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Analysts say 360 price cut should have Sony worried
If you haven't heard, the Xbox 360 has received yet another price cut. Effective today, the Xbox 360 Arcade model is available for only $199 -- that's $200 less than the cheapest PS3 model. While the PS3 is arguably a better deal, with the inclusion of a Blu-ray drive, integrated wireless and free online play, penny-pinching casual gamers may not see the value proposition of a system that costs twice as much as its competition. "Given the weaker consumer spending environment, the Xbox 360 should also now be in closer reach of more price-sensitive consumers," analyst Colin Sebastian said.However, with Sony focused on profitability this year, a competitive price drop does not appear to be on the radar for the PS3. Instead, Sony has opted to create larger hard drives and more attractive bundle options, such as the 160GB Uncharted bundle. "I suspect that the reason why Sony has been so adamant about maintaining its current price point is because it has not reached a more efficient scale in its manufacturing of the PS3," said analyst Jesse Divnich.Divinich also tells Edge that "Sony should be the most concerned [about the 360's price cut] ... Going into this holiday season, the PS3 will not only have the highest price point, but also the smallest software library, weaker line-up of exclusive titles (compared to Xbox 360's Gears of War 2 and Fable 2), and a less popular online network." Apparantly, he forgot about Resistance 2, SOCOM, LittleBigPlanet and a number of other PS3-exclusive titles for this holiday season. However, will the lure of these titles make up for the increasing price gap between these two rival consoles?
Analyst says Nintendo could fire first next-gen shot
We haven't cut Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian's picture out of Analyst Tiger Beat to tape onto our lockers yet, as unfamiliar as we are with his services. So take it with a grain of salt when we tell you that Sebastian thinks Nintendo's next console may release sooner than the others and could be a souped-up Wii with DVD playback capabilities....Yeah, that kind of seems like a gimme, but Nintendo has proven itself a notoriously hard company to predict. Let's just say that if he nails this ... we might be able to make some space for his mug between the Jonas Brothers and Billy Pidgeon.
Analyst: Next Nintendo console 'may' release before competition
Wii 2? Click for further Wii mockup lulz. var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Wii_2_to_beat_next_PlayStation_and_Xbox_to_market'; And statements don't get much vaguer than that, do they? Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian has published an investor note concerning the next round of consoles, full of words such as "may" and "could." According to Sebastian, new hardware is most likely to appear from the industry's major players in 2012, though he thinks Nintendo's next home console may release sooner, and could be an upgraded Wii with increased processing power, greater storage for moaning geeks and otaku, and DVD playback capabilities.Our problem with this? Sebastian seems to automatically assume that Nintendo will simply produce a box stuffed with superior technology. Anybody who has followed Nintendo over the last five years will know that that is probably the last thing the company is likely to do. %Gallery-29568%
Analyst: US software sales up 70% in April
With NPD results for April due out this Thursday, it's time for all the analysts to jump into the prediction pool. Pachter already got his out the door, now it's time for Lazard Capital's Colin Sebastian. GameDaily reports that Sebastian believes software sales for April will be up 70% year-to-year, thanks to GTA IV and Mario Kart Wii.Sebastian predicts that although the PS3 and Xbox 360 received a strong hardware sales bump from GTA IV, the PS3 has another one incoming with Metal Gear Solid 4 in June. He states that it's hard to determine what sales in the second half of 2008 look like compared to 2007, but believes the summer months (weak for revenue, even just a few years back) will continue to see strong retail numbers with Wii Fit, Rock Band Wii, MGS4 and movie-based games. Who needs to go outside? There's just sun cancer out there.
Analyst sees 2008 as a very good year for the DS
When it comes to predictions and the gaming industry, they often involve the name Michael Pachter. Not today, though, as an analyst for Lazard Capital Markets has tossed his own hat into the virtual ring of predictions and sees the DS as having an amazing year, even better than the previous year. Colin Sebastian sees sales improving from 5.9 million total units in 2008 to a far more profitable 6.4 million. We've never been ones to boast any kind of ability in predicting the future, so we would never dare make an estimation of our own. But, we will say that Nintendo knows what they're doing and amazing games keep releasing on the platform, so that's something to consider when looking at the future.
Another analyst says Wii Fit will push Wii shortages
While it's hard to get game industry analysts to agree on something as simple as whether the PS3 will be the best-selling or worst-selling console of this generation, it seems they are largely in agreement about one thing: Wii Fit is gonna be absolutely ha-yuuuge for Nintendo and the Wii. Lazard Capital Markets Analyst Colin Sebastian told GameDaily today that Wii Fit "could also exacerbate the supply constraints of the Wii console itself," echoing similar comments made yesterday by Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter.In addition to foreseeing supply problems for the Wii Fit game-and-balance-board combo pack itself, Sebastian predicted Nintendo would soon start producing over 2 million Wii units per month (up from 1.8 million currently) in a desperate attempt to meet demand for the system. A great idea, and one we'll recommend to Nintendo one-and-a-half years ago, as soon as our time machine is finished.
Analyst: NPD will show March was a winner for software sales
The March NPD report is expected next week, but Lazard Capital Market's Colin Sebastian believes software sales will be up 35% for the month. GameDaily reports Sebastian expects top sellers to include Army of Two, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and continued success by Call of Duty 4 and Rock Band. Thanks, in no small part, also goes to a little game called Super Smash Bros. Brawl.Sebastian believes an early Easter holiday and spring break for students assisted software and hardware sales. Speaking of hardware, the analyst believes that that his forecast of six to eight million Wiis being sold in North America during 2008 will "likely prove conservative" due to titles like Wii Fit. He expects healthy growth in the industry leading into the summer due to games expected this year like GTA IV, Mario Kart, GT5: Prologue, MGS 4 and Spore.
PSP hardware refresh coming this year, says report
So it looks like those endless rumors of a newly-spec'ed PlayStation Portable are finally about to come true, with an analyst from Lazard Capital Markets reporting that Sony has in fact copped to just such a device (most definitively NOT pictured above) at its Gamer's Day gathering in San Diego. According to Lazard's Colin Sebastian in a briefing regarding April game sales, "the company also indicated that [in addition to new software titles best left to another fine publication], a video download service and [PSP] hardware refresh are expected later this year." While both tidbits sound like potentially big news, Sony was reluctant to give up any more info on either of these asides -- meaning that you can still let your imagination run wild with magical features before the inevitable letdown. Still, if you've got your credit card in hand and sonystyle.com open in another tab as we speak, it might pay to hold off for a bit and see how this plays out. [Thanks, Jon D.]
Analyst talks price drop, Gran Turismo
Analysts, for some reason or another, are important to the industry. Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets commented on Sony's recent price drop of the machine, saying it will give the platform an important "shot in the arm." As the first official price cut since the product's launch more than two years ago, marketing will be crucial. Thankfully, according to Sebastian, Sony has a plan: "Sony is planning to support the pricing move with a new print and online marketing campaign targeted at young adults and teens." Let's hope it's better than what we've seen so far. Price is one of the sole detriments to PSP's performance. With a lower price, Sebastian notes, the system should sell much better: "We note that a Wal-Mart promotion on Black Friday last year generated significant sales volume for the PSP at a discounted price of $169, providing one indication of potential consumer demand. We also believe the potential release of Gran Turismo for the PSP in 2007 could further boost unit sales." Wait? Did he mention Gran Turismo? Isn't that game canceled? Or maybe it's not. Let's hope that he knows something we don't. The battle's far from over, the analyst reminds us. "It is too early to conclude whether Sony's pricing action will cause game developers to increase the pipeline of new PSP titles." Certainly, the price drop is encouraging, but "at the new $169 price, we note that the PSP is still $40 higher than Nintendo's DS." [Via GameDaily]
Analyst: lower price, younger demographic
Analysts get paid a lot of money to come up with stuff. While most of the info they spew out is incorrect, it's still fascinating to see the kooky predictions that they come up with. GameDaily BIZ reports that Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian believes that Sony will be targeting younger players in future PSP campaigns: "Sony could be preparing to bolster the PSP handheld market with a shift in marketing towards a younger demographic, possibly including a hardware price cut later this year."A lower price combined with some more kid-friendly software a la LocoRoco may help the PSP compete directly against its biggest competitor: the DS. Certainly, Nintendo has reaped the benefits of going for the younger gamer: will Sony be able to strike gold as well?
