| DSLover said: I can't see PS3 matching PS2. Competition is much more intense and PS3 has a much higher price. |
This is becoming more and more a non issue, especially outside of NA. You are right on the fierce competition though, there's no doubt about that! Here in Norway a 360 Premium or a 360 Elite cost as much as a PS3, and the Wii is more expensive than a 360 Arcade in some cases. When the next SKU's arrive, I expect the PS3 to be sold in two versions here; 40GB and 120GB at 2995 and 3795NOK respectively making the price even more competitive. And in many markets in Europe, the PS3 actually has the lead despite being more pricy! These markets will become a lot bigger when the price drops even more, like here in Norway where the PS3 managed to sell as much as the Wii despite costing 3500NOK more! Kinda amazing, so imagine how these kinds of markets will look when prices are basically halved.
But aside from price, it also matters a lot what kind of experience the console gives you. I think much of the PS3's success in Norway is attributed to the high HDTV penetration rate here, and also the fact that the PS2 sold 600.000 LT here which leaves a big chunk of people who know what they get if they purchase said console. The N64 actually did quite well here too, but the Gameube and original X-box did not.
I guess my point is (finally); the global market is comprised of many small segments that have vastly different preferences and purchasing habits than NA. Many tend to use NA as a base model to predict and oversee global console sales, but that is not a very accurate method at all.
