{"id":1730,"date":"2009-09-23T06:45:36","date_gmt":"2009-09-23T11:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.calvertgames.com\/cgblog\/2009\/09\/23\/sony%e2%80%99s-big-comeback\/"},"modified":"2010-06-02T06:05:06","modified_gmt":"2010-06-02T11:05:06","slug":"sony%e2%80%99s-big-comeback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.calvertgames.com\/cgblog\/2009\/09\/23\/sony%e2%80%99s-big-comeback\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony\u2019s big comeback"},"content":{"rendered":"

It looks like Sony fans are starting to show some spunk, writing about how the PS3 is finally set to dominate the console market. For example, take Games Thirst<\/a> (via N4G) which writes more or less writes that Microsoft will do everything it can to stay in front of Sony and the recent success of the PS3 Slim.<\/p>\n

Microsoft is not happy with the recent hardware sales data that shows the PS3 leaving the Xbox 360 in its dust. The weekly hardware charts from September 12th \u2013 19th showed PS3 sales was double that of its main rival, with Sony selling 306,794 consoles, compared to Microsoft shipping 146,914 units. So what\u2019s Microsoft\u2019s response? Slash the price of the Xbox 360 Elite by offering a $50 mail in rebate till October 5th. You may take this lightly, but what they\u2019re really doing is, testing the waters to see if $249 would be the deal that\u2019d sway back consumers in their console\u2019s direction.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Meanwhile, Gorilla Jumpers<\/a> (no idea; another N4G find) writes that Sony has all the momentum and will overtake Microsoft in 2010.<\/p>\n

If Sony managed to stay on track through 2010 without a price cut they would have closed the gap with Microsoft considerably. With the price cut it\u2019s a whole new ball game. The PS3 price drop pushed PS3 sales up 71% percent in August according to the NPD group. The 360 also had a price cut but it only increased the console sales from 202,000 to 215,000 for the month of August, once again according to the NPD group. These cuts came rather late in the month so the true indicator will be September\u2019s numbers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I do not think Sony has done anything amazing. I have written many times before about my reasons for purchasing a PS3, and why Sony went into such a deep hole. The one year head start of the 360 was only a slight contributing factor; it was all about the price point. The 3DO Syndrome.<\/p>\n

Now that the PS3 Slim offers that magical $299 price point, Sony\u2019s fortunes are starting to change. Couple the price reduction with some super high quality first party games, which is a page taken directly out of the Nintendo success manual, and it all smells like roses for Sony.<\/p>\n

Sony may win (at least compared to the 360) in the end, but years from now when we all look back on the history of this console gaming era, it will be written that Microsoft stole Sony\u2019s thunder. Or maybe better put, Sony sat on it laurels.<\/p>\n

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