These are all good points. I do think we will still see a price drop this holiday but you make an excellent argument as to why it might not be necessary. The question is will holiday stick sell through (in the U.S. And UK) this year like it was able to last year in the face of MS blockbusters and subsidies if it does not drop its price. I'm honestly not sure it would.
This is just my observation, but Sony tended to stock retail stores pretty conservatively last holiday. While the majority of the stores in my area tended to sell out, many stores had a higher initial stock of Xbox Ones compared to PS4s, and they sold out of those faster as well. Sony's strategy seemed to be in direct contrast to Microsoft. They sent out AC Bundles en masse, and received the brunt of retailer discounts because of it, as retailers wanted to clear out as much stock as possible as what was left over may not sell later on. I also expect MS to be more conservative with any official subsidies this year. Any blockbuster is more likely to be retailer-specific.
Actually, after what Gopher said, I'm actually starting to see a price drop to $349 being a possibility. I know I've always insisted that a $50 price cut wouldn't make much of a difference, but after some well thought considerations, it might happen. However, if Sony only drops the price to $349, I expect more aggressive bundling during the holiday season. Either way, I'm still seeing a price drop to $299 being more possible.
I feel that it's not about the price itself, it's about maintaining price parity with the competition. In the eyes of the average consumer, Xbox has two main selling points over PlayStation right now, and those are price, and Halo. I don't expect Microsoft to lower the limbo bar yet again, as the $349 price just became official last month, and their biggest money-making franchise comes out this year. Sony holds almost all the advantages at this point. I believe if they drop the price at all, it'll be $50 at most, just to take away one of those big marketing points. If a consumer isn't a Halo fan or has friends that own Xbox Ones, then the choice becomes a lot easier.
You mean that quote about smartphones and televisions that was not related to Playstation at all?
Why are people still being obstinate about this? He already clarified that the statement applies to any type of low-margin consumer hardware, a category that game consoles fall into. Sony could drop the price to $99 if they wanted to, and PS4s would be flying off the shelves. However they want to maintain a stable profit for now, and cutting the margin off your products is risky at this point, especially for a company that's only recently started turning the corner like Sony has.
