PlayStation 3 sales plunge 82% in UK

Hey Mark Felps, read CAREFULLY >>>UK ALONE

Yeah, but the walrus would fall at the same rate with or without the anvil...

"By jove, Rupert, the yanks were right, this IS a piece of shit!"

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5165/skydivingwalrusid5.jpg

I have a friend who works in a very well known high street retailer in the UK and sales have been so slow of the PS3, that the majority are now being recalled.

I dunno, Cutriss, can we deduct coolness points from you by not crediting the radio plays, which came before the books?

Eh, the recent movie could have been better, but was still a solid movie. It's worth it for the opening number alone.

So they sold 30,000+ consoles in week two in the UK alone? If the numbers from last week hold (UK selling about 30% of the European total), that would put PS3 at about 100,000 for week two. Not bad at all.

JET

Can't say I didn't tell you so... all the fanboys got their beloved console, now, who else wants one?

How would Apple feel if a new Ipod comes out and it's not selling like before and in some cases being outsold by a creative mp3 player or Zune.? How is GM feeling knowing that 10 years ago they where a monster in US and know about to see TOyota take the lead. I bet you the same feeling Sony's playstation brand is feeling this gen. A monster brand like playstation not seeling like a PS2 will hurt its overall sales. Just like GM not selling like it use to. Will companies still be there. Of course they will they just have to rethink and make different strategies and in the end the buyer always wins.

JET, the whole article is about how last week's numbers didn't hold. in fact, they went down 82%. is that what you meant?



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1000 Kudos for "a skydiving walrus using an anvil for a parachute" alone!, and bank yourself another 5 stars for raising the bar on creative journalism. Somebody jump on a forklift and give Ludwig Kietzmann a raise PRONTO!.

I don't think the books, movie, or radio shows hold up to the official towel, which IS considered canon, but that's just me.

I agree someone should send Ludwig a really fat check for his work at Joystiq

To be fair, how much did 360 sales plummet over the same time period? 190,000+ people were not buying 360's along with a PS3. A little perspective people please.

"plummet" or capped by limited supply and crazy demand until this exact time last year?


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It seems like there's always an amount of glee involved in reporting negative Sony news. The fact is, Sony was very well prepared in providing a large supply of PS3s for launch, and those that wanted them, got them during launch. This isn't big news...

A record-breaking launch, larger than any console launch ever in the UK then dips to 30,000 the next week. That's two weeks.

"Setting a launch record" means "Sold more than the 360 or Wii in either of their launches."

"But, MS and Nintendo would have sold more if they hadn't run out..." But they did run out! ...and SONY made enough consoles to meet demand. We can use logic and derive that the PS3 has also sold more than the other 2 consoles SECOND weeks after launch too, because even 30,000 is more than "We don't have any, we sold out."

If they hadn't set that 'Launch Record,' some of your logic might apply. But they have sold faster than any other console in the UK has in it's first two weeks.

Get it straight, ya moes.

I have to disagree with Dracual Jones on this one. It's hurts to turn against him like this, as I've really grown to love him over the years. But I must stand firm, and tall, with my belief that compatition between game console formats is NOT good for the consumer.

Only in the world of video games will consumers put up with format changes every five years, and 2-4 formats simultantious competing at the same time. Only videogame fans will put up with it. Only video game fans will be ok with potentially being forced to buy up to 3 different pieces of +$250 hardware to have access to all the software they want.

Do you think movie fans would put up with having to buy one type of DVD player to play movies by Paramount, one for movies by Disney/Miramax, and one to play movies from Universal? Do you think toast fans would put up with having to buy one kind of toaster to make toast with butter, one to make toast with jam, and one to make toast with vegemite?

No.

Why not? Because they are not dumb. We are. It's a phenominon of dumbness that help kill videogames in 1983-84. And it's still dumb today.

It's even dumber to then get people blindly taking sides between toast with butter and toast with jam, stating that if toast with jam "wins" it will be the end of toast as we know it, or that toast with butter fan boys are all a bunch of losers with no girlfriends.

But that's the kind of crap that goe son with video videogame fans all the time.

If there were one universal console game format, and Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft-y, anybody could design hardware that uses that format as well as software to run on it, then things would be good. Then compatition would work for us. Then we would not have to buy three seperate machines to play the software we want. Like with PC's, we would have hardware producers working hard to get us to buy their machines, offering the best possible product for the cheapest price.

Then the mainstream would feel like maybe, just maybe, taking a risk on buying a videogame console may not be such a stupid thing to do. But as of now, the mainstream would much rather take the chance on a MP3 player, a PC, or a cell phone, something that will assuredly "win" for them in the long run, "win" meaning that quality product will be produce in the format for the given purchased harware in question.

In short, I want to play Halo and MGS4 on the Wii, and I want PS3 owners to get to play Wii Sports if they want to. I think that we all deserve that. We should not be limited like this any longer.

Can I get a witness?

@72

But they are also the first console in the last two generations (maybe more) to not sell out in week 1. It will be much more fair to see how many PS3's have sold by the time it has been out as long as the Wii and 360 took to no longer be sold out.

The 360 was sold out until it sold more consoles than the PS3 has sold in weeks 1 and 2. The PS3 is not sold out.

jan_halmes

I agree with you mostly. I think game developers and publishers would have to compete with one another enough for good games to come out. I think hardware makers would compete enough, as in all other markets, to make good hardware. The Wiimote could be a PS360 periphreal and the Wii would be unnecessary. Nintendo would still make awesome games.

But, there are also issues. How do hardware makers all decide on when to make a big upgrade? Part of console gaming is the simplicity of buying a box and having every game work perfectly in it. How do hardware makers decide exactly how to make the next box? Does each one make their special in some way to only work with certain games? A lot of people like the Wii. The Wii would have been a Nintendo periphreal in your world and you'd have to buy a $800 Dell console to use it.

I think console gaming is fine. The problem for me is that any console is worth its price to me. But, once you have one, the next one offers less extra value. The third one offers even less. I only have so many gaming hours. Do I really need a PS3 if I have a Wii60? It isn't worth it. But, I want to play MGS4 and FFXIII really bad, just not $500 bad. Not even $400 bad. Sure there will be other exclusives, but will I have time for them with all the Wii60 stuff? Will they be considerably better than Wii60 games?

Basically, I want to play all the greatest games without spending a bunch of money. ;)

so whats an 82% drop really mean? having a non-sellout launch is so rare with consoles.

everyone who wanted one got one. until a price drop or a big title comes along, we can pretty much say we know many how PS3s there will be in the UK after the second week.


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"The 360 was sold out until it sold more consoles than the PS3 has sold in weeks 1 and 2. The PS3 is not sold out."

I don't need to remind you that that's an illogical argument... So yes, Jake, when the 360 eventually sold more than the PS3 sold in it's first two weeks, you're right! It sold more than the PS3.

BUT, Yes. That is because it has been out one year longer.

The Xbox 360 did not sell 9 million units in one fell swoop, it has grown steadily and sold based on an increase in value over the year it has been out - more software, more interest, more sales. It's the dream of all these companies.

Each of these products is theoretically trying to do the same thing - build value and interest through the lifetime of the product. Each of these brands has a core group that will buy it the week it comes out. (Sony had more of those people than anyone else in the UK's history, with the most expensive console in history (sans the Neo Geo)).

Then it tapers off to a steady stream of buyers who finally decide to buy a 360/PS3/Wii after 1) they play it at a friend's house and must have one, 2) the games library is up to snuff, so they get involved, 3) they decide to buy a second or third system to have games they may not have had on their other consoles. It's not all decided in the first week or two. It's going to take a year or more to define this whole thing.

What you're really talking about is sustainability. Will the PS3 continue to grow? It's expensive, so it's an uphill trudge for Sony. The only one that's proven that it has what it takes so far is the 360. The Wii is in it's own cool world - everyone will have one, at LEAST as a secondary machine. But it's not really part of this in my mind as it's not capable of playing the same games that the 360 and the PS3 can. If you want to compare sales, then let us compare graphic abilities and horsepower as well. It's awesome, but it's not in the same boat - it's in a smaller lighter boat, doing very well.

Anyway, all I wanted to point out is that 30,000 sold in the UK in week two is still good, after a record-setting first week.

"everyone who wanted one got one"

This is a quick zinger that is not really accurate. I tried to address that in my previous post:

"Each of these brands has a core group that will buy it the week it comes out. ...

Then it tapers off to a steady stream of buyers who finally decide to buy a 360/PS3/Wii after 1) they play it at a friend's house and must have one, 2) the games library is up to snuff, so they get involved, 3) they decide to buy a second or third system to have games they may not have had on their other consoles. It's not all decided in the first week or two. It's going to take a year or more to define this whole thing."

my point was that thats what the 82% drop most likely means.

that in the 2nd week, not terribly many people saw one at a friends and had to have one, big games aren't due imminently (lookin like august), and/or the majority of the games that are out are also on another (cheaper) system.



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God sales are slow this generation...PS2 sold 14 MILLION in its first YEAR for god sakes!!

Where's the sales dominator?! 360 sure as shit didn't hit that mark, the Wii can't fill stock well enough to get there either. Now the PS3 is selling more than slowly, but less than flying off shelves. Where's my next gen PS2 at?

on top of this people are forgetting that over 20,000 preorders where cancelled! Only companies buy these quantities, the speculation is it was a ebaying company and not a regular retailer. If it was a retailer than they have no confidence in Sony even before day one! If it was a retailer then they have no confidence that they could make money on them (good thing they canceled because people where selling 20 euro less than retail on ebay in the FIRST WEEK! weak!)....That is worse than the usa drop off! Less in the FIRST WEAK? Already taking a lose LOL! At least they didnt have a lot of fools pay 1,200 to 2200 for them. I'm sure the 10,000 where Sony executives afterall one of them said he had to do like everyone else and go on ebay. I think it was hes way of admiting bloating the hype while sounding like a guy that didnt take advantgage of his ability to just cut in line so to speak!

Blah Blah blah....Say what you will.....

I love my Blu-Ray Player/Cancer Curer/Slow as hell Online Store/Hair Dryer/QBERT Player/Bluetooth Headset Dropping Console

Seriously though....thank god it plays Blu-Ray Movies.......and it looks sexy.

It's like that annoying hot blonde bimbo you keep around with the squeaky voice who is dumber than air and more annoying than chalk squeakin.....but who loves giving blo--obs.....

B/C....God bless her..... if it wasn't for that ONE saving grace.....

I love ready the fanbois trying to talk their way out of things like this. There is enough bullshit to fertilize all the farmlands in the Midwest plains. Priceless entertainment, priceless. :-D

@ jan_halmes

Wow you are dumb. Have you ever taken a bussness calss. Products need compedition to succeed, Monopolies are horrible.

One of the main reasons why Videogames crashed was because Atari was the only company that sqashed all compedition you dolt! Then they got Sony syndrom and when they fell, gaming fell with them because they are the only one.

Get out of your fanboy utopia and look at the Gaming INDUSTRY dumbass.

@Negative Cool
"God sales are slow this generation...PS2 sold 14 MILLION in its first YEAR for god sakes!!"

The Wii has sold over 6 million in less than 5 months. (at least if VGchart.com can be believed).

what makes me laugh is all the idiots who bought a job lot hopeing sony would,nt be able to meet the demand in store with the sole intention of flogging them on ebay for a premium. they are all actually hoping to sell them now for what they bought em for as if you would pay shop prices on ebay! i ask yer

The PS3 was a failure, I used to be a sony fan but seriously, theirs not enough games, lots of the publishers are going for 360 instead. And the PS3 is said to be selling the consles for less then their actually worth(said to be worth $860 americian and selling only for $599), sooner or later especially with droped sales sony is soon to go broke, or serverly poor, hopfully this well be the end... but the PS3 well bounce back probably, blu-ray is a lot more popular then HD-dvd in sales that is, and have way more memory. Atleast psp is still going strong,..

@ misterg1970
To be honest the most embarrassing thing that i have seen in regards to the launch of the ps3 , is my local supermarket. I had at the time, no idea that they even dealt in hardware or software.
I wondered in to buy the essentials and noticed on their customer service station that they had a large advertisement for the ps3 ....no people around no people queuing, and i could not help but laugh.
I have seen stock depletion for some of the major console over the years .Nintendo this year was a first as it was impossible to purchase either a wii or a ds,i have never seen something like that, for two pieces of hardware from the same manufacturer.
I can remember the need to mass import usa or jap megadrives and supply a converter to sell over the Christmas period when you simply could not pick up a pal system. .most systems sell out at launch due to various factors ,but to be honest the ps3 is the most pathetic launch i have ever seen...next to a sega add on and nintendo virtual system that needs no mention. The real concern is from articles i have read that journalists are holding back opinion as not to offend manufacturers, the entire industry has the very serious danger of moving away from expression and creativity towards a dictated uniformed product...if you enjoyed such excellence as shadow of the colossus , okami, shadow hearts... i hope that this fits into what you should be allowed to play...otherwise maybe we should be given spiro the dragon...its for our benefits.......since the spectrum days of magnificence with Rare the industry has had such freedom to motivate, delight, intrigue and amaze us.
The real issue is not about the extortionate amount of cost of the ps3, its about the forced intrusion of a different media, no body requested the blue disk and now we find ourselves forced fed sonys choice product , irrelevant is we should like it or not. .and to be grateful for their arrogance.
It is also time to view why we all do what we do, some in our free time , some as a profession, for some of us all we want to do is get back from obligations fulfilled and enjoy what many talented individuals have brought us and loose ourselves in a different place.
We have been able to, in many respects create interactive stories, that is something truly amazing and i am so grateful to play the products of true publishing houses....then we hit a PROBLEM.
Sell out companies that, this is nothing but main stream business, to dictate what i should like , the lack of diversity, i have no desire to play ridge racer 12 and tekken 14 ...it sounds ludicrous but its so very true.
I have never harboured a desire for a console to fail, i have, of course had preferences but to have the audacity to tell me to work harder for you product!?!, give some thought to sega and the fall during the dreamcast,(to mention sega who were far more gracious and decent than sony).
Due to errors the leading market force retracted from the scene. There is no continuity or security in business, and through the action of sony, attempting to force gamers to dance to sonys tune, i can not help but anticipate the gamers and publics reaction.