Pachter: Console Prices Will Drop, PS3 First To Fall
The PlayStation 3 started at $600 when it launched in 2006 and it now sits at half that price.
For a while, analysts said $300 would be the sweet spot for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 and indeed, both consoles have fared well enough at that price. But the flat 2010 has led Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter to predict that console prices will fall again in 2011. Despite substantial growth in the user bases of both the PS3 and 360, console sales fell 5% in 2010 (although we also imagine the falling Wii popularity contributed to that 5% drop). And so, in speaking to Industry Gamers, Pachter said he expects all systems to drop in price during the year, and the first will be the PS3:
"We fully expect each of the three consoles to be offered at lower prices in 2011, with Sony likely leading the way as its manufacturing costs continue to decline. A $50 price cut should be sufficient to drive 5% software sales growth; and, coupled with a resurgence in handheld software sales and an easy comparison for music sales, we think that overall software sales growth could hit low double digits in 2011."
So maybe we'll see the PS3 drop to $250 at some point, which of course would make it an even better deal. The user base continues to rise and several analysts have predicted that Sony's machine will pass the 360 in worldwide sales this year. Well, we'll have to wait and see.
Tags: ps3, playstation 3, pachter, ps3 price
1/14/2011 12:22:36 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (64 posts)
maxpontiac
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 12:48:33 PM
sawao_yamanaka
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 12:51:10 PM
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:05:59 PM
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:14:37 PM
Temjin001
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 12:13:34 AM
Highlander
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 1:39:52 AM
A2K78
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 1:09:13 PM
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Its not just Sony this is affecting, but Nintendo also. If Nintendo were drop the price of the Wii it would also impact thier profits also due to the strong yen.
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 2:24:31 PM
akmdpc
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:17:35 PM
Fane1024
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 4:37:48 PM
M$ have had a $200 replacement system for years and that has driven a lot of hardware sales.
At $250 (or thereabouts), it makes more sense to get a new system (and DS3) than to get your system repaired.
Last edited by Fane1024 on 1/15/2011 4:38:17 PM
Highlander
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 5:09:51 PM
What you just described is a perfect description of why PS3 software sales grew last year and 360 software sales did not.Many sales of the 360 at $199.99 are replacement units, as you say, it's often more or less as cheap and a lot more convenient for people to replace their dead or dying unit with a base model.
The PS3 suffers a far lower mortality rate anyway, and with the price not being a convenient replacement price, more people use the repair services, which means that a higher % of PS3 sales are new owners who buy games, so the PS3 base is growing faster than the 360 base. This is confirmed further by the numbers of subscribers to XBL and PSN. Not much more than a year ago they were roughly the same. Now there are more than 10 million moe PSN subscribers than XBL subscribers. Some of those are surely multiple accounts for one system, on both platforms. Still, it makes some interesting food for thought, doesn't it?
slugga_status
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 1:13:10 PM
Reply
Gamer Girl Gemo
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 1:13:22 PM
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Jawknee
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 1:35:31 PM
I used to think PS3 owners weren't buying games either but JohnLD made the point the PS3 library is more diverse than the 360 library. Simply put, people have more games to choose from in regards to the PS3 while 360 people have Halo and Gears.
Last edited by Jawknee on 1/14/2011 1:38:46 PM
Rogueagent01
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 1:55:50 PM
I do think several games have sold over 10 million the only thing is that they aren't brand new copies. I have a couple little shops around here that sell just as many games as the local Gamestops however the majority of their sales are used games, and they don't get reported. Also the Xbox has those sales because of the unfortunate fact that more kids own Xbox's whereas more adults are known to own PS3's. Kids hound their parents and the parents buy whatever $60 game they want just to shut them up where as adult PS3 owners are wiser shoppers and will look for deals whenever they can get them. Granted everything I am saying here is opinion but I believe there is some truth to it.
Norrin Radd
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 3:24:34 PM
I think there's probably some truth to what you are guessing. I'm an older gamer. Bought my PS3 this summer and have a library of 14 games. Only 2 were bought at $60 - and even then that was at TRU on a buy 2 get one free sale - that' averages to $40 for those 3 games. The rest of the games I have bought heavily discounted, either used or older (I got AA for $20 for example). 7 were straight up used for $17.99 or less. You can buy a lot of game for cheap if you are patient........
Last edited by Norrin Radd on 1/14/2011 3:28:28 PM
Karosso
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 3:32:19 PM
Alienange
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:43:00 PM
I like your explanation Jawknee. You know what though? I think, despite what I wrote, that times are changing. That great and greater game sales will hit the PS3. I mean you see what the 360 has lined up for 2011?
Yeah... not much.
MyWorstNightmar
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 7:14:38 PM
Perhaps Folding@home is a bigger reason to buy the PS3 than I thought. ;)
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 9:25:08 PM
There are 140 million PS2s , how many PS2 games sold 10 million copies? Go look it up. I'll wait. Tell you what, I'll give you to the count of three...Oh, alright, I'll tell you. Three.
(Oh I hate using Wikipedia, but I'll do it this once...)
1. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (17.33 million approximately)
2. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (14.89 million approximately: 7.14 million in North America, 1.89 million in Japan, 5.85 in Europe)
3. Gran Turismo 4 (10.76 million approximately: 2.97 million in North America, 6.36 in Europe, 1.26 in Japan)
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 9:39:54 PM
Don't forget the BluRay discs that PS3 games come on are nearly indestructible. Buying a used copy is often as good as buying new. Unlike the 360 where the machines scratching discs is a common, and known issue, and the DVDs scratch easily anyway making used games far, far less attractive.
Temjin001
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 9:48:27 PM
Alienange
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 8:02:55 PM
Highlander
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 9:36:48 PM
BTW, I didn't put you down. On the other hand claiming that the information I posted is wrong/false without any shred of evidence to back up your assertion comes a lot closer to putting another commentator down.
Last edited by Highlander on 1/15/2011 9:38:17 PM
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 2:27:32 PM
Reply
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:13:27 PM
Jawknee
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:44:16 PM
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 5:00:14 PM
Qubex
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 10:08:57 PM
Fane1024
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 4:43:37 PM
I would really like a PS3 that runs cooler and more efficiently, but I'd lose too many features from my 60 gigger and the four USB ports is actually one of the things I'd miss most.
Last edited by Fane1024 on 1/15/2011 4:46:00 PM
Highlander
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 5:13:04 PM
Good grief, the PS2 is a system on a chip now, it should be easy to put into a PS3. For that matter, if they SP2 is a system on a chip, and can be shrunk and given a low power treatment, it should be possible to include on on a potential PSP2 as well.
A2K78
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 2:49:01 PM
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I'm quite sure Patcher knows more about currency(and and forecasting) and economics than most gamers out there who's always judging.
In the case of Patcher, he's mainly forcasting based on the current NPD report which showed a slump in console sales. To futher add, I'm sure as a statician analyst Patcher doesn't see his forecast as being abosolute.
Overall even though I tend disagree with some of the forecast he have made, I greatly respect him for the asset he have been to the industry when it come analytics.
Jawknee
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 3:00:03 PM
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 3:22:42 PM
In short, North American trends based on a very weak dollar don't translate to a console price drop. Pachter has been wrong on this before.
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:08:19 PM
CH1N00K
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:04:29 PM
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I already had to swap out my 120GB Slim for a 500gb, and that's money for an HDD that went to someone else besides Sony.
Instead of lowering the price, increase the value...
Last edited by CH1N00K on 1/14/2011 4:05:46 PM
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:07:07 PM
Deleted User
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:56:03 PM
NoOneSpecial
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 4:57:41 PM
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 5:01:58 PM
The thing is that the $$ difference between a small GB and 500GB drive is less than $20. There's no way to cover the gap of $100 to give a $199 model right now.
@No one special,
Those $250 360s, aren't they simply old stock being sold off so that the new $300 squats rule the shelf in future?
Last edited by Highlander on 1/14/2011 5:02:54 PM
Deleted User
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 5:52:52 PM
StangMan80
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 6:44:38 PM
The 360 has a system for sale that doesn't even have a hard drive and comes with a wired controller. People even buy that. Sony catch on, give us what we want and get more PS3 in our homes.
NoOneSpecial
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 8:39:45 PM
Highlander
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 9:41:55 PM
Well, if they are still selling off their old stock of 360s, isn't that really a testament to the sheer number of old model 360s that they had stuffed the channel with under the guise of models shipped? Gotta wonder when they might finally run out of those older, more disaster prone, systems.
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 5:36:38 PM
Reply
Robochic
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 5:56:33 PM
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I'm still waiting for them to drop the price here in Canada for repairs I would like to get my fat princess fixed :) thats what I would love to see.
StangMan80
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 6:39:28 PM
The PS3 is doing good at $300.
A price drop and Sony's list of games will give anybody no reason to not own a PS3 and any gamer who has both or either of the 360 and Wii will get one. Then they all will go, "Dang, we been missing out on all this."
Highlander
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 1:46:24 AM
What more reason does anyone need? Seriously, OK, a 360 is a decent game console, but it lacks true 3D, BluRay, Bluetooth (unless they finally threw that into the squat), you have to pay to play. Never mind the epic failure rate that the 360 has endured, cooling fans that sound like a turbo-prop aircraft trying to land and the constant scratched disc problems that users endure.
Anyone still aggressively unconvinced is simply being willfully illogical and contrary.
Last edited by Highlander on 1/15/2011 1:47:14 AM
Bjorn77
Sunday, January 16, 2011 @ 7:36:42 AM
StangMan80
Friday, January 14, 2011 @ 6:34:20 PM
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I don't really care about the hole sales gap between the PS3 and 360, But if this happens the PS3 will have that gap closed and passed in no time.
The 360 and Wii are done with in my book, the PS3 still has so much life.
FM23
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 2:30:59 AM
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___________
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 2:46:18 AM
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the ps3 will eventually get a price drop, but i doubt it will be anytime soon.
you got to remember sonys loosing quite a bit still on every system they sell, not to mention the jailbreak debacle and all the court costs there going to want to make as much off every system they can!
sure a price drop would increase sales, but i doubt it would increase them enough to offset the price drop.
tes37
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 9:48:21 AM
Fane1024
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 4:51:24 PM
GuyverLT
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 8:39:57 PM
Highlander
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 9:40:55 PM
BikerSaint
Monday, January 17, 2011 @ 4:05:43 PM
RebelJD
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 5:54:20 PM
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Press releases are the best way to stir up interest and take away shine from the competition.
Best cross-press releases for Sony/Playstation? The announcement of the PSP2 and Playstation Phone. The production stop of the PS2 hardware and the firmware update to the PS3 to become PS2 enabled. The release of AAA Playstion Move titles with the announcement of a new Playstation Eye release with enhanced specs/features. All this in 2011 would be gem.
Highlander
Saturday, January 15, 2011 @ 9:44:38 PM

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