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Series S-style consoles ‘have not had great results’, says PlayStation boss

BabyYoda

Banned
Weird reply considering that Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2, which was the weakest console of that generation and sold significantly more than the GC and Xbox

Also,
s-l500.jpg

Weakest of it's generation, outsold it's competition.

Also,
bundle_color_console%20(3).jpg


May not outsell the PS4, but nearing 70 million units is far from a failure.
The PS was in no way the weakest in it's generation, regarding 3D it whipped the Saturn (the console I owned). Yeah it was behind in 2D, but that was so last gen...

As others have rightly pointed out, there is no precedent for the Series S and cheaper systems have done very very well at times. I have no idea why someone so clueless about the gaming industry is in his position.
 
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McCarth

Member
When your opponent lies on the ground defenseless you go full Mortal Kombat, but then I have no pathological need to root for the underdog.
I agree. Not sure what people are upset about, this guy is talking shit about his competition from a position of strength.

Or...

His job.
 

Redlight

Member
Jim Ryan is just continuing a long tradition of downplaying the strengths of the opposition - 'Rumble is a last-gen feature', 'EA play doesn't offer any value for our customers', 'we believe in generations'. Xbox has it's share too - "everything is output at 1080', 'we wouldn't give up a 30% power advantage'.

If we find ourselves defending these kinds of empty PR statements then we get what we deserve. We're at fault because when they offer us bullshit we eat it up, tell everyone that it tastes just great and, in the process, ask for more.
 

HoodWinked

Member


There's less DE to go around apparently.


retailers are going to want less consoles without the disc drive so they're still relevant in game sales. thinking about it and its almost like the PS5 is targeting to sell for $499 but giving the mirage price of $399. Where as the Xbox is using the Xbox Series X specs as the mirage and selling people a $299 console.
 
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People buy nintendo consoles on the back of mario kart, super mario bros, zelda, metroid, kirby, that Nintendo fighting game, and a couple others... There is a small level of care for the specs.

Sony amd MS are playing many of the same games, MS will have a jard time explaining the benefits of the seriee S compared to the one X. Like it's new, but doesn't do 4k like the last one, but your games should load fast, on the other hand you will be stuck with the 720 to 900p AAA games of the previous gen base Xbox.

Kind of yucky.
 

TheContact

Member
It wouldn’t be fair to compare his statement to say, the ps4 and ps4 pro, because there was a need for a ps4.5 console, just as there was a need for an xbox.5 console. I’m just not sure what he means by a history of low spec consoles selling poorly because i can’t think of many that failed because they were simply poorly specced. You can go all the way back to the gameboy and the gamegear for another perfect Nintendo example of this.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Stop talking Jim, you’re not making things better.

Actually no, put more journalists and microphones in front of him and ask him more and more questions because it’s comedy gold. Ask him if the world is flat next.
 

vpance

Member
Why? As more consoles have been sold, the skew toward digital has only increased. This would lend credence to casuals, not the hardcore, buy more digitally. Do you have anything to back up your thought?

Let me phrase it this way: if the hardcore buy digital, why does the XSX have a disc drive? Wouldn’t it make more sense for Microsoft to put a disc drive in the XSS not the XSX so that they’re making more money off their hardcore who primarily digital? Mobile is dominated by casual players. Old folks like me want a physical collection, not the casuals.

Your comments about XSS being in no mans land also doesn’t really make sense. It appeals to casuals or those looking for a budget entry point. That’s not “no mans land“. It has a very clear market, one that has proven to be quite lucrative.

The hardcore can buy digital or physical, doesn't matter. They just typically want the best version hardware and also buy the revisions or Pro models.

Casuals at large simply do not care about buying into the new gen at launch. XSS attempt to disrupt that will fail. We see from the polls they merely converted potential XSX sales to XSS sales without expanding their one third market share against Sony.

By the time XSS is $249 or whatever 2-3 years in the snowball effect will be in full swing and the #1 factor I posted above becomes far and away the primary decision maker. PS5 DE remains a big spoiler to the mid gen XSS hopes as long as they stay lock step in price reductions with it. It will sell to Xbox fans, for sure. Maybe even be half of all Xbox sales. But to trigger a big expansion to the market and bite into Sony's pie? It's unlikely.
 

Xenon

Member
WTF is this dude talking about? No one has ever released a lower spec console like the Series S. Sure smaller drive and less features, but never a completely scaled down graphics card. Man needs to stop smoking the shit. This is completely new territory here.

Also people saying this is stupid because "who wants a low spec system? " Parents looking for shit to buy their kids at Christmas. While Sony's padding their last gen numbers, Microsoft will be building their new base. This could be huge, especially if MS has product.
 

Alan Wake

Member
Wii isn't a Series S style console. If you're a prospective Xbox buyer you're going to get an Xbox no matter what. Which Xbox are you going to get? Jim is implying out of the choice of the two they will not readily flock to the lower spec'd one so it's a futile effort. There was ONE Wii to choose from, there weren't two different SKUs.

On the other hand his strategy was to give people the same spec but a lower price point on one as we know.

We all really know that power doesn't matter, the games do, but you've misinterpreted what he's saying here.

Yes and no. He says people want to buy a console that doesn't feel outdated in two to three years. The Wii felt outdated when it launched. It didn't matter, though. People didn't care.
 

Alandring

Member
I'm pretty sure Xbox Series S will massively outsell Xbox Series X. PlayStation 5 will sell better overall, but it's because it is the strongest gaming brand and because Sony has many amazing exclusives, not because it is more powerful.

If you consider buying a Xbox Series S, you probably don't care about the power of your console.
 

Shmunter

Member
I'm pretty sure Xbox Series S will massively outsell Xbox Series X. PlayStation 5 will sell better overall, but it's because it is the strongest gaming brand and because Sony has many amazing exclusives, not because it is more powerful.

If you consider buying a Xbox Series S, you probably don't care about the power of your console.
Polls indicate S the underdog. However only core would be partaking in those. Casuals may tilt that.
 

bender

What time is it?
I'm struggling to think of another company that has attempted this strategy. I'm really curious to whom he is referring.
 

Shmunter

Member
I'm struggling to think of another company that has attempted this strategy. I'm really curious to whom he is referring.
Perhaps its any product with tiered skus, the cheapest doesn’t sell?

What are the ratios for 20gig ps3 and 360 arcade pack?
 

bender

What time is it?
Perhaps its any product with tiered skus, the cheapest doesn’t sell?

What are the ratios for 20gig ps3 and 360 arcade pack?

That's a good point, but capability wise those lesser SKUs were fairly similar. I think the 20GB PS3 was missing ports like the media card reader?
 

Mr.ODST

Member
Jim Ryan is an absolute con artist, first lied a shitton about Playstation so MS took the flak now chatting shit on something he doesnt know about as it hasnt been tested yet
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Weird reply considering that Gamecube was more powerful than the PS2, which was the weakest console of that generation and sold significantly more than the GC and Xbox

Also,
s-l500.jpg

Weakest of it's generation, outsold it's competition.

Also,
bundle_color_console%20(3).jpg


May not outsell the PS4, but nearing 70 million units is far from a failure.
Comparison makes no sense, if Sega and Nintendo released a Next-Gen console in 2022 more powerful PS5 and XSX but sold considerably less you wouldn't look back saying the weakest consoles sold better 🤔
Complete lack of hindsight

Also maybe he referring to second 20gb PS3 launch SKU with less features?
No one gave a shit about that one so he is not wrong
 
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Jim Ryan is an absolute con artist, first lied a shitton about Playstation so MS took the flak now chatting shit on something he doesnt know about as it hasnt been tested yet

So he is doing what he gets payed for? Its his job to sell PS5 and paint Xbox as the console for losers.
Its not his job to be objective, factual or sing kumbaya with MS.
 

Mr.ODST

Member
So he is doing what he gets payed for? Its his job to sell PS5 and paint Xbox as the console for losers.
Its not his job to be objective, factual or sing kumbaya with MS.

But his job is also for Playstation fans, some of the bullshit he pulled isnt good for anybody, especially the crossgen
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
It plays the same games with the same features at a lower res for $299. That's win/win for people who own 1080p TV.

Good, then I don’t want to hear shit about 12 > 10 going forward from the most fanaticunt camps, especially if 1080p in 2020 is handwaved with such gymnastics.

:messenger_weary::messenger_ok:
 
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_Spr_Drnk

Banned
Wii isn't a Series S style console. If you're a prospective Xbox buyer you're going to get an Xbox no matter what. Which Xbox are you going to get? Jim is implying out of the choice of the two they will not readily flock to the lower spec'd one so it's a futile effort. There was ONE Wii to choose from, there weren't two different SKUs.

On the other hand his strategy was to give people the same spec but a lower price point on one as we know.

We all really know that power doesn't matter, the games do, but you've misinterpreted what he's saying here.

Not only misinterpreted, but almost seemingly wilfully.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Reading comprehension.


He is saying the lower spec version will not sell as well as people think.

The 2 I can think of are.

PS3 - 40GB vs PS3 60GB, the 40GB version was discontinued
WiiU 8GB vs WiiU 32GB, Nintendo recalled the 8GB version
The 40 GB and 60 GB PS3 were both discontinued in less than a year, yet they still sold out at launch. Sony killed both launch machines quickly in favor of consolidating on an 80 GB SKU and a price cut to get out from under the fiasco of 599 US DOLLARS. Ryan must be speaking more from Sony corporate experience of too many SKUs and confusing communication that left Sony struggling to keep up for most of that generation.

I think the lower spec this time is different. It's an entry point that's accessible to more people and not quite as big of a shock to upgrade from halfway through the generation. I know people with 1080p TVs who can't afford 4K who would benefit from this. They can afford $300 and it will be the best they could take advantage of. They would would also pay $300 for an incremental upgrade every 3 years or so as they upgrade their home entertainment tech.
 

Alandring

Member
Polls indicate S the underdog. However only core would be partaking in those. Casuals may tilt that.
Yeah, I don't think many people here are casuals or price sensitive. I think most of us buy the best version of their console (Pro or X) or the .80 version of the RTX, but there is also a huge market for consoles like Xbox One S/Series S, Switch Lite or RTX 3060/70.
 

llien

Member
J.Ryan explained in an interview with the Japanese website AV Watch, Sony analyzed the situation and rejected the idea, considering such a move unsuccessful.

First of all, I want to say that I respect the decisions and approach of each of our competitors. Obviously, price is a very important factor for buyers. And we respect the strategies of other companies. However, we believe in the effectiveness of our own strategy and plan to adhere to it.

If you focus on the history of the gaming industry, special versions of consoles with a reduced price and less power in the past did not have much success. We have considered this option, and we know that even other company managers understood how problematic this product is.

Jim Ryan
CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment

Please delete this thread if my GAF-search-fu has failed me.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
We know, but this does not make it any less stupid, becase that precedent was set ever before.
 

Orky

Banned
Swapping or inserting a nvme drive is so easy noone gonna mess it up. Lol what are you Even Talking about.

how does it work on PS5? I have no idea.
Don’t even know how to find a correct one. I need two actually. Can you point me, please? Since it’s so easy.
 
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Punished Miku

Gold Member
He saw a Wii U commercial once. This explains it.

Pretty much every other more affordable and less powerful console has dominated
 
D

Deleted member 775630

Unconfirmed Member
So we created the biggest console ever launched
 
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