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PS2 HDD price from IGN

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PS2 HDD price from IGN

Old 05-20-02, 05:44 PM
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PS2 HDD price from IGN

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/359/359778p1.html

PS2 Hard Drive Priced?
Those sneaky real journalists may have uncovered the HDD's US price point.

May 17, 2002 - The PlayStation 2 hard drive will be priced at approximately $80 when it launches, according to a report today by the San Jose Mercury-News. The Silicon Valley newspaper, a noted source of tech news, dropped the figure amid a general story covering the online strategies of all three major console makers.
SCEA has long since released details on the PlayStation 2 network adapter -- it will hit shelves in August for $39.99 -- but the hard drive has remained an unknown quantity. When contacted for comment on the story, SCEA representatives reiterated that no official information has been released regarding the price or release date of the hard drive.

An $80 price point for the American HDD would be substantially cheaper than its Japanese counterpart, which was made available in limited quantities for the equivalent of about $150. However the details actually shake out, look forward to more details on Sony's peripherals and online plans for PlayStation 2 at E3 next week.
Old 05-20-02, 09:01 PM
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Too expensive for my tastes. I was hoping they could keep it around $50.
Old 05-20-02, 09:08 PM
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Yeah, I was hoping for $50 also or bundling it with a game but I guess I can live with $80 if it helps with load times and no more memory cards. How big is the HDD going to be anyway?
Old 05-20-02, 09:17 PM
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Originally posted by s}{ammer
Yeah, I was hoping for $50 also or bundling it with a game but I guess I can live with $80 if it helps with load times and no more memory cards. How big is the HDD going to be anyway?
They were talking 20 gig originally, but since then I believe they raised it to 30 gig. Could even be more than that now. Put my name on a list, I'm buying one.
Old 05-20-02, 11:41 PM
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I wouldn't expect this accessory to be successful at all. I hope Sony will learn their lesson and build the HDD into the console next time.
Old 05-20-02, 11:47 PM
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Originally posted by Gallant Pig
I wouldn't expect this accessory to be successful at all. I hope Sony will learn their lesson and build the HDD into the console next time.
Until online gaming is established as the norm, this was the smartest move Sony could make. They didn't waste money and development time on a Hard Drive and Network Connector that might not even be used. The PS3 is said to be online only, meaning that it will have to have a hard drive.
Old 05-21-02, 07:23 AM
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I agree, at the time the PS2 was built online play wasn't the norm and I think Sony really didn't expect to need a HDD for the PS2. Now seeing what MS has done with the Xbox they are taking it a step further and giving you a larger drive, though you have to buy it. What they should do now though is offer current users a limited tme discount if they want it and start putting it in the new systems. Seems wrong to charge the same price as MS and then to make you go out and buy the adapter andthe HDD when MS has them bundled. This would go right along with Sony's all fronts attack what with dropping console and software price. Either way I want one especially if it cuts down on load times.
Old 05-21-02, 07:23 AM
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Originally posted by joshd2012


Until online gaming is established as the norm, this was the smartest move Sony could make. They didn't waste money and development time on a Hard Drive and Network Connector that might not even be used. The PS3 is said to be online only, meaning that it will have to have a hard drive.
Smartest move?

As far as gaining a large user base, correct.

As far as the quality of the games, incorrect. They are not going to evolve.

Even at an $80 add-on price, the HD will fail to attract the majority of gamers. If it's not widely used, then it's not going to be implimented on a wide-scale by developers. They don't want to alienate PS2 owners without a Hard Drive.

The network adaptor has a better chance of catching on at half the price, but it's still going to be a tough sell.

If the games cannot evolve to match what will be available on the XBox, then Sony better step up that PS3 creation. The quality of available Software has always determined the better console.
Old 05-21-02, 08:09 AM
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Originally posted by Flay


Smartest move?

As far as gaining a large user base, correct.

As far as the quality of the games, incorrect. They are not going to evolve.

Even at an $80 add-on price, the HD will fail to attract the majority of gamers. If it's not widely used, then it's not going to be implimented on a wide-scale by developers. They don't want to alienate PS2 owners without a Hard Drive.

The network adaptor has a better chance of catching on at half the price, but it's still going to be a tough sell.

If the games cannot evolve to match what will be available on the XBox, then Sony better step up that PS3 creation. The quality of available Software has always determined the better console.
I agree with a lot of this. History shows that most add-on adapters don't generally perform so well. Examples : Sega CD and Sega's 32X. The problem, as Flay said, is that you split the user base, and many developers won't risk making use of an add-on that only a percentage of the console owners have.

With that said, I'm still not convinced that a hard-drive is essential for console gaming these days. So far, most of the Xbox's hard-drive-related features seem like little extras rather than significant features. Time will tell if developers find creative and significant uses for the hard drive.

Right now, it seems like the only significant advantage of the PS2 hard drive is shorter load times. Which raises a question : will load times on _all_ PS2 games be shortened, or only new games that are programmed to work with the hard drive?
Old 05-21-02, 08:13 AM
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Originally posted by MaxF

With that said, I'm still not convinced that a hard-drive is essential for console gaming these days. So far, most of the Xbox's hard-drive-related features seem like little extras rather than significant features. Time will tell if developers find creative and significant uses for the hard drive.
Oh they have. Have you read about Blinx yet? Check out this over at IGN:

Blinx: The Timesweeper

"Read it now and believe it -- Blinx is a revolutionary platformer. Not just for the platform genre (he's more than just a cat with vacuum cleaner and his name isn't Luigi), but for videogames as we know them. Blinx takes the Xbox hard drive and more or less makes it function like a Tivo or Ultimate TV system. Play is recorded using around 200 megs of hard drive space. When you die, the game rewinds in front of your eyes to a point where you can start again. That's not all Blinx can do, though.

Players will be able to fast forward, record, rewind, and stop time to assist them in their quest. For example, a barrel falls off a roof. You pause the game, then hop on the barrel and rewind the game, allowing you to ride the barrel to the top of the roof from where it had fallen. The title character in Blinx is not affected by the shifts in time, and can move independent of the affected environment."
Old 05-21-02, 08:20 AM
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Originally posted by Flay


Oh they have. Have you read about Blinx yet? Check out this over at IGN:

Blinx: The Timesweeper

"Read it now and believe it -- Blinx is a revolutionary platformer. Not just for the platform genre (he's more than just a cat with vacuum cleaner and his name isn't Luigi), but for videogames as we know them. Blinx takes the Xbox hard drive and more or less makes it function like a Tivo or Ultimate TV system. Play is recorded using around 200 megs of hard drive space. When you die, the game rewinds in front of your eyes to a point where you can start again. That's not all Blinx can do, though.

Players will be able to fast forward, record, rewind, and stop time to assist them in their quest. For example, a barrel falls off a roof. You pause the game, then hop on the barrel and rewind the game, allowing you to ride the barrel to the top of the roof from where it had fallen. The title character in Blinx is not affected by the shifts in time, and can move independent of the affected environment."
Yeah, I actually referenced that over in this thread. If this is well-implemented, then consider me converted. I'm waiting till I see it in action and play it for myself before I pass judgement, though. If it's as good as it sounds, I may have to buy an Xbox at some point.
Old 05-21-02, 08:39 AM
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I read about that yesterday and I must say it sounds kinda cool. Can't wait to see how it is implemented in games other than platformers since I don't like those games much.
Old 05-21-02, 02:32 PM
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Anyone think it's funny that the PS2 would have to drop its price to $80 to be at the same pricepoint as the Xbox when you consider the accessories (modem + HDD).

Anyway, I don't consider quicker loading to be a small extra. Halo, a 40 hour game, is broken up into only 5 different levels. Enormous levels are seamlessly loaded when you go from one part to another.

Also considering you can make your Xbox an MP3 jukebox also rocks, and then never worrying about storing on gamecards (a huge GCN problem) also is great.

Sony missed the boat on this one...

BTW: Online only? Yuck.
Old 05-21-02, 03:39 PM
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Originally posted by Gallant Pig

Sony missed the boat on this one...
Did they? Considering that they are making a ton of profit from the PS2, they don't seem to have missed much. It's probably a smarter thing to have a console with a lot of add-ons later on, rather than have an all-purpose machine that doesn't sell as well, and the company gets saddled with a huge loss due to all the components within the machine.
Old 05-21-02, 05:11 PM
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Anyone think it's funny that the PS2 would have to drop its price to $80 to be at the same pricepoint as the Xbox when you consider the accessories (modem + HDD).

Anyway, I don't consider quicker loading to be a small extra. Halo, a 40 hour game, is broken up into only 5 different levels. Enormous levels are seamlessly loaded when you go from one part to another.

Also considering you can make your Xbox an MP3 jukebox also rocks, and then never worrying about storing on gamecards (a huge GCN problem) also is great.

Sony missed the boat on this one...

BTW: Online only? Yuck.


Yeah, Sony really missed the boat! The PS2 hit shelves in Oct. 2000 and has maintained it's $299 price for a year and a half before lowering it. It didn't have a Hard Drive or a modem. Here's the XBox, which has been out for about a half a year, already having to lower their system to $199 and their system costs more to make. Everytime an XBox system sells, from now on, Microsoft is losing money. Sounds like the XBox is a sinking ship.
Old 05-21-02, 06:33 PM
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Originally posted by Setzer

Yeah, Sony really missed the boat! The PS2 hit shelves in Oct. 2000 and has maintained it's $299 price for a year and a half before lowering it. It didn't have a Hard Drive or a modem. Here's the XBox, which has been out for about a half a year, already having to lower their system to $199 and their system costs more to make. Everytime an XBox system sells, from now on, Microsoft is losing money. Sounds like the XBox is a sinking ship.
The PS2 owners are the ones getting the shaft. I wasn't talking aboug the Sony corporation doing poorly, I was talking about the consumers not getting the benefits of a HDD. Obviously Sony thinks it's a worthwhile accessory that should go with the console, otherwise they wouldn't be releasing it.
Old 05-21-02, 06:44 PM
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Originally posted by Gallant Pig


The PS2 owners are the ones getting the shaft.
I am quite happy with my purchase and I don't mind shelling out some more money for a Network Adapter and Hard Drive.
Old 05-21-02, 08:00 PM
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The PS2 owners are the ones getting the shaft. I wasn't talking aboug the Sony corporation doing poorly, I was talking about the consumers not getting the benefits of a HDD. Obviously Sony thinks it's a worthwhile accessory that should go with the console, otherwise they wouldn't be releasing it.

No, it's XBox owners who will be getting the shaft when Microsoft jumps out of the console wars because it's losing $$$$! As a PS2 owner, I'm very pleased. There are a ton of quality games already out and more on their way.

When Sony released the PS2 it didn't have a need for the HDD or a network adapter...it's online plans hadn't even been laid out. I think it was a smart move on Sony's part. Why include something with your system at launch that users won't be able to take advantage of? Plus, they would have lost money by including both an HDD and network adapter and selling the PS2 for $299. You think Microsoft is making any profits off the XBox? NO! They are relying on software sales to dig them out of the hole...and with the system dropping to $199 they're digging that hole even further.

I don't mind shelling out another $100-150 to have a 30gig HD and network adapter so I can play online. I will get to play FFXI, Everquest 2, & Star Wars Galaxies w/ my PS2. Plus I know Sony will be around in the long run..don't have to worry about them bailing on their consumers(i.e. Sega & pretty soon Microsoft).
Old 05-21-02, 08:12 PM
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It's clear the PS2 will be well supported until the PS3. Now the HDD on the other hand.... Who knows? I will say I feel bad for someone who bought the PS2 for $300 and then has to buy $120 of accessories to take full advantage of every single game.
Old 05-21-02, 09:16 PM
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Sounds like setzer is feeling the grip of MS tighten around Fony's neck. It's ok for people to feel mad about having to pay extra for items that the PS2 should've already had. Which adds up to a 60% cost increase over the $199 PS2 price. Which adds up to $320 plus tax with the extra bonus of having jaggies in every game! Ha Ha!!

And as for MS jumping ship, it's obvious that MS is doing a pretty good job of chipping away at Fony's userbase and with MS being the hardcore buisiness that it is, it's not going anywhere. MS is taking plenty of games and making them Xbox exclusives.

All your Crash Bandicoots are belong to us!
Old 05-21-02, 10:31 PM
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Originally posted by WOWZY
the extra bonus of having jaggies in every game! Ha Ha!!
Obviously you haven't seen Tekken 4...
Old 05-21-02, 10:50 PM
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Originally posted by Setzer

I don't mind shelling out another $100-150 to have a 30gig HD and network adapter so I can play online. I will get to play FFXI, Everquest 2, & Star Wars Galaxies w/ my PS2. Plus I know Sony will be around in the long run..don't have to worry about them bailing on their consumers(i.e. Sega & pretty soon Microsoft).
1. It's $120. $80 for the HD and $40 for the network adaptor. You may shell out that much, but the history of add-on products all point to the majority of casual gamers not laying out the dough.

2. It's funny that you seem to be hoping that MS will "bail" on the XBox. Without their competition, Sony would still be selling the PS2 for $299 and all of their games for $49.99.

I guess you prefer to pay high prices. Does money grow on trees where you live?
Old 05-22-02, 12:36 AM
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1. It's $120. $80 for the HD and $40 for the network adaptor. You may shell out that much, but the history of add-on products all point to the majority of casual gamers not laying out the dough.

I said $100-150...didn't you read my post?

2. It's funny that you seem to be hoping that MS will "bail" on the XBox. Without their competition, Sony would still be selling the PS2 for $299 and all of their games for $49.99.

Not Hope it's R-E-A-L-I-T-Y! You can't be successful selling a product that you're not making a profit on. I guarantee you it costs more than$199 to build an X-Box.

I like most people spent $299 for their PS2...so even with the competition I still would pay $299 for my PS2, just because it came down to $199 doesn't mean I should save myself $100 and go buy a second one. As for the games..we have 3 consoles on the market and all the new titles still retail for $49.99...boy the competition has really brought down the price of the games!!! Sony, Nintendo, & Microsoft rely on software sales, because of the high margin in profit, to help off set costs of the hardware. So, prices of software will probably not change.

I guess you prefer to pay high prices. Does money grow on trees where you live?

I guess I could have waited until this past week to purchase my PS2 instead of getting it at launch and saved myself $100. I'm pretty sure X-Box owners should have done the same thing. You say competition will help lower prices...yeah hardware wise it will. Game prices are still the same and that's something that will not change. You mind telling me what kinda trees grow money?I'd sure like to find some.
Old 05-22-02, 12:46 AM
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Setzer, there is wide speculation and rumors that prices will be going down to $40 for 1st party PS2 and GCN games. Expect Xbox to follow suit.
Old 05-22-02, 12:49 AM
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Originally posted by Gallant Pig
Setzer, there is wide speculation and rumors that prices will be going down to $40 for 1st party PS2 and GCN games. Expect Xbox to follow suit.
They are just rumors right now, so don't expect anything. I have been paying $50 for video games as long as I can remember, so I really don't care if that changes or not.

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