Activision CEO wants Xbox 360 & PS3 at $199
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Nov 28th 2007 at 10:00AM }
As the top third-party publisher, Activision depends on console manufacturers selling their product at whatever the cost. The more consoles sold, the more money they stand to make from software sales. The $199 price point does sound consumer friendly and we know the Wii could do it tomorrow (coincidentally, it's the cost of two Gamecubes taped together), the Xbox 360 might get there sooner than later... but the PS3? That's a stretch.
[Via GameDaily]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jerk Face @ Nov 28th 2007 10:04AM
Me being a wii-fanboy aside; that "two cubes duct-taped together" joke will never get old.
danny. (fdf.) @ Nov 28th 2007 10:16AM
I'm afraid they neglected the cost of the tape.
_spike @ Nov 28th 2007 10:06AM
i want a shoe box full of hundreds.
Lone Starr @ Nov 28th 2007 10:08AM
A game publisher wants consoles cheapers so it can sell more games on those consoles?
You must be joking!
LilCo187 @ Nov 28th 2007 10:10AM
You sound as if you DON'T want consoles to be at a lower cost to the consumer...
Lone Starr @ Nov 28th 2007 10:17AM
I would love for the consoles to be free.
This just isn't a surprise, especially considering that if the console makers were to lower their prices, they, not Activision, would bear all the cost.
LaughingTarget @ Nov 28th 2007 4:32PM
Console makers are already bearing all the cost. Who sells consoles for a loss? Microsoft and Sony. Who is 100% reliant on software sales to make money? Microsoft and Sony. Who stands to gain when more software is sold? Microsoft and Sony. How can more software be sold? Sell more units. How do you move more units? If the PS2 proved anything, drop the price to $200.
Seems like an incredibly simple solution.
Lone Starr @ Nov 28th 2007 4:57PM
It's really not that simple. If it's so easy to lower the prices of these expensive consoles, Microsoft and Sony would have done so already. The price point of the Wii is absolutely devestating. If they could have put Xbox 360 and PS3 prices at parity with the Wii with such minimal losses as you claim, they would have never priced them so high to begin with.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Nov 30th 2007 7:26AM
@Lone Starr: Any console manufacturer that thinks it's a good idea to lose $100+ on a $300 console is freakin' nuts.
jsn @ Nov 28th 2007 10:08AM
This week in common sense, Activision CEO states the obvious
jsn @ Nov 28th 2007 10:09AM
damn you random finger spasm!
jsn @ Nov 28th 2007 10:08AM
This week in common sense, Activision CEO states the obvious
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 10:08AM
jsn beat me to it. Can I nominate this guy for the Captain Obvious award?
Fernando Rocker @ Nov 28th 2007 10:09AM
Yeah... me too.
FrankTheCrank @ Nov 28th 2007 10:24AM
The XBOX360 has already been out two years and it's DVD based. The next revision should bring a $250 Premium package. They have to drop the price if they really want to go mass market...otherwise, it will be a hardcore gaming system that will sell 25 million and reach it's potential ceiling just like XBOX1.
Just saying.
xXFenixKnightXx @ Nov 28th 2007 10:10AM
Yeah sure and FenixKnight wants a dual LG HD DVD/Bluray player at $199 too while your at it.
The 360 will get there next Christmas
DG @ Nov 28th 2007 10:13AM
How often do you refer to yourself in the third person?
xXFenixKnightXx @ Nov 28th 2007 10:17AM
DG
Whaaaa??? Ive never done that b4. Dont know what ya mean there buddy. Or should I say FenixKnight doesnt know what you mean. Happy?
Mr Khan @ Nov 28th 2007 5:10PM
Bob Dole likes to hear Bob Dole talk about Bob Dole
Bob Dole!
organic_shadow @ Nov 28th 2007 10:10AM
Well as quickly as Toshiba has been shrinking that CELL I would imagine that PS3 price cuts will come sooner than we think. It will still be a while, yes, but not quite as long as many believe. We have 65nm CELL now and Toshiba's already working toward 45nm. The RSX isn't even 65nm yet(next month?), so whoever is in charge of the RSX fab needs to get a move on.
@Jerk Face: Yeah, that joke will die as soon as the 'massive damage' thing dies too. Ridge racer kinda died off, but massive damage is so useful... you can do anything with it in normal conversation. :)
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 10:23AM
nVIDIA is in Charge of RSX, I believe.
Brucie B @ Nov 28th 2007 10:11AM
Ahhh OK Bobby Kotick!
I'm sure they'll make it happen now since you said it...
Chris @ Nov 28th 2007 10:25AM
If wishes were horses then beggars would ride... PS3 and 360 appeal to hardcore gamers, the ones who aren't going to mind ponying up a paycheck to buy one now. The thing that needs to change first, before price, is public image. Even if the 360 and ps3 were priced at 200 now (the mainstream mark), it wouldn't make one lick of difference, cause they don't have enough non-hardcore games to compete at that price point. Sure they've got a few, but not nearly as many as a certain other white console. Parents need to think of 360 ps3 as a fun and approachable choice, before pricing comes into play.
I'm also going to assume that the wii would follow suit and drop it's price, making it still, the parents choice for consoles.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 10:24AM
You see that big blue ocean with Nintendo ships ruling the high seas and new world on the other side? Yeah, Sony and Microsoft want a piece of that too.
LilCo187 @ Nov 28th 2007 10:45AM
Chris, excellent point. And probably the single biggest factor is the fact you hold the core Wii controller in one hand, in the shape of a TV remote. This is BEYOND key to the mainstream mass appeal towards the system.
nealbailey @ Nov 28th 2007 2:58PM
"PS3 and 360 appeal to hardcore gamers, the ones who aren't going to mind ponying up a paycheck to buy one now."
Dude, if your paycheck is $300-$400 then you have failed at life. I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you.
Chris @ Nov 28th 2007 3:25PM
haha, well, Idunno what demographic I fall under, since I bought a 360 a couple months after launch, but I guess hardcore is typically the 17-25 year old demographic or something. So a lot of those kids are working at your local best buy or EB for $8.50 an hour after school. Plus when you add in extra controllers and games, xbox live, some MS points, it all starts to add up. How many 19 year olds do you know who are making over 20 grand a year?
robert @ Nov 28th 2007 10:14AM
this just in, the oil companies want the 8mpg Bugatti Veyron sold at $1999
FOXHOUND @ Nov 28th 2007 10:17AM
LoL
OPEC> "Take THAT, Greenpeace!" >;D
JerJerBinks @ Nov 28th 2007 11:04AM
To be fair, the Veyron gets 2 MPG at a top speed of 253 MPH. Not too shabby for a VW.
Scott @ Nov 28th 2007 10:19AM
What else will Sony have to take out of the PS3 to get it to $199?
I kid, I kid! Or do I?
xXFenixKnightXx @ Nov 28th 2007 10:23AM
ZING!!!
kinshadow @ Nov 28th 2007 10:27AM
Fun?
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 10:29AM
"Remote, controllers, and cables not included"
Skeffington @ Nov 28th 2007 11:47AM
'Console not included'
MariosInferno @ Nov 28th 2007 12:45PM
"Not compatible with PS3 games."
Slaziman @ Nov 28th 2007 3:12PM
"Blu-ray drive sold separately"
Burnt Meatloaf @ Nov 30th 2007 7:29AM
No power cable included.
No problem! Monster Cable has a $150 gold-plated premium power cable available.
WiNG @ Nov 28th 2007 10:18AM
I agree that the 360 will, in some form, be $199 soon. Whether this will impact Wii prices is yet to be seen, but who knows? From a business standpoint though it makes no sense to drop Wii prices when you can't even find them in stores!
I don't think a PS3 can retail at $199 ANY TIME SOON. It would be sold at such a gigantic loss and lose the "prestige" factor.
So in effect, yes it would be cool, but will it happen? I dunno
---
PS: Check out Life in a Game episode 2-2 "Red vs Blue"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgJQ1t4Sxx8
gonk @ Nov 28th 2007 12:12PM
even I would buy a 80gb ps3 for $200 (or a 60gb)
MariosInferno @ Nov 28th 2007 12:41PM
Prestige???
A golden toilet is still a toilet in the end. Doesn't matter how much Kohler charges.
Batzarro @ Nov 28th 2007 10:28AM
I want Mass Effect at 50 cents. But t'aint goona happen soon...
Speddy @ Nov 28th 2007 10:34AM
Asshat CEO of gaming company wants platform to be CHEAPER than their games!
Dan Parmelee @ Nov 28th 2007 10:34AM
At $199 I would gladly buy either one of those.
Benjamin Heckendorn @ Nov 28th 2007 10:43AM
Inflation adjusted a $350 Xbox now is a little less than a $300 PS1 ten years ago. Certainly less than a $250 Atari in 1977.
I think the core problem here is that people are buying the Wii for whatever reason but it's no secret the third party attach rate SUCKS. So why wouldn't a non-Nintendo developer want the consoles that their games actually sell on to do better?
Activision should pull a Rock Band - next gen only. Hopefully that sort of thing continues and the Wii is left to die in its seas of mini-games and soccer mom BS.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 28th 2007 11:30AM
And this is what I don't understand, why do you want the Wii to fail? The Wii has single handedly brought more people to the industry (which means more money), people who normally don't play video games at all. How is that not a good thing?
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Nov 28th 2007 12:06PM
Respect for Ben Heck -
Joloto @ Nov 28th 2007 12:08PM
You know, its hardly like its that the Wii 3rd party attach rate sucks. Not even close. Its that the attach rate to games that suck ass and come out of nowhere with no name sucks. You can't fault the Wii with a low 3rd party attach rate when most idiots think they can get away with a substandard minigame collection and then whine when it doesn't sell.
Wii is actually very viable for 3rd parties right now as development costs are low and the userbase is high. Thats why when you see something like Resi-4 pop up on it, you get relatively high sales for the cost of nothing more than porting with new controls. Not exactly something that takes a ton of money eh?
Really though, the only good game that I can think of that didn't sell well was Zak and Wiki, and for obvious reasons... One, it was an Adventure game in an era when adventure games are rather dead. Two, it wasn't marketed worth a shit, and Three, its practically unheard of off of video game reporting sites.
3rd parties will start seeing better results as the attach rates get higher and developers start realizing that you can't just throw any crap at whatever is most popular.
LilCo187 @ Nov 28th 2007 10:47AM
"Hopefully that sort of thing continues and the Wii is left to die in its seas of mini-games and soccer mom BS."
I love comments like this. It shows they must be doing something right.
Hyams @ Nov 28th 2007 10:58AM
Somone hating on a console means it 'must be doing something right?'
Then, damn, the PS3 must be doing EVERYTHING right.
*goes off to hug his PS3, which has self esteem issues because of cyber-bullying*