This is the headline on the U.K. newspaper The Independent article on the PS3 launch in Europe this week.
It flopped in America. Now, for its British launch, Sony has put the price up.
The last time Sony launched a games console, it was an overnight sensation. The PlayStation 2, launched in 2000, didn't simply offer consumers fabulously hi-tech games and graphics. It also gave them a built-in, groovy new gadget, the DVD player - two new toys at a very competitive price. It was a combination that made the PS2 the fastest-selling console of all time. With sales of 115 million units worldwide, it is still going strong even now, in its seventh year in the shops.
On Friday, the electronics giant will be hoping to replicate these record-breaking figures as the PS2's successor, the PlayStation 3, launches in the UK and in Europe. The components are there: the console offers high-end graphics, million-dollar games and as an added extra for movie buffs, it can play Blu-ray discs, bringing high-definition films to its customers. On paper at least, that should tempt gamers and gadget freaks into splashing their cash. But ask how much the PS3 will cost, and cracks start to appear in Sony's plan. In the UK, the new console will cost £425, without any games - that's up to £226 more than its closest rival, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and £120 more than the cost of PlayStation 3 in America.
In the US, PlayStation 3 was launched to cash in on the pre-Christmas bun fight, and the US retail analyst NPD monitored the sales figures to keep score. In December, the company found, more than a million Xbox 360s were sold, and 600,000 shoppers bought a Nintendo Wii. But the PS3 - despite its hype and status as the brand new console on the market - sold just half a million. Third place, out of three.
I guess we'll have to wait & see how the PS3 Europe launch plays out. But, my guess is that a higher price with less functionality (saving $30 in cost by removing a PS2 compatibility chip) is not going to be well received in "Old Europe".
I posted over in the HD forum about how I felt the PS3 sales were "tanking" in North America, and I felt the success of Blu-ray is dependent on the success of the PS3. Considering the response, I should have posted that here in the "War Zone", the more appropriate place to debate the merits of the two formats.
Video Business reported February consoles sales:
The Wii sold 335,000 units in the U.S. in February, according to the NPD group, vs. 228,000 360s and 127,000 PlayStation 3s.
Yep, PS3 dead last, outsold by more than 2 to 1 by the Wii.
Navychop - whose opinions I appreciate & respect, responded with:
OK.
No, the Wii doesn't play any type of optical disk. Yes, the competition between HD DVD & Blu-ray is about how many players get into the hands of the consumers, and how many movies they purchase for their players.
But first of all, I believe the total sales for PS3 is about one million since launch in North America, not two. Yep, that's still around a 5 to 1 lead over HD DVD players. But, even with Jan. & Feb. Blu-ray releases far out numbering HD DVD releases, that translated into only a 2 to 1 sales lead for BD, and pulled them even in total sales since launch.
But, the primary strategy of BD has always been to get millions & millions of BD players into the hands of consumers in the guise of a game machine. I'm just saying that if the PS3 continues to be a "flop", running a distant 3rd place in the console war, some of the BD strategy starts to fall apart, and Sony might want to re-think that "The format war is over" and "In 3 years BD will replace DVD" propaganda.
It flopped in America. Now, for its British launch, Sony has put the price up.
The last time Sony launched a games console, it was an overnight sensation. The PlayStation 2, launched in 2000, didn't simply offer consumers fabulously hi-tech games and graphics. It also gave them a built-in, groovy new gadget, the DVD player - two new toys at a very competitive price. It was a combination that made the PS2 the fastest-selling console of all time. With sales of 115 million units worldwide, it is still going strong even now, in its seventh year in the shops.
On Friday, the electronics giant will be hoping to replicate these record-breaking figures as the PS2's successor, the PlayStation 3, launches in the UK and in Europe. The components are there: the console offers high-end graphics, million-dollar games and as an added extra for movie buffs, it can play Blu-ray discs, bringing high-definition films to its customers. On paper at least, that should tempt gamers and gadget freaks into splashing their cash. But ask how much the PS3 will cost, and cracks start to appear in Sony's plan. In the UK, the new console will cost £425, without any games - that's up to £226 more than its closest rival, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and £120 more than the cost of PlayStation 3 in America.
In the US, PlayStation 3 was launched to cash in on the pre-Christmas bun fight, and the US retail analyst NPD monitored the sales figures to keep score. In December, the company found, more than a million Xbox 360s were sold, and 600,000 shoppers bought a Nintendo Wii. But the PS3 - despite its hype and status as the brand new console on the market - sold just half a million. Third place, out of three.
I guess we'll have to wait & see how the PS3 Europe launch plays out. But, my guess is that a higher price with less functionality (saving $30 in cost by removing a PS2 compatibility chip) is not going to be well received in "Old Europe".
I posted over in the HD forum about how I felt the PS3 sales were "tanking" in North America, and I felt the success of Blu-ray is dependent on the success of the PS3. Considering the response, I should have posted that here in the "War Zone", the more appropriate place to debate the merits of the two formats.
Video Business reported February consoles sales:
The Wii sold 335,000 units in the U.S. in February, according to the NPD group, vs. 228,000 360s and 127,000 PlayStation 3s.
Yep, PS3 dead last, outsold by more than 2 to 1 by the Wii.
Navychop - whose opinions I appreciate & respect, responded with:
OK.
No, the Wii doesn't play any type of optical disk. Yes, the competition between HD DVD & Blu-ray is about how many players get into the hands of the consumers, and how many movies they purchase for their players.But first of all, I believe the total sales for PS3 is about one million since launch in North America, not two. Yep, that's still around a 5 to 1 lead over HD DVD players. But, even with Jan. & Feb. Blu-ray releases far out numbering HD DVD releases, that translated into only a 2 to 1 sales lead for BD, and pulled them even in total sales since launch.
But, the primary strategy of BD has always been to get millions & millions of BD players into the hands of consumers in the guise of a game machine. I'm just saying that if the PS3 continues to be a "flop", running a distant 3rd place in the console war, some of the BD strategy starts to fall apart, and Sony might want to re-think that "The format war is over" and "In 3 years BD will replace DVD" propaganda.
