I was buying my grandmother some DVDs today when I saw there was a whole pallet full of 60GB PS3s. Back in May I thought that would surely be my entry into HD disc content. I went and double checked the Blu-Ray collection and nothing interested me that was on the format exclusively or that I couldn't eventually order from Europe like T2 or Brothers Grimm. Looking forward to The Graduate most of all personally.

Anyway if I find I just can't live without a PS3 or other Blu Ray player next year, I can always become format neutral and get a player . . . and a switcher <sigh>. Just thought it was interesting seeing the PS3s for the first time and before Christmas at that.

Some things observed during my Best Buy trip today: No Hd A2s - same as last week. No Sony stand alone Blu Rays - last week they had 4-5. One Samsung Blu Ray - last week they had 3.

A father and son buying 2 PS3s were overheard by myself: Struggling with the concept of HDMI, then deciding that they could figure some way to plug them into their TVs and complaining about Blu Ray saying it was all scam to "force" you to re-buy movies.

The hostility towards HD disc content continues and it astounds me everytime I come across it.

The way I look at it is that a majority of people don't see the need for HD discs (either format) because they don't have an HDTV. Once HDTV's start to contribute to more of the mass market (Tv's with at least 1080i), watch both formats increase. (just my two cents).

Isn't this the year where high-def tv sales surpass standard def? That's a good sign. Standard def tv's are getting phased out, which is also a good thing.

Yeah it wont be long HDTV's are supernova hot right now and the prices continue to plummet. SDhas a few more years tops and then I cant see many people buying them at all. I am actually surprised atthe adoption rate of HDTV right now. They really are literally flying off shelves. When I was at Sams club this week I personally saw 4 people buy one and I was only in that section for like 15 minutes. It was insane.

PS...

It's not just HD. I remember hearing years ago about how widescreen DVDs are a scam to get you to buy a widescreen TV. Also, how about when a new edition of a DVD is released, and people claim they're being "forced" to buy the new one?

The WII is winning the Christmas console battle.

$600 bucks is way too much for little Johnny.

I am shocked you saw PS3's just sitting on shelves. I don't get it...well, I do understand it's expensive, but don't people LOVE playstations? I remember when the 360 came out, you couldn't find one for MONTHS.

I don't know the sales of PS3's or anything like that. But I am just really surprised that, considering how much people love and play video games, that PS3's are just sitting at Best Buy (unless you just lucked up right when they got a new shipment and placed them onto the shelves).

Oh they were definitely being bought. I saw 10 people buying them while I was there. I'm sure they were gone within the next few hours. But yeah I was shocked too.

That's easy to consider if you think of it in dollar terms. The "cheaper" HDTVs are still $400 and up, which is 2-3x more than the cheaper TVs. And even the most expensive in-store non-projection CRTs were never more than $1000. (IIRC)

walmart by me has a TON of ps3's as of an hour ago. didn't see anyone buying & was in the area for about 20 mins.

They found out that they can't resell them on eBay, therefore, it's still sitting out there. People are actually losing money if you attempt to sell it on eBay now with Paypal and eBay expenses. I have read that the people who bought tons of them earlier are RETURNING them LOL.

I'm not shocked the PS3 is sitting on store shelves. I saw a stack of 60 gigs at Best Buy earlier today, going untouched.

In terms of gaming, they just don't have enough exclusive software that's worth a darn. Besides Resistance, there is certainly nothing substancial enough to justify the price bump from a premium 360. They have a lean couple of months ahead of them as well (in terms of exclusives).

In terms of an HD player, it's a great deal considering the current Blu-Ray player pricing. But it's absolutely not being marketed as one. The closest I've seen to a Blu-ray nod is the mention of the Talladega Nights inclusion in a recent commercial. The people I've spoken to about it hadn't a clue that a Blu-ray player was included. Nor did they seem very interested.

I don't care who you are; $500 - $600 is a steep price for anyone's Christmas gift. In my opinion, March 2007 will see the next substancial movement for PS3 sales, assuming Heavenly Sword and/or Lair is released.

Yeah, I'm not too shocked either. The high price is going to make the console less of a force in the market than the previous systems were. It will still be a successful system, just not as world-beating successful as the last two were. There's nothing wrong with that. Heck, I'm considering buying one (cheaper model, of course) for BD movie playback, even though I still don't like the controller.

I haven't seen a PS3 or a Wii in the stores yet.

I haven't either and have been looking frequently.

i think it's all a matter of being in the right place at the right time at this point. I was in a Target a couple weeks ago looking for a Wii and actually saw 2 PS3 60GB sitting there calling to me. But then I saw the $599.99 and came back to the real world.

If you don't see them (and you want one) you should ask a sales rep. I was in a Best Buy the day after Christmas and asked a sales rep and he went out back and grabbed me a 60GB unit. He said they just arrived. I was in the same store on Christmas Eve and they had one 20GB unit that was a return (packaging was a bit damaged) sitting in a metal cage on the floor. I'm glad I passed on that one and waited a couple of days to get the 60GB unit.

Every store that carries them around here has at least 5 on the shelf and the stores have been packed with people. I think the $600 price tag is just too damn much for people. I guarantee if it were priced like the 360 it would be flying off the shelf's like the Wii is. I've yet to actually see a Wii. I think the US is going to be to Sony what Japan is to Microsoft.

I paid 500 CAD(Retail) for my first PS2, Paying 650 CAD for my PS3 didn't seem all that much more. I got a half price Blu-Ray player, with a free videogame system.

Oh, and I've never seen a PS3 or a Wii on any shelf, any store. The only reason I got a retail PS3 is because my buddy bought one and sold it to me with no markup.

Ian

I have both the Wii and the PS3, and a 360 from last year. After the initial few days, I'm favoring the PS3 & 360 far more than the Wii.

I like the Wii, but it didn't take long for it to lose it's luster, and it seems like other people are starting to feel the same. The first half of 2007 looks pretty sparse for new Wii releases, while the PS3 looks to have a couple top notch games that will move systems.

Ultimately, it's way too early to declare a winner.

Having said that, next holiday season we'll see what attracts people more: souped up Gamecube games with a gimmicky controller, or HD 2nd gen PS3/3rd gen 360 games.