I was one of those people until I read this;

"All four machines had similar standard memory configurations in the years 1982/83: 48K for the Apple II+; 64K for the IBM PC; and 48K for the Atari 800.

At upwards of $1,200, the IBM PC and Apple II were more than twice as expensive, while the Atari 800 cost $899."

Looking at that I would say the PS3 is quite cheap xD

aye, the nes ranged between $200-250 in the USA, with the snes at the same price. Other consoles that appeared went up to $1000, and if you think about it, people had less money back then. Value has gone down over those 20+ years as the dollar has gone up. No one in their right mind would spend 250 for an nes in todays standards, it was similar back in the day as well. A price tag of $599 is reasonable.

Manf.----Console-----Launch---Sales----Original price
Sony---PlayStation-----1994---102.49*-----$300
Nintendo-----NES -----1985-----61.9*------$200
Nintendo-----SNES-----1991----49.1*-------$200
Atari--Atari 2600-------1977-----40*--------$200
Nintendo--N64---------1996-----32.93*-----$200
Sega---Genesis--------1988-----29*--------$190
Sega---Mega Sys.-----1986-----13*--------$200
Sega---Saturn---------1994-----10*--------$400
Sega---Mega CD-------1991-----6*---------$400
Sanyo,etc----3DO-----1993------6*---------$700
SNK---Neo-geo--------1990------1*---------$650
Philips--CD-i-----------1991-----567**------$700
*millions
** thousand

Notice a semi-constant trend? Usually the higher the price, the less it sells. Now this isn't a conclusive list, but it includes some of the more popular consoles (NOTE: I didn't include this gen or last gen consoles because they are still being manufactured and sold)

For a better comparison visit this site to get a broader perspective on console prices then and now: (I cannot attest to the accuracy of the relative prices)

http://curmudgeongamer.com/2006/05/h...-500-aint.html

One will notice that the pricier consoles (i.e. CD-i $400, 3DO $700, and NEO GEO $650) did not fair as well as their competition. However, if you look at their relative price, what they would cost today, they exceed the price of the PS3. So there is room for speculation....

Personally, I think the PS3 will outsell the 360, but it will take some time... maybe by early 2009. But I also think that its $600 price tag forms a sort of psychological hurdle in the mind of the consumer, because it exceeds $500, making it closer to 1K. Plus we've all been taught to round up after five. However, from previous console sales and their relative cost it seems that the sweet spot for console prices is between $300-450.


-Sorry for the screwed up chart, but if any of my figures are off, please let me know

well done... logical and precise. 80% concrete points, 20% backed up by opinion. I like.

You can't compare computers to video game systems. They were (and always will be) higher than video game systems. It's like comparing boat prices to cars.

I find it hard to believe the Neo-Geo only sold 1 million, while the 3D0 sold 6 million. The Neo-Geo was awesome, and had a lifespan of over 10 years. Great 18th birthday present from my mom in November, 1990.

...No it wasnt.

Oh yes it was. The Neo-Geo was probably the greatest birthday gift I ever got, and the most expensive. You may not have liked it, but I was a huge NG fan.

You forgot the Phantom, N-Gage, Atari 5200, Neptune, 32x, Virtual Boy, and many other game systems that defined failure. I personally think the worst of all was the Phantom. Since it never launched, and still pulled in millions of dollars in funding. It was a massive fraud for some con artists.

1) I could build a top of the range PC for less than the price of a PS3 or a 360. Hell, my laptop is pretty decent and this is both less and from the rip-off artists at PC world.

2) Not all of them are computers; and, at the time, the definition between a computer and a console was extremely slim.

1) And if you're talented enough, a person can build his own car for just a few thousand. Building is irrelivent, we're talking complete here.

2) The "IBM PC, Apple II, and Atari 800" were mentioned. All three were computers. The defination between computers and systems was vast back then too, just that computer games were more popular then now, or so it seemed. I know, I lived that era.

The Neptune never launched either. How about the M2, the followup to the 3DO? It too was never released. It sure did look cool though.

Thats actually a bad comparison. You can buy a custom built PC from websites like ibuypower.com or the like for about just as cheap as you could if you make it yourself. A car on the other hand.. nuh uh. Cars are much more complex as well, and you cant just buy any ol piece to put in the car, but with a PC you have a wide range of options to make it work. Putting together a PC takes at most an hour, usually less if you know what you are doing.

So, you cant really compare building a car to a computer. They are worlds apart.

We also can compare video game systems to computers because... yes video game consoles ARE computers. If the PC is a human, the console is therefor the chimpanzee. It seems that consoles are evolving to the point of becoming as advanced as the PC, but the PC is what birthed the console.

We also can compare video game systems to computers because... yes video game consoles ARE computers. If the PC is a human, the console is therefor the chimpanzee. It seems that consoles are evolving to the point of becoming as advanced as the PC, but the PC is what birthed the console.

^^
i agree with this

Or all that other stuff was really expensive?

Seriously are we now comparing chimpanzees to human beings? as a simile for computers and games consoles?!

"If the PC is a human, the console is therefor the chimpanzee" "but the PC is what birthed the console"
= (Human beings gave birth to chimpanzees?"

So my PC is millions of years more evolved than my xbox360? lol

These PS3 threads just get crazier and crazier...

For those who love PC gaming you cant get a better gaming PC than the PS3. If you like media, I.E. home movies, photos or movies on disc, there really isnt a better media player then the PS3.

Giving its big (but no bigger than a 360 mind you) and round which makes it hard to stack, would you still need a DVD player next to it anyways? Nope. Since it can play DVD's, why have a DVD player near it. It also replaces the old PS's, having almost complete backwards compatibility you can free more room by moving your old PS's somewhere else or just packing them completely. A flaw i see in most other hardware is that you still need the older console.

Sony has made a near perfect system every time and always worth the investment.

I remember those. Only ever saw ONE in my whole lifetime but what I do remember was fantastic. Same with the PC-Engine. Like a black powerful Gameboy. Great!