It seems to me that Sony's fanbase (aimed at teenagers usually) don't actually have that much cash to spend, most of the people I know who buy ps games buy them second hand or discounted to say nothing of pirate copies down the market or off the internet. And since Blueray is a totally new technology it's going to take a while for the piracy to filter down to a grass roots level. For more on the playstation 3 visit me at: web design company

What I'm trying to say is that I beleive a sizable portion of Sony's sales come from people who buy the machine for quality, cheap software. And since the cheapest software always comes with the widest market share I think this might alter in the next generation due to the fact the PS3 is pretty much a luxury item. Sony's whole marketing strategy is usually aimed at the "street" except when it comes to this new machine which clearly isn't.

Now, Sony has said that it intends the PS3 to last for a lot longer than the last generation (8 years or so) so I can understand their battle plan. Market to the prosumer first and then years later the machine will become cheaper and that market will grow. But isn't eight years an awfully long time in this industry and isn't $500 bucks a bit much. I hope Sony know something we don't otherwise they are giving ample opportunity for Microsoft and Nintendo to snatch a large part of the market back.