agreed, we are two different people, with the same idea on how it should work
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A guess
Standard - $400
Premium - $500
Bundle of standard version + Vita - $600
Yeah I doubt they will because this was the biggest bombshell after much doubting of the rumors. They actually brought it. They will be under heavy scrutiny by many if they do cut back. But if it winds up affecting the price to a certain extent they might be forced.
I think they are simply going to slow the ramping of production to compensate for the additional hardware costs. If there is a roadmap to get 4GB nodes of RAM from the current 2GB nodes, this will recoup the initial cost in relative short order.
If they really wanted to cut corners, they could take it back to the PS2 launch where they were in Japan only for a little while.
I am not saying they are not a threat. I am saying that if the price being charged for those isn't an issue, I don't understand why it is with consoles.
It really comes down to if people want something or not. If the PS4 releases for $399 or $499 and people aren't buying. People just don't want it -- which will just prove that times are changing and consoles aren't the 'in' thing anymore, specially if X360's successor also fails to make a strong opening.
The PS4 & Xbox successor BOTH need to perform/do well if we want the console industry that we all love today to survive for the next generation otherwise these phone/tablets etc are going to be the future of gaming.
I'm hoping SONY doesn't do this. Instead, have one unit at $449 or $429, and amortize the heck out of it to reduce prices faster on all the components. I know that even Nintendo dropped that strategy, and is selling a WiU bundle for $549?! Ohmygosh... so I suspect you're right about the $399 - $499 deal, roughly. And about the components. I suspect, like WiU, that the only difference in systems will be storage.
I also wouldn't worry about the amount of RAM changing. The PS3 only lost bolt-on features like the second HDMI port, which was a little strange to start with.
And on smartphone games, I say the more the merrier. Casaual gamers only benefit Nintendo, who sell their systems at a profit. SONY and MS, as well as their developers, need serious gamers who will buy way more than one or two games a year.
All the 2nd sku would need is a bigger HDD and I'm sold.
Here's hoping flexible means cheap options.
For me to get one at or around launch, they'll need to offer a basic SKU with no unnecessary crap like the camera but also with a large enough hard drive.