Sorry this post is coming up so late. We've having construction done on the house, which means at any point, anything in the house is subject to be moved to the other side of the house. We have rooms that make it look like no one lives here, and rooms that redefine the term 'overstuffed'. We have a couch covered in chairs and another couch, and we have a piano stuck in a hallway that is only about 8" wider than the piano itself; the hallway in question connects to 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. But, you didn't come here to read me bitching, you came here to read me ranting, and rant I shall.
So you know how its just kinda looked like Sony doesn't have any clue what they're doing with the PS3 SKUs? Thats probably because Sony doesn't have any idea of what its doing with the new PS3 SKUs. Which, last time I checked, is a bad position to be in for your flagship product. If you, the company, don't know what you're doing with the product, it drives down consumer confidence. When people see your product, you want them to think "Oh man, I HAVE to get that.", not "Oh man, did they release ANOTHER model?".
When Microsoft first announced the Xbox 360 would ship in 2 different SKUs, lots of people groaned. There was talk that this would fracture the fan base, split into those who had bought the hard drive and those who hadn't. There were concerns that games would require the hard drive, etc. In the end, while it ended up being a fairly unappealing bundle (it came with no memory unit, no help getting the system online, etc.), it did fairly well on the market, but was eventually discontinued. For those keeping track, Microsoft is currently on its 4th different SKU for the system. The Pro system still survives (though it has been re-named and made cheaper), the core was given a memory card, and retooled into the "Arcade" system, and the Elite offers a little something extra for those willing to pay for it.
Sony, on the other hand, has changed the feature set with every system they have released. First was the 20 and 60 gig PS3 models, with several differences such as the number of USB ports and built in Wi-fi. The 20 gig was barely supplied to people, and in fact it wasn't even released worldwide. The 60 gig model, meanwhile, made up about 75% of Sony's production. Clearly, they wanted people to pay for the more expensive unit. But, as long as they could get people to buy it, Sony was happy. Then came the changes.
Someone at Sony realized that the PS3 was powerful enough to simply run software emulation for PS2 titles, which would allow them to not include Emotion Engine Hardware and thus would make the console cheaper for Sony to make. And this is how Europe ended up with a 60 gig PS3 without hardware emulation. Which doesn't sound like a big deal, because the truth is that the emulation compatibility rate is very high. But it didn't sit well with people that Sony was making changes to the console, especially ones that were only done to allow Sony to make more money.
After that, the floodgates opened. The US got an 80 gig PS3, also with software only BC. And eventually emerged the 40 gig POS that is, currently, the only system being restocked by Sony. Now however, it seems they want to go back to a second SKU. But whats left at this point? Adding back in Hardware BC? Making the system display pictures in a format so clear it makes 1080p look like mud? Have it cure cancer, make peace in the Middle East and have everyone from 3D Realms finally come out and admit that Duke Nukem Forever is just a decade long hoax?
The real issue is that Sony finally got wise and realized that the PS2 was still selling better than the PS3, and that there was an understandable market to manipulate here. But really, why would you want the inconvenience of having 2 systems connected to your television when you could get by with just one? I think Sony needs to figure out not just what the PS3's SKU plans are short term, but for the rest of the system's life cycle. Constantly changing course like this just causes consumers to shake their heads, and frankly, we've done enough head shaking at Sony as is. I'm all for making changes if something isn't working out. But considering they were on 4 SKUs within about 6 months from launch, clearly they're having some problems that they need to address.
|
