For those that don't believe in the American FUD campaign, if there weren't such a thing, would there be threads like this and countless others?

Gamers wanting a game and platform maker to fail and die. It makes me chuckle to read so much of the anti-sony tripe by so many "hardcore" gamers. They are the people that put the moron in oxymoron.

Just to clarify some things about brand names.Sony is known in EU for the quality of their products,its name is associated with quality.MS on the other hand are the ones of the crappy Windows SO and the constant trials for monopoly and abusing the users.

Well, to a certain extent, Sony's name is associated with quality around the world (even though more and more people are starting to see that they sell their products at a priemium without producing a priemium product) and Microsoft is known for their questionable buisness practices and faulty software around the world ...

@Diomedes: Oh please. The only reason why people buy Sony products around here, is because it has better known brandname that the other cheap-o electronics manufacturers and they are cheaper than the quality manufacturers products. Actually LG is currently gaining ground from the "Sony customers".

Naw man, naw.

Name recognition is EVERYTHING. Ever heard of Tommy Hilfiger? Dolce and Gabana? (I think that's what they're called) Polo?

Of course you have, and people buy their products because they recognize the name and associate with things they like.

If Hilfiger and Billy Bob No Name put out the exact same pair of jeans right next eachother on the clothes rack, and the Hilfiger ones cost twice as much, guess which one would sell?

Not Mr. No Name.

Do people do research before they buy? Hell no! Chinese toy recall? How many parents bought their kids these products? Thousands!

They buy whatever little Timmy tells them to buy.

^ Name does play it's part... but the name has to back up what it stands for. If it don't, it becomes a tainted name and word spreads quickly and can have negative effects.

Stuff it!!! I'm WRONG!!! You guys are right. NAME is what sells. Look at those poor bastards that keep buying a 360 :P Even with defects, people still buy the 360 :P j/ks!

@finalsquall: The name doesn't need to stand for anything but familiarity to consumer when you try to market something to masses. It doesn't even need to back what it stands for, if the brand is strong enough, it still takes almost as much time to stain the brandname, that what it took to build it. Rebuilding on the other hand is much harder, since people already have negative feelings towards the stained brandname. The average consumer even don't know what else to buy besides the familiar brand.

If it's the brand name that's selling the system well in Europe, what's going to happen when Sony releases system sellers? confusion? implosion? catastrophe? death?.... PLAGUE!?!?....

Lol @the one with the "Sinterklaas" put into his post. That's just the Netherlands & Belgium right? Well he comes from Spain so maybe he packed hist boat full of PS3's, Spain is full of PS3's...

I was just seeing the this week game numbers for europe and it does look like that lot of games are selling real good in Europe and they have larger fan base than the americans. So i thought why not Sony use this European love for its brand name to its advantage and start some sort of competition between the europeans and the americans like something saying the

Territory with the highest pre-orders on amazon will get a 10% discount or
Territory with the highest pre-orders on amazon will get the game first...

I think its a bit vicious but wot else u can expect from a free mind other than devilish plans.. :)