40 GB PS3: Will No PS2 Backwards Compatibilty Hinder Sales?

It was officially announced yesterday that a new low priced 40GB PS3 would be hitting overseas next week. A U.S. announcement has not been made at this time. See HERE for RDG's thoughts on that. The only complaint about this new model seems to be the lack of backwards compatibility with the PS2 game library. So lets take a look at whether this would truly hinder many sales.

With this model it seems as Sony is going primarily for PS2 owners who have not chosen to purchase the PS3 yet, whether it be due to price or due to the PS3 game library. With over 120 million PS2 owners out there why wouldn't they target this demographic?

Will the loss of b. c. be a big reason for people opting not to purchase this lower priced model? RDG does not think so and here is why.

The most obvious one is well PS2 owners own a PS2. So when they see that this model does not have b. c. with their existing library the next thought that will go through their mind will be whether or not they want to have 2 consoles in their entertainment system. Having both consoles to play your gaming library really isn't going to matter to the majority of people out there. Parents doing holiday shopping that are aware of the lack of b. c. are going to think, well "little johnny" has a PS2 for his PS2 games anyway or "little johnny" wants a PS3 to play PS3 games. Also note that this new PS3 sku can play PS1 games.

Now RDG has taken into consideration those PS2 owners that want to trade in their PS2 towards a PS3 in order to save more money. Well i have some bad news for those people. If you go through GameStop the trade in value for the "big PS2" is only $20 and the "slim PS2" is only $30 so as you can see someone wanting to go that route would only be saving a maximum of $30 towards the PS3 anyway.

So PS2 owners that can afford this new sku at the lower price will have really one decision to make and thats if they are alright with having two consoles to play their games. I think its safe to say that this is an easy decision and that the majority will go ahead with the purchase.

Now for the non PS2 owners that want a PS3, RDG thinks that we can all agree that if they are going to purchase a PS3 then they are doing it to play PS3 games and aren't worried about PS2 games or they would have purchased a PS2 by now.

The demographic that this lower priced PS3 will really appeal to is those wanting it for its blu-ray and media capabilities. The only complaint we can see about this is the 40GB hard drive but thanks to the PS3 this is easily solved by upgrading to a larger hard drive which Sony has made an easy option for the PS3.

Now their have been people saying that this can also be solved by Sony releasing a firmware update in the future which could be possible but one major thing that people also forget is the PlayStation Store and though it has been awhile since Sony has released a PS1 or PS2 game on the store this option is still available. Sony could begin to release their PS2 library through the PlayStation Store more aggressively if the lack of b. c. becomes an issue. As we've seen the price of these releases have been affordable but those not wanting to pay again can just play it on their PS2 or pay a fee to have a disc less upscaled version.

So as you can see for the most part lack of b. c. should not hinder many sales and that Sony does have the option to improve this by releasing a firmware update or tapping into the extensive PS2 library and releasing them over the PlayStation Store. The only people we can see not purchasing this lower priced model are those that still can not afford it at this price so to those we say "start saving your money now" because with the holiday lineup looking great and next years looking even better with Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, Final Fantasy XIII, and more your not going to want to miss out!

For those that can not live without the b. c. in the new PS3 you still do have the option of the 20GB, 60GB, or 80GB version.

Wii Love You Wii Hate You

The month is November the year is 2006 and two major consoles would be released a couple days apart. You know what i'm referring to. The Sony PS3 and the Nintendo Wii but for this post we are going to concentrate on the Wii. If someone would have asked me back in November if i thought the Wii would be where it is today I would have laughed in their face. Not because i didn't think the Wii would do good but because i didn't think it would be a hit so fast. In this case i don't get the last laugh.......or do I?

I had my Wii already preordered for launch. I was excited to try out this new console that everyone was talking about. I had visions of playing Wii sports with friends and gloating that i could not be beaten. When i walked into my local Gamestop i purchased a Wii, extra controller, and Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. I remember that day well because i went on my lunch break and had to wait another 5 hours before i could get home and set it up. So finally i got home and set it up. I lived with 3 roommates at the time and they were just as excited as i was.

To shorten this story up a bit for the following 2 months it was nothing but fun playing Wii sports with my roommates and friends and playing Zelda when i could get the console to myself. In December i went out of town to visit my parents and the Wii was a hit there as well. While i was gone one of my roommates purchased a Wii for himself because it was so much fun and before i left to go back home i had talked one of my sisters into purchasing a Wii for her and her husband. The end of January rolled around and i had just beaten Zelda. By this time i had grown tired of Wii sports. I was a pro in each sport and it was rare that my roommates could beat me. Then reality set in. Wii was not fun anymore. I rented almost every game that was released at that time and i could not find anything to bring back the joy i used to have. I had beaten Zelda and even though i know i had missed many things in my quest and that it was so much fun to play i had no desire to replay it.

Here we are in August and i've rented many games but still have not found one to make me play the Wii like i had when i first purchased it. To be honest i sometimes i forget i own a Wii because i own a PS3 and 360 and they get the most play time. I watched Nintendo's E3 2007 press conference and i've searched the net for all upcoming game releases and news and the only thing that i'm remotely excited for is Mario Galaxy and possibly Wii fit. That is not enough. I can easily rattle off about 10-15 games each for PS3 and 360 that i'm excited for that will be released between now and the middle of next year. So whats wrong with the Wii? Will it truly turn out to be a fad? Will Wii owners such as myself start to tell friends and family that its just not fun anymore? I don't live with my roommates any more but i still talk to them and the one that owns a Wii feels the same way i do. He hasn't played in months. My sister who i talked into purchasing one hasn't played in months either. And everyone i know that owns one has said the same thing. Its not that the Wii doesn't have any good games its more that the Wii doesn't have any long lasting immersive games that make you want to come back for more. This would not be a huge problem if this only reflected current releases but it is the same with upcoming releases. Nintendo has done a great job at bringing new people in to play games but i fear that this will not last very much longer once the word starts getting out that the fun factor dies only after a few months.

So to end this post i will say i will keep my Wii because i don't want to miss out on the chance of a great game being released and i still want to play Mario Galaxy. I must confess though that overall i am very disappointed that my purchase of the Wii has not given me the same gaming satisfaction that both the PS3 and 360 have. So in the end Wii I Hate Wii I Love You.

PS3 VS 360: Price Comparison After Price Drops

For the first post RDG decided to take a look at the cost differences for both consoles since they have both received price cuts recently. This will be a quick and painless comparison. We know that many deals exist out there and so to try to be as fair as possible we will be using the online pricing from the biggest major retailer Walmart. We will try to use the lowest available prices for any items needed. We will also be using the buying perspective of a hardcore gamer/movie lover someone who wants a great high definition movie and gaming experience. So for this buyer we will say that he or she wants the following items: most expensive version of the console, 1 game, 1 extra controller, hdmi, wifi, wireless headset ,dedicated remote control for movie viewing and high definition movie capabilities.

Sony PlayStation 3

80GB = $599.82

Extra Controller = $49.82

1 Game = $59.82

Xtreme HD HDMI = $19.94

Blu-ray Remote = $24.92

Blutooth Headset(Philips Vox120) = $18.88

PS3 Total = $773.20

Microsoft Xbox 360

Elite 120GB = $449.82

Extra Controller = $37.82

HD DVD Add-on = $179.82

1 Game = $59.82

WiFi = $88.82

Wireless Headset = $59.82

360 Total = $875.92

So the totals come to $773.20 for the PS3 and $875.92 for the 360 a difference of $102.72. Now this can be looked at in different ways. Here are a couple notes you can take from this analysis.

1. PS3 comes with a free game on top of saving $102.72.
2. 360 you get 40GB of more space for your content.

In conclusion its up to the consumer to decide where they shop which console and which accessories they want and which one overall presents the best value for their lifestyle and needs. RDG recommends this tip on how to decide which console is best for you. Look at the already released and upcoming releases for each platform and see which one has the games that fit you the best. That way no matter how much you spend or what options you choose you will be happy with your purchase.

Here are 5 upcoming exclusive titles on each console releasing this year worth looking into.

PS3

Warhawk 8/28/07

Lair 9/4/07

Heavenly Sword 9/12/07

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction 10/23/07

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 11/20/07

360

Bioshock 8/21/07

Blue Dragon 8/28/07

Project Gotham Racing 4 9/11/07

Halo 3 9/25/07

Mass Effect 11/1/07

This is my first post so in time my editing and pictures will get better.