PlayStation 2 Sales Double Following Price Cut

Thanks to GamesIndustry.biz for its article discussing significant PlayStation 2 sales increases following the price cut to $149 last month. The piece quantifies: "Data released this week by Sony Computer Entertainment America shows that the console's sales rose by some 216 per cent in the week immediately following the price cut, with an increase of 141 per cent over the full period since the cut", and this means: "The increase in sales will have propelled the PlayStation 2 well past its console rivals, after Sony's platform slipped behind the Xbox in monthly sales for the first time since the launch of the Microsoft console." It's also explained: "The increased sales noted since the price cut have actually pushed year on year sales of the PS2 upwards, with 26 per cent growth on the same period last year - and should hopefully help to slow the overall decline in hardware sales which has hit the USA so far this year."

Comments

Re:Interesting.

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

Well, your comparison to the Gamecube is wrong. The deal was that you could buy a Gamecube and get a game for free from a very short list. If the game you wanted was on that list, great. If not, tough shit. Also of note is the fact that most of the games that were on that list were had for less than $50 at that point in time. I picked up my Gamecube for $80 as part of a Walmart special and got the Zelda collector's disc with four games on it - so I didn't get anything for free? Furthermore, yes - if you get the Gamecube package for $100 that doesn't include a game, you have to buy a game to play on it. That being said, there are plenty of great games out for the Cube that are less than $50. So it's going to be a less expensive purchase.

"This makes sense to me--and it made sense to him, but I imagine that a lot of people wouldn't be able to handle it. The economy would collapse. A very large segment of the population considers $19.99 to be a hell of a lot cheaper than $20."

I'll call bullshit on that. Where's your evidence? Have you taken any surveys to back that up? Furthermore, your assertion that the economy would collapse is simply foolish.

Re:No surprise

[NIN1385]

The people that realize that Microsoft is a horrible company that doesn't support products after they make new versions of them will keep buying Sony because Sony actually deserves it. Watch, mark my words, the next generation of consoles will prove to everyone that Microsoft truely does not give a damn about the consumer.

If you try to argue this point, ask yourself this question: "Did Microsoft get into the gaming market to make good games (keep in mind that all the xbox games that are worth playing were made by third parties) and game systems, or did they get into the market to make money?" If you know anything about the company's past then the answer should come to you quite easily. I will not give anyone that tries to argue this point with me the time of day, so don't bother...