PS3's Europe launch all FUD up
by Kyle Orland 
{ Jan 19th 2007 at 5:25PM }
GamesIndustry.biz has a thought-provoking editorial up looking at the PS3's European launch through the tech industry marketing concept of FUD -- the creation of fear, uncertainty and doubt around a competitor's product. While Microsoft has done its fair share of FUDing up the air around the PS3, Sony has been contributing to the FUD with questionable executive comments and unclear communication about the system's European pricing and release date. Questions about the fate of Blu-ray and images of PS3's stacked up in North American stores aren't helping Sony's image either.
While all this FUD might not matter once big franchises like Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo finally hit stores, it doesn't change the fact that, currently, "there's a cloud over PS3 whose presence has nothing to do with the system's rivals," as the editorial puts it. In other words, consumers can barely see the PS3 through the Sony-created fog of FUD.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Zom @ Jan 19th 2007 5:45PM
It's not the FUD that's hard to see through, it's that $600 price tag!
Anthony D @ Jan 19th 2007 5:46PM
SONY SCREWED UP A LAUNCH?? LOL....WHAT A JOKE OF A COMPANY THEY'RE TURNING OUT TO BE!!!
PS-store ft...l @ Jan 19th 2007 5:54PM
Doesn't matter what Sony says, nothing of it is real as long as joystiq doesn't report about it. Thus, joystiq and gameindustry must be biased.
Vince @ Jan 19th 2007 6:06PM
Sony is the source of the FUD?
Na, the source of the FUD is high up in the mountains of the Sony detractors, the spinning and reckless rumour mongering which trickles down into the valley of the average consumer to become a mighty ocean of ropey fanboy folklore lapping at the mainstream press' shores.
Michael @ Jan 19th 2007 6:07PM
What's ironic is that this 'post,' like so many others you've had here in recent memory, just about perfectly fits the definition of FUD. The sort of thing Microsoft would be paying for to try and stop ppl from buying PS3. All the recent Sony blunders non-withstanding, sometimes I wonder if you guys are paid directly by Mr. Gates himself.
Michael
Prime @ Jan 19th 2007 6:15PM
Being scottish I just find the the term FUD being used in a serious context very funny.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fud_%28disambiguation%29
"Fud, a Scottish colloquialism for vagina"
courtney @ Jan 19th 2007 6:23PM
Whats even funnier then that is the Sony Fanboys who once again come to a videogame site and call that site Sony Biased.
To those people, tell me, how is it living in that cave or yours?
marvin sefton @ Jan 19th 2007 6:28PM
Price and STUPID comments make me feel that Sony is getting what they deserve. I hate being told what i need from companys. The playstation brand will be up for sale soon, and Uncle Bill will buy. I give it 5 years, then it will be Microsoft VS. Nintendo VS. EA's digital distribution on their very own box. Anyone else care to make a dumber prediction?
iliketuna @ Jan 19th 2007 6:27PM
its called the truth, guys. sony's screwing up and its being reported. if you have any good news coming out of sony's camp then please post about it.
slacker @ Jan 19th 2007 6:41PM
blah blah blah PS3 sucks blah blah blah bluray not needed blah blah blah Gears of Wars rules blah blah blah exclusives better on 360 blah blah blah
joystiq you are getting old. bring something new to the table or dont even report...
ps. $600 is not that much money. its called credit.
jas @ Jan 19th 2007 6:36PM
"I just blew $700+ on an overhyped gaming system that doesn't have superior games, graphics or online capabilities. Of course I'm bitter!! You expect me to not retiliate against the never-ending putdowns of my system and Sony loyalty?!?"
"My grandfather proudly owned an Edsel. My parents subscribe us to AOL dial-up and I am a loyal Playstation 3 owner until the end."
"Jim Jones ain't got nothin' on me!"
Dave @ Jan 19th 2007 6:50PM
I don't know what you guys are talking about. The PS3 is the best gaming system ever conceived! Just because there aren't any good games for it at the moment, it's graphics capabilities are less than stellar, it displays PS2 titles poorly, the controllers don't have a rumble feature, the output doesn't work properly for all HDTVs, the Blu-Ray drive speed is slow, and the systems are $600, doesn't mean the PS3 isn't perfect!
Allen @ Jan 19th 2007 6:51PM
Shouldn't this article say "SPONSORED BY BILL GATES" ?
Micro$oft is splashing out.. they've got two of these anti-sony ads a day on joystiq.
V1L3 @ Jan 19th 2007 6:53PM
A lot of these negative views are only common knowledge to those who frequent game forums, and that doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the long run (Snakes on a Plane would've been the highest grossing movie of all time, otherwise).
Want a test? Go into your local EB Games or Wall-Mart, find someone browsing the PS3 section, and scream "Riiiiidge Raaaacer!" or "Giant Enemy Craaaaaab!" and try to gauge their reaction before you get thrown out by security.
deaftly @ Jan 19th 2007 6:54PM
lol @ dave
Pete C @ Jan 19th 2007 7:12PM
If people really thought the PS3 was worth $600 I would not see them on store shelves right now. I thought people were making it up that this system, which had only 2 months ago caused week-long lines, riots, and $2000 ebay price tags, was already readily available in stores. However, just two weeks ago I saw them...60 GB PS3s sitting in a wealthy suburb of Atlanta at Best Buy. They were still there a few days later when I went to return something. This is not how a hyped do-it-all console is supposed to perform just after launch. Granted, the system DOES do it all, is technically superior to the 360, and is more future-proof. However, at the current price tag and with the current selection of games, the PS3 is not much competition. Give it a year and things will turn around. I have no doubt about it. Sony will not be kept down for long, it's just that now Microsoft and Nintendo will be in for the long haul. Sony's dominance in the console world is over.
NintendoFanbot @ Jan 19th 2007 7:31PM
"Sony is the source of the FUD?
Na, the source of the FUD is high up in the mountains of the Sony detractors, the spinning and reckless rumour mongering which trickles down into the valley of the average consumer to become a mighty ocean of ropey fanboy folklore lapping at the mainstream press' shores."
If you mean the times when Sony underwhelmed fans at E3 with Riiiiidge Racer, giant enemy crabs, real-time weapon change, a $600 console people will work more hours for, taking the consumers out of the gaming ghetto, beating Nintendo by shipping more than Nintendo sold, gaming in the 4th Dimension, and etc. boasts by Sony themselves is fanboy rumor-mongering, then yes.
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"$600 is not that much money. its called credit."
That's pretty silly advice.
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"A lot of these negative views are only common knowledge to those who frequent game forums, and that doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the long run (Snakes on a Plane would've been the highest grossing movie of all time, otherwise).
Want a test? Go into your local EB Games or Wall-Mart, find someone browsing the PS3 section, and scream "Riiiiidge Raaaacer!" or "Giant Enemy Craaaaaab!" and try to gauge their reaction before you get thrown out by security."
Yelling anywhere without context is liable to get you into trouble. What you're looking for is if people have a sense of humor about aformentioned crabs and racers. People sure did about Wii. :)
Sony could have gained a cool streak by making Giant Enemy Crab a mascot and helping the fans take it in stride. Snakes on a Plane wasn't the hightest-grossing film of all time but it did really well for what it was, and only perpetuated the cool of Samuel L. Jackson.
rdj75 @ Jan 19th 2007 7:52PM
I don'teven know why people are screaming that joystiq is biased against sony. Just over a year ago, right before the 360 launch and during the 360 launch there were so many posts about the 360 that made the ms fanboys cry joystiq is biased against microsoft. During that time the sony fanboys were living it up talking all kinds of trash saying how microsoft screwed their fan base and how they messed up their launch. Now a little over a year and look at what sony is doing, not just their customers but to themselves.
Just two months after launch you can go just about anywhere and find them just sitting there. In the same time frame, nintendo has basically sold twice as much as sony with more supply and with a demand thats not going away any time soon. Two months after the 360 launched you still couldn't find a 360 any where for sale. Two months after launch the 360 and the wii where bringing well over msrp, right now I can get a ps3 on ebay right at or under msrp(20gb or 60gb).
As of right now I don't even think that the price is the main issue. I think its the fact that, as a video game console, the playstation 3 doesn't bring anything thats worth $600. If you had killer apps. out at launch or in the launch window with killer graphics and killer game play then sony wouldn't be having this problem. In one section you have the Wii that has its own form of gaming and in the other you have your 360. Why would you want to own a playstation 3 right now, not 6 months from now when the good stuff comes out, we are talking about right now.
Sanchinos @ Jan 19th 2007 7:54PM
"$600 is not that much money. its called credit."
Contrary to what you may believe, credit is in no way a fancy way of saying, "Free money".
I'm constantly amazed at how many people don't grasp that concept.
Komikazee @ Jan 19th 2007 8:35PM
Post for "slacker". What do you mean joystiq should come up with something new or stop posting. IT'S NOT THEIR JOB TO COME UP WITH STUFF!!!
Zom @ Jan 19th 2007 8:44PM
"$600 is not that much money. its called credit."
If you need credit to play video games then you seriously need to re-evaluate your financial priorities.
slacker164 @ Jan 19th 2007 10:28PM
“$600 is not that much money”
For many people (like myself) it’s not just a matter of being a lot of money, but also the principal of it. I’m about as likely to pay $600 for a game console as I am to pay $10 for a can of soda. I can afford it without a problem, but the price is just absurd for what you get. And BluRay is about as attractive as that $10 can of soda having unicorn droppings in it. It doesn’t matter how ‘cheap’ they make it if people don’t want it in the first place. That being said, I’ll get a PS3 when the price comes down to Earth levels.
P.S. Not the same guy as the other slacker that should stop reading joystiq if he doesn’t like it.
crazyrabbits @ Jan 20th 2007 4:09AM
Someone forgot to attach the weak point for massive damage/
Lekko @ Jan 20th 2007 4:11AM
actually, the FUD is still alive and kicking and working out beautifully well. I talk casually about videogames to tons of people (I work in retail and with games), and I STILL have people that don't know a thing about the PS3. People still think that it has no online at all, people think that the discs are copy protected and locked into only one system, that it can't play PS2 games at all, that the hard drive is unchangable, that it has wired controllers, that it overheats constantly, and that it can't be played on a standard TV.
Before the launch the trendy thing was "don't believe the hype!" instead believe in the anti-hype, which everyone seems to have bought into fully. The system is actually pretty solid, it just needs games.
Dave @ Jan 20th 2007 6:53AM
Good, point, Lekko. People need to gain some perspective. Everyone get that? The PS3 doesn't totally suck.
Steve2 @ Jan 20th 2007 9:22AM
Right, right. You explain Sony is bringing this on themselves and the link to an article on how reactionary people think that the PS3 is harming BluRay acceptance.
That's not Sony FUD and it's circular reasoning at best.
The reality is BluRay discs are now outselling HD-DVD, while before December, they were trailing. That's PS3's real effect on BluRay acceptance, not the rabid fanboy reactionaryism.
Face it Joystiq, when it comes to FUDing Sony, gamer blogsites like this are Microsoft's biggest allies.
Anonymouse Rep @ Jan 20th 2007 11:53AM
I think that we on this forum have to keep things in perspective. Some of us work in the industry, so we pay a LOT more attention to it than the general public. Some of us are heavy gamers, too - you just live this stuff.
But when you're dealing with a mass market culture, you've got to reach the mass market. You can make all the dollar comparisons on here you want (Grunge et. al.) between the 360 and PS3 - the general public doesn't really give a damn about that. If they want a PS3 for $599, they'll buy it. And if they think an Xbox 360 is overpriced at $399 for a game console, then they're NOT going to buy the PS3 for $100 or $200 more - they'll either get a PS2, Wii, or do without.
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As for the FUD - lay it right on Sonys doorstep.
http://www.joystiq.com/2005/11/22/sony-ceo-ps3-to-launch-under-400/
I will grant you that the original article here had errors, which were corrected. But look at the comments from 2005:
"1. If the PS3 launches at $299, I'll be in line on launch day with my cash in hand. If it's $399, there will have to be some awesome games before I plunk down the cash."
"13. If it's $299 I'll get one too, and it will sit next to my xbox 360. If its $399, I'll pass. Blu-ray is overrated and easily damaged so t nearly $400 without the harddrive, no thanks"
"32. It's amazing that people in this thread still believe, even after this, that the PS3 will be more than $400. These are the same people who believed the brain dead analysts who were claiming the PSP would be $500.
The PS2 initially had manufacturing costs at about $450 and yet they released it for $300. Why would anyone expect they are suddenly going to change the formula that helped them sell 100 million consoles?!? Why would they raise the price by $200 from one generation to the next?
Answer: obviously they won't"
Rebuttal - obviously they did...
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Hmmm - this was also when the launch was Spring 2006, too.
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/04/ps3-on-track-for-may-06-launch/
November - the new May...
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And then we have the quite amusing post of original Sony PS3 promises http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/22/the-ps3-in-2005-and-now/
6 x USB ports
2 x HDMI ports
7 x wireless controllers
Coming Spring 2006
The checks in the mail, and objects in the rear view mirror may end up PASSING your butt, Kaz...
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Aiphanes @ Jan 22nd 2007 10:23AM
You PS3 haters are all full of crap...The PS3 is expensive i give you that...but it is still the best Hardware out there.
When the Xbox 360 launches back in 2005..it had NO good games...It sucked in the software department. Only a few games game out that were any good..GRAW and Gears Of War...and a few others...GRAW was not a launch title..it came out months after the launch.
The PS3 will probably get a price cut this christmas....and the next batch of good games will come out in March 2007. Sony will once again dominate when the price of the PS3 drops about $200.
All Sony has to do is drop the 20GB PS3 by Q4 2007 to $349.99 and the 60GB PS3 to $449.99....and release some good games....and come out with the March 2007 Firmware update...and its all over for Microsoft and Nintendo....
ackmondual @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:54PM
@ #28
""The PS3 will probably get a price cut this christmas....and the next batch of good games will come out in March 2007. Sony will once again dominate when the price of the PS3 drops about $200.""
A $200 price drop after only 1 year of release? Doesn't seem likely
McManus @ Jan 25th 2007 4:15AM
Here in the UK, whether we get the PS3 in March, or later, at £425 (£1 is roughly $2 US) or more, it's still going to be a hard sell for Sony, especially away from Christmas. The Wii is around £180, and the core 360 around £200, premium around $270. The question becomes, at twice the price, is the PS3 twice the console? The answer can only be yes, if Blu-Ray is the draw.
But while DVD on the PS2 was a big factor for me, cheaper than standalone players when I bought the console, Blu-Ray is no incentive. Like most folk here, I don't have HD TV and won't be buying next-gen movies until I do. Paying over the odds for something that I'm not going to need in the foreseeable future, doesn't sit well.
Grown tired of waiting for PS3, baulking at the price tag, and as so many of my friends were already on Xbox Live, I ended up getting a 360, premium bundled with Gears and Rainbow Six for £300. And I have no regrets, not now, and not likely in the future, as few games look to be platform exclusives. I'm not the only Playstation punter that's jumped ship for the next generation, and even if I do buy another console this year, it will be the Wii, not the PS3.