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Sony Profits, PS2 Sales Slide
Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz for their article discussing Sony's disappointing games division financial results. According to the piece: "Global sales of the PlayStation 2 may well have peaked, with Sony's results for the quarter ended June 30 revealing a steep decline in sales of the console and a drop in overall revenues for the games division of the corporation." The specific news was mixed: "The company sold some 4.59 million PS2s during the quarter last year - this year, however, the figure has dropped off to 2.65 million. As you might expect at this point in the console's life cycle, however, software sales are up - gaining four million units in during the period this year to bring the total to 31 million units."
Could it be that *gasp* most people have a ps2 or some other next gen system by now? High sales can't go on forever.
Hacker Media
Well that is to be expected, as was mentioned earlier... and the fact that they *loose* money on consoles, and make it back in software means that sony might actually be duing better for it.
My inner self is ineffable, so don't eff with me.
What does it matter if their hardware isn't selling like it did last quarter or last year? They're making a profit from licensing for games, right? How are the numbers for ps2 games? If sony is making a profit, I'd say game sales must be decent at least.
Sony still hasn't gotten my money, but it's coming. I expect console sales to rise once GT4 is released next year. I know I'll be buying one!
I bet 60-75% of those broken PS2's could've been fixed with a CD/DVD cleaner kit. Or, if you're adventureous like me, you can open the lid and clean the lens manually with some rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip. I was getting the disc-read errors constantly, but now it loads like a dream... and I got it about a week after they hit the market.
(note: don't try if it's still under warranty)
"When I smile, I have a mouth full of teeth; when I frown, I'm not even here."
Troll?
Ya know, I'm a die-hard Nintendo nut. I did not find his comment offensive. I wonder if he was misinterpreted?
"Derp de derp."
Also note that their profits dropped 98% since last quarter (I believe).
Sounds like somebody's not getting bonuses for Crash Bandicoot this year!
wonder how many of those ps2s were in the living room of heavy smokers?
one great way to jam up your components would be to have a fan blowing electrically conducting tar across your motherboard
the ps2 under the tv must take a bit of a battering
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
There are two figures being thrown around. That sony's profits dropped 98%, and that Sony's profits dropped 30%. Both are accurate. The 30% figure refers to the games division, and shows that while sales are slightly off, things are still going well. Sony does not make that much money off of each PS2 (though word is that they are no longer selling them for a loss) so the slowdown in base units and increase in software sales were fully expected. The 98% figure refers to Sony as a whole, which includes all their divisions.
Basically Sony's game division is dragged down by the rest of the company, and believe me, Sony is a large company. Japan's still involved in a recession and deflationary conditions, and the Yen has risen strongly against the dollar, cutting into the profits from exports and consumer electronics sold here. So combine a slack marketplace at home, a reduction in profits from your core products due to exchange rate variances(consumer electronics often have razor thin margins to begin with), and a mature product line, and you have a worse quarter than before.
The games division continues to be a bright spot for Sony and continues to help the company stay profitable. It's only a small part in such a large company, but it is a significant one. The games division did have a slightly weaker quarter than before, but I think this can be attributed to exchange rate variance (remember that the PS2s are largely built in asia then shipped over, meaning the real cost of those just went up), less profit per first party game sold (again, exchange rate), and the line-up of third party release.
If they charged $99 I'd buy one. Otherwise I'm a PC guy.
We all know that PS2's are poorly put together and thus this is why they break down a year or so later forcing you to buy a new one and hoping it WONT break down.
You must master your joystick like a fisherman masters bait! - Gimpy
A normal CD lens cleaner that can be used on audio players and in most CDROM/R/RW drives should do the trick if you really must clean the lens.
NEVER try rubbing alcohol and a q-tip because a friend I know did this once and basically damaged his Gamecube to the point it wouldn't read anything anymore, same could happen with a PS2. If anything use a eye dropper to blow dust off it.
You must master your joystick like a fisherman masters bait! - Gimpy
Actually, it just means that you're not quite as zealous a Nintendo fan as you think. Now honestly, I've already _seen_ this mis-represented as "woohoo, Sony is losing, Nintendo was right all along." In another forum, but still...
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.
I would expect though that _any_ console would see a number of returns, at the hands of clueless users. Remember that these things are not marketed at veteran IT professionals.
In addition to smoke and dust issues, there's also the issue that a console is lightweight enough to carry around with you. Just toss it into any old bag and there you go. (I used to take my Dreamcast with me even to work at the old company, when I was between projects and with nothing better to do. Another guy took his PS2 with him.)
Now imagine how many such consoles had to deal with various mechanical shocks (like being smashed into a wall or into a bar in the bus while in that bag) or condensation (after carrying it through a freezing winter, I don't think everyone let it warm up before turning it on.)
A polar bear is a cartesian bear after a coordinate transform.