Kotaku
Make. Them. Stop. Speaking with Australian paper The Age, Sony's Michael Ephraim opens his pie hole and smack talks Wii and Xbox 360 pricing. When discussing the finer points of how much the Wii costs, Ephraim claims that with needed accessories "to enjoy" the console, the AUD $400 (US $298) Wii turns into about AUD $500 (US $372). Continuing, he says:
For this Christmas, I think that price point is still not family entertainment because AUD $500 is a lot to fork out, but we welcome the Nintendo heritage of gaming where they can appeal to a broader audience because long-term that is critical for the industry.
*Keep in mind next year the PS3 will retail in Australia for AUD $830 and AUD $999 (US $619 and $745).
And what would idiotic remarks about the Wii be without idiotic remarks about the 360 as well? Not idiotic remarks from a Sony exec, that's for sure! So... Ephraim said the 360 did "fairly well" at launch, but claims the 360 is not broad enough for mass market gaming. He adds:
I think their product offering is still not broad enough. The content is narrow and appeals only to a very core group. It's still pricey, and I'm sure Microsoft will do everything they can, but if you just look at the offerings from each format and the marketplace that we are now playing in, especially PlayStation 2, it has to be affordable because we are talking about mass-market and non traditional gamers.
He then goes on to say the Australian/Euro delay is no problem because "it won't have any impact at all" and that retailers are "very keen and excited about a March launch."
Ugh.
Sony PR, please put a muzzle on every single Sony exec until the PS3 launches, because their fountain of stupid is not helping the console. At all.
Ephraim Says Silly Things [Games Industry]
