Sony claims PS3 matching sales expectations - Confirms 10-year lifespan
By Dave Parrack
There was me thinking the Playstation 3 had failed to succeed in the sales department since it was launched at the end of 2006. It’s being roundly beaten every month by the Nintendo DS and Wii, and is way behind the Xbox 36 in terms of lifetime sales, shifting about half the amount of the Microsoft console. But apparently, Sony is happy with this.
There are signs that the PS3 is picking up in terms of sales, with the official US NPD hardware numbers for June showing it in third place, massively ahead of the Xbox 360. But that could of course just be due to the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, a game that was always destined to shift units. Overall though, the Playstation 3 has failed to live up to the considerable hype it received before it was released, both in terms of sales, and performance.
According to Sony Computer Entertainment Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai, speaking in an interview with Reuters during the recent E3 2008, the company is happy with the console’s performance so far. In fact, the sales for 2008 have so far been matching Sony’s expectations. He said:
Weekly sales have steadily been clearing our expectations since the start of the year. We now have a strong line-up of software.
We need to focus on boosting the appeal of the PS3’s interactive entertainment world by new services and content. That should help drive the console sales in the coming years.
Certainly, the games line-up has improved considerably over the past year or so, and there are still many exclusives on the way. But are the games good enough to help push the PS3 beyond the sales of the Xbox 360, and in to the territory of the Wii? I’d have to say no at this point. Which is why Sony is also trying to make the Playstation 3 an entertainment hub for people’s living rooms. To that end, there is the long-awaited Home on the way, as well as movie download services, and the already present advantage of having a Blu-ray player built-in.
Even with all of that going for it, the PS3 is still struggling to tempt current PS2 owners to upgrade, and to stick with Sony. Hirai is in no rush though, as he once again reiterated the company’s strategy of giving the PS3 a 10-year lifespan.
The PS3 is designed to be a product with a 10-year life cycle, while other companies’ products tend to disappear in four, five years (after launch).
The PS2 has sold more than 130 million units in nine years and is still going strong. Where is Xbox now, or GameCube?
The problem I see is that the 10-year lifespan doesn’t mean the PS3 is going to be the leading format for that long, with Sony sure to release a new console well before the 10 years is up, in the same way it released the PS3 well ahead of the time the PS2 is expected to die a death.
Sony, and Hirai may not see the current sales trend as a problem, but unless last month’s figures carry on, and help build a momentum, it could be that the PS3 universally fails to get anywhere close to the sort of success Sony had with the PS2. And that would spell disaster for a console which needs to sell in large numbers for the company to see any kind of profit.
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July 20th, 2008
I pointed out today to a friend that it is only the PS3’s second year on the market. I would be very interested to see how the xbox 360’s total sales would’ve been at this point in time. Then, and only then, can you compare I think.
And I wouldn’t worry anyway. I bought the ps3 hoping it would be focused on for a long time, and I don’t think Sony is going to go back on its word with the ten year cycle.
July 20th, 2008
No, because Sony NEVER go back on their word….
July 20th, 2008
did i say that?
Of course Sony go back on their word. What I meant was (and stated) that they would not end the PS3’s lifetime early. Whether that means bringing out the PS4 after 7 or 8 years, thats fine, much like their doing with the PS2 now.
Atleast I will still have a console to play on with new games. Unlike the original xbox…
July 20th, 2008
when microsoft launch the xbox 720, or whatever crappy name they put on it, next year and kill the xbox360 as they did with the xbox
they will have released 3 consoles in less than a decade, in fact in less than 8 years, claiming a “first” in console history and saying it was a “good” thing
sadly, they are wrong, thats bad and i hope those new consoles last at least 1 year of use
July 20th, 2008
Dear writer of this crappy article. You are clearly an idiot. Compare the monthly sales numbers and the total sales numbers of the 2 consoles at the same point in their lifespan so far and you’ll see that the PS3 has outsold the XBox handily in both categories.
This article is the perfect example of why the Internet is going to be the eventual downfall of society. It enables any schmuck with a computer and an opinion to write whatever they want regardless of the truth. We’re all doomed.
July 20th, 2008
Why make much unfounded coments? Nothing has been said about the release of a new Microsoft console. I’d say it would be more like three years until anything is available - giving 5 to 6 years from release, which is a fairly normal generation cycle.
Anyway, before they start thinking about their next console, they should really work on getting the failure rates of the 360 down.
July 20th, 2008
NEWSFLASH!
Sony has really low expectations… like a woman marrying a Republican…
come on Sony… cook up some good AAA games in your bazillion games studios… we need something other than Metal Gear to gloat about…
maybe you guys can kidnap Shigeru and that Ninja Gaiden creator and force them to make a good game…
itll be… PSTHREE fit… with a balancing board and extra sensitive boob physics
July 21st, 2008
dwh
Do us all a favour and keep ur lame jokes to yourself.
July 21st, 2008
DWH
Just to let you know, the creator of Ninja Gaiden hates the PS3 and Sigma was done by another studio not him. He never wanted it to come to the PS3.
July 21st, 2008
Ninja gaiden, or heavenly sword…. Heavenly sword any day. I say this not because Ninja gaiden 2 went to 360 as exclusive ( i bought heavenly sword before the sequal, which was then a ps3 exclusive) because its graphics are far superior, story line is fantastic and gameplay is good.
July 21st, 2008
sony will say anything at this point to try to wash the egg off their faces from their failed sales promises. right sony…the ps3 is right on track…lmao…
July 21st, 2008
Bourne
Heavenly sword is easy and the AI is lacking. You got tons of enemies and their all sitting around wait for a turn like a Kung-Fu Movie. Sorry Bourne but Ninja Gaiden is for the Hard core because the Ai is impecable and unforgiven. Noobs will get destroyed when they play Ninja Gaiden, you have to come ready to fight. Heavenly sword is not in any way a comparison to Ninja Gaiden 2. It shows your lack of knowledge for even bringing it up.
July 21st, 2008
CAD - i agree. ng is waaaay hard.. like, controller-throwing, hard. beautiful game tho…
July 21st, 2008
Ninja gaiden is aimed at people like you CAD, 360 fanboys who still think that Star trek is cool. As i said before, Heavenly sword is lacking in a lot of areas, but one thing it does excel in is graphics and story line, which can’t be changed once a game is released. The 2 things you said were weak points can easily be rectified in the 2nd and third installment of the line. We don’t always want hardcore games and get “pwned” like “n00bs”. For me Heavenly sword gets my attention due to the fantastic storyline. Instead of creating a story line around action, they’ve created action around the story line which works so well.
July 22nd, 2008
bourne - got it. the game can suck as long as you think it has a good story. that clears up a lot about your opinion of ps3 games…
July 22nd, 2008
Kev - You misunderstood me yet again.
The Game is great because even though there were many weak points the story made me want to play on more and itch for a sequal. You 360 fans wouldnt know about good storylines. As long as you can have another fps with a few guns and explosions, you’re fine.
July 22nd, 2008
Yeah because Mass Effect had a really shit story, oh and so did Lost Odyssey.
Now Haze, there’s a storytelling masterpiece!!! The guy who wrote the dialogue should stop wasting his time in video games and move to motion pictures. I am sure Ang Lee would love to direct something that he wrote.
July 22nd, 2008
bourne - a “great game” with “many weak points”… kinda contradicting yourself don’t you think? oh well..with you, it’s a profession.
many 360 games had great stories. if you owned one, you would know. but you don’t, so you don’t.
July 22nd, 2008
Please elaborate Kev? I hope your not using multi platform games.
I don’t think i was contradicting myself, just making an informed decision. You see most ps3 fans can see the weak points with the PS3 and simply accept it, but for some reason you guys shut your eyes, put your fingers in your ears and pretend it doesn’t exist.
July 22nd, 2008
bourne - easy…a game with “many weak points” is NOT a “great game”. a great game has little to no “weak points”. it appears as tho you ps3 fans will say anything at this point to make the weak ps3 library seem less mediocre. even at the risk of contradicting yourself.
July 22nd, 2008
As i said if it doesnt have guns or guys named with silly names trying to imitate Sony exclusives ( aka Masterchief LOL crap name) then you xbots aren’t happy. But us PS3 owners enjoy all types of games. Every game has its flaws Kev, don’t pretend that any game ever made was perfect.
Im still waiting for a 360 EXCLUSIVE title with a good story.
July 22nd, 2008
bourne - nice job, noob. Master Chief is a rank, not a name… nice self ownage… go hang you head in shame. lmao..
July 22nd, 2008
I’m glad i showed im in the Sony camp then. As for you, you still haven’t managed to tell me a 360 exclusive with a good story line.
July 22nd, 2008
bourne- no, i showed you know NOTHING of the stories on 360 games. let’s save some time and cut to the end. i give you a great story of a 360 game and you say “it doesn’t matter to me”… then again, it shouldn’t becuase you don’t own a 360.
July 22nd, 2008
Bourne,
Mass Effect. The story’s certainly not up there with MGS or anything, but it’s still great.
Then again, it IS on the PC…
-Arvis
July 22nd, 2008
well by your logic then Kev, don’t comment on any articles which relate to PS3 as they “don’t matter” to you. As if to prove my point, this is a PS3 orientated article which you’ve got involved with.
July 22nd, 2008
Losy Odyssey…. fantastic story, massive ending.
July 23rd, 2008
Heavenly sword over Ninja Gaiden ANYDAY. Heavenly sword owns all.
Well, no it doesn’t at all, but still I hope you can sense how much I loved the game lol.
and bourne, you get it right again. Kev seems to think that because we own a PS3, god forbid we ever say anything negative about it. I mean, thats just plain wrong!!
July 23rd, 2008
bourne - the only “logic” i was getting at is that you know NOTHING of 360 game stories yet feel justified in saying they have poor ones. just shining a light on MORE of your silliness… heck, you couldn’t even get Halo’s character’s name right…
July 23rd, 2008
Bourne is just a $ony fanboy. Problem is that he doesn’t admit to it.
July 23rd, 2008
harry- I admire your determination to write Sony with a dollar sign, but its not gonna catch on mate, it will always be M$. If you stop doing it now, I’m sure people won’t laugh at you
Why you using the fact that Bourne doesn’t know Halo’s main characters name against him? Surely thats a good thing right?
I mean it shows Bourne has an IQ higher than 50 and that Bourne doesn’t play piles of over-rated shit
July 23rd, 2008
robb - butt out. you haven’t been involved with the conversation and are taking what’s been said out of context. begone, troll…
July 23rd, 2008
“Can’t we all just get along”
July 25th, 2008
yes i am a troll.
and im very sorry kev, i never realised that this was a prive conversation between you and whoever you decide. next time i come here i will speak ONLY when you request of me.
prick