Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Console Post Of The Week: Fats And Slims

Last week, I looked at some historical data in order to establish boundaries for the possible sales performance of the PS3 following the price cut to $299.

However, I wasn't including what I've come to believe is an important factor: the new slim model.

I think Sony has been very, very dull in regards to the PS3, generally. They overthought the room to a gigantic degree, and they're still paying for that mistake.

However, introducing a new, visually distinct version of the PS3 to replace the original model at the same time they made a significant price cut was a very clever move. A great move, actually.

In effect, they're relaunching the console with the price and form factor it should've had originally.

Look, no matter what Sony says publicly, they've been in the shitter with the PS3 from launch plus 60 days onward. No amount of executive bluster can disguise the fact that this console, in comparison to universal expectations, has done poorly.

Now, though, they have a competitive price, and they have a form factor that is more appealing than the doublewide George Foreman grill look.

Retailers seem to recognize this. I've seen plenty of advertising for the new model, and GameStop has a promotion where you can trade in your old PS3 Fat for $150 in credit toward purchasing a PS3 Slim.

I actually did that this weekend. The PS3 we have in the living room (which is basically a DVD/Blu-Ray player) heats up to thermonuclear levels in our nearly-enclosed stereo cabinet. The damn thing practically sounded like a leaf blower after 15 minutes.

I would've never bought the Slim at $299, but swapping out units for half that? The deal was smarter than I was.

In the same operating environment as the original unit, the Slim is a huge upgrade. It's quiet, for one--I can barely hear it while a disc is playing--and the thermal properties are significantly less "melty" than the original.

It's quite interesting that both Sony and Microsoft (because the Jasper units are excellent) finally have quality hardware, and by "quality" I mean cool and quiet.

Microsoft has cut prices as well, or rather, cut the price of the Elite to the Pro price and phased out the Pro--and that's exactly why it's not as clever a move, because it's more complicated to describe. It is, however, a move, and it will help them.

Nintendo, apparently, doesn't have a move, and I will not be surprised at all if Nintendo winds up in third place this fall. It's temporary, becausethey'll get another huge rush at $199, but it's still going to be embarrassing.

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