I'm sorry, but unless specifically defined otherwise, it is quite reasonable to assume that any product on the market has making profit as its main (only?) goal. The money that it won or lost is the main (only?) factor dictating whether or not it was a success. As I said, it definitely pleases its fans, and that's great. But that does not mean it succeeded in its goal, which was to make money, certainly not providing a great experience, which is far too subjective to argue, anyway.

And actual sales numbers don't really matter at all, to be honest.

Sony launched the ps3 fully knowing they were going to lose over 250 dollars on every console sold.......... the ps3 primary goal was NOT meant to be profitable, and that's not subjective at all........that's common sense

They launched the PS1 and PS2 at a loss, as well. They most likely aimed to recoup the losses over software sales and hardware sales in the long run, as they had with their other consoles, which didn't quite go according to plan.

Anyway, even if the PS3 was not made to profit, but to instead promote Bluray, that could've still gone better since Sony as a whole hasn't been doing wonderfully post-PS3 release either, to my knowledge.

true, but that doesn't matter towards the success of the ps3. For what the ps3 was meant to do, it succeeded, in fact I think the full effect of the ps3 success will be felt more next gen than this gen imo

What was that?

It's certainly not a loser but many analysts as well as the SCE themselves thought that PS3 would absolutely pulverize the opposition, what we got instead is a healthy gaming industry where the HD console sales are relatively close thus creating rife competition and making it better for us - the gamers. Had PS3 kicked off at even better start  that was prophecised it would probably still maintain the price tag of about $400

'looks at the games PS3 had" "looks at the games PS3 will be getting compared to competition"

Yeah, it has been a real winner to me :) Even in sales, a winner can be defined also as something that beat all odds. PS3 has done that by starting with a horrible few years to ending up outselling market leader in some regions. It has come from it won't sell more than (insert a real low number here" to getting closer to second place with more than 40million consoles sold and counting. It has come from it haz no gamez to my god it has too many games htf am I gonna afford it. It has come from a reliable HW that gives consumers a lot, to one that gives even more. It has come from how many weeks will it be able to outsell market leader in Japan to, how many weeks can the market leader outsell it in Japan.

It's not over yet either. Many games to come and a long life span as well.

Cheers ps3 you bloody awesome console you

introduce cell processor into game development, establish blu-ray as the go to format for high definition media, position its-self as a multi media hub in consumers home, and of couse the most important, be the most bad ass gaming platform of all time...OF ALL TIME!!! lol

Has Sony ever explicitly stated that? The traditional goal for any product on the market is a better standard to use for judging the console's success than what you or I believe PS3's goal to be.

ps2 wasn't considered a success because of how much money it made. 

and we should never EVER judge a product based on what something else did, because more often than not most products that get shafted by not meeting the standard of something it never meant to be. 

oh and Sony didn't have to say that, it's common sense, just use logic bro. Them losing all that money on the ps3 wasn't a figure of speech, so if profitability isn't the goal, everything else must be, I mean why else would they have released the console.