us. dela said you can get hd content from xbox live, and they are 100% right, and you don't even need to buy the $200 HD-DVD addon. although, i believe you can only rent the movies, and they get deleted within 24 hours after you play it, or within 14 days of downloading.
  
  that is ridiculous about the price gouging though. how can it cost more money to sell them in australia then in the us? that's crap... i like sony's consoles, but i hate how they run their company and especially how they are pushing Blu-ray so much. not everyone wants Blu-ray. i prefer HD-DVD myself, but am still not willing to shell out that amount of money on something that might fail in a year or 2. for now, i am just sticking with the regular old dvd's.
  
  -duga-

  28.2.2007 07:38 #13

• SProdigy

  If we knew HD-DVD were to succeed today, you would be better off to spend $5 more to get the "flipper" HD-DVD discs that have the regular DVD version on the other side, so you can play them in standard players. Blu-ray is such a rip!

  28.2.2007 09:09 #14

• azndrake

  PS3 = 599
  TOTAL : 599
  
  Xbox = 399
  add on hd dvd= 200
  Wireless addon = 100
  TOTAL: 699
  
  dont forget ps3 has:
  bluetooth
  SD
  CompactFlash
  which the 360 does not have and would cost $$$ for addons so hush fanboys.

  28.2.2007 09:22 #15

• Molder

  Originally posted by mduga: how can it cost more money to sell them in australia then in the us? that's crap...
  
  -duga-@duga,
  The simple answer "demand and supply", population of Australia say 22 million, population of US around 300 million. You will sell more in the US and that will keep the price down a bit.
  
  M
  

  He who knows little

  28.2.2007 09:41 #16

• deesy32

  ok we all know that the fully loaded 360 cost about the same or more than the ps3.but it is your choice on what componets you buy microsoft is not shoving it down your throat.
  
  premium system 399.00
  wireless adaptor 99.00
  HD add on 199.00
  one year to xbox live 50.00
  that is not cheap and it 50.00 more than a ps3.but again the thing here is it is your choice or you can buy a core for 299.00 and still have a great system the wii is a great machine i own one and i have a lot of fun with it but you cant compare the two its like comparing a dodge neon to caddilac escalade

  28.2.2007 10:43 #17

• deesy32

  and someone mention the bluetooth that is in the ps3. that junk always fails and cause the controllers to disconect.and you have to go thru the whole setup process each time it does that.

  28.2.2007 10:51 #18

• azndrake

  Quote:and someone mention the bluetooth that is in the ps3. that junk always fails and cause the controllers to disconect.and you have to go thru the whole setup process each time it does that. Never happened to me before, so i dont know what you are talking about:P.

  28.2.2007 13:20 #19

• jarrod40

  im from new zealand and this comes out on the 23rd of march and will be $1300NZD comperared to a 360 in new zealand witch is only $450 so the ps3 will nearly be triple the price of a 360, ha such a rip off man

  28.2.2007 18:11 #20

• Andrew691

  Originally posted by jarrod40:im from new zealand and this comes out on the 23rd of march and will be $1300NZD comperared to a 360 in new zealand witch is only $450 so the ps3 will nearly be triple the price of a 360, ha such a rip off man
  What are you talking about the PS3 is $1200 NZD ($100 more than the PS3 was), where the hell can you get a NEW 360 for $450 unless its stolen or something they sell for $750 MINIMUM from any store. $1000 AUD converts to around $1125.
  
  As to the whole XBOX 360 upgrade setup, I believe that was Sonys original plan for the PS2 and in turn they got slammed by consumers. Many of the extras never really sold well, like HDD etc.

  28.2.2007 20:51 #21

• domie

  Quote:The simple answer "demand and supply", population of Australia say 22 million, population of US around 300 million. You will sell more in the US and that will keep the price down a bit.
  MI don't follow that logic, we are not talking about different companies in different domestic markets, we are talking about a multi-national company, mass producing one unit( with different specs ) at cost effective production centres.
  The only reason for a price difference would be import duties or sales tax both of which don't add up to the difference in sale price so the only answer is that Sony does it and gets away with it because they can and as long as we stupid consumers gobble up their crap and let them rip us off, they will continue to do it.

  1.3.2007 01:15 #22

• BobbyBlu

  Quote:and someone mention the bluetooth that is in the ps3. that junk always fails and cause the controllers to disconnect.and you have to go thru the whole setup process each time it does that.Whoever told you this didn't read there owner guide bluetooth was setup to run this way for security measure.There is no process just mash the button....lol.
  
  
  Quote:Sony does it and gets away with it because they can and as long as we stupid consumers gobble up their crap and let them rip us offIts Sony fault because some major retailer try to rip you off thats the most complete BS i heard today.

  1.3.2007 02:22 #23

• deesy32

  like i said there should have been a true core system in the offer that plays regular dvds.it would have sold a lot more than that blueray bullshit.that is all iam trying to say why invest in a formate that is in the middle of a war.it makes no sense.

  1.3.2007 03:51 #24

• Mr-Movies

  I'm surprised he isn't blaming it on piracy that seems to be the more popular response these days when sales are below expectation.
  
  There are too many reasons to go with the 360 it's a more flexible and capable system then the PS3 although the PS3 has benefits that the XBOX does not have, like BD. Right now if you want a BD player it only makes sense to buy a PS3 as you get the console and player for less then a SD/BD Player, SD = Stand Alone, however you can get a BD player for your PC now for a couple hundred bucks (US).
  
  I always love it when a marketing person tries to make their product look good by basing it against the worst case scenario. If they are presenting to ignorant people this can work in their favor but if it is a crowd of knowledgeable people it is suicide. Now don't take me wrong I like the Wii and will buy one when they are available.
  
  I don't understand why Sony doesn't offer the PS3 at a cheaper price tag. They have rights to the BD technology so they shouldn't have to add any extra licensing fees and even if they loose on the consol they'll make it up on the games which works for MS. If they were competitively priced I'm sure they would out sell the 360. I guess Sony will just shoot themselves in the foot once again, they have done that so many times before. Corporate greed kills most companies and even after it has happened time and time before they never learn the lesson, who can figure.

  1.3.2007 07:50 #25

• SProdigy

  That's such BS to add all of this "extra" cost to compare the systems. Don't forget that the PS3 doesn't include HD cables or a remote (the early 360 premium bundles had the remote.) Would you factor in the price of a game to compare it to the Wii, which comes with a pack-in game? No. The PS3 is $500 or $600 USD regardless of what extras you want that aren't included in the box. The Wii is $250 and the 360 either $300 or $400. Everything else is extra. For what game are you willing to shell out at least $500 to play on PS3 that you can't play on 360 or Wii? I don't believe there is any "must-have" reason to own a PS3 now.

  1.3.2007 09:42 #26

• hade

  hes talking about maximizing utitility which makes perfect sense for him to mention the extra features that are available assuming consumers always want more than less. i am pretty sure on this that the wii does not include the bundled game in japan! the primary reason in my mind for nintendo to include the game was to simply showcase what the wii is all about. its similar in concept to why sony included bd movies to initial ps3 owners. the only flipside is that it work out extremely well for nintendo as of now, while with sony consumer response wasn't nearly as successful.
  
  Quote:For what game are you willing to shell out at least $500 to play on PS3 that you can't play on 360 or Wii? I don't believe there is any "must-have" reason to own a PS3 now.
  ironic that you feel that way while i have similar feelings towards the wii and 360. i bought a ps3 and have more than enough expendable income to get a wii any day of the week, but just like you i feel 250 for the system is a rip, and same goes for the 360. playing social cartoonish games just isn't fitting into my wants right now nor is buying a jetpack sounding system on my to-do list either. so yeah anyone can say the same thing about all the systems as we all are different and prefer different things.
  
  for me the ps3 was a bargain and has been a great investment, as that is what it basically is. its provided hours of entertainment while gaming and watching movies. i'd expect things to continue and get better once i get games like liar,mgs,dmc, heavenly sword etc. so expecting killer apps in the future, right now the system is a bit of an investment. what price can you put on your entertainment, do you think i'd get the same from the wii...Hardly.

  1.3.2007 11:29 #27

• sirksam

  Originally posted by mduga:i agree... sony will say anything to sell their ps3, even if it includes lying.
  
  the 360 doesn't need a media center pc to stream media. what a f***ing lie. i have windows xp and stream my media to my 360 wirelessly without a problem.
  
  i don't have any problem with the ps3. i think it is a great system, but i am not going to buy one until they are half the price which may be a few years. i am also not buying a HD-DVD or Blu-ray player. dvd is good enough for me right now. prices will come down and they will be just as cheap as current dvd's and players someday. that's when i buy mine. i am very patient. :)
  
  -duga-I agree with you all the way, I stream stuff through my Xbox 360 using Windows XP fine, and ya, who cares about HD DVD for now, I will wait, some people should realise it's not the biggest deal yet.

  2.3.2007 16:27 #28

• killa85rz

  The ps3 is far better than the xbox360 in every aspect except price. If you want a 60GB hard drive, built in wireless, blu ray player, sd card reader and FREE online play then get a ps3. I bought an xbox360 and took it back after a week to preorder a ps3. If you have a nice new 1080p full HD tv then take advantage of it with the ps3. The xbox 360 is crap its highest resolution out of the box is 1080i and it doesn’t even have a HDMI output. The ps3 is clearly the future console today and anyone who gets a 360 clearly just can’t afford a ps3.

  18.3.2007 20:29 #29