In response to Sony Computer Entertainment’s sales target of six million PS3 (PlayStation 3) game consoles by the end of March 2007, Taiwan’s on-line game producers and gaming services providers have questioned the possibility of reaching the sales goal, according to industry sources.
There are four reasons for the Taiwan industry’s doubts: the pricing of the PS3 (US$499 for the 20GB model and US$599 for the 60GB model) is so high as to make consumers hesitate; the PS3 features built-in Blu-ray Disc (BD) compatibility, but currently the availability of BD players and drives is very limited, and the price level is very high. As well, the appeal to BD compatibility for the PS3 may be unfavorable to successful marketing of BD players and drives by Sony and other brands. The Xbox 360, from Microsoft, currently the sole competitor of the PS3, is considering adoption of HD-DVD, the alternative blue-laser standard, and this may put competitive pressure on the PS3.
Sony Computer Entertainment announced the launch and pricing for the PS3 at a press conference in California on May 8, two days before the opening of the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3 2006) in Los Angeles.
Article translated by Adam Hwang and edited by Chris Hall
