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PS3 Missed Ship Targets, Loses Exclusives
Sony's having a rough week. After shootings on launch day and a harsh review from the New York Times, Bloomberg is now calling Sony out as having completely missed its shipping targets. The analyst company says there may have been as few as 50% of aimed-for units available, and that the company may only get about 200,000 units to stores by the end of the year (something Sony flatly denies). PS3 fans now also have to deal with the fact that Koei is cross-platforming two previously exclusive titles. Fatal Inertia and Bladestorm are now in development for the 360 as well, marking the latest in a string of titles that have slipped away from Sony. There is some consolation for the company to take away from this week, though. They did better than Microsoft last week in Japan, with around 81,000 PS3s, 19,000 PSPs, and 16,000 PS2s sold to a mere 4,000 Xbox 360s and ... 4 Xboxes.
Why don't we get USEFUL numbers. Sony launches a console, Microsoft has a console that's been out for a year. Why do we expect Microsoft's console to sell as many?
In america the amount of consoles Microsoft sell weekly isn't that many (probably 5 digits on a good week, but not much more)
Of course it wouldn't be 1up article if it was biased in some random direction.
Then again Microsoft's numbers are picking up in preperation for Blue Dragon, only a couple monthes ago they were barely breaking 1K units. However now it's much more.
I was just in the Sony Style store at 550 Madison Avenue (Sony's US headquarters) and they were selling PS3s. There was a line of about 15 people (ok, men) at the checkout, which is highly unusual in my experience (I shop there regularly) and the staff behind the desk had some PS3s sitting on the floor ready to be handed over. The boxes go out in a distinctive black bag with PS3 graphics on it.
In addition to the problems mentioned in the article I have been noticing quite a few other issues with the PS3 at this point. Here is a listing of a few of the problems reported already:
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l oses-up-to-306-per-unit-xbox-360-profits-76-per-sa le.htm) and the PS3 having the lowest attach rate (0.98) of any launch in the industry, including the original XBox.
- Poor backward compatilibity with PS1 and PS2 games (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6136677.html)
- Numerous high def upscaling issues including PS3 BluRay movies not appearing in high definition properly (http://loot-ninja.com/2006/11/19/ps3-hd-scaling-
- A very poor online system, as compared to the Xbox Live System (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/20/arts/20game.ht
- No high definition cables ship with the system, you are stuck with a composite cable unless you pay extra (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/20/arts/20game.ht
- Poor graphics on side to side game comparison tests: http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/tonyhawksproje
- Poor framerates and "tearing" reported on multiple game titles, including Tony Hawk and Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire (http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sim/gundamworld/revi
- Poor buggy development tools which make development very hard as compared to other current gen systems (http://www.redherring.com/Article.aspx?a=19611&h
- Multiple launch titles cancelled or delayed due to development issues (http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=7200)
With the Xbox 360 already having 7 million units sold worldwide, the Wii approximately 600,000 units, and the PS3 only having sold 200,000 units in North America and 80,000 units in Japan and none in Europe it is hard to see Sony succeeding with the PS3. The PS3 may be the largest disaster yet for Sony this year, with each PS3 losing $306 for Sony (http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2006/11/16/ps3-
If I'm correct the original PS3 was set to be built without the BluRay.
I'm willing to bet that is the root their delays.
At some point some marketing exec sat down at a global strategy meeting and predicted that to make BluRay work they would need to inject using their most popular gadget.
Won't it suck for that exec if it turns out BluRay killed the PlayStation...or at least crippled it regardless of majority share of the market.
"No doubt one may quote history to support any cause, as the devil quotes scripture." - Learned Hand
I'm not usually a Sony doomsday prophet, but if something can kill the PS3, it's this. They need their RPGs. They need Koei and Squeenix. If those juggernauts start to slip away, then Sony is in big, big trouble. Most switches will lean in the 360 direction because of comparable specs and input mechanisms. If the exodus reaches some sort of critical mass, where companies don't believe that the PS3 will sell anymore, that whole situation might end very badly for Sony, and very well for MS and, to a lesser extent, Nintendo.
Sony is dying.
Same troll, new generation.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
At this stage in the game, who is buying a NEW Xbox? You couldn't find a used one or hit up Ebay? I need to find one of these 4 people. I have a nice 486 with a Turbo button that they might find appealing.
-Now I may be an idiot, but there is one thing I am not sir, and that, sir, is an idiot.
At the end of all this, its just Sony's to lose. They are the reigning KING of consoles. Anyone can spew the facts of Xbox this or Nintendo that, but at the end Sony controls 65%+ of the console gaming pie.
'High DEMAND' thats key word buzz of the report. what the consumers were thinking about for PS3. Chances are a good portion of people who wanted a PS3 and didn't get one will NOT switch over to another system. Its not like they are thinking 'Well I guess I'll get an Xbox 360 since I can't get a PS3' Thats just wrong consumer mentality to assume.
This lack of shortages does not matter. If Sony pushes out PS3 next year this will be a thing of the past. Sure they may lose market share to Nintendo and MS, but unless there is massive failure on their PS3 I don't see anyone knocking them off their throne too soon.
spoken like a true fanboy! shortage=high demand think about it. and the fact that blue-ray is being used is the main reason why there is shortage there expensive and more diffcult to make. sony even had to push back thier home blue-ray players becuase they had the same problems. and ten decades? a decade is ten years? so 100 years ago sony was making gaming consoles. damn your smart. besides the ps3 is computer that runs linix yeah... it's like that.
Don't get ahead of yourself; Netcraft hasn't confirmed it.
Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten.htm
For 2006 through the end of October, 84,949 360s sold in Japan. 81,639 PS3s sold at launch.
From what I can find, there were 100K 360s sold in Japan in 2005.
So it looks like somewhere around 190K 360s vs 82K PS3s in Japan currently with Microsoft's 1 year head start.
Value Japanese sales in the greater scheme of things as you please.
"PS3 Missed Ship Targets" the convoy must have made it safely across the channel then.
Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Elon Musk put an AI chip in its head.
Who the heck cares what the NY Times says. If your going to the Times to get a console review then there is no hope for you.
Morality, filters both ways.
PS3 Missed Ship Targets, Loses Executives
Am I hte only one that read it that way the first time.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
3A 4E 22 05 C1 83 0B 7A
It's random, but my posting it here is probably considered illegal to someone.
Actually, I'd say it's quite the opposite. I would fully expect 360 sales numbers in Japan to be lower than usual because of Blue Dragon. It makes sense and here's why.
We know that there's surprisingly a lot of interest in the Blue Dragon 360 bundle, set to release in December. It also recently took over the #3 spot on Famitsu's list of most anticipated titles. So, if you know there's a bundle coming out in December, why on earth would you buy a 360 now? It's akin to buying a system when you know a price drop is going to happen in a few weeks.
The numbers will be most interesting a week after the game and bundle launches. (The week it actually ships will see an artificial bump of 360 sales, similar to the PS3 one. I fully expect, "wowzers, 360>PS3 lolololezr" articles then as well) Then we can start tracking trends to see if MS will actually have a chance in Japan, or if it's going to be more of the same.
-- jchenx
A small number maybe, but Sony are also undoubtedly losing out on the import markets. After they recently shut down Lik-Sang.com and got importing PS3's to the UK and a number of other countries banned by law they will have surely shut out a sector of the market of those who are the most hardcore gamers and cannot wait for their consoles (with the European and Australasia launch coming in March 2007 due to lack of Blu-Ray components). It's a shame they had to go to these lengths, which would be understandable if they had have had a global launch date, but leaving some countries without the console for a number of months isn't the best idea, and by blocking imports to those countries they are only loosing more sales and aggravating consumers.
I have a feeling that Sony will need to start giving incentives or at least making it a desirable environment for developers in order to create some games that will become a MUST for the console buyers (like Halo for Xbox, Gears of War/Halo 3 for Xbox360, Mario for N64 etc) if they want to really compete with the low priced Wii and the 360 which is flaunting it's powerful internet features now.
Business Voyeur
The are a fixed number of bundles. Apparently they're all reserved/preordered, so there isn't anything to "wait" for.
That's a terrible analogy. Perhaps you'd like to come up with a bad car an logy next.
"You see it's like this: If Honda designed a car with seven engines..."
Touch everywhere, even when inappropriate.
The interesting thing is that if all the numbers are true (or even close), that means that over 10% of all PS3s purchased were resold on eBay -- maybe higher. Don't know why, but that's funny to me.
Granted it bucks the trend, but the DS Lite has been selling over 100,000 units per week in Japan since Nintendo has been able to make over 100,000 systems per week for Japan.
Last I heard, it was the limited edition sets that were all sold-out. If you're telling me that all 100,000 bundles have been reserved, then that's just frickin amazing. And you'd be right, there wouldn't be anything to "wait" for.
Although, I suppose that if Blue Dragon is the only reason why you want a 360, it would make sense to just wait until it launches and pick the system up with the game (even if you can't get the bundle), to save multiple trips to the store. There'd be no worry about limited quantities of the 360, since there's been little demand for the systems.
-- jchenx
"You see it's like this: If Honda designed a car with seven engines..."
Damn, I might just have to buy a Honda!
As a general rule 'Most' suck. Fine, but Zelda rocks, and there are other exceptions...
It could me I misread something, though honestly 100k units isn't a huge amount when you think about it. It is a large number relative to the number of sales they've already had in Japan, but they still sell 2-3 times that amount every month in the US alone.
I suspect Blue Dragon isn't the only reason to purchase a 360 in Japan, though it is probably the game that will push many people over the edge to get one.
Translation: We love it when people are shooting each other for an overpriced piece of hype. It truly demonstrates the power of PR and short supplies.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
And on the second week, microsoft sold an infinite more xbox360...
Day 2 and Sony is in 3rd place. I believe I called this one months ago.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
Searching for a Playstation 3 tech demo on YouTube I found a Gears of Wars like preview of Unreal, on PS3! Today it is marketed as a Microsoft supported game. Does anyone know why that PS3 version has been abandoned? Did Microsoft support it with enough dollars or is this GoW only a preview of the might to come?
I wonder if there's any truth to the hypothesis that whichever console gets Square-Enix's primary franchises first (Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest), wins the market share for that generation. I believe it's always been true (maybe not with the SNES/Genesis, since that race was pretty close I believe).
If so, Sony better be worried and lock up those franchises tightly, and not give Squeenix any wiggle room. We already know they're working on the 360 (with the old Final Fantasy XI and Project Slypheed), so it's not out of the question that some flavor of the next FF or DQ game would be released on the 360. Also, if Blue Dragon really does well, Squeenix may not want Mistwalker Studios to "own" the J-RPG genre for the 360.
-- jchenx
That is one way to look at it. The other way to look at it is the PS3 almost sold more units in japan a week than the xbox360 has sold in total. I don't think Sony is too worried at this point
Not sure what the exact blog is, but I saw it on the
Tech Tracks blog, saying that Sony had only about 125,000 to 175,000 PS3 units to sell last weekend while Nintendo sold about 425,000 to 475,000 Wii consoles at launch, with shipments of 1.5 million to 2 million units to North American stores this year.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Day 2 and Sony is in 3rd place. I believe I called this one months ago.
True, but the big question is - who's on Second?
Right now it's looking like the Wii is selling all it can ship from Nintendo, but will the larger current installed base of xBox360 added to the new Japan-style games allow it to pull a close second, or even edge out the Wii?
Will we have a repeat of the PS2 success, where the Wii pulls way ahead leaving the xBox360 and PS3 to battle it out for a distand second and third, or will we have a neck and neck first and second place struggle, with Sony so far back they end up being a laughingstock?
The earliest we can tell any of this will be January 15th when we get the end of year stats for post-Xmas sales worldwide. But in reality, we really need to give all three a year to get a real feel what's going on.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Also, try not to explain away the numbers by using the idea that these people would try to save trips. The Japanese are more mobile than Americans. Going to the game store isn't going out of the way. It's just part of another trip.
Oh, and according to Wikipedia:
They want Blue Dragon badly. And they don't care what system it's for.
Why did Sony set a launch when they clearly can't keep up with demand? Do people want it more that they can't have it, and Joey down the block has one? Did they just want to avoid being third in released systems? Nintendo's clearly hurting now that their system was released last. But then, Xbox 360 was the same way. It wasn't in stores for what, a good six months after "launch?" At least then they were the only next-gen console around.
Nintendo seems to be the only one with the supply to meet the demand. Stores are receiving shipments every week. They have a good lineup of games, Zelda being rated very highly by everyone. Some of the PS3 games I've read about seem to just be prettier/high-defier versions of existing fps/racers/madden. Nothing new with them but the price tag.
And how about them developers? All the extra work in textures and such for the prettiest hi-def graphics. One article said it was in the $10+ million range to make a game. Then they only sell for $10 more than Nintendo Wii games. Companies have to sell massive numbers just to keep themselves even, which explains sticking with set genres. No chance for experimenting on new styles or anything with that huge a risk.
By the time there are enough PS3s for stores to have some on their shelves, Nintendo will already be hitting 10 million systems. Each of those will have perhaps 3-5 store-bought games, as well as some Virtual Console games. That's a big hole they have to dig out of.
So, why did they launch prematurely?
Good point, although I'm not sure I completely buy it. For your typical Blue Dragon fan, you can either get a 360 now and check out the other games that are on it. Or perhaps only BD interests you, so you'd rather just pick up the console then. I have no idea, nor should I pretend to know, the mind of the average Japanese video gamer.
In any case, all the speculation will end in a few weeks anyway, once the dang thing ships and we start getting real numbers. I guess my main point is that the sales numbers in Japan now, while interesting, don't tell the whole story. I think we agree on that, at least.
-- jchenx
(Yeah, I know the Warriors games have almost always come out on the XBox, but the PS2 versions generally come out earlier and with expansions.)
If you've played the later games (SW and DW5 onwards), you can see why Koei started releasing them on the 360 rather than the XBox - when you play the PS2 version, having a lot of troops on screen really pushes it in a bad way. Enemies disappear but are still able to hit you, or the PS2 even crashes.
Bladestorm is/was one of the PS3 games that really interested me, apart from Devil May Cry 4. It's a new franchise, but it's the Hundred Years War version of the Warriors games so it's most probably in Koei's "million seller" genre. I've actually held off buying Samurai Warriors 2 until I get a 360, and the Bladestorm news just helps that along.
Personaly, I am glad to see SONY eat some pride and stuff.. All the ps/3 is more Hype than hip, More show and little go. I am glad to hear of the imperfections being exploited within Sony's Armor.. It's about time that SONY get theirs, and waws humbled by its own game.. A reputation and hype are no substutite (sp) for quality. My opinion, GK.
Yeah I said it,...
Seriously now people, if you enjoy GAMEPLAY the GC / Xb1 and the PS2 have a plethora of good games for them right now.
Some of the more recent games look really quite nice too.
All 3 companies should have "milked" their consoles closer towards a better end of life, Nintendo 18 months, Sony 12 and MS 24 (my opinion, based on their release date, graphical ability and quantity of games)
This way they could have focused on ensuring these new consoles are up to scratch in all depts - online, graphic ability, cost to manufacture, 3'rd party game support etc.
Mark my words on this, mark my words - all 3 companies are going to be terribly shocked to see people continue to purchase the old consoles for quite a while.
You thought the PS1 lasted a long time after the PS2 came out? You ain't seen nothing yet, these new systems won't sell diddly shit for several years (compared to their expectations)
MGS3 / Okami / Shadow of the Colossus / God of War / GT4 / Guitar Hero 1&2 / FFXII / GTA:San And / Onimusha series
PS2 games, all quite good to play all look quite good and all will keep selling the system for a while - none of those games look specifically "terrible"
Psychonauts / Halo 2 / GTA:San And / Lego Star Wars / Fable TLC / Jade Empire / Beyond Good and Evil / Ninja Gaiden / Forza
Xbox - same as above, most look quite good, play good are likely bargain bin games now and are worth investigating.
Resident Evil 4 / Metroid Prime / Wind Waker / Lego Star Wars / Need for Speed Carbon / Beyond Good and Evil / Monkey Ball / Various sport ports / Pikmin
GCube - again, some good games, cheap as chips to buy, looks pretty darn good overall - bargain bin games.
Don't get me wrong people - we need to move forward, but the PS1 was OLD and shitty when we got the PS2, this time round I couldn't comfortably say that any of the 3 systems out are "shitty"
It's a good time for us as consumers IF we have the balls to stop being consumer whores and stick with the old systems, used or discounted games and wait for them to STOP their microtransaction / overpriced / shit online strategies (one from each manufacturer there, guess which is which...)
The summary: if Sony don't drop prices fast they are going to be hurting even more from lack of adoption - they are in a race which is going to prove to be EVEN MORE expensive than they first suspected.
Surely more are sold through 2nd hand dealers, or even small shops.
Maybe sony counts all machines out of factory for that week.
Again, surely there are more than 4 people in a land of 180 million that would buy an xbox-1, its not like
they ALL are rich, there are smaller cities, and poor people everywhere.
What are xbox sales in korea like? I thought they hate the Js and would never touch a Sony console.
Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
No. It equates to Japanes people not liking stuff because the seller was too fucking stupid to figure out what they actually wanted. The 360 simply has very little games that appeal to Japanes people. Hence, no sales.
The funniest is how he rounded 81,639 ps3s sold down to "about 81000" and rounded up the 360 sales from 3,864 to 4000. Even upped the Xbox number from three to four. You sir are a walking ball of hilarity.
this time round I couldn't comfortably say that any of the 3 systems out are "shitty"
Me neither. However, I'm totally comfortable in saying that the release schedules for the Cube and Xbox are shitty, and have been for quite a while. If you've played everything you want to on those systems (which admittedly makes you either really picky or insanely dedicated to gaming), then it's time to move on.
Mind you, the PS2 still has some good stuff incoming. That system is not yet dead, but of course Sony couldn't pump out PS3s fast enough for upgraders anyway making the PS2 is a current system in all but name.
If you've played the later games (SW and DW5 onwards), you can see why Koei started releasing them on the 360 rather than the XBox - when you play the PS2 version, having a lot of troops on screen really pushes it in a bad way. Enemies disappear but are still able to hit you, or the PS2 even crashes.
Putting the games on the PS3 should nullify that problem.
Bladestorm is/was one of the PS3 games that really interested me, apart from Devil May Cry 4. It's a new franchise, but it's the Hundred Years War version of the Warriors games so it's most probably in Koei's "million seller" genre.
I'm not sure if Medieval Warriors (if I may call it that) will have the same appeal among Koei's fanboys as the others do. But it's certainly possible.
Rob
You're missing the real point. I would be a fool to buy an XBOX... because? Of the games! there aren't that many games and never will be, the system was abandoned as soon as MS could make more with a new console line. It's obviously going to happen again. The 360 isn't going to be MS's console in 4 years and 360 owners may find themselves in the same boat.
I wonder how many PS2's sold? Sony treats its consumers a lot better than Microsoft does, whether that's popular knowledge on Slashdot or not. If I buy Sony's new console, I know it will be backed for a long long time. It's been that way for the better part of twenty years and a quarter billion systems.
Quarter Billion systems with thousands of good games and hundreds of great ones. Compare that clientèle with XBOX or Gamecube. Sony has a huge problem making PS3's, but if they ever do make a lot of them, there are a lot of people out there who will remain loyal because they want their system to be supported for a decade (in order to build a great library. Buy a PS2 today, and ou benefit instantly from the most diverse and compelling library of any system. And Sony has done a much better job getting their new systems to run their old libraries than any other console maker.
I don't want to spend all that money for a 3 or 4 year iteration of XBOX that's never going to have a long enough run to build a great library. And does anyone seriously think it will?
No, in a few years the 360 will be as unpopular as the xbox 1.0 is today.
Of course, I've just made the best argument for the PC game of all. Once PC gaming becomes easy to do at the couch, this console thing may be far less important. Sony seems to be trying to head that off with a console that's also a crappy PC. Wonder how that will turn out.
From the Newsweek blog entry/article.
When asked whether Sony's resurgent strength as a console games publisher was pushing the company to shun exclusives, Tretton denied it. "We're the only company in this industry that's got development resources and talent that have established Number one hits on all three continents," he says, which is true, since the bulk of Microsoft's studios are in North America and Europe, while Nintendo's are concentrated in Japan. "We really feel like we're well positioned to contribute platform-defining games from a first-party standpoint, and we're not dependent on third-party community to the degree that a Microsoft would be.
Wasn't the line for why the GameCube wasn't the #1 console, and the reason the Dreamcast died exactly that kind of talk?
Twilight princess is a Gamecube Game that's been delayed repeatedly for over a year. It's not accurate to call it a launch title for the Wii, as it wasn't designed around the hardware.
Everything about his article was purely opinion, which is fine but come on... It falls right in the quality of reviews that are found in High School newspapers with the (I think this product sucks because I don't like it.) It's just to early to come to the "Seth Schiesel" conclusion. It takes awhile for the software to expose the hardware's full potential.