The complaints and grumbles about the PS3 launch price being too high have reached the ears of Sony captain Ken Kutaragi and has prompted him to response to the critics. In game magazine, Famitsu, Kutaragi said that the Sony Playstation line has always been more expensive then its competitors and that units “both sold to shortages.”
In a strong, if not rather nebulous statement, Kutaragi said, “…if you consider the PlayStation 3 a toy, then yes, it is an expensive toy. However, it is more than a toy. It is a PlayStation 3. And it is the only PlayStation 3. I hope that those who understand this will gladly purchase it."
If, by going with Ken,s logic, this is the premise for buying a PS3, there may not be too many buyers. However, what Kutaragi was implying about the PS3 onboard Blu-ray DVD drive. For individuals who are planning to purchase a stand-alone Blu-ray, the cost will be $1200 and up. However, the buyer can get a PS3 game machine with included drive for only $599, realizing a cost savings of at least $400.
The big question at hand is whether there is a large enough market for the Blu-ray DVD. At the moment, there is still a considerable struggle over the dominance of HD-DVD or Blu-ray DVD in the next generation of digital video disc market. Until this battle shows a decided winner, the fate and popularity of the PS3 and its Blu-ray DVD is unknown.
