This week we weigh in on a phone, a camera, and the return of an angel-killing witch.
Current score
Andrew Passafiume: +340
Graham Russell: +109
Eric Schabel: +65
Shawn Vermette: +185
Results
PSPGo Price to drop to $200 before Thanksgiving
In a move that was long overdue, Sony finally dropped the price of the PSPGo from $250 to $200 this week, finally making it a viable alternative to the UMD-equipped PSP-3000, which remains at $170.
Andrew 90% = +40
Graham 50% = 0
Shawn 70% = +20
PlayStation Phone to be confirmed by Sony in 2010
Rumors are swirling madly this week over the long rumored PlayStation Phone, not to be confused with the also long rumored PSP2. Engadget is touting pictures of the rumored device, which appears to look similar to the PSPGo, while Sony initially stirred the rumors on by saying that the lack of a cellular connection is limiting the PSP, then follows that with a non-denial when asked about the existence of a PlayStation Phone. At this point, barring this being a massive disinformation campaign, it appears a PlayStation Phone is on the horizon…but will it be announced in what remains of 2010?
Andrew: Seeing as information about new Sony products is often leaked well before the official details are released, I would not be surprised if this were real. I don’t know if this will be the actual PSP2 or not, or just a way for Sony to try and compete with a company like Apple, but I can definitely see this happening. But with the failure of the PSPGo, it’s hard to tell if Sony is willing to risk another potential handheld failure. 65%
Graham: I can’t see them not officially announcing this project within two months of it leaking. Maybe the details will wait, as they don’t want to distract from the holiday season, but…well, that was my reasoning for doubting the price cut. Let’s go in the complete other direction today. They’ll do it! It won’t make sense, but they will! Probably! 85%
Shawn: You know, I would probably buy a PlayStation Phone if it came out…assuming it was an Android phone. Considering the wealth of information that has released this week, and the strange comments by Sony, I’d say they’re on the verge of going ahead and making it official.90%
Sega to announce Bayonetta 2 by E3 2011
Platinum Games, creators of Bayonetta, have been teasing the possibility of making a sequel to it almost as soon as it was released. So far, Platinum Games has not released a sequel to any of the games they made in conjunction with Sega, however Bayonetta sold better than any of the other games they partnered on. The desire is obviously there for Platinum Games, but is it there for Sega also?
Andrew: Bayonetta, despite a slow start in terms of sales, did do pretty decent business for Sega. I’m guessing if they are willing to get behind a sequel to The Conduit, a game that sold rather poorly on the Wii, they would definitely do a Bayonetta sequel. I’m not sure if it will be announced at E3 though; TGS seems way more likely. 60%
Graham: The deal with Platinum Games gave Sega ownership of the IP, so despite Platinum’s strict no-sequels policy, the game could happen. It’s a more successful property than the others Platinum made, and if there will be a sequel, it’d need to happen soon. People may balk at the idea of Platinum not handling the development, though. 50%
Shawn: Considering the desire of Platinum Games to make a sequel, and the fairly high sales of Bayonetta, I think the only reason Sega wouldn’t make a sequel is if they don’t have the rights to do so. Thus, I’ve got to lean heavily toward this being announced at E3, if not earlier. I mean, what else does Sega have that they can announce at E3? 75%
Kinect’s price to drop by July 2011
Microsoft’s Kinect will finally be released on November 4, at the somewhat high price of $150. Granted, this price includes the ability to play with at least 2 players, but it is still a higher price than many expected when it was first announced. We here at Snackbar Games wonder how well it will sell at that price. If it doesn’t sell well, will Microsoft react quickly to drop the price?
Andrew: This all depends on how well the Kinect sells this holiday. If it does good business for Microsoft, it might be another year before we see a price drop, but if it does only decently (or poorly) we might see it drop in price rather quickly. I can definitely see the price drop being more of a possibility than not, but it’s pretty hard to tell at this point. 60%
Graham: There are two reasons for a price drop: phenomenal success or any sort of failure. Products get cheaper when you ramp up production, and if the demand drops they’ll either want to (1) save face and move units or (2) get rid of everything and get the experiment behind them. So…Yes, this will happen. Maybe just down to $129 or so, maybe to $99. Who knows. 90%
Shawn: I hope that the Kinect vastly outsells the Move this holiday season, and not just because that’s what I predicted. I think it is a vastly superior piece of technology. On that note, I think Microsoft will be aggressive with pricing in order to increase sales or to keep the lead so I can definitely see Microsoft announcing a price drop at E3 next year. 80%
