PS3 sales half a million in India.

[sinha]

libellule said:
so hard Crazzyman, so hard ...

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Specials/Brand_Equity/Playstation_3_All_work_all_play/articleshow/msid-2595881,curpg-1.cms

Playstation 3: All work, all play

5 Dec, 2007, 0019 hrs IST,Preethi Chamikutty, TNN

Globally, PlayStation 3, Sony’s new flagship console has been a bit of a tough sell so far. It’s perhaps tougher still in a country like India where the gaming culture is just about beginning to find its feet and where the PC continues to be an easily available platform of choice.

The high cost of the console (it retails at Rs 29,990) and its software have all contributed to the product not particularly leaping off the shelves. In spite of the Sony brand name which has a lot of traction in India — the simple ‘It’s a Sony’ tagline has sold TVs, cameras and home theatres systems with an ease that many durable companies would kill for.

PlayStation came to India around 12 years back, but was unable to make much of a difference via legitimate channels in such a price-sensitive market. It makes the task of Tim Stokes, sales and marketing director, PlayStation Division even tougher.

On the positive side there’s Sony’s reputation for innovation and the offer of significantly better graphics. It was this winning combination that made the original PlayStation a huge success when it was launched. The gamer community welcomed the new console with a lot of enthusiasm and it soon broke all records, with PlayStation 2 (PS2) still being the highest-selling console in the world (110 million). The charm of PS2 endures to date, even in an era where its graphics are hopelessly dated; the sheer number of consoles in the global market makes it impossible for a developer to ignore.

Stokes is optimistic though because some of the problems with the market in India are not exclusive to it. Consoles overseas gained ground only after they began singing a different tune, positioning themselves as more of an entertainment device for the whole family than just a gaming rig. Stokes shares an insight, “Today we have more than 40% of market share in the UK, and this happened because of the proliferation of hi-definition TVs, adoption of technology like DVD, etc which helped the PlayStation be more than just a gaming console,” he says.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PS3, PS2 and the PSP, worked closely with the UK National Curriculum to help spread the word about benefits of games for children. This, according to Stokes, has helped change the negative perception that parents had about games to some extent.

Stokes is responsible for the Middle East, Africa and Indian markets, which he says are similar in terms of huge populations, but the challenges, have been geographical reach and the difficulty in distribution and marketing. “Piracy has been the biggest problem in all the three markets, though both PS1 and PS2 have been incredibly successful in the region it has been difficult to sell software due to lack of IPR enforcement,” he groans.

Congrats, libellule, you're one of the few people on this site who knows how to read.