Konami issued a press release, pushing back MSG4 from Q1 to Q2 2008. For those that don’t understand moneyspeak, that’s around April, May or June.

“Konami has decided to delay the title’s release in order to make further improvements to the quality of the game and provide even greater enjoyment for more customers worldwide,” Konami said in a press release.

Does this suck? Yep. Big ones. But here are a few points: The season is already super-saturated with games. Chances are, Metal Gear being late means more people will actually be able to afford to buy the game and maybe, just maybe, new gamers can buy a PS3 to play it on. Another point is that Sony drops PS3 prices like Britney Spears drops babies (ohhh, burn!). So, hey, by Q2, there may actually be a cheaper PS3. I wouldn’t put it past them. Plus, Q2 is a quiet gaming month, so MGS4 dropping then will cause all sorts of insanity. Add to the fact that delays usually mean improvements and I see nothing but green fields and sunshine. What do you guys think? Is this delay good or horrible?

[via NextGen]

Jayslacks

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The internet is ablaze with the rumor that a 399$ PS3 SKU is on the way. It has been predicted and ranted about, but more evidence has come our way in the form of Sky News’ story about how FoxConn, a Taiwanese manufacturer, is going to be producing PS3s. They currently make PS2s.
The Report also insinuates that the manufacturer is going to be making 40GB PS3s. These would be cheaper due to the lack of an emotion engine and USB ports. That, and that console manufacturing through FoxConn is probably much cheaper.
The real question that lingers in my mind when reading the report is, will it make a difference? Will a 399$ SKU be enough to push the PS3 this Christmas season. I, for one, certainly hope so. I like a little competition.

Chufmoney

Posted in PS3, PS3 price drop | 1 Comment »

I’ll start this out with a caveat: I personally think this rumor is borderline horeshit. But I would have printed it too.

The rumor goes something like this: Ars Technica (which is actually a pretty great site that I try to read as much as I’m able) has a rumor mole of sorts that predicted both the Xbox 360 Elite and the lack of wireless in the retail box of Rock Band for the 360. Both of these proved to be true, but I would also argue that they border on the ridiculously obvious.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Wedbush-Morgan analyst, Michael Pachter, has decided that the 499$ PS3 SKU is here to stay. He stated that once the “2-3 million” unsold 60GB PS3s are sold, that “we expect the company to lower the price of its 80Gb model to $499 on a standalone basis.” Because the 80GB version does not contain the backwards compatibility Emotion Engine, they believe that the production cost of the 80GB unit will be equal to or less than the 60GB. They also predict a further price drop of the system to 399$ by early next year.

While it certainly would be nice if Mr. Pachter was correct, we at ESG have some doubts. Sony may have gotten themselves a lot of good PR when they lowered the price, but we don’t put it past them to squander that with some idiotic decision. Hopefully Sony really does give the system out for 499$ due to the lack of hardware based backwards compatibility, but somehow I feel they will justify the higher price by pointing to the larger hard-drive. Or, they will continue to package the system with a bunch of items, like Motorstorm, controllers, etc., in order to justify continuing the 599$ price point.

Prove me wrong, Sony.

Chufmoney

Posted in PS3, PS3 price drop, Pachter, Sony | 2 Comments »

In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz Thursday, Sony Computer Entertainment of Europe head David Reeves dropped something of a bombshell regarding the widely celebrated PS3 price drop of last week. When asked why European consumers weren’t reaping the same benefits, Reeves had the following to say:

How concerned are you about possible criticisms that you should have given European consumers what SCEA has given US consumers, i.e. the option to pay a lower price?

Well, they’re not really are they, because what the US are offering from the 1st of August is a USD 599 version with one game. All they’re doing is taking their stock in trade that they’ve got at the moment of the 60GB model, marking the price down and it will all be gone by the end of July.

Could you be a little clearer Dave?

So once the 60GB is gone, that will be the end of the 60GB then?

In America, yes.

Sony just had a fantastic press conference at E3, and there’s an enormous amount of positive sentiment around the console for perhaps the first time since it released last November. This would be seriously detrimental to that, to be kind. Let’s hope Sony changes their mind. The reason the PS3 wasn’t selling wasn’t due to the perceived value of the console; it wasn’t selling because no matter how much Sony packs in, it was still basically asking 600 dollars to play video games. That amount is virtually unconscionable. Charging that much again, even for a bigger hard drive, possibly with Motorstorm, is returning to outrageous territory. These consoles aren’t iPods, and I can only wonder how long it takes for Microsoft and Sony to realize that the iterative model isn’t going to work for them.

-Aegies

P.S. Our friends at A Link to the Future called this when the price drop was originally announced.

Posted in PS3 price drop, Shit Sandwich, screwjob | 1 Comment »

Sony confirmed today that the PS3 price drop is true. As of today the 60GB system will be 499$. Moreover, Sony will be releasing a 80GB system packaged with Motorstorm for 599$. This move comes just after the recent leak of the Circuit City ad that showed the PS3 on sale for 499$ as of July 15th.

While it is surprising that this news came prior to E3, it is certainly going to be welcomed amongst the community. The system, while certainly not cheap, will be much more competitively priced now. The only real question that remains is when will Microsoft drop the price of their system? The Elite cannot stay at the 479$ price because it will pale horribly in comparison with the PS3.

After some discussion with Arthur, I have decided what I feel the best pricing for the 360’s various SKUs would be:
-Elite 399$
-Premium 329$
-Core 249$
This pricing would allow Microsoft to compete with both the PS3 and the Wii. The Wii would face the graphical and price comparison to the 360 and Microsoft could still tout the system as the cheapest Next Gen option.

If the price drop for the 360 happens this week, expect it at the end of the Microsoft press conference, after the inevitable Halo 3 video.

Chufmoney

[via Kotaku]

Posted in PS3 price drop, Playstation 3 | 1 Comment »