February Console Sales Numbers

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MrIllini

Er...let me rephrase.

I know they still "carry" it...but do any of them actually have them in stock? Can you finally walk into a store and walk out with a Wii or are they still back-ordered 3 months?

They're not backordered 3 months since no one takes pre-orders. But when they do come into a store, they usually don't last more than a couple hours at the most. The best way to get one is to buddy up with some sales associates at a retail store and find out when their regular shipments usually come in.

[Kodos]

Actually, I've seen them at Walmart the last three times I went there.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by MrIllini

Er...let me rephrase.

I know they still "carry" it...but do any of them actually have them in stock? Can you finally walk into a store and walk out with a Wii or are they still back-ordered 3 months?

Well, I know the last shipment I was working when we received took three days to fully sell out.

They had 'em in when I went in to check my weekend schedule today, but I know neither how many were left, nor how many initially arrived.

We'll see if any are left when I go in tomorrow night.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Synovia

You run WiiConnect24, don't you? You probably fried the video card. The earlier ones had that problem.

No, I don't have a wireless network in the house, and have yet to buy the ethernet connector.

I actually think it's more the specific games (some games are more error-prone than others), but honestly I've never owned or worked on a computer, game console or otherwise, that didn't crash periodically. That's why I shrug most of this stuff off and just deal with it. I don't find the Wii particularly unstable, and the family just LOVES playing on it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Video of soon-to-be-released Wipeout HD for the PS3.............

http://www.videogamer.com/features/a...-2008-365.html

[SackAttack]

mmm, Wipeout HD. Me wanty.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Preliminarly NPD numbers coming from Michael Pachter........

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/ne...box-360/?biz=1

The Wii is expected to have a big month, which shouldn't be terribly surprising. The eBay sales prices on Wii's have come down to $275-280 shipped, which means that the stores are getting close to meeting the retail demand with adequate supply for the first time in the Wii's life. It could be a decrease in demand as well, but we'll assume it's supply catching up until something proves otherwise.

The PS3 once again is expected to outsell the 360 by 50K units in North America. That's a big warning sign for Microsoft that a price cut or new model is desparately needed, as most retailers are reporting plenty of supply at this point (i.e. no shortage). If Pachter's numbers pan out, the PS3 will have added another 50K to its margin over the 360 in worldwide sales, outselling the 360 by 250K units.

Microsoft is hoping that they can get a hardware boost from the GTA4 release, but pre-sales are indicating that the 360 is only getting a software boost, with the major hardware boost in North America and Europe going to the PS3.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

mmm, Wipeout HD. Me wanty.

Would you buy Pole Position with a graphic upgrade as well? Is there anything new about Wipeout HD, because it looks like the same game I played 15 years ago or whenever it was out before?

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

No, I don't have a wireless network in the house, and have yet to buy the ethernet connector.

I actually think it's more the specific games (some games are more error-prone than others), but honestly I've never owned or worked on a computer, game console or otherwise, that didn't crash periodically. That's why I shrug most of this stuff off and just deal with it. I don't find the Wii particularly unstable, and the family just LOVES playing on it.

You turning it off, or to standby (red or yellow light?) The issue was originally that the fans didn't run in standby, and it would get too hot and fry things.

[MJ4H]

The new Speed Racer game looks like a combination of Wipeout and F-Zero GX

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Would you buy Pole Position with a graphic upgrade as well? Is there anything new about Wipeout HD, because it looks like the same game I played 15 years ago or whenever it was out before?

There's some upgrades here and there, but the gameplay is roughly the same. I'm not sure why an upgraded retro game is such a bad thing. Some of the great older games were popular for a reason. They're easy to pick up and play and are a lot of fun. The new Wipeout HD game is going to be available as a downloadable game at a price much less than $60. If the game is as much fun as previous versions, it'll be well-worth the purchase.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Synovia

You turning it off, or to standby (red or yellow light?) The issue was originally that the fans didn't run in standby, and it would get too hot and fry things.

Red light.

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Red light.

I got nothin then. No problems with mine.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

There's some upgrades here and there, but the gameplay is roughly the same. I'm not sure why an upgraded retro game is such a bad thing. Some of the great older games were popular for a reason. They're easy to pick up and play and are a lot of fun. The new Wipeout HD game is going to be available as a downloadable game at a price much less than $60. If the game is as much fun as previous versions, it'll be well-worth the purchase.

I have much less of a problem with a new version of this game now, knowing this. $60 was what was popping into my mind thinking of a fairly simple racing game, as fun as it was.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Would you buy Pole Position with a graphic upgrade as well? Is there anything new about Wipeout HD, because it looks like the same game I played 15 years ago or whenever it was out before?

Sure, if Pole Position had online play.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Preliminarly NPD numbers coming from Michael Pachter........

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/ne...box-360/?biz=1

The Wii is expected to have a big month, which shouldn't be terribly surprising. The eBay sales prices on Wii's have come down to $275-280 shipped, which means that the stores are getting close to meeting the retail demand with adequate supply for the first time in the Wii's life. It could be a decrease in demand as well, but we'll assume it's supply catching up until something proves otherwise.

The PS3 once again is expected to outsell the 360 by 50K units in North America. That's a big warning sign for Microsoft that a price cut or new model is desparately needed, as most retailers are reporting plenty of supply at this point (i.e. no shortage). If Pachter's numbers pan out, the PS3 will have added another 50K to its margin over the 360 in worldwide sales, outselling the 360 by 250K units.

Microsoft is hoping that they can get a hardware boost from the GTA4 release, but pre-sales are indicating that the 360 is only getting a software boost, with the major hardware boost in North America and Europe going to the PS3.

700k Wii in March would smash the non-November/December records afaik. This month is a five week month so the figures should show an increase from last month for all three companies.

If Microsoft doesn't have a price cut before GTA4 comes out I'll be convinced they're just trying to make back some of the RROD money and are planning for their next box. PS3 might even pass the 360 in the US at some point in 2010 o the way things are going, I wouldn't have thought so last year.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

700k Wii in March would smash the non-November/December records afaik. This month is a five week month so the figures should show an increase from last month for all three companies.

If Microsoft doesn't have a price cut before GTA4 comes out I'll be convinced they're just trying to make back some of the RROD money and are planning for their next box. PS3 might even pass the 360 in the US at some point in 2010 o the way things are going, I wouldn't have thought so last year.

I'm not sure Microsoft could have picked a worse time to have a slump. The gaming industry is shattering sales records this year and Microsoft is running in last place. I can certainly see why analysts are now predicting that the PS3 will pass the 360 in worldwide sales by early 2009. Sony is pumping out nearly monthly exclusives at this point and Microsoft's relative silence isn't helping the situation.

[SackAttack]

monthly exclusives? Really?

I'll grant you the sports titles, although Microsoft themselves basically forfeited THAT away to appease EA.

Outside of that, I see Haze, Metal Gear Solid 4, LBP and the upcoming MotorStorm sequel before November, just looking at GameStop's release list. I don't think that's even in the same neighborhood as "monthly."

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Great news for all PS3 owners. The Metal Gear Online Beta is now open to all PS3 users, regardless of whether you have pre-ordered the MGS4 game. Registration here.......

http://www.onlineregister.com/konami/mgops/

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

monthly exclusives? Really?

I'll grant you the sports titles, although Microsoft themselves basically forfeited THAT away to appease EA.

Outside of that, I see Haze, Metal Gear Solid 4, LBP and the upcoming MotorStorm sequel before November, just looking at GameStop's release list. I don't think that's even in the same neighborhood as "monthly."

Granted, there's a release hole on most consoles in July and August, but outside of that, there's exclusives in every month through the end of the holiday season. Sony's lineup is obviously a major upgrade this year. Note that this doesn't even include Final Fantasy XIII and Gran Turismo 5, which are likely to be released in early 2009.

March - MLB 08: The Show

April - Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

May - Haze, Wipeout HD

June - Singstar, Metal Gear Solid 4

September - Killzone 2, Little Big Planet, SOCOM: Confrontation

October - Heavy Rain, Playstation Home, Valkyria Chronicles, Resistance 2

November - Motorstorm 2, Metal Gear Solid Online, White Night Chronicles

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

March - MLB 08: The Show

Right. As I say, I consider that one a forfeiture of sorts, because Microsoft COULD do a baseball game...they just choose not to.

April - Gran Turismo 5 Prologue

Glorified $40 demo. Seriously. Gran Turismo 5 is an exclusive, but Prologue ain't nothing but a god damned money grab.

May - Haze, Wipeout HD

Wipeout HD doesn't show up on GameStop.com, which probably doesn't bode well for a retail release. For all that online is an increasingly big part of the future of gaming, there's still an awful lot of people who don't do the online thing. As much as I want Wipeout HD, it's entirely possible that it will go unnoticed by a large contingent of PS3 owners/potential PS3 owners.

June - Singstar, Metal Gear Solid 4

Singstar is an exclusive, but I'm not convinced it will be a significant one. Also, remember this is a game that was due out this past Christmas. I'm not comfortable penciling that one into any given monthly schedule until it actually hits shelves. Same with Final Fantasy XIII, given Square's history.

Then there's the issues it's had in Europe, which is the franchise's biggest market.

September - Killzone 2, Little Big Planet, SOCOM: Confrontation

Killzone 2 is a biggie, but it worries me that EB lists it as "9/1." That's an industry placeholder for "Q4." Until/unless that changes, it goes into the same category as Singstar. Is SOCOM getting a retail release? Last I'd heard, that one was falling into the online-only category with Wipeout HD.

October - Heavy Rain, Playstation Home, Valkyria Chronicles, Resistance 2

EB is showing 11/4 on Resistance 2. Home is not a god damned game. It's a "social lobby." Heavy Rain doesn't show up on EB/GS' websites, and for a business that makes billions a year begging people to preorder, that suggests to me that either it's filler on the "exclusive" list or that it probably isn't shipping in October.

November - Motorstorm 2, Metal Gear Solid Online, White Night Chronicles

That's White Knight Chronicles. I also love that you threw November in there. I left Nov/Dec alone specifically because those two months can be hard to predict. Stuff moves up, gets delayed, etc.

The library is getting stronger, but any system that doesn't do that in its second year of life is usually destined for the graveyard. I suppose that list looks impressive to you, but I count five out of sixteen titles you listed there that really don't belong in the conversation.

[MJ4H]

Upcoming major exclusives for the Wii, just for information's sake:
(I think these are all exclusives, but I'm not 100% on, for instance, Sam & Max)

There are more than these, of course, especially when you count WiiWare, which I don't. These are ones I would consider at least notable:

April
Mario Kart Wii

May
Wii Fit

June
Rygar: The Battle of Argus

Q2 2008
We Ski

Q3 2008
Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars

Q4 2008
Sam & Max

Year 2008
Mario Super Sluggers

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

The library is getting stronger, but any system that doesn't do that in its second year of life is usually destined for the graveyard. I suppose that list looks impressive to you, but I count five out of sixteen titles you listed there that really don't belong in the conversation.

So Sony puts out a large library in its second year and it's written off because it's expected. I guess the 360 exclusives like Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Dead Rising, and Lost Odyssey should be written off as expected as well. Fair enough.

Also, it's far from accurate to write off the downloadable exclusives as not belonging in the conversation. Just because the 360 cannot produce fully functional titles as a download doesn't mean that Sony's online titles can be written off. Anyone that says that GT5P, Warhawk, SOCOM: Confrontation, or Wipeout HD aren't fully featured, 1080p retail games is simply incorrect.

[hukarez]

Originally Posted by MattJones4Heisman

June
Rygar: The Battle of Argus

Huzzah!!

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

So Sony puts out a large library in its second year and it's written off because it's expected. I guess the 360 exclusives like Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Dead Rising, and Lost Odyssey should be written off as expected as well. Fair enough.

Also, it's far from accurate to write off the downloadable exclusives as not belonging in the conversation. Just because the 360 cannot produce fully functional titles as a download doesn't mean that Sony's online titles can be written off. Anyone that says that GT5P, Warhawk, SOCOM: Confrontation, or Wipeout HD aren't fully featured, 1080p retail games is simply incorrect.

The difference is those MS titles were all executed well and were monster hits. (I know Lost Oddyssey was mixed) You didn't even count the best game of the bunch in Bioshock, didn't count Forza 2 or any of the other myriad of titles MS released last year. (Crackdown is a game I forgot, I could really go on and on here)

MS is simply readying their next series of titles now. Games like Halo Wars, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, etc. along with games like Too Human that have been delayed. (I rarely have hope for games with long delay cycles, we'll see how those stack up)

We'll see how Sony does this year with these titles. Will they be as good as advertised? That's the key, the 360 games were as good as advertised. MLB the show is a solid game so far for the PS3. I expect Resistence 2 will be the bomb and maybe even a system type selling game.

Metal Gear, Little Big Planet, KillZone and FF obviously have the chance to do serious damage to MS and be terrific games. If those games are all they are cracked up to be, the PS3 will shift to must buy for any serious games, especially with the added allure of the Blu Ray.

That said, this continues to amuse me. The original Xbox sold about 24 million units worldwide. The PS2 has sold well over 120 million units and still keeps growing. The story at this point isn't (and never has been) will the PS3 catch the 360 in worldwide sales. It might, it might not.

The story is you had the single most dominant gaming console of all time that had somewhere in the area of 70%+ market share, is going to struggle to become the NUMBER TWO console in this generation. Sony lost their grip on a market they completely controlled within a single release cycle. This is an epic failure.

We keep coming back to this and it's been what I've been saying sinse a year before the damned PS3 was ever released:

1) They misread their market badly
2) MS struck gold by releasing their system first and lining up bigtime exclusives.
3) Nintendo surprised everyone and already has this gen won before we are even halfway through the life cycle of all the systems.
4) Sony went from the most dominant console in history to a frantic comeback attempt to salvage a 2nd place finish (and are hoping and praying to do that THREE YEARS after their console was released)

The major questions of this generation have already been answered:

1) Can MS dig into Sony's share of the market? YES
2) Is Nintendo on life support? NO
3 Will Sony putting the Blu Ray in the PS3 help them win the format war? YES
4) Did doing that cost Sony a huge share of the console market? YES

Now it's time to worry about the next gen questions:

1) Did MS and Sony learn anything from Nintendo or will they continue to believe it was just a gimmick?
2) Will Nintendo come up with a solid successor to the Wii or will they make a mistake and let the others get back into the market?
3) Who will get to the market first? Who will have the best slate of year 1 games?
4) Will Sony make a comeback and put MS in their place with their next console?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Troy, you make some good points. The are all based in the present numbers and that's fine. Obviously, Microsoft is lined up at this point for a major fall and will manage to blow the lead they never should have lost, which is something that you alluded to in your post. Certainly, Sony did everything wrong at the start and Microsoft had a great first year and a half, but it's apparant that it is a complete turnaround for both companies at this point. Sony will pass the 360 early next year and will likely have a 60%+ share over MS in the end. A small loss, but certainly not the catastrophe you were predicting as little as 6 months ago, which is way off at this point.

As far as the Wii, it's a great profit console for Nintendo as they have done a great job of marketing to a larger market. In the end, it could bode extremely well for everyone. If Sony or MS can create their next console to target that audience and puts it at the right price point, they may end up causing some problems for Nintendo. But that's a long ways off.

BTW......I didn't mean the 360 list as a comprehensive list. My point was that it was silly to write off great exclusives in a console's lifecycle simply because the system is 'expected' to have good games at that given point. You'd certainly agree with that.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

So Sony puts out a large library in its second year and it's written off because it's expected. I guess the 360 exclusives like Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Dead Rising, and Lost Odyssey should be written off as expected as well. Fair enough.

I'm not writing anything off as "expected." What I'm saying is that the library is improving, as it ought to be doing at this point in its life. Expecting improvement != "writing off blockbuster exclusives." You have a kid. That kid has been pulling C's and D's. You get him some tutoring. You therefore expect improvement in his grades, but expecting improvement doesn't mean dismissing it when he starts pulling down A's. Right?

Also, it's far from accurate to write off the downloadable exclusives as not belonging in the conversation. Just because the 360 cannot produce fully functional titles as a download doesn't mean that Sony's online titles can be written off. Anyone that says that GT5P, Warhawk, SOCOM: Confrontation, or Wipeout HD aren't fully featured, 1080p retail games is simply incorrect.

You won't find argument from me on SOCOM, Warhawk, or Wipeout in terms of being fully featured. I'm not denigrating them as games, I'm simply saying that the impact Wipeout and SOCOM can be expected to have on the system is probably less measurable than if those games also saw a significant retail release.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, on the other hand, is a glorified demo, and is nothing but a god damned money grab. I will be damned if I'm going to put lipstick on that pig.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Troy, you make some good points. The are all based in the present numbers and that's fine. Obviously, Microsoft is lined up at this point for a major fall and will manage to blow the lead they never should have lost, which is something that you alluded to in your post. Certainly, Sony did everything wrong at the start and Microsoft had a great first year and a half, but it's apparant that it is a complete turnaround for both companies at this point. Sony will pass the 360 early next year and will likely have a 60%+ share over MS in the end. A small loss, but certainly not the catastrophe you were predicting as little as 6 months ago, which is way off at this point.

As far as the Wii, it's a great profit console for Nintendo as they have done a great job of marketing to a larger market. In the end, it could bode extremely well for everyone. If Sony or MS can create their next console to target that audience and puts it at the right price point, they may end up causing some problems for Nintendo. But that's a long ways off.

BTW......I didn't mean the 360 list as a comprehensive list. My point was that it was silly to write off great exclusives in a console's lifecycle simply because the system is 'expected' to have good games at that given point. You'd certainly agree with that.

First off, Sony won't have a 60% share on MS. Look, they are HOPING to catch the 360 by 2009. HOPING. That's assuming everyone at MS sits on their hands and does nothing. Look, that aint happening and you should be smart enough to know that. That's like the morons who assumed Sony would just continue to be stupid throughout the entire life of this cycle.

In market share numbers, Sony had 70% of the market, MS and Sony were splitting the other 30% of the console market. Sony isn't getting anywhere near 60% of the market in this cycle. They'll be VERY, VERY lucky to get to 35%. I don't think they'll get that high. The Wii will control about 60-70% of this cycle. Sony and MS will fight for the other 30-40%, with neither getting much over the other one. (Let's just say Sony does catch MS, it'd be something like a 25%-15% gap by the time it was over)

If you are simply talking hardware sales between Sony and MS, Sony is going to have a difficult time hitting 60% there too. The PS2 sold 120 million+ units. The original Xbox sold 24 million. MS had 16.6% of the market with the spread that large. Sony had 83.4% of the systems in play there.

Guess what, the spread isn't going to be anywhere near that large this time around. MS isn't going to simply go into the tank and get throttled without a fight for the next five years. They'll price cut, get exclusives, release big games. . . etc. Let's say your numbers are right though. Sony beats the 360 on a 60/40 scale.

That's still a complete and unmitigated disaster. Even if you pretend Nintendo doesn't exist, Sony would give up over 23% market share to a competitor in a single cycle. In the US, the competitor will have completely eroded their share.

I knew this would happen and love it. . . all of the people assuming Sony has corrected itself so MS and/or Nintendo had their fun and it's over. Sony will just run roughshod over them for the next "x" years and become king again. This assumes the 360 is going to just turn into a pumpkin and MS is going to go "well, we gave it a shot, we'll just close the doors here"

Ummm, no. Predictions like this are silly. We have no idea what the hell MS has in store for everyone this holiday season. We have no idea if the Sony titles are going to be as good as advertised. Until announcements are made, we will have no idea.

Either way, I forgot two of the other answered questions in this:

Biggest winner of this generation: Nintendo hands down
Biggest loser of this generation: Sony (and it isn't close)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

You won't find argument from me on SOCOM, Warhawk, or Wipeout in terms of being fully featured. I'm not denigrating them as games, I'm simply saying that the impact Wipeout and SOCOM can be expected to have on the system is probably less measurable than if those games also saw a significant retail release.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, on the other hand, is a glorified demo, and is nothing but a god damned money grab. I will be damned if I'm going to put lipstick on that pig.

Then we're on the same page. The level of impact will vary, I agree. But each of those games does appeal to a group of gamers. The more varied and larger the library becomes, the better for the console in the long run.

I don't disagree that GT5P is a glorified demo, but there's evidently a lot of idiots (you and I not included) that will plop down 40 clams for the thing, so its impact can't be dismissed. Amazingly, they're going to get huge sales numbers by releasing the game game twice.....once as a demo this year and once as the full game next year. That's good business.

[MikeVic]

Even though Sony messed up so far, I think they've done a pretty good job recently. So much so, that if I were to get a second console, it would be a PS3 at this point and not the 360. If you asked me six months ago, no question it's the 360.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Ummm, no. Predictions like this are silly. We have no idea what the hell MS has in store for everyone this holiday season. We have no idea if the Sony titles are going to be as good as advertised. Until announcements are made, we will have no idea.

Certainly disagree. You can't be a competitive console and go dead when your systems should be selling like wildfire. You say hoping, but it's very evident to most industry analysts that the PS3 will pass the 360 in early 2009. As far as this holiday season, the 360 better start telling people what's coming. It doesn't look good at this point. The current games they have in the pipeline are going to sell well to the existing installed base, but their market share has been decreasing for 6 months in a row and their sales cut in Europe has flopped badly. A system in its third year of existance should not be dropping in market share without a major failure in planning, which is what occurred.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

For those that own a PS3, you should definitely go out and check out the new store. A much better setup than the craptacular store front they had before now.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Even though Sony messed up so far, I think they've done a pretty good job recently. So much so, that if I were to get a second console, it would be a PS3 at this point and not the 360. If you asked me six months ago, no question it's the 360.

They've done a MUCH better job recently. You had to know they would. Better commercials, better marketing, better price. . . they are doing well.

It's made it a race for the future. Were I buying one system right now? It's the 360 and it isn't close. Bioshock, Gears of War, Dead Rising, Forza 2, PGR 3 and 4, Mass Effect, plus tons of titles in the reduced price bin that are solid games.

My PS3 gets runs of Ratchett and Clank, Resistence, MLB: The Show and some games I'm reviewing. The 360 has about 20 in the rotation.

For the future? That'd be tougher. God of War for the PS3. FF. Killzone 2. Metal Gear (which I've never been a huge fan of, but it has a huge following) Little Big Planet. Blu Ray.

OK, it gets tougher. Right now my 360 and Wii get more play than the PS3 in a normal week. That could change in the future. (I can't wait for Wipeout either, what a great game series that is) My PSP is getting more play than my DS.

The thing we should all know is that MS won't continue to go through this rough stretch forever anymore than Sony was going to go through theirs forever. Those counting on MS continuing to fail and do nothing to stop the tide are idiots. Period.

[MikeVic]

Good points, and it makes me happy to be a gamer of any form.

[Synovia]

"That's still a complete and unmitigated disaster. Even if you pretend Nintendo doesn't exist, Sony would give up over 23% market share to a competitor in a single cycle. In the US, the competitor will have completely eroded their share."

If you look at it from just a video game perspective, yes. If you include "Winning the HD format war" it becomes a huge success.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Synovia

"That's still a complete and unmitigated disaster. Even if you pretend Nintendo doesn't exist, Sony would give up over 23% market share to a competitor in a single cycle. In the US, the competitor will have completely eroded their share."

If you look at it from just a video game perspective, yes. If you include "Winning the HD format war" it becomes a huge success.

Only if Blu Ray really takes off, which isn't assured yet. It won the war with HD-DVD, but I'm still not at all convinced it will win the war as the next big medium. I don't see people giving away their normal DVD's anytime soon and I think On Demand technology will eventually be the DVD's successor.


If Blu Ray really does take off and 5 years from now 50% of US households will have one in their living room? Sony wins bigtime in the DVD market, but took a hit in their gaming market to do it. They still win in the tradeoff. (I used 5 years because I think that's how long it took DVD's to hit the 50% mark)

Personally? I don't see 50% of all households EVER owning a Blu Ray player. That may mean I'm an idiot.

[Big Fo]

Originally Posted by TroyF

Personally? I don't see 50% of all households EVER owning a Blu Ray player. That may mean I'm an idiot.

What is it like 3 people to an average house or apartment? 25% would even be a stretch IMO.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

What is it like 3 people to an average house or apartment? 25% would even be a stretch IMO.

Especially when you consider how many Americans are in poverty and are just considering moving up to a PS2 for the DVD player/gaming capabilities (the main draw as their are cheaper DVR players) as the price drops a bit further or who don't even have any form of media player other than a VCR.

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Especially when you consider how many Americans are in poverty and are just considering moving up to a PS2 for the DVD player/gaming capabilities (the main draw as their are cheaper DVR players) as the price drops a bit further or who don't even have any form of media player other than a VCR.

What does poverty have to do with anything? There WILL be a point when you can get a $25 blu-ray player at best buy, just like you can get a $25 DVD player at best buy right now. Prices will drop.



Sony made a calculated gamble. It looks like they'll catch MS, and they won the media war, so the gamble was worth it. Whether or not blu-ray gets wide adoption is really irrelevant to the console market.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Synovia

What does poverty have to do with anything? There WILL be a point when you can get a $25 blu-ray player at best buy, just like you can get a $25 DVD player at best buy right now. Prices will drop.

Prices will drop, but probably not to the point of the $25 player for the next several years. Since HD-DVD dropped out, stand-alone Blu-Ray player prices have risen around $100. (http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/36428/113/) Couple that with Sony's refusal to sell Blu-Ray licenses to the low cost Chinese commodity manufacturers, the time for bargain BR players is still a long ways out.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Synovia

What does poverty have to do with anything? There WILL be a point when you can get a $25 blu-ray player at best buy, just like you can get a $25 DVD player at best buy right now. Prices will drop.



Sony made a calculated gamble. It looks like they'll catch MS, and they won the media war, so the gamble was worth it. Whether or not blu-ray gets wide adoption is really irrelevant to the console market.

I have no doubt there will eventually be a point where you can get a 25 dollar Blu-ray player, however, I think that point will not be until several (many?) years in the future which will be once the next generation of technology is out and the victory/loss of Blu-Ray is no longer as relevant.

As far as why Blu-Ray's victory as a media is important to the PS3's overall victory/failure, Troy made that argument far more elegantly than I have.

Edit: Of course, as long as Blu-Ray players remain above a hundred dollars, that is going to be a significant barrier for the large percentage of Americans who are in poverty who will stick with either VCR tapes or DVD's. The only reason I brought this up was I was agreeing that even a 25% adoption of Blu-Ray in American homes would be unlikely.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

For those that own a PS3, you should definitely go out and check out the new store. A much better setup than the craptacular store front they had before now.

I don't think that store has come to my town yet.

[Daimyo]

How long did it take for DVD players to hit $25? Eight to ten years? They were just hitting ~$200 and starting to get adopted by the mainstream like four years in. Blu-Ray is a little over a year in right now and has a long way to go.

[MizzouRah]

Singstar is one HORRIBLE karaoke game. Doesn't even come close to American Idol on the Wii or Karaoke revolution on the ps2.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Good deal for those interested in a PS3. K-Mart has the 40GB machine for $360 shipped.

http://slickdeals.net/?permadeal=122...ect_deal_12235

Also, Sony Style store is still offering $100 off a PS3 when you open a credit card account with them. So a 40GB machine would be $299 and the MSG4 bundle can be had for $399.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

New PS3 exclusive leaked. Siren: Next Translation is the game. Will be released in June 2008 in Japan will fall 2008 release in North America and UK likely.

- 90% done.
- Price undetermined.
- July 24 release date in Japan.
- April 24 demo will be released.
- total of 12 episodes.
- Remake of the original game.
- lots and lots of dead people

http://www.jp.playstation.com/scej/title/nt/

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by cartman

Prices will drop, but probably not to the point of the $25 player for the next several years. Since HD-DVD dropped out, stand-alone Blu-Ray player prices have risen around $100.

No Shit. We're no longer having after christmas sales. The prices for EVERYTHING raises this time of year.

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by Daimyo

How long did it take for DVD players to hit $25? Eight to ten years? They were just hitting ~$200 and starting to get adopted by the mainstream like four years in. Blu-Ray is a little over a year in right now and has a long way to go.

Yeah, seriously. DVD passed VHS when players were still $200+. I love all the revisionist history here. DVD players weren't always so cheap, and they still did well.


DVD was released in 1997(1995?), IIRC, and didn't pass VHS in sales till 2002. Blu-Ray is doing fine, and is probably ahead of schedule.


I bought my DVD player in 2001, and paid almost $400 for it, and its a consumer level player. I paid $399 for my 80gb PS3. (sony store)


I don't see what the problem is, especially considering that $400 in 2001 is significantly more money than $400 now.

[stevew]

Man, if only I had some spare cash I could get another 10% off for employee discount too. Hmmmm.

And Blu Ray players have not been more than 10% off pretty much this whole entire year. After the Buy a Sharp TV, get a Free Sharp BD player promotions ended in Feb(I think), that's been it for sales. They've been pretty much 400 all the time since then.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

New video of Don King Prizefighter game. Wii version apparantly uses the Balance Board as an interface.

http://kotaku.com/379905/don-king-pr...-fectaculosity