PS3: You’re Paying For Potential, Not Games
Sony boss Howard Stringer acknowledged that the PlayStation 3 is expensive, but you’re paying for the “potential” of the PS3. You’re paying for what the PS3 “might” turn out to be. Like when you buy a lottery ticket. Well, maybe not, but stringer is confident that the PS3 will be a top seller, mostly because of the Blu-ray drive. Stringer says:
“Obviously, it’s a higher-risk strategy, as all new inventions are, but if the PS3 lives up to its total potential, then I don’t think anyone will be worried about Nintendo or Xbox’s cheaper price.”
I wouldn’t exactly call the PS3 an “invention”, unless he’s talking about the Blu-ray player, of course. Sony is delaying the launch of regular Blu-ray players so when the PS3 is out, people will notice that it’s quite cheap. For a Blu-ray player. Sony is looking at the PS3 as a way of winning the format wars now, as there aren’t many great (launch) games yet. Still, they count on selling 100 million units.