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General discussion

Where's the best place to buy a PS3 and/or accessories?

May 25, 2007 4:07AM PDT

Also, what is the difference between the 20 gig system, and the 60 gig?

Discussion is locked

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Wherever
May 25, 2007 4:45AM PDT

I'd avoid any place that isn't an authorized reseller myself, since it might be difficult to do warranty claims if necessary, and whatnot. Among authorized resellers, they're all going to be about the same, so pick whichever you want.

And the difference between the two models is that the 60GB has a larger HDD, as well as built-in wifi and a card reader. The 20GB model is also being discontinued in the US market, so if you need to exchange it for another, there may be some difficulties. That's a bit speculative however, since stores are having a hard time moving either PS3 model.

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thanks....
May 25, 2007 5:07AM PDT

so they're having a hard time moving them?


why do you think that is?

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Too expensive, too few games
May 25, 2007 5:56AM PDT

Sony made a large number of blunders with the PS3 in my estimation.

1: They absolutely insisted that it have a Blu-Ray drive at launch. This caused several delays and jacked the price up significantly.

2: Sony has gotten a bit too complacent and cocky from its runaway success with the PlayStation 2. Top Sony executives were repeatedly sticking their foot in their mouths with some of the comments they made to the press. Sony has stopped listening to its customers, and decided it knows what they want better than they do.

3: It's too damned expensive. Sure, when you consider that for about $600 you're getting a Blu-Ray movie player, a rather powerful game console, it's really a bargain. But most people just see that $600 price tag, and cringe.

4: This is common for any new console, but there are very few games for the PS3, and even fewer that aren't also released for the Xbox 360 and/or Nintendo Wii. It's hard to convince someone to buy this $600 game console when there's maybe a half dozen games for it, none of which are really all that more compelling than the last batch of PS2 titles.

5: Both Microsoft and Sony seem to think that bigger is always better. They both invested huge amounts of money into building incredibly powerful game consoles, which really are just faster versions of their predecessors. Nintendo gives only a modest boost in performance over the GameCube to the Wii, and focuses more on a new innovative way of playing games. Instead of working on having eye popping graphics, usually to the detriment of everything else like gameplay, they focused on trying to make a system with games that are fun to play.

6: No Final Fantasy XIII yet. This has been one of Sony's major blockbuster titles since the original PlayStation. I firmly believe that when Final Fantasy XIII ships, PS3 units will start flying off shelves. However, it now looks as if FFXIII is going to be pushed back until around the middle of next year, maybe later.

7: Also in the spirit of dumb moves, Sony decided to remove the primary PS2 processor from the PS3 for the European units. This means that all PS2 backwards compatibility has to be done in software, and will be significantly less reliable. They claimed it was a cost cutting measure, but I don't buy it. They're still going to be making PS2 units until around 2010, so the marginal cost for producing enough for PS2 units and also PS3 units would be pretty minimal. Not to mention having to pay developers to code a PS2 emulator for the PS3. At least at this point in time, I don't buy their reason, especially given that Europeans end up paying about 15% more than everyone else. This has irked off a great many in the European market.

8: Stiff competition from Microsoft. Sony and Microsoft are both really targeting the same market segment of hardcore gamers, which is a fairly niche market to begin with. It's a very lucrative one, but there's probably only a few million such people the world over. How do you convince your average Joe to plunk down $600 for a game console they may only use a couple times a week?

I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons, I'd just count those as the big ones. I also know what I'd do if I were Sony to help turn things around, but I highly doubt they'd be interested in anything I have to say, which is part of the problem. And it's not because I'm some wise and learned business oracle that they should be interested in what I have to say, but because I'm a potential customer.

Anyway, sorry to write a book for a simple question. That'll teach you to be more careful about asking people open ended questions. Happy

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awesome response - loved it!!!
May 25, 2007 7:02AM PDT

Great feedback, and it is appreciated...


I will say, that I do NOT like that price tag, and the ONLY reason I'm considering purchasing this is for the blu ray player....

I'm figuring that I DO want to play video games to some extent, and I also want an HD DVD player, so this is probably my best option.

I thought about going to an up-conversion DVD player which I could get for 150 bucks or so, and which would have just as good picture quality (Oppo)...........

actually, I'm still considering that.


Do you think the price is going down anytime soon?

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I'd wait
May 27, 2007 9:52AM PDT

I don't know if the PS3 prices will be going down any time soon, but I would expect standalone blu-ray DVD players to be going down in price soon. You'll also be able to get dual format players, that do both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray formats, so you don't have to stop and think about that when you go to the store to get a new movie.

If you're more interested in a movie player than a game system, that would be my recommendation. Once the price of the PS3 comes down (and it will eventually), or there's some new exclusive game you want for it, you can think about picking up a PS3.

Even if gaming is a secondary consideration for getting a PS3, considering the cost of the unit, I'd save the laser for playing games only. You will be able to walk into almost any electronics store this time next year, and likely find at least half a dozen blu-ray DVD players. Only the PS3 will play PS3 games, making it somewhat more unique.

Anyway, now that Sony won't be buying up the entire supply of blue laser diodes for mass production of the PS3, expect prices on standalone players to come down soon. If you can hold out until around Thanksgiving or Christmas, there will likely be loads of deals on those things. Probably within 2 years, they'll be commodity products, selling for around 150USD or less. A considerably cheaper replacement prospect than the PS3, which probably won't ever be sold for less than 250USD until the PS4 has arrived. I'd also echo the comments of the other poster regarding the better feature set on stand alone players. The PS3's player is going to be functional, but little no frills.

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good post
May 25, 2007 7:39AM PDT

I agree with what you said but want to emphasize how Sony has approached the PS3 with a very "holier than thou" attitude. The president of Sony's video game unit puts his foot in his mouth often over what he 'knows' gamers want.

The fact is that Sony's PS3 has no good exclusive games other than Resistance out right now, none. Until that changes all you are buying is a cheap Blu-ray player. And to make matters worse, there is a stand-alone Blu-ray player that performs better than the one included in the PS3 for about the same price.

Oh and I totally expect MGS4 to end up on the Xbox 360 as well, even if its a staggered release. Konami knows they can't earn enough revenue to pay for that insanely expensive game to produce from just PS3 owners, they need to tap the 360 market or else the game won't be profitable.

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PS3
May 26, 2007 9:55AM PDT

If you are going with the PS3 go to any retailer that gives you a good warranty like comp usa were you can buy a two year replacement warranty - if it does not work properly you just change it.