Sony: Momentum Swinging in Our Favor

[Logan Westbrook]

Sony: Momentum Swinging in Our Favor

SCEE Boss Andrew House says that despite its rather slow start, the PS3 has not only made up lost ground, but could even take the lead.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe President Andrew House believes that Sony won't be bringing up the rear in the console race for much longer. He believes that the PS3 has reached a tipping point, and thought that it could become the "de facto purchase" for anyone looking to buy a console.

He admitted that the early days for the console had been rocky, but said that he felt the momentum was shifting in the PS3's favor. He said that despite a "slow burn" at the start, Sony was very pleased with the number of PS3s sold, and that sales were "right on track," based on internal predictions. He also said that as well as the encouraging hardware sales, PS3 software sales were up by nearly 40%.

In June, both of EA's COOs, John Schappert and analyst Michael Pachter, predicted that 2010 would be a good year for the PS3, and while that certainly seems to be the case, whether the PS3 becomes the go-to system for people breaking into gaming remains to be seen. The release of Move next month should further widen the appeal of the console, but it will have to compete with the Wii and Kinect to take the top spot, and Nintendo has a pretty impressive lead.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-08-19-sony-ps3-now-the-de-facto-purchase]






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[Zer0Saber]

I don't think sony or microsoft have to worry about nintendo any more, with game sales dropping and publishers pulling out, the system king might burn out soon.

 

[Super Toast]

Not really surprising. The PS3 had a terrible launch, but it seems to have hit its stride. It's cheaper, has awesome games, plays Blu-Ray and has free online play.

 

[heyheysg]

This is strange and probably slightly self centric but 3-5 of my friends are seriously considering or have already bought a PS3 in the last 3 months.

Their marketing as well as the 'critical mass' of PS3 owners spreading the word of mouth must have done something.

 

[JaymesFogarty]

The deal they have with Valve can only sweeten having a PS3. With Xbox exclusives like Mass Effect 2 going, I don't doubt that in time Sony could catch up.

 

[wooty]

Didnt the PS2 also have a smiliar launch? Being quite slow I mean.

 

[101194]

Well, The old jokes of the PS3 not having any games hurt their marketplace, It's been awhile and the market has shifted in a ton of games for people to enjoy. It's only natural their stocks have increased. People still remember the RROD.

 

[Royas]

It's always about the games. The PS3 had a crappy selection for the longest time, compared to the competition. Now, they are starting to catch up in their games library, so naturally they are going to start to catch up in their sales. It's a good console, and does have the benefit of Blu-Ray. That's one of the big reasons I got one, despite already owning a 360.

 

[Eagle Est1986]

Actually, I can understand what they're saying. Even the Move, which I was completely uninterested in and pretty cynical about, has managed to interest me with the games that will be playable on it. They certainly beat the crap out of mose Wii games and have have silenced my fears of cheap shovel ware.
And 3D is getting more and more support, my next TV will definitely support 3D gaming and with the games playable on my PS3, I just want to get that new TV sooner and sooner.

 

[Jumplion]

MooooooooooooMENTUM! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2Gb4NIv0Xg]

Didn't the PS2 also have a similar launch? Being quite slow I mean.

That's true, yes, the PS1, PS2, and PS3 all had similar launches with slow starts but faster pickup, with the PS3 actually selling at a faster overall rate than either the PS1 or PS2. If VGChartz would let me find the damn graph generator it'd be easier to show.

So far it's looking good for the PS3, a steady and healthy amount of exclusives being released (LBP2 in the holidays to Killzone 3/Infamous 2 next year for some of the exclusives) and it is slowly but surely catching up in the sales of the 360, now only about 4/3 million behind I believe when it used to be 8 million behind last year. The Wii I'm reluctant to compare sales to since it's already a friggin' behemoth in it's own castle, so comparing it to PS3 sales is a bit redundant.

Infact, if we take both the PS3 and 360 and compare the sales to the time of their respective launches, the PS3 has sold more consoles at a faster rate in the first 4 years of it's release compared to the 360's numbers after it's first 4 years. Again, if I could find the damn graph generator at VGChartz I'd show you.

But I'm fanboy-ing right now, I'm still happy for Sony and happy for myself since I'll be getting LBP2, InFamous 2, Killzone 3, Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, Resistance 3, and many more WITH my gaming PC!

It's good to be a gamer.

 

[sephiroth1991]

I can see it surpassing the xbox cos they close but Nintendo might still hold the lead after a few years

 

[edgeofblade]

I expect the dance between Sony and Microsoft to go Sony's way... in that they stand to LOSE less than Microsoft will.

I think the Move, while being the better motion control tech, is still going to come up short of the hype. But whatever gains Sony might get on Move will get squandered in 3D development for a tech that leaves a lot to be desired.

I expect Kinect will find poor adoption ratios, but I still expect it to work out better than you would think from the snarky, low-balling ignorati that flood the Internet's forums and comment sections.

Long story short, not a pretty picture, as far as projections and hype goes.

 

[fenderstrat]

yes, the ps3 is finally getting the appreciation it deserves. i still cant play mass effect 1 though

 

[Fallen-Angel Risen-Demon]

I know three people who sold their Xbox 360s to get a PS3 and they are happy for it. The PS3 is picking up fast. I knew I made the right choice when I bought it! Either way I still have all three consels, but I prefer my PS3 over the others.

 

[Jared]

It seems like the old arguement of the hare and the tortoise may yet be true...

 

[GonzoGamer]

That would be pretty funny but I don?t see the ps3 coming out on top this gen. Nintendo really saturated the market and expanded it too.
And if the 360 has finally shaken the rrod, the ps3 will lose the main deterrent to it?s main competition. It?s the main reason I have a ps3; no fee for online and blue-ray helped a little.
They really need to get their features more consistent however. You can have custom soundtracks but only for several games. You can record gameplay video but only with a few titles. You can watch youtube but it will probably freeze up your whole system. It only does everything... poorly.

 

[Woe Is You]

Didnt the PS2 also have a smiliar launch? Being quite slow I mean.

Not quite. Even if it did, the PS2 had no viable competition for a good 2 years, so the lead they got paired with Microsoft being really new at this and Nintendo only churning out things for their loyal yet shrinking fanbase was pretty much all they needed to get way ahead. We forget that the PS3 was supposed to be the obvious sales leader of this generation, something that quite didn't actualize (and probably never will).

I don't think sony or microsoft have to worry about nintendo any more, with game sales dropping and publishers pulling out, the system king might burn out soon.

They have quite a bit to catch up to before they can just throw Nintendo out of the game. First of all, the Wii has still sold about as much as the 360 and the PS3 combined. The second is the fact that we're already 5 years into the generation: it's far more likely we will see the next generation sooner than we're going to see the Wii being toppled as the king.

And who knows what the companies have in store for us then? Nintendo is especially under a huge pressure to bring us something as surprising as the Wii was.

 

[Irridium]

I don't think sony or microsoft have to worry about nintendo any more, with game sales dropping and publishers pulling out, the system king might burn out soon.

Just wait 'till the next Zelda. The sales will skyrocket again.

 

[Dioxide20]

Lower the price and it really will swing in your favor, 300$ is still a little much.