The problem with sony is that they need to advertise games, heavenly sword anike should be on cartoon network, heavenly sword play b3yond trailers should be on every channel, and warhawk needs to be advertised some people dont even know its even out yet!!

Thats the problem with sony they dont advertise.

they used to advertise like crazy for the ps2 i used to hate seeing those commercials i seen em so much but i rarely see a ps3 commercial now. or maybe its just me

You have no idea how much i agree with you about 'mad world' selling that game. :P Sony's advertising is worse then sh*t when compared to microsofts. and it not being as hyped doesn't make it's content inferior. Gears was the first real 'generation definer' and showcase of the unreal engine 3, of course it was going to hog the limelight.

Your right in that it was extremely stupid of me to forget about the PC version holding it's fanbase. Your wrong about it no't contributing to sales and your wrong in interpreting what I'm saying to be "impulse buying". Not everyone will have a PC capable of playing UT3, not everyone will even have played UT. however, people will be buying consoles this holiday season and they're seeing a big name game like unreal tournament on the ps3 shelf will contribute to their decision to purchase the console. Besides, at some of the rates I've been seeing in stores, the ps3 might just be the cheaper option then a PC upgrade as you still have mods and keyboard/mouse support.. however you are right in that it was horrendously wrong of me to assume that the pc base would jump ship in significant numbers, for that i do apologize.

white devil said:

I agree with what you say about gears and i hope i covered the most of it above.

As for mgs and killzone, of course it won't disappear but i don't think they will necessarily count for much. who is still talking about perfect dark, chromehounds or even the more recent crackdown? the only older game that i currently recognize as having serious staying power and weight in sales is gears, which will probably live on until gears 2. I really don't think library size will matter all that much this season, atleast not nearly to the extent it's mattered during pswii's first 10 months. it's my opinion (uh oh) that people will be watching the titans wrestle rather then counting foot-soldiers. I'm sorry, i realize it's distressingly unfair for me to say "well it's my opinion so that's that".

As for microsofts early 2008 end of gaming season line up, yes i agree they probably do have a few games up their collective sleeves, they most certainly have more then a few big announcements concerning fall 2008. (even though i love fable to bits, it can't hold ground alone)I'm not convinced we will see many high caliber games as the season winds down into the spring and people can go outside again. they might pull a fast one, but i can't really factor in data i don't have.

MS has another big event coming right? we'll know more then. hey, maybe they'll try something at the tokyo games show to try to build their asain market.

 Another month and still tracking! Unbelievable.

http://www.vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=X360&reg1=All&cons2=Wii&reg2=All&cons3=PS3&reg3=All&align=1 

http://vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=PS3&reg1=All&cons2=X360&reg2=All&cons3=PS2&reg3=All&align=1&weekly=1

Falling well behind the PS2, though. And the discrepancy has already been explained: The extra 750k - 1mil units sold in Japan. That means that it's being beaten out in all other territories....

On the other hand the PS3 has already dropped in price, something that the Xbox did not had to do.

I wonder if it isn't the other side around, that Sony corp just adjusts their strategy so that the failure of the console doens't goes too far. (enough investors have already drawn away their money...) M-maybe the Xbox 360 is just their low side benchmark.

Simple: the same people who bought the 360 are now buying PS3s. These are mostly heavy-use gamers, early adopters, and people with tons of disposable income - a small section of the population, maybe 10% of all US consumers. 

Sony did this deliberately. Why? Because they have a monster called PS2-Zilla, the Console Which Wouldn't Die. No need to have two low-end products when one will do quite nicely. Next year, the PS3 price will drop to $399 (which is the equivalent of $299 in 2000 dollars), and then you'll see PS2-style sales for the PS3.

I doubt we'll see PS2-like sales. And I mean going on to sell 80 million units for its lifetime. It will have a massive spike, then stay in the 100-150K's.

I think all the valid points have been made in regards to the topic. For the most part the numbers are purely coincidental arriving at the same point through no common factor. The sales being different in different regions, and for different reasons. There also seems to be a vocal buying minority that will stiffen sales of consoles even when it is apparent they are failing to capture a reasonable percentage of the market. Perhaps it is brand loyalty. Most likely it is a mass of different factors. This feature, that game, and the collector mentality might all be conspirators.

Now as for the off topic comments. There is nothing wrong with how Sony is advertising their games. I have seen the commercials and I have seen them dozens of times. They are advertising they are just not spending a Halo 3 marketing budget on each game, and few gamer warrant such a budget. Halo also had a lot of cross promotions which were basically free advertising. Think of it like symbiotic marketing by advertising Halo companies like Burger King helped their own sales. Sony could never afford to spend this kind of money on every single game. Microsoft couldn't afford to do it either.

You see what I am getting at the advertising is not the excuse your looking for. Sony is doing a admirable job on that front. Microsoft just had a better product to market and that helped. Thats a quality issue with the PS3, and not the advertising department. They screwed up earlier this year its not them screwing up now. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the advertising. They do a wonderful job highlighting the games, and they do generate interest. The console itself is convincing people not to purchase it.

Unreal Tournament is primarily a PC oriented game, and thats where the largest demographic of owners will be found. They either already own the hardware, or will need to upgrade. Regardless it is cheaper then buying a console, and further more the PC will allow for greater functionality. The graphics will be better, more maps will be supported, secondary programs can be used such as teamspeak, and finally it is cheaper to upgrade a old PC then to buy a PS3. Even if you need a new rig that is a preferable investment then a PS3. A computer simply put provides far more functions to a consumer then a PS3 can. You want a real rational reason the PC gets old 360 games too. Which you will never get on a PS3.

Will the game sell to owner yes it will. Will it attract new customers perhaps a few. Will it drive a sales surge no it will not. Anyone serious about Unreal is going to be buying a PC, or upgrading their rig. Serious fans will do what the need to in order to get that perfect experience.

The hard cold reality is this holiday season the PS3 has no legs to really stand on when it comes to software. Perhaps a couple decent titles, but you need more then that for the holiday buzz and rush. Sony has as much conceded this. They have convinced many of their most dedicated fans that next spring will be the real deal. Who would know better then Sony guys. Would you like the Xbots to go dig up the articles for you. This holiday season is bust for the PS3.

I am not sure I agree with the idea that Sony should just roll over and play dead. Even if they have nothing they should try to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I seriously doubt their console could survive a holiday mauling of the proportions we are looking at this year. However I do not run Sony, and their propaganda is quite plain. The lunatic fans spout it out non step. Just you wait till next spring when all these great games come out. They did not think of this on their own. That is what Sony told them to believe. Sometimes it feels like missing time is a real thing in these debates. Somehow the Sony boosters seem to forget the next six months like they are not going to happen, and Sony ignores them to. They even downplay them if they get cornered.

Yes it really is that bad. Think about what I wrote and go look for yourself. Sony isn't even going to fight this holiday season. They have abandoned the field to Microsoft and Nintendo. Other posters are not making this stuff up.