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Forums - Sony Discussion - CNN Money-The PS3 is a Sinking Ship

~flame on 12 December 2008

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/siliconalley/personal-tech/2008_12_sonys_ps3_a_sinking_ship_sales_plummet_sne.html

Sony's PS3 A Sinking Ship: Sales Plummet

Alone among the three major videogame consoles, sales of the PS3 are down about 19% from November 2007, according to the latest stats from the NPD Group. Sony was only able to sell 378,000 PS3s this November, compared to 466,000 last year.

And the problem for Sony isn't the recession, it's the PS3. Microsoft (MSFT) put up respectable numbers with its Xbox 360, selling 836,000 units vs 777,000 in November 2007. And Nintendo's (NTDOY) Wii continues to dominate the market, more than doubling sales from 981,000 to 2.04 million.
So why is the PS3 flopping so badly?

  1. It's the most expensive console on the market, $150 - $200 more than its rivals. Even if you believe the video game industry is "recession-proof" (it isn't), a tanking economy makes consumers more price-conscious.
  2. The PS3's big bonus is its ability to double as a Blu-Ray player. Too bad no one seems to care about hi-def DVDs. The differences between Blu-Ray and DVD are hard to see on a TV less than 50".
  3. The PS3 just doesn't have any must-have titles exclusive to the console. "LittleBigPlanet" has generated decent buzz but isn't a game-changer, and neither is Sony's new virtual world "Home."



"Tell yourself the PS3 has superior graphics if it makes you feel better, but a $400 console with a mediocre game library simply cannot compete against an Xbox 360 priced at $200 in this economy."

OUCH!!!



Playing Assassin's Creed and Resident evil 5 <3

I dont want to be fanboy anymore...Why? it takes to much work but i will call on ppl on there B.S!!!:)

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Press_the_Button on 12 December 2008

The CNN article is spot on in all 3 points really.

It's increasingly my view that Sony should discontinue the PS3 and refocus this gen on the PSP (only because the handheld is at least half way successful and probably profitable per hardware unit sold too).

Then they can buy themselves time to learn lessons from the PS3 disaster, stop the massive losses in the console business and if they are so inclined, launch a PS4 that actually has a chance at being profitable and successful in the same way as the PS2 was.



I am largely platform agnostic. I fail to understand why some people get overly fanboyish about what is an inanimate piece of electronics that's obsolete even before it's launched, when there are far more important things to champion, such as preventing environmental destruction or preventing millions of people dying unnecessarily from illnesses. This fact however, doesn’t mean I am not someone who doesn’t enjoy gaming as a pastime (as I have done for the last 20 years) or doesn’t have a strong interest in how the market is evolving – hence my presence on this site.

Platforms owned – PC, DS, X-Box 360, PS3, PSP and Wii.

Gamerace on 12 December 2008

OUCH!! Is right. The bad press will only hurt sales more.

But let me be the first to take you to task for what is actually a very fine games library on the PS3. Games aren't the problem, no amount of exclusives can compensate for a $200 price difference in today economy.



 

V-r0cK on 12 December 2008

"mediocre game library" ???....*sigh...



Griffin on 12 December 2008

Its funny how they say the PS3 has a bad games library when 90% of the games are on the 360 too.



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Phoenix_Wiight on 12 December 2008
Griffin said:
Its funny how they say the PS3 has a bad games library when 90% of the games are on the 360 too.

 

lol, QFT man, QFT.



routsounmanman on 12 December 2008

Consoles are like investments; you won't worry about $200 if you think it's worth it; simply, PS3 doesn't have that much more value than 360 in ppl's eyes to justify the purchase.



My themeforest portfolio:

http://themeforest.net/user/corethemes/portfolio

MrBubbles on 12 December 2008

well...thats certainly not very good news for the ps3



"I like my steaks how i like my women.  Bloody and all over my face"

"Its like sex, but with a winner!"

MrBubbles Review Threads: Bill Gates, Jak II, Kingdom Hearts II, The Strangers, Sly 2, Crackdown, Zohan, Quarantine, Klungo Sssavesss Teh World, MS@E3'08, WATCHMEN(movie), Shadow of the Colossus, The Saboteur

mrstickball on 12 December 2008

The Dreamcast had a good library too.

The problem is that the '90% of games that are on the 360 too' are also purchased on a console half the price.

Why pay $200 more for the SAME THING? That's what consumers are asking. Sony has failed to deliver, exactly like Sega did with the Saturn. What was promised to be 'big' turned out to be a boondoggle.

Goodbye Playstation 3, you deserve it after what Sony has done to you. Not even Sega has squandered away their successes as quickly as Sony has.



Back from the dead, I'm afraid.

~flame on 12 December 2008

yeah it's pretty messed up even CNN is talking smack about sony. not a good day right now for the sony headquarters now.



Playing Assassin's Creed and Resident evil 5 <3

I dont want to be fanboy anymore...Why? it takes to much work but i will call on ppl on there B.S!!!:)