14 DAY TRIAL // The console war has been around for quite some time, but, as recent sales charts reveal, the only real loser is Sony, with its PlayStation 3 device, as the two rivals, Nintendo and Microsoft, are doing very well, with pretty high sales despite the troubled economy in a lot of territories.
The high price has deterred a lot of people from buying the big black Japanese console, and Sony, despite being close to breaking even with the PlayStation 3, hasn't let slip anything about a price cut for its device. The added value strategy, through which the company hopes to place more features on the console while keeping the price, does seem good, but with customers being very cost conscious the lower-priced Xbox 360 or Wii are the clear favorites.
That is why EA Redwood Shores General Manager Glen Schofield has revealed to GamesIndustry that his company hopes that Sony will come out from these tough times and that the PlayStation 3 will follow the example set by the PS2, which, despite starting on the wrong foot, managed to be one of the most popular consoles ever.
“I'm really not sure what's going on with Sony,” he said. “They've been such a great, great partner and PlayStation 2 being such a great machine that, God, I hope they get out of this and they figure it out and they're around for a long time.” Schofield said. However, he didn't want to advise the company on a price cut saying that: “You know, I can't tell them what to do. I don't know their finances,” but the fact of the matter remain and he admits that “I love having the three major machines like that.”
Electronic Arts would definitely like to see all three consoles selling well because it means a bigger market for its games. Hopefully, things will turn out alright for the PS3 and we will have a more even competition between the three entertainment devices.