TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- Sony Corp. (6758.TO) will reach only 75% of its global target for PlayStation 3 sales this fiscal year through March, according to a Nomura report released Monday. Nomura cut its target for PS3 game units shipped during the period to 4.5 million from 6 million, citing poor sales over the holiday season in North America. The Tokyo-based consumer electronics maker is fighting to keep its position at the top of the video game market against rivals Nintendo Co. (7974.TO) and Microsoft Corp. (MS). The company's rollout of its newest system has been beset by delays and supply shortages, but it has maintained it will sell 6 million units through March. Sony said last week it had shipped 1 million consoles in the U.S. in 2006, but it sold only about 470,000 in Japan according to data released by computer game publisher Enterbrain Inc. This put it well below its global goal of 2 million for the year. The unit is due to be released in Europe sometime in March. In its report Monday, Nomura also cut its PS3 sales forecast for next fiscal year to 10 million from 16 million next fiscal year and to 11 million from 18 million for the following year. http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=22215 IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon has told GamesIndustry.biz that Sony must produce more first-party software for PlayStation 3 or risk seeing more and more units left on shop shelves. Pidgeon's comments follow the release of NPD's videogame sales data for 2006 which, according to SCEA boss Jack Tretton, show "the power of PlayStation". The IDC analyst said he agreed with Tretton that the power of the brand "is confirmed with the PS2's performance in the market", adding that sales of hit titles such as Guitar Hero 2 meant that last year "PS2 was helpful to most third-party publishers' bottom lines". However, he continued, "The PlayStation brand doesn't appear to be helping the PS3. If NPD's numbers are correct, there are over 300K PS3s on retail shelves. That is not good for a console launch of only a million and it's not good for publishers with PS3 software." Pidgeon warned that Sony must focus on the games available for PlayStation 3 and the number of first-party titles in development, stating, "Software libraries are the key driver of console sales, and no console is going to sell on the promises - they've got to deliver. "Sony needs more must-have first party titles to sell consoles. Gamers know Halo 3 is coming on the Xbox 360, and they can expect Mario on the Wii, but there are no established first party franchises coming to the PS3 except Gran Turismo - and that is delayed." Pidgeon did say that first-party PS3 games Heavenly Sword and Motorstorm "look great", but observed, "They are new and less anticipated."

Wasn't everyone kind of expecting this? Nintendo obviously had the best 6 week launch of the three systems. 1.1 million in the US 989 k in Japan 700 k in Europe For the other .5 million... Throw in good launches Canada, another 200k for Japan (since January), Australia, and Latin America and its easy to see why Sony had trouble assessing the demand/needs of so many markets (although it is not out yet in Europe) With Microsoft already entrenched in the West it looks like a bad generation for Sony, at least right now.

Even if they sell 4.5 millions (the 75% reported ) they will still be outdoing Microsoft by a great margin as MS didnt sell 4.5 millions until september . .And if they sell 4.5 millions in 4 months in USA and Japan and 1 week in Europe .....well 7.5 by July ,9 by september,10 for october ,11 for november and some 13.5 for December is a quite a logical progression ...and it would be outdoing X360 by a magnitude of nearly 2 .... Just to put things in perspective .

Ps3 will be selling 200000 consoles per month in japan, and being very optimistic, let's say they will do other 200000 consoles in the US. That makes 1.2 million till the end of march. Supposing other 200000 consoles are sol in Europe, that makes 1.4m. PS3 has sold 1.4m until the end of december, so for the end of March, there will be 2.8m ps3 sold, far away from the 6 m Sony planned, and even the 4.5m the anallist says they will sell. Those 4.5m seem to be completely impossible to reach.

Your estimations are laughable .Even the X360 has been selling more than 200 000 per month in NA ,Playstation 3 will do the same or probably better.After your numbers with the consoles sent in december there would be enough stock for january and first days of february and that simply isnt possible as most shops are sold out and receiving consoles twice a week .In Japan it is selling 70-75 000 per week with shortages ...less that 300 000 per month is nearly impossible .Plus in Europe you have a month or less that a month but it will be the launch month and people have been waiting here ages for this console all the allotment will be sold and it wont be just 200 000 consoles .I think a good estimations would be 300 000 for NA for January ,300 000 for Japan in January ,about the same for february for each territory ,and some 350 000 per month in march with many software shipping by then ...in Europe they will send 1 million (providing it sells so bad in Japan and USA and they can send a lot of consoles here as you are implying ) and it can sell out .That added to the 1.25 million by 31 dec would put the numbers at end march around ...4 million 125K consoles ...

Meh. Lets say 1.5m so far 200k per month in NA 300k per month in Japan = 500k * 3 = 1.5m which is 3m by March plus maybe another million for europe launch.

One million in Europe in March? Not even in your dreams. It hasn't sold 1m in the US in two christmas months and you believe Sony is gonna sell 1 million in Europe, IN MARCH? Sounds quite funny. And it is not 1.5m so far, just 1.2m. 3-3,5m might be possible. More than that is utopic.

Did you know recently Europe has purchased more PS2s than the US in total? They purchased over 40 million this last fall. Sony is actually bigger there than in the US. *If* Sony had supplies available at launch it would have been completely sold out everywhere. Since they have improved production they can likely make more consoles available at launch for Europe. I'd say they can make 1 million available at launch easily, and with a great list of titles coming out just before European launch, a new firmware update to improve XMB, and some other cool toys, such as an HD camera available as well. European launch has a lot of advantages the US launch didn't. How is it not 1.5? You can't know. All you know is what NPD reported thru December 26th. Which was 690k + 540k in Japan as of January 7th. That's 1.23 mil, but also does not include 3 weeks of US sales... Point is, none of know at this point really. Europe is Sonys territory, and they still have a lot of support there. Let's not make a conclusion till we see the launch in March.

If they send 1 million they will sell one million . UK can absorb easily 300 000 consoles ,France and Germany 200 000 each and Italy and Spain 150 000 each .That is totally feasible for those markets .And if somehow they couldnt or shipments were smaller in those theres still Holland ,Portugal ,Austria ,Swizterland (part of Europe altought outside the UE ) ,Norway ,Sweden ,Denmark ,Greece .... The only question is if they will have that amount of consoles manufactured .

http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=1058274 Article from Sony. They have "shipped" 2 million worldwide and intend to still ship 6 million worldwide by the end of March. I say, if the units don't sell as quickly as they want in Japan or America, they're region free send em to Europe. Or quit shipping so many to Japan or America and stockpile for the European launch and blow it out of the water. I talked to several guys fom Europe on the AVS forums and elsewhere, they say the pre-orders are completely sold out. Again, that's anecdotal, but really it's the best way they can sell out the console.