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Sony Says They May Not Hit PS3 Shipment Targets
Via 1up, a Bloomberg article exploring the possibility that Sony may not hit their shipment targets for the PS3. From the article: "Sony plans to ship two million PlayStation 3 players this year to the U.S. and Japan, and six million worldwide by March. The Tokyo-based company said yesterday annual profit would fall 35 percent to its lowest in five years on price cuts of the console in Japan and a recall of 9.6 million computer batteries. 'The honest answer is it's more of a target' for PlayStation 3 shipments, Jack Tretton, co-chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment America, said yesterday in an interview. 'Clearly we've had production issues.'"
They really suckered us in, didn't they? Even I was optimistic when I heard that most stores got at least 8 allocated. Now, I'm kind of shocked.
This kind of subtle hinting always seems to leak out before the bombshell drops. At least with Sony lately, that seems to be the standard. With only a million by Christmas, there was only going to be a launch in name. If there's less than one million by Christmas, then, in all practicality, we're looking at what amounts to a 2007 launch
burrocrisy
and that would be what? Ruling by jackasses? Never has a slashdot misspelling been more apropos
Wii can only hope. Sony have been mistreating their customers for far too long, and it's finally time for them to pay.
Registered Linux user #421033
Personally?
I love gaming.
I have a PS2, Xbox and GameCube.
The Xbox360 is starting to have some stonking titles coming out to play such as BioShock and Lost Planet. The Wii is looking sh*t hot and I've personally pre-ordered it. The PS3? Even Sony seem to be convincing themselves that it is a worthy investment. Regardless of cost, it looks like a mish-mash of ideas that are poorly conceived and put together. Much like the PSP it is likely to be a jack of most trades and a master of none. I hope it doesn't fail because there is a nice little 3 way competition going on which is forcing innovation e.g. The Wii. The only thing that has my interest piqued is Metal Gear Solid 4, and even that wont be out to play until late next year.
Just my 2 pence.
chris at darkrock dot co dot uk
http colon slash slash www dot darkrock dot co dot uk
I feel sorry for those poor suckers.
I don't, primarily because they're suckers...
This guy's the limit!
In other news, researchers announced today that "the sky is blue and water is wet."
More at eleven.
In all seriousness, do we really need to keep posting this? FTA: "PlayStation 3 game console because of a parts shortage in the Blu-ray high-definition disc drive." They get a big-wig to admit that their target shipment estimate is, "just a target." Unbelievable the stunning detective work that goes on around these parts.
No, Mr. Green. Communism is just a red herring.
The PS3 will do well. But I don't think it's going to dominate this console generation like the PS2 did. And I think a lot of people not only agree, but are hopeful that Sony gets a bit of a kick in the teeth this round. The way they've been talking about the PS3, and really a whole lot of their attitude as of late has been pompous and irritating. They've been acting like they walk on water, and gamers are lucky that Sony has the time to provide us with their hardware. And that's annoying.
Like Nintendo before them, Sony could use a good shot of humility, maybe it'll help them refocus. They need to remember and understand that consumers have choices, and that they need to earn our money.
Zonk is a Nintendo fanboy (so am I), and his anti-sony bent is pretty strong. All that being said, there's been way more bad news for Sony than good news for the past year or so, so it's not all Zonk.
One time I threw a brick at a duck.
If it will crater = be ignored by gamers, is not known yet. A lot will depend on how good the games really are. But one thing is sure:
Sony's delays in manufacturing will also delay game sales, and that will hurt Sony. No matter how good the finished product is, people who cannot buy it in the first place won't pay for it => less revenue.
C - the footgun of programming languages
Bits of both.
:) ).
:/ ) and we should be seeing more of what it can do (assuming the launch titles don't thrill as much as expected).
Zonk, from his own articles and admission is a die hard XBox user. There is certainly a rivalry, and Slashdot makes no bones about slant in its editors (no "Fair and Balanced"(TM-LOL) here).
On the other end, while I certainly hope Sony succeeds, and plan on buying a PS3 (in the second wave of adopters), there have been lots of negative articles in the press about both Sony and the PS3.
The media don't really care about the long list of grievances that most Slshdotters trot out, but they need to fill articles, and headlines. As we've seen in the nightly news, sensationalism sells. Sony hasn't exactly made it difficult, but playing the 'lets bash Sony' game seems big right now in the media. (as an aside, I noticed the CNet had a Showdown between the DS and PSP, and they chose the PSP
Unless Sony truly Fs up, the PS3 will be just fine. It might not be the out and out dominant master of its generation (like the PS2 was), but I don't think it will crater. The real question will be how things look next March, June and October.
If the PS3 is still selling out and is hard to get in March, it might be a bad sign (can't produce enough quantity), or a good sign (the demand keeps growing).
If the PS3 has sold enough by June the second wave of games should be hitting (assuming there isn't a summer slump
By next October we'll have a better handle on wether the PS3 tanked, or soared based on availability, game line-up, market-share, etc.
Of course, you can't expect a game company (or anyone responsible for a "games" column), to simply post "We don't know how it will do, so we're not going to print anything until it happens".
On a related note, take a look at the PSP. People started by writing it off (primarily because of UMD, similarly to how PS3 is being written off because of Blu-Ray). It had a slow start at good games. It launched in the US in march 25th 2005. This is its second "Holiday Season", the units are still selling and gaining popularity, availability is good, and lots of games are coming out (some stinkers, some ports, a lot more new and original content though).
Has it toppled Nintendo? No. Has it carved a niche into the hand-held market where lots of others have failed? Yes.
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