Sony PS3 vs My hard earned money: Round 1!

Since Sony's recent confirmation that the price of the Playstation 3 will be between $500 and $600 (almost twice as much as its competitors) when it launches later this year, the company has endured a flood of criticism. A developer for one of Sony's competitors called the company "arrogant" for thinking customers will pay that much just because it will carry the Playstation name. An industry analyst recently stated that Sony is in position to hand its competitors a "golden opportunity" to gain substantial ground in the battle for market share. The same analyst further went on the speculate that the Playstation 3 could actually finish 3rd to the XBox 360 and the Nintendo Wii in the Next-Gen console war. Naturally, this would not sit well with Sony, which has been the undisputed heavyweight champ of the home console market since the original Playstation launched in the late 1990's. To make matters worse, Amir Majidimehr, Microsoft's Vice President of the Consumer Media Technology Group, publicly aired the concerns over the high-profile Blu-Ray technolgy, the key component of the PS3, that prompted Microsoft to abandon Blu-Ray in favor of HD DVD technology for the XBox 360. One of the biggest problems that Majidimehr mentioned is that the discs are difficult to produce and more subject to production errors, potentially translating into more disc performance issues during gameplay. Yikes!

With all of this in mind, will the Playstation 3 really worth it's high price? Like most shoppers, I'm always looking for a good product at the best price. The more I hear about the PS3, the more I begin to doubt whether or not I'm going to buy one. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm as big a fan of Sony as the next person! The PS and the PS2 have provided me with some of the most memorable moments of my life as a gamer! However, I must admit that I've been pretty impressed with the XBox. After starting off slowly, Microsoft is having a strong finish to the current-gen console war, especially with XBox Live, which is a superior service to Sony's online package. Furthermore, let's not forget the Nintendo Wii, which blew the doors off of this year's E3 conference in LA and has unquestionably been the most innovative of the three consoles. Throw in the fact that I (along with most gamers) work VERY hard for my money, shelling out $500+ for the PS3 looks about as appealing as a root-canal! We'll see if Sony has a trick card up it's sleeve....no.......scratch that.....Sony BETTER have a trick card up its sleeve!