Gunfinger - General - Sony Vs. The Market

Im noticing the gradual, yet continual alienation of Sony and the market. Don't make the mistake of "the market" and "their market" because I could explain the differences between the two ad infinitum, but the contrasts are important. I just wont talk about them.

Focusing on the video game market as a whole, everyone from G4 to Slashdot to Time Magazine seems to think that it's made up of testosterone and beer, sweaty palms and mullets: guys in other words. For the most part it's true, but I never like making generalizations. Here's an exception: The Sony market is made up of people who buy Sony products because that's all they know. Sony is alienating both the video game market, and their own fanbase.

The PSP cost $250, so I opted to buy a used one that had a few stuck pixels, which I copied a video to my memory stick to and remedied the problem. Rumors are already flying that the PS3 will cost in the margin of $500 and $700USD. Like I said in a previous blog entry, Microsoft is playing the middleman, and Nintendo the economic underdog, which actually plays to their advantage. So what's the deal Sony?

"The cost of production is high"

Sure, combine the cost of production with obscene amounts of demand and price is going to be high. Sony, however needs to step into the 21st century and realize there are ways to curb this. If demand for a detergent is high, you can charge 20% less than your top competitor, and make more profits because of more sales. If 100 people buy a product at $30, that's more than 30 people buying a more popular product at $60. Microsoft figured this out, and it was a no-brainer for Nintendo; they have been in the console industry for a decade and a half longer than the other two. Maybe it's a thought on Sony's part that peple are GOING to buy whatever is more popular. People already missed my point in "Gaming and Status Icons" when I said gaming isn't about entertainment anymore. Having a game makes you the man. Maybe I'm wrong. Keep reading.

So what's going on? Why do I feel like Sony is fighting their market, their customers, rather than fighting their competitors? It seems Sony was doing better when they made Walkman's and CD players. Sure, the PS2 and PSP were great systems, but I remember reading a blog on this very site: both, in retrospect came up short in what consumers expected based on what Sony told us would be included. Maybe I've got it all wrong, but I feel like I'm being kicked in the shins for noticing something everyone else ignores.

-s
14:05