WII should just all get along

Microsoft and Sony are at each others necks already.


Microsoft
The always outspoken Peter Moore has been at it, questioning what direction Sony are taking and the decisions they have made with regards to the Playstation 3. Speaking to CVG in an interview, he spoke about Sony decision to make Blu-Ray standard in both PS3 bundles, Xbox 360 is not forcing hi-def DVD playback on you, and telling you that it is going to cost you an extra $200-$300 dollars. Instead of a hi-def DVD player Microsoft have a standard DVD-ROM will be releasing an external HD DVD drive later this year for an estimated $199.

Moore was also asked whether he thought the PS3 was overpriced, and responded as follows: Go ask consumers. That is where I get my feedback from. I am very comfortable about our price point for what it delivers, the number of games it has, and the quality of those games. Consumers are going to have to see PlayStation 3 games and ask, can I see $300 of difference in those games.I am not sure that’s the case right now. Sony has some challenges in answering that question.

Speaking another time at E3, Moore again attacked the pricing of the PS3, saying that for the price of both the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii together, you could afford one PS3,Tell me why you would buy a $600 PS3? People are going to buy two (machines.) They are going to buy an Xbox and they are going to buy a Wii for the price of one PS3.

He also, and rather surprisingly, had something positive to say about the Nintendo Wii, “People will always gravitate toward a competitively priced product, like what I believe Wii will be, with innovative new designs and great intellectual property like Mario, Zelda and Metroid.

Would you really expect anything less from the head of Microsoft Xbox 360 division? And it does make for interesting reading.

Sony

Sony's Phil Harrison has responded to the now infamous comments made by Microsoft’s Peter Moore, who said the following, "Tell me why you would buy a $600 PS3? People are going to buy two (machines.) They are going to buy an Xbox and they are going to buy a Wii for the price of one PS3.

Harrison, speaking in an interview with Gamepro, hit back at Microsoft with the following:

I think Peter Moore is exactly right. I think Nintendo will be the second system consumers purchase after PlayStation 3.

I have not had a chance to check out the Wii myself, but Nintendo has a great history of innovation and has always done great things for gaming and long may they do so. But as it relates to our strategy they are very much in a different market.

I know what Peter was getting at with his price point issue but he’s not comparing apples to oranges. He is not even comparing the same kind of food products at all. It is clearly a case that PlayStation 3 price is justified by PlayStation 3 value. That’s what consumers base their purchasing decisions on — value.

What we have in addition to a great game system is a Blue Ray player, a network platform, a new controller, and HDD in every system combined in an unbelievably compelling package. And frankly I am amazed that we can do it so cheaply.

Harrison responses probably don’t have as much sting as Moore’s, but then again he might prefer to let the console, and consumers, do the talking.


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