The big strategic move this summer in preparation for another sales brawl within the videogame space came from Microsoft when they slashed the price of all their Xbox 360 skus. More importantly, they lowered the Arcade sku to $199.99 which effectively priced it below Nintendo’s wallet-friendly Wii and marked the first next-gen console to break below the $200 mark.
With this move the stage is set to capture “casual gamers” between Microsoft and Nintendo. But what about everyone else? Not every shopper is looking for the “cheapest” gift this holiday season. The door is open for Sony to step in and steal some sales for shoppers looking for something “more.”
Sony has already taken a step in the right direction to push the Playstation 3 as the ultimate living room entertainment device by releasing a new sku this holiday season with a beefed up 160GB hard drive, a DualShock 3 controller and PS3-exclusive Drake’s Fortune game. That’s a nice bundle, sure. But we think Sony can do a lot better to lure prospective buyers into PS3 ownership.
Bundle #3: 160GB PS3, DualShock 3, Tomb Raider Underworld, Tomb Raider Movie Blu-ray
Drake’s Fortune is a good game and all but it has been out for almost a year. A brand-new adventure for Lara Croft and Tomb Raider is a far more marketable combination than aging Drake, even if it isn’t a Playstation 3 exclusive. What can be exclusive is packing in the Blu-ray movie as well so prospective buyers know they can play the movie and the game on the same machine.
Bundle #2: 160GB PS3 w/Sackboy Logo, DualShock 3, LittleBigPlanet, Sack Boy Doll
We can’t recommend bundles without hitting up a first-party exclusive, right? While Resistance 2 is destined to be a big seller, we think LittleBigPlanet will have broader appeal. Since the bundle comes with a game whose main character is poised to become the new face of PS3, we want to see a physical representation of that character packaged into the box and burnt onto the side of the console. Sack Boy needs to be realized and sitting on our couch.
Bundle #1: 160GB PS3 w/Bat Logo, DualShock 3, Dark Knight Movie Blu-ray, Batman Begins Blu-ray, LEGO Batman Game
Clearly this bundle packs a lot of physical media but man, wouldn’t you want to own it? Take a PS3 console, burn in a fiery Batman logo on the hood and pack in one of the hottest Blu-ray releases to-date along with what will become “the” hottest release in early December. And for good measure throw in LEGO Batman to round out the complete Bat-package. There isn’t a single person on this planet who wouldn’t want to open up this box on Christmas morning. I already own a PS3 and I’d be giddy like a school boy to find it under my tree.
There you have it, folks. This is the type of product we feel Sony needs to cobble together with their partners and put on store shelves for the holiday season to stand out against the “battle of the fewest bucks” between Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. Agree? Disagree? Chime in with your suggestions in the HDR Forums.
