Microsoft’s UK boss Neil Thompson has responded to Sony’s E3 press conference by saying that 3D gaming is too expensive for consumers for now. Sony have attendees 3D glasses to view 3D content at the conference while revealing titles that will support 3D for the PS3.
PS3 users will need a 3D television for the effect to work. Thompson feels that the price involved with 3D gaming puts it a while off being mass market.
“If you look at the costs of entry into the living room and when that’s going to become mass-market, we think the offering with Kinect and the natural user-interface we’re bringing, that’s a more compelling proposition for consumers over the coming years than maybe looking at 3D at this point.”
Of course, Nintendo also promoted the 3D effect of its new 3DS handheld console, and that doesn’t require an investment in 3D glasses, but for living room gaming, maybe Thompson has a point on price for now. As for Microsoft’s Kinect, Thompson resisted providing any pricing information to Eurogamer.net.
“We haven’t decided to announce that at this point and we’ll make that decision in due course and then announce it in due course. We haven’t landed on a date yet when exactly we’ll announce it, but when we do we’ll let you know.”
Gamestop lists the Kinect at $150, which is largely expected to be around the price point Microsoft charges for the motion-sensing system.
Result for: mass market
According to Futuresource Consulting, despite slower than expected growth, Blu-ray software sales
will account for 50 percent of all home entertainment business by 2012.
Additionally, the company lowered its expectations for 2009, from 95 million discs sold to 75 million discs, specifically citing weak attachment rate with PlayStation 3s, which remain the most popular Blu-ray players. According to the group, PS3 owners only purchase 2 Blu-ray films per year, while standalone owners purchase 5-8 per year.
“This is all about pricing,” adds Alison Casey, Futuresource head of global content. “In 2012, you’ll see entry-level Blu-ray pricing at $50. At that point, Blu-ray will become mass market.”
Blu-ray sales will continue to help offset declining DVD revenues, caused by a saturated market which is now forced to sell DVDs at cheaper prices than ever in history.
“Blu-ray is vital and important to keeping disc volume healthy,” said Casey. “Blu-ray is going to help sustain a flat packaged-media market.”
Futuresource also adds that Blu-ray owners are unusually heavy media consumers, in comparison to non-BD owners.
A recent survey by the group says “85% of Blu-ray households said they buy discs versus 62% of non-Blu-ray owners.” For purchasing new movies online, “the breakdown was 11% Blu-ray, 3% non-owners.”
Result for: mass market
THX chief scientist Laurie Fincham has been quoted as saying that despite its victory over HD DVD, Blu-ray will not become the next standard in the home entertainment market.
“Personally, I think it’s too late for Blu-ray. I think consumers will only become interested in replacing DVD when HD movies becomes available on flash memory. Do we really need another spinning format?” Fincham is quoted in the Home Cinema Choice Magazine.
“In the future I want to be able to carry four to five movies around with me in a wallet, or walk into a store and have someone copy me a movie to a USB device. Stores will like that idea, because it’s all about having zero inventory. I don’t want to take up shelf space with dozens of HD movies.”
“By the time Blu-ray really finds a mass market, we will have 128GB cards. I would guess that getting studios to supply movies on media cards, or offer downloads, will be a lot easier than getting them to sign up to support a disc format,” he concluded.
