Posted on 01/15/2007 11:25:03 AM PST by HamiltonJay
TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Sony Corp. (6758.TO) will reach only 75% of its global target for PlayStation 3 sales this fiscal year through March, according to a Nomura report released Monday.
Nomura cut its target for PS3 game units shipped during the period to 4.5 million from 6 million, citing poor sales over the holiday season in North America.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
On related not Nintendo upgraded its profit forecast $1 Billion higher due to strong Wii and DS sales.
Looks like Big N may be on its way back to once again taking the crown.. and doing so with profit on every sale.
It looks like cool new controller won out over high-powered graphics.
That, and mediocre launch titles, and an absolutely astronomical price tag.
Gameplay trumps graphics... Nintendo took the gamble, and looks like they are so far being rewarded nicely for it.
I suspect a lot of those sales are early bluray adopters who really aren't interested in the games...I know I am.
IMO Blu-ray will win the format war, so figured I might as well burn Bestbuy giftcards on something nice.
I'm with you on that, I found several PS3's waiting for owners 2 days before christmas at various retailers... couldn't find anything remotely WII other than some WII point cards, and classic controllers.
STill haven't personally seen a WII in stock anywhere.
Well I'm all for Blu Ray winning the format war.. seems stupid that last minute MS throws its weight around to revive HD-DVD from the dust bin...
But, that's a different topic all together.
$600+ Game Console = Sales hard to come by
Gee, and I thought the Japanese were better at math then we Americans...
I laugh at all the people that waited in line and dodged bullets for a PS3. Now they are all over and the stores can't sell em. I have yet to see a WII or the new XBox actually in a store.
To add insult to PS3, the local Walmart to me has a PS3 demo unit up. It has been locked up on the same screen since at least Christmas Eve. Everytime I walk in I look and laugh.
Definately,
Especially when your competitor is close to 1/3 of the cost and has introduced entirely new elements to gameplay.
PS3 puts some pretty pictures up on an HDTV... but end of the day, still mashing buttons doing the same old stuff.
Definitely not too low. At $300, the price is the same as a core Xbox 360. It's supposed to be the "affordable" system, so that wouldn't have been a good business decision. Not to mention how ludicrously overpriced the Virtual Console games are. At $200, I would have bought one (had the chance to). Now, I'll wait until Mario Galaxy comes out before I buy a Wii.
Also, DS/DS lite sales are what's really behind Nintendo's success. They sold 1.6 million in the US alone in December, more than any other platform (and miles ahead of the PSP). Sales in Japan were just as high, and will only get higher now that Dragon Quest IX is coming out for the DS. That thing is insanely popular.
Well I've seen XBOX 360s by the caseful... Best Buy had em stocked to the ceiling when I was in there week after christmas....
I think MS was hoping those going to the stores to buy PS3s or Wiis would settle for an XBOX 360 since they wouldn't find them... Sales for the 360 were decent for the holiday, but I don't think that overall strategy worked too well...
I have read serveral reports that say the WII may have outsold the 360 over the holiday, and if it didn't it was only by a hair that the 360 sold more.. which does not bode well for a system that's 1 year older, and the WII was only went on sale 5-6 weeks before Christmas.
The way things are going, I would say unless something drastically changes, N will be #1 next gen system by installed systems inside of 12 months.
Stripping MS of its year head start, and never letting Sony get out of the gate.
The thing I've always liked about N from an investment standpoint... they DON'T LOSE MONEY! Or at least haven't in a long time on system sales. While the Cube was considered a failure by some, N made money off nearly every single one sold, even when they were selling for $100... they weren't taking massive losses and hoping to make it up on licensing. So while it may have only sold 23-25 Million units (again its funny avg 5 million units a year all profitable is considered failure).. versus XBOX orig that had just a few more... N laughed all the way to the bank .. PS2 obviously reigns supreme in current gen, as it did the gen before, with mroe than 100 Million units of each moved.. .and the PS2 will likely still outsell the PS3 at least through this year, and possibly next... and has gotten to a profitable price point for Sony.
However Sony is now taking a huge bath, just to offer the PS3 at $700 a pop.. and will likely due to competitive pressure, have to drop that price significantly, or risk even further market deterioration.
I would not predict Sony is done, though there was an analyst who has said already he predicts the PS3 will be sony's last console.... but I think its days as the top dog are over for the 360,PS3,Wii gen.
The PS3 goes for 500 & 600 bucks depending upon the unit.
Sony set their forecast too high. Even the 360 probably couldn't have hit that mark in less than 5 months after launch. Hell, the 360 has just under 5 million out even though it's been around for 14 months.
Technically the PS2 is outselling everything still. The Wii is barely this generation. It's just a Gamecube with a new processor and a fancy case.
Always glad to hear bad news when it pertains to Sony. Anything that works to favor the adoption of HD-DVD over BLAH-RAY...and so far, that's everything...only shortens the market uncertainty period until HD-DVD prevails and we have one world-wide standard for high definition hard media.
Nintendo did some extremely wise things with the Cube that definitely boosted sales...the reissue of Ocarina of Time, originally released for the N64, was high on the list. Even on the Cube this stood as one of their best games for fun and replay value, impressive for a generation-old reissue.
Given the level of series loyalty you tend to see among gamers, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, F-Zero GX, and Windwaker were also big hits, and the Cube specific release of Soul Calibur 2 with Link as the system specific character also did well.
They do know their stuff, they just don't think from the same perspective as Sony or M$ and thus get considered a failure by those who do.
That's pretty much the same hubris that put Sony in the mess its in with the PS3... underestimate the big N at your own peril.
Sony thought hey, We have great graphics we can get away with 700 a pop... I mean come on who's going to go buy a Nintendo? lower res graphics, not hugely cutting edge? Not a threat..... And MS, we blow them away too...
Nintendo on the other hand, went after game play, and ease of play, and decided to produce a product that would not only attract the hard core gamers, but would be so fun and easy that it would attract a very wide audience and following.... And the larger the target audience, the more you are likely to sell... and up to this point it looks like the strategy is paying off for N quite nicely.
Yea, 1080p are some very nice graphics... but that alone isn't going to get $700 from most folks.. hard core gamers? Probably.. but they are probably going to buy every system eventually.... That's not a winning business strategy to just go after them. MS and Sony decided to duke it out over graphics... N went after focusing on broadening the market and enjoyable game play... and thus far, it looks like N's strategy is working quite well.
It's not hubris. It's a pretty good statement of fact. The Wii isn't made to compete in terms of power and it goes for a totally different gaming niche than the 360 or PS3.
And why do you insist on tagging 200$ to the price of a PS3 in your posts? You don't see me saying the Wii costs 450$.
And like I said, if it's solely about gamplay the PS2 has the Wii beat still.
Just one of a series of setbacks for Sony. Earlier they had the failure of Sony batteries in many laptops requiring a massive recall and they have also had a recall of some of their digital cameras. The PS3 was overpriced and over hyped.
Absolutely agreed, While MS and Sony have been fighting for the same group of players, N has owned the portable and younger crowds, and you can say what you will about graphics.... Yes the Wii won't do the HD stuff that MS or Sony will do... but I don't think my kids going to care that his Lego Star Wars doesn't have as many scan lines as a 360... etc etc etc.
The pictures are pretty, but I'll take Excite Truck over the PS3 offroad game any day... way more fun to play.
N is not a hardware company, they are a game company, they have huge brands and followings.. Metroid series are great and fun games to play... Zelda goes without question is the defining games of an entire genre... and Mario. And lets not forget that poor little cube had the Game of the Year in 05 with Resident Evil IV and had the studio stuck to its original promise to release it only on the Cube, I think MS would have not squeaked out Number 2 on that gen.
Where I think N went wrong with Cube was under appreciating the need for 3rd party support, and generally lacking online support.
I will say this, the Cube controller is definately far more ergonomical than anything Sony has ever done... an hour of any game on a PS and my hands are cramping...
N learned some hard lessons, but learn them they did, and I think they are truly on track to dethrone Sony this gen... quite comfortably too.
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