From the AVS forum it seems that stores got anywhere from 20-30 units -- basically a pallet. If that is indeed the average number, there are approximately 4000 wal-marts in the United States. If we assume 3500 of them got players and the average was 25 units per store, we are looking at a total shift of about 85,000 to 90,000 players moved. Add to it the paltry number moved by price matching and the few that Best Buy and CC had, I'm guessing it probably will net about 100K new players moved into users hands. If that is the number, we probably can expect no more than about 200-300K HD-DVD titles moved at retail over this period as well.
While these numbers are OK as a start, they are far from enough to provide a major momentum shift.
There is something here for Toshiba, however. If they want to win this war and win it now, They need to put their A3s down close to the same price. Nix the 5 free BS deal and go 2 or 3 free in store for $129 or something along those lines. This sale and the response (more or less immediate sell-out) proves that Joe Six Pack's heart and mind will be won with low prices and not fanboy rhetoric, marketing, or any other sleight of hand.
I hate trolls.
Systems I currently own: 360, PS3, Wii, DS Lite (2)
Systems I've owned: PS2, PS1, Dreamcast, Saturn, 3DO, Genesis, Gamecube, N64, SNES, NES, GBA, GB, C64, Amiga, Atari 2600 and 5200, Sega Game Gear, Vectrex, Intellivision, Pong. Yes, Pong.
