Sony CEO Howard Stringer in an interview yesterday hinted at the multimedia capabilities of the upcoming PS3, and also stated that the initial launch would be in the SPring in Japan, followed by ‘before Christmas’ for the US.
We already know that the box will include a Blu-Ray DVD drive, and will be selling at a loss (for possibly 6months) in order to get the bos out there in people’s living rooms. He also restated the fact that the PS3 is Sony’s vehicle to get Blu-Ray out into the market and into homes at a loss. The PS3 is expected to go on sale for $300 – $400, whereas it is possible the first generation dedicated Blu-Ray DVD players will hit the market at close to $1000. This makes the PS3 extremely atractive to not just gamers, but also video-philes who want to get this new technology as soon as they can. This of course is pretty much in line with the launch strategy of the PS2, which included a DVD drive – when it was launched it also was much cheaper than other DVD players on the market at the time.
Other comments which hinted at possible features: “PS3 will be bundled with a selection of preloaded films, TV programs and games…
– preloaded? – so is this saying that the PS3 will ship with a harddrive (which has been stated before would be an optional addon), and not only that but will have media server/Tivo like capabilities? This has been the one area which has been lacking in detauil. A long time ago there was an interview with someone at Sony who hinted that the PS3 would be much more than just a games console – it was pitched as a multimedia entertainment hub for the home. Now it sounds like some of the details are coming out, and its starting to sound very interesting.
So even though the XBox360 is going to hit the shelves possibly a year ahead of the PS3, if the PS3 is a games console plus integrated media server type functionality also, then I still feel Sony are onto a winner with this new box.