95 replies to this topic

[Ross PK]

I don't keep up to date with console news anymore. I know that a couple of years back it was supposedly in 3rd place and not really doing well at all.

I'm just wondering if it is doing any better now? Is Sony making a profit?

Edited by Ross PK, Sun Mar 15, 2009 4:13 PM.

[DaytonaUSA]

Ross PK, on Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:12 PM, said:

I don't keep up to date with console news anymore. I know that a couple of years back it was supposedly in 3rd place and not really doing well at all.

I'm just wondering if it is doing any better now? Is Sony making a profit?

Yes, it's doing much better.  No it's not #1 or anything, but their sales (especially in Japan) have been much healthier.  In fact, the ps3 was almost at Wii sales last time I checked the Japanese sales charts.

If it does become the top system, it will do so at the end of it's life span. However, at the very least, it seems they're on the right track.  Exclusives and no commercials with girls on toilets next to crying babies seems to equal profit!  

[Gregory DG]

This should answer the question:

http://www.vgchartz.com/

[DaytonaUSA]

Quick note, those look to be american numbers, not the japanese ones that come out more often (that I see more lol).  It's funny how many of those systems are basically switched depending on region.

[Reaperman]

Gregory DG, on Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:54 PM, said:

This should answer the question:

http://www.vgchartz.com/

what a great site, I think this chart shows it best.  Having played with the page quite a bit, it doesn't seem like ps3 is really gaining any traction at all.

Odd that the only 'loser' sony console is the one I like.  Oh well, it's looking like, title wise, this might be a pretty good year for ps3.
I wonder if there are a lot of 360 users that have bought more than one system though.

Edited by Reaperman, Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:13 PM.

[Shawn Sr.]

DaytonaUSA, on Sun Mar 15, 2009 7:12 PM, said:

Quick note, those look to be american numbers, not the japanese ones that come out more often (that I see more lol).  It's funny how many of those systems are basically switched depending on region.

No, those numbers are for the Americas, Japan and Other. So it's got all the totals. The Wii is still crushing the ps3 and the xbox 360 all around the world.

[Linkz1]

Reaperman, on Sun Mar 15, 2009 11:11 PM, said:

Gregory DG, on Sun Mar 15, 2009 6:54 PM, said:

This should answer the question:

http://www.vgchartz.com/

what a great site, I think this chart shows it best.  Having played with the page quite a bit, it doesn't seem like ps3 is really gaining any traction at all.

Odd that the only 'loser' sony console is the one I like.  Oh well, it's looking like, title wise, this might be a pretty good year for ps3.
I wonder if there are a lot of 360 users that have bought more than one system though.

With the way this generation is going, I think it'll be interesting to see how Microsoft and Sony respond for the 8th generation...will they continue to focus on technical mastery, or will they bring a focus back to the games like Nintendo has been trying to do this time?

I'm not shocked by how poorly the 360 is doing in Japan either...

[DaytonaUSA]

You have to admit, this would not be the case a year ago:

http://www.joystiq.c...ly-colored-evi/


As an added note, it seems the ps2 has had it's time in the spotlight.  It's now last. It is interesting to see that the 360 didn't beat Wii sales like the PS3 did this time, even though according to the Famitsu, RE5 sold about equal for each of the two HD platforms.

Edited by DaytonaUSA, Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:29 AM.

[HammR25]

The Japanese always buy Japanese products first which is quite understandable.  I hope MS and Sony don't try following Nintendo's lead.  I don't need a bunch of dumbed down games that use a gimmick controller.  I haven't had any problem with the game play in any game I've bought for either the 360 or PS3.

[DaytonaUSA]

HammR25, on Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:11 AM, said:

The Japanese always buy Japanese products first which is quite understandable.  I hope MS and Sony don't try following Nintendo's lead.  I don't need a bunch of dumbed down games that use a gimmick controller.  I haven't had any problem with the game play in any game I've bought for either the 360 or PS3.

Considering how badly the PS3 was doing in it's home turf though, I'd say that they don't always buy their own products first.  The 360 has now, on many occasions, surpased ps3 sales there.  For the PS3 to surpase not only 360 sales but also wii sales, that's a big deal for the system that's been in last place consistantly for the last year or so.

[chrisbid]

Linkz1, on Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:58 AM, said:

With the way this generation is going, I think it'll be interesting to see how Microsoft and Sony respond for the 8th generation...will they continue to focus on technical mastery, or will they bring a focus back to the games like Nintendo has been trying to do this time?

I'm not shocked by how poorly the 360 is doing in Japan either...

with the way this generation is going, an 8th generation is not a sure thing beyond a Wii HD

[DaytonaUSA]

chrisbid, on Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:47 AM, said:

Linkz1, on Mon Mar 16, 2009 7:58 AM, said:

With the way this generation is going, I think it'll be interesting to see how Microsoft and Sony respond for the 8th generation...will they continue to focus on technical mastery, or will they bring a focus back to the games like Nintendo has been trying to do this time?

I'm not shocked by how poorly the 360 is doing in Japan either...

with the way this generation is going, an 8th generation is not a sure thing beyond a Wii HD

Actually, I'd kinda like to see a generation do what the snes, n64 and even GC had in mind.  IE: expanding the system to be used for the next generation.  No one has really ever done this (beyond the ill-conceived 32x/cd thing) and I'd like to see a system go a bit further than the normal 4-5 years by adding on to it in some way.

Then we could have two Wiis taped together next time .

[Seob]

Sales of the xbox must be with people buying a second xbox, just in case the first breaks down. Lets put it this way, ms isn't a winner as well. They lose a lot of money, just because they have to keep fixing rrod's.

[smile_walle]

I still wanted to buy PS3 over Xbox 360.

[swlovinist]

To me and to answer your question no I dont think Sony is doing better, I actually think they are doing worse.  Here is why I think so.  Before I rant, I am an owner of a PS3 and actually like it.  That is of course because I have a 20 gig BC unit.  


A couple of years ago Sony's system was still new, the sticker shock was accepted more, and the console base was not as uneven.  It was predicted that within a couple of years that PS3 would surpass the 360 ins sales.  

That never happen.  Instead, Sony ran a completely screwed marketing campaign, took out backwards compatibility and confused customers on which system  to buy.  To make an everything machine that can play movies, Blu Ray, CDs, go on the internet, and NOT play PS2 games is retarded.  

Fast forward two years.  Sony is still in third place.  The 360 is outselling them and has nearly double the library of games.  The Wii, which is overlooked by both MS and Sony came out of nowwhere and is killing in sales(games is another topic).  

Is Sony profitable?  Probably but right now, but they are in a pickle.  They now are seen as the system that most needs to come down in price.  The Wii is selling fine at $250.  Microsoft(not known for price drops) has done a decent job at least at dropping their price of a system to a reasonable $199 to $299 range(even though their hardware is in question).  Just when they are probably making profit they have to have a price drop to stay competive of at least $100.  

In my humble opinion, they are screwed this round.(never count them out).  The PS2 is by far one of my favorite systems to come out in the last 15 years.  It is sad to see how arrogant and stupid Sony has become with being the king of the hill.  I expect the PS3 to probably whimper a couple more years, but it will eventually be killed or replaced by something.  It has to.  No console in third place usually goes more than 5 years without either a serious redesign or major upgrade.  

Boy the mighty have fallen.  Hopefully they can take a cue from their mistakes with the PS3 and learn from them.

Edited by swlovinist, Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:38 AM.

[liveinabin]

Conversely, I hated the PS2 but love the PS3.  The PS2 was an underpowered, lazy move by Sony that payed off ONLY because of the brand name and the DVD player.
The PS3 is a real technological marvel and nothing really competes on that level with it.  We're just beginning to see what it can do and, while it may well stay third (especially in the US where the Xbox brand has always done well), the gaming market is definitely big enough to be third in now and still make a bundle.  Of course it's number 2 in Japan and will probably take the second spot in time in a lot of Europe.
I think Sony should just keep on doing what they're doing now.  Momentum is building and they've got a lot of great stuff to offer this round, particularly on PSN which is, in my opinion, the PS3's greatest asset.

[cimerians]

I just picked up Princess Bride on Blu-Ray.....its awesome having Blu-ray as an option for movies. (Really only worth it if you have a hidef LCD etc.)

I hate the frontmen Sony has...bunch of talking heads. (Kaz Harai etc). Knuckleheads.

As long as the rest of the normal people behind the machine develop cool stuff for it, I'll be there. I just like this machine. Wish they had Microsofts software library though.

[JamesD]

I think having the highest priced console isn't helping Sony in the current market.  BluRay support doesn't mean as much when players were selling for a little over $100 at Christmas and next year they will be cheaper.  

Having a platform that is more difficult to develop for (or so I hear) and the lowest number of consoles out there isn't helping with 3rd party support.
The Wii really sucked for titles until the sales took off due to, IMHO, hype.  Now every craptastic title has to be released on the Wii.

The red ring of death hasn't helped 360 sales but Microsoft claims to have it fixed now so one more reason to avoid another console is eliminated.
The Netflix deal certainly isn't hurting the 360 either.
If Microsoft ever lowers the cost of a Live subscription it will only make matters worse.  

I think the biggest thing that stands out is software sales.  For the most part, the 360 is on top but now the Wii occasionally has the top selling title.
I don't think numbers will ever favor the PS3 over both the other consoles for any common game though it may outsell the Wii for certain kinds of games.  That pretty much leaves the exclusive titles as the major attraction for the console and they aren't coming very fast.

That doesn't leave a lot of ways for the PS3 to come out on top... which is probably impossible now anyway simply due to the hype surrounding the Wii.
I think the only way for the PS3 to top the 360 is if Microsoft replaces it and doesn't offer backwards compatibility but then we will be in the next generation of systems.
If Microsoft offers a major upgrade and backwards compatibility they will probably dominate the next generation as the Wii replacement has to contend with going to hi-def.  The Wii titles won't fare as well in the migration as 360 titles will.
And where is the PS3 replacement during all this?  Replacing the most expensive console with the least games with a more expensive console with the least games is NOT a good position to be in.

But the question was is it doing better?  
Sales are better but it's position in the market looks worse and not likely to improve.
<edit>
I should point out that it's not going away though.

Edited by JamesD, Mon Mar 30, 2009 10:17 PM.

[DaytonaUSA]

I hate to be a bitch, but how does it's position in the market look worse and not likely to improve? The ps3 beat out not only the 360 (of course) but the freakin Wii in Japan's last batch of numbers.  I'd say they're doing just fine with controlling 1st and 2nd position in the charts.  

Also as a side note.. that means the PSP beat out the DSi, which is a newer system.

[moycon]

What does Japan have to do anything?
The PS3 has to date sold over double (close to triple) the amount of PS3 in the US as they have in Japan which stands to reason because there are over  double the amount of people in the US (This doesn't explain why the U.S has sold over 3x as many Wii's and over 16x of the 360 as Japan, but I digress)....at the end of the day, why would anyone mention the sales figures in Japan? If they had sold 16x as many PS3's in Japan as they had in the U.S. then I might bring it up, otherwise I'm not sure mentioning Japanese sales benefit's anyone's pro stance of the PS3.  

Edited by moycon, Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:57 PM.

[Underball]

moycon, on Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:56 PM, said:

What does Japan have to do anything?

Because even though Japan has far fewer people than the US, it's market for electronics and video games is nearly as large, if not larger than the US, as sales numbers show. Japanese console sales can and do dictate the life expectancy of a console just as much, if not moreso than the US video game market. A console could do decently in the US, but if it gets beat in Japan, that will shorten it's lifespan, and it's support.

it's actually pretty simple.

[moycon]

Underball, on Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:11 PM, said:

Japanese console sales can and do dictate the life expectancy of a console just as much, if not moreso than the US video game market.

Why though? I've heard people that state similar claims, but give no reason as to why. The first video game system was a U.S product. The Xbox is a U.S product. Japan doesn't sell more video games than the U.S of any home console, if fact, it sells considerably less for the reason you just stated. They have less people.

There are about 130 million people in Japan.
There are about 300 million in the US
So lets say there are about 2.5x more people in the U.S

The total (Wii, PS3 and 360) consoles sold in Japan so far is around 12 million.
The total (Wii, PS3 and 360) consoles sold in the U.S. is around 47 million or about 4x as many as in Japan

The U.S. clearly sells more video games than Japan. If it's simple, simply explain why Japan dictates the life of a video game console.

Edited by moycon, Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:40 PM.

[HammR25]

DaytonaUSA, on Mon Mar 16, 2009 9:05 AM, said:

Actually, I'd kinda like to see a generation do what the snes, n64 and even GC had in mind.  IE: expanding the system to be used for the next generation.  No one has really ever done this (beyond the ill-conceived 32x/cd thing) and I'd like to see a system go a bit further than the normal 4-5 years by adding on to it in some way.

Then we could have two Wiis taped together next time .

Like this?

[JamesD]

DaytonaUSA, on Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:38 PM, said:

I hate to be a bitch, but how does it's position in the market look worse and not likely to improve? The ps3 beat out not only the 360 (of course) but the freakin Wii in Japan's last batch of numbers.  I'd say they're doing just fine with controlling 1st and 2nd position in the charts.  

Also as a side note.. that means the PSP beat out the DSi, which is a newer system.

It's sales are lower worldwide... duh.

[atarian63]

JamesD, on Mon Mar 30, 2009 11:13 PM, said:

I think having the highest priced console isn't helping Sony in the current market.  BluRay support doesn't mean as much when players were selling for a little over $100 at Christmas and next year they will be cheaper.  

Having a platform that is more difficult to develop for (or so I hear) and the lowest number of consoles out there isn't helping with 3rd party support.
The Wii really sucked for titles until the sales took off due to, IMHO, hype.  Now every craptastic title has to be released on the Wii.

The red ring of death hasn't helped 360 sales but Microsoft claims to have it fixed now so one more reason to avoid another console is eliminated.
The Netflix deal certainly isn't hurting the 360 either.
If Microsoft ever lowers the cost of a Live subscription it will only make matters worse.  

I think the biggest thing that stands out is software sales.  For the most part, the 360 is on top but now the Wii occasionally has the top selling title.
I don't think numbers will ever favor the PS3 over both the other consoles for any common game though it may outsell the Wii for certain kinds of games.  That pretty much leaves the exclusive titles as the major attraction for the console and they aren't coming very fast.

That doesn't leave a lot of ways for the PS3 to come out on top... which is probably impossible now anyway simply due to the hype surrounding the Wii.
I think the only way for the PS3 to top the 360 is if Microsoft replaces it and doesn't offer backwards compatibility but then we will be in the next generation of systems.
If Microsoft offers a major upgrade and backwards compatibility they will probably dominate the next generation as the Wii replacement has to contend with going to hi-def.  The Wii titles won't fare as well in the migration as 360 titles will.
And where is the PS3 replacement during all this?  Replacing the most expensive console with the least games with a more expensive console with the least games is NOT a good position to be in.

But the question was is it doing better?  
Sales are better but it's position in the market looks worse and not likely to improve.
<edit>
I should point out that it's not going away though.

I dunno, M$ has had 2 heavily financed failures now, maybe it's time to give up. Maybe they will finally find out you can't buy the market. Wii has certainly shown them that.