Sony's PS3 A Sinking Ship: Sales Plummet as reported by CNN


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Sony's PS3 A Sinking Ship: Sales Plummet

By Eric Krangel

December 12, 2008: 09:21 AM ET

Sony's (SNE) PS3 is dying on the shelves.

Alone among the three major videogame consoles, sales of the PS3 are down about 19% from November 2007, according to the latest stats from the NPD Group. Sony was only able to sell 378,000 PS3s this November, compared to 466,000 last year.

And the problem for Sony isn't the recession, it's the PS3. Microsoft (MSFT) put up respectable numbers with its Xbox 360, selling 836,000 units vs 777,000 in November 2007. And Nintendo's (NTDOY) Wii continues to dominate the market, more than doubling sales from 981,000 to 2.04 million.

So why is the PS3 flopping so badly?

1. It's the most expensive console on the market, $150 - $200 more than its rivals. Even if you believe the video game industry is "recession-proof" (it isn't), a tanking economy makes consumers more price-conscious.

2. The PS3's big bonus is its ability to double as a Blu-Ray player. Too bad no one seems to care about hi-def DVDs. The differences between Blu-Ray and DVD are hard to see on a TV less than 50".

3. The PS3 just doesn't have any must-have titles exclusive to the console. "LittleBigPlanet" has generated decent buzz but isn't a game-changer, and neither is Sony's new virtual world "Home."

There's really only one option left for Sony to remain in the game: deep price cuts, and not just for people with good credit. Tell yourself the PS3 has superior graphics if it makes you feel better, but a $400 console with a mediocre game library simply cannot compete against an Xbox 360 priced at $200 in this economy.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/silico...lummet_sne.html

hummm.

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And just a few nights ago a Sony fanboy was trying to convince me that the PS3 is so much better than the 360 and that it'll overtake its competitors in sales just like its predecessor did. Guess not. :p

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Dude this news is like totally like 10 days old. :p

But meh,

Its problem isnt the recession, but needs a price cut because of the economy? surely the reasoning goes hand in hand.

And hasn't it been proven statistically that BR is not only gaining momentum as we head into 2009 but is being adopted faster than DVD was?

And I can tell the difference between a Hi-Def source and a Standard def one, and thats just on this 19" that I game on.

And his views on the Ps3's titles are simply his opinion, imo the only thing holding the Ps3 back is the price.

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The last time I read about the PS3/Xbox thing was that although the PS3 was priced higher - with the xBox you have to pay for subscriptions/wireless cards/hard drives/HD drive/cables, etc whilst with the PS3 its all bundled in. Does this still ring true?

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I'm still amazed that Wii is doing so well... I don't know a single person who owns a Wii! It's all PS3 or 360 owners here.

Go to some parties and you'll probably see it. It's a fun console especially in social events/parties.

If your friends are "serious" gamers, then they probably won't use the Wii.

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And his views on the Ps3's titles are simply his opinion, imo the only thing holding the Ps3 back is the price.

Well I agree about the price but the amount of AAA titles still isn't there. Yes games like Uncharted and Resistance are great, but they aren't up to the AAA caliber of LBP and MGS4. They have got blockbusters in the bank; KZ2, GT5 (eventually), FFXIV (kind of), etc. That is part of the problem though, the big titles people want have been talked about for years now. They have to get some of their big hitters out soon, people are tired of waiting.

Edit: Max™ with my Xbox 360 Pro bundle (at $350 when I got it, now its $300) it included component cables, a HD, etc. I use an ethernet connection for the best connection possible and I got 13 months of Live for $35. Without the wireless add on, the advantage is hard to argue.

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Dude this news is like totally like 10 days old. :p

But meh,

Its problem isnt the recession, but needs a price cut because of the economy? surely the reasoning goes hand in hand.

And hasn't it been proven statistically that BR is not only gaining momentum as we head into 2009 but is being adopted faster than DVD was?

And I can tell the difference between a Hi-Def source and a Standard def one, and thats just on this 19" that I game on.

And his views on the Ps3's titles are simply his opinion, imo the only thing holding the Ps3 back is the price.

well said! i hope BR is gonna take off in 2009.. i love Hi-Def movies!

i was going to say the same thing regarding telling a difference.. i watch blu-ray and other hi-def on a 24" and even then the difference is quite great! im not sure who is incapable of telling a difference on a 46" for example..

i would more-than-not agree that the titles are a setback for the console.. in all honesty there isn't one game i want on PS3 that's not on 360.. and that also goes for upcoming releases. i agree it's opinion definitely, but there's still a point where opinion becomes the majority and, speaking without statistics, i'd say that at least a large percentage of people would agree that there are no "OMGosh i have to have this title!!!" games for the PS3, or at least there aren't an abundant number of them.

that said, i would definitely agree that the price is the biggest negative for a lot of people.. they should drop the price if they want to become more competitive in my opinion

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Go to some parties and you'll probably see it. It's a fun console especially in social events/parties.

If your friends are "serious" gamers, then they probably won't use the Wii.

The parties I go to they don't bust out video game machines... :p

I wouldn't say my friends and I are "serious" gamers (like always playing something 24/7), but we would rather sit around playing Halo together than Wii Sports :rofl:

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The parties I go to they don't bust out video game machines... :p

I wouldn't say my friends and I are "serious" gamers (like always playing something 24/7), but we would rather sit around playing Halo together than Wii Sports :rofl:

sounds like a sausage fest/party to me, get some girls in there and u'll see how fast they want to play with ur wii........ if u had one ;)

~X

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Sony has a foot in the door with the older gaming crowd who have been brand loyal since PS1. Microsoft got there foot in the door by kicking Nintendo out of the high performance console market in the transition of kids upgrading from N64 to the original XBOX. Given the features, I still think the lower cost model is a great deal at $399. Cheap gamers who can live without Blu-Ray or a hard drive can get the X360 kit for $239. Numbers speak for themselves, so Sony needs to get out there and talk about the strengths of the PS3, but this article reads as heavily biased and written by a fanboy at CNN.

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sounds like a sausage fest/party to me, get some girls in there and u'll see how fast they want to play with ur wii........ if u had one ;)

~X

In my experience, girls love the Wii. Although I must say that Rock Band / RB2 has been dominating our parties for a while.

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I've said it before, the price will not really match the 360 for a while due to the technology inside the machine.

People moaned about the PS3 only playing catchup in terms of the OS software, yet the 360 still doesn't have wireless built in, surely I'm sure just due to pricing, why supply foc when you can get ?50-60;)) people don't factor this in when they are comparing the prices of both machines.

For gaming the PS3 can't compete with the 360's pricepoint. But for those that want a multi-purpose machine with the ability to play Hi Def movies then the 360 can't compete with the PS3. (please don't claim HD-DVD - Dead format or Netflix - Only available in the US) It all comes down to what you want from your machine.

Sinking ship? Hardly!

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yet the 360 still doesn't have wireless built in, surely I'm sure just due to pricing, why supply foc when you can get ?50-60;)) people don't factor this in when they are comparing the prices of both machines.

Because most people don't NEED wireless, why pay for it then?

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I've said it before, the price will not really match the 360 for a while due to the technology inside the machine.

People moaned about the PS3 only playing catchup in terms of the OS software, yet the 360 still doesn't have wireless built in, surely I'm sure just due to pricing, why supply foc when you can get ?50-60;)) people don't factor this in when they are comparing the prices of both machines.

For gaming the PS3 can't compete with the 360's pricepoint. But for those that want a multi-purpose machine with the ability to play Hi Def movies then the 360 can't compete with the PS3. It all comes down to what you want from your machine.

Sinking ship? Hardly!

Get your facts straight - it's a gaming cosole - that's all I want from it, and I ain't gonna pay $200 extra just to have Blu-ray player! I'm fine with .MKVs:ninja::

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I've said it before, the price will not really match the 360 for a while due to the technology inside the machine.

People moaned about the PS3 only playing catchup in terms of the OS software, yet the 360 still doesn't have wireless built in, surely I'm sure just due to pricing, why supply foc when you can get ?50-60;)) people don't factor this in when they are comparing the prices of both machines.

For gaming the PS3 can't compete with the 360's pricepoint. But for those that want a multi-purpose machine with the ability to play Hi Def movies then the 360 can't compete with the PS3. It all comes down to what you want from your machine.

Sinking ship? Hardly!

You mention wireless connectivity like it's a necessity. Last time I checked, I could play on Live using an ethernet cable.

It's a nice feature, don't get me wrong. But it's not an essential.

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Cheap gamers who can live without Blu-Ray or a hard drive can get the X360 kit for $239.

There is nothing necessarily "cheap" about the 360 bundles beyond the $199 one. At $299 w/ a 60GB HDD, two games and a wireless remote I think you are more than getting your moneys worth. If you label the 360 cheap, you are forgetting the Wii exists... let alone post-gen adopters.

Numbers speak for themselves, so Sony needs to get out there and talk about the strengths of the PS3, but this article reads as heavily biased and written by a fanboy at CNN.

The numbers are putting the PS3 dead last by almost twice as much in every area. Not only that, but it has 1/10th the library and 1/5th the AAA titles in comparison to the 360 and even the Wii with number of games (despite it being a gimmick avalanche). The only strength of the PS3 is it has Blu-Ray. THATS IT! The only real strength. Even the "free" online service is really not free with the large amount of pay-for content despite that. The article may be biased, but you are ignoring some obvious truths.

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I'm still amazed that Wii is doing so well... I don't know a single person who owns a Wii! It's all PS3 or 360 owners here.

I own both a Wii and a 360, but my Wii's been collecting dust.

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I'm not saying it's essential, I'm saying that the feature is there and another thing that pushess/pushed up the price of the machine.

I'm not saying the 360 isn't a good machine, I'm saying that the PS3 has more technology inside it in the form of the hi def drive and wireless, hence the fact it can't compete with the 360 in a pricing fight.

If you looked at the 360 when the HD DVD drive first came out etc, I think it worked out more expensive to get it to the same/similar spec/features as the PS3.

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The last time I read about the PS3/Xbox thing was that although the PS3 was priced higher - with the xBox you have to pay for subscriptions/wireless cards/hard drives/HD drive/cables, etc whilst with the PS3 its all bundled in. Does this still ring true?

Thats true and after a year or two using the 360 you might as well of bought a PS3 if your after value for money but 90% of console buyers who aren't particularly fussed about which console will go for the 360 in the shop and not think about xbox live etc

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