Marketing In The News

Live in your world, play in ours.

     For this blog post for marketing in the news, I chose a recent product announcement by PlayStation, introducing the "PlayStation Classic". The reason behind my choice of this article is simply my love for the original console; the weeks putting discs in our original console with my two brothers and father made up a good chunk of my childhood and acted to bring us together in a more strategic and heartfelt type of way. Sitting in the living room in the early morning as the light between the blinds peeked in, while our dad helped us out with beating a stage for hours are some of the most vivid, happy memories I can take myself back to.

     An article put out by mySA: "These four missing features make the PlayStation Classic fall short of the original", describes how this newly revamped re-release of the first console may just be inferior to its original predecessor from 1994. PlayStation is set to release a miniature version of its original console, pre-loaded with twenty hit games, along with a pair of USB Controllers, all for $99 USD. Playing these old games in high definition is surely a plus, although the new product removes multiple key features from the original which bring a greater experience to the player. 

     Firstly, the dual analog sticks featured later after the PlayStation release, giving its audience a better movement alternative will not be present on the new classic edition controller; rather, the player will resort to using the old-schemed "D-PAD" for movement within games. As well, the "DUALSHOCK" feature, adding vibration to horror and action games giving players a more in-depth experience will also be nowhere to be found on Sony's new release. Players will no longer have access to a well-used disc tray like on the old console, meaning the elimination of features like playing original owned games inside the console, as well as not being able to insert music discs inside, as the original console dual-purposed as a CD player. As mySA quotes quite well, 

"Seeing the PlayStation Classic include some functionality beyond the limited list of 20 games would be a big bonus."

     Playstation's Value Proposition is to provide a premium video game experience for one or many, at a reasonable price tag. 

     The elephant in the room has always been about Sony and its unwilling fact to bring backward compatibility to its customers, while Xbox provides its audience with the feature included in its latest console. Nintendo and its recent decision to release the "NES Classic" featuring preloaded games outputted at a higher resolution than the original, influenced Sony to jump on the bandwagon and develop their own re-release of a console. Although, unlike Nintendo, Playstation most likely came up with the idea to re-release their original console to settle any disputes of customers asking for backward compatibility, with an alternative solution to play their well-loved games. This strategy was not original, it is only an influenced action based on Nintendos decision earlier this year; therefore, nothing really unique about Sony's new PlayStation Classic. 

     If I were the brand manager, I would most likely ask the fans which games they would want to see on the new console, rather than choosing 20 well-known games, which may not be very well liked. Nonetheless, the decision of a re-release is a smart idea on Sony's part, which will undoubtedly bring in more sales from a wider age spectrum than the PlayStation 4 Alone.

     What I learned from this article is that some features within Sony's new product: the "PlayStation Classic" that are well used by not only me but by PlayStation enthusiasts, will be missing from its release. Having no vibration, no analog sticks, along with twenty games which I personally don't find the majority partially interesting is a big turn down for not only me but most likely a fair share of retro gamers alike. I am a collector of the original system, so the product would be no use to me in the first place, but the fact that it will be missing these features, especially many games that I grew up with not being present within the database is kinda a bummer: maybe just a nice $99 desk ornament. Although, Sony, is yet to release the rest of the game titles later this December, so maybe my opinion on the product may change in time!

Source: https://www.mysanantonio.com/technology/businessinsider/article/These-four-missing-features-make-the-PlayStation-13279485.php