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Something to keep in mind is that it's becoming a trend that companies sell the systems at a loss (Notably, I think the only company that doesn't is Nintendo).

by DSMan195276 11y ago

Something to keep in mind is that it's becoming a trend that companies sell the systems at a loss (Notably, I think the only company that doesn't is Nintendo). Especially for the beginning of it's life, this is only practical if it's a closed system - Because if it wasn't, then they're essentially just offering the hardware at a huge discount to people who have no intention of buying any games, and the games is where they're going to make their revenue. I don't know if Sony every actually said anything official, but I remember that being part of the reason why the 'Other OS' feature was removed from the PS3 - Places/People were buying them up and running Linux on them because they were such a good deal for the hardware. I wouldn't want to bet money on my predictions, but I would say that if someone does build a platform like the PS4 that's open and can run Steam, it would cost a lot more for the consumer then the PS4 since it would probably be priced closer to the actual value of the hardware - And that would put off a lot of potential customers. That said, there's an obvious chicken-and-egg problem in getting people to buy the system, and getting developers to develop for it, but having a cheaper system is definitely an advantage (Obviously, already being well-known to both developers and consumers is probably even more important). Regardless, if they had set the price of the PS4 at $1,000, it probably wouldn't be doing so hot right now.

JohnBooty 11y ago
but I remember that being part of the reason why the 'Other OS' feature was removed from the PS3 - Places/People were buying them up and running Linux on them because they were such a good deal for the hardware. Wait, really? The PS3 was outclassed by generic PC hardware pretty quickly, and wasn't much faster than a netbook unless you were writing some seriously multithreaded or PS3 GPU-specific code. I never heard of many people buying them to run Linux and I don't remember any prominent open-source projects that targeted the PS3. The real danger (for Sony) in opening up their consoles is the risk of piracy. That's a huge attack vector for hackers looking to defeat a console's copy protection scheme(s). Sony's biggest nightmare is a world where teenagers can easily copy games because, as you say, that's where the real money is.
- reddytowns 11y ago
  At least somebody thought it was a good idea: http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/09/military-purchases-2200-ps3s/ http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/09/military-purchases-2...
- chejazi 11y ago
  > The PS3 was outclassed by generic PC hardware pretty quickly I agree here. Running Yellow Dog Linux [0] on my PS3 was a fun weekend project, but it never came close to replacing my dedicated computer. I didn't even notice the update that removed it, which in hindsight could have been pretty bad had I used it more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Dog_Linux https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Dog_Linux
  - mmozeiko 11y ago
    People were not running Linux on PS3 for desktop/server usage. They were running it there for scientific computations. This was before GPGPU (cuda/opencl) became better price/performance choice.
    - chejazi 11y ago
      Interesting. I found more about this on Wikipedia [0]. As a tech hobbyist with a PS3 in my teens, I was genuinely interested in a desktop replacement. I shared this interest with others in my cohort at the time. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster
- stephenboyd 11y ago
  They were a popular choice for building supercomputers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/science/an-economical-way-to-save-progress.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/science/an-economical-way-...
- Dylan16807 11y ago
  Agreed. They removed Other OS three and a half years after launch. That's well out of the initial discounting period.
touristtam 11y ago
I would argue that the "loss leader" strategy has been part of the game for both Sony and MSFT since they have entered the video game console, forcing SEGA out of the hardware market.

JohnBooty 11y ago

but I remember that being part of the reason why the 'Other OS' feature was removed from the PS3 - Places/People were buying them up and running Linux on them because they were such a good deal for the hardware. Wait, really? The PS3 was outclassed by generic PC hardware pretty quickly, and wasn't much faster than a netbook unless you were writing some seriously multithreaded or PS3 GPU-specific code. I never heard of many people buying them to run Linux and I don't remember any prominent open-source projects that targeted the PS3. The real danger (for Sony) in opening up their consoles is the risk of piracy. That's a huge attack vector for hackers looking to defeat a console's copy protection scheme(s). Sony's biggest nightmare is a world where teenagers can easily copy games because, as you say, that's where the real money is.

reddytowns 11y ago
At least somebody thought it was a good idea: http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/09/military-purchases-2200-ps3s/ http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/12/09/military-purchases-2...
chejazi 11y ago
> The PS3 was outclassed by generic PC hardware pretty quickly I agree here. Running Yellow Dog Linux [0] on my PS3 was a fun weekend project, but it never came close to replacing my dedicated computer. I didn't even notice the update that removed it, which in hindsight could have been pretty bad had I used it more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Dog_Linux https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Dog_Linux
- mmozeiko 11y ago
  People were not running Linux on PS3 for desktop/server usage. They were running it there for scientific computations. This was before GPGPU (cuda/opencl) became better price/performance choice.
  - chejazi 11y ago
    Interesting. I found more about this on Wikipedia [0]. As a tech hobbyist with a PS3 in my teens, I was genuinely interested in a desktop replacement. I shared this interest with others in my cohort at the time. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster
stephenboyd 11y ago
They were a popular choice for building supercomputers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/science/an-economical-way-to-save-progress.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/science/an-economical-way-...
Dylan16807 11y ago
Agreed. They removed Other OS three and a half years after launch. That's well out of the initial discounting period.

touristtam 11y ago

I would argue that the "loss leader" strategy has been part of the game for both Sony and MSFT since they have entered the video game console, forcing SEGA out of the hardware market.