Flame on: PS3 a 'sinking ship' (PSP, too)

How about this for a lead sentence: "Sony's PS3 is dying on the shelves." Silicon Alley Insider has spun NPD's November report into a death sentence for PlayStation 3 and its little buddy, pointing to an 18 percent drop in November sales of the console from 2007 to 2008 as proof that PS3 is "flopping." (Comparatively, Xbox 360 sales recorded a modest percentage gain and Wii sales more than doubled.) The cause? It's a three-way tie, according to the analysis:

• The cost: PS3 is the most expensive console. Period. (But it ain't exactly cheap to piece together a comparable Xbox 360.)
  
• The Blu-rays: Americans continue to buy DVDs (by May's count, at least). Things are starting to reverse ... in Japan.
  
• The games: Silicon Alley Insider believes PS3 doesn't have "any" must-have exclusives. That's ridiculous. But it doesn't have many.

Conclusion: "Tell yourself the PS3 has superior graphics if it makes you feel better, but a $400 console with a mediocre game library simply cannot compete against an Xbox 360 priced at $200 in this economy." Ooh! Dem's fightin words.

As for PSP? Same story. DS made Sony's handheld look amateur last month (final score: 1.57m to 421K -- guess who won?). PSP is too expensive, claims Silicon Alley Insider. It has super graphics that "no one cares about." And the games -- where are the new games?

[Thanks, Jeremy]

Source – Sony's PS3 A Sinking Ship: Sales Plummet [Silicon Alley Insider]
Source – Not Just The PS3: Sony's PSP Sales Stink Too [Silicon Alley Insider]