Retail PS3 Bundles Too Pricey, Online Inventory Rises

[BrewCityUpstart]

While the PS3 remains greatly sought after, some people just aren't willing to take out a second mortgage to pick up a costly bundle. Retailers have tried to take advantage of the demand by providing crazy bundles - just like last year with the Xbox 360 - but they aren't selling very fast, and this has led to an over-abundance of PS3s online, according to tracking firm NotifyWire.

The company thinks the demand for the PS3 has already settled a bit; consumers may be unhappy with those forced software and hardware bundles, which can cause the price to top $1000 in some cases. "I think we're already at the point where people won't pay a premium for the console or be forced into buying bundles," said Ian Drake, president of NotifyWire.

Last year, $1000 360 bundles were flying off the shelves, so says NotifyWire:

"Last year we tracked several one thousand dollar Xbox 360 bundles which would sell out in less than two minutes after becoming available." Drake noted a US $1000 PS3 bundle was on offer at an online retailer for over 12 hours recently, claiming, "This sort of thing didn't happen with the Xbox 360 until well after Christmas."

However, while we certainly don't feel bad for those profit-mongering non-gamers who snagged a PS3 purely for profit, there is a significant difference this year with the PS3. Sony has continually said, almost on a weekly basis, that they plan to ship at least one million PS3s to North America before December 31. This past weekend was another example of these shipments - as small as it was - and both Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us have received more PS3 shipments this week.

Regardless of how many PS3s these retailers actually receive, the news itself has a definite impact. If consumers believe they've got even an outside shot at landing a normally-priced PS3 for Christmas, they're much less likely to resort to drastic measures (i.e., pricey bundles). The 360 all but disappeared after last year's launch, and with so many more preorders and a serious rash of defective units spreading throughout the country, the chances of finding more 360s on shelves was essentially zero.

[dmiller68]

I think this may have to do with value...

Xbox 360 Premium bundle - $1000

Xbox 360 Premium
2 additional controllers
7 games
Pelican grips
2 strategy guides
1 Year Product Replacement Plan

Sony Playstation 60GB bundle - $984

Sony PlayStation 3 60GB Game System
PS3 Wireless SIXAXIS Controller
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
NBA 07
Full Auto 2
Resistance: Fall of Man
Resistance: Fall of Man Official Strategy Guide
1 Year Product Replacement Plan

[SpOoNmAn]

Value indeed.

I should just...

*Post edited*

[BrewCityUpstart]

Dollar for dollar I'd say its about right.

[SpOoNmAn]

Wow, I should have read the entire thing..

"Last year we tracked several one thousand dollar Xbox 360 bundles which would sell out in less than two minutes after becoming available." Drake noted a US $1000 PS3 bundle was on offer at an online retailer for over 12 hours recently, claiming, "This sort of thing didn't happen with the Xbox 360 until well after Christmas."

Kinda like ps3s going for msrp on forums and noone snatching them up? Its happening on every forum I go to(close to 15) so its not a "PGL only" trend. Go figure....

[GoatMother]

Stores have been receiving shipments 1-2 times a week where I live. Most people I've talked to would rather take there chances getting a shipment (that's how I got mine ) than over paying and dealing with all the BS on ebay.

[Rhino Chaser]

(I am going to rant a little here so if you don’t want to read my unabashed opinion about the PS3 then don’t read this)

No one is willing to pay more than retail for these. I kept an eye on Ebay and about the time I picked mine up demand started plummeting.

I picked mine up to ride out the Blu-Ray and HD DVD format war and if there are some solid exclusive titles I will be happy.

The 360 is definitely going to be my default for media, gaming, and online play. I am sorry but I really don’t feel like ripping my entire collection of pictures and music to the hard drive of the PS3 just so I can have it there.

I realize that if you want to plug in your Ipod, memory stick, or USB drive you can look at or listen to files. But what else can you do…most of it boils down to novelty.

Cool that you can play mpeg and what not but there is 100x more functionality on my computer than on the PS3 so why would I want to be forced to put all of my media there. I am hoping that MS will relent and allow us to stream other formats from our computer--it would be a knock out punch in that department.

Furthermore, even if I had it all stored on a usb drive it is still a pain that the PS3 doesn’t seem automatically recognize all of my media files or play anything in WMA format. My first try and it recognized the USB but said that there was not playable content until I forced it to search.

The media functions are solid if you are willing to import all of you media to the PS3 and do not have a ton of stuff saved in WMA format (like I do). However, I wasn't all that impressed compared to what I get when I plug a USB drive into the 360 with automatic recognition, in game play back, streaming from your computer, etc.

If the original XBOX had a usb port it seems to me that it would have done about as much…and the green menu was about the same as the menu in the PS3 (although it didn’t change color depending on the time of day or season of the year).

Right now I have my Netflix format preferences set with HD DVD 1st, Blu Ray 2nd, and DVD 3rd. It is sort of annoying to have to pick up the controller every time I want to do anything with playback on the PS3. I also haven’t figured out how to pop up the DVD menu without going through the PS3 menu 1st…..pain.

They Playstation network seems comparable to what the Xbox platform offered with Halo 2 for online play along in game interaction with the main menu. You basically have to exit the game to go back to the main menu and you can’t seem to invite people from your friend’s list. You need to create “buddies” in your menu in the game ( I also haven’t figured out how to make this thing stop booting the game up automatically every time I turn it on, another annoyance).
Unlike the 360 which allows you to pop in and check your friend’s list, chat, or message right from the game.

The word must be out that Sony hyped the hell out of this platform, however, when compared to the 360 there isn’t anything that is completely revolutionary going on right now with this system.

I do like it, and I am happy with it. But the PS3 menu was designed for the PSP a device that fits in the palm of your hand. I realize that they were going for cross platform functionality. But I would expect a little more innovation in the main menu of my $600 console. The icons also bug the hell out of me. The price point is right in line with a 360 if you plan on buying all of the options (wireless, HD DVD, etc) so no complaints on that front--the value is there. It is just a matter of where Sony plans to take this device.

I do really like the internet browser….it is nice to be able to pop online and see what is going on at PGL every now and then. But the Sony online store is like molasses, and there isn’t much going on there either.

I have a feeling that as developers begin to figure out how to take advantage of this system we could see some awesome games evolve on this system. The Sixaxis is a very cool concept.

I will also throw a nod at the fact that the ps3 has an HDMI option and Resitance seemed like a very long game (not in a bad way...I have just gotten used to quick single players on the 360).

For now Sony has a lot of catching up to do.

Any way if you got through this convoluted mess of words thanks for sticking with it and I hope that I didn’t bash the system to hard…should I put a big capital IMHO at the end of this thing? Because when it boils down to it that is all this really is.

[BrewCityUpstart]

Well said dude. I just keep saying that it will get better and improve after getting feedback, much like the 360 did. I'm also impressed with Resistance, still. It beats any launch game the 360 had. Sonys gotta lotta catching up to do and all they need is a little time to get reactions etc.

[Jon Liu]

great thoughts, Rhino! I agree that the 360 still has the edge and I am hoping to see in the not-too-distant future, some hefty upgrades/changes to certain aspects that you pointed out.

I can't say, personally, that Resistance is really a killer app but, for a launch title it's definitely great! I just really look forward to seeing what this machine can do and quite honestly, at this point, there are more games I am eagerly awaiting for the PS3 when compared to my anticipation for the upcoming Xbox 360 titles.

[Rhino Chaser]

Other than 2 horrible cut scenes Resistance was awesome! I reminded me a lot of Halo but with more creative weapons and huge landscapes. I lalso loved the little message at the end.....

I am going to do a lot more online play now that I have completed it.