The WaterCooler Rant

These views are from two staff members and do not represent the full opinion of MyGamer

The Rant keeps going……….and going………..and going……

Nick: Good morning, Mike.

Mike: how you doin' Nick??

Nick: Doing fine, thanks. Just swinging into my morning routine. How about you?

Mike: oh, can't complain, up a little earlier than i wanted to be.

Nick: Mm. I was up a little earlier..okay, much earlier then I wanted to be.

Mike: Yeah.

Nick: Hey, I saw that Microsoft was not dropping it's price on the 360. I wondered why people would think they should.

Mike: I think it spurs from the fact that they did it with the original Xbox, but anybody that pays close attention knows that Microsoft didn't drop the price until after 4 years of the Xbox being on the market. People thought they'd drop it to be able to compete with the PS3. But i've got alot of my friends pissed at me when i told them. They were waiting for the price to drop, and now, Best Buy is saying they'll have Halo 3 out in November (i doubt it, but maybe). Those same friends i have were also waiting for Halo3 to come out before they bought their 360. Either way i told them a while back to snatch it up. The longer they wait, the less money they'll get for their trade-in of their original Xbox.

Nick: *grins* Ah, another "I told you so" moment. But, really, they already have their console on the market and it is cheaper then the PS3, even if you buy the premium one. Lowering it now might just be shooting themselves in the foot. That's what I think anyway.

Mike: They are making it out to be WWIII or something. I mean Sony and Microsoft are, with their "respective" comments made about each other. Sony is just out of their mind with the way their pricing is. Did you hear how much their brand new Blu-Ray Player is gonna cost when they bring it out?

Nick: I read something about it, but I can't remember off the top of my head.

Mike: $1000 for a player. That is absolutely crazy!

Nick: Well, that seems to be in line with their current thinking. Which basically seems to be that since it costs so much, it has to be worth it. Maybe it is, I can't say, but I can't shell out that much to find out.

Mike: Yeah, but you have to have a display to compliment it and they will probably use the thinking "Well, the BluRay disc can hold so much more data…blah,blah". But seriously, they're gonna try to use the picture quality as their main selling point

Nick: There was a statement the president of Sony gave about the PS3's price. "If you consider it a toy…then yes, it is an expensive toy. But it is more then a toy, it is a PS3. And it is the only PS3. I hope those who understand this will gladly purchase it." I have to admit this irritated me. Bottom line it is a toy, not some wonder that came from the sky to better mankind. Also, don't you think what he said had a disctinct air of choosing sides about it?

Mike: Exactly, it is gonna be a dispute that will never be resolved. If it does get resolved, it won't be for quite some time.

Nick: Yes, they probably will claim the picture quality will be better. But, honestly, so what? Just because something is better doesn't mean what came before it is bad. We're not comparing a Ferrari with a model T here.

Mike: I mean, even Tv Manufacturers and Tv Studios can't even decide between BluRay and HDDVD. Before i injured myself, i had been a Cable Tech for almost 6 years. Even now, I keep myself up to date on the latest technology. My wife hates when we go to Best Buy and i make the sales guys look like morons.

Nick: What worries me about this whole thing is that by offering such high prices it seems that Sony is ostracizing a lot of it's consumers. It's like dealing with a angry spouse. "If you really liked me, you'd buy it!"

Mike: Yeah, i've never been a fan of Sony's product. It's like for sooooo long they were always not willing to venture into "really new" technology. I mean to an extent they did, but when they finally took the plunge, now they're going to rake everybody over the coals with a product that is too unstable right now.

Nick: I can understand wanting to make a financial killing with your products; that's what a corporation wants. Money, money, money. The thing is that they have to temper it with not having a "Screw you" attitude toward the people who might be willingly to buy. I wonder if they are forgetting that.

Mike: No, they're not forgetting that. I look at them like I do a Mitsubishi. They try to hype their product up so much, that people turn into Zombies and buy, buy, buy. Both Mitsubishi and Sony have nice TVs, just nice though. I did plenty of research when I finally convinced my wife that we "needed" an HDTV. I ended up with a model JVC doesn't even make anymore. Taking the extra time to research and knowing alot about the industry saved me from making a bad purchase. I mean my Tv has some things Sony and Mitsubishi didn't at the time.

Nick: Taking the time to research is important, it's true. I just don't really make enough right now to be that kind of technology consumer. But when I do want to buy some new spiffy gadget I research it very closely. The people at Playstation Magazine, who seem to be right more often then they are wrong, think that the PS3 is a good value for the money even if it is very expensive. But when the price tag starts climbing to within reach of 1000 dollars I start thinking of it less as a toy and more of a luxury item. I admit this may be weird thinking.

Mike: I agree, and I personally can't say I haven't spent more money than I have to for "gadgets", but that was back when I was single and could do that. The technology is there with the PS3, but geez, Sony, can you at least tell us what this new technology is and what kind of features will it produce?? All I think they're banking on is the fact that it's "BluRay" and then they stick a $700 price tag on it. With my 360, I followed it closely before it launched. I'll admit, I knew about some of the features, which is what made me get it in the first place. The Window Media Center Extender is just amazing IMO and there is alot of space for expansion on the 360. With Sony's newest console venture, who knows?? Maybe it'll be able to project the picture on the wall, but for $700, it better cook toast as well.

Nick: It's a roll of the dice for both Sony and it's customers. Personally my feeling is that the synthesis of the game console into a more portable entertainment center has turned around on them. Since having DVD playback capability is now viewed as requisite for all new consoles. If they want to compete they have to have one, and not only that, but it has to be slicker, shinier, and cooler then everyone else's. I just don't know if Sony hinging their hopes on BluRay taking off when they expect it to is a wise move or not.

Mike: Exactly, and if it is able to produce the next "home entertainment all-in-one" device, then that is going to appeal not only to gamers, but also a broader audience. If they one up Microsoft with just that one thing, it will be something to brag about. I would like to be able to do everything from my Next-Gen. console. Microsoft and Sony are bringing alot of expansion possibilities with these new consoles. Either way you look at it, it is a good idea, but i think it seems kinda weird the way the Sony spokesman said that the PS3 is not a console, it is more of a PC. Which makes me wonder, why such a bold statement? I figure its 'cause Microsoft got out of the gate first and claimed the 360 your new home entertainment system. Sony couldn't use that same phrase since that was the 360's description. Instead, they decide to make the big jump of calling their next console a PC. Come on, everybody knows what is capable of a PC. At least with the 360, I can play all my media from my CPU on my 360 without having to transfer anything. There is way too much mystery with the PS3.

Nick: I know that I'm going to wait before getting mine, well, unless that contest I entered comes through. But yes, you're right, they should continue to adapt their consoles and make them better for the public at large. I could quote the "jack of all trades" line, but maybe with the reduced sized and increased processing power they can manage these days, it'll be enough. What you said about it being more like a PC and even "It's not a toy, it's a PS3" seems to indicate that Sony has gotten used to being at the top and is both enjoying it immensly and very worried about not being there anymore. Why else take such a gamble with the BluRay?

Mike:Because it's not just the PS3, IMO. Sony is taking a stand and they are always the first to get into some kind of battle.The new battle now is BluRay or HDDVD and we all know the side Sony is on.I have sat through endless shows on the HD channels, in which they were having debates with top executives of major companies like Sony, Toshiba, etc.
The executives were debating none other than BluRay and HDDVD.
People are even trying to compare this to Beta vs. VHS.
What better representatives for these 2 technologies than Microsoft and Sony?

Nick:I don't know why but I just started thinking of the Shinra Electric Power Company from FF7.

Mike:haha!
It's called your brain trying to tell you not to think about that price of the PS3

Nick:Well, time to hightale it back to work. Until next time.

Mike: As always, Nick, it was a pleasure. Uh-oh the boss is coming. I'm outta here!!

 

Any comments and thoughts on this article can be sent to media@mygamer.com

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