Sony are pretty chuffed with the new PS3 Slim. But what does Microsoft think? We asked them.
The PS3 will be $499 from next week and available in the new Slim edition the week after. This puts it right in the same price bracket as the Xbox 360 Elite, bringing into question the 360’s value for money when you consider it doesn’t have a Blu-ray drive (or built-in wi-fi).
Unsurprisingly, the spokesperson from Xbox Australia who responded to our request for comment on Sony’s announcement doesn’t think price is a major factor.
“Consumers, while looking at price as a purchase consideration, are after an experience that comes from getting their hands on compelling content when weighing up the best value option. Starting at $299, there’s a lot of great content exclusively on Xbox 360. Check out our exclusive games (like Halo ODST, Forza 3, Lips Number One Hits, Left for Dead 2, GTAIV Episode 2 and Shadow Complex to name a few), Xbox Movies on Demand, Facebook & Twitter. It’s all arriving before Christmas this year and gives our consumers even more reasons to use their console. We’re focused on extending the life of the console through the games and entertainment we deliver – not just the console hardware. It’s the reason why in 2009 we’re the fastest growing console in Australia.”
Sure, the Arcade is still much cheaper than a PS3 and there is something to be said for the Xbox approach of allowing consumers to only pay for what they want to use. Don’t want to go online? Don’t pay for it. Don’t want to watch Blu-ray? Don’t pay for it. Though the flip side is that if and when you do want those extras, you will end up paying a premium for them.
But it’s almost funny how closely this prepared statement resembles the type of comment we’ve been hearing from Sony until this week. This “console war” has just gotten a whole lot more competitive.
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