Sony maintains PS3 shipment targets despite shortages

by Blake Snow { Dec 14th 2006 at 6:25AM }

Sony announced today that the company sees no reason to change its worldwide goal of shipping 2 million PS3s by year's end and 6 million total by the end of next March. Apparently, production problems are no longer an issue. Sony President Ryoji Chubachi (not Chubaka) told Reuters: "It is true that it took us sometime to bring the PS3 to mass production as blue laser availability worked as a bottleneck, but production has reached a certain level and judging from that level, 2 million and 6 million are within our reach."

The company did say it "resolved" manufacturing difficulties last week, but considering Wii and Xbox 360 are both racing to reach lofty sales targets, PS3's the last one we'd expect to hit its mark. "I think I can, I think I can" ... only this little engine ain't so little.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Lesbian Ham @ Dec 14th 2006 6:51AM

Lying to keep shareholders happy.
Bastards.

KEEL @ Dec 14th 2006 6:55AM

Flopstation 3!!
I seriously dont know anyone who wants one by now, and Its actually hard to find anyone on the world wide web that wants one unless its for selling on Ebay.
You had a good run Sony, now Its time to take a step down and realise that WE decided that nextgen started a year ago!

Aran @ Dec 14th 2006 6:58AM

Shareholders, everything is okay. No need to worry. Everything is going as scheduled. There are no problems with PS3.

Just... BELIEVE.

porkepik @ Dec 14th 2006 7:19AM

I will believe production isssues have been resolved it when i see PS3 sales in japan to be 100k+ per week, and when more than 10 PS3 per week arrive in my best buy. They say shipped 2 million by year end so it means they won't be here till early to mid january, bye bye christmas sales. I will buy one or an x360 when there are at least 5 games I want on the system (currently x360 has 3, GOW, oblivion and Enchant arm)Seems the x360 will be there before the ps3(it has no game that interest me for the moment(oblivion in february, lair and motorstorm in the spring).

SuperStupid @ Dec 14th 2006 7:20AM

"THE AMERICAN INVADERS ARE COMMITTING SUICIDE BY THE HUNDRED ! THERE ARE NO TANKS IN BAGDAHD !"

Lol, looks like comical Ali got a new job working at Sony !

Spilt_Milk @ Dec 14th 2006 7:31AM

They are sitting on the shelves in my target. It seems people are realizing what a crappy machine it really is for the money add that to the fact that prices have dropped like a rock on ebay and I think it's going to be a sad sad xmas in japan this year.

Optimus Prime @ Dec 14th 2006 7:35AM

Well, is Nintendo still holding onto their 4 million unit s by end of 2006 target. Two weeks to go and they need to produce and ship 2+ million units to three territories.

(Nah, i didnt think so either.)

alex @ Dec 14th 2006 7:36AM

hi hi ps3 will win in the end for it's vast games.. ill never get xbox 360 i already got a pc and most of the games for xbox are on computer... ill just miss out on gears of war =\ and maybe 2 others that dont come out for pc.. who knows.. .

Alex @ Dec 14th 2006 7:39AM

Intresting. Yeah right. If I am going for either xbox360 or PS3 by now it would still be xbox360 (Concidering I live in europe). In March it will still be xbox360. I have to see what games are coming out for them both. What I still can't have on the 360 I can live without.

HotShotX @ Dec 14th 2006 7:44AM

Considering all of Sony's recent marketing (insults)...this is assuming there is even that many people who WANT a PS3 anymore...I can assure you that I am no longer one of those people.

~HotShotX

Anonymouse Rep @ Dec 14th 2006 7:52AM

For what it's worth, I was in a store yesterday where a customer was looking around for the best deal on an Xbox 360. His problem is that he has three - that's right, THREE - PS3 systems, all still in the box, and he doesn't know what to do with them. He had bought them because he'd been a big PS2 fan - and now that he's got them, he's not impressed by what he sees. So he's going to sell two of them, get a 360 immediately for his kids, and then pick up a Wii when they come back into stock.

What was interesting was how he got them - he was on the list of alternates from Wal-Mart due to the their rain check system. Wal-Marts were supposed to get 6 or 8 systems per store, and when they didn't get them, they had to give out some rain checks - and then they took a list of names for alternates. He was FOURTH on the list of alternates - the bottom has dropped out on eBay, and Joe Consumer just really doesn't want a PS3.

----

I like this from the original article: ""But 2 million and 6 million are within our reach," Chubachi said, referring to Sony's targets to ship 2 million units of the PS3 by the end of the year and 6 million by March."

Now, is referring to March of 2008? I mean, come on - can ANYONE believe anything you say now? Our console will launch in the fall of 2005 - no, the spring of 2006 - no, really in the fall of 2006 AND we'll have 2 million when we launch worldwide - well, maybe 1 million when we launch worldwide - okay, 400,000 in the U.S. when we launch in the US and Japan - okay, so we actually ignored Europe and only shipped 197,000 consoles to the U.S....

Here's something to keep in the back of your minds. If the Cell is so much better a processor than the cores in the 360 - can that make up for having HALF the GPU of the 360? (Short answer - NOPE!)

As the guys in the gamestores said - when Guitar Hero 2 DOES come out on the 360, that'll be the day that the PS2 becomes relegated to the bargain bin.

crono141 @ Dec 14th 2006 8:25AM

President Ryoji Chubachi (not Chubaka)

Thats, Chubacca.

FSK405K @ Dec 14th 2006 8:36AM

December 13 seems quite late to be making statements about shipments for the rest of the calender year, so he must instead mean their fiscal year, which we know ends in March.

Earl @ Dec 14th 2006 8:40AM

I don't believe Sony will hit 1 million. Next week is the last week of shopping before Christmas.
Only thing I can think of that is somewhat PLAUSIBLE, is that the major stores are hording PS3s (again!). We know they are doing it with the Wii. Which, to me, doesn't make any sense $600 (or $250) this week=same money next week. So why horde the consoles until then? They are gonna sell immediately, no matter what.

OpTicaL @ Dec 14th 2006 8:50AM

"Sony don't care about the gaming people"

I've noticed I become a PS3 basher but I still love my PS2. I might get a XBOX360 this X-Mas. I wanna to get Gears of War and get Ninety Nine Nights.

Jason @ Dec 14th 2006 9:03AM

you just have to wonder how long can sony go on deceiving their fanbase in America before Sony fanboys finally say - "you know what? we've had enough"

MS has delivered a superior gaming box for 2 consecutive console cycles now (ooooo them's fightin' words) and I just can't figure out why Sony fanboys are still so excited about their platform.

Sony has lost just about every major exclusive software franchise and still people are paying rediculous sums for what amounts to a cheap blu-ray player.

(sigh) I feel sorry for sony fanboys. Denial is a terrible thing.

Redscare @ Dec 14th 2006 9:04AM

"So why horde the consoles until then? They are gonna sell immediately, no matter what."

The reason is simple Earl, they horde the units so that they can advertise them in a certain weeks ad and be able to reach the minimum number advertised. Its silly but they've always done with around the holidays and this is not something thats restricted to consoles. On any high demand item they will specifically hold them until advertised with bundles, accessories, etc.. to maximize their attachment rate per unit sold.

FrankTheCrank @ Dec 14th 2006 9:06AM

Wow...6 million by MARCH07?? Holy crap...it took the oversized iPod(360) almost a year to get to that.

I guess I better hold off on purchasing the Dreamcast, whoops, I mean XBOX360.

Fan @ Dec 14th 2006 9:13AM

Why would anyone not want a PS3 because of marketing bluders? Do the games change because of marketing? Or maybe you are the kind of people who would buy a console because of marketing.

Personally im still interested in a PS3, Sonys blunders I could care less about. Im a gamer not a marketing victim.

Im looking forward to games like Heavenly Sword, The Naughty Dog Project, Mercenaries 2, Ratchet and Clank and MGS4. When these games are out im gonna buy a PS3. I dont care if the general perception is negative of the PS3 im a gamer not a polititian.

ngs @ Dec 14th 2006 9:18AM

I seriously don't understand why all of you bitch and complain when Sony has good news. I think it's fear.

Evan @ Dec 14th 2006 9:23AM

@20 "I seriously don't understand why all of you bitch and complain when Sony has good news. I think it's fear."

Because, in the past year, most of Sony's "good news" has turned out to be lies and broken promises.

ac @ Dec 14th 2006 9:28AM

sony fan #19, the reason people no longer want a ps3 is not so much political, but economical. unless you are a true sony fanboy and holding out (and definitely missing out like a fool) for ps3, alot of consumers are fed up with the lies and waiting. to add insult to injury, 360 has proven to people over the past year that its performance and gaming titles surpass those of ps3. in other words, the ps3 is not offering up anything better than what the 360 offers now. another point is that the wii offers a new gaming experience, and many of these people instead of waiting and missing out on great video games because of broken promises, have already bought many of these systems for their home, and therefore the demand for the ps3 is dying down. when it comes to sales, its less about politics and more about timing. i'd thought i'd point that out to you since you do not seem to understand why the buzz seems to be dying for the ps3.

OrionzDrm @ Dec 14th 2006 9:44AM

Playstation has a great name brand. For a decade people have been buying that Brand. I had a friend from work drop by to see the PS3 and 360 on the same screen. He wanted to know what I thought would be the best system for him to buy right now. I didnt not answer but let the games make the decision for him. He decided on games alone and that was 360. For now the PS3 cant compete with the 160 games MS has out. In a year or so I dont think there will be as large of a difference between the two but right now there is. Not to mention a $200.00 price difference.
Now after i import Virtual Fighter in two months maybe things will be looking different but for right now thats how the systems compare if you are not interested in HD Movies.

crono141 @ Dec 14th 2006 9:47AM

"Wow...6 million by MARCH07?? Holy crap...it took the oversized iPod(360) almost a year to get to that."

Just because they can make 'em, doesn't mean they'll be able to sell 'em.

DrXym @ Dec 14th 2006 9:49AM

I have no idea whether Sony is lying or not (2 million sounds very optimistic), but I do think that people are exaggerating the problems more than they should. If a component is the bottle neck but has been resolved why shouldn't production dramatically leap? Aside from the blue laser diode, what other components could cause them problems? The Cell perhaps, but otherwise everything else in the PS3 is pretty much off-the-shelf components. Aside from the component issues, every thing else about the production and distribution should be old hat to Sony.

Josh @ Dec 14th 2006 9:53AM

"Just because they can make 'em, doesn't mean they'll be able to sell 'em."

Just because they say it doesn't mean they can deliver.

So they expect to move 1.5 million PS3s in 2 weeks? Please. That simply isn't going to happen.

Regula Oblique @ Dec 14th 2006 10:04AM

Man I tell you most of these comments are garbage talk, just because your in love with your beloved 360 just shut up and play the games.

I own both the ps3 and 360, and I could give a crap about sony lying about sales, do you say something when microsoft does it probably not because your maybe the true one in denial. I think both systems are great and unless your cheap and cant afford both then play your wii or 360 and be happy. I see the benefits of the ps3 and its a great system and please stop it with the stupid stuff like "Oh the 360 is so better the gamess" ahhhh duhhh ps3 just came out of course there would be crap games and less of them, just like when ps2 came out with fantavision and bouncer, but would you criticize a newborn baby that was just born before it got to be of age, well thats whats happening with all this stupid talk, come march when the next shipment of sony exclusives drop ill be very happy and with my 360 also. Start being open minded about gaming and not so babyish, I really hate these blogs now its all turned in to a big soap opera with grown man arguing about what system their loyal too, and the other one sucking.

Pete C @ Dec 14th 2006 10:09AM

"I think both systems are great and unless your cheap and cant afford both then play your wii or 360 and be happy."

You are an asshole.

Replay @ Dec 14th 2006 10:10AM

Keyword here is "Shipment Targets".

But I was under the impression that Sony revised it to 1 million.

el Chino @ Dec 14th 2006 10:12AM

1.5 million units!!!!! Where did you pull that number? Sony has been shipping units since launch. 500k is the launch between US and Japan. So I guess based on your numbers Sony has shipped zero since launch???!!!

Regula Oblique @ Dec 14th 2006 10:19AM

@Pete C

Ill be that but what I said is the truth, unless you just really hate ps3 or sony for that matter and refuse to buy it, but in that case it seems like what I originally said you just cant afford both seeing how you resulted in such rude language. dont be made just go to school graduate and get a good job like me, plus ken kutaragi told you to start saving well over a year ago so you cant even blame it on your job :)

Saneless @ Dec 14th 2006 10:25AM

"1.5 million units!!!!! Where did you pull that number? Sony has been shipping units since launch. 500k is the launch between US and Japan. So I guess based on your numbers Sony has shipped zero since launch???!!!"

Um, where are YOU getting your numbers? The launch between US and Japan was about 275,000. They were NOWHERE NEAR the 400,000 for the US.

crono141 @ Dec 14th 2006 10:29AM

"plus ken kutaragi told you to start saving well over a year ago so you cant even blame it on your job"

He also told us to go out and work 2 jobs so we could afford TRUE HD NEXT GEN OMFGLOL. Its arrogant comments like this, combined with all their add campaigns, that makes me realize that sony thinks we're all a bunch of getto stoner MORONS, and they don't give a damn about us.

I don't give money to people who think I'm a moron, and has no problem telling me so.

moog @ Dec 14th 2006 10:34AM

12 more just showed up at the local EB...

Pete C @ Dec 14th 2006 10:52AM

#31, actually I can afford both, given that I am a college grad and have been working for 10 years in technology. I just think your comment was rude and insensitive to what situations people other than yourself may be in. Not everyone has $1000 to drop on two game consoles...nor should they. It is a waste of money for a vast majority of people to buy a 360 and a PS3 just to get a few exclusive games one way or the other. Most people will be picking one side, and probably defending their purchase.

Jeff @ Dec 14th 2006 10:57AM

It's pretty obvious what this statement is really designed to do - keep people hoping that a PS3 will be available any day now, so that they don't just give up and buy a 360 in the meantime. I did play the PS3 yesterday, but there's no way I can get over no force feedback. Motorstorm was a POS (framerate, graphics, you name it) although it did have some nice ragdoll, but you just should crash and burn with no feedback. Plus the 360 controller is just head and shoulders above the PS3 controller ergonomically.

To the guy that said that most of the 360 games are PC games anyway, pay attention. Sony has almost no exclusive titles anymore, so if anything the two of them will have very close content gamewise going forward. The main difference will be that many of these titles will be built on the 360 first and then ported to the PS3 for the near future due to the superior development environment, so the edge in playability will likely be in the 360s favour.

phipscube @ Dec 14th 2006 11:00AM

Shipped is exactly that... shipped, not sold. they could easily ship 1 million units by year end. Doesnt mean to say they will sell. Sony advertise their demand on retailers, not consumers. If retailers demand it, Sony ship it (If possible), and thats where their figures come from.

To all the folks saying that waiting for a PS3 while the Xbox 360 is already out need to look at the broader picture. I got an Xbox360 in January whilst I "Wait" for PS3.... I hardly play it. WHY? I hear you all scream... Because My PS2 has been getting consistently better games released every month since then and I spend my money on them instead of Xbox360 games.

Another thing that stops me in my tracks towards the Xbox360 stand is the niggling twitch I get when I think of how many games that have been released that need serious patches. Do I want to buy a game that might not work properly? No.

So basically all this year, whilst waiting for a PS3, I've been playing my good old PS2. And so have many many many other people who are completely oblivious to the "Mistakes" Sony have made with PS3 and still eagerly look forward to it because over the last 10 years the Playstation has served them the games they like.

I keep my Xbox360 mainly for its excellent live arcade. Roll on Space Giraffe, That game is going to be well ace. Jeff Minter is God.

Dragon Warrior @ Dec 14th 2006 11:03AM

General Public will have a very hard time buying a $500 to $600 video game console. To the general public Blu-Ray is a non-issue. Sony see's the console as a super cheap blu-ray player. General public in the US sees it as a super expensive game machine. The general public doesn't have a clue in the world what a Blu-Ray disk is, and doesn't care. No matter how many units sony ships its going to sit on store shelves it cost too much for a game machine. Even the $400 for the 360 premium is pushing it. Not to mention $60 and $70 dollar games.

Regula Oblique @ Dec 14th 2006 11:12AM

@Pete C

Well I didnt mean for it to seem rude, but I think that my point was pretty clear, if your a gamer it doesnt matter what system you play it should be about the games, and if your dont have all 3 systems, it could be a various number or reasons why you dont A) you dont want them all, or B) want them but cant afford them and as in your case you just like your one system. but I was getting at the point of the system in itself is great and just because people dont have it shouldnt mean they should bash it.

In your case its a waste of money to buy both systems for a few exclusives but not in everyones including my case. whatever floats your boat is fine and dandy but im proud of my purchases and that I can play good games on both systems.

Pete C @ Dec 14th 2006 11:19AM

I agree with you Dragon Warrior. People that are really into technology like hardcore gamers and Home Theater buffs will see the value in the PS3. Parents and people that don't know what 1080p means (i.e. most people) will not. People around here and on other message boards overestimate how much the general public understands HD technology. PS3s will continue to sell strongly until the supply catches up in early 07. There are still plenty of early adopters out there waiting for PS3s to appear on shelves. It will then sell well for a while, but not extremely well until a price drop. Personally, I think MS needs to drop the price of the 360 further to start gaining more mass-market appeal.

gman @ Dec 14th 2006 11:23AM

@ 27 Regula Oblique

"I think both systems are great and unless your cheap and cant afford both then play your wii or 360 and be happy."

Unless my what is cheap? OHHH you mean "YOU ARE" ...just so you know, YOUR is a different word.
Hit the books, then try and defend your opinion properly

Regula Oblique @ Dec 14th 2006 11:44AM

@gman

O Wow excuse me for the spelling error, get a life and stop spell checking everyones posts, sorry if I type so fast, but its funny my point was still made and understood.

jason @ Dec 14th 2006 11:58AM

This is a big cat fight.
Besides you don't have to not have a PS3 to bash it, you don't even have to try to bash it. Sony does a great job of continuously bashing it! Isn't that what everyones mad about anyway?

sony scea @ Dec 14th 2006 12:43PM

At launch, they supplied 150k to 200k. The following week or 2, rest of the 500k start showing up. I got 1 of the 400k (us, not north america), b/c it had tallagada night movie. bad luck, it did not work well. Won't always read disks. Return it to Sony and a brand new one from SCEA. How Does SCEA has so many to do exchanges? So, some of the 400k were sent to SCEA for issues. They are aiming 1 million for the end of the year. Perhaps, from the current looks of things, they noticed that they have exceeded the 1 million mark and
are inching toward the 2 million mark. I am guessing that they are about 1.5 million by Christmas and 1.6 by year end. Some retailers might hold bulk of them for a later launch like Best Buy did last year with x360. There was a rumor date of dec 17 or somewhere there. I think realistically, they may able to make b/n 4 to 5 million units by march.

Regula Oblique @ Dec 14th 2006 1:04PM

>

you forgot to mention if it wasn't for nintendo our beloved playstation brand would of never existed, respect the originator of mainstream gaming, or think of how awesome it would be to play with an imaginary console called the playststation that never existed.

@ Dec 14th 2006 1:11PM

Ummm .. that > is a fucking imposter... its smells like crono.

Hey imposter > .. if you're going to be an asshole, a least be original.

Lefty @ Dec 14th 2006 2:40PM

i remeber when rumors were they would not have a spring launch. than there was talk of a delay which our pal friends got. Than there was some talk of slashed launch numbers

and every time sony denied it.

Next bluray diodes are not easy to mass produced. it could be years befor they effectively are able to make them in number needed to support say a mas market item. this is a fact. no one has tried to mass produce the blue diode and they need to be perfect to work. yields are incredibly low. Sony will not reach 2 million nor 6 million by march. They have not even been able to launch there own bluray player, even the hd-dvd add on for the 360 is in very short supply for the same reason.

Just some food for thought. I never trust what sony says. NPD data shows 197,000 us concoles for nov. thats not 400,0000. They will not hit 1.5 million in Dec. thats a given

psily @ Dec 14th 2006 3:01PM

the last 2 systems sony has proven they can sell, not only that but they can sell OVER 100 MILLION UNITS FOR EACH SYSTEM, and you all are saying they cant pump out a few mil by march even if they hit 4 million by march 2/3 million in the US by next christmas itll be a dog fight Halo 3 vs MGS4 mmmmmm *drool* ... video games.

and to everyone that loves 360 so much go over to the 2nd largest gaming and argue that to them, the ps3 in its apparent abysmal sales has already sold more than the 360, sad but true.

but honestly all fanboism aside i love competition, esp in video games it makes for FAR better games on both sides, so at the end of the day i hope that sony and MS can come together and make a unified network online so that regardless of which system you own you can play your friends on a network, then theyd really just be computers.