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."

Comments

Wii/360 were supply-constrained

[jchenx]

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.

PS3 in NZ

[WozNZ]

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.

Re:PS3 isn't sold out

[Boogaroo]

Poor Nintendo. They sell out everytime.
They're soooooo far behind that they're ahead by about 2 million units and catching up to the Xbox360.

I'm sure they're crying all the way to the bank.

Re:PS3 isn't sold out

[Pluvius]

So it's bad not to sell out now? How times have changed since November.

Rob

Sony is behind, difficult to catch up

[ConfusedSelfHating]

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:

1. Including Blu Ray, Sony's dominance would almost certainly be guaranteed if it was releasing a console at the same time and price as the Xbox 360. Which would be possible with the use of a DVD drive.
2. Not securing exclusives, with Grand Theft Auto 4, Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5 going to the Xbox 360, a lot of people don't have to buy a PS3. We will see if Metal Gear Solid 4 or Final Fantasy XIII goes multiplatform. Game publishers by default want to sell as many copies of games as possible, they inherently want to go multiplatform.
3. Failing to make Final Fantasy XII and God of War 2 PS3 exclusives instead of PS2 titles, these would have sold a lot of PS3s during a drought of good launch titles. They would have had to shell out a lot of money to Square for this, but it would have been worth every penny.

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.

Re:Yes, yes it does.

[DrEldarion]

Actually, none of them are next-gen. They're all current-gen. Next gen is XBox720, PS4, and Wii^2, or WiiWii.