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

Posted by simoniker on from the pee-ess-everything dept.

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."

17 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Still sold out? by ObviousGuy · · Score: 5, Informative

    I walked through Yodobashi this afternoon and the PSXs were all sitting quietly next to the Digas and Pioneer sets.

    None of it was moving very fast.

    They may be selling quickly, but you'd never know it by the amount of stock still in the store. Perhaps someone in the article was exaggerating?

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    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
  2. Linux by manon · · Score: 4, Funny

    Will the Linux pack for PS2 be the China Red Flag Linux version?

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    42 + 1 = 42
  3. It might be making money now... by Realistic_Dragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...but what happens when Sony get sued by TiVo for including a PVR?

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    Beep beep.
    1. Re:It might be making money now... by ultrapenguin · · Score: 4, Informative

      Sony licensed tivo technology, so its highly unlikely that they will be getting sued for this anytime soon.

      their cocoon video server (which sucks, but thats besides the point), runs software almost identical to U.S. tivo series.

      There is little doubt that similar technology is inside this box as well.

  4. $941??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You could buy all the different players seperate and still come out ahead, sheesh.

    1. Re:$941??? by iainl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "You could buy all the different players seperate and still come out ahead"

      Yes, you could. However, they wouldn't then be all in one stylish box. Sony haven't really made much fuss about these boxes being aimed at anyone other than people who want cool gadgets that look good next to their plasma screens and iMacs; boxes aimed at the more cost-conscious buyer, or at least price-cuts to reach them, will come once the first lot have been sold for a fortune, just like with the PS2.

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      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    2. Re:$941??? by Golias · · Score: 4, Insightful
      It's not just about style. Little all-in one devices (such as the PSX and the iMac) are popular in Japan because Japan is a tiny island with about 150 million people on it. Anything that saves space is worth a premium, because housing there makes an American efficiency apartment look like a mansion.

      I don't really care if I need to set an entire room aside, separate from the media room, for just my entertainment devices. My "server closet" is practically a walk-in, and I'm fine with that. I've got plenty of space. Most Japanese people, even if they are well off, don't have that luxury.

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  5. The wisdom of integrated components? by Realistic_Dragon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    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.)

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    Beep beep.
    1. Re:The wisdom of integrated components? by Max+Romantschuk · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The thought of shelling out ~$1000 for a box that does so much fills me with slight dread <snip> 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...

      Then again, a lot of people simply don't want to tweak/assemble their own hardware. They want a box which does what it does, and they don't want to know how it does it.

      Judging from the sales, Sony seems to have delivered.

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      .: Max Romantschuk :: http://max.romantschuk.fi/
  6. Big sales in Akihabara by WebTurtle · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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.

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    ------- "One of the joys of travel is visiting new towns and meeting new people." -- G. KHAN
  7. It sold well by News+for+nerds · · Score: 3, Informative

    not in the traditional retailing, but in reservation. Huge number of interested customers reserved it on internet well before its release, and quietly received it on the release, withtout making rows in front of shops. Apparently SONY (not SCE) learned from PS2 launch. SONY doesn't need hype, unlike SCE.
    PSX has very reasonable price compared to other DVD recorders, and if you are not gamer it's good shopping and you have gaming feature just as unexpected bonus. It's opposite to PS2, with which DVD playback was bonus. Moreover, easy navigation with Emotion Engine / Graphics Synthesizer gives PSX good advantage to other consumer products.

  8. In China... by taxevader · · Score: 5, Informative
    ..grey imported machines, fully modded with two original controllers and 5 free games (which only cost 6RMB a pop anyway) cost 1800RMB. The offical non-modded Chinese PS2's with only one controller and no games cost 2300RMB. In two cities where the average income is below 1500RMB per month, who would buy the official version?

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    -Copyright law #69:Whenever Mickey Mouse is about to enter the public domain,copyrights get extended by 25 years.
    1. Re:In China... by awing0 · · Score: 3, Informative

      For anyone lazy or that cares:

      1 CNY(China Yuan Renminbi) = 0.120818 USD
      1 USD = 8.27690 CNY

      ..grey imported machines, fully modded with two original controllers and 5 free games (which only cost $0.73 a pop anyway) cost $217.47. The offical non-modded Chinese PS2's with only one controller and no games cost $277.88. In two cities where the average income is below $181.22 per month, who would buy the official version?

      Apologies for hijacking your post, I hope you don't mind.

      --
      Cthulhu Saves.
  9. Re:Still sold out? - Point of view by Maresi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hmm, praps Sony IS sold out, but all these boxen rot in the stores.

    So Sony sayes the truth: THEY are sold out. If any of these boxes has ever reached any customer is another story (this is, btw. an often-used marketing trick, e.g. M$ used it with WinME and esp. XP).

    Maresi

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    The checkbox said "Requires Windows 98, NT, or better. And so I installed Linux
  10. hey! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Nice freakin' job Slashdot! How about some links to pictures of the product and sony's page on it!!!

  11. Definitely more supply than demand right now by Alita · · Score: 5, Informative

    I live near Nagoya (Japan's 3rd largest city) and just like the Tokyoites are saying, PSXs all over the place.

    Not only that, remember when PS2s were hard to find and they were going for ridiculous prices on eBay? Well, I checked out Yahoo Japan Auctions and PSXs are going for about 10000 yen (~$100 US) LESS than retail. Obviously, not a lot of demand.

  12. Re:Supply and demand in Europe by locknloll · · Score: 3, Informative

    You can buy/order the Dreambox, a Linux-powered DVB satellite receiver with a LAN adapter and an optional HDD. Not really useful if you don't have a parabol antenna, but otherwise really sweet.

    Positive side-effect: you can upgrade programme keys via the Internet & watch all those nice channels for adult entertainment :) Problem, though, is that more and more programmes are scrambled in SECA2, which hasn't been hacked yet...

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    -- Power corrupts, but PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.