POL: February Console sales numbers

[Tyrith]

The fleeing of the exclusives just shows how the industry itself is already bracing for the PS3 to crash and burn. If these gaming companies thought that the PS3 was going to sell tons of games they wouldn't be running away in a manner that I'm sure Sony does not like, seeking refuge in the user base that is the 360. The PS3 might still sell quite a few units as a movie device, potentially, if/when Blu-ray wins the war, although I seriously doubt the movie device demand will be as strong as with the PS2. However, even if that's the case, Sony still loses just on sales, because they aren't making money hand over fist on hardware sales like Nintendo because everything is so expensive to manufacture. They need people to buy games in order to make back their hardware losses, and it just doesn't look like it's going to happen.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Sony: FFXIII PS3 exclusivity under discussion

Sony France executive says in interview that Square Enix's latest installment may not be exclusive to the console after all.

He said, "The development costs of games have exploded, and it has become more difficult to have exclusives, outside of our own games. But we have for launch day [in France] 30 games, including MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man, and Virtua Fighter 5. Moreover, we are expecting 200 games [for the PS3] by the end of 2007... As far as Final Fantasy XIII goes, I can tell you that the exclusivity is in discussion."

Call me crazy here, but I'm not totally sure that Gamespot isn't jumping to conclusions a bit (or maybe just the readers of the article). He's saying that the exclusive nature of FF is in discussion. To me, that says nothing more than Square and Sony are still in discussions concerning exclusivity.

I sincerly doubt that Sony will let FF go multi-console for the reasons a previous poster cited about Japan sales alone. My guess is that Square is trying to milk Sony for extra money to keep it exclusive because it is in a good negotiating position, but I have no doubt that they'll reach an agreement.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Tyrith

The fleeing of the exclusives just shows how the industry itself is already bracing for the PS3 to crash and burn. If these gaming companies thought that the PS3 was going to sell tons of games they wouldn't be running away in a manner that I'm sure Sony does not like, seeking refuge in the user base that is the 360.

If you can reach this steadfast conclusion based on an article stating nothing more than Square and Sony are negotiating the exclusivity of a game, you should become an industry analyst. Did you suggest impending doom for Xbox Live because of the theft rumors yesterday?

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I sincerly doubt that Sony will let FF go multi-console for the reasons a previous poster cited about Japan sales alone. My guess is that Square is trying to milk Sony for extra money to keep it exclusive because it is in a good negotiating position, but I have no doubt that they'll reach an agreement.

Square is in a very strong position here. They are negotiating an exclusivity deal with Sony (who didn't come out of the gates strong) while having all the leverage of the 360 base. Sony is basically going to have to pay a fee equal to the revenue that could be earned by selling to the 360 crowd. It would be a huge boost to sales of the PS3 if this remains exclusive, and a huge problem if it doesn't.

The added problem is if Square is allowed to rape Sony on the exclusivity deal, expect other developers to get the same idea. They won't have the same leverage as Square, but they will have some.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by BrianD

The added problem is if Square is allowed to rape Sony on the exclusivity deal, expect other developers to get the same idea. They won't have the same leverage as Square, but they will have some.

Totally agree with this. To some extent, Sony may have been better off keeping a few of the exclusive deals it let go to reduce the leverage that Square has in this instance. By now having only the main cornerstone franchises left, they may have to sell their soul just to keep FF and MGS in the house. I don't see either leaving the Sony console, but it's going to cost Sony a pretty penny in the meanwhile.

[sabotai]

Final Fantasy is one of the reasons I'm planning on getting a PS3 at some point. If they lose that exclusive, they lose the biggest reason for me to buy their console.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Totally agree with this. To some extent, Sony may have been better off keeping a few of the exclusive deals it let go to reduce the leverage that Square has in this instance. By now having only the main cornerstone franchises left, they may have to sell their soul just to keep FF and MGS in the house. I don't see either leaving the Sony console, but it's going to cost Sony a pretty penny in the meanwhile.

Sony does still need to keep some level of profitability if they want to push their Blu-Ray standard. At some point the soul may not be worth enough to keep things going. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Final Fantasy is one of the reasons I'm planning on getting a PS3 at some point. If they lose that exclusive, they lose the biggest reason for me to buy their console.

Take that feeling times 10 and that's what it's like in Japan. Sony will sell 500,000-1M units in the month after the release of the FF game easily. They go nuts for that franchise.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Take that feeling times 10 and that's what it's like in Japan. Sony will sell 500,000-1M units in the month after the release of the FF game easily. They go nuts for that franchise.

Since Sony does so much better in Japan than Microsoft does, they might do that even is a shared model....or at least close to it.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Since Sony does so much better in Japan than Microsoft does, they might do that even is a shared model....or at least close to it.

Probably. The 360 was DOA in Japan. No one there is going to buy a 360 to play FF, they'll still buy the PS3. The 14 people in Japan who have a 360 won't make a dent in that.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Call me crazy here, but I'm not totally sure that Gamespot isn't jumping to conclusions a bit (or maybe just the readers of the article). He's saying that the exclusive nature of FF is in discussion. To me, that says nothing more than Square and Sony are still in discussions concerning exclusivity.

I sincerly doubt that Sony will let FF go multi-console for the reasons a previous poster cited about Japan sales alone. My guess is that Square is trying to milk Sony for extra money to keep it exclusive because it is in a good negotiating position, but I have no doubt that they'll reach an agreement.

I see zero reason for any Sony executive to be commenting on the possibility of losing FF exclusivity except to brace the public for that reality.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I see zero reason for any Sony executive to be commenting on the possibility of losing FF exclusivity except to brace the public for that reality.

Quoted for truth.

[sabotai]

Well, the guy might just be an idiot. It is France afterall. (OH SNAP!)

[Eaglesfan27]

Per a new gamespot article, Ace Combat 6 is officially coming to the 360. Before this, the series was never on a non Sony Console. It will also be the first version to have online MP.

[Icy]

Mixed feelings in the European release today:

France, a complete disaster:
http://www.playfuls.com/news_06689_P...ft_Unsold.html

UK, good success:
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/775/775342p1.html

Spain, mixed feelings for what i'm readng at the Spanish news and console forums. The biggest proof is that most of the mega stores have tons of PS3 available when all them were supossed to be preordered and to be sold today.

The $800 price range plus only 5 games available in the release day in Spain didn't help at all.

[KWhit]

Originally Posted by Icy

The biggest proof is that most of the mega stores have tons of PS3 available when all them were supossed to be preordered and to be sold today.

Ouch. On release day?

[Icy]

Originally Posted by KWhit

Ouch. On release day?

Yes, and not tons of buyers waiting the whole night at the doors as it was expected.

Again reading at the forums, the problem is the high price but mainly the lack of titles available on release day, most of the shops only had:

Games:
- Motorstorm
- F1 2006
- Resistance

Movies:
- Hellboy
- Ultraviolet

Also have on mind that we don't have almost Blue Ray movies here in Spain by now, so the Ps3 has nothing to play with by now, of course things should improve in the following months.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Icy

UK, good success:
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/775/775342p1.html

Sales are steady and many stores think they may sell out by Monday? What happened to reports that all available units were pre-ordered?

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Sales are steady and many stores think they may sell out by Monday? What happened to reports that all available units were pre-ordered?

Probably all units available to be pre-ordered were. I'm pretty sure most, if not all, places only allow for a certain amount of their stock to be pre-ordered, so that they have units to sell on release day. But sell out by Monday? That's not too good considering the standard nowadays is to sell out by noon on release day.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow. 95% unsold in France? I was reading that Sony was giving away nice HDTV's at some of their stores with the PS3 last night, too.

[heardie]

Looks like a slow launch in Australia as well
From The Age:

Crowds go mild at PlayStation launch

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Danny Zarka is first in line to collect his PS3 in Sydney, which was handed to him personally by Sony's local managing director, Michael Ephraim, and Myer CEO Bernie Brookes.

Danny Zarka is first in line to collect his PS3 in Sydney, which was handed to him personally by Sony's local managing director, Michael Ephraim, and Myer CEO Bernie Brookes.
Photo: AFP
Related coverage

* PS3: first impressions

AdvertisementAdvertisement
Asher Moses
March 23, 2007 - 6:46AM

The launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 games console got off to a feeble start last night with officials, media and security outnumbering customers for most of the evening.

Over 500 retailers around the country threw open their doors as the clock struck 12:00am, expecting the frenzy that accompanied the games console's overseas debuts.

But most stores were virtually deserted, despite the 20,000 pre-orders Sony said it had received.

Even at the official launch event held at Myer's Pitt Street store in Sydney's CBD and attended by Sony's local managing director, Michael Ephraim, media and security outnumbered PS3 fans until at least 11:00pm.

At midnight, about 40 PS3 buyers had arrived to collect their consoles, causing distress for the army of camera crews who turned up expecting to capture launch mayhem.

Desperate producers unashamedly asked the crowd to fake excitement when the cameras were rolling, while a team from 2Day FM let out bogus cheers to convince their radio listeners that a launch extravaganza was underway.

The scene was a stark contrast to the US launch in November last year, where one man was shot by thieves and fights broke out over limited stock.

In Britain, where the PS3 was also launched today, two major Oxford Street stores in London - Game and HMV - cancelled their launch events amid police fears of muggings.

Danny Zarka, 31, was first in line to collect his PS3, which was handed to him personally by Mr Ephraim and Myer CEO Bernie Brookes.

The advertising executive from Pyrmont was shocked because he had arrived after 9pm, yet still found himself at the front of the queue.

"I'm surprised there aren't more people here, I thought the place would be packed," he said.

The PS3 launches with a total of 30 games, each with a recommended retail price of $99.95.

One of those games is Gran Turismo: HD, which Sony is offering free - as a download from the Playstation Network - to all PS3 buyers.

And Sony said the first 20,000 people to register their PS3 online would receive a free copy of the latest James Bond movie Casino Royale on Blu-ray disc.

From today, Sony will launch into its $6 million marketing campaign, which it hopes will convince the public that the PS3 is not just a games machine but an all-in-one home entertainment system.

The campaign will stress the inclusion of a high-definition Blu-ray disc player, sleek design, 60GB hard drive, web browser and, most importantly, the PS3's ability to act as a multimedia hub for organising photos, music and movies.

This is crucial if Sony is to convince consumers that the PS3's $999 price tag is justified, in the face of the $650 Xbox 360 and $399 Nintendo Wii.

A Sony spokeswoman said: "The marketing tag line for PlayStation 3 is 'This is Living' and you'll see this develop with time to include broader messaging beyond gaming enthusiasts; after launch we will begin our approach to communicate with entertainment enthusiasts and beyond."

Travis Johnson, a veteran advertising executive at Universal McCann, was partly responsible for the Xbox 360's launch marketing campaign. He described Sony's $6 million budget as "sizeable", and said the Xbox 360 only launched with a $1 million marketing spend.

The PS3 was originally slated for release locally on November 17, but this date was pushed back to today due to production delays.

It has meant the Wii and Xbox 360 have a significant head-start in the next-generation console wars - the Wii has been on sale since early December, while the Xbox 360 has its first birthday next week.

Another potential stumbling block for Sony is the fact that it has priced the PS3 higher in Australia than it has overseas. The console sells for just ¥60,000 ($630) in Japan and $US599 ($740) in the US.

Mr Ephraim said in an interview last month the higher price was justified because factors such as Australia's currency exchange rate and small population size when compared with the US led to a higher cost of doing business.

Owners of the previous PlayStation, the PS2, should also bear in mind that PS2 games will not necessarily be compatible with the PS3.

A full list of compatible games can be found here - 1782 PS2 titles are listed, which represent the majority of the 2308 PS2 games that Sony shipped to Australia.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/games/...e#contentSwap1

[gstelmack]

So much for Europe being rabid for the PS3...

Oh, and I think TroyF should get one free shot at an "I told you so" with no one getting ticked at him (for his comments that Sony made the exact same claims before the N.A. launch when everyone talked about how great the Euro launch was shaping up thanks to preorders).

[stevew]

Euro sales looking good in pre-order.

[KWhit]

Originally Posted by stevew

Euro sales looking good in pre-order.

Heh.

[Icy]

I'm just back from a local Superstore and they had docens of PS3 sitting there and just two kids playing on the demo stand. It's for sure not what it was expected to be.

I must admit it was really hard for me to resist and to pick one myself. My wife even told me to pick a PS3 if i wanted and i have been really tempted...

I'm really pissed right now, i loved the Xbox360 console, some of the games, but was really mad at not being able to play USA games like NCAA and College Hoops. This is forcing me to buy a PS3, imho an overpriced console with a blue ray player that i won't use like in a year or two. If i end buying it will be because MLB the show exclusive and because the USA games that i can import for the region free PS3, not because i like the console. Too bad that the 360 is region locked, else it would be the perfect console for me.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Cute comeback, but not accurate. The information has mostly come from retailers, not Sony. It doesn't take a doctorate to figure out what information is accurate and what is mostly PR talk by Sony execs.

Just throwing this back up a bit. The information was CLEARLY coming from Sony. A retailer would have no desire to say they were sold out and prevent people from ordering one when they knew there would be tons on the shelf.

Yet another disaster in a sea of disasters for Sony.

This may go down as the worst console launch of all-time. It's about time the Sony execs stopped acting like the Iraqi PR director and more like a company that needs to address how pathetic this has went.

[Glengoyne]

Pencil me in as one of those late game buyers of the PS-2.

I've been playing Culdcept at pretty much every rare opportunity. A great game, if you haven't tried it.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Icy

I'm really pissed right now, i loved the Xbox360 console, some of the games, but was really mad at not being able to play USA games like NCAA and College Hoops. This is forcing me to buy a PS3, imho an overpriced console with a blue ray player that i won't use like in a year or two. If i end buying it will be because MLB the show exclusive and because the USA games that i can import for the region free PS3, not because i like the console. Too bad that the 360 is region locked, else it would be the perfect console for me.

I'd hold off for a bit. I'm hearing rumblings that the Euro PS3s are having issues playing NTSC (ie. North American) games, due to the fact they changed the video scaling in the Euro editions of the PS3.

[Ryan S]

There are two video game stores within 5 miles of me (in the UK) and both had PS3s in stock yesterday. I think the $800+ price tag is scaring a lot of people away from the system.

The Wii is still impossible to buy without reserving one in advance.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Just throwing this back up a bit. The information was CLEARLY coming from Sony. A retailer would have no desire to say they were sold out and prevent people from ordering one when they knew there would be tons on the shelf.

Totally incorrect. The information was from 'Game' (video game chain in Europe), not Sony. Whether the statement was incorrect or not, that's one thing but it was not from Sony.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Wow. 95% unsold in France? I was reading that Sony was giving away nice HDTV's at some of their stores with the PS3 last night, too.

That's totally inaccurate as well. That number was at the event that was being held in freezing rain on a worknight. The sales in the country itself were totally different, but we'll obviously have to wait for the numbers to be released for accuracy. Sony picked a horrible night to have an outdoor launch when other consoles were available at the same time at indoor stores. I'm an early adopter when it come to systems, but if I have the option to buy a system outside in freezing rain or sit indoors and wait for the place to open, I'm taking the indoor location.

[Eaglesfan27]

I suppose our European contingent who are reporting that there are dozens of PS3's on the shelves a few days after launch are also inaccurate?

[KWhit]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I suppose our European contingent who are reporting that there are dozens of PS3's on the shelves a few days after launch are also inaccurate?

There were hurricanes at those stores. That's all.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

The European release PS3's are mostly spoke for at this point. Sony is expecting the whole release quantity of 1 million in Europe to sell right away.

I would assume most European retailers are closed by now for the weekend. I'd be curious to hear how easy the PS3s are to find now that release weekend has come and gone.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I suppose our European contingent who are reporting that there are dozens of PS3's on the shelves a few days after launch are also inaccurate?

I don't doubt that there are some available. As I said in a previous post, I expected 750K to sell on launch day with the other ones moving pretty quickly. Judging from early reports, the stores are indicating a 70-75% rate of sales of total units. Given a 1M launch total, 750K was probably pretty accurate.

As far as Sony and their 1M sales point, that pretty much speaks for the execs. They haven't hit much of anything on target in their estimates.

[spleen1015]

I think I am going to be buying a PS2 soon. I got my son GoW2 for good grades and it is skipping on him. I had 2 Sony DVD players start doing this in the same week, making me think it was DVDs.

So, I will be contributing to those April numbers.

[Daimyo]

Count me as one who recently purchased a PS2. I always knew I would eventually pick up a PS2, and the the desire for a new slim profile DVD player for the bedroom and Circuit City having discounts on all PS2 accessories last week finally tipped the scale. In the past week I purchased:

PS2 (130)
vertical stand (15)
remote control (15)
extra controller (20)
memory card (15)
Component cable (20)
carrying bag (20)
Dragon Quest 8 (20)
Kingdom Hearts (20)
God of War (20)
Guitar Hero 2 w/ controller (80)
Guitar Hero (40)
Karaoke Revolution Party w/ microphone (my wife loves Karaoke so this helped with the sell of it all) (40)
Karaoke Revolution AI w/ microphone (50)
Karaoke CMT (30)
Dynasty Warriors 4 (15)
Xenosaga 2 (15)
Grand Theft Auto Trilogy (30)
Lego Star Wars (20)

All that totals up to equal the cost of a PS3 with no games or accessories ($600) and lets me put off looking for a Wii until they're readily available in a few months.

[sterlingice]

That's pretty nuts. I bought a PS2 with 10 games including the aforementioned DQ8, KH, and Xenosaga 2 as well as spare controller and mem card for $150 on ebay a couple of months ago. This is a time where you can be getting stuff on the cheap quite easily.

SI

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Totally incorrect. The information was from 'Game' (video game chain in Europe), not Sony. Whether the statement was incorrect or not, that's one thing but it was not from Sony.

Yeah, it is correct. I don't care what the newspapers are supposedly reporting. NO COMPANY is going to come out and say something is sold out if you can still buy it. It's kind of hard to make money on something when you tell people who want to purchase that it's gone.

It was either Sony execs giving the information themselves or it was Sony behind the scenes threatening anyone who dared utter a negative word that they'd take them off the "A" vendor list.

Every person in Europe in this thread says there are PS3's on the shelf and Wii's are impossible to get. 750k? Please. They would have had to have sold 3/4 of the available machines to do that. They will be lucky to have 500k in sales for launch month in Australia and Europe combined. And if US and Japan history is any indication, it only gets worse the next four months from there.

[BrianD]

Think sales would increase if they packaged a new Elmo doll with the systems? A package of two can't-miss items has to be better than one, right?

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

That's totally inaccurate as well. That number was at the event that was being held in freezing rain on a worknight. The sales in the country itself were totally different, but we'll obviously have to wait for the numbers to be released for accuracy. Sony picked a horrible night to have an outdoor launch when other consoles were available at the same time at indoor stores. I'm an early adopter when it come to systems, but if I have the option to buy a system outside in freezing rain or sit indoors and wait for the place to open, I'm taking the indoor location.

This is the lamest statement I've seen you make yet (in a thread that is chock full of them). It's been sadly proven that people will stand outside stores in all kinds of inclement weather to get items at launch that are really hot. Hell, on the release day of WoW tonnes of people stood in line outside our local Best Buy in -25 temperatures to get a game that would be freely available in the morning in every electronics store, with no threat of running out. That was also a work night. And it was just an expansion to an existing game.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

"The European launch of the PS3 is going fantastic!"

.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Every person in Europe in this thread says there are PS3's on the shelf and Wii's are impossible to get. 750k? Please. They would have had to have sold 3/4 of the available machines to do that. They will be lucky to have 500k in sales for launch month in Australia and Europe combined. And if US and Japan history is any indication, it only gets worse the next four months from there.

It appears that crow eating may be in your future, Troy. Britain numbers are in and they sold 75% of the available consoles on launch. Numbers from the other countries will likely trickle in over the coming days. It sounds like similar numbers are expected.

It has been confirmed that over 165,000 of Sony's powerhouse made their way into the homes of UK consumers. The total number of launch units available in the area was 220,000 -- that means about 75% of the systems were sold in a single weekend.

[gstelmack]

And you consider 75% of the available consoles sold on launch to be a success? Has there ever been a major console launch on a Friday where you could still find units on Sunday? Remember, as much of a failure as the PS3 has been here in the US, we still managed muggings on the launch weekend...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

And you consider 75% of the available consoles sold on launch to be a success? Has there ever been a major console launch on a Friday where you could still find units on Sunday? Remember, as much of a failure as the PS3 has been here in the US, we still managed muggings on the launch weekend...

75% of the consoles sold was more units than the 360 or Wii sold on launch in the same country. I certainly don't think that Sony should be penalized because they managed to supply enough units to meet demand. As a consumer, I find the reduction of supply to increase demand that is often done by companies selling platforms to be a deplorable way of doing business. As a consumer, I want to get the console as soon as possible.

FWIW.....I think a better measure of the success of the launch would be a 3 month timeframe if you're comparing it to the 360 launch. Sure, Sony sold more units on launch by a good size margin over the 360 in Britain, but a 3 month comparison would allow a more accurate comparison. You could see how well the 360 sold once supply caught up after a couple of months when compared to 3 months of the PS3 being available in the same country (or region once the rest of the figures come out).

[Coder]

For the record, was in an EB yesterday and they had two units on the shelf. This is the smallest of 3 EBs in my city and I haven't checked the other ones.

Checking Tradera today, the Swedish Net-auction site that E-bay couldn't compete with so they bought it, I see several auctions for PS3s. Starting prices range from way below retail price to way above.. ONE auction, I state again, ONE auction ending within the next 4 days, had bids on it. That one was currently about $150 below retail price.

All in all there were about 15 auctions ending within the next few days for Premium PS3s, and as I said, only ONE had bids on it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Coder

All in all there were about 15 auctions ending within the next few days for Premium PS3s, and as I said, only ONE had bids on it.

Yeah, I heard about that. I'm still trying to figure out what someone was thinking when they thought that there would be auction demand for a system that had adequate supply for the launch. Even if Sony had sold out the allocation, more units would likely be on the shelf by next week.

I think that statement shows that there are at least 15 idiots in Europe and not a whole lot else. Lack of supply drives demand for auctions. When a release has more units than any previous console launch in that region, there's a pretty good chance that supply will meet demand.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

75% of the consoles sold was more units than the 360 or Wii sold on launch in the same country. I certainly don't think that Sony should be penalized because they managed to supply enough units to meet demand. As a consumer, I find the reduction of supply to increase demand that is often done by companies selling platforms to be a deplorable way of doing business. As a consumer, I want to get the console as soon as possible.

2 points:

1) Sony did not think they had enough to meet demand because they kept claiming they were all sold!

2) Microsoft did not cut supply to increase demand. Microsoft couldn't make consoles fast enough. Microsoft actually took a pretty big black eye over how long it took them to meet demand.

I do agree on the 3 month window, though. Of course, if you can only sell 75% of your consoles when you are giving away a free HDTV...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

2) Microsoft did not cut supply to increase demand. Microsoft couldn't make consoles fast enough. Microsoft actually took a pretty big black eye over how long it took them to meet demand.

I do agree on the 3 month window, though. Of course, if you can only sell 75% of your consoles when you are giving away a free HDTV...

Specifically, I wasn't talking about Microsoft in regards to holding off supply.

If you have a specific link stating that was widely offered for all PS3 purchases, I'd love to see it.

[spleen1015]

When demand isn't that high, it is easy to meet, no?