PS3 delay won't hurt Sony?

by Christopher Grant { Feb 23rd 2006 at 6:00PM }

Financial website TheStreet.com does away with all the doom and gloom surrounding the increasing likelihood that Sony's PS3 won't make its spring release. Writer Troy Wolverton covers the ins and outs of the whole messy affair before concluding, "As long as the console is launched this year, it would still be on the shelves for the holiday season, when the lion's share of game hardware and software purchases are made. This means a slight delay wouldn't result in significant lost sales, especially with Microsoft still struggling with supply issues of its own with the Xbox 360."

He acknowledges that if Sony misses the crucial holiday season, they will be offering Microsoft an "opportunity" to further increase their market share; though, if the rumors are true, the system will see a September '06 release.

Will a fall delay impact the purchasing decision of any PS3 hopefuls? How about a delay until next year? Will you be able to make it through the holiday season without a next-gen console?

See also:
Sony: PS3 launch will (or won't) be delayed
PlayStation 3 could be delayed until next year
Nvidia drops clues on PS3 launch date: not spring
Sony exec insists PS3 date unknown

[Thanks, bv]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Freddy Q @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:03PM

I love how they don't even think that Nintendo is in this war hahaha
I cant wait for the BIg N'S rev!!

robotplague @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:04PM

"Will you be able to make it through the holiday season without a next-gen console?" Well, the 360 is already out and most likely the Revolution will come out too, so we really won't have to.

Armin @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:06PM

Another analyst predicting about the and the conclusion is that

This is too much now...

Guys in suits talking about the gaming industry... that's what is going to kill the industry, god damn business people.

Same with Hollywood. Soon games will be rated on how much they make, not how good they are. Just like Hollywood.

Zach @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:08PM

I already have a 360, so my holiday will contain a next gen console, with or without the PS3. I can wait if I have to.

Armin @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:08PM

Hmm, tags aren's supported, *EDIT

Another analyst predicting "insert prediction" about the "insert console" and the conclusion is that "insert guess".

This is too much now...

Guys in suits talking about the gaming industry... that's what is going to kill the industry, god damn business people.

Same with Hollywood. Soon games will be rated on how much they make, not how good they are. Just like Hollywood.

Jeremy Wright @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:12PM

It's ONLY fine if there are enough consoles to meet demand. If there aren't, then Sony gives Microsoft an extra 3-6 months of lead time while they try and catch up with demand.

bv @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:16PM

This isn't analyst garbage, it's common sense. There exists no barrier for the PS3 in Japan and in the U.S., a release during the holiday season can ensure that the 360 will feed on the leftovers. Considering that no one can even walk into a store and purchase a 360 in the first place, Sony shouldn't be worried about Microsoft having a head start. The day that you see 360 boxes stacked upon one another at a local best buy is the day that the next gen console competition begins.

Pretty Obvious @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:19PM

At this point, Sony is screwed regardless if the PS3 is launched Sept or December. 360 shortages will be done away with by next month and when the PS3 launches it will go through the same shortages and an even bigger lack of titles then Microsoft.

By the end of the year Microsoft will be pushing out some major titles like Gears of War and Nintendo will launch its Revolution. Sony better have a good strategy for 2007.........

Chris @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:21PM

Wake me when Sony comes out with a chocolate PS3.
Mmmm.....chocolate *drools*

Cyberclaws @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:21PM

I already have a 360, so I'm set on the next-gen console issue. What I'm really waiting for and continue to see over-looked is the Nintendo 'Revolution' console. I would buy that and a whole bunch of launch games if it is 200 or less USD. Sony is just plain SOL on this launch. MS and Nintendo have one the rights to my fundage this time around.

Jake @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:23PM

I never thought the US would see a Spring launch in the first place, so if the Japanese launch is pushed back until Fall, and they do a two-territory launch, I'll be perfectly happy.

I do agree with the analyst though (I know, I should be shot for saying I agree with what an analyst says). If the US launch gets pushed back to November, it likely won't matter. Japan, however, is a different story. The big shopping season there (while nothing like our holiday shopping season) is late August through September. While a November launch in Japan wouldn't hurt Sony's market share much due to the lack of public interest in the 360, it would be a missed opportunity to bring in large amounts of revenue from game sales. This not only affects Sony, but also all of the game developers that plan on having launch titles.

Darth Pixel @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:27PM

The more silent Sony remains, the more power they have.

Microsoft would love to know what they are up against, but nothing is leaking. They must be going crazy.

Sony only needs to produce PlayStation 3 in volume right from the start and their business will take care of itself.

They could also wait for Microsoft to reach their break-even point and start selling PlayStation 3 at that time.

Jellodyne @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:32PM

They have to push the Japan launch back -- but they'll claim it's because the launch roster isn't ready. Do any of the developers even have their final devkits yet? Seems to me they're about where the 360 was a year ago.

AirBlock @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:44PM

I think that the delay is not as much of a (potential) problem as pricing and difficulty of game development for the Cell processor. If Sony released the system right now, they'd be loosing a small fortune on every machine they sell. (I still don't understand why they included 2 HDMI ports. How many people are going to be plugging in two High-Definition televisions at the same time?) Also, by delaying a system release they'll probably be able to make better system calls so that developers can more effectively use the Cell's unique architecture.

Darth Pixel @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:46PM

I also get the feeling this console war has become a nationalistic debate.

Sony has become the enemy. Microsoft has become the patriotic choice.

I think it would be sad to breed xenophobia in video games and video game consoles.

Since Xbox 360 has been released, it's easy to comment on its pros and cons.
PlayStation 3, on the other hand, has not been released. Yet, a rather large group of people already focus on bashing it into the ground.

I hope we can remember to judge on merits rather than beliefs, fears and speculated features.

SuicideNinja @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:47PM

Personally, I can wait. The PS3 will likely be the most expensive of the three, and I wouldn't buy it this year anyway. I could have waited for the 360 as well, but I couldn't say no to a birthday present.

The PS3 as a console in the market won't be hurt if they release it sometime this year. Sony needs the profits at the right time to appease the investors though. If Sony waits, then the impatient consumer will take pick one of the other two consoles. Even past that, they have the option of a Revolution or a 360, both of which will certainly be cheaper than the PS3 next year.

If anything, the 360's early launch may only prove to get the console more available games than the PS3. Or not.

bazald @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:48PM

#1, Freddy Q - Nintendo has basically stated, themselves, that they are not in this war. They are hoping/expecting to be everyone's second console... a very different position from that Sony and Microsoft are hoping for.

Cyberclaws @ Feb 23rd 2006 6:52PM

Bazald,

If Nintendo can pull off being everyone's 'second console' then Nintendo will have surely 'won' the console wars.

Kian @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:08PM

Actually 360s are easily available, at least in Canada. Microplays, Toys R Us, they all have stacks of them.

I don't think Sony's too worried... did you catch the 360's Japanese sales for last week:

1300 units.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2332&Itemid=2

What will the North American sales be for February? That will be very interesting to see. With no great exclusive titles it's going to be difficult to sell this beyond the 1-2 million hardcore fanboys.

Freddy Q @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:09PM

Well The big N can say whatever they want the fact is they are in this war and they might be first or sec if they play their cards right...cheap and new way of playing Vgame... Love it

Kian @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:12PM

From the Japanese sales from last week:

1. DS: 52,099 (403,901)
2. PSP: 27,430 (337,682)
3. PS2: 23,433 (241,273)
4. GBASP: 5553 (57,890)
5. GBM: 2941 (35,529)
6. GC: 1814 (32,392)
7. Xbox 360: 1314 (23,971)
8. GBA: 105 (1584)
9. Xbox: 92 (762)

Note that the PS2 is outselling the 360 in Japan by about 20 to 1. Now imagine what will happen when PS3 ships in North America. Do you think the XBox1 will outsell the PS3 by about 20 to 1? Do you think anything will outsell the PS3 by 20 to 1?
Just some food for thought.

shock @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:19PM

Even the GBA is outselling the 360? I wasn't even aware that they are still producing the original GBA anymore.

bkirst90 @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:32PM

uh, Kian you can't really compare the japanese and US markets...I mean the GC is outselling the 360 in Japan.

AckAck @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:32PM

Yes, well the 360 is the most expensive of the lot, and where's the killer app? Don't tell me paying money for mini-games is a killer app. It's a great feature, but it's not a system seller.

So yeah.. being outsold 40:1 by DS, over 20:1 by PSP, 18:1 by 5+ year old PS2. But DOA will change this. Um, actually, never mind.

don_sf @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:50PM

no people like sony, infact the majourity of the people in the world like sony playstation, thats why they sold more than 100 million units for both their consoles.

playstation is more with the people, the people who lurrrrv theiir xbox 360 are the only ones who hate sony and come on the internet to hate sony ps.

i mean i dont like xbox 360 much, i would never buy one, i hate the odd design - but that dont stop me from playing pgr3. it leaves me wondering if xbox 360 can do this, imagine wot playstation 3 can do.

my main point, the public people who dont come on the internet to joystiq dot com, most of them prefer playstation, basically the bottom line is, ps2 is cooler than xbox and gc. just like how ps3 will be cooler than 360 and most likely rev as well.

striderhayasa @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:52PM

has every forgot about the price issue? It doesn't matter if the PS3 releases on time or not. Price and available software are the issues. I'll tell you right now what's going to happen. Sony is going to launch the PS3 with a limited library and try and use the Blu-ray movies as the equalizer to hold gamers over until the real games make it through the pipeline. It happened with the PS2, it happened with the PSP it's going to happen with the PS3. Why else would sony be so hot to trot with blu-ray when the reality is the extra storage capacity is not a huge factor for next gen development.

So stop worrying about the release date. If sony releases all of that tech, (much of which you don't really need) for a similar price point of the 360, then they take huge losses straight from the gate. If they try to curb losses by releasing at a higher price point, a lot of people aren't going to be able to afford it. Sony is keeping quiet because Microsoft forced their hand by releasing so early. Nintendo may say they are not competing but Nintendo kick Sony in the balls by going with the current price point and spec with the Rev.

I havve no love for sony at this point because they refuse to concentrate on the games. They are trying to use the game industry as a means to re-invent their suspect electronics division (walkman bean anyone?) and are trying force the consume to spend money on tech they don't need. 2HDMI outputs? why? 7 USB ports? for what? A CPU that's supposed to be the second coming in the face of Intel AND AMD? I doubt it. Just give me a game machine okay....that's all I want. I have other tech for the DVD movie playback and such. I just want to play great games at a reasonable price.
Sony is no longer interested in this.

Ricky @ Feb 23rd 2006 7:59PM

"1. DS: 52,099 (403,901)
2. PSP: 27,430 (337,682)
3. PS2: 23,433 (241,273)
4. GBASP: 5553 (57,890)
5. GBM: 2941 (35,529)
6. GC: 1814 (32,392)
7. Xbox 360: 1314 (23,971)
8. GBA: 105 (1584)
9. Xbox: 92 (762)"

Thanks Kian, nice to have some facts for a change!

PSP seems to be doing very well, considering its Sony's first Handheld offering. With sales figures like that I dont blame them for delaying the PS3 to be honest.

Q. Does anyone have US & Europe sales figures for the last week/month?

For Microsoft I think I will leave you with the immortal words by Queen:-

"Bum, bum, bum, buba, bum, bum,
Bum, bum, bum, buba, bum, bum,

Pressure, pushing down on me
Pressing down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure, that burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets.........."

The1 @ Feb 23rd 2006 8:05PM

-------------------------------------------------------
20. From the Japanese sales from last week:

1. DS: 52,099 (403,901)
2. PSP: 27,430 (337,682)
3. PS2: 23,433 (241,273)
4. GBASP: 5553 (57,890)
5. GBM: 2941 (35,529)
6. GC: 1814 (32,392)
7. Xbox 360: 1314 (23,971)
8. GBA: 105 (1584)
9. Xbox: 92 (762)

Note that the PS2 is outselling the 360 in Japan by about 20 to 1. Now imagine what will happen when PS3 ships in North America. Do you think the XBox1 will outsell the PS3 by about 20 to 1? Do you think anything will outsell the PS3 by 20 to 1?
Just some food for thought.

Posted at 7:12PM on Feb 23rd 2006 by Kian 0 stars------------
You know you make NO SENSE. The PS3 will NOT sell 20 to 1 over the X360 in the USA because of PRICE. Furthermore, SONY needs to worry about Nintendo in Japan. Plus, I will say it again, the JAPANESE do not support American products, a Fact that people hate to mention. No one noted that the X360 sold out in Korea. Hummmmmmmm

Todd @ Feb 23rd 2006 8:11PM

Nah, it won't hurt Sony, but it won't help them either. The people that buy a console when it first comes out represent a very small portion of the total console-buying public. No, what will hurt Sony this time will be price and/or lack of a lot of really great games. Most casual gamers decide what console they will buy based on how many games are out for it. They go to their local Blockbuster and see how many games there are to rent for that system and that's about it. That's the number one reason, then if there is other bonus capabilities (does it play dvd's?) that is used as a tie breaker. In store displays may catch their attention, but the vast majority of game players don't give a crap about blu-ray, cell processors, hard drive size, or polygons per second. Just like the highest selling games have nothing to do with how well the game rates. It seems like Sony had forgot that they have to appeal to the common Joe not the hardcore gamers.

kizza's brother wazza @ Feb 23rd 2006 8:17PM

I never tend to agree with too many people on here, but darth pixel (suckholing aside), you sound like one of the most intelligent, logical thought posters on here. The knockers though are obviously fanboys of one of sony's rivals, as they come to any sony related bloggs to bash it..... Even 360 owners that say they have no intention of owning a ps3. I hear them all spraying the pS2 for the failure it was & is, even though it's sold 100million consoles & is basically the backbone stabilizer of sony now. All sony's other divisions are even known to be taking cues from sony's computer department. All these fanboys scream is "PS2 had a high failure rate, all Ps2 games are crap, blah,blah,blah".

I love my PS2, best out of all my current gen consoles, it's simply personal choice. I like it simply for the games, & even though fanboys of competing consoles seem to think sony fluked their success & only sold these 100million consoles on hype. I beg to differ, as I'm sure that I'm not the only one out of 100million people that looks past hype to games. Basically these fangirls are calling all 100million gamers (hardcore or not), media driven, brainless, zombiefied morons.

Anf fanboys reading this & having little bedroom, keyboard hissfits......... 100million.......100million. You think thats crap do ya's, well PS3 will be worse as I believe in the same time, PS3 will hit the 120-150million mark.
I'll be investing into the "hype" on launch day.

As far as I'm concerned, it's the other two that have to do the proving to get my money. I know what to expect when I get a PS3. I got nothing but kiddies games on my n64 & cube & xbox was overloaded with fps's.

Ricky @ Feb 23rd 2006 8:19PM

Hello again I found these figures:-

Worldwide Hardware Sales (End of 2005)

PS2 - 101.37 million
Game Boy Advance - 74.25 million
Xbox - 24 million
GameCube - 20.61 million
PSP - 15.03 million
Nintendo DS - 14.43 million
Xbox 360 - 1.5 million

These are all official manufacturer shipment figures, & obviously the Xbox 360 is going to be bottom since its only been on sale since November 2005. But notice the GULF between PS2 & the Xbox.
If Sony convinces only half of its current gen console owners to upgrade, thats 50 million PS3's.

Regula Oblique @ Feb 23rd 2006 8:22PM

Pretty Obvious your really eating the Crap microsoft is feeding you I highly doubt there will be a good supply of 360's next month not until probably the late summer and few if that for the people doing early xmas shopping which will push the xbox back where none can be fould...Sony is str8 the way things are going, and im getting one when it drops and a Rev, I have a 360 which is mediocre but its something to play for the time being, till the big dogs drop.

Regula

Kamalot @ Feb 23rd 2006 8:27PM

If Sony is releasing God of War in 2007 for the PS2, and not the PS3, they have no faith in their ability to sell a decent amount of PS3's.

Sony is scared.

Ricky @ Feb 23rd 2006 8:28PM

Sorry to throw another statistic in but I got this off

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=601547

Which consoles do you plan to purchase?

PlayStation 3 - 71.8%
PSP - 35.7%
Xbox 360 - 23.0%
Revolution - 20.9%
Nintendo DS - 13.7%
GameBoy Micro - 9.7%
PlayStation 2 - 5.7%
GameCube - 3.1%
GameBoy Advance (SP) - 2.6%
Xbox - 2.0%
Others - 0.4%
None - 4.8%

The Magic Box
http://www.the-magicbox.com/gaming.htm

Kamalot @ Feb 23rd 2006 10:01PM

PS3 WON'T BE DELAYED!

Sony said they are ON TRACK for a Spring launch.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/690/690176p1.html

Now please, someone tell me; when has Sony ever sponen an untruth, fibbed, exaggerated, spread falsehood or *gasp* LIED?

So don't worry your pretty little head about it. Keep your savings intact cause the PS3 is launching in SPRING!

And if Sony lets the date slip, just pick up a 360 to pass the time.

Seriously now, I don't know if you remember the PS2 launch, but we went through the same damn thing. From before the Dreamcast launched, it sounded like the PS2 was right around the corner. Duped we all were.

To date, the most impressive interactive PS3 footage shown is of the infamous Metal Gear Solid 4 teaser, presented at the Tokyo Game Show. While a nice looking game, it most assuredly wasn�t up to snuff compared to the previous pre-rendered PS3 videos shown, yet Playstation fans everywhere are holding on to this one interactive demo as proof that �their� upcoming system of choice will be the most powerful.

Hideo Kojima, the game�s creator, has now gone on record saying that the Xbox 360 is capable of running the PS3's Metal Gear Solid 4 interactive presentation.

That�s right. The best that the PS3 has to offer was available on November 22, 2005 in the form of an Xbox 360.

Sony is running a classic campaign. They aren�t showing their hand with the PS3. Instead, they present a few carefully selected pre-rendered videos and a lot of talk about how powerful the system is. Sony�s hope is that people don�t buy the Xbox 360 and wait a year for the PS3. They know that if they showed off real gameplay footage, people could compare it directly to the Xbox 360 and see that there is little-to-no difference. Instead, they allude to the power and mystery of the system knowing imagination is a force much more powerful than any screen shot. They pulled similar moves with the launch of the PS2.

It is also well known that the first good game for the PS2 didn�t appear until more than a year after the system�s launch. If we use this information to make a prediction about the PS3, especially in light of how difficult programming the Cell processor is reported to be, one comes up with a disturbing prediction:

A year after the PS3�s launch, it may get its first really good game.

That would be a two year span in which Xbox 360 will be cranking out real next-generation titles. Holdouts will be left with their original PS2 in the interim while the world moves on without them.

I don't know about you, but I'm not going to be playing my PS2 until Christmas.

ill trooper @ Feb 23rd 2006 10:07PM

Every few weeks we have this discussion and every few weeks I say it's cool with me if things are a little staggered, a little more time to save up for all three systems... 360 down, two more to go.

There seems to be this group of people online here that wanted to see both consoles come out at the same, and the Sony and Microsoft reps march into Toys'R'Us and GameStops everywhere and throw down with some 20-sided dice and foam swords... Well it ain't gonna happen. It's big business, and no company is gonna rush into battle with billions of dollars on the line because an extremly small and vocal percentage of internet blog fanboys wants WAR. Except Microsoft, they did - even at $4 billion in the hole, they rushed into GameStops everywhere but forgot to bring enough Mt. Dew.

I like BV's comment above, and I've said it myself: Has the 360 even launched yet for millions of people? You can't really go to the store, and know you'll come back with a 360 right now. I guarantee developers are bummed on that one: who's gonna buy 5-month-old Perfect Dark Zero with all the other NEW stuff coming out... I'm thinking Rare and others that made launch are a little disappointed that Microsoft couldn't meet production expectations.

Sony will, as usual, be fine.

Matthew @ Feb 23rd 2006 10:23PM

Honestly, I never believed this "whoever releases first is going to win." That simply just isn't true, and the industry's track record doesn't back up that claim. The simple truth is, is that if people are interested in the system, they will buy it. Seriously, I really think the answer is as simple as that. All this complication with whoever releases whenever is pretty ridiculous. When the PS2 first came out, I didn't care, because I had no interest. I was waiting for the GameCube. If the Cube was never released or say was released 2 years after the PS2. It's true I need my gaming fix. But my interest is still in the Cube. If I'm willing to spend over 400 on a PS2, who's to say I'm not going to spend another 200 on a Cube when it's released. You know what, no one I know has an Xbox 360. I asked them. They're not interested. Neither am I. I asked them about PS3. They said their not sure, but are quite anxious to know about it. Of course, I asked them about Revolution. They didn't know much about it. That's not surprising, considering they don't check out game sites as often as I do, if ever. Personally, for me, I don't care about the 360 or PS3. Nintendo has my attention. But anyway, does anyone agree with my points? I want to know if getting to market first affects your decision in purchasing a console.

brandon @ Feb 23rd 2006 10:42PM

I also believe the delay won't hurt Sony, as long as they release before the end of this year. If they make it before the holiday season, they will have the opportunity to make up the margin. Keep in mind, Microsoft's Xbox and 360 are only major players here in the US and somewhat in Europe, but elsewhere in the world Sony totally dominates, with Nintendo being second (due to the handheld market). Japan alone can fill the gap for Sony, even if only one out of every 5 japanese ps2 owners bought a ps3.
It's a game of numbers. Sony would only have to sell one to every 10 users to sell 10 million. Given some markets almost are exclusively Sony's (korea for one). They have nothing to worry about.

slow news day @ Feb 23rd 2006 10:55PM

Well, shipping late can be a problem for Sony *if* supply becomes an issue. Say they ship late, but make the Christmas season. If they cannot meet demand, they fall to the same fate as Microsoft. It's quite a possibility considering how the PS2 launched, and since the technology in the PS3 is so new.

kizza's brother wazza @ Feb 23rd 2006 11:16PM

"It is also well known that the first good game for the PS2 didn�t appear until more than a year after the system�s launch."

I agree with a lot you have said, except I am a huge fan of ssx 1 which launched in oz with the console & also tekken tag & timesplitters were great. (timesplitters was 1week after launch).

Apart from that I see your points, but remember that sony will be trying to get the graphical edge like xbox 1 was proclaimed to have over ps2 with 18mths extra dev time.
It may not be a giant leap ahead, but from interviews I've read with some developers, they are saying PS3 will have the visual edge.

Keep in mind also that mr kojima needs to keep an open mind for xbox 360 development, he is not going to say that the 360 is not capable of this & that, for the simple reason that when he releases a game on it (possibly mgs4 even, after a 6mth exclusive deal), negative comments may affect sales for that platform.
The console is actually on the streets, so mr kijomo is smart enough to realise that 360 is a more viable source of income, until ps3 is out & selling.

All you people out there that are so willing to believe 1 or 2 developers about the intricacies of developing ps3 games need to do some more reading, as the same thing was said about ps2 development, yet developers were lined up around the block to make games for the "undisputed heavyweight champ" of the console world.
Basically if you read more developer interviews you'll see a lot of developers state that ps3 is easier to develop for & vice versa. It boils down to this, different architecture, different developer abilities, they are just different to make games for & different people are inclined to be better with one or the other or prefer it. It's just like gamers prefer certain games over others & different consoles.

Lets wait till there are valid reasons to be dissapointed in ps3 before we write it off... Basically I can't see sony dropping the ball that badly that they will all be lined up outside the welfare office, with ex-sega employees.

The PS3 wiil be no dreamcast, as if you asked the average joe what a dreamcast was 6mths before it released, thet would have probably responded that it was a chapter in the lord f the rings books, ask people what a ps3 is now & they will say it is a new sony console.

All this aside, even if ps3 has the same graphical edge over the 360 that the xbox supposedly had over the ps2, I will not be judging the console on power merits, as I preferred the supposedly less powerful, inferior ps2 over all it's rivals, purely & simply for it's games. As long as ps3 has the same tsunami of quality titles, the 2.5% power edge will mean very little. Graphics are important to me, as if they weren't I'd never get a new console & keep playing space invaders & pitfall on an atari 2600, but ps2 balanced great graphics with great gameplay. And whilst xbox & cube got a taste with games like burnout, timesplitters & others, they were all born on sony's machine & due to it's popularity they were made available on other consoles. Also the list of awesome 1st party & sony exclusives was a huge factor for ps2's sales figures.

PS3 will garner the same success as both it's forefathers for these reasons, not to mention unique gimmicks like eyetoy, singstar, buzz & others.

bazald @ Feb 24th 2006 12:09AM

#17, Cyberclaws - I agree wholeheartedly.

Jed Merrill @ Feb 24th 2006 4:33AM

The chances that Sony will come out of this with more than 21% of the US market are 1 in 10, mainly due to price. Nintendo and Microsoft will split the rest, with one getting 35% and the other 44 to 45%. The late start will only add to their woes. Microsoft and Nintendo have this round, in the US. Sony will have a shot at a dual crown with Nintendo in Japan.

ForbidenMaster @ Feb 24th 2006 4:37AM

The simple fact is Sony is the market leader. They have more sales, they have more experiance, and they have more costomer support. No one can dispute that. Microsft is trying to change that and are using a number of stratagies to accomplish that task. The format war wont be won by how powerfull either console will be, it will be won by how eich company markets their product. But, in addition to that, Microsoft has to do a much better job in with marketing then Sony since Sony does that that large hold on the market.

PS. IMO, Sonny will probebly continue to dominate, but MS will gain a significant market share. MS is in it for the long run, and they will just continue to chip at the monster that Sony is untill it falls and Microsft is the victor.

Ricky @ Feb 24th 2006 7:14AM

Folks will buy PS3 for:-

Grand Turismo 5 *Exclusive
Metal Gear Solid 4 *Exclusive
Grand Theft Auto x *Exclusive
The Gataway *Exclusive
Final Fantasy XI *Exclusive
Affordable Blu-Ray Player
Can play PS1/PS2 games without an emulator*

People will buy the Revolution for:-

Downloadable past/retro Nintendo games archive
That amazing little Controller
Affordabable Console/games

Delay or no delay, the PS3 will out sell the 360 simply because of its superior games.
Microsoft has done nothing but try to buy its way to console domination & they have fallen flat on their face.
The Revolution's attraction is that its going to be cheaper & its going to be unique!

I think Microsoft's next Gen offering is going to finish 3rd place this time.

Deezul @ Feb 24th 2006 7:45AM

Let's say Sony get's their Christmas '06 launch in the US, and even with a generous price point of $500. The 360 may have already dropped in price on the premium bundle to $350. Then, for $100, get the HD-DVD add on. Sony then is already $50 higher for the next generation movie format and doesn't have the games out that the 360 would. They'd take a big hit in the US for that. Heck, even Toshiba might subsidize the HD-DVD players if it would hurt Sony...

And MS could more or less GIVE 360s away in Japan with free teenager panties, but they just won't buy it because it's American. :-)

existonfile @ Feb 24th 2006 9:19AM

Ummm, I think everyone is missing the point in all this talk about sales numbers and "winners" in this round of console "wars". It doesn't matter which system has the best sales or highest market penetration. It's about the games people! I see alot of folks throwing out the fact that PS3 will have all the popular series (metal gear, gran turismo, FF, etc.), but is that all you want in a console? Sequels? I'm sorry, but thats why I don't play my PS2 half as much as I play my other systems. Remember, crappy software and lack of innovation led to the game crash of the 80's. The trend of trying to out horsepower the competition with graphics and not focusing on quality gaming experiences will lead to another game crash. It's the reason why we have less kids playing games today. I would like to see the big 3 all own an equal share of the market. Then we will see some really great exclusive games for all systems. Ever heard the saying "competition brings out the best in people"? If any one of the console makers "wins", we all lose as gamers.

Oh, and one more thing...
Power to the small dev's!
Down with EA!
Support your local game maker!

Jirr @ Feb 24th 2006 9:36AM

u know you make NO SENSE. The PS3 will NOT sell 20 to 1 over the X360 in the USA because of PRICE. Furthermore, SONY needs to worry about Nintendo in Japan. Plus, I will say it again, the JAPANESE do not support American products, a Fact that people hate to mention. No one noted that the X360 sold out in Korea. Hummmmmmmm

Posted at 8:05PM on Feb 23rd 2006 by The1

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Hmmm , Ipod anyone ?

Jirr @ Feb 24th 2006 9:43AM

son's god of war 2 for ps2 = zelda TP for ngc

Is not that they dont thrust they next gen console , is only sony and nintendo want to finish they past gen console with glory....

Nintendo , i'm waiting for my zelda !!!
Sony , my family is waiting for they god of war 2 !!

Todd H. @ Feb 24th 2006 10:22AM

If MSoft can get their supply issues undercontrol before Xmas they'll dominate since Sony is delaying. I imagine they are delaying until next year by all of the speculation, also, being that nobody has seen a completed PS3 I'd say there is a good chance for a big delay.

SuicideNinja @ Feb 24th 2006 12:41PM

"...basically the bottom line is, ps2 is cooler than xbox and gc. just like how ps3 will be cooler than 360 and most likely rev as well."

I don't think it's a matter of "cooler". I think many gamers out there (whether hardcore or casual) don't know about Microsoft's offering and just think they have grown past Nintendo's offering since they went to the PSX in the first place.

The PS2 may not be a sales failure, but it is a failure as far living up to Sony's hype, and it is also a quality failure (lasers, horrible online support). If you don't know anything about the Xbox and think you are "too grown up" for Nintendo, then what system are you going to purchase?

Microsoft's main problem is presence to the consumers' respective gaming worlds. Personally, I made the mistake of making fun of the Gamecube and the Xbox because the PS2 has all the games, Nintendo is too kiddie, and Microsoft sucks. Well, after getting the other two consoles (Xbox for Halo 2 and Ninja Gaiden, Gamecube for Metroid Prime), my previous opinion has been obliterated, as the tables have turned. I currently avoid PS2 games if available for another system.

After accepting the other consoles, I realize that I just don't have as much fun with the PS2, and that Sony is too busy pushing business/popularity as opposed to gaming (read interviews with their bigwigs). My new opinion is further perpetuated by realizing I've had multiple hardware failures with more than one type of Sony's electronic products. In any case, many gamers won't buy multiple consoles, so they will be stuck in the opinions I used to have.

So from my point of view, throw sales figures around all you want. Sony has yet to provide me with exciting, multiple-user (online or off), and reliable entertainment for the last couple of years. To me, the 360 does more than I expected it to, and Nintendo products are fun for all ages. I will continue to share my experience with any visitors to our household so they can compare systems. I've helped turn many gamers, just by showing them what ELSE is available out there. Awareness is key.