17 replies to this topic

[Aero]

Reports suggest subdued response to PS3 launch
Filed under: PlayStation 3
Posted: Mar 23rd 2007 by Andrew Macarthy
"What, none of you are here to buy one?" (Credit: Charlie Brewer)

News is beginning to trickle in that suggests the PlayStation 3's opening day on sale throughout Europe, Australia, and other non-US and Japanese regions, has not been quite as successful as Sony might have hoped for. While no official figures have yet been announced, eyewitness reports seem to confirm that the 'buzz' for Sony's latest console was fairly moderate at its midnight launch parties.



In London, where the PlayStation 3's arrival was celebrated in Oxford Street's Virgin Megastore, anecdotal evidence from people on the ground seems to suggest that the number of Sony representatives and members of the press surpassed the number of people actually queuing to buy a console (Yikes! - Ed).



Similar stories are cropping up from Australia, where The Sydney Morning Herald reported that, “officials, media and security [were] outnumbering customers,” which tainted the PlayStation 3’s launch in the country early on Friday morning.



Embarrassingly, the Aussie publication also claims that local radio stations and television networks were actually faking crowd noise and roping shop staff into posing as excited owners of a brand new PS3. Further rumours go on to suggest that some of the Australian-based midnight openings for the PS3 were completely devoid of customers... with not a single soul turning up.



Doesn't sound like great news to us...



In reply to the claims, Sony has been keen to point out that the PlayStation 3 is selling at a rate faster than the PlayStation 2 did on its release in the UK - seven long years ago. Yet, you may recall the PS2 launch suffering from a crippling lack of hardware availability at the time, which perhaps falsifies the claim somewhat, especially as the PS3 is supposedly not hard to get hold of.



In fact, Sony claims a million PS3s were shipped to Europe for its first day on sale in the region, 220,000 of which arrived on UK shores.

[Legendeath]

I Honestly never liked sony and I believe that the only reason to buy a PS3 is for the Blu Ray which is what always leads Sony back into the race. Once you buy it for the Blu Ray you might as well go buy the games for it.

[Joe =/]

Wasn't somewhere giving away free TV's with their PS3's ? lol

[ALL STAR]

In my local area the ps3 hasnt sold very well i could go into virgin, hmv and game and get a ps3 just one day after launch isnt a good sign. Even yesterday when i was walking to uni virgin megastores had a big sign at the doors saying 5 ps3s available. It was still there when i left aswell.
But still cant get a wii anyway still they sell out in the hour

[Salazzle]

wtf is a PSL?

[Aero]

there are 5 shops near me who sell consoles, none of them have wii's and as of 5pm (uk time) today they all still had ps3's hasnt been the best start for old sony.

[bigpoppn]

I could buy an PS3:I have a videogames store near me but they havent got PS3's but in a normal random shop (decent shop)they have 15 PS3's

[Legendeath]

We live in an area where they are both popular. But all the stores have new ones come in daily. I see everyday at least one person walking away with a Wii.

[scoot]

Quote

UK gamers apparently didn't hold a grudge after Sony delayed the launch of the PlayStation 3 in Europe for three months. The console went on sale in the UK this past weekend, and the first round of sales numbers are in.

According to industry watcher Chart Track, the PS3 became the fastest-selling home console (does not include portables) in UK history, with almost 165,000 moved in its first two days on sale.

The PS3 was still behind a portable in the all-time gaming platform ranks, but it's doubtful that Sony will mind. The PlayStation Portable holds the record for fastest-selling gaming console with approximately 185,000 sold in its first two days on sale. The previous record holder for home consoles was the Wii, which sold more than 50,000 units in its first 12 hours, and was widely reported to have sold approximately 105,000 units in its opening weekend.

The PS3 helped two Sony software titles take the top spots on the UK's all-formats chart last week, with Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm falling in slots one and two, respectively. Overall, six of the top 10 all-formats games were PS3 titles.

credit: gamespot

[Aero]

to be fair, this is the 1st time in a long time where supply has managed to be greater than demand.

sony did claim that the PS3 outsold the PS2 on release, but the ps2 sold out, so its hardly a fair comparision, 360 and wii also sold out and, as you are aware, the wii is still hard to get. also, now that the rush of the sony fan boy is over, i still think sony are in for a hard time shifting them

[Salazzle]

6 million wiis sold in 4 months.

eat shit, sony.

[scoot]

Quote

By Tim Surette, GameSpot
Posted Mar 27, 2007 11:37 pm GMT

Sony and its PlayStation 3 have been the targets of a lot of criticism in the gaming industry, and Insomniac Games chief creative officer Brian Hastings isn't going to take it anymore. The game developer has written a lengthy blog post (registration required) on the Insomniac Games Web site titled "10 Reason Why PS3 Will Win This Console Generation," a rebuttal of what he calls "the sheer volume of negative spin toward Sony from both the mainstream press and the internet community."

"I'll be the first to say that Sony has had a very rough road from last E3 up through this year's GDC," he says. "Some of their wounds have been self-inflicted, but they've also had to face a conspicuously hostile media." Hastings takes exception to some articles written about the PS3, including GameSpot's "Ten Things to Make the PlayStation 3 Worth Buying" feature (which he refers to as "Ten Complaints We Thought Up While Everyone Else Was Watching LittleBigPlanet").

Hastings points out the advantages the PS3 has (free online play, 50GB games, "Major CPU Advantage"), newly announced features and games (Home, LittleBigPlanet), and the popularity of Blu-ray, but one point he makes is likely to ruffle the feathers of Nintendo fanboys.

Under the heading "The Wii Fad Will Fade," Hastings says that interest in the Wii won't last. Likening the Wii to "mainstream fads" such as Tickle Me Elmo and Furbies, he believes that the many nongamers who have helped the Wii become a sales success will eventually let their Wiis gather dust, as "mainstream fads usually run their course within a year."

Hastings does acknowledge that the Wii is "really, really fun" and that "Nintendo has innovated far more than any other company in the industry," but he believes that in the end, consumers will be drawn to "more graphically impressive games on the PS3 and Xbox 360" for their high-definition televisions.

He sums up his thoughts with, "A lot of industry watchers and even a handful of publishers have been quick to write Sony off this generation, and I think that's near-sighted. Sony has made a lot of decisions with the PS3 that may have slowed them down in the short run, but should give them a big advantage in the long run."

In his post, Hastings also provides an e-mail address to which readers can send their comments on--and criticisms of--his top 10 list.

Of course, gamers didn't need to read Hasting's post to determine which side of the fence he sits on. Insomniac Games, though an independent company, has developed exclusively for Sony platforms and produced the PS3's most critically acclaimed game, Resistance: Fall of Man.

now personally,i own a wii a 360 and a PS3 so i seriosulydont give a fuck which console comes out on top

[Strum la Frantique]

Ok my brother bought a PS3, and I can safely say - no people it will not kill your family and friends.

There is nothing wrong with the console, there is everything wrong with Sonic the Hedgehog on it, but hey that also appears on the 360.

Can we please stop posting about the stats of both console? Who gives a shit honestly? The subject of console wars is tiresome, and full of 'experts', fanboys, and the argumentative. The mix makes for an unhappy board.

[Aero]

the original point of this topic is that i found it hilarious that the midnight openings where a disaster, more staff and press than customers along side some of them using fake crowd noise.

anyways, it doesnt really matter who will win the war, i'll not include the wii in this as its more than likely that at some stage quite alot of 360 and ps3 owners will have one. i say this because, the ps2 won the last war, that didnt stop the xbox selling alot and still being a success. i just dont want sony to win as i still think they charged too much for it and im petty.


i still dont get why people feel they need both a 360 and a ps3 tho.

[scoot]

because we CAN

[Aero]

sorry scoot, wasnt targeting you or anything, is just my general opinion.

my view is, i can do with missing the odd platform exclusive if it saves me a few hundred seeing how most games are multi platform these days.

are you getting guitar hero for the 360?

[Salazzle]

Strum la Frantique, on Mar 29 2007, 01:03 AM, said:

...
Can we please stop posting about the stats of both console? Who gives a shit honestly? The subject of console wars is tiresome, and full of 'experts', fanboys, and the argumentative. The mix makes for an unhappy board.

no. comparing consoles is more fun than using them.

like penises actually.

[scoot]

Quote

are you getting guitar hero for the 360?

ill probably get a copy from the locals that copy games that buy there supplies from the shop (computer shops are great for this shit), and just buy the controller seperate, thus saving me money. kinda pumped for it actually