eCommerce blog 5

In the article Hope Fades for PS3 as a Comeback Player on WSJ online by Daisuke Wakabayashi he reports on the challenges facing Sony's PS3. One of the main reasons for Sony's lackluster PS3 sales that Wakabayashi focuses on is the PS3's steep price. Unlike the relatively reasonable pricing of Microsofts Xbox 360 and Nintendos Wii which retail at around $250, Sony sells there product at $400. In the article it says that Sony is determined to keep pricing steady to stay out of the red. When Sony first priced the PS3 they were able to rationalize the high cost with the addition of the built in blu-ray player. However, now that blu-ray player prices have dropped, you can buy a competitors console and a blu-ray player for less than the PS3. Also, one of the other reasons Wakabayashi reports for the falling PS3 sales are the lack of popular titles.

I agree 100% with the reasons Wakabayashi points out for the falling PS3 sales especially the high price. However, I believe another reason for the fall in sales is because the play station console itself has been out for what feels like forever. Consumers want something new not just a changing of the name from PS1 to PS2 to PS3 and the addition of a blu-ray player. One of the reasons I chose to blog about this article was because I played a Nintendo Wii for the first time yesterday and thought it was the greatest thing ever. In the past I've owned almost every game console out there but the Wii is something new and exciting unlike the PS3. Also, the Wii kind of fits with the times since exercise and fitness seem to be a big thing now, so what's better than playing a video game and getting some exercise at the same time. Unlike Sony's PS3 which really targets only young kids and adults the Wii has no age limitations and is actually pretty popular with older adults. In my opinion the Wii is somewhat of a revolution because it's a product for all ages and is extremely interactive. Unfortunately for Sony I don't see PS3 sales going back up to where they want them once more people experience the Wii the PS3 will be a thing of the past.