PS3 SKUs might start disappearing from release lists soon if sales don't pick up
- Thread starter iceberg187
- Start date
thatdude90210
Regular
Any big software releases in May & June? Because it's currently selling at 20k per week and falling (was 26k last month). May NPD will likely be in the 70k's, and if there is no major games in June, the 3 consecutive months under 100k NPD will be likely. The only relief is that I think June is a 5 week NPD month.
I don't think many games -if any at all- are coming out in May? I can be wrong though.
djskribbles
Legend
no "big" titles, but Calling all Cars seems to be pretty popular. i doubt it will show much impact on sales. June has a pretty big title in R6 Vegas, but it was already released on 360/PC, and thats IF it even gets released in June. not until July will there be Ninja Gaiden Sigma and Lair. from then on, i think things will start to slowly pickup for the ps3 and in 2008, things will really start to pickup.
Interesting read. In the end though, I think there are only three things that matter most:
1) Price
2) Price
3) Price
I mean, people aren't stupid. When they look at getting a new machine, they look at the entire bill, what they need to pay in total to get home and get playing.
Take the 360. The core pack is useless, there's a reason it's called the 'tard pack' after all. Once you add up what you need, the core is hardly a bargain. So you go with the premium pack. You still need to buy one game, and you have to pay tax. So the realstic price of entry to a 360 is around $500.
Take the PS3. 20gb unit is gone, so you have to buy the 60gb, one game, and pay tax. So the realistic price of entry to a PS3 is around $700.
Now take the Wii. Only one unit to buy. Already comes with a game. Ok, so say you splurge and get another game anyways, and of course pay tax. This makes the typical price of entry to a Wii around $300, and you get two games.
Huge difference! Even more so when you consider that resistance to a purchase is not a linear thing, it starts to grow substantially at $500 and is a deal breaker for most at $700. The points they make in the article are interesting, but in the end I think it's simply that case that PS3, and even 360 to an extent, just cost too damn much.
1) Price
2) Price
3) Price
I mean, people aren't stupid. When they look at getting a new machine, they look at the entire bill, what they need to pay in total to get home and get playing.
Take the 360. The core pack is useless, there's a reason it's called the 'tard pack' after all. Once you add up what you need, the core is hardly a bargain. So you go with the premium pack. You still need to buy one game, and you have to pay tax. So the realstic price of entry to a 360 is around $500.
Take the PS3. 20gb unit is gone, so you have to buy the 60gb, one game, and pay tax. So the realistic price of entry to a PS3 is around $700.
Now take the Wii. Only one unit to buy. Already comes with a game. Ok, so say you splurge and get another game anyways, and of course pay tax. This makes the typical price of entry to a Wii around $300, and you get two games.
Huge difference! Even more so when you consider that resistance to a purchase is not a linear thing, it starts to grow substantially at $500 and is a deal breaker for most at $700. The points they make in the article are interesting, but in the end I think it's simply that case that PS3, and even 360 to an extent, just cost too damn much.
I agree with you, definately. I think that while the technilogical race was great way back when, it really pushed the consoles over the edge this generation. Hopefully next time, everyone takes a step back and gets a little more realistic about technology and consumer wants.
After all, at it's heart, no matter what the technology is, it still has to be a game system. That's the main reason people buy these machines. A few extra gadgets are great and all, but when they effect the system's cost so much, they should really think twice.
Often enthusiasts can't get their head around the mindset of the general consumer. Price is KING! As you laid it out, $700+tax to play a game is a very high threshold that many will not cross. Consider this: you can buy a 42+ inch plasma for under 1k! I can tell you exactly which option the general consumer will choose without a long debate.
To people, these are gaming systems. Yes, we love to rave about Live and BluRay and all that but in the end, the general consumer is not savy and this is a very large tech jump for them to follow. The general consumer wants a very simple platform based on repetition. Pop in a disc, pick up the controller and play a game. It starts and stops there.
I have 5 friends who work in the tech industry, one of them a gaming studio artist. They all have a 360 and one of them has a PS3 also (the game dev). They are absolutely clueless about it's features outside of what is necessay for them to play the game. At times, I'll show them new "cool" stuff to which they like but never really go back to. In the end, they want to play a game and be done with it. If these people dont' care, Joe Q certainly won't. Thus the Wii is dominating. It fits the needs of the general consumer perfectly. Cheap and SIMPLE. Don't forget the importance of a game included either.
iceberg187
Regular
I agree with all of this. Worrying about each other, Nintendo snuck thru the back door and now it appears that they are destined to rule again. Iwata appears to be the sharpest tool in the box when it comes to gaming execs. Microsoft and Sony will need to re-evaluate the way they approach this gen and that is coming from someone that bought all 3 at launch.
I second (third?) this as well. VAST majority of the people I know just want to plop down on the couch for an hour, grab the controller, play a game, and then go off do something else. To them, that's the quintessential console experience. In their strive for "living room dominance" Sony seems to have forgotten about the paramount importance of the whole "simple, fun and affordable" aspect that attracted the consumer in the first place.
Yup. Which is why the Core is very important when it drops 100 bucks later this year.
Great post, and probably sums up what we're seeing today. Certainly it was unexpected for most of us, but now our hindsight looks to be 20:20.
For the 360 you'd want to add more cash for an extended warranty. For the PS3, you need to add HD cables, too (for most of us). Nintendo really nailed it for the "average consumer" with a no-nonsense gaming experience.
How does june being a 5 week month matter at all?
Oninotsume
Newcomer
Well, I know of some PS3 projects that are in the can because they were kind of crap on the 360, but the 360 could sort it out okay, while it would be a major undertaking to retool to the PS3.
On the other hand I haven't heard anything in my neck of the woods about anyone caring that the sales are slow. They seem to think that's a normal thing, and will pick up over time.
It would be interesting to look at total world wide sales of the PS3 and 360 an compare them, because I know the PS3 sells much better in Japan, and has been selling slightly better in the UK. At this stage total WW sales of the two units per week might not be that far off.
On the other hand I haven't heard anything in my neck of the woods about anyone caring that the sales are slow. They seem to think that's a normal thing, and will pick up over time.
It would be interesting to look at total world wide sales of the PS3 and 360 an compare them, because I know the PS3 sells much better in Japan, and has been selling slightly better in the UK. At this stage total WW sales of the two units per week might not be that far off.
tongue_of_colicab
Veteran
Well in comparison the ps3 might sell ''alot'' better in Japan but 10k a week is still crap no matter how you look at it. Just not as crappy as the x360 In the USA the x360 sells alot better. I wouldnt know exactly about europe but x360 isnt really doing all that well here so I'd call that even or maybe a slight advantage for ps3. WW the x360 probably has the advantage over the ps3 with something like 150 - 200k units a month.
In the USA the x360 sells alot better. I wouldnt know exactly about europe but x360 isnt really doing all that well here so I'd call that even or maybe a slight advantage for ps3. WW the x360 probably has the advantage over the ps3 with something like 150 - 200k units a month.
DuckThor Evil
Legend
Well in comparison the ps3 might sell ''alot'' better in Japan but 10k a week is still crap no matter how you look at it. Just not as crappy as the x360
X360 has sold about 50-100k units more than PS3 in the US during past months. In Japan it's currently about 45k for PS3 vs 10-12k for X360, so your worldwide numbers don't add up at all... especially when you mention that PS3 might have better sales in Europe at the moment, I don't know if that's the case though.
I would think that PS3 and X360 might be selling about equal in Europe now that the PS3 launch is done and over with, that would put the Worldwide numbers to X360 edging about 70k units a month. I'm not betting my nuts on that though, but maybe it's in the 50-90k range.
About half the people I know who are waiting to buy a PS3 will do so whenever the PS3 versions of PES7 and FIFA08 hit the stores ...
I think that Sony should probably be really worried if they don't sell strongly over the next Holiday season. Then they would really fall back too much. But as long as they'll keep up from that point on, they should be allright. Many wise people on this forum have already long ago been suggesting that the Holiday 2007 season would give the first truly significant indication on where the console TURF wars will be going. There is so much important stuff coming during this year ... probably the next too, but this year will give a first true indication.
In the meantime though, it's going to be tough for some of my earlier predictions to come true, I'll tell you that. So I'll be watching with interest.
I think that Sony should probably be really worried if they don't sell strongly over the next Holiday season. Then they would really fall back too much. But as long as they'll keep up from that point on, they should be allright. Many wise people on this forum have already long ago been suggesting that the Holiday 2007 season would give the first truly significant indication on where the console TURF wars will be going. There is so much important stuff coming during this year ... probably the next too, but this year will give a first true indication.
In the meantime though, it's going to be tough for some of my earlier predictions to come true, I'll tell you that. So I'll be watching with interest.
With such news in the media and such plans, hardware sales are bound to fall downward thats for sure.
People dont buy a console for hardware alone. They buy it for games. And if games arent there and/or not going to be released at all they want buy the console at all. They are reducing the chances for a better userbase farther
Here's a thought. PS3 is too expensive. It's out of reach of consumers. It's percieved as an expensive luxury item, much like HDTV's were seen last year. What happens when an expensive luxury item gets a price drop (and I'm talking consecutive price drops over the next couple of years)...it then becomes a bargain. Everybody will want it, as the once expensive luxury item is a cheap luxury item.
This occurs throughout technology pricing. Buyers only come on board with price drops. Say there is a cheap HDTV and an expensive HDTV...when that expensive HDTV comes to the price of the cheaper one....you'll get the one that was once expensive.
This is how I see the Wii. It's cheap now...and will always be percieved as cheap. Yet once the ps3 is cheap, it will be percieved as a bargain, and not as cheap.
As for Europe:
This is Germany
" Hardware sales April 2007:
1. Nintendo Wii - 20,000
2. Playstation 3 -16,000
3. Xbox 360 - 9,500 "
I think Spain was a bit more dramatic than that (bigger ps3 sales) but I can't seem to find them now.
This occurs throughout technology pricing. Buyers only come on board with price drops. Say there is a cheap HDTV and an expensive HDTV...when that expensive HDTV comes to the price of the cheaper one....you'll get the one that was once expensive.
This is how I see the Wii. It's cheap now...and will always be percieved as cheap. Yet once the ps3 is cheap, it will be percieved as a bargain, and not as cheap.
As for Europe:
This is Germany
" Hardware sales April 2007:
1. Nintendo Wii - 20,000
2. Playstation 3 -16,000
3. Xbox 360 - 9,500 "
I think Spain was a bit more dramatic than that (bigger ps3 sales) but I can't seem to find them now.
That's great in theory, but if PS3 takes too long to become cheap, there won't be any software for it to make worthwhile no matter what the price.
I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of potential PS3 sales are just 'on hold' waiting for key titles as Arwin suggests for the soccer titles. At the moment it's a bit too early to buy into if you don't care for current titles. In 6 months time the games will showing a fantastic line-up with great exclusives and an inproved system with whatever updates it's got. If then it doesn't sell, Sony have a problem (and by then fingers corssed, they'll have been a noticeable price drop). Until then, I can understand publishers being cautious but they won't want to jump ship too early.
tongue_of_colicab
Veteran
Ah my bad. I though ps3 did something like 100k last month in the states and x360 around 200 - 250k.