Consoles Overdue for Price Cuts, Says Research Firm
Console price drops could boost sales not only of the systems, but of recent motion peripherals associated with them, according to an investment research group. GamesIndustry.biz reports that Cowan & Company conducted a survey of 2,301 respondents, and found that price is an issue for those who might otherwise be interested in jumping into motion gaming.
The group called interest in motion gaming from non-console owners “tepid,” so those who don’t already have an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 aren’t apt to invest so heavily to get in on the Kinect or Move. “We believe that the hardware manufacturers have left unit sales on the table by not reducing price points from $ 199 to $ 179 and $ 299 to $ 249 for the applicable consoles, and that doing so would have driven a more significant boost to hardware sales fro the release of new motion-sensing peripherals. We view continued stubbornly high hardware price points as one of the key factors dragging down software sales.”
Sony and Microsoft are both most likely hoping to spur sales with the peripherals themselves, reserving a price drop for later to give sales another boost. Both seem like valid strategies, so it’s hard to know if pairing a price drop with the motion launches would be more beneficial in the long run.
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