Although only rumored, and not officially announced as of yet, the most common supposed price point of the Sony's PSP2, dubbed NGP (Next Generation Portable) lies at $299.
With a confirmed launch in at least one territory by holiday season 2011, could this possibly cause confusion for buyers new to Sony's line of gaming consoles? Currently the price of the least expensive PS3 model stands at $299 with an upgraded HDD model priced at $349.
If the NGP and PS3 are going to go head to head in terms of price on the same shelf, wouldn't some buyers opt to purchase a fully fledged console as opposed to a portable? Perhaps they may not understand why the NGP wouldn't be less expensive due to its much larger counterpart being the PS3.
This is where it gets interesting:
Perhaps however, this is in Sonys plan. Introduce the NGP at the same price of the PS3. If costumers already own a PS3, then of course they'll be looking into Sonys new portable. For those who don't own either, may choose to buy the PS3 instead. Opting for a more powerful entrance into Sonys gaming market, and thus inadvertently increasing PS3 sales.
On another note, if the NGP does launch at $299, would it make sense for gamers to expect a price drop in any of the current PS3 models? Could Sony actually effectively move more PS3s if they cost less than the NGP? Of course they can, but what about those who don't quite understand the gaming market? People may negatively speculate as to why the Portable is more expensive than the console. Perhaps they may think that the NGP is overpriced.
I'm certain just as I write this Sony are asking themselves the same questions. Personally, in order to not cause any confusion among consumers, and to prevent any delusion to the NGPs identity that the PS3 suffered at launch Sony would have to introduce the NGP at or less than the price of the PS3.
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