Would it do Sony longterm good if the PS3 came last this gen?
The PS3 is currently in last place of the three home consoles in terms of sales. Second place is looking unlikely because of the stranglehold the Xbox 360 has in the U.S., and the Wii probably, unfortunately, has first place tied up. But could coming last this gen actually be the best thing to happen to Sony in the longterm?
Sony, fresh from winning two console generations in a row, is losing this one rather badly. The PS3 usually comes last of the three current-generation home consoles in monthly sales, the PSP is being slaughtered by the DS, and the PS2, well that’s nearing retirement and is just about hanging on in there as a cheap starter console.
Contrary to what most regulars on this site may think, I’m not a Sony fanboy. A fan, sure, but not a fanboy. I don’t care what console a game is released on – if it’s good it’s good. Which is why I’m really not too bothered what order the consoles come in. I find it interesting but not that important.
However, an article on Hip Hop Gamer Show about the console wars and why it may actually be a good thing for Sony to lose this time around struck a chord with me. In essence, the article puts forward the idea that by losing this gen, Sony would then have to buck up its ideas for next time; lose the ego, stop relying on the Playstation brand, and actually deliver a console which lives up to the name.
It’s true that Sony entered this console war on the back of two successive victories and fully expecting another one to come easily and quickly. Unfortunately for Sony, Microsoft has managed to build on the success of the first Xbox while Nintendo came out of nowhere to unleash the casual gaming behemoth that is the Wii onto an unsuspecting industry.
I like to see all good consoles do well, and I think all three current-gen consoles are decent enough to warrant the sales that have already come their way. However, a pasting for the PS3 could be just what Sony needs to get back on track and focused about what is important. No-one likes it when one company dominates an industry so maybe it’s time for Nintendo and Microsoft to shine in order that Sony comes back bigger and bolder the next time round.
Related Posts:
43 Responses to “Would it do Sony longterm good if the PS3 came last this gen?”
Leave a Reply:
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!
April 24th, 2009
tell me this was just for CON, Dave.
hes going to be delighted with another SONY post
April 24th, 2009
Sony needed a fat dose of humility. They got it.
Here’s hoping that the dose & cycling out of some of the old guard, makes them produce a leaner gaming machine.
April 24th, 2009
Bigmickyd – yep, just for CON lol.
What can I say? I go where the news is and at the moment it seems to be mainly Sony and PS3-related.
April 24th, 2009
Ivans not going to like this one.
April 24th, 2009
way i see it, sony only really have 12-18 months left, play there remaining big cards, be it price cut, big bundles and there big games, and if it hasn’t turned the tide, then well, time to pull the plug, and thats with me only having a ps3 and wii after selling the 360 years ago
April 24th, 2009
“a pasting for the PS3 could be just what Sony needs to get back on track and focused about what is important.”
Well, they already seem to have had this and reacted appropriately at least in some ways in listening to what their customers want and making it happen on PS3 (i.e. achievements, chat, price drops, improvement in PSN and playstation store, software library, exclusive titles, firmware upgrades, etc.). I personally hope the trend continues towards that $250 price point and full bc being put back in. (Before God of War III please?)
April 24th, 2009
bigmickyd,
Sony has already sold more than enough PS3’s to remain healthy throughout this gen, so there is no reason to “pull the plug” even if they have not turned the tide in a year and a half. The few AAA exclusive titles it does have (in comparison to multiplatform titles) and will continue to get in the future will only serve to build it’s reputation in the gamer community. Combine this with it’s hardware reliability in comparison to 360 and it will have a winning formula for next gen even if they do come in last in sales this gen. But really, what is the worst they could do in sales at this point for the rest of this gen? A conservative guess for the worst scenario in sales if they stay in the market for the 10 years promised would still put them at 40 million. A median guess would be about 60 million in consoles. And if they maintained present sales at 10 million per year on average, they would be at 100 million at the end of the ten year cycle. If they do somehow manage to turn the tide in 10 years (still a good possibility), they could have as many as 150 million consoles out on the market. Even the worst of these scenarios shows PS3 with a very bright future.
April 24th, 2009
This is the kick in the balls Sony needed.
Ken’s comments when it first came out were pretty off putting, e.g when somebody questioned him in regards to the PS3 being too expensive for some people, he replied with ‘They should get better jobs’. That just reeked of arrogance.
April 24th, 2009
To CarlB: Agreed
April 24th, 2009
Arrogance sucks ………. Being soundly smashed will be good medicine. I don’t see them as down and out though. Gamecube was pathetic, then nintendo released a console that beat them all.
The ps3 won’t be a first place getter, but will do enough.
April 24th, 2009
What do you mean “if the PS3 came last this gen”?
It has.
It stands zero chance of changing that now as it turns in 3rd place month after month after month.
April 24th, 2009
it’s a joke. sony will more than likely continue to lose money on the ps3 until the end of this gen, at which time the next console (ps4) will be ready for release which will put them deeper into the hole per unit. i don’t know how anyone can try to spin going from first place to last place in one gen as a good thing.
carlb- your math is very fuzzy. what you’re not saying is that the ps3 has sold and continues to sell at a huge loss. you also forgot to mention the ps3 has fallen in year over year sales, yet your math has them gaining in the future. based on what? actual performace shows a different story. the reality is; sony blew it, and they may not release a new console. 4 billion dollars lost in less than a year by sony due DIRECTLY to the ps3.
Stringer will not allow another fiasco like this. they simply can’t afford it. they’re not MS afterall…..
April 24th, 2009
Next gen it gets worse for Sony than that kev.
From the tales knocking around they aren’t going to have a proper next next gen console anyways.
Think PS3.5 and you’re much closer to the truth.
After the enormous financial disaster that PS3 & Blu-ray has been they simply can’t afford a ‘proper’ generation jump next time.
(but undoubtedly the fanboy crew will believe any old PR sh*te about it if it has the Cell in it)
April 24th, 2009
@CarlB
Agreed with your statement as worst case, which is actually not bad at all..
Happyhockum
imagine the 720s RROD/E74s!! ROFL…
April 24th, 2009
@Happy:
“After the enormous financial disaster that PS3 & Blu-ray has been they simply can’t afford a ‘proper’ generation jump next time.”
LOL you talk like the PS3 is Sony’s only product.
Get a life bud. Sony is huge and is not loosing in every section of the company.
You think MS is making money on every investment? Get real.
I just got a Sony TV, Stereo and Bluray and could not be happier with it.
I don’t think everyone has upgraded to this gen yet.
There are still Tons of PS2 users out there waiting for a price drop and maybe backwards compatibility.
I’m sure a lot of them got Wii’s but I don’t think this gen is done yet.
I’m not a fanboy because I like MS software and I am a .Net developer.
I just think the PS3 is more reliable then the Xbox. I wish the PS3 had as many FPS as the 360 but oh well.
I will borrow my brothers 360 if I get the urge to play them.
Also I have a nice PC to play most of them.
It’s not over until the fat lady sings.
April 24th, 2009
Only the most rabid fanboi (ivan) would argue that Sony’s high tech gamble paid off as they had hoped. I don’t want the ps4 to take 2 years for the game devs to spool up consistent AAA releasaes. Expanding the Cell architecture, as opposed to a scorched earth approach to the PS4, would be best for everyone involved.
It can still be next gen, without being a conundrum wrapped in a riddle deep fried in future tech. But I am sure some Xbots will argue that expanding the cell is akin to a 3.5 (they already have), and completely ignore the fact that even at release, the 360 was technically old tech PC parts. The next one will be as well. That isn’t a bad thing at all, just the way it is.
April 24th, 2009
THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING.
THE END IS NIGH.
Some here can put forward good discussion points (harry & Carl) then in come the xbot armageddoners Kev and HH.
The ps3 (and 360) aint going nowhere guys. The only people you are convincing are yourselves.
April 24th, 2009
ncaissie:
“LOL you talk like the PS3 is Sony’s only product.”
No, I’m talking like the Sony group (overall) just posted it’s first whole group loss in 14yrs.
Perhaps you haven’t heard?
That idea that there’s a vast well of PS2 owners just itching to flock to the (aging) PS3 is getting old.
There may be some but if you’re really expecting a torrent of users checking in any time soon you’re just kidding yourself.
…..and blu-ray’s a bust.
An interesting and enjoyable high def diversion for those of us who love movies and are prepared to go high-end on our a/v kit.
But let’s face it, most aren’t.
It’s never going to be as big as DVD and already it’s too late and the next big thing will be along shortly.
JofaMang:
“and completely ignore the fact that even at release, the 360 was technically old tech PC parts”.
My friend I have been saying for months that the PS3’s Nvidia 7800GS GPU is just as ancient and out-dated as the Xboxes ATi1900.
Spideydog:
“THE SKY IS FALLING”
Naaa, just enjoying the spectacle of it all blowing up in Sony’s face and the squirming & excuses of their faithfully devoted.
The next gen started when they said so, remember?
*guffaw*
April 24th, 2009
spidey – spoken like a true fanboy. I say sony “may” not release a new console but here you are, with your future glasses, claiming they aren’t going anywhere. The fact is the gaming industry is littered with consoles that fell by the wayside. Magnavox, Atari, Vectrex, etc, etc, etc… Sony is not as omnipotent as you and Ivan like to believe. Sony thought they were omnipotent too, until the ps3 launched. You really need to learn the difference between faith and reality. The reality says sony posted losses for the first time in a looooooong time, that were directly contributed to the ps3 poor business model. The reality says it’s falling in year over year sales. The sales benchmark that sony liked to use to tout their “success” when they were gaining on year over year sales. So, if that could be used as a measure of “success” according to sony, you and the other blithering fanboys, it should be used to measure the ps3’s failure when they fall. Their most touted “console sellers” (MGS4, LBP, KILLZONE) failed to sell many significant numbers of consoles. So, that plan fell flat too. Bluray players are now much cheaper than the ps3, removing the “budget bluray player” supposed-sales benefit. Strike three…. Or four….doesn’t matter; the batters out…. Oh well, sony did it to themselves with arrogance, greed, and complete loss of touch with their customers desire for affordable, fun gaming. I do agree they have many different lines of business to lean on (flat panels, home electronics, etc), but the playstation was kept around b/c it was sony’s cash cow. Now? Not so much. To cut dead weight is always a tough decision, but one that’s made everyday. Sony’s cut a lot of their devices from the market. Will the playstation name follow? It’s always possible.
To think sony is somehow immune to the market is insane, but not surprising coming from fanboys such as yourself and Ivan.
April 24th, 2009
@HH
My point wasn’t to compare the hardware between competing consoles, but between a companies generational efforts.
The cell was new and strange, and was put on an architecture that was new and strange, regardless of the GPU. The 360 is based entirely on existing PC architecture. Sony would be stupid to rebuild the next PS from the ground up in a similar way that they did the PS3.
April 24th, 2009
JofaMang
Well if we’re speculating…..
I suspect Sony will have neither the money nor the inclination to go out on a limb with the PS4.
I suspect my remark about a PS3.5 is closer to the truth, all joking aside.
I fully expect them to stick to Cell (despite, IIRC, them selling their interests in it to Toshiba & IBM) if only out of their usual pigheadedness where any rationalisation that retreats from what went before would be seen as an admission of failure.
Meanwhile the PC world will carry on & be shortly going beyond 4 core.
It’s always a bit ‘chicken and egg’ but tbh I’ve yet to see much that honestly makes full use of 4 cores nevermind 8 or 12.
Video editing is about as close as it gets from what I’ve seen (and undoubtedly some ‘pure maths’ stuff in research) but at the consumer end? Nothing yet.
I expect the next Xbox to be based on something like the (already cheap) Q6600 or maybe they’ll go and push the boat out a bit & go for the 1366MHz speed version.
Something like that.
Sony can plough their own furrow as far as I’m concerned. it just makes their life harder for themselves because no-one has joined in shifting tech that way in the wider world.
That too would increase the chances of a PS3.5 cos the last thing they need is to pi$$ off the devs even more by making life harder again with another round of their proprietary nonsense.
They keep on trying to capture the entire market and ring-fence it with that sort of stunt.
It’s going very badly for them and the sooner they pack it in the better for all concerned.
April 24th, 2009
I was about to start speculating, but I thought better of it
April 24th, 2009
Sony did say they were making the PS4 and that it would be based on the architecture that is already in place. Basically I’m saying that the machine will not be as expensive to produce as the cost would have come down after 10 years. Like you said Happy, Sony 3.5. It will be the same console with updated parts. So really I do believe Sony will be in a better position for the next gen.
April 24th, 2009
@kev,
“carlb- your math is very fuzzy. what you’re not saying is that the ps3 has sold and continues to sell at a huge loss.”
Sorry, but I do not know… how much are they losing per console sold now Kev?
If you would notice, I preceded the “math” with the word “guess”. But I would say it is reasonable to say they could have at least as many sales as they do now over the next 7 years.
“you also forgot to mention the ps3 has fallen in year over year sales, yet your math has them gaining in the future. based on what?”
Actually I have mentioned this before, and wii has also fallen in year over year sales. Microsoft also posted a loss in their gaming division year over year profits. Does this mean either company will dry up and pull all support for their respective consoles anytime soon? It is possible, but IMHO not probable.
Three things to consider right now:
1. Economic climate
2. Sony has yet to pull PS2 from the market and still has PSP. If they had to they could pull both and focus on PS3 alone.
3. Manufacturing cost over the next 7 years will most likely continue to decrease significantly, as it has for Blu-ray.
4. PS3 has already sold over 20 million units, more than enough to maintain momentum. None of the companies final console iterations (before leaving the market) have reached that number (Odyssey 2, Jaguar, Vectrex,”etc, etc, etc…”).
20 million more consoles in the next 7 years does not have them “gaining” in sales, but rather declining in sales.
“the reality is; sony blew it, and they may not release a new console.”
No more than Microsoft did, and they are both losing a ton of money from their mistakes. I’m open to the possibility that any or all of the major three may not realease a new console next gen, and I do believe that none of them are immune to failure.
Then again, we do not know what the future will bring and how fast technology will advance (I’m guessing… faster). We may finally see that universal console, or something even more different than our traditional paradigm has led us to believe will come about.
April 24th, 2009
Sorry Kev… the above should read: “None of the companies (you mentioned above) final console iterations”
April 24th, 2009
“Sony 3.5. It will be the same console with updated parts.”
The whole ‘3.5′ is kinda silly. Of course it will be the same tech just as the 360 uses common (if not modified) PC components.
We going to call it the 720-pc?
Who cares.
April 24th, 2009
*We going to call the next xbox the 720-pc?
April 24th, 2009
Quote: “Sony did say they were making the PS4 and that it would be based on the architecture that is already in place. Basically I’m saying that the machine will not be as expensive to produce as the cost would have come down after 10 years. Like you said Happy, Sony 3.5. It will be the same console with updated parts. So really I do believe Sony will be in a better position for the next gen.”
Isn’t the wii a revved up version of the gamecube ??
April 25th, 2009
Are you still crying Kev…… ohhh I’m a fanboy …. The same old IVkevAN dribble, I didn’t even read past you first sentence after seeing the usual “fanboy” tone. You need to some new material, it’s getting very dry.
The only one of use that has BOTH consoles and I’m the fanboy ….. The only one out of both us to say positive things about both consoles and you have the gall to call me a fanboy …..lol You really are pathetic m8.
Ok “Alter Ego Ivan” (thats you kev) I give in, I am a fanboy. I hate my 360 that much, I’m gonna throw it in the trash, not before smashing it to smitherines. You FOOL….
Whether you like it or not, the ps3 has done enough to stay. It is not going anywhere soon. So go cry me a river somewhere else.
Common kev, give me witty reply, I look forward to a laugh, how bout telling us all that only you now the “business”. That always gives us a laugh.
love and kisses …… “ps3 fanboy spidey”
April 25th, 2009
Sorry for the 3 posts
But I had to say – well said Carl. Obviously a well thought out and unbiased post.
April 25th, 2009
Thanks Spideydog… did I every tell you Tim Curry freaked me out as Pennywise? That icon still gives me the creeps…
April 25th, 2009
Yeah I love it. He is my fellow red haired friend. He is a freaky bastard
April 25th, 2009
I see It still hasn’t gotten any HD love… maybe someday?
April 25th, 2009
Now there’s an Idea !!!!
April 25th, 2009
The XBOX 360 has a three core PowerPC processor, in what way is this PC technology? The first xbox used PC parts and in some ways it was superior to the cheap crap they use in the 360 and PS3.
“Each core of the CPU is simultaneous multithreading capable and clocked at 3.2GHz. However, to reduce CPU die size, complexity, cost, and power demands, the processor uses in-order execution in contrast to the Intel Coppermine128-based Pentium III used in Xbox which used more advanced out-of-order execution.”
April 25th, 2009
I think you missed the point. The point was, its retarded to say ‘omg the next ps3 is ps3.5′ because it uses similar hardware.
Of course its going to, you don’t spend billions of dollars to not milk every $ you can back from it.
And yes the 360 uses a powerPC processor which I *believe* started out as a PC processor a looong time ago (before intel came along i ’spose), but indeed is used more for servers and such these days.
April 25th, 2009
@ me_
Since when were multi-core CPUs alien to Intel and the PC?
Intel sell 2, 3, 4 and (very soon a) 6 core CPUs and there’s an 8 core Penryn in the works.
Just cos Xbox got a 3 core first doesn’t mean it’s hugely different to their PC CPUs.
@ SW
I don’t think anyone is say ‘OMG…..’ I think we’re just poking a bit of fun at those who claim the PS3 at al to be right out there on the cutting edge.
It isn’t particularly, maybe in 2006 when Cell looked an interesting option but hardly now in 2009 where it’s obvious Cell is a dead-end (except in certain IBM or, ironically, Toshiba products).
PS4 is highly likely to be a mere reheat of the PS3 (especially after the success of the Wii and Sony’s financial problems) in the same was as Wii is to Gamecube.
Nothing wrong with that and it might mean they make somne money so much sooner.
But it does make all that ‘the PS3 is so incredibly advanced’ BS so much the funnier.
Want a bet that the next Xbox is based on a quad core CPU or better?
April 25th, 2009
Oops
It’s AMD that sell the 3 core.
April 25th, 2009
8.24 trillion cores is my estimate, each of those cores will contain 6.2million and a half(important!) cores within them. It shall be powered by the gravity well generated by a neutron star & brainwave controlled by your cat (you have to move its legs).
As long as someone keeps making ‘hardcore’ games (i.e, you use more than 1 button or the shaking of you wrist) then I’m fine and dandy…
April 26th, 2009
I wake up pitching a tent after dreaming of Tim Curry as Dr Frankenfurter.
April 26th, 2009
You a basque, sussys & stockings fan too harry?
(cue another, er, ‘adult’ themed tag?)
April 28th, 2009
Harry, it always goes back to genitalia with you…
-Arvis
April 30th, 2009
spidey – so you ignore the points and facts and attack the poster….again….
*sigh* at least you’re consistent…a consistent fanboy….