PS3 Move sells nearly 2 million despite a ‘soft launch’
Back in August, Sony revealed that the company was prepping a ‘soft launch’ of the PS3 Move. Many media outlets questioned this move as a stronger push would be recommended to compete against the marketing machine known as Microsoft.
Sony’s VP, Ray Maguire revealed back in August that the company has planned a soft launch for the PS3 Move. The company’s plan is to let word of mouth build up in hopes of providing long legs to the Move.
Peter Dille, SVP of marketing was asked if Sony will outspend Microsoft in marketing the PS3 Move prior to launch. Dille stated that SCEA has allocated only a million dollars on marketing expecting a soft launch for the device and will be relying on viral marketing (Kevin Butler Internet-only ads, YayButtons.com, etc… ) and word of mouth.
Well, the results are in and it looks like the PS3 Move is doing extremely well despite its ‘soft launch.’ According to reports the device has sold nearly 2 million units.
According to Bloomberg, Andrew House, head of SCEE revealed that the PS3 Move sold in excess of 1.5 million across just Europe. According to reports the device moved over 300k in the U.S. which is a bit on the low side compared to Europe but inline with expectations.
House admitted that initial sales have been in excess of Sony’s original plans and will be ramping up production to meet demands.
He stated:
[Move has had] very significant sales in the first month since launch, somewhere in the region of 1.5 million units for the new controller across just Europe. The initial sales response has been so far in excess of our initial plan that we’ll probably be looking at accelerating production.
I’m thinking maybe Sony should have put a bit more marketing dollars behind the Move and also manufactured higher quantities as the demand seems to be there.
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49 Responses to “PS3 Move sells nearly 2 million despite a ‘soft launch’”
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October 16th, 2010
I wonder what they are counting as a “unit” for sales numbers. They did include “units” bundled with the PS3 system and game bundles, but if they are counting each wand controller, PS3 Eye, and sub-controller separately then Sony can have 5x more “unit” sales numbers for each household as compared to Kinect.
October 16th, 2010
those us figures seem awfully low. how can europe sell 5 times as many units? there are only 2 million more ps3 there. maybe units counted in the us were just bundles and starter packs whereas the emeaa counts all units sold separately? japan figures might help clear things up. i guess move games sales will give a better indication of how many individual move setups there are.
October 16th, 2010
Well..They’re definitely not counting Sports Champions + Move in the NPD’s or it would have been in the top 10 easily.
October 16th, 2010
All the PS3 deals I’ve been seeing lately have all been Move included deals.
It’s been that way for a while so if most PS3s in the UK aren’t selling without a Move unit then I suppose with pre-ordering etc its possible.
October 16th, 2010
I admit that I purchased them all and have sent them to be incinerated.
October 16th, 2010
lol gotta laugh at all these excuses…
October 16th, 2010
SW, how could you?! Don’t you know there are starving children in Africa you could have sent them to?
October 16th, 2010
I’m starting to consider starving more fun than motion controls.
October 16th, 2010
They’re going to start handing Move wands out at the laparoscopic surgeon’s office instead of lollipops… because they are “crazy accurate”. Hasbro just struck a deal with Sony for Move Operation:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.05/images/found.jpg
October 16th, 2010
“I admit that I purchased them all and have sent them to be incinerated.”
LMAO.
October 16th, 2010
I’m glad my surgeon didn’t use a move controller.
He wouldn’t have got very far.
October 16th, 2010
SW
Are you serious? Come on it can’t be that bad. I don’t hold a good opinion of Move because it’s not 1 to 1 like Sony said but accepting that it isn’t, is it really that bad that you got rid of it?
October 16th, 2010
Good point Carl B we all know how Sony like to fudge the numbers making it appear more then it really is.
October 17th, 2010
CAD
you’re really that slow?
October 17th, 2010
Not so ‘slow’ as to imagine a perfectly ordinary if disinterested passing comment about the way sales have been bundled lately as to claim that’s an ‘excuse’.
‘Excuse’ about what?
A chunk of PS3 owners want a ‘Wii-like’ experience.
Not really surprising considering how popular Wii has been.
The interesting & amusing bit is going to be watching Kinect beat that number out of sight with a far more expensive peripheral.
Despite all the Pbot preaching about how it’s awful & doesn’t really work.
October 17th, 2010
^
I think the will have to and will eventually have to get some kind of controller in the mix. Just the hand guestures and such, I don’t think that is going to cut it alone. Anyways have a good one, going to watch some movies and play some games! 
Well Happy, the proof will be in the pudding. If Kinect turns out to be a great and fun experience it should continue to sell very well. If it sucks and get’s boring and unfun quicly, I think the sales will drop off. Time will tell very shortly!
October 17th, 2010
Sorry but I never said ‘Happyhockum’, thanks for being a suck up, and while at you keep making lame excuses and whining on a PS3 thread. Hypocrite.
October 17th, 2010
^
Hahahaha, Happy and Roca sitting in a tree……
October 17th, 2010
Roca
Feeble Pbot fanboy BS from you as always.
Unlike how you are with every Xbox thread here I will not be taking up residence in any of the PS3 threads for as long as they last.
October 17th, 2010
The fact is what I said is true, most PS3 deals in the UK right now come with a bug discount for a game and Move.
That’s how they are shifting them.
October 17th, 2010
If Kinect was virtual reality where you strap on a a specialized suit with various rumble motors, 3d glasses, AND the body movement controller THEN it would be innovative!!! In that way gamers can truly be in a game and feel the essence of total body control
.
Other than that Kinect is going to suck…
October 18th, 2010
HH you sound like a fanboy but you ain’t admitted that you are, admit your a fanboy and stop calling everyone else one.
October 18th, 2010
“PS3′s Move Sold ‘Well Below Expectations,’ says Pachter… Yesterday, Sony Computer Entertainment America told us that the PlayStation Move “is performing extremely well at retail,” although the company seemed reluctant to actually provide hard data to back up this statement. After all, if the product is selling so well, why not give us the sales information? In Europe, Sony revealed that Move sold around 1.5 million units. In North America, however, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter believes that Move really did not fare as well as Sony would have liked… The launch of PlayStation Move did not seem to noticeably lift the fortunes of Sony’s PS3 either; Pachter revealed that the PS3 sold 312,000 units in September, which represents a 37% decline year-over-year.”
http://www.industrygamers.com/news/ps3s-move-sold-well-below-expectations-says-pachter/
“Soft” launch or “hard” launch, it seems Move hasn’t met expectations in the largest videogame market.
October 18th, 2010
“with a bug discount for a game and Move.
That’s how they are shifting them.”
That’s the only reason right?
Geeze, you people are too much. That’s like me saying the only reason Kinect is selling is because of the $30 game credit Amazon is giving away with it.
It’ll sell, no need to make excuses for it Fanboy.
“The launch of PlayStation Move did not seem to noticeably lift the fortunes of Sony’s PS3 either; Pachter revealed that the PS3 sold 312,000 units in September, which represents a 37% decline year-over-year.””
Did everyone forget that Last September there was a new model and a $100 mark down?
October 18th, 2010
“That’s like me saying the only reason Kinect is selling is because of the $30 game credit Amazon is giving away with it.”
The difference being it’s not “selling” yet, and has not “sold”.
…”BUT, BUT… KINECT…!” (that’s not even on the market yet) lol
October 18th, 2010
“Did everyone forget that Last September there was a new model and a $100 mark down?”
No, they just realized Move did nothing to increase sales for PS3 a year later.
October 18th, 2010
@Carlb,
So making excuses for it selling well is OK?
Give it up with the technicalities. You’re being ridiculous.
“That’s like me saying the only reason Kinect preorders are selling is because of the $30 game credit Amazon is giving away with it”
Is that better you petty petty man?
And It’s obvious to anyone with a brain that the PS3 would not sell as well the same month a year later after a new model and $100 price drop. They’re just forgetful I guess. Apparently Move has some sort of affect as The PS3 sold 226K last month. In fact it’s month to month increase 39% is higher than it’s year to year decline.
October 18th, 2010
Sony’s expectation must have been very high, Move sold close to 2M units and still didnt meet expectations
Also – -
“Pachter had expected the PS3 to sell 275,000 units during September, but the recent release of the motion-sensing PlayStation Move controller and the August introduction of the 160GB version of the system contributed to the higher-than-estimated sales, he said”
“NPD Group reports that “the three PS3 Move SKU’s residing in the accessories category each made the top 10 in unit sales of accessory items for the month of September.”
HH’s strawman arguement is kind of pathetic..
definitely one of the lamest excuse I’ve ever seen.
October 18th, 2010
Roca
“definitely one of the lamest excuse I’ve ever seen”
It wasn’t an excuse about anything you tedious fanboy moron.
It was merely an example of what is going on in the UK and so explain the big and disproportionate to the USA 1.5 million supposedly ‘sold’ number here in Europe.
Most deals I’ve seen on PS3 right now in the UK is for a freebie game & Move.
h*tp://w*w.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/4-/16740210/Sony-PlayStation-3-PS3-Slim-Console-Bundle-with-320GB-HDD-PlayStation-Move-Starter-Pack-Medal-Of-Honor-/Product.html?P36=RK4FBA&affid=hotukdeals&awc=buyat&_$ja=tsid:11516|prd:hotukdeals
ht*p://w*w.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00422MS8E/ref=nosim/?tag=hotukdeals-21
ht*p://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=501213&affiliate=awin&awinuid=882&affId=47868&WT.mc_id=101915
October 18th, 2010
I’m not debating whether that’s true or not…I’m just pointing out that you using it as an excuse, which is pretty lame..
October 18th, 2010
“So making excuses for it selling well is OK?”
It’s not OK? Give up with the mini-Hitler mentality where only certain things can be discussed if they meet your approval. There are several different reasons for it “selling well”, and there’s nothing wrong with discussing them:
Several different components which can be counted as a “unit sale” separately, system/game bundles, bundles/games justifying another purchase for certain games in it to be played best (archery, the fight, etc.), KB advertising, Subway and other franchise deals, and just plain old Pbots who will eat up anything Sony throws their way even if it doesn’t have any really good games for it.
And yes, a $30 game credit for Kinect on Amazon would help it sell more preorders on Amazon.
Nobody here said there was ONLY one or even two things that helped Move sell.
October 18th, 2010
“Excuse” of what?
Other than giving me a bit of a laugh at the pi44-poor performance I don’t give a flying f*ck either way.
It’s Sony’s expectations in the USA that are said to be disappointed.
….and your own fanboy mentality that is tweaked so badly.
Frankly selling around 2 million – particularly when considering it’s fairly low unit price & the bundling – out of what, 30million+ PS3s (the number less Japan, approx?) has got to be considered absolute cr@p.
October 18th, 2010
“pi44-poor”
you really know how to fet your point across.
At the middle school level.
do you expect Kinect to sell over 2M in its first 2 months? so far 3 local gamestop around my area have less than 9 reservation for Kinect… Halo Reach had at least (minimum) 300 and the game managed to sell a little over 3 million on its first month – Kinect is nowhere was big or as popular (and definitely not as cheap) as Halo.
Again, you using the ‘deals’ as a excuse…pretty lame Happy, you better get some new materials to work with..
October 18th, 2010
Carlb said:
“Nobody here said there was ONLY one or even two things that helped Move sell.”
Happy said:
“The fact is what I said is true, most PS3 deals in the UK right now come with a bug discount for a game and Move.
That’s how they are shifting them.”
October 18th, 2010
Move has sold 2 million in a month. That’s absolute crap?
October 18th, 2010
phranctoast
I already posted the links, 3 of the big retailers here & everyone of them doing deals right now with discounted game & Move (in fact 320gb PS3s with game & Move for a couple of £ more than the bare PS3 250gb).
Are you telling me that’s not likely to be haiving an effect on the sales tally?
I did not say it was the only thing helping Move sell – they’re also discounting the Move kit itself in several outlets.
I’ll post links for that too if you need it.
October 18th, 2010
phranctoast
“Move has sold 2 million in a month. That’s absolute crap?”
In all of Europe and the USA?
I’d say so.
I expect Kinect will beat that.
October 18th, 2010
And swiftly Kinect will be returned like there’s no tomorrow
October 18th, 2010
excuses and more excues <- lame
nice to you avoiding my question.
October 19th, 2010
“I did not say it was the only thing helping Move sell ”
Happy said:
“The fact is what I said is true, most PS3 deals in the UK right now come with a bug discount for a game and Move.
********That’s how they are shifting them.”***********
You’re making up excuses as to why it’s selling well. It can’t be based off of any merit of the product, it’s because they’re giving shit away. Don’t backpedal. If you want to say something, say it, but when called on it, act as if you never said it. I fuckin’ quoted you.
and Carlb.
You have no idea but speculation as to how they count unit sales. Just like any of us do.
anyway.
EyeToy was very popular in Europe. Maybe those people remember that Sony was the first to do motion control and are jumping back in with their new product.
October 19th, 2010
CarlB, you trading son of a bitch!
October 19th, 2010
“You have no idea but speculation as to how they count unit sales.”
Yeah. SKU’s are just pointless.
“Maybe those people remember that Sony was the first to do motion control and are jumping back in with their new product.”
Nah, they are just more uninhibited, and a vibrating glow stick (“with buttons!”) is more conducive to that nature.
October 19th, 2010
TFoS, sorry, gotta make money somehow. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.
October 19th, 2010
“Yeah. SKU’s are just pointless. ”
If you knew you wouldn’t be ‘wondering’
October 19th, 2010
You’re right. No need to wonder when it already says “EXTREMELY WELL” lol.
October 19th, 2010
The Future of Sega
“And swiftly Kinect will be returned like there’s no tomorrow”
Well if that’s true then TFoS Kinect will ‘live’ for about 4mths tops.
Somehow I think it’s going to do much better than that.
Here in the UK our big outlets have a 10 – 16 day no quibble return policy.
So if Kinect really is as bad as you guys claim it’s going to be all over very quickly.
Bet it’s not tho.
October 20th, 2010
It will last a lil longer than 10-16 days..We can agree on that
October 21st, 2010
“TFoS, sorry, gotta make money somehow. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
LOL.
October 21st, 2010
HappyHockum,
Yes mam.