Spoon, you'll love this one -- Sony Australia exec calls the Wii "a bit pricey"

[CamDawg]

Welcome back to CE-Oh no he didn't, the game show where company executives get to mouth off about something that surely won't make their bosses happy. This week, we're playing with Michael Ephraim, managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, who made a very insightful comment recently about the pricing of a rival product. Now, while prospective buyers have grumbled at the high price (AU$1000, or $743) of the PS3, Ken Kutaragi, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment, has maintained that the company's latest console is "probably too cheap," but acknowledges that it's a "expensive toy" -- although to be fair, Sony did just drop the price in Japan. Well, it appears that Kutaragi's minions don't necessarily agree with his assessment, or at least Ephraim appears not to. He recently told The Age (Melbourne's major metropolitan daily) his opinion of the Nintendo Wii, which will retail for AU$400 ($297):

"My only question for this Christmas on Wii is the price point. Even though it's affordable, at $400 plus whatever you need to buy accessories-wise, I'm guessing you need to spend about $500 to take home a Wii and enjoy it. For this Christmas, I think that price point is still not family entertainment because $500 is a lot to fork out . . . I think the price for what it specifically does as a video games machine is a bit pricey, but I think that their strategy long term we have great respect for."

So by that logic, mate, the AU$1000 PS3 will be what, exactly -- really frickin' expensive? Not to mention it'll be even more than AU$1000 when it comes with all its accessories too, y'know? So that makes your PS3 even more than twice as much as the Wii, which you say is "a bit pricey?" Mike, wouldn't you think that would mean that you'd want to, um, perhaps bring the price a bit down? Can't you call up your buddy Kenji and tell him what you told those Aussie reporters? Or maybe perhaps your colleague across the Pacific, the Kazmeister? C'mon, you guys could set up a meeting in somewhere convenient for all of you (say, Honolulu?) and work out the details. Then everyone would be happy, especially us lowly consumers.

Engadget Article

The hubris of Sony sometimes still amazes me.

[SpOoNmAn]

Is that for real?! WTF?

????????????????????????????????????

They have truly gone off the deep end, I am speechless. I'll bbl when I can gather my thoughts.

[CamDawg]

Engadget generally tends to be very reliable, so I'd be willing to bet that he actually made the comment.

[SpOoNmAn]

That comment is now in a few sites, removing any doubt its genuine. I am even more befuddled. Still speechless, be back later....

[SpOoNmAn]

Oh my goodness.

Same guy, different interview...

And while admitting Microsoft had done "fairly well" at launch, the Australia boss believes the Xbox 360 is focused on too narrow an audience and still priced too high.

"I think their product offering is still not broad enough. The content is narrow and appeals only to a very core group," he said.

He added: "It's still pricey, and I'm sure Microsoft will do everything they can, but if you just look at the offerings from each format and the marketplace that we are now playing in, especially PlayStation 2, it has to be affordable because we are talking about mass-market and non traditional gamers."

Source

Wii Australian price: 500
PS3: Sku 1: 999/Sku 2: 830

How is the Wii overpriced??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Someone please please Pleeeeease tell me Im reading all of this wrong and noone can be that insane. He puts Kenny K to shame! Well not really but close!

[BrewCityUpstart]

I believe its pricey for it not being next-gen, no HDDVD or Bluray, and I think no online gaming (I might be wrong on that one). In that light, the PS3 is a better deal.