Australian PS3 launch underwhelming

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 22nd 2007 at 7:30PM }

Today is tomorrow in Australia. Not just is it tomorrow, but it's coming on noon. According to The Sydney Morning Herald the PlayStation 3 launched last night with "officials, media and security outnumbering customers." The 500 retailers on the continent opened their doors for a midnight launch and despite the estimated 20,000 pre-orders "most stores were virtually deserted."

The Herald says even the official launch event at Myer's Pitt Street store had only 40 people in line at midnight "causing distress for the army of camera crews who turned up expecting to capture launch mayhem." The gentlemen who ended up being first in line showed up at 9 PM. Adding insult to injury, television producers "unashamedly" had the crowd fake cheer for the cameras. A local radio station even had their on-air talent create "bogus cheers" to convince listeners that a major event was going on. Looks like the hype accompanying the U.S. launch has all but vanished. We'll get a better picture of the PS3 PAL release later this evening when reports of the European launch trickle in. Maybe the land down under is just full of Xbox and Nintendo fanboys?

Tags: australia, launch, playstation, ps3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

ALH @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:38PM

isnt the ps3 $1000 down there? I'd not be rushing to buy one either if i was an aussie tbh

Raikage @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:42PM

I thought the Playstation brand was popular down under. Guess I was wrong.
@1 That isn't US currency is it?!

sergo @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:46PM

Oh man, I kind of feel bad for Sony now. I just saw video of it and the whole event looks dissapointmenting.

Xeres @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:48PM

No, that is Aus currency, not US. Still it works out to be over US$760 though. Serves Sony right, if they are arrogant enough to think people will throw $1000 for a console based on name alone, they deserve to fail this generation.

Psaakyrn @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:49PM

No, the $1000 is Aus currency, but when something reaches that number of digits, it's pretty darned expensive. (though granted, the Wii's not exactly cheap either.. but when you can get a 2nd hand gamecube at 10% the price, it's a rather large difference.)

mike @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:51PM

Its a 1000 AUD not US...

Anyway gamespot just had a live interview with their uk site who are at the london launch... there are 650 PS3's available and 200 people have turned up

3cubedminus3squared @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:53PM

Poor Sony. Oh well, maybe if sells blow hard in Europe and Australia, Sqeenix will have no choice but to bring FFXIII over to the 360.

Joshua @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:55PM

"Maybe the land down under is just full of Xbox and Nintendo fanboys?"

Or maybe they just realized that there is hardly any reason to buy a PS3, especially not for the prices they have to deal with.

Mats @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:58PM

After waiting 3 months for it (after everyone else got it), having Sony force retailers not to export PS3 to PAL areas, having a MUCH higher retail price, after getting a worse system with back.comp. wise and no 20gig version, did they really expect it to do any other way?

I think you will see a shower of identical reports tomorrow morning after the EU launch.

Raikage @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:58PM

Thanks. I forgot I have a widget that converts currency. As of 6am this morning it comes to $806.60 US and 605.33 Euros. OUCH! I hope they make more money down there lol!

I love my mac....

Virtua Fanboy @ Mar 22nd 2007 7:58PM

Well my workdays coming to a slow close so let me end it on Joystiq by commenting on this story:

Dooooooommmmmm...Glloooooommmm! LOL

trankzen @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:00PM

It isn't better in France.
I've been watching the launch event here in Paris. It was absolutely pathetic from the beginning to the end.
Sony had a boat turned into a floating store, docked in front of the Eiffel Tower with a thousand PS3s in it.
At midnight, a few dozen people came on board to get their consoles, and 30 minutes later, it was over. No one was left except journalists and security people (i'd say they were more of them than customers tonight), wandering along the deserted, oversized waiting lines.
A pathetic sight indeed.

Naaah, who am i kidding, it was hilarious.

And there was also this :
http://pix.nofrag.com/0b/c6/2c3648e3050807acc5ad22f237a2.html

joystiq @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:03PM

(this picture was what ps3 fans could see on the other side of the river while waiting for the shop to open)

T-Mone @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:08PM

It's just the fact that it's no longer new. When it was launched November in the us the people down under who really wanted it bought it on ebay! Not to mention they don't have a killer game for it yet that makes it a must have system.

Mephistopheles @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:08PM

As expected. I don't hate Sony but I saw this coming.

Can anyone say eight equals equals equals equals equals equals equals equals dee tilde tilde tilde tilde tilde tilde?

SlyTheBoss @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:10PM

Don't know if you guys are aware of it but the minimum wage is $12 and the average salary is over $50,000 down there, so take this into consideration when saying the PS3 over there is more expensive than here...

Rubang B @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:12PM

Mephistopheles, how dare you!

Who didn't see this coming?

Every time a PS3 sits on a shelf for more than a day, an angel gets its wings.

Raikage @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:13PM

@16 thats more double than it is in America so that would mean that the Austrailians got the better deal (but had to wait 5 months)!

3cubedminus3squared @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:16PM

Wow, I bet by now some angels have two or three sets of wings by now.

NoHitHair @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:22PM

Actually, the tepid response to the PS3 overseas doesn't illustrate their disregard for the system launch as much as it makes Americans look like complete idiots. If anyone remembers, it was our launch that filled the streets and retailers with rabid and violent fanboys, armed robberies and notoriously greedy Capitalists with a love for eBay.

Sometimes I wonder if it's not simply the Iraq war that has caused the world to question American culture.

http://blog.myspace.com/nohithair

Nick @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:26PM

@16 That's AUD as well, so it really isn't that much. $12 can buy 3 cokes from 7/11, plus one small easter egg.

I would have to say that this doesn't really surprise me. Working in Brisbane, there is plenty of hype created by the stores...but I guess it was too little too late. The midnight launches were only made publicly available in the past three days (that I noticed, anyway), so there wasn't enough time. Also, it's now friday - ie, the people who would have had the $1k to buy the thing would also have to go to work today, and therefore would have wasted their night! Maybe sales will pick up tomorrow? Who knows...

Joshua @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:34PM

"Sometimes I wonder if it's not simply the Iraq war that has caused the world to question American culture."

While the Iraq War and other conflicts are certainly a major contribution, it's the general American way of life that has caused so much flak from the rest of the world, and rightly so.

But look at that -- I'm completely off topic!

Raikage @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:37PM

3 cokes?! How much is a 20oz down there? It's ~$1.30 US.

@20 Yeah the Ebay fiasco was out of control....(wish I had one to sell though :0 )

Jebb @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:46PM

Um the 360 lunch wasnt spectacular either...

Joshua @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:49PM

"Um the 360 lunch wasnt spectacular either..."

Doesn't make this one any better.

mepaco @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:56PM

"Um the 360 lunch wasnt spectacular either..."

It all depends on how you make it. I like my 360s with mayo, dijon mustard, a lot of pickles, and a nice slice of smoked gouda. Sometimes I'll butter it up and put it on my Foreman to get that nice crispy outside. Ummmm ... delicious.

SlyTheBoss @ Mar 22nd 2007 8:56PM

#24, the Xbox 360 launch was the most successful in Australia's history at that time, selling over 30,000 consoles in the first four days, for what it's worth...

fox @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:02PM

I wonder if the tepid response is due to the fact that everybody already picked up one up during the PS3's world wide launch . . . oh wait, never mind.

samfish @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:03PM

*que Price Is Right 'fail' sound*
http://content.ytmnd.com/content/4/7/e/47e5aa1759d5cd4438cca53c9106f28f.wav

ViperVisor @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:03PM

27.

I think Wii = or a few K more sales than Wii. In 1st 4 days.

mepaco @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:05PM

@29

That's the funniest post I've seen in a long time. Thank you. You just made my day.

BPM @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:12PM

ViperVisor, he said AT THE TIME. Wii has since broken the 360's record. But at the time, it was Australia's quickest selling system.

Earl @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:13PM

News flash:: EVERY PAL PS3 has sold, it is just that Sony is so prepared that they have all been replaced already.

Poisoned Al @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:19PM

I'm going to sing the Doom Song now!

"Doom! Doom! Doom! ..."

KiwiNick @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:24PM

The blind Sony Fanboyism in New Zealand make me ashamed.

NZ is the onlt place where PSP outsells DS.
Nintendo has never been big here, (due to a 2nd party distributor -not Nintendo NZ)

PS3 is NZ$1200 here. You can get a Premium Xbox360 with exra wireless controller, Gears of War and PG3 for NZ$750.

$750 + $500 for a Wii beats a PS3 all the way to the rootkit!

Rob @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:31PM

No, the 360 launch wasn't spectacular but it WAS a sight more impressive than the dissapointing showing for the PS3.

I earn a good salary, have been a gamer all my life and have been looking forward to the PS3...but I'm not willing to spend 1k (AUD) on a system that fails to provide a single game I want to play on it. I'll wait until the price drops, better games hit the platform and they release a revised version that won't turn my living room into a sauna!

Sony is in for the long haul so I expect sales will progressively ramp up...Whether or not Microsoft and Nintendo continue to eclipse Sony in this generations console war remains to be seen of course. All the better for gamers though!

martin @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:35PM

The only person I know getting a PS3 is trading in a Wii with a few games to get it. EB store credit + more dollars.

Slaziman @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:36PM

Isn't it natural for an underwhelming system to have an underwhelming launch??

BrotherEstapol @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:36PM

As a Nintendo Fanboy living in Australia, this makes me very happy. :)

THIS IS FOR HURTING OUR GAMECUBE! :P

@35. Yeah, Nintendo Australia really need to do more in New Zealand.(They're in charge of Nintendo over there now aren't they?)

Korben @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:38PM

@Rob

Ingnorance is bliss. Isn't it.

lessbiasedthanmost @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:41PM

This news would be more interesting if it told how many PS3s were shipped to Australia; but 20,000 ain't too shabby, if #27 is to be believed.

Psaakyrn @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:44PM

to #21 Nick

Never buy coke from 7-11. I find that you can get 2-liter bottles from the supermarkets at the same price as the small bottles from 7-11.

Big N Veiny @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:47PM

@23 20oz(600ml) Coke is $2.90 here.

I know no one who talked about getting a PS3 and even though I kinda want one, being a $1000 creates a mental hurdle that's hard to get over.

Plus I could import it for $300 cheaper if I was really keen, which I'm sure many people have already done.

Broadside @ Mar 22nd 2007 9:48PM

the lacklustre midnight launch proves 3 things

(1) Aussies are less nerdy per capita than Americans, and we don't cap others just to get a games console

(2) Sony fans are less nerdy than Xbox and Wiiboys, but we all knew that already

(3) the price is too high

Nino @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:14PM

Wha...!!? But Sheppy said that lauch systems would sell out for sure! SHEPPY WHY YOU LIE TO ME!!?

BPM @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:18PM

"Sony fans are less nerdy than Xbox and Wiiboys, but we all knew that already"

Then I feel sorry for them. That they'll never be nerdy to the extreme and whiter than sour cream.

Can't you see that I'm white and nerdy?

Desiri @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:19PM

"Um the 360 lunch wasnt spectacular either..."

What are you smoking mate?

http://www.cnet.com.au/games/xbox/0,239029621,240061362-3s,00.htm
"Before the midnight rush, close to 1000 people were packed outside at Sydney's Pitt St Mall for the Xbox 360 launch."

Steve @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:35PM

16. SlyTheBoss wrote:
Don't know if you guys are aware of it but the minimum wage is $12 and the average salary is over $50,000 down there, so take this into consideration when saying the PS3 over there is more expensive than here...
18. Raikage wrote:
@16 thats more double than it is in America so that would mean that the Austrailians got the better deal (but had to wait 5 months)!
============================================
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Good grief. Write anything that casts the USA as inferior to any other country and people just gobble it up without question. I find it very odd that the people of Australia can have an income double that of Americans when the per capita GDP for Australians was $32,900(USD) in 2006 while in the USA it was $43,500(USD). (See www.cia.gov)

Then we have an amusing post from NoHitHair who obviously just eats anti-Americanism up without question (gotta be a know-it-all college student). Look at post #20 everyone:

=========================================
=========================================
20. Actually, the tepid response to the PS3 overseas doesn't illustrate their disregard for the system launch as much as it makes Americans look like complete idiots. If anyone remembers, it was our launch that filled the streets and retailers with rabid and violent fanboys, armed robberies and notoriously greedy Capitalists with a love for eBay.

Sometimes I wonder if it's not simply the Iraq war that has caused the world to question American culture.
=========================================
=========================================

First off, anyone who proudly waves blogs as naive as your MySpace blog around has no right to call others idiots. The blog about Africa and its use of male circumcision as a way to slow AIDS is laughable. It makes a tiny good point then overflows with misplaced blame and myopic socialist ramblings. I was going to write a rebuttal but it wasn't worth my time.

Anyhoo, the "greedy capitalists" statement is idiotic. Capitalists get their wealth by producing goods and services others choose to pay for. Gee. How terrible! I suppose it would be better to

adopt a socialist economy. Socialists get their wealth by using the police power of the government to steal goods and services from others. Yup, stated in that truthful way socialist sound very greedy don't they?

NoHitHair, anyone who can completely ignore 20th and 21st century history with its consistent display of economic stagnation occuring as nations adopt more socialism is the very definition of idiotic. But John Lennon had some catchy songs on the subject so I guess that's better than actual history.

Then like a sheep you close with a ranting against Americans and the Iraq war. First off, if you want to be an al-qaeda toady that's your business. A post here on this BBS is not going to change an opinion formed for you by countless celebrities over the past few years. But I can show how idiotic it is with how it relates here. First off, Australian *is* one of the nations in this "unilateral" war. Therefore Australia's role in fighting your celebrity allies in Iraq would play just as much of a role there as it did here in the US: NONE! Why would it? Sony is a JAPANESE company! I don't even think Microsoft is having any problems with the XBOX down there!

Now, NoHitHair, dust off your thinking cap and use it for a second. Isn't it far more likely that the 4 months of ho-hum reactions towards the PS3 by Japanese and American consumers may have caused Australians to reconsider the urgency of a PS3 purchase? Don't ya think that maybe, just maybe, the widespread availability of the PS3 just weeks after its JPN/NA releases may have caused Australians to think "Gee, I don't need to buy it launch. It will be there when I feel like buying it" What about the news in the past few months of numerous formerly Playstation exclusives popping up on the 360? Might that play a part? And, gee, do you think that maybe, just maybe, the lack of an uncoming major gift buying holiday has anything to do with a lower launch demand?

It's amazing. Your post was so pompous and it's obvious you have an incredibly inflated view of your intelligence, yet you completely missed extremely obvious things in your zeal to sound as "wise" as Barbra Streisand.

LR @ Mar 22nd 2007 10:46PM

This does not bode well for Sony.

I've said this a bunch of times, it's not the hardware, it's not the software, it's the cost. It's too expensive. Hello? Earth to Sony, what were you thinking?

Lower the cost by $200 and sales will pick up dramatically.

Right now, I'm in wait and see mode, hoping the price comes down.