Well, this was a big disappointment.

Although from reading articles all day, it seems really 50/50 on stuff. Some places take the "surprise loss" angle because analysts were predicting a profit. Then other sites I was reading took the whole "massively stemmed Q3 losses from the last financial year".

So for someone without much training on the subject, I didn't really know what to believe! I was hoping for a profit, but suppose I always will be with a company I like involved.

Sure they invested in their online network, but failed to monetise it.

And first party? Well they bought Sucker Punch and Media Molecule.
On the other hand they closed Liverpool, BigBig and Zipper. And well... had some issues with their studios / teams in Japan.

Just compare the situation Sony is in now, months before the PS4 will be released with the situation Sony was in back then, couple of months before the PS3 released. That is why I said they did not build anything they will benefit from next gen. MS DID benefit from the Xbox brand and XBL they built after the first Xbox.

Do you have the shipment totals from Sony for PS2 over the last year? I honestly don't know when they started to lump them in with PS3 like they do now.

Either way, I don't see why it couldn't. It is still a new console in many developing markets from what I understand.

@DirtyP2002
Ok so now you do recognise that they did invest and build the PSN which contradicts your earlier assertion. Wether or not they monatised it as effectively as MS is another issue.

They may have used a different online model but they are having success with the Playstation Plus service. It has not been confirmed what kind of online model they will go with the PS4.

I'm not trying to say that they are out of the woods, far from it in fact. But clearly it seems apparent that Sony has made moves to cut costs and to be more streamlined as they can only absorb losses for so long.

The hardware design of both the PS4 and Vita is indicative of this new approach. Sony is no longer making exotic designs and is using industry standard parts to cut costs and to make it easier and cheaper for 3rd parties to develop on their platforms.

And again even if you think that Sony bought its way in it doesn't diminish the fact that they now have a great online service as well as a high output of high quality 1st party games released annualy.

And Sony bites the dust again.... The spins are priceless the usual suspects trying to spin dog shit into gold lol

Yeap.

Q1 FY2011: 1.4m
Q2 FY2011: 1.2m
Q3 FY2011: 0.9m
Q4 FY2011: 0.6m

74 million with 6 million PS3 means 2 million for PS3 in October... or 68 million at the end of September.... we have PS3 at 63.9 million at the end of March... so 4.1 million Q1 + Q2 for PS3.

Q1 + Q2 for PS2 + PS3 = 6.3m... So 2.2 million for PS2 in Q1 + Q2.

Conclusion

PS2 Q1 + Q2 FY2011 =  2.6 million
PS2 Q1 + Q2 FY2012 =  2.2 million

I overexagerate with  "PS2 sold more than last year in Q1 and Q2?" but it's almost flat... 15% down yoy for a console in the last year of life.

Or PS2 is even more magical than I'm think... or 74 million is low.

Anyway GAF thinks PS2 is down yoy so the sales for PS3 is between 74.9m and 75.4m.

GAF is now discussing the theories about PS3 lifetime sales...

1) 74.9-75.4m (~15% of shipment is PS2)
2) over 76m (less than 10% of shipment is PS2)

Which do you think will win?

Taiwanese manufacturing mags on Sony wanting to sell 50m Xperias in 2013

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20121106PD215.html

Need paid account to read

Damn I was predicting 43m in my Big Prediction thread.

75.2m, or close to that is my prediction.

6m PS3s vs 5.9m 360s in the previous quarter, PS3 outshipped 360 in the holidays, thanks to aggressive marketing in Europe.