Sony Giving Away Freebies to PS3 Buyers

[Shiba-Kun]

Sony Giving Away Freebies to PS3 Buyers

Feb 23, 4:54 AM (ET)

By YURI KAGEYAMA



TOKYO (AP) - Sony is giving away freebies to woo buyers to the new PlayStation 3 video game machine whose hefty price appears to be scaring away shoppers.

The latest giveaway from the Japanese electronics and entertainment company is being promised for the Australia launch for the PlayStation 3 set for March 23 - a Blu-ray Disc version of the Sony Pictures James Bond movie "Casino Royale," for the first 20,000 Australian PS3 buyers.

The PlayStation 3 costs a hefty 999.95 Australian dollars, ($790), for the 60 gigabyte hard drive version.

The console, the successor to industry leader PlayStation 2 that went on sale in November last year in the U.S. and Japan, costs $600 in the U.S.

Tokyo-based Sony Corp. (SNE) has long had a proprietary reputation, and the flurry of free entertainment content doled out with the PlayStation 3 seems a bit out of character, perhaps designed to counter the perception of an overpriced product.

"They have to sweeten the deal a little bit," said Hiroshi Kamide, director of research and game expert at KBC Securities Japan in Tokyo. "The problem with the product so far is that no one has fully understood why it's so expensive."

Nintendo Co.'s surprise hit Wii is being snatched up and has been out of stock at some stores, and at $250 is widely welcomed by families as a bargain.

Free downloads of the "GranTurismo" PlayStation 3 software game - out since December for American and Japanese PS3 owners - will be available for the Australia launch, Sony said this week.

The U.S. launch also came with a free Sony movie. The first half million PS3 shipments in the U.S. included "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" in Blu-ray Disc format.

On Friday, Sony Computer Entertainment said shorter free trial downloads of a golfing game for the Japanese market will also be available next month.

Such free playable demos, intended as previews, are also available in the U.S.

In the latest Japan demo, players can try three holes of a golf game, worth about 10 minutes of playing, said company spokesman Norio Chiba.

Although Sony officials say PlayStation 3 sales are going on schedule, the machine is still a money-loser.

Sony blamed the losses in its video game operations for its faltering profits in the October-December quarter, when Sony profits slipped 5 percent to 160 billion yen ($1.3 billion), largely because of PS3 startup costs.

Sony said it shipped 1.84 million PS3 machines worldwide through Dec. 31, and is sticking to its earlier target of shipping 6 million PS3 consoles by March 31. It shipped 2 million PS3 machines worldwide by mid-January, falling about two weeks behind its initial shipment targets in Japan.

Nintendo sold 3.19 million Wii machines worldwide by the end of the year, 1.25 million in the Americas, and 1.14 million in Japan.

The Kyoto-based maker of "Super Mario" and "Pokemon" games said earlier this year that it's well on its way to reaching its target of global shipment of 6 million Wii machines by March 31, the end of the current fiscal year.

Kamide, the gaming industry expert, said the PS3 needs a fuller lineup of new, attractive games to make the purchase seem worth the price.

"It's the least they can do," he said of the freebies. "If you're paying a head above everybody else for a similar product, a game machine, you want to be able to categorically say the reason why it's so expensive."

[dmb]

shit I'd take Casino Royale much over Talladega Nights...

[2camvtec]

"It's the least they can do," he said of the freebies. "If you're paying a head above everybody else for a similar product, a game machine, you want to be able to categorically say the reason why it's so expensive."

So throwing in a movie justifies the $600US/$790AUS price tag. I know it has alot of other features that might be able to justify its pricetag but, I really don't want to drop $600 dollars on it.

[Clone]

I'd buy one, because I know it's going to be worth it sooner or later, based on the games it'll have... (like MGS4, FFXIII, GT5, and the countless others)

But right now, considering there's only like two games I'd feel like playing that're available for it... who gives a shit? $600 for something that I'll basically use to play PS2 games? fuck all that. And tossing in a free movie does not constitute the cost... Maybe a free copy of Resistance Fall of Man or something.

I'll wait 'til the end of the year, or maybe next year, when the price drops like a rock.

[dmb]

Originally Posted by 2camvtec

So throwing in a movie justifies the $600US/$790AUS price tag. I know it has alot of other features that might be able to justify its pricetag but, I really don't want to drop $600 dollars on it.

not to sound like a fanboy or anything...


but this just occured to me


"so throwing in a motion controller justifies the 249.99 price?"

[blackdelsol94]

Originally Posted by dmb

not to sound like a fanboy or anything...


but this just occured to me


"so throwing in a motion controller justifies the 249.99 price?"

Yes, because it is less than half the price of the PS3, and $150 cheaper then the 360. And no, the motion controller alone would not warrant purchase, but games like Zelda(for hardcore) and Wii Sports(for less avid gamers) are what really make the price appropriate for the system.

I can't believe you are comparing a free movie to a system's controller. One of the above does not even have anything to do with gaming. Like Clone said, it is not like Sony is throwing is a free game or anything.

Seriously, I have all three systems at this point, but my 360 and Wii combined was only $50 more than my PS3 by itself. Unfortunately Sony gives me little reason to even touch the damn thing, much less play it at this point. I'll just be patient though, because some of the games on the horizon are bound to be outstanding.

[tha_con]

Are you dumb asses serious? The movie is not what justify's the consoles purchase, it's the god damned Blu-Ray. THey throw in the movie so you see the Blu-Ray (provided you have an HDTV) which then should tell you "hey, this looks good, and it's worh $600".

Fucking christ, how can you be so dense?

[2camvtec]

Originally Posted by tha_con

Are you dumb asses serious? The movie is not what justify's the consoles purchase, it's the god damned Blu-Ray. THey throw in the movie so you see the Blu-Ray (provided you have an HDTV) which then should tell you "hey, this looks good, and it's worh $600".

Fucking christ, how can you be so dense?

Maybe if you read my post, I said it has other features that probably justify its $600 price tag (which I know the features). Seriously dude you need to get over yourself and Sony. There are more important things in life than a stupid video game system. Please put down the controller and go out and explore the world. You will find out it does not revolve around Sony.
Everybody on here that has said something negative about the PS3, you are right there to jump down their throat. Again get a life. ITS A F'ING VIDEO GAME SYSTEM. Not the cure for world wide hunger. And I am not a fanboy. I own or have owned every game system up until the XBOX 360 and PS3. So please do us a favor and grow up. Thanks.

[blackdelsol94]

Originally Posted by tha_con

Are you dumb asses serious? The movie is not what justify's the consoles purchase, it's the god damned Blu-Ray. THey throw in the movie so you see the Blu-Ray (provided you have an HDTV) which then should tell you "hey, this looks good, and it's worh $600".

Fucking christ, how can you be so dense?

You cannot even watch a movie untill after you purchase the system, so Sony throws in a DVD to make people think they are getting a little more for their money. Obviously once the console is BOUGHT people will be able to see what blu-ray is all about, but BEFORE that the offer of a free DVD is to help draw more poeple in, and make them feel like they are getting a little more for their $600.(or $790 in Australia)

Stop talking down to everyone. And why do you even get so heated about this shit...after all we are just a bunch of PEOPLE simply DISCUSSING our views and thoughts. Maybe you are the dense one here, because you cannot seem to realize everyone has a damn opinion, they often differ, but no individual opinion is more correct than any another.

[dmb]

Originally Posted by blackdelsol94

Yes, because it is less than half the price of the PS3, and $150 cheaper then the 360. And no, the motion controller alone would not warrant purchase, but games like Zelda(for hardcore) and Wii Sports(for less avid gamers) are what really make the price appropriate for the system.

I can't believe you are comparing a free movie to a system's controller. One of the above does not even have anything to do with gaming. Like Clone said, it is not like Sony is throwing is a free game or anything.

Seriously, I have all three systems at this point, but my 360 and Wii combined was only $50 more than my PS3 by itself. Unfortunately Sony gives me little reason to even touch the damn thing, much less play it at this point. I'll just be patient though, because some of the games on the horizon are bound to be outstanding.

You could have easily bought Zelda on the GameCube...where some people actually prefer to play it...my friend who is Pro-Wii even agrees.

[blackdelsol94]

Originally Posted by dmb

You could have easily bought Zelda on the GameCube...where some people actually prefer to play it...my friend who is Pro-Wii even agrees.

What does that have to do with throwing in something free? And yeah "some" is the key word there. I on the other hand would rather play it on the Wii, hands down. But that is opinion, so whatev. My point is that Nintendo has games that bring in a very broad audience, because Zelda and Wii Sports are likely to each appeal to different crowds.

[tha_con]

It's simple. Idiocy irritates me, not hte negativity. When people think Sony is putting out a movie as a free item to "justify the cost" then that's stupid.

If the intelligent people (who apparently are missing from this forum) would have posted "They're giving away a free BLU-RAY movie (not DVD) to show consumers why the console is $600, what the benefits of Blu-Ray are, and to show them what 1080p looks like" then I wouldn't have said anything. But instead, all of the idiots chime in with "OMG A MOOOOVIE TO JUSTIFY A $600 PRICE TAG LOLOLOL OMGZ SONY FOR TEH LOSS!!!1".

Seriously, the movie is packaged in so consumers can see and experience the benefit of Blu-Ray, which will make them realize that the PS3 is more than just a videogame console. It's an entertainment system. It will also show them the benefits of high def movies, and help Sony to get Blu-Ray kicked off. Look how well Blu-Ray is doing right now in the US, it's practically murdering HD-DVD in sales. Why? Because a lot of PS3 owners with HDTV's saw their first Blu-Ray movie free, which showed them that maybe the PS3 was worth $600, and they bought MORE movies.

Common sense is a terribly frightening thing isn't it?