Can New PS3 Colors Boost Sales?

As many of you gamers know, Sony’s Playstation 3 has trailed in the “Big Three” console war for quite some time now. The Nintendo Wii continues to dominate in sales, while Microsoft’s Xbox 360 continues to outsell the PS3. The most obvious reason as to why the PS3 still continues to be the lowest selling console of the three is its price. The Wii is currently selling at $249.99 USD, the Xbox 360 Pro sells for $299.99 USD, and the PS3 continues to sell at $399.99 USD. It is no wonder that the PS3 trails the pack in sales, it costs more in addition to a smaller selection of games.

The reason the PS3 still sells for such a high price is because it costs so much to manufacture the console. Sony still hasn’t made any money on PS3 sales due to its high manufacturing costs. Recent upgrades to the hardware will ease the manufacturing costs, but the PS3 will still sell at its current price for quite some time. Of course, many people believe the PS3 is a bargain because it has Blu-ray functionality while at the same time being a gaming console. But, with the falling prices of Blu-ray players, the bargain isn’t so great anymore.

One thing I have wondered is why Sony hasn’t produced PS3 consoles in a variety of colors? The only colors currently available are in the standard black, the gun metal MGS4 edition, and the ceramic white version sold in Japan. It may seem like a simple idea, but different colors might attract the hesitant buyer. Imagine some preteen girl obsessed with the color pink. This preteen walks into her local Best Buy and sees a bright pink Playstation 3. I would bet that she would soon be begging her parents for a pink PS3 to add to her collection of pinkness. It doesn’t have to be pink, it could be purple, green, orange, red, blue, etc. The chances of selling a PS3 on its color alone could work. It’s one of those gimmicks that Americans love, they like their individuality, albeit most just follow the crowd. I can imagine people buying more than one PS3 just to have a collection of PS3 colors, that is how materialistic Americans can be. So Sony, why not make a switch, and start selling the PS3 in a variety of colors instead of the mundane black, silver, and white that currently sits on the shelves? It might actually boost your sales.

So, what might the PS3 look like in different colors? Well, here are some Photoshops I did of the PS3: