Project Natal/Sony Move Thread (Natal $150 ?)

[manasecret]

I agree that $150 is too much to make any sort of dent on the Wii dominance, but the packing in with the 360 Arcade for $300 (or $100 more than the Wii package), makes things slightly more interesting.

You have to imagine that the presumed new market "casual" consumers are the ones who haven't bought the 360 yet en masse, so the $150 price doesn't matter to that market. It's the $300 that matters. And it will probably be marketed to them as a Wii HD, thus giving reason for the $100 premium.

Will a $100 premium, late-generation peripheral/system with a light library (of party-style games) sell well to the "casual" market? All signs from history that I can remember point to "No effin' way". I'm going with Xantar here, better luck next generation Microsoft.

[BreakABone]

Originally Posted by manasecret

I agree that $150 is too much to make any sort of dent on the Wii dominance, but the packing in with the 360 Arcade for $300 (or $100 more than the Wii package), makes things slightly more interesting.

You have to imagine that the presumed new market "casual" consumers are the ones who haven't bought the 360 yet en masse, so the $150 price doesn't matter to that market. It's the $300 that matters. And it will probably be marketed to them as a Wii HD, thus giving reason for the $100 premium.

There are a few fundamental flaws with the argument I guess

a) After 4 years on the market, the arcade unit has gotten a bad rep for most people. Its near impossible to enjoy the 360 without a harddrive, between patches, DLC and demoes.

b) The HD upgrade. People assume that everyone else wants shiny graphics, but most normal semi-gamers just won't care for the diff between SD and HD. Hell most people can hardly hook up HD properly.

c) We don't know if it comes with software, though I assume it will come with that ball game they are always showing off.

[Typhoid]

I think $150 is a fair price.
Considering games are $60-$75 new.

[gekko]

I'd expect both these to be similar to the Wii Fit pricing + $10 next-gen surcharge like all PS3/360 games. So... $89.99ish.

[manasecret]

Originally Posted by Typhoid

I think $150 is a fair price.
Considering games are $60-$75 new.

Originally Posted by Angrist

Anyway, it will be a nice but underrated toy.

Agreed, and agreed.

I'd like to reiterate here that, if they bring the must-have games, I will seriously consider buying them at these prices. Like always, it's a matter of if there are must-have games. (EDIT: My previous placement of like always I think was confusing.) These prices are fair for me. I just don't think they will be successful with sales to the wider market.

However, they will be successful in that it gives them a test-bed for their next-gen systems. They may even be setup in such a way that they will be transferable to the next-gen, and also bundled with the next-gen PS4 and 360-2. I see little reason why that isn't possible. That would make releasing them this late in the current generation make a lot more sense.

[BreakABone]

Originally Posted by gekko

I'd expect both these to be similar to the Wii Fit pricing + $10 next-gen surcharge like all PS3/360 games. So... $89.99ish.

Wouldn't that put it at 99.99 or more?

Originally Posted by manasecret

I'd like to reiterate here that, if they bring the must-have games, like always, I will seriously consider buying them at these prices. They're fair for me. I just don't think they will be successful with sales to the wider market.

However, they will be successful in that it gives them a test-bed for their next-gen systems. They may even be setup in such a way that they will be transferable to the next-gen, and also bundled with the next-gen PS4 and 360-2. I see little reason why that isn't possible. That would make releasing them this late in the current generation make a lot more sense.

I'm curious what must-have games for Natal will be.

The current make-up of the Xbox are the Call of Duty, Halo, Gears of War type, and while those games may feature Natal support, we also know they work well with a standard controller.

But guess shall wait until e3 to see how this all breaks down. What comes with Natal. What games they are showcasing.