PS3 sells million in PAL region
by Ross Miller 
{ Jun 8th 2007 at 2:28PM }
It is not clear if the data represents units sold to the consumer or units sold to retail chains (i.e. units shipped). The PAL region covers Europe and Australia. Sony's latest console also broke records at the UK launch, becoming the fastest-selling home console ever for the country with 165,000 units reportedly sold during its launch weekend beginning March 23.
The numbers are impressive for Sony, and serve as good news for the company that has lost market share since the last generation, but it probably won't deter calls for a price drop anytime soon.
[Image Context, "as graceful as a walrus falling upward with an anvil as parachute"]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Jun 8th 2007 2:37PM
Kudos on the reverse walrus. Hahahahaha!
Phranctoast @ Jun 8th 2007 2:39PM
I thought this happened weeks ago.
Id like to see if the sale figures jump in Japan at all with the release of Ninja Gaiden sigma next month. Most people in japan didnt own the xbox so it will be new to them.
Luigi193 @ Jun 8th 2007 2:42PM
Its sony so it must be units shipped.
sheppy @ Jun 8th 2007 2:43PM
Kudos on resurrecting the walrus.
Cryoakira @ Jun 8th 2007 2:44PM
Sony is of course talking about units sold to retailers.
They already did the same thing before :
14 January 07 : Sony said they sold 1 million PS3 in japan
8 June 07 : Media Create's datas (which take in account units sold to customer) say 910k PS3 sold in japan.
Diman @ Jun 8th 2007 2:50PM
"Its sony so it must be units shipped."
You mean Microsoft. First spinner out of the game, who's next?
Scooter Libby @ Jun 8th 2007 2:51PM
You don't need sales figure to know the PS3 will sell well in Japan. Ethnocentricism FTW!
Almack64 @ Jun 8th 2007 2:51PM
While I won't minimize the facts since this is good news for Sony. If those numbers were reported by Sony themselves they represent units sold to retailers. That's just the metric they use, and it is the simplest to track.
On a side note I know that Nintendo supposedly uses the units sold to consumers metric. Does anybody actually know how they track that number for it would to be pretty difficult to track it in all regions.
RCW @ Jun 8th 2007 2:58PM
Was wondering how this would be spun. Microsoft, Sony, all music companies report shipments. That is industry standard, not Sony spin.
root @ Jun 8th 2007 3:05PM
this can't be true.
ps3s are stacking up in the stores because no one wants to buy it.
Crono @ Jun 8th 2007 3:23PM
Hey Scooter, Japan is an NTSC region. PAL is europe and australia.
And the way I see it: Japan will be oned (pwned) by Wii, US will be pwned by wii and 360, and europe/australia will be pwned by PS3.
Truely a bizarre turn of events, if true.
Sotiris @ Jun 8th 2007 3:28PM
In United Kingdom, YOU want PS3.
Anam @ Jun 8th 2007 3:31PM
I agree with Crono. Looks like PS3 is winning in PAL regions... which I find interesting, since the main reason for the PS3's lagging in the U.S. is price.
Do Europeans/Australians have more money than us, or are we just cheap?
Monkey C @ Jun 8th 2007 3:40PM
The figure is sold, not shipped. There were pretty much 1 million PS3's shipped to Europe by mid April.
bgdc @ Jun 8th 2007 3:40PM
Anam, Americans are cheap. If there was a good game for the PS3, I'd pony up $600. The entertainment value per hour is insane.
Mr.Blonde @ Jun 8th 2007 3:46PM
not true, in the uk/europe it is the same situatuion. I could walk into any shop and buy as many ps3's as i want (which i don't) but i can get a wii for love nor money (which i do want). just a ps3 seems like a more substantial purchase due to the price.
mccomber @ Jun 8th 2007 3:50PM
"David Reeves, SCEE president, chose MCV to stress that the figure is for sell-through rather than sell-in..."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/27462/PS3-breaks-1m-sales-barrier-in-UK
There's your answer and a source for sold vs shipped.
DSK @ Jun 8th 2007 3:51PM
I don't think the PS3 is winning in Europe, granted it may be doing better here when compared to its sales in the other regions, but im pretty sure the 360 and the Wii are still outselling it.
Anam @ Jun 8th 2007 3:50PM
@bgdc
Not that I'm disagreeing with you about Americans being cheap, but I'm confused by your post. How do you know that the entertainment value per hour is insane if there are no good games for it (as insinuated in your post)?
I also wonder if there are marketing differences in Europe/Australia. I think we have the same weird-as-hell advertisements, but maybe those fly better in other countries. Just a guess.
vanwagnen @ Jun 8th 2007 3:54PM
The americans are impatient. Many blew all their money on a 360 and then when PS3 comes around they complain about its price, when really they are annoyed it would cost so much for them to buy one considering they already blew $400, plus Live and games on the 360. For those who didn't buy into the craptastic 360 it really isn't that much of a hradship to buy a PS3. Any 360ite who has paid for 2yrs of live, gears of war, and some other crap game obviously had the $600 to spend. They just screwed the pooch and now they are bitter and broken. And the Red Ring of Death is always watching....always watching......
lawrence @ Jun 8th 2007 4:02PM
sony is gonna do well both places here a nd japan just wait and look at all sony exclusives ths year compared to micrsooft and nintendo micrsoft is gonna have less softwares this than sony had last year because developed there own games beside third party so micrsoft is gonna be very disapointed with the sales of halo 3 and that other exclusive massive effect+blue dragon .wow that was just three micrsoft exclusive
Anam @ Jun 8th 2007 4:07PM
@vanwagnen
Yeah, I make it a policy never to buy a console until at least a year after launch unless it's made by Nintendo. I've owned every Nintendo console and never had any technical problems until many years after the purchase.
Of course, the 360 is going on year 2 and still is having many problems... you'd think it was made by the same company behind Windows ME or something.
lawrence @ Jun 8th 2007 4:13PM
i might get a wii .nintendo still did not do bad with that .sony is getting ninja gaiden that games sounds like garbage to i like devil may cry 4 better and devil may cry is only good on ps3 with full 1080p resolution .so xbox fanboys you can shut your wholes
Vancaeyzeele @ Jun 8th 2007 6:09PM
XBox 360 has 3 million of them, Wii 2 million and Sony is having a PR party because they sold one whole million.
I mean ... the PSP got over 20 million units sold and we don't hear anything of it. But the PS3 sells one million and it's big news.
Look sites like PS3fanboy don't post the weelky sales any more. They know why...
I the meanwhile we get the weelky blue-ray releases and the non-existent game releases (per region!).
arrrgh @ Jun 8th 2007 4:25PM
Maybe sony can still save this absolute trainwreck of a console launch :P
RCW @ Jun 8th 2007 4:26PM
The PS3 has sold 1 million in less than 10 weeks numbnuts. That's pretty damn good.
Anam @ Jun 8th 2007 4:35PM
@RCW
"The PS3 has sold 1 million in less than 10 weeks numbnuts. That's pretty damn good."
Especially at that price. It's selling faster than the PS2 did, and it's twice the price that the PS2 was. Even with inflation, that's impressive.
The question is whether it will keep selling over there... that's always the kicker.
gullum @ Jun 8th 2007 4:38PM
No matter what there are gonna be Sony haters. I hope Sony does well because I love their 1st and 2nd party games (Shadow of the Collossus, Loco Roco, etc). I also want the 360 to do well because M$ really lit a fire under Sony's ass this generation forcing them to come with stuff like PSN (to compete with Live) and Warhawk (to compete with Halo). i don't like the Wii. I mean I was raised on super mario Bros and Metroid but I don't consider the Wii next-gen. Its more like a PS2 with gimmicky control.
Eric @ Jun 8th 2007 4:40PM
The statement about Americans being cheap isn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem I believe is how weak the dollar is. With rising fuel prices (not that they're cheap overseas) and our sluggish market (especially the housing market), it just seems there's not much excess cash people are willing to spend on a video game console.
Anam @ Jun 8th 2007 4:44PM
@Eric
That was a really slippery way to say "they have more money than us." :)
Eric @ Jun 8th 2007 4:47PM
Or perhaps, "their money has more power than ours" =D
Hell, New York City is doing a big campaign in Europe for tourism, pretty much saying, "See how much your currency can get you over here!" Its not a bad way to bring in some money, and the Europeans get a great vacation deal.
TK00 @ Jun 8th 2007 5:08PM
Considering that the PS2 is STILL selling so well, is it really accurate to say that Sony has lost market share?
hoagie @ Jun 8th 2007 5:09PM
The 360 sold more than its predecessor, as did the Wii. Also let's factor in that the PS2 (can't remember about the PS1) was sold out and hard to find for months after launch. Let's factor in that the market is larger now than it was back then. Let's factor in that the PS3 PAL launch was delayed, resulting in ample time to stockpile components for systems (since they weren't selling anywhere else).
So if Sony wants to pat itself on the back and desparetely find a silver lining, it's that they were actually able to meet demand, unlike Microsoft and Nintendo.
Scooter Libby @ Jun 8th 2007 5:38PM
How does a preference for the Xbox prove that Americans are cheap or impatient? What ridiculous logic.
Since when can you define an entire group of people on the habits of teenagers buying video games? A society where people pay 60,000 dollars for gas guzzling SUV's is definately not a cheap one.
James @ Jun 8th 2007 5:58PM
I just realized that some of you think that you are firefighters and that Sony good news is a fire.
I swear that some of you have no idea what marketing is: presenting your product in the best light. Sony touts their fastest to a million sold statistic, Peter Moore refuses to release Xbox hardware failure rates... it's all business as usual.
Andir3.0 @ Jun 8th 2007 6:58PM
Entertainment value per hour?
Total hours in 5 years = 43,710 hours / $600 = 72.85 hours per dollar. Or $0.013 per hour. That's if you played 24/7 for 5 years. I don't plan on doing that, so let's tone down a bit.
Let's say you only play two hours a night 2 * 364.25 * 5 = 3,642.5 hours / $600 = 6 hours per dollar. Or $0.16 per hour.
Oh, I forgot games. Let's figure a high $60 per game at 5 games per year(?) = $300 * 5 years = $1500. Add on the $600 console = $2100. Using the 2 hour a night rule above, 1.74 hours per dollar or $0.58 per hour.
What does a movie cost you? Let's go less than modern theater and say $5 for a ticket. That's 0.4 hours per dollar or $2.50 per hour.
So, with 2 hours of play time a night, and 5 games a year:
PS3 = $0.58 /hour
360 Elite = $0.54 /hour
360 20GB = $0.52 /hour
360 Core = $0.49 /hour
Wii = $0.48 /hour
Enjoy your dime.
Aberu @ Jun 8th 2007 7:03PM
Let's see, we see a report that the first 6 months of the PS3 in US sales was 1.3 million or so... which is just a few thousand under the 360. Add in the 1 million in EU. The even more sold in Japan compared to the 360. Since the PS3 has been out, internationally it has been way outselling the 360 hasn't it? How can this be spun against Sony, seriously MSfanboys bring it on.
Kamizar @ Jun 8th 2007 8:28PM
No Aberu, cause internationally would mean totals from all regions, and i thats the case the 360 is still beating it out...
inlogic @ Jun 8th 2007 9:00PM
I've got a serious doubts about those claims, at least if they're saying those numbers are from sold PS3s.. Here in Portugal and last time I was on Spain everything I saw was PS3 stocking up on the stores, while I barely found any Wii.. Then again, back in December 2005 Xbox360 weren't Out of Stock here neither :P
Suba @ Jun 9th 2007 4:12AM
Just remember this figure isn't that awesome when you consider they had 1 million units on shelve for launch day. almost 10 weeks later they finally old the launch allocation.
for the last 8 weeks sales have basically sucked and the initial launch week they sold most of the 1 million.
ssuk @ Jun 9th 2007 8:55AM
@12: Shame I do not know any of these supposed 1 million adpotors of the PS3 in the UK then, huh?