July console sales numbers......

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Bee

I knew it would be slower at that time, but I never imagined it would be that drastic of a difference.

There's a reason the media surrounding this industry gets excited for the summer expos. It indicates that games will actually start showing up to review. Late spring/early summer is always dead. I'll see if I can track down similar PS2/360 numbers. They're the same way.

[Bee]

I'm not surprised they've doubled after seeing what they were in the first quarter.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Bee

I'm not surprised they've doubled after seeing what they were in the first quarter.

Agreed. Generally no place to go but up from what they were pulling for a few months.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm not arguing that. However, there is nothing that magically makes Sony's numbers any more accurate than VG's, yet you were implying there was.

That 4.28M units has to be accurate. The last thing they need is an accounting scandal. Thankfully, no one in the entertainment division is compiling those numbers. Hence, less of a chance to do something stupid.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Sony said they were having supply problems until a couple of months ago.

I know you're playing devil's advocate (or whatever) a bit here, but...

There's a HUGE difference between what Sony is doing and what MS did... Sony has PS3's all over the place, you couldn't find a 360 at this time in their lifecycle...

Anyway... You made the closing point, no matter how they spin it they have some major catchup to do.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I know you're playing devil's advocate (or whatever) a bit here, but...

There's a HUGE difference between what Sony is doing and what MS did... Sony has PS3's all over the place, you couldn't find a 360 at this time in their lifecycle...

Anyway... You made the closing point, no matter how they spin it they have some major catchup to do.

*****sarcasm meter malfunction*****

Did the wink not give it away? I'll go with the [end sarcasm] tag next time. Sony only had a supply problem in the eyes of their idiotic PR department.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Wow. Any one notice anything interesting here?

http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/26-07-2007-6094.html

Sony has today announced its Fiscal year 2007 Q1 earnings, including details of sales to date and sales projections for its three video game platforms.

At the end of Q1, worldwide sales of the PlayStation 3 stand at approximately 4.48 million (prior to Q1 2007 Sony only quoted units shipped not sold). 3.57 million came in the final half of the previous year, with a disappointing 0.71 million recorded in the first quarter 2007. Despite the console's poor sales in Q1, Sony has announced that it expects to sell a further 10.29 million units in the following three quarters, ending March 2008.

First, slight adjustment to 4.48M in sales.

Also, expects to sell 10M units in the next 3 quarters? Obviously, there's no way they'll reach that number if the situation remains status quo. There's got to be some big price cuts/new SKU's in the works. My guess would be that we see the $399 price point that was mentioned yesterday by the holiday season. They're not going to sell 10M units in 9 months at $499.

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Wow. Any one notice anything interesting here?

http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/26-07-2007-6094.html



Expects to sell 10M units in the next 3 quarters? Obviously, there's no way they'll reach that number if the situation remains status quo. There's got to be some big price cuts/new SKU's in the works. My guess would be that we see the $399 price point that was mentioned yesterday by the holiday season. They're not going to sell 10M units in 9 months at $499.

They wont at $399 either. Its gotta come down into the $249 range to put up those numbers.



If MS drops the 360's price $50 or so, is there any question that Nintendo wont drop the Wii just as much?

[spleen1015]

Even if they slash the prices in half, they don't have the games to sell 10M units in the next 9 months.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Even if they slash the prices in half, they don't have the games to sell 10M units in the next 9 months.

Totally disagree with that, but we'll let time sort that out. If they slashed the price to $299, these systems would be pouring off the shelves, but they won't be cutting it to $299 anytime soon.

[Synovia]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Totally disagree with that, but we'll let time sort that out. If they slashed the price to $299, these systems would be pouring off the shelves, but they won't be cutting it to $299 anytime soon.

If they cut prices to $299 6 months ago, I'd agree.

Right now, I dont. Too many of those 360/Wii sales are people who are only going to buy one system.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Synovia

They wont at $399 either. Its gotta come down into the $249 range to put up those numbers.



If MS drops the 360's price $50 or so, is there any question that Nintendo wont drop the Wii just as much?

Sony sold roughly 500K units a month at $599. Given their forcast, they have to average 1.1M units a month sold over the next 9 months. Sales have doubled since the drop to $499. If it dropped to $399, they would have no problem meeting that goal.

Nintendo isn't going to drop the price. The 360 is honestly not a threat to them even at the same price level. They're still going to sell quite a few units. Microsoft should be more concerned about dropping the Elite price to $399 as quickly as possible. That's much more important than trying to compete with the Wii on an even price level. Wii wins that battle every time.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Synovia

If they cut prices to $299 6 months ago, I'd agree.

Right now, I dont. Too many of those 360/Wii sales are people who are only going to buy one system.

It's somewhat of a silly 'what if' anyway. There's no chance of it happening anytime soon.

[twothree]

Originally Posted by Synovia

If MS drops the 360's price $50 or so, is there any question that Nintendo wont drop the Wii just as much?

Nintendo is still having supply problem. Why would they drop the price?

Until the Wii is physically available on the shelf at most places (or available online outside of a bundle deal), I don't see Nintendo dropping the price. If the 360 drops in price and it causes the Wii to build up some inventory in the supply channel, maybe Nintendo drops the price after a few more first party games come out to make up for any lost profit from the decrease in the price of the Wii.

[Travis]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Even if they slash the prices in half, they don't have the games to sell 10M units in the next 9 months.

Yeah, cause there are 0 exclusives coming out anytime soon on the system that may somewhat help their case.

Don't get me wrong, they aren't where they should be now, but saying they have no games coming out is a potentially huge understatement (as I also understand that these games could flop, but I sincerely hope at least a few of them are as good as they have the potential to be).

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Also, expects to sell 10M units in the next 3 quarters? Obviously, there's no way they'll reach that number if the situation remains status quo. There's got to be some big price cuts/new SKU's in the works. My guess would be that we see the $399 price point that was mentioned yesterday by the holiday season. They're not going to sell 10M units in 9 months at $499.

No way do they meet that projection of 10M sold in the next 9 months. They are deluding themselves if they think that will happen - it won't happen even if they cut the price to 399. There aren't enough Americans who are willing to pay that much. The only way I could see that even coming close to happening is if they release a cheap bare bones version with no Blu-Ray.

As far as your reply to my previous post: After seeing the idiots in the PR department, I wouldn't put it past Sony's accounting department to make some mistakes in the sales numbers. There is zero evidence they are any more valid than Vg's or any one elses. Statistics lie all of the time, and I'd expect the sales numbers are somewhere in between the two.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Travis

Yeah, cause there are 0 exclusives coming out anytime soon on the system that may somewhat help their case.

Don't get me wrong, they aren't where they should be now, but saying they have no games coming out is a potentially huge understatement (as I also understand that these games could flop, but I sincerely hope at least a few of them are as good as they have the potential to be).

3 of those games are coming out in August. Hot Shots Golf 5 is out now in Japan and reportedly selling well. They bundled the game with a PS3 in Japan, so it will be interesting to see how much the console sales numbers spike over there in regards to that bundle. Hot Shots Golf comes out in EU and NA the first week of October.

Lair is now gold and has a release date of August 14th. They've been showing this game off quite a bit at the trade shows and feedback has been pretty positive. They need this franchise to do well.

Warhawk has a release date of August 28th. Another title with a lot of hoopla. The beta online experience was a bit rough, but that's obviously why they call it a beta. Assuming they get the needed servers up and running, this could be a good game for Sony. In addition, this game should help Sony's bottom line in the form of increased Bluetooth headsets for online play. Accessories are a big money maker in regards to profit margin. Current plans are that you can download the game for $39.99 or buy it off the shelf with a Bluetooth headset for $59.99.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

No way do they meet that projection of 10M sold in the next 9 months. They are deluding themselves if they think that will happen - it won't happen even if they cut the price to 399. There aren't enough Americans who are willing to pay that much. The only way I could see that even coming close to happening is if they release a cheap bare bones version with no Blu-Ray.

Just to clarify, that's 10M units worldwide, not in America. They'll likely expect to sell about 3.5-4M of those 10M in North America. The rest will be sold in the EU or Japan.

Given this big sales estimate, I also wouldn't be surprised if this is an indicator that they expect MGS4 to be released before the end of this fiscal year.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Just to clarify, that's 10M units worldwide, not in America. They'll likely expect to sell about 3.5-4M of those 10M in North America. The rest will be sold in the EU or Japan.

Given this big sales estimate, I also wouldn't be surprised if this is an indicator that they expect MGS4 to be released before the end of this fiscal year.

My comments stand. I don't think they have a snowball's chance of selling 10 million worldwide in the next 9 months, particularly with how expensive the units are in some areas such as Australia and Europe.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

My comments stand. I don't think they have a snowball's chance of selling 10 million worldwide in the next 9 months, particularly with how expensive the units are in some areas such as Australia and Europe.

Some big changes are going to have to occur in pricing, that's for sure. They've got to get it down to $399 if they expect to double sales over what they've done so far to meet that goal.

Additionally, a roughly 20% price cut in the EU is expected later this month at the Leipzig Game Show.

[Big Fo]

When Sony/Microsoft say x number of consoles sold they mean sold to retailers, not people actually buying the things. Same thing when Mizzou B-ball fan says "300,000 preorders" for Minna no golf 5, that's to the stores, not customer preorders.


Some obsessed sales followers on NeoGAF (a large gaming forum) have these worldwide figures through the June NPD period:

360

Australia - 182,000
Europe - 3,000,000
Japan - 388,597
Canada - 403,500
US - 5,780,000

TOTAL - 9,753,390
_____

Wii

Australia - 107,000
Europe - 2,200,000
Japan - 3,059,628
Canada - 313,956
US - 3,190,000

TOTAL - 8,870,584
______

PS3

Australia - 55,000
Europe - 1,100,000
Japan - 976,673
Canada - 84,584
US - 1,450,000

TOTAL - 3,666,257

Wii is likely to take the worldwide lead sometime in mid-August if things remain as they are currently.

In other news, have you guys heard the rumor about a bare-bones PS3 with a 40 GB HDD, no wireless, no backwards compatibility for $399? What's so hard about releasing one SKU this generation?

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

4th and Inches

And the 4th and Inches Team Construction Disk! I remember creating every NFL team, a ton of generic teams, and playing out tournements with them. I have a notebook full of teams and tournement brackets.

That and Mail Order Monsters were probably the two C64 games I spent the most time on. Occasionally I'll fire up my C64 emulator to play some Mail Order Monsters. (Hmm....maybe this calls for a dynasty? I'll have to see if I can get the emulator working again.)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

When Mizzou B-ball fan says "300,000 preorders" for Minna no golf 5, that's to the stores, not customer preorders.

Roughly 175,000 copies were sold on the first day. Most of that initial stock is going to sell very quickly. Really surprising given that the installed base is just over 1M units in Japan. It will be interesting to see how many of the new bundles were sold.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

What's so hard about releasing one SKU this generation?

Nintendo didn't seem to have any problems on that front.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Two game announcements likely coming this week.......

"8 Days" - Could be coming out as soon as this holiday season for the PS3.

"Max Payne 3" - being developed for PC, PS3 and 360.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

This could be one of the main drivers behind Sony's lofty sales projections for the rest of this fiscal year. These changes could allow for a price cut to $399 or lower. (Note: The title of this article is misleading, as the actual story is that Sony expects to break even on a per-console sales basis, not for the fiscal year.)

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?op...6573&Itemid=59

Sony Aims for PS3 Break-Even This Year

By Kris Graft

Sony currently incurs an estimated $200 loss on every PlayStation 3 sold, but an exec from the firm said today that loss could be eliminated this fiscal year.

During a conference call Sony executive VP Nobuyuki Oneda said the firm may be able to break even on PS3 hardware this fiscal year, which ends in March 2008.

He said that the main cost-downs would have to occur in the Cell processor, RSX graphics chip and Blu-ray optical components.

“The removal of the negative margin will be when all of these factors have come out. Maybe, marginally, we could achieve this during this year,” Oneda told a Citigroup Securities analyst during a Q&A session. Oneda still couldn’t specify exactly when this break-even point may happen.

“For the negative margin to go away, the big trigger would be the cost-down in the Cell and RSX semiconductors. They are the key, and also optical pick-up is another factor, significantly,” he said.

Oneda confirmed that Sony is working on transitioning the PS3’s chips from 90nm to 65nm, which would reduce costs significantly. He said the Cell would be the first PS3 chip to make the migration, followed by the RSX chip.

Game console makers typically sell hardware at a loss, and make up for this through software sales. Nintendo, however, has made it a point to sell its hardware at a profit.

[Eaglesfan27]

If you read between the lines there, it sounds like that breakeven point will be late in the fiscal year and will barely be reached. That article doesn't make me optimistic of a price drop.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

If you read between the lines there, it sounds like that breakeven point will be late in the fiscal year and will barely be reached. That article doesn't make me optimistic of a price drop.

Yup, because not only would they have to cut $200 from the cost of components, but they'd also have to cut whatever the price drop is. If they are focusing on break even, that makes a permanent $100 price drop much less likely.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

If you read between the lines there, it sounds like that breakeven point will be late in the fiscal year and will barely be reached. That article doesn't make me optimistic of a price drop.

I think a lot of it depends on how long the spike in sales from the current price drop lasts. If they can get a sustained spike into September, they may hold off on a price drop a bit longer. If this current spike doesn't last through mid-August, I'd think that a further price drop is likely before the holidays.

Honestly, the price situation doesn't have much to do with profit at this point. Sony has to price it at a price that sells because there's no magic price point right now with the PS3 that allows them to build the console base AND make money. They have to consider the losses this fiscal year as an investment to avoid major problems down the line. A larger installed base is much more important than avoiding short-term losses. With Sony as a whole reporting major profit increases last quarter, they have the bankroll to sustain a price cut at this point.

[gstelmack]

But how do you reconcile "we expect to break even" with "I think this means a price cut is coming!"? That article is about getting costs down to where they are no longer losing $200 apiece, not getting costs down so they can cut the price again.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I think a lot of it depends on how long the spike in sales from the current price drop lasts. If they can get a sustained spike into September, they may hold off on a price drop a bit longer. If this current spike doesn't last through mid-August, I'd think that a further price drop is likely before the holidays.

Honestly, the price situation doesn't have much to do with profit at this point. Sony has to price it at a price that sells because there's no magic price point right now with the PS3 that allows them to build the console base AND make money. They have to consider the losses this fiscal year as an investment to avoid major problems down the line. A larger installed base is much more important than avoiding short-term losses. With Sony as a whole reporting major profit increases last quarter, they have the bankroll to sustain a price cut at this point.

It's illogical to think that the price situation doesn't have to do with profit. If the unit costs over 700 dollars to make right now (which is the indication from multiple sources) and they are just worried about cutting costs enought to "maybe" break even, then a price drop seems like the last thing they are thinking about. Your other points in your 2nd paragraph are correct, but the article you linked seems like the PS3 hitting a break even point is more of a priority than cutting the price.

Also, there was an article on Gamespot the other day that PS3 losses were about 10% worse than expected.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

But how do you reconcile "we expect to break even" with "I think this means a price cut is coming!"? That article is about getting costs down to where they are no longer losing $200 apiece, not getting costs down so they can cut the price again.

My only take on that would be that we don't know what the SKU structure would be at that point. Is the rumored 40 GB bare-bones machine the one that's going to break even? The 80 GB machine will actually be cheaper to make when it becomes the primary SKU than the 60 GB machine now being sold. There's a lot of generalization in regards to how they will achieve that break-even point and whether it will be break-even for all machines.

I totally agree that nothing is set in stone here. Just put it up for discussion's sake. With this kind of stuff, it changes every few weeks anyway. We'd never discuss anything if we waited for the final story. It's always changing.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

It's illogical to think that the price situation doesn't have to do with profit. If the unit costs over 700 dollars to make right now (which is the indication from multiple sources) and they are just worried about cutting costs enought to "maybe" break even, then a price drop seems like the last thing they are thinking about. Your other points in your 2nd paragraph are correct, but the article you linked seems like the PS3 hitting a break even point is more of a priority than cutting the price.

Also, there was an article on Gamespot the other day that PS3 losses were about 10% worse than expected.

As I said, break-even points or a price cut are not the priority. Building the console base is a priority. Now, it would seem that the best way to get a major base increase would be to drop the price to $399 IMO, but we'll just have to see in that regard.

The larger-than-expected losses on the PS3 were the driver behind the price cut. That was cited when the cut was made. With that said, they have to take losses at this point. The losses now are minimal, relatively speaking. The losses in the future if they don't move to build the console base will be monumental in comparison.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Just announced. New game studio formed headed by Jaffe and Incognito founder. New online version of Twisted Metal being developed (rumors abound that next God of War game will come from this studio as well).........

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174833

FOSTER CITY, Calif., July 27 -- Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) today announced an exclusive game development deal with Eat, Sleep, Play(TM), a new software development company formed by legendary game creators David Jaffe and Scott Campbell. Under the agreement, Eat, Sleep, Play is signed on for a multi-year, multi-title deal to create titles for the PlayStation family of products, with the first slated for release in 2008.

Based in Utah, Eat, Sleep, Play is a newly formed company founded by David Jaffe, a former creative director for SCEA's Santa Monica Studios; and Scott Campbell, the founder of Incognito Entertainment, a dedicated development studio also under the SCEA Santa Monica Studios banner. Jaffe is perhaps best known as the co-creator and game director behind the multi-million PlayStation(R) platform franchises Twisted Metal(R) on PS one(R) & PlayStation(R)2 and God of War(R) on PlayStation 2. Campbell, a long-time collaborator with Jaffe and co-creator of the Twisted Metal titles, is currently receiving industry praise for Incognito's PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM))-exclusive online air and ground combat game Warhawk(TM). Additionally, Jaffe and Campbell recently collaborated efforts on Calling All Cars(TM), a popular exclusive downloadable title for PLAYSTATION(R)Network.

In addition to the multi-year, multi-title deal to create titles for the PlayStation family of products, the company will also be creating Twisted Metal(R): Head On for PlayStation 2, which is scheduled to be released this winter. Twisted Metal: Head On will feature lost levels from the never released Twisted Metal: Black(R) Part II and a documentary on the series.

"We are extremely pleased to be working with David and Scott and supporting them in their new endeavor," said Shuhei Yoshida, senior vice president, product development, SCEA. "Through hit after hit, they have established themselves as two of the most talented individuals this industry has ever seen, and I look forward to seeing what kind of further gaming innovation they can bring to the PlayStation brand through our new development deal."

In conjunction with today's news, SCEA confirmed that the core members of the Incognito team responsible for Warhawk will remain within the SCEA Santa Monica Studios fold, headed up by Dylan Jobe, and will continue to produce content for this highly-anticipated title. Jobe, game director for Warhawk, is known for his work on the popular hit titles War of the Monsters(TM) and Twisted Metal: Black(R) for PlayStation 2.
SOURCE Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

[Eaglesfan27]

Here is an interesting article. EA executives say they went with the wrong horse in focusing on the 360 and PS3. They plan on redirecting efforts more towards the Wii:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=169014



EA: 'We were wrong to focus on 360 and PS3'


Friday 27-Jul-2007 10:23 AM Company was "on the wrong horse" focusing primarily on Xbox 360 and PS3, says CEO John Riccitiello


15 Comments

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello admitted today that his company was "on the wrong horse" when it opted to focus primarily on Xbox 360 and PS3 during the console transition period.

Speaking at EA's investor meeting today, Riccitiello, who recently took over Larry Probst's postion as CEO of EA in April, called fiscal 2007 "the toughest year in the company's history."

He added, "[The last transition] was tough because we typically have two to three platforms and a five year period... One of the biggest challenges, of course, was that not a lot of people anticipated the success of Nintendo that they've shown with their wand controller and their Wii.

That got ahead of us a little more than our expectations."

Shares have been languishing around the $50 mark for the past few years.

"Our stock hasn't moved as much as we'd like," Riccitello told one investor during a Q&A. He admitted that EA was on the "wrong horse" by concentrating mainly on the PS3 and Xbox 360 while throwing less resources towards the Wii during the console transition.

Nevertheless, Riccetello said that EA had the second-largest market share on Wii as of March with 19 percent, thanks mainly to Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Only Nintendo had a larger share.

The firm shipped six new Wii titles in fiscal 2007. EA also shipped eight titles on Nintendo DS.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Here is an interesting article. EA executives say they went with the wrong horse in focusing on the 360 and PS3. They plan on redirecting efforts more towards the Wii:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=169014

Kind of a weird statement there. They only have put out 10 games for the PS3, with most of them being late ports from the 360 version. Someone needs to tell them that if they put out crap that wasn't good months before on the 360 and port the crap over to another system which likely has some people that own the 360, it ain't gonna sell under any conditions.

FWIW.....they can't leave the PS3 and 360 consoles on most of their franchises without jeopardizing some of their licencing agreements. Their major franchises will still come out for the 360 and PS3. It's just that the quality may go down or remain neutral because they become less intent on innovating for those games. Some would state that's already occurred.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Sony president says no more price cuts for this year........

http://www.games-digest.com/2007/07/...resident-.html

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Couple of discounted PS3 bundles for those in Canada:

BestBuy Bundle:

60GB ps3 + Motorstorm = $569.00

FutureShop:

Buy a 60GB ps3 for $549.99 and you can get Enchanted Arms for only 1cent.

[Kodos]

No sale!

[twothree]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Another post by Bill Harris concerning the just released June numbers. PS3, PS2, and Wii sales remain steady or slightly increase. 360 sales fall 33% in the first month after quality control issues hit the mainstream press (European sales fall over 40%). Also, note that these numbers are from last month before the price drop on the PS3.

Also, discussion on 3rd party Wii games and Japanese TV claims that Wii is lowering TV viewership.

Interesting totals regarding top 10 sales by console for the month as well (for EF27)

Wii: 4
PS2: 3
360: 3

Insane that the PS2 is still selling a ton of games. I'm sure games will continue to come out for the console as long as games sell. GH: The 80s will likely sell a lot of copies for the PS2 this month.

http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2...plemental.html

I imagine the Wii might one day be lowering the TV viewership in the US also. According to Nielsen the Wii's peak playing time in the summer is 8 PM. Though, it only accounts for about 4% of the consoles being played online.

http://www.nielsen.com/media/pr_070726.html

[Pumpy Tudors]

Hardball was one of my favorite games on the Commodore 64, even though the attributes of the players were set by where they were in the batting order. The leadoff hitter for the All-Stars, no matter who you put there, would always ALWAYS 100% of the time be able to steal second base. It was impossible for the #8 hitter on the Champs to hit a home run. The #2 hitter for the Champs could steal second base most of the time, but not always. When I played as the Champs, I would put pitcher Tommy Euler in the cleanup spot just because I wanted to see a pitcher hit a home run. The cleanup hitters on both teams were the best at home runs.

What's amazing is that I recognized these things back then, and I was only 8 years old. Even more amazing is that I still played the hell out of the game. Can anyone imagine a baseball game coming out in the past 10 or 15 years that was designed that way? It would be a joke.

Uh, yeah, I'm just going off on a Commodore 64 tangent here.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Hardball was one of my favorite games on the Commodore 64, even though the attributes of the players were set by where they were in the batting order. The leadoff hitter for the All-Stars, no matter who you put there, would always ALWAYS 100% of the time be able to steal second base. It was impossible for the #8 hitter on the Champs to hit a home run. The #2 hitter for the Champs could steal second base most of the time, but not always. When I played as the Champs, I would put pitcher Tommy Euler in the cleanup spot just because I wanted to see a pitcher hit a home run. The cleanup hitters on both teams were the best at home runs.

What's amazing is that I recognized these things back then, and I was only 8 years old. Even more amazing is that I still played the hell out of the game. Can anyone imagine a baseball game coming out in the past 10 or 15 years that was designed that way? It would be a joke.

Uh, yeah, I'm just going off on a Commodore 64 tangent here.

Fuck you, McCall.

Sorry, had to get that out.

[MikeVic]

There was a Hardball for the PC that frustrated the hell out of me. I think it was 2 or 3. Roberto Alomar on the Blue Jays had a 5/5 in speed, but sometimes he would run SO SLOW to first base that he would get thrown out on a ball that hit the outfield wall. AT FIRST! I couldn't take it after awhile and stopped playing.

[TazFTW]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

"Max Payne 3" - being developed for PC, PS3 and 360.

Please be true. Loved the first two games.

[gstelmack]

There were two 360 Elites sitting in the case at the Target at Beaver Creek in Apex if anyone in the Triangle was looking for one...

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Of course, Sony has no reason to be overestimating their sales..

Well, and they'd never do anything like use units shipped numbers to compete with others' units sold numbers *crickets chirp*

SI

[Eaglesfan27]

It's a blurry pic, but it looks like the Premium version of the 360 will drop 50 dollars to 349 soon:

hxxp://darkzero.co.uk/v4/games/news/12601

[gstelmack]

3 Elites at the GameStop at Cary Towne Center.

Maybe the shortages are over?

[Kodos]

I saw 6 Wiis at Target last night. First time I have ever seen them anywhere. I was mildly tempted, but I just can't see it being any more than a noveltly console for me.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

3 Elites at the GameStop at Cary Towne Center.

Maybe the shortages are over?

They're so cute when they're naive.

I'm fairly certain that the purpose of the Elite, at least through this Christmas, is to distract people who might otherwise buy a PlayStation 3. Folks who just want a 360 and don't care much about the whole HDMI thing, they're going to buy the Premium SKU anyway.

The Elite, though, there's a very different subset of purchaser who wants that. I get the sense that Microsoft is going to string those people along through Christmas, after which point the shortage will have served its purpose - to blunt the impact of a first "real" Christmas for Sony, and that at THAT point we'll discover that the shortage has magically cleared up.

I mean, it's like this - we've had, in the four months since the SKU was released - something like 30 total Elites in stock at my store. That's not a demand-created shortage, there. That's considerably more artificial than that.