SCEA: PS2 Price Drop Will Cut Into Wii, Eventually Help PS3 Sales

With a price drop to $99, the Playstation 2 is being repositioned as a family friendly video game console for the casual gamer.

Something that could put the Playstation 2 directly in the Nintendo Wii's big blue ocean, says John Koller, SCEA's director of hardware marketing.

"I think you can look at the PS2 as the competitor to the Wii," he said. "If you look at the technology and types of games launching for the Playstation 2, it lines up much closer to the Wii than the Wii does to next generation consoles And the Playstation 2 has a significant advantage in terms of broader consumer appeal."

Koller went on to congratulate Nintendo on what he called a "tremendous success story", but added that he thinks that there is an opportunity for the Playstation 2 to "steal some share base with this price and game line up."

While the Playstation 2 already has a more than 1,900 game library, both third-party party developers and Sony Computer Entertainment itself plan to continue to make games for the console, Koller said.

"Seventy to 80 titles will be launching this year and about the same next year," he said. "We are going to support it extensively."

But that doesn't mean that triple-A Playstation 3 titles, like God of War III, would be getting the PS2 treatment. Instead Sony will be focusing on social gaming and sports titles for the console with games like Sing Star, Buzz and MLB.

Koller added that there are "strong game franchises" coming to the Playstation 2 in the latter half of the year which will excite core gamers.

Because the Playstation 2 is the fourth console in a crowded market, Koller said that SCEA has been talking to national retailers to ensure that the console gets shelf space.

"This price drop helps in keeping or expanding shelf space," he said. "There is always pressure for shelf space."

And Sony doesn't think that this price drop will dig into potential Playstation 3 sales.

"We don't at all," he said. "These are different consumers. The Playstation 3 appeals much more to early tech adopters than the PS2 and the PSP attaches to mobile consumers."

Though, it's interesting to note that almost 80 percent of Playstation 3 owners own or owned a PS2, according to Koller.

"Do we think that someone who purchases a PS2 on April 1 is going to buy a Playstation 3 on April 2?" he said. "Probably not, but they eventually will."

http://kotaku.com/5192861/scea-ps2-p...help-ps3-sales