BusinessWeek is saying that Sony may be trying to pack too much stuff into the PS3:

The PS3 is expected to cost $350 to $400. While it has the potential to be a megahit, Sony’s message might get muddled in the process of going after too broad a market, says Deutsche Securities analyst Takashi Oya. “It would be difficult to sell PS3 initially as anything other than a game machine,” Oya says.

And:

“If Sony wants PS3 to be a hit, it has to avoid the marketing mistakes it made on PSX,” says Reiji Asakura, author of Revolutionaries at Sony, a book about the development of the PlayStation.

Another risk is that Sony could undermine software sales by positioning the PS3 as something other than a game machine. The company makes the bulk of its game profits not from consoles but from games, which can cost $50 or more. Even when Sony doesn’t design the games, it picks up royalties from each sale.

Personally, I’m not so sure this is a problem. I got a PSP recently, and I use it both web browsing and playing games. I’m not a big game purchaser, but I already have three games for the system, and I have at least four upcoming games on my seriously-consider list – Field Commander, Exit, Bust-a-Move, and Untold Legends 2. So am I confused as to what the PSP is for? Nope. Gaming and surfing.

I think the PS3 will be the same, but even more so. Who in North America doesn’t know what a PlayStation is? If you don’t know, then you’re not Sony’s target market anyway. And if you do know, then you’ll know that the PS3 will be for playing games. That it will do a bunch of other nice stuff is just gravy. Very tasty gravy, maybe from roladen for example (one of the best gravies I”ve ever had – that and sauerbraten), but gravy nonetheless. And besides, the kitchen sink approach doesn’t seem to be hurting the 360. It does about everything the PS3 will do, with a few notable exceptions.

So this week’s poll is pretty simple. Is Sony trying to do too much with the PS3?

(Poll is in the sidebar. For you feed readers, you’ll actually have to visit my site! Gasp!)

BusinessWeek – This PlayStation May Play Too Much