PS3: 2 down, 200+ still in the works

couple of points as an analyst continued.
2. The console war is important to sony as it helps the true money generating machine of Blu-ray, but "winning" is not necessary. Since most behemoth corporations now that licensing media (see above) and format (see above) gets the money, they just need a "storefront" to get consumers on board.

They have such a huge brand loyalty and name recognition (deserved or not) that even priced at up to $600 dollars they will not slip to less than 30 percent of the market. This 30 percent represents about 3-4 million gamers a year and more importantly 3-4 million "locked in" Blu-ray users, while the competition is still using primarily DVD.

couple of points as an analyst conclusion.
3. The television market is adapting to hdtv faster than any previous market upgrades including
color
stereo
cable/satellite
DVR's

Growth forecasts for HDTV are off the charts. Despite the average marty (wal-mart, k-mart, target shopper...kinda the average joe middle america person) not having an hdtv now, we think up to 50% will have one by christmas 2009. The prices will shift that quickly. Look in wal-mart or target next time you are there and count the number of hdtv's compared to regular ones. That ratio is only going in one direction.

To sum up:
Blu-ray is better positioned than HD-DVD for winning a war that is much, much, MUCH bigger than you imagined.

PS3 vs xbox360 vs Wii is about lucrative content on media, and thus the PS3 getting market share of 30% or greater is a slamdunk win. 30% is almost assured.

Your next television will likely be an HDTV and you will naturally adopt as much hd content as possible. whomever wins the format war by domination in early installed market share is what you will be watching on your hdtv.


So to answer the questions initially posed.

Yes everyday consumers will likely eventually adopt one of the two next gen formats within the next 3 years. analysis points (despite 360's early lead) to blu-ray, as the lack of an included hd-dvd drive gave too many "opt-out" options to the 5 million or so installed customers. The next wave of customers looking to go next gen will be pricing out essentially identical systems and the PS3 will have a significantly larger media lead at that time (i.e. more blu-ray players versus hd-dvd players).

Sony's PR has been notoriously bad, but this is not a recent phenomenon. They have a very sound marketing strategy. For sony to fail they would have to push through 70% or less first wave sales, but pre-order polling in both Japan and the US indicate a complete sell out.

[Preface: to those who posted comments in favour of the PS3, or at least, in favour of waiting to see what happens on release date, please forgive me for the following … straws are becoming very hard to come by, and the last is in sight … if you know what I mean?]

Man you guys are so full of CRAP!! – Some of you sound like pathetic little Xbox fans who sit in your rooms with the curtains drawn all day, your pimples seeping puss with every press of the A, B, X and Y button on your, probably now greasy with three day old pizza, 360 game pad? … I mean come on … GET A LIFE!!!

And some of the crap that you write? … WOW! … I always thought that the gaming community was an intelligent one?! … after all, you’d need some sense to be able to understand what all the different specs mean on the consoles many of us love to play? … but some of the crap that I’ve read in these comments make you wonder if there is actually an entirely new breed of idiot evolving in front of our very eyes? … if you’re going to ridicule someone, or something, at least learn how to spell and do it with some intelligence for crying out loud!

Who said you had to buy a PS3 anyway?! … and for that matter, who said you had to buy a Xbox 360 … or a Wii? … sharpen up folks! … life comes with choices! Some of these are easy ones … like changing your underwear for example! … you do change your underwear right? … or have they been soiled so much by sitting in front of your PS3 hating Xbox 360 for so long that you’ve lost all contact with the outside world and now don’t give a rats arse, or your own arse for that matter, if your Wal-Mart undies have now become a permanent fixture of your midriff and would require an industrial jack hammer to remove them?!

And then there are the continual goings-on about the PS3 price tag! … again, a choice people. No ones holding a gun at your head and demanding that you buy one … although for some of you, the only reason that’s not happening is because you have soiled your undies so much that no one would come within smelling distance of you?!

I live in New Zealand. Yes, not the biggest country in the world by any stretch of the imagination, and often made fun of due to the fact that there are many more sheep than humans. However, here in my very little part of the world, when Sony released Playstion, it was for about $1000 NZD. When they released PS2, it was for about $1000 NZD. The asking price for PS3 is $1200.00 NZD … now, as a consumer, and no, not a sheep, I tend to look at things in relation to their value for money … ie: am I getting a good deal for the money that I’m spending? I looked at the Xbox 360 and thought, “hmmm, that’s not bad!” … nice graphics, cool looking console, better looking game pad … and a pretty good price too … but then horror visions of holidays past came flowing back to not only haunt me, but remind me that jumping in and buying something straight away isn’t always the best thing! – you know what I mean … go away on holiday, get all excited about the flash new things in the first shop you see and buy it there and then, only to find out 100 meters down the track that there was something much, much better?! … okay, maybe those of you who need a jack hammer right now might not remember what it’s like to be outside?!

Yes, the PS3 will cost more than the Wii and 360 … but even though Sony came out and said that months in advance of release date, people are still haters? … would you have preferred that they waited until the eleventh hour and told us all then?

The PS3 offers more than its two predecessors … much, much more. And yet, when you consider [on New Zealand prices], that it’s not much more than either console when they were first released, you ask yourself, am I getting value for the money that I’m spending?

If you can’t afford it … either save or stop bitching! …

And there now seems to be a new wave of complaints about Sony … this time in relation to it’s arrogance?!

Heres the deal! I am a Marketing Manager. My sole responsibility is to ensure that all client’s products are delivered to the consumer in the best possible way … and I sure as hell ain’t going to go out saying, “Well, we think that this product will be as good as the others currently on the market. In fact, if we’re lucky, it might even be a little better” … that’s BULLSH!T … ask yourself, if you had a multi-million dollar company, would you come out and say that?! – you don’t become successful by hoping that your product does okay in the big bad world. You go out there and shake the big bad world up and make them take notice!!

And then there are those that believe Sony has stolen Nintendo’s motion sensitive concept – like Nintendo owned it exclusively?

What about that four-button configuration of the 360? … yep, I don’t know if its just me, but that A, B, X, Y layout look a little similar to the X, Square, Triangle and Circle layout to me? … and then there’s those two stick-up things in the middle? … what do they call them again? … oh yeah, analogue sticks? … yeah again, not sure if it’s just me, but they also look surprisingly similar to those on the Playstation control pad … and then oh my God! What about them front trigger buttons? … wow, I guess Sony can’t come up with any of their own ideas? …

And finally, for those of you crying by saying you didn’t ask for Blue-ray … you probably didn’t ask for CD or DVD either right?! …

Get a life and make a choice. Either you like something or you don’t like something. Either you’re going to buy something or you’re not going to buy something. Either you’re going to change your underwear or you’re going to be a PS3 hater?! … I love the 360 and look forward to the Wii … but I have to be honest and say that the PS3 has shown me more value for money than the others I’m afraid … but hey, that’s my choice!

Good god Socrates, finally, WORDS OF WISDOM. Naturally, coming from the philosopher himself. And to the guy before him, more words of wisdom.

Stop bitching Xbox fanboys, nobody cares. I have a 360, and liking it, but definitely not loving it, as I have to send it for repairs (never had to do that with any console before), let alone the fact that it lacks a must have game. Oh, and to all you idiots listing the "MUST HAVE 360 GAMES", not everybody likes or wants those games, especially in Japan, so SHUT THE HELL UP.

And by the way, 99 Nights is HORRIBLE, that game was one of the several reasons that I thought made the 360 worth it; played the Demo, absolut crap (X,X,X,X,X; X,X,X..... X,X.... does the fun ever start?). I don't expect much from the lukewarmly received in Japan "Enchanted Arms". Only Blue Dragon can save it, *if* it's not too kiddy; in that case, Lost Odyssey will do the trick. If not, 360 is doomed to not become 1st place (or at least not 1st place in PS1 and PS2 terms).

Wow this comments area is starting to stink. There are alot of gamers here forgot to take a crap or walk their cow this morning. So they dumped it here instead. Cut the crap and bullshit man

To the guy who said the psp is better than ds. The psp has sold 18 million in SHIPPED figures. You see sony likes to say how many shipped to get u sony fanboys talking about the psp to compare to the ds. the ds is nearing 23 million SOLD worldwide the actual amount of psp's sold is in estimation of around 11 million. That my friend is ownage. I see one good good game on the psp that isnt some crappy port and thats lumines. The ds owns psp and id never buy one. and no im not a nintendo fanboy i own a 360 and ds so there. i can download a full demo on live before a game of madden loads on psp

This is great people telling me about my trust in SONY :) I love sony there doing a good job and if everyone shut there mouth all these fake things going arround saying sony is bad lol hahaha. What cuz they didnt tell you what was going to happen before it did like MS. The funny part about it is for what you get out of it its a great deal. Talk about people who dont know anything at all listen to some of you. When have you talked to Sony do you really know whats going on??? The fact is no you dont so stop complaining cuz your job doesnt pay enough if you have time to talk about things on the net that you cant buy even though they lose money on each sold. You need to leave this website and go to monster jobs and grow up. Thats just real talk dont be hurt understand what I am saying you the more you talk about playstation the more you show how much you want it xbots and haters. I have a 360 ehhh its ok with 9gb disk the real big boys toys coming out in NOV. buckle up kids!!!! you cant stop the ride coming that is SONY.

@Bmoo

Are you serious? You actually claim that 7 million units of PSP are sitting in warehouses, in the backs of stores and on shelves? Are you high on crack or something? No retailer would EVER throw away money like that unless they were insane.

If it was that the PSP was not selling, the retailers would NOT spend money on buying them in for resale. What the frigging hell would a warehouse filled to the brim of unsold PSP's do you? Unless you've taken out a massive insurance on them and then perform a wee bit of arson on them it's STILL FRIGGING INSANE.

Are you claiming that the good retailers such as EB, Gamestop etc are insane? That they have no business sense?

So until you actually provide credible sources, with links, for your "information":

Please troll somewhere else.

Oh god, people. Oh god. You're eroding my faith in mankind. All of you. I don't care if you think 360 is a piece of crap, or that the PS3 is an overpriced pile of garbage. You're screaming over comments because you're actually getting angry that someone has a different opinion of you. I don't care if you're a 12-year-old boy in the States or a marketing manager in New Zealand, the point is, YOU ALL SOUND THE SAME.
Whatever happened to rational discourse? An informed debate? Instead we have half-truths and sob stories and tales of games-yet-to-be flying left and right for both consoles, and for the love of all that is holy, please, find yourself some rationality.
I've got to stop before I sound like some of these comments I'm reading.

@ Kwaf, Yeah tthere are millions of psps sitting around in distribution warehouses all over the world. my friend works at a distribution warehouse in Elizabeth NJ and he sees thousands of psps stacked ontop of pallets that are immedietally shipped off to neigbhoring nyc weekly. He told me wow I never the the psp sold so hot like that, but to his demise he did not know the psp stinks everywhere excpet for one place. There is a place were teh psp sells well I mean extremelly compared to any place on earth and that is the Ghettos of New York city. Remember when sony said that the psp will take handheld gaming out of the ghetto that comment attached on to many hip hop casual gamers in nyc. WEre i live UMD movie outsell ds games according to my girl who works at my local gamestop. Ive seen tourists that asked people whats that in your hand people say psp tourists say I've never heard of it. Believe Kawf the psp does not sell that well. It only sells well in NYC. I even read a article in the source hip hop megazine that 1/3 psp sold in America are in NY thats huge compared to everywhere else. So Kawf if u want to be cool with your psp, feel like you want to relate with others, then bring your psp to nyc. PSP is cool here in the Bronx and Brooklyn Harlem but to bad it sucks everywhere else. Thank goodness for the hip hop and homebrew-tech savvy crowd to keep the psp alive, but lucky for me I have a DSlite.

It is strange how Sony chooses to let out that there are 200 games and also the titles of those games, when many of those games could be canceled and are may just now be beginning development, and how Nintendo chooses to keep every title in development for the Wii underwraps until the best time to unleash the news. Might be interesting to hear a debate on these differing strategies alone and how sometime keeping quiet can produce bigger benefit than revealing everything you have.

i dont know why no one comment this but im going to say it, the ps3 is just launching right?, and the 360 is almost a year older right?, so that means the 360 is already on its second gen games and the ps3 is in its first gen games, and they look the same, wow that 360 is amazing, it can keep up with the ps3 on its launching titles graphics... i dont know why everyone is comparing that, its just plain stupid to compare the graphics and the cualities of a console a year older with a console at launching.
but if you wanna do that then fine right now in graphics theres not much difference, but i wonder how the 2nd gen of games from the ps3 will be?, dont misunderstand me i like the 360 it has like 4 or 5 games i really like but the PS brand have dissapoint me, my ps one already have like 8 years and is still working, i bought the ps2 at launch and still works perfectly.
while everyone i know that have a gamecube or a xbox is already on its second console, i have a friend that have bought already 3 gamecubes and he takes really godd care of it.
so in resume i will buy a ps3.

up there i forgot a never, the PS brand has never disspoint me.

Boy.
Joystiq is a master of sh*t-disturbing, ain't they?

Just look at this board!
John Lucas

lol... ok, I wasn't clear when I said "console exclusive"... what I was trying to say was that the list I provided was exclusive to the 360 within consoles only (as in, "not including games found on the PC, because PC gaming is, and always will be, something different). My bad for not being more clear.

also... I clearly stated that you may not agree with every game on that list, but all of the games on that list raise eyebrows... every single game I've listed is considered a "must own" by many gamers I know, but other gamers will be quick to tell me that that game sucks... I personally don't care for 99 Nights, but I think it's a beautiful game. If I was into that genre, it would be a "must own".

I could have created a list of cross-platform games, which would include Unreal Tourney 2007, Splinter Cell Double Agent, etc, but I thought it would have a greater impact to list games that won't be found on the PS3... instead, the interrogators of gaming blogs used that as an opportunity to catch a breath before being dragged back underwater in a sea of PS3 hate.


I'll never argue an opinion. You may hate every single game on that list. But, just because you hate a game doesn't mean everyone else does, too. People all get excited about different things... to each his own...

...but people won't care what I say. Very few people on this site are reading to broaden themselves with the opinions of others... instead, they are all trying to find other people that have the same opinion as them, because people feel powerful in numbers.

Go ahead and rip my list... I don't care... cuz someone out there does agree with the games on it... other people may go look up one of those games and find that it's a game that they would really like... I don't care about the opinion of the hateful, but instead, I care about the opinion of the open minded.

"Geese from Canadia -

First of all, your alt. fuel car analogy...is perhaps the least helpful analogy in the history of superfulous analogies. What were you trying to convey there? That people should be aware of what they're buying when it is new? Or that the PS3 will emit slightly more CO2 than advertised? I'm perplexed."



Xenikos... The car analogy is meant to show that just because something has new technology and claims to be the best, doesn't mean it's always the best choice. Some things look and sound great when they stand alone, but lose some of their momentum when compared to other options.

...slightly more CO2... you're funny.

I think its fairly simple, At Sony you have a bunch of suits who have probably never played a computer ame in their life in charge, releasing statements that don't make any sense to anyone whos into gaming.

The fact that they are out of touch with the common gamer is especially worrying since these guys are the ones who exercise control and power over the design, development and release of the console. They are tryin to make it a "Do everything" piece of consumer electronics, when previously this has NEVER worked.

People looking to buy a PS3 want a games machine, not a "computer" not a "linux box" not a "home media entertainment hub", Just make the fu@king thing play games for god sake.

People should stop going on about it only being $200 more, its 50% more than its closest rival which is of comparable power. It will cost at least 100% more than a Wii, Consumers will be able to buy an Xbox360 AND a standalone Toshiba HD DVD player for around the same money as a PS3. Parents aren't going to want to share their DVD player with the kids game machine,kids aren't going to want their mum and dad watching "Phantom Of The Opera" on their PS3 when they could be playing games on it.

"But hey, sony does have StaticNeuron who will happily buy that system just to flaunt how hardcore he is. I know people that have played EQ for 8 yrs just for the knowledge that their character was elite, and the respect they built up in their video game community."

You know what Zsavior.... I am typing on a computer right now. One that I use to play games, It is a beast. I was "assuming" that the majority of people here were using computers and happened to play games on them.

I do have a bit of disposable income now.... in the past I did something called... saving. Playing one game for 8 years to max out a charcter makes you hardcore alright.. but I wouldn't use it to classify someone as a hardcore gamer in general. Let me clear my point of view up for you since you think I am basing my judgements off of sony's "name brand" or "brilliant market stratagies". I do not care about what they are saying or the strength of thier console names. What I am going off of is the games I have played and the sheer amount of good games I have played on the PSX and the PS2 absolutley trumps any other system.. period. The dreamcast comes the closest in my mind. I do not put faith or stock in the majority of what sony says.... All I care about is if they get thier system stats correct. My faith is put into companies like capcom, square-enix, atlus and so forth. I have an even closer affinity to certain teams within and arount those companies such as tri-ace and 5th level.

What I see is alot of people pretending to be hardcore gamers by saying that the PS# supporters are putting stock in what Sony is saying... therefore Sony lies and the games are going to be crap. I do not associate the quaility of games with sony, I only expect certain titles to follow the system and that is the only reason why I am in on this.I don't want to see a blu ray movie...... I want to see what scej, konami and Square-enix do with the blu ray.

To wrap this drivel up ..... all I am saying is have played almost every console in exsitance, I spent a year and a half on EQ ( not a big mmorpg fan) and I continued to play multiple games for multiple systems either by buying, renting or borrowing from a friend. ANY judgement I have made on a system during any generation is of the streangth of thier games and the support from my favorite devs.

playing a game for the "good" of your guild... is sad. And all you just did was reaffirm the difference between a regular gamer and a hardcore one.

"SO you played and bought every system, YEs but I have actually ENDED the games. THis is why sony is hated. SOny is breathing life to this new breed of gamer where their importance is in being a gamer is being able to buy everything rather than having an open mind and playing a variety."

I have ENDED about 90% of the hundreds of games I have played. Your logic about ending a game falls flat because there are many people who end games for bragging rights as well. Same to those who spend 5 years on a mmo to get every rare piece of armor and to have thier name known on thier server. I am not one of those "people" you are trying to describe that can buy anything or have an over reaching need to brag about me playing video games ( cause that wins the chicks over). SO it boils down to this, I believe people like you who has bashed me about variety of fun and good games, have not really played the PS2. I am excessive with my gaming habits (its a sickness) and the GC did horible with thier game selection, and the xbox was right above it. The PC hasn't had that many "great" games over the past years So I don't like throwing the PC out there too much.

I will fully admit, at the risk of losing a star, I detest Sony.

I didn't always, in fact I consider the PS1 to be a phenomenal system to this day. And some of my favorite games are on the PS2.

Unfortunately, I can't play them. Because my PS2 simply does not work. I did not beat it, I did not treat it badly. It simply stopped working, giving me DREs and the like. And it wasn't just me. Everyone - and I mean everyone - I personally know has had the same problem. One of my friends could not get his PS2 to operate unless he turned it upside down, and even then it was something like one out of 50 times.

And then the PSP came out, and I was sort of interested in it, but I outright refused to buy one when Kutaragi made his comment about the PSP being a beautifully-designed machine in response to people complaining about the square button not working. Following my experience and the experience of those around me, I basically decided to never purchase another Sony console, unless I get it secondhand from a pawn shop when I am dying to play Kingdom Hearts II or something.

Oh, and my PSOne won't read most controllers for reasons that are really quite beyond me.

The problem isn't that I don't trust Sony's hardware. I don't, but it's their decided and calculated attitude of not really caring that sealed the decision for me. I'll grant they fix these problems in future iterations of the hardware, but they should have done more QA and figured them out in the first place.

(For the record, Nintendo's just as guilty of remaking their platforms over and over again to address shortcomings and defects, but at least they will still let you play games.)

So yeah. Can't speak for everyone, but I figured I'd give those out there who criticize those who criticize Sony as "mindless fanboys" an idea of where I, at least, am coming from.

wow this is so stupid we have sony fanboys trying to tell me that all the mom and pops in the US are going to shell out half a grand on one of there kids toys. I don't think that the hardcore alone can suport sony. than again i could be wrong the money at my house is real tight (my mom is trying to raise 5 kids by herself and is a school teacher). all i got for xmas was 30 bucks. sony should be trying to market there products to the masses. im not sayin the I couldn't buy one myself but its just a damn waste of money. I mean if your are going to spend that much money to masterbate to a final fantasy game u got problems.

@51 - BINGO!