I’ve used this space to ponder upon this thought before and now I’ll do it again; why is the PS3 still around? Sony must be funneling money from its other sections into gaming because lord knows it isn’t paying for itself. The PS3 still costs about $400 for the basic version, while the Wii costs only $250 (same price as when it came out) and the Xbox 360 has recently dropped its price to $199. The prices for the other systems are not only affordable but half the cost of the PS3. Also hounding the PS3 is its library of games, many of its games can also be found on other systems and its list of exclusives just isn’t enough to make me want to invest $400 for the system yet. In fact many of its exclusives are no longer exclusive (Final Fantasy XIII for instance is now making versions for each system). My theory is that the PS3 is hanging on by a thread and the only thing keeping it afloat is that every so often a game comes out for it that makes people buy the system because they really want that game. For instance Metal Gear Solid 4. The most recent game to keep the system afloat (under my theory) is Little Big Planet. Little Big Planet is a side-scroller with a powerful level creation system that has been (to use a vernacular) “hyped to the max.”

Now I’m not dumping on the PS3, I really want one in fact but I can’t afford it. So here’s my advice to Sony to bring them back to the front of the console gaming world, so listen up Sony. First, don’t think of the Wii as your competition. Nintendo of America caters almost solely to the family friendly crowd and the fans of their core franchises (Mario, Metroid, and Zelda). The vast majority of their games are rated E (Everyone) with the occasional Mature rated game. The Xbox 360 and the PS3 target an older audience than the Wii so they are more or less going for different target audiences. Second, drop the price of the PS3 to at least $250. Sony will lose money on the console but they’re already doing that anyway, and the console is not where the money’s made. Money is made on the games. Which makes more money, selling 1,000 consoles or selling 1,000 copies each of 20 games? Dropping the price of the console will put more PS3s in people’s houses and sell more games, and will also bring more game producers to the PS3, which means more exclusives, which will in turn mean more people buying PS3s. Thirdly and lastly, Sony, offer people something the other systems don’t. Actually, that’s the one thing you’re doing right now, you have some games that the other systems don’t, and from what I’ve heard your online service is far superior to that of the Xbox’s. So look, just drop the price of your system and focus on the mature demographic and you’ll be back on top in no time. Until then I’ll be dusting off my PS2 for some fond memories of when you could do no wrong and had the best RPGs.