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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'
Actually according to TFA they sold 165,000 out of 220,000 allocated to the U.K. launch (the summary above butchers the numbers a bit :) ). So they sold ~75% of available supply.
According to another article I saw Virgin (who is partnered with Sony on the launch) stated they expect to sell out shortly.
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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.
Well, if they run out of UK PS3s, they can always recall some of the stock from the US, it's probably just a BIOS change to make it PAL. God knows we have plenty left over here :)
Every console launch ought to be a new record these days, or at least SOMEONE ought to set one every generation, because the number of gamers is increasing steadily.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
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...
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
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.
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
(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...