At what point is it acceptable to call the PS3 a failure then? When Sony is forced to stop production due to lack of demand?

The reason why this book has been produced now is the exact same reason why business textbooks that are printed today include case studies of the iPod and iPhone; analysis of a successful or unsuccessful product is far more interesting and valueable when you can (vividly) remember the introduction of the product and you can study the fallout from the decisions that lead to its production and marketing.

It probably is too early to say that the PS3 won't see its sales pass the Gamecube, but it is entirely fair to say that the PS3 will never see sales of the Playstation or PS2, Sony's mistakes lead to the revival of a dangerous competitor, and that the PS3 may never become profitable. Many of these things can be seen as a failure to handle the PS3 appropriately

 ishy, come on :P, tis iz nut teh nitendoh forumz :>

The haters are getting desperate. Me, I'm laughing all the way to my shiny new PS3, arriving in exactly 72 hours. Woo-hoo!

desperate? Please explain.

 Just wondering how you can say that with such authority. So far it has undersold the Gamecube(though just barely under) LTD WW for the same period of time and it is also tracking under the XBOX LTD total for the same period of time. It is also tracking way under the N64 LTD for the same period of time WW. What this leaves you with is 10 months after launch is tracking under game systems that have sold 21 million, 24 million, and 39 million LTD when all is said and done. I suppose a come back is possible but momentum is a powerful thing and even the 360 stalled this year allowing the Wii to pass it with its own momentum even though the 360 was the market leader. I know the PS3 will get some small bumps coming down the road(holidays, Price cuts, FF 13, MGS4 being the main ones) and the holidays is a bump that benefits all systems. Personaly my worst case sceneraio(reasonable) for the PS3 is 21 million and my high end for the PS3 is 35 million. I just don't think it is going to be able to get  over 40 million under any normal circimstances.

As for wether the PS3 is a failure. Some people here seem ot think 39K in one week is a failure in Japan . Ask yourself this question if the Wii had the same sales as the PS3 woudl you say it was a failure....Many called it that when the GC had similiar sales 10 months in.

Where did this thread go wrong the book was not a proposition. The book exists its out there on shelves being sold to interested parties. Whether you agree or disagree is irrelevant you cannot just wish it out of existence. The book calls the PS3 a failure, and many people who read it are going to take it seriously, and some of those people that read it are going to make choices based on it. The discussion is on, and the label was brought. The console just got itself a bright scarlet letter, and the stain will stick just as all the others have.

Some here label the console a failure, and unfortunately for the most deluded they have a valid point. They have facts and figures to back them up. They have historical references to call upon. They have a list of references a mile long to call forth to counter any uninformed statement. The deluded call upon a degree of blind faith to shield them from the truth. The hard reality is there is nothing to indicate that this author is wrong. Your just angry he is not going to give Sony a three year grace period.

What is scary is the almost totalitarian mindset behind some of these posts. The willful desire to discredit the author, or to deny the valid point. The only answer given is that Sony should be given more time. Why explain to me this who is setting the time frames. Nobody gets to set the standard they will be judged by. Every console generation has a strong judgment by this point. There is ample evidence, and public opinion has become fixed.

You have not even read the book, and your judging the authors conclusions based only on the title. Your attacking the methodology only, because it does not suit your purposes. Not for some obvious error you need Sony to have more time before someone starts fixing labels. Well the genie is out of the bottle.

I would recommend that those blasting the author take the time to read State of Fear. A novel that makes a great argument for not entrenching your convictions or beliefs. A number or you are mired in a perpetual state of fear, and your quick to attack anything that casts your technology faith in doubt.

What we should be discussing, and should have been discussing all along is what effect will this book have on the public perception. The title alone enforces a negative stereotype upon the hardware. How will that affect sales. More importantly how will the material work into the war. A gifted writer can change the world. The discussion of justification is totally irrelevant.

I would assume business people would be most interested in something like this, since this example covers a lot of what business is all about and how something virtually guaranteed to be the biggest cash cow this generation has managed to fall so flat.  And it's an interesting case because of Sony's alienations as well as their corporate huebris.

It is likely a very interesting business analysis.  I may not be a business guy, but I am casually interested in it and would love to read this book. 

Me too...I'd actually like to read any book about current videogame markets...I didn't really know there were books for such things...I'm a simple person...

dodece and super_etecoon:

Thanks for bringing thoughtful debate in this (and many other) threads. It's nice to see that level-headedness and rational thinking do, in fact, exist on the internet.

A smart japanese guy that will make pretty good money from this book.