On Monday, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's new President, CEO and Co-COO Andrew House said that owners of the Nintendo Wii console will eventually upgrade to the PlayStation 3 simply because of its various features. House took on SCEE's golden throne back on May 1 after a long, 14-year reign by former president David Reeves. House was originally Sony Europe's Chief Marketing Officer and Group Executive before taking on the larger role.
In speaking with Edge, House basically said that the upgrade history between Sony and Nintendo isn't anything new. His words ring true if not somewhat obvious: it's certainly not uncommon for gamers to trade in older consoles for newer, beefier versions. It's also not uncommon for gamers to switch platforms if one product offers features more suitable for a particular gamer; in this case, a Blu-ray player or PlayStation 3 exclusive titles.
“If you look back at previous lifecycles, like PS2 versus N64, we have lots of data that suggests that lots of people bought into N64 as their entry level gaming device, and were happy to upgrade to a more powerful machine later in the life cycle when the price point was right for them,” House said. “I think we're going to see this later on PS3, and the fact that it's a Blu-ray player as well and that there's a greater wealth of network based experiences than are perhaps available on the device they already have will add to the proposition. I think that will definitely be a factor in the marketplace.”
So does that mean European gamers will see a price cut with the PlayStation 3 anytime soon? House wasn't exactly clear on the subject, stating that European consumers have understood the total value proposition that comes with the PS3, and are not focused solely on pricing. "We will have to constantly monitor that and make adjustments when all the factors come into play and make the right decisions at the right time," he added.