Reason for the sales before launch are probably imports if it in Europe and America.If it in Japan it the Sony workers getting them before launches.

to deadhorse,

Sorry for misunderstanding you,

and about what I saied, I still think that PS3 possess more exclusivity coming this year thant Xbox360. I may be wrong since I m not able to give you the exact numbers of game.

http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=7064&pg=1&comments=

They have the least exclusive titles anounced and released of any next gen system, but they are gaining a little bit on the 360.  The Wii is gaining fast on the 360 (of course a lot of it's exclusives are crap, but still it means a lot as far as system sales go).

For it's price, it is not doing as bad as many thought, including some people here. The initial price cuts should have been in the western markets, US and EU, and NOT in Japan, it was wasted there. I think that a $406 USD price point in these two markets would do some amazing things for sales.

@El Duderino,
I'm with you on the time window that Sony has, I don't think that they will be leaving the market in any manner regardless, but xmas2007 is crucial for securing more good games. If not it's likely we'll see more cross platform and ports(if they're as good as R6: Vegas then I could care less though) than exclusives.

It is simply price and lack of a lot of good games (exclusive) that are hurting the PS3.  Even if they get a lot of good games/exclusives in the next 12 months, by the time the system comes down to a mass market price (~$200) the console race for this generation will have already been decided.

I'd be very surprised if the PS3 makes $200 this generation before the PS4.  The 360 won't hit it for 2 years either (not counting the core, which, let's face it, needs to be discontinued).

Games do play the big part people think cause everyone has different tastes and some people might think the PS3 games out now are amazing and it has a great line-up now.This is probably a minority but still everyone has different tastes just cause there not your tastes doesnt make the line-up bad.360 i think is bad but i dont say the games are bad cause there not that bad just not to my liking.Sony apparently planning a price cut in time for Christmas and acording to a Gamestop newsletter it a $200 price cut(i think it was Gamestop cant remember).Think if that pushes even a quarter of the PS2 install base(around 115million)to buy a PS3, PS3 would be in the lead.

I will be VERY surprised if they cut it more than $100.  Even a $200 cut wouldn't get them 1/4 of the PS2 userbase.  Consider this:  80% of PS2s were sold when the system was $200 or below.  By this logic, only 20% of PS2 owners are even willing to pay up to $300, much less $400.  Remember the vast majority of the PS2's sales were casual gamers.  The PS3 will never hit this casual market price. 

PS3 wont hit the casual market like the PS2 did because the Wii has taken care of the casual market and is absorbing it fast.Just a theory the quarter of PS2 owners but if say 50% of the 20% buy the PS3 it would be in second this Christmas maybe first,doubt first cause the Wii will take most of the sales and the 360 will not sell aswell as last years Christmas or the year before that.
When did the PS2 hit the $200 price point?