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PS3 Breaks Records in UK Launch
Aided by racing titles MotorStorm and Formula One, the PlayStation 3 had the best UK console launch ever, according to Joystiq and MCVUK. This generation saw the Wii kick off with 105,000 units and the Xbox 360's sell through 70,000. The PSP still holds the record at 185,000 for a portable console, but I imagine Sony's pretty happy about this either way. "With plenty of consoles left in the 220,000 strong initial shipment, it would appear that a strong supply is the key to launch victory. Will sales remain brisk in the foreseeable future? We'll find out soon enough, but until then, expect some elaborately spun responses from Sony's competitors. Perhaps UK journalists ought to return those stacks of beer to Microsoft -- then again, alcohol already seems a likely explanation for steering the Xboat to the wrong continent."
'Worst console ever'
Not trying to look like a fanboy here but is it really all that impressive? Didn't they have a million available for launch or something? So they sold 15% of what they had available... Mission Accomplished?
Do we know the total shipments for the Wii and 360 launches? I wonder if the reason it sold the most the quickest is just because it had the most to sell.
A friend of mine works in a popular video game store here in Ireland. A fews since the PS3 launch and they still have PS3s on the shelves. However they have been constantly sold out of wiis since it came out months ago. Any wii shipment is sold out the day it comes in.
The Wii and 360 were supply-constrained, so they sold out 100% of their respective shipments. I don't know exactly what they were, but seem to recall around the 100k number. A cynic would say that the reason why the PS3 broke records is only because the competition couldn't make enough to sell. On the other hand, having enough supply to meet demand isn't exactly a bad thing either. On the gripping hand, having a lot of product sitting on store shelves isn't going to make retailers very happy.
The numbers are going to be the most interesting a few weeks after launch. If the launch numbers reflect everyone who wanted a PS3, well, that's obviously a bad sign for Sony. However, if we see comparable sales numbers in the coming weeks and months, then it's a sign that demand is still flowing and isn't just one-time.
-- jchenx
I don't want to undercut Sony too much here- after all, they did sell an impressive number of consoles- but I feel the need to point out that:
1. They set the record because all the competition sold out.
2. They are in the market late; they have a long way to go to reach the Wii or XBox numbers.
Sony is getting what it needs to do well, though. If Sony wasn't able to move over 150,000 at launch I would have said they were screwed.
You are reading a copy of my copyrighted post.
Not sure about the UK launch but here in NZ they advertised that the first 4000 PS3s sold come with Casino Royal on Blue Ray. We have gone through the weekend now and the adverts on TV and Radio still say that you can get the Casino Royal blue ray disk if you purchase a PS3 and slight discounts are starting to appear. I can walk into ANY retailer that advertises the PS3 and they ALL have stock, this is not like any other launch I have seen for a console.
Microsoft and Nintendo can spin this another way: Xbox 360 and Wii are the only next-gen consoles to completely sell out of their initial shipment!
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
With such large numbers being tossed around, it's sometimes healthier to look at percentages instead. Sony sold 100% of it's inital shipment. It did the same in Japan and America. Didn't Nintendo do the same? But Nintendo still is selling 100% of what it is shipping, whereas Sony is not.
I'm not trying to do the fanboi rant, as I'm more the PC fanboi, but selling out the first shipment of a next-gen console is kind of a gimmie. The only difference here is that Sony waited until they had more units to ship for thier launch. So the title of this article should be, "Sony waits until they have enough units to break a record, then launches console."
Big Whoop.
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Sleep with one eye closed...the monkeys are coming...
Maybe the most free TVs given away ever? O_o
God Fucking Damnit
... Just stumbled across this a few minutes ago:
c t_the_PS3_Due_to_High_Price.html
http://www.playfuls.com/news_06713_Europeans_Reje
Gotta love the media.
It was impossible to break the launch records during the North American release. 400,000 consoles were supposed to be available for, but Sony could not meet its shipping quota. The actual number of consoles available for launch is unkown, but we said to be around 40% less than Sony had originally planned, or only around a quarter-million.
To the surprise of no one, the Sony bashers talk about how the Wii and 360 might have sold more units in an alternate universe somewhere rather than admit that despite the high price, despite the lack of games, and despite the constant negative publicity that Sony's gotten for nearly a year now, the PS3 has still sold more units at launch than any other console in UK history, and a whole 60% more than the Wii. Perhaps they won't admit it because that would also be admitting that they've underestimated Sony's chances of success in this console war.
Rob
To be fair to both sides of the "console fanboy war", it's difficult to make comparisons of the PS3 launch to the Wii/360 one, because of the supply constraints with the latter consoles. It's far too early for "either side" to declare victory any time soon. Both anti-Sony fanboys, and the pro-Sony fanboys, should go on vacation for a few weeks, and come back when the sales numbers can be compared more adequately. Then, it will be a lot harder for anyone to "spin the numbers".
-- jchenx
Sony is behind the other console manufacturers. In order to catch up, it has to outperform its rivals. The European launch was a moderate success. The PS3 didn't sell out. Having an ample supply only counts if people want to buy your product for the price you're selling it at.
Mistakes Sony has made:
How can the Sony redeem itself? It has to ensure that there are a sufficient quantity of third party exclusives and a $399 price tag. Sony also has to understand that people are not going to buy a console just because it has the word Playstation on it. They need to learn from Nintendo's mistakes (and successes).
I think it would be quite easy for Microsoft to bring down the Playstation 3, but it will cost money. They need to buy Grand Theft Auto 4 exclusivity and pay to make MGS4 and FF13 multiplatform. Grand Theft Auto games account for 3 of the top 4 selling PS2 games (and Grand Turismo was bundled). Grand Theft Auto 4 exclusivity will probably cost them between $100 and $200 million. They have to replace lost PS3 sales (although a lot of people will buy an Xbox 360 instead of a PS3 in order to get the game) and pay a premium for the privilege. FF13 and MGS4 going multiplatform will cost less, simply because game publishers want to release multiplatform for more sales. Microsoft lost $4 billion on the first Xbox, so a few hundred million to drive Sony into the ground would make a lot of sense.
Microsoft can lose its battle with Sony if it assumes its lead will continue. It has to drive gamers and game publishers away from the PS3 before Sony significantly reduces the manufacturing cost.
The Wii is in a fight of its own. Any game that isn't designed for the Wii's control scheme isn't worth making. Any game designed for the Wii's control scheme will be impossible to port over to other consoles. The Wii needs to sell enough consoles AND sell third party games. If Wii owners don't buy third party games for it, it will just be Mario/Zelda box. Nintendo will make money, but console dominance will fall to Sony or Microsoft.
A Sony victory means your next console will cost $900 at launch because clearly people will clearly pay through the nose for graphics and Final Fantasy. A Microsoft victory will mean that next generation, you will have to pay for online play and downloadable content. A Wii victory will result in consoles with low end specifications and strange new control schemes.
Right, they have the sales number this soon after launch? How? Magic? No fucking way. We'll wait a week or so then we'll get the actual numbers.
OH god I love this, don't you love the whiney Wii/360 people "but but our console didn't have enough so we sold out"
And, because I love pointing out this sort of thing, the 360 fanboys were the same ones who, during the PS3 launch, were saying "People aren't going to be able to find a PS3 so they'll buy a 360 instead!". Damned if you're in-stock, damned if you're out-of-stock.
(and no, I'm not anti-360. My PS3 has been folding while I've been playing Worms nonstop.)
Yup you read right, Xbox 360 shipped 300,000 to the PAL area and only sold 70,000 during Launch Weekend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_launch The Wii? nobody knows. They have said they shipped 1.5 million worldwide during launch. And if US sold 600K and Japan sold 370K that still leaves 530units unaccounted for.. hmmm
Sony should sell a lot initially. There are a lot of people who a year ago (when the Xbox was launched) decided for one reason or another (perhaps they have a PS2 and were under the impression that the promised backwards compatibility would be worth something) that they were going to wait for a PS3.
They have been waiting and waiting (and had time to save!) so it is no surprise there is a large amount of initial demand. This isn't a weeks worth of customers, it's a years worth.
The real trick will be to see if there is ongoing demand like there has been for the Wii (though even that may be threatened, at least here in Australia, if we don't start seeing a quality games a bit more regularly).
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
...so everyone that wants a PS3 has already bought one? I'm assuming this has nothing to do with the PS3 being shelf-ware in the US for quite some time and having a lot of surplus stock to send to Europe. Great for your opening week sales, I'd be very worried about week 2 though. Funny, with that infamous Blu-Ray shortage and all.
Let me check my usually pricewatch-like site, 0 of 14 stores have Wiis in stock and everything goes to preorders. In other words, Nintendo has put the pedal to the metal and after 3,5 months they still can't ramp up supply to meet demand. They're certainly going to be very close to the 6mio target at the end of the fiscal year, and they're making money on every one of them...
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Holy shit. The cheek of it. "Until then, expect some elaborately spun responses from Sony's competitors." Really.
Reality check: Sony sold 165,000 PS3 and the rest are already sitting on shelves. Nintendo shipped how many times that many Wii? and is still sold out. How the HELL is that good news for Sony? Someone please explain me, I really don't understand...
-- B.
This sig does in fact not have the property it claims not to have.
Pent up demand does not make sense, People have been aware of the Xbox 360 for over a year Announced at E3 in 2005, and shipped 300,000 to Europe and only managed to sell 70,000 out of the 300,000 during Launch weekend.
Considering how much they lose per console, does record sales equal record loss?
Well, it has never been successfully tested.
Starve them, and of course they will eat the measly portions you provide..
"Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies." -Thomas Jefferson
Sigh I get tired of this biased view online, The PS3 is to expensive for me currently, its to expensive for the majority of PS2 owners, yet even on its launch we have 'record breaking' sales figure. Of course that isn't good enough, its just because they delayed the launch and manage to get just slightly more supply out there than there was demand. Its lead to all sorts of funny things on Ebay (people were winning with £350/£390 bids for the £425 console. For once I got to laugh at the evil people who do that sort of thing.
But its not good enough, I mean when I use my limited life expearence in pointing out that the Wii just isn't being sent out and that its not actually selling as insanely as people think I'm 'overated'. If I'd made a quip about the PS3 I probably would have been modded insightful or something.
Yes the PSP did really well on launch day but the DS overtook, that was always going to happen, The PSP is a £179.99 device no 10 year old is going to be given that to play with and the 15-25 demographic which the PSP is really aimed at is smaller than the 10 year old one. The UMD Video turned out to be a bit of a farce, I mean The top chart DVD would be £13.97, but the UMD version would be £19.99. When you can buy offical PSP packs to take DVD's and rip them into PSP friendly format (XVID for me) means your just not going to buy a UMD Video, secondly look at the games, alot of developers put in the same effort they do for the DS which isn't enough and it shows. I do think if the PSP dropped in price to a level closer to the DS then DS sales would take a noticable hit.
We can talk about the Wii/360 having a lead and other stuff but what matters is people really wanted it Playstation is a brand people respect and now we have to ask if this can be kept up. In three months time we should start getting more accurate sales figures I'm hoping the PS3 will be on top and will be making ground on the Wii. The one to really watch out for is when the PS3 price drop happens, when that baby hits the £300 mark I'd be really curious to see what happens to the Wii and 360's lead.
yes the future isn't all about the most powerfull engine but I don't want to see the games industry going down the Wii path, just like I don't want Episodic games to be the future of gaming, what i really want to see in the future is a 2d sonic platformer, but perhaps thats just me (oh and some more 2d platformers)
oh I realise I came on a bit of a downer about the PSP there, I Love the handheld. I carry it around with me a lot however I've found 50/60% of the games don't have the effort put into them they could have, its noticible because the 40% that do are REALLY awesome
This game doesn't need HD (for all those that say 1080p is important)
Doesn't need bluray/hd-dvd (~42MB)....even a CD would have been fine
So what's my point? It's the games that matter. I'm having a blast playing Alien Homonid HD on the 360. I have yet to find a compelling reason to buy the PS3. $650 just to play motorstorm seems a bit extreme. I already have my PC running SETI at home so my folding needs are taken care of.
That the launch wasn't a sellout?
This is going to sound rather trollish, but I'd like to know when the last time a major console *didn't* sell out during launch.
We could also take a look at the Japanese and American game sales for the month of February, if we were really looking for an indication of how things were going... It seems like in both counts, Nintendo consoles are responsible for 4 of the 5 titles.
Japanese Chart, 18th Mar 2007
1 Yoshi Island DS 132,750
2 World Puzzle Mojipittan DS 75,750
3 Monster Hunter Freedom 2 64,500
4 Wii Sports 35,750
5 Prof. Layton and the Mysterious Village 35,500
American Chart, Feb 2007
1 Crackdown 461,000
2 Wii Play 406,250
3 Wii Sports 379,250
4 Diddy Kong Racing 280,250
5 Nintendogs 178,500
Well, actually, one of the reasons I bought the 360 version is because it supports HD. Otherwise, I'd be playing Worms Armageddon in SD.
(I have posted this on another thread too...)I must admit (I already have a 360 and a Wii) even a week ago I wouldn't have believed I'd be out on a cold UK night queuing up for one, and I am a total, complete and utter hypocrite (I have been less than enamoured of the PS£ previously on these very pages), but... After realising I could pony up most the cost by trading in a PS2 with 30 well played games (and keeping the good ones for back-compat), I could not resist its shiny allure - and god it is a shiny behemoth of a thing - and I think seriously well futureproofed. Previous posters have commented on the base cost of the 360 and I agree that the out of the box extras the PS3 has do outweigh the extra cost over the 360. Motorstorm is sublime, and having the 60 Gig HD out of the box to download game demos is great. Also, I never played online on the 360 simply because of the fee. Within half an hour I was playing other people on Motorstorm and I know everyone goes on about the XBOX live experience, seriously the PS3 network isn't like it's terrible. In fact I found it quite easy and pleasant to use - apart from the text input but all the systems suffer that. No the launch line up isn't great but I'm really looking forwards to littlebig planet and of course the titles will get better over the next year. There don't seem to be so many exclusives round so far this gen - the result? I seriously think I might can the 360 to recoup some more of my cash (finished Gears, but will miss Crackdown, great game). I'm not a Sony shill, far from it, but I'm trying to add some balance to the argument. As for the Wii? Well, that is in a class of its own. Zelda as usual is great, if only my wife and mother in law would stop kicking my ass at bowling...
What 40% is that? I ask honestly because right now, my PSP is basically just used for playing PSX RPGs (and the occasional PSP RPG). I forgot how good Legend of Dragoon was.
It's all very well that they broke the record for shipping the most units, but this doesn't equate to actually selling the most units, so does anyone really care if they broke the record for most units available, if the units weren't even in demand?
Over the weekend when I was shopping for clothes for work I dragged my girlfriend into the games and electronics shops as usual in trade for having to put up with her clothes shopping and I didn't encounter a single store with less than 10 PS3s in stock, one GAME shop I went to I counted 32 piled up waiting to be shifted, with possibly even more in their store room as the shop floor was too full to fit any more. This seems to be the same story nationwide speaking to friends and from various reports online.
The story also seems to be the same with online retailers, they all have plenty in stock and are already adding in sweeteners to try and shift them (i.e. buy it with a game, get £5 off, 2 games, £10, 3 games £15, 4 games £20 at Amazon).
Only time will tell if the PS3 has been a success in the UK. Number of units shipped does not equate to success, only number of units sold can define that. I'd imagine that if the PS3 really was doing well then Sony would be gloating about the number of PS3s they'd sold over the initial launch weekend and not about how many they managed to ship.
Comparing Sony to flaming piles of shit is an insult to flaming piles of shit everyhwere! I will not stand for this!
If anyone thinks the Wii and 360 couldn't have posted similar numbers if they had the supply they are kidding themselves. The fact that Sony sold this amount and stores still have stock on the shelves is just as much of a story.
"OH god I love this, don't you love the whiney Wii/360 people" I'm betting that this line is why you were modded down. People don't enjoy being ridiculed.
If you're looking for really great 2D platformers, you should look into picking up a DS. New Super Mario Bros is lot of fun.