PS3 sales no longer hotcake-like?
by Kyle Orland 
{ Dec 21st 2006 at 12:25PM }
Is there a PlayStation 3 supply glut? That's the provocative question posed by the headline of a NotifyWire press release which asserts customers are already tired of paying a premium for PS3 bundles online.In the release, Ian Drake, head of the hot-product-tracking web site, cited a recent $1,000 PS3 bundle at eToys that remained available for over 12 hours. "This sort of thing didn't happen with the Xbox 360 until well after Christmas," Drake added for some historical perspective.
A quick look at NotifyWire's recent tracking history, though, shows the PS3 is far from dead in the water. Despite a slight increase in the amount of time the system has been available at a few major online retailers over the past few weeks, premium bundles from the likes of eToys were selling out in less than an hour as recently as Dec. 18.
This data is also a bit hard to interpret without supply numbers for each individual sale -- perhaps retailers have been getting larger shipments since Sony announced it had fixed its production problems. NotifyWire's system also seems to neglect major sites like Amazon.com, which recently showed intense interest in the PS3 through a lottery system.
Still, the longer-than-expected online offerings are a little worrying for Sony when paired with the PS3's rapidly declining eBay price and reports of consistent high demand for the Wii. But let's not dwell on such unhappy things. Let us instead think of pancakes -- moist delicious pancakes dripping with syrup and hot butter. Oh yeah...
[Via GameDaily]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Thexhatchet @ Dec 21st 2006 12:37PM
theres 10 units within 4 miles of that have been there for a week. 4 at a walmart, 4 at bestbuy and 2 at target. all premiums mind you.
this is really sad. this town couldnt stock 360s until march this year
Analyst @ Dec 21st 2006 12:35PM
Considering the extreme lack of good games for the PS3 and the fact that you can easily get one on eBay for less than the price of a PS3 +Tax +Shipping, it makes sense that no one wants to pay for a bundle of games they will never enjoy.
McWeen @ Dec 21st 2006 12:38PM
Maybe people are just realizing "Wow if I wait a few months I don't have to pay some jackass an extra $400, gee being patient is hard!"
Dave @ Dec 21st 2006 12:36PM
Personally, I would prefer the 360 to the PS3. Still, I don't think that it's fair to compare the demand for the PS3 and the 360. At the time the 360 was released, it was THE next generation system. There were no comparable alternative platforms. Now, consumers can easily pick the 360 or the Wii--which are more readily available...and for a more reasonable sum.
Thryon @ Dec 21st 2006 12:35PM
I walked into my local FutureShop, and on the shelf, they had PS3s in stock. I was in the store for well over 1/2 hour, and the store was full of shoppers, but when I left, there was still some on the shelf. When I returned the next day, there was still one left, that sold while I was there, but all the same, it took over a day to move a few PS3s. You could not find a Xbox 360 anywhere in my town untill the following March (after launch), and you still cannot find a Wii to save your life. Sony does indeed have an uphill battle. I may have to get one if Blu-Ray catches on, and players do not come down in price....stupid Blu-Ray
Unimental @ Dec 21st 2006 12:36PM
I've spotted PS3's at multiple EB Games and Gamestop locations, as well as Wal-Mart and Target over the past week. Usually 20GB versions but a few 60GBs.
Not a Wii to be found. I'm attempting to purchase one as a gift and am hoping this Toys R Us story pans out for tomorrow. Speaking of... you guys at the Stiq have any further info on that? I'm wondering if these "thousands of Wii's" are going to be available when the shops open tomorrow or if they'll be in later in the day.
Rooks @ Dec 21st 2006 12:39PM
Hmm, last night I went to GameStop, to pick up a game, and jokingly asked the sales guy how many times he'd been asked "Do you have a PS3 or a Wii in stock?" that day. He said that he's been asked that of the Wii far more, and that they actually had some PS3 units currently in stock. He then tried to get me to buy it, but I laughed and said no way.
For the past few weeks, the only reason to buy one was to re-sell it on eBay. But now that eBay sales have come crashing down, there's just no need, especially since most of the launch games aren't worth it.
VampireHunter Z @ Dec 21st 2006 12:47PM
How do I send you goes stories? Virtua Fighter 5 is no longer a PS3 exclusive it's coming to 360. Check IGN.
Fred T @ Dec 21st 2006 12:48PM
Yea, this matters because the high resale value of 360 last year has helped it reach it 10 million sold by 2007 target! Oh, wait.. no, its not gonig to meet that either. Or, maybe its what 6 said.
AirIntake @ Dec 21st 2006 12:58PM
There was at least 4 PS3 60GB versions at my local Walmart yesterday. I checked today, and they are still all there. Surprise surprise.
John @ Dec 21st 2006 12:50PM
I live in Northern Ireland and got offered a wii the other day in gamestop!
They had 3 in stock and the guy even offered to keep it for me for an hour while I went and got money out but my parents would have killed me so i sadly declined
Also theres a shop near me called 'replay' (independant retailer) and theyve had a preowned wii sitting there for a few days now! Granted it costs £300(gbp)!
lol!
I think that the 360 is looking better by the day! well in Northern Ireland anyways!
lol
Chris @ Dec 21st 2006 12:50PM
Vampire hunter: at the top of the main page there's a link that says "send us news tips"... I'm assuming that's where... ;)
Earl @ Dec 21st 2006 12:52PM
Who wants to pay $600, much less $1000 for a system with no games? Forcing people to buy a bundle with crappy games is not gonna sell well. Resistance is the only decent game from I read, but then again 12 hours isn't long enough play time for me to buy a game, rent it maybe.
Am I th only person that wants a video game system for video games? Not video/HD players, etc. I want a gaming machine, computers do the rest for me. Especially since Apple coming out with iTV thing next year, I won't need a media center until then.
kez @ Dec 21st 2006 1:02PM
We'll they're showing a 12% national availability across retail stores on iTrackr, it was 7% last week.
Personally, I'd rather buy retail than online...
http://www.itrackr.com/details.aspx?pid=5
glitched @ Dec 21st 2006 1:11PM
or maybe... sony has been shipping more then MS or NIN did after launch...
pixelator @ Dec 21st 2006 1:08PM
More Joystiq anti-Sony spin of non-news.
None of this indicates what they're not so subtly implying here (that PS3 demand/interest is waning). How the hell do you come to such a grandiose conclusion based what someone says about a $1000 bundle lasting more than 12 hours on eToys? The 360 had practically ZERO shipments after the first one until March of the following year. As has been well established, Sony has been trickling PS3 units over almost weekly since launch - so you're obviously going to have better luck finding them than the XBOX from last year, and that also explains the dropping ebay values. But no, to Joystiq it spells TEH CERTAIN DOOM11!11 for Sony and the PS3!11!1!
Seriously - ANYTHING that makes the Wii or Nintendo look good and Sony or the PS3 look bad, Joystiq will emphasize it to the max. Does any 'news' from JQ/EN vis-a-vis Nintendo vs. Sony seriously, anymore?
vidGuy @ Dec 21st 2006 1:08PM
Let's see:
the basic law of demand shows that there will be relatively few buyers at a premium price
at a premium price, there will be a surplus of the good once the early adopters make their purchases
the surplus and poor sales will spark price reductions in order to increase sales...
Something tells me Sony won't drop the price, all that high-tech and all. Sales will probably go up once people realize the PS3 IS available, but I wouldn't expect stellar sales. Honestly, Sony's games division is really hurting. I wonder what those "industry analysts" are going to be saying now?
Associated Content @ Dec 21st 2006 1:14PM
Associated Content is giving away a PS3. Visit http://www.associatedcontent.com and click on the banner at the top of the site to enter the sweepstakes.
John @ Dec 21st 2006 1:13PM
I genuinely think the price is too high! People dont want to know that a PS3 costs less than a 360 with wifi, hddvd and a rechargable battery pack. They just go in and see that the 360 costs $400 and the ps3 costs $600 and they both do roughly the same thing (ie HD gaming)
Sony need to match the 360's price, and until they do the ps3's will sit on the shelves gathering dust
That said, once they do the sales WILL pick up and Sony will do as well as MS, or maybe better!
:)
Aaron @ Dec 22nd 2006 7:26AM
I think the real success story of this Christmas is the Wii. I have a 360 and will probaby get a Wii once I can find one. The Wii just looks fun. Incredible graphics are great, but fun games are the most important thing. That's not to say I won't use my 360 anymore. Just that the two systems are different.
I remember how much fun I had playing Super Tecmo Bowl and Blades of Steel for my original NES back in high school. By today's standards the graphics were terrible, but those games (and others) were tons of fun.
Microsoft has kind of addressed this through the Xbox Arcade, although I want the old original version of Frogger not the version they sell. Same with Defender.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out by Spring.
Kimosabae @ Dec 21st 2006 1:15PM
Yes, this seems to be a valid phenomenon.
I took a visit at Best Buy yesterday to cop Nas' new album. When I reached the register, the cashier asked me if I was interested in a PS3 and I replied "no" with a smug sense of alacrity. I thought maybe she was gonna ask me for a pre-order or to enter some kind of contest or something, not even considering that they might actually have PS3s in stock.
In that context, I found the question odd, so my curiousity got around to finally asking her "why?".
"Well, we've got 4 of them." she replied.
"For how long?" I asked, curiosity peaking.
"Oh, for about 10 minutes."
The answer made sense to me. My curiousity satisfied, I took my Best Buy plastic bag containig "Hip Hop is Dead" and left. I figured if these cashiers were enlightening every customer on the four units they had in stock, they'd be all gone in no time.
I woke up today, my visit at Best Buy just yesterday still fresh in memory. As such, my curiosity began to percolate again. I decided to call the Best Buy this morning to query about the status of the units:
Three units still left, they sold ONE system since yesterday afternoon, even after letting every customer know they have them in stock. Wow.
I guess these accounts I'm reading on Joystiq about someone's sister's brother's best freind's father who's head manager at Best Buy says his store can't get rid of em', aren't just fits of fanboyism after all.
-SynikaL
(yeah, that was way longer than I wanted it to be)
RobotRock @ Dec 21st 2006 1:19PM
I need to get that pancake game. The HD syrup looks fantastic. I certainly hope "Pancake: The game: Curse of the luncheon meats" doesn't remain a PS3 exclusive!
makattack @ Dec 21st 2006 1:17PM
Joystiq is teh biased against Sony!
Sony is purposely limiting the number of PS3s sold because they are losing $200 on every 60GB sold. Once they get the manufacturing cost down, they'll try to sell more. This is good for Sony!
Spore @ Dec 21st 2006 1:16PM
Ha Ha pixelator! You're a Sony tool!
Karen @ Dec 21st 2006 1:22PM
I also went over to the Loblaws (Canadian grocery store) they had 5 60GB PS3. All the customers were asking for the Wii. No one wanted the PS3's.
They are in stock online at Future Shop right now in Canada.
RoroCo @ Dec 21st 2006 1:28PM
makattack... Don't procreate... PLEASE
That is the most idiotic thing I have ever read.
soccergm17 @ Dec 21st 2006 1:26PM
I went to a local Target this morning and saw two PS3 60 GB on the shelf, first time I had seen them. Went back at lunch to pick up another gift and they were still sitting there 4 hours later. Now they could have sold the previous two and restocked, I don't know. But no one was looking at them. Where two weeks ago, when I bought my family a Wii there...20 Wii's sold out in about 15 minutes.
Ken Kutaragi @ Dec 21st 2006 1:24PM
The Sony fanboys are going to need this:
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/3510/ps3we1.jpg
John Belmont @ Dec 21st 2006 1:43PM
@pixelator
It IS worth noting that the PS3 is no longer being killed for, but by all means, go on another THESE BLOGS ARE FUD MACHINES rant.
shase @ Dec 21st 2006 1:34PM
there are still a few Wiis lying around in store here. I sold one on ebay but they wont let me buy them all. PS3's 20GB are only the ones available
Booda @ Dec 21st 2006 1:37PM
"Seriously - ANYTHING that makes the Wii or Nintendo look good and Sony or the PS3 look bad, Joystiq will emphasize it to the max. Does any 'news' from JQ/EN vis-a-vis Nintendo vs. Sony seriously, anymore?"
I don't know. What I DO know is that no one takes you seriously. How much is Sony paying for astroturfing these days, anyway?
(Cue pixelator whining about how he's not a fanboy and he owns a Wii and a DS and he's the only objective one here and by the way Nintendo fans suck! Lather, rinse, repeat.)
wei @ Dec 21st 2006 1:47PM
I think the truth is.. when it boils down to it, Sony hasn't given us consumers any real compelling reason to pick up a PS3. I love the PS3 on paper, as a piece of technology. Heck, I even think Blu-Ray is technologically superior to HD-DVD. But i have a Wii, 360, and 360 HD-DVD. Why? Because I haven't come up with any compelling reason to invest $600 into a system that doesn't offer anything yet. Resistance is the only solid exclusive on the PS3, but 360 owners get Gears of War. There's no contest.
Sure, the landscape may change later next year, but not until much later next year. When Final Fantasy and MGS roll out, I might reconsider. But the way things are going, who knows what's going to remain an exclusive? To me, right now Sony is a joke. And I own a PS2 and have no bias against Sony at all. In my opinion, Nintendo and Microsoft have stepped up and are offering a lot more to consumers at this moment in time. And you've got to applaud Nintendo for what I think is a very impressive launch. Wii Sports and Zelda alone constitute a great launch lineup.. not to mention rayman, trauma center, monkeyball, madden..
A lot of Sony flamers today may end up buying the PS3 in a year or two, myself included. But for now, it's sort of fun to watch the former-industry dominating giant squirm, isn't it? Just have some fun with it, folks!
Grindstone @ Dec 21st 2006 1:58PM
Yesterday I was at Costco in Salem, Oregon doing some Xmas shopping. In the middle of the main isle, near the check-out lines was a pallet stacked with 30 PS3s. I kid you not, nor am I lying as it doesn't benefit me to do so. It had about 10 consoles per stack, being 3 stacks high altogether. Considering the manner it was stacked, it appeared that only one had been removed. Granted, I cannot comment on how long it had been there, but for the hour that I was there, just that one was missing. This was also a $700 bundle which included one game and an extra controller.
I do not report this with any bias towards Sony, just my findings during a holiday shopping spree. But I do agree with the article, it seems the behemoth is slowing to a crawl. Costco is not the only place I have seen PS3s waiting to be sold, it just happened to be the largest to date. I still haven't even seen a functioning Wii as the kiosk in Target had it's Wiimote stolen.
Thryon @ Dec 21st 2006 1:52PM
FutureShop has 7 left as off this time....let's see how long they last.
http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10081903&catid=
Master Foot @ Dec 21st 2006 2:12PM
The only factors that are pushing PS3 sales are the PS brandname and fanboys. They are losing exclusives left and right and it's way too expensive for a gaming system. I will probably buy it to sell it on ebay but I will probably be shot or robbed outside the store. Sony should have left out BluRay and they would have sent 360 home crying. It's funny how Nintendo's miniscule, underpowered system is garnering as much or even more attention than PS3.
3rd Gen @ Dec 21st 2006 2:02PM
I get so tired of people who say "Joystiq are just Sony haters" please shut the fuck up! If you have that much of a problem with what Joystiq decides to put on their blog don't read it. The less Sony cocksuckers the better!
nick @ Dec 21st 2006 2:38PM
I don't understand why people think everyone will automatically pay the prices Sony is charging. I know it's a Playstation. I love Playstation games. I know it has Blu-Ray and it's the cheapest Blu-Ray player-- but meh-- could care less about that. It's still pretty expensive for most people.
I think Sony is going to have a tough time selling PS3s in the long term.
Sure there's going to be early adopters, and it's going to sell well before Christmas, but the true indicator will be after the holiday and when the console is in available supply.
I think Sony is having a Field of Dreams moment, with 'If you build it, they will come'
but this is REALITY and I think someone forgot to tell Sony, '...and make if affordable.'
There's no doubt in my mind the PS3 could be wildly successful if...
*It were $100-$200 cheaper (ie not more expensive than console cost of 360)
*Bundled free games or a PSP!
DBX00 @ Dec 21st 2006 2:04PM
wei
What's with people saying the PS3 is expensive when you've already got like $1,000 invested in console hardware alone? Personally, I'm not nearly that of a hardcore gamer and if I only wanted one console my choice would and is the PS3. It may not be the best in every category, but it gives me the best all around experience from a hardcore and casual gaming experience in one package. My bet is on Sony or Nintendo leading the pack, but I've never been a fan of the games on recent nintendo consoles, so I'll opted to purchase the PS3.
nerfgun @ Dec 21st 2006 2:09PM
Joystiq are just Sony haters.
That was just for you, 3rd Gen. Suck it. :)
Thryon @ Dec 21st 2006 2:11PM
They are now Sold out. Took just about 18 minutes to sell 7 units, for the largest online electronic in Canada, with the link posted numerous places across the net. This if we consider that these where not "purchased" and then cancelled, causing the inventory to go down, but the units to stay put (it takes FutureShop a few days to cancel and order).
wei @ Dec 21st 2006 2:11PM
DBX00:
I see your point. I made my purchases based on the value that I felt would be returned to me. But since I haven't constrained myself to choosing one system, I've bought the ones I like best so far. If I were in your shoes, I could see the argument for getting a PS3. I'm still open to seeing what it'll bring in the future. But as of this moment, it's purely potential. I don't fault you for your decision, and we all have our preferences. And if you want to know mine, I happen to love the games that Nintendo makes. Does that make me a fanboy? Hardly. I'll buy whatever systems and games that make me happy. Everyone's got their opinions about the current console wars, but seriously.. just go out and buy what you want for yourself and let everyone else make their on decision.
Bashing is sorta fun sometimes, though, huh?
wei @ Dec 21st 2006 2:13PM
Oh, and also. $600 is still $600 no matter how you look at it. Sure, I've spent about $850 on my consoles and add-ons so far, but it's been an incremental investment for me. If i had to drop $600 at once, I'd personally want to really have those one or two must-have games that require the console. So far, I'm still in a holding pattern for PS3.
Steve2 @ Dec 21st 2006 2:17PM
I went around to a couple stores yesterday, looking for a Wiimote.
One Best Buy, two Targets and a Circuit City, no PS3s at any of them.
I've also been to one Target for other reasons every day for 4 days straight. I always go to the games section. No PS3s there at any time. No Wiis, no Wiimotes. One has two Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-ons sitting in the cabinet for days in a row.
There's no availability around here (Silicon Valley). I have five friends still looking for PS3s (although I think at least one of them isn't serious about buying it).
I don't understand why people say being able to find one is bad. Last week it was not being able to find one is bad. It was "Sony will have shortages until late 2007!". Now it's "anyone who wants one can get one, oh no!".
Ever stop to think Sony is actually shipping a lot of PS3s? That would be a bad thing how?
Boss Tempo @ Dec 21st 2006 2:27PM
Did you cook those pancakes with the PS3? You know...since the POS looks like George Foreman lost a bet and designed it as a really bad joke.
2nd of all, whoever thinks that 1) PS3 hardware is better for gaming than 360 OR 2) BluRay is technologically better than HD-DVD seriously needs to do their homework before posting because it's just not true.
Brock @ Dec 21st 2006 2:27PM
Huh, that's funny... i just heard today the complete opposite!!!!! Good job joystiq for posting this very accurate relevant news... OH WAIT!! IT"S NOT!!
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=7933
Schlitzy @ Dec 21st 2006 2:28PM
The thing that most amazes me is that in Canada you can buy a PS3 in the grocery store! see # 24
Crackjaw @ Dec 21st 2006 2:43PM
I guess I shouldn't be too suprised. Probably though the biggest reason Sony is having trouble pushing units is because of the huge price tag.
Next to horrible PR and Sony's arrogance I was always alittle pushed off from the PS3, but I would eventualy get one. Now though, the fact that there was no care, just a quick slap job, on porting old PS2 games threw me over the edge. It is really infuriating that Sony couldn't even make my PS2 games look on par when played on a console that costs three times as much.
Horrible PR and Sony's arrogance started the fire and Sony just continues to throw fuel on it.
Thryon @ Dec 21st 2006 2:56PM
@Brock
This is from Tom's Hardware Guide.
"Notifywire.com, a website that provides in-stock alerts for certain products, reports that Sony's latest game console has been much more available in recent days in U.S. online stores. "I wasn't expecting this much volume before Christmas," said Ian Drake, who runs Notifywire.com. In fact, Drake believes that the supply is high enough to buy what they want at the price advertised by Sony: "I think we're already at the point where many people won't pay a premium for the console or be forced into buying bundles," Drake said."
So you cannot indicate that Joystiq post was false, did you even read all the comments here that there are plenty of PS3 to be had, today.....maybe, just maybe your news source is wrong.
solomonrex @ Dec 21st 2006 3:11PM
Ever stop to think that people need expensive HDTVs to make a really expensive PS3 worthwhile? Sony shipped too many to the US and didn't count on Wii being popular.
Let's review: shipping more consoles is a good thing if they're all purchased, so that developers have enough customers to make their expensive next gen games profitable.
Shipping too many consoles because you've decreased demand with a huge price tag is bad, because you're losing money AND not attracting developers.
Unfortunately for Sony, they miscalculated and we all saw this coming about 2000 miles away.
Werbal @ Dec 21st 2006 3:47PM
My local Gamestop had PS3's in the other day when I went in around 4 p.m. or so. They had had them since the morning and still hadn't managed to sell through (though I wasn't sure how many they got in.)
I think a number of people have just resigned themselves to not getting one this year and have stopped looking altogether.