The rumored “super slim” PS3 is exactly what Sony needs to increase its position in the console war against Microsoft.
So says M2 Research analyst Billy Pidgeon in an article on GamesIndustry International.
The new PS3 will reportedly have Bluetooth and 802.11b/g, and will come in models all the way up to 500 GB. It’s also believed to be priced at around $150.
It could very well be Sony’s way of saying that its console is still alive and kicking, and that gamers should not begin thinking about the PS4.
“A dramatic price reduction to $150 for PS3 would be terrific for Sony and for the industry overall. A value-priced PS3 could rapidly increase the base and would free up more consumer revenue for higher software sales volume,” said Pidgeon.
Of course, very few details about the PS3 successor are known at this point. Frankly, it’s kind of hard to figure out what to make of the state of the gaming industry right now.
For the first time ever, we have 5- to 6-year-old consoles that are still chugging along. So, from Sony’s perspective, what point is there to revealing a PS4? What could it do that the PS3 can’t? If the answer is “not much,” then there’s no reason to unveil new hardware.
This is of course uncharted territory for the console gaming market. Never before has a console lived on for more than five years with virtually no one wondering when the next one would come.
The Xbox 360 is admittedly starting to show its age and there have been far more many rumors about its successor than there have been for the PS4.
“Microsoft is less likely to reduce console prices this year with already strong hardware sales and Halo 4 coming out in Q4, but should Sony price PS3 at $150 this year, Microsoft could see stronger incentive to cut Xbox 360 prices sooner in retaliation,” Pidgeon said.
