Sony's PSX A Hit In Japan, PS2 Launches In China

Thanks to Reuters for their story revealing Sony's PSX 'media center' has been a major hit in Japan, after the PlayStation 2, DVD recorder and DVR combo "went on sale on December 13 in Japan amid a flurry of media attention." According to Sony boss Ken Kutaragi: "We sold 100,000 PSXs in the first week. It sells for almost 100,000 yen ($941) and it still sold out. There are no products out there that can say that." CNET News are also reporting that the PlayStation 2 has finally launched in China, after "the company... shelved plans for its December launch but failed to provide a full explanation for the change." The PS2 roll-out seems very low-key indeed, though, as "the electronics giant cut down its distribution to two cities from the original five."

Comments

The wisdom of integrated components?

[Realistic_Dragon]

The thought of shelling out ~$1000 for a box that does so much fills me with slight dread, especially since (IME) Sony kit has of late not been totally reliable.

When it breaks at best you lose a lot of stuff while it is repaired under warranty - which still costs you mony (time, shipping) - at least if it was just your PS2 or your DVR that broke you could entertain yourself in the meantime. Not to mention the fact that as seperate parts it would probably be cheaper...

Of course this principle is why I went one step further and use PCs for my DVR and games machine as those I can always move onto another box if something breaks, and as far as repairs go it's usually a component that can be switched out cheaply :D

(It would be a lot easier to pick seperated over an integrated unit if there was a decent interface (like scart, but more so) for a/v units that you could gaurentee always worked and could switch multiple components seamlessly without blocking.)

Big sales in Akihabara

[WebTurtle]

In the US such a roll-out might be marked by long queues and frantic buyers worried about the store running out of stock. Not so here in Japan.

When I was in Akihabara last week they had huge banners in front of AsoBitCity (and other stores) under which there were several salesmen holding PSX units, running raffles, and demoing systems to crowds of people. However, there were plenty of units in stock and everyone around me was pretty calm.

I think the media center concept is a great one for Japan because space is at such a premium here. So having one unit that combines console gaming with DVD is huge since it reduces the number of items clogging up your precious shelf space.

Also note that most unmarried adults in their late 20's live at home with their parents, and like to have their own TVs and whatnot in their small bedrooms, so again, this device saves a lot of space... that's why it's so attractive to buyers here, whereas in the USA, where your living room is huge by comparison, there is no need to worry about space as much, so you have have multiple components sitting around being redundant.