Playstation 3 released today in the UK

http://www.smashmyps3.com/

Isn't the PS2 still outselling the PS3 in America?

I think everything is outselling the PS3 at the moment.

Even the SNES!

The 2 game shops I popped into today were empty. I would have thought there'd be at least a few ppl around, considering it's PS3 launch day in the UK. :/

And, no demo units to be seen. Bit odd.

Despite all the bashing i'm pretty sure the ps3 will go it's way...

Yeah I think it'll be a successful console sooner or later. Once the price drops a bit.

They had a PS3 running in Blockbuster yesterday and people were playing on it.

Some racing game or other. Looked quite good. Didn't look £425 better than anything already available on PS2 though.

Of course, if that fails, you can always start giving away 46" HDTVs.

So, did anyone get one of those?

nope,but may think about it when Sony realise people dont crap money and bring the price down to a more realistic level.

Hmmm - I heard Sony were phasing out their LCD TV manufacturing line - perhaps they're just getting rid of the tail end of their stock :D

:)

I went into both my local Woolworths and Blockbusters today neither of which have any of the new consoles at launch normally but they had some, rather a lot actaully, PS3s lying around. Some other game shops I ventured into were all extremely quite as well for a console launch day.

Jason.

The PS3 will do fine. I predict the turnaround will occur sometime before Christmas 2007.

As More people in the US get HDTV's and want to watch HD movies on them, the PS3 will begin to gain a little traction. I do realize MS has an HD solution as well. Blu-Ray is pretty good technology and might do OK.

PS3 really needs a killer-app, desperately!. I don't think Sony is going to let PS3 die without creating/buying one.

that said. I love my Wii and I, personally do not have any plans to get a PS3...at all

So.... how long till Sony drops the price 4 or 7 months - my bets 7, just before christmas.

I'm going to stick to my usual claim: the PS3 will end up significantly outselling both the Xbox360 and the Wii.

Well I meant the free TV, but okay.

It all depends on the games, at the moment there's a pretty even playing field. A handful of great games on the 360.

A novel controller for Wii that hasn't really shown its full potential yet.

And a new but expensive system from Sony which has a bit of a struggle playing catchup, but they have the brand recognition that the others havent managed to tackle yet.

The PS2 is still outselling all 'this gen' consoles everywhere in the world.


To be expected, considering everything else has been sold in Europe since day 1.


The biggest difference between PS3 and... everything else, is that PS3 is the only 'this gen' tech to be in it for the long run.


Yes it has. It's not a $1000 wonder stick. It's a simple novelty act along the lines of Singstar, EyeToy or Buzz.


Brand recognition is absolutely useless until they get their bloody emulator up to scratch, imo.

Is there any truth ot the rumour that stateside PS3's run PS2 games, however Europe PS3's won't?

yep, they took out the hardware that ran ps2 games and are doing it through software now making less games compatable for now.

.. which will also make them more compatible in the log run.

Just been out shopping in Birmingham, UK, and every single shop (GAME, HMV, Virgin, Woolworths) seemed to still have PS3 boxes available, and very little interest being shown in the PS3 / Blu-Ray displays...

Heh, just been into my local GAME - they have a big sign outside saying "New PS3 stock now in!". WTF? :P

I'm pretty sure the PS3 will be a success eventually, but it's nascent troubles do make me chuckle.

I don't get it.

People bitchslap Sony when they release a console and don't ship enough units to meet demand.

They get the same when they DO ship enough units to fulfil pre-orders and still leave boxes on shelves.

big10p: You going on IRC anytime soon?

They are commenting on the minimal demand not the ample supply.

Sure. If you don't count the Wii as being a 'this gen' console.

Woops. OK then, exclude the US.


No. What actually happenned is that the initial launch (US/JAP) PS3s 'emulate' PS2s by using the original hardware. New PS3s, not including only Europe PS3s, have stripped out that hardware in favour of software emulation, which if you ask me is still in beta. Currently around only 2000 PS2 games are supported in any official capacity (and that is not to say they run well).


The only problem I have with that is trusting Sony to keep improving the emulator.

i'd just keeping my slimline around for p2s games, doesn't take up much room now does it :-)

In the future the consoles outside the eu will also come without the ps2 chip.

By the way i yesterday played Motorstorm and Virtual Fighter 3 a bit on the PS3 and this was quite fun. What's nice is the picture quality on a hdtv screen. All was crisp and sharp, no blurred and washed out signal like from the Wii.

Mmm, I've actually been observing PS3s - people are just walking by them. I was observing 6 of them in Woolworths today - people were just walking by them. They were priced at £494 for just the console itself.

Yeh, I think the PS3 is dead in the water - probably best just take all of them and drown them in a lake somewhere.

Something that ugly really does need to be put out of its misery.

@puki: Seriously. Get help.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23781
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23782

Not keen on the ps3 but i feel it will win the war!!

Yes, well being in demand will do that for you.

The mistake Sony have made, and according to the press they know it, they chose the wrong goal.

Microsoft could have easily made the most powerfull console, arguably more powerfull that what the PS3 is now with their PC backgrounds, but instead they chose to make a powerfull system that developers would be able to use faster, and get to grips with easier.

Sony felt that giving a system with the most raw horse power would be best, and tbh its not paid off for them at all, having all that extra power and not having anything to use it on is wasting their console away.


It will be about 2 maby 3 years before we see what a PS3 can really do with all that power, and for that 3 years the Xbox will remain the main selling console, Microsfot will have won and the console market and just as Sony are catching up Microsft will release news of a new machine..

The only reason the XBox 360 is supposedly easier to develop for is because it has a better abstracted toolset. It has nothing to do with any real or imagined difference of power between the two consoles.

However the launch of Folding @ Home for the PS3 has more than doubled the processing power of the project. Can your XBox 360 help cure cancer and Parkinson's disease when you're not playing with it?

I don't have an Xbox 360, I have a Game Spec PC why would I waste my time with a console ;) and yeah My PC can. it also scans for alien existence.

I went past Virgin before and noticed that they had a sale on PS3s for 10% off the original price. With sales on within days of its release, is this a sign of majorly poor sales?

We will see the HDMI version of XBox360 this year ( http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/26/xbox-360-elite-spied-in-production/ ) and hopefully soon a rev2 of the ps3 which i'm really looking foward to.

The amusing thing about some people on this list is that no matter how reality looks like they will preach their visions. I wonder how many actually do life in parallel universes. Can someone tell me in which one the amiga is still the leading system, some specs and how to get there for a short trip? :O)

i think i'll pick up the slimline 360 and ps3's when they become available, i only have a bit of room :-)

a) Build a time machine.
b) Travel back to any year between 1985 and 2000.
Note: For extra effect, if you still have an A4000, travel back to 1985, and scare the daylights out of everyone. :o>

In that case I suggest you sell whatever it is you're living in ATM, go buy a PS3 and live in that instead. You'll have the most stylish house on the block!

With an In-Built Burger Grill.

I got a ps3 launch day in the uk myself. I have a wii and 360, and have to say that what i have scene of the ps3 so far really pleases me - far more than when i first got the other 2 consoles.

I genuinely prefer the ps3 to the other 2 consoles with the wii coming second

This thread cracks me up. All the claims of how badly it's selling and it's in the news that the opening weekend made it the most successful console every, beating both the Wii and the 360's opening weekends. In fact, it's apparently the second best selling gadget in general, and the number one was a Sony product too.

If I ever need a reminder of how unrepresentative these boards are, I've bookmarked this thread.

You've got to admit it's a bit bent though - I mean - come one - compared to 'normal' console - it looks like a kitchen appliance. It doesn't deserve to sell - it's ugly.

In the UK, something like 220,000 consoles shipped, 160,000 sold in 2 days. Pretty good going I think.

But then this is the only major console launch I can think of that has had stock to match demand - it will be interesting to see the sales profile moving on from here. Presumably all of the people who *really* wanted it, have now got it. Other launches, with limited stock, would tend to spread those those "first mover" sales out over the first few months as stock arrives - presumably that trickle won't be seen here to the same degree. And without an obvious sales driver other the one that drives those "first movers" (like Christmas, or a must have title), I wouldn't be surprised to see week 2,3,4, etc sales being much lower than week 1.

I'm not trying to suggest that it will be a worse overall picture for Sony compared to Microsoft or Nintendo: but it will be a very different shape, and that (as ever) we need to give it more time to see the bigger picture.

> looks like a kitchen appliance

As opposed to the Gamcube which looks like a Tomy Toaster and X-Box, well it just looks dumb. And then look at a PC, it's just a rectangular box.

I don't like white consoles... I dunno why, the colour just screams 'fingerprints!'.

At least with a moody black playstation you can eat nachos and play, safe in the knowledge that you only have to clean the controller bi-annually.

Well the ps3 sales are helped by the fact Europe had to wait 4 months so Sony could build a lot of stock(and bump up the rpice), I dont doubt the wii could have sold 300,000 if nintendo had supplied that many...as it is you still cant walk into a shop here and get a wii.

Yes, your 'one in a bunch of millions' PC can help, but those millions of PCs are helping about a THIRD as much as only 20,000 PS3s are.


Kmart in Adelaide have had sales on 'latest' DVDs, Kingdom Hearts 2 and Final Fantasy XII, amongst others within days of their releases. Answer : no.

The PS3 also isn't my dream design but surprisingly it's looking better and a lot smaller if you see it in real and well let's see how the rev2 will look like.

@Mark Tiffany
The nice thing about the PS3 is that it is not only about gaming and that counts for a lot of people, at least i know. If they will provide good games and blueray films will be available then this is great offer.

Actually, most of the people that I know that are into games, aren't interested in HD right now. The whole Blu-ray thing doesn't really broaden the market appeal significantly, as it is a very similar (and small) proportion of the market (at the moment) that care about this.

Sure, if HD was a big a jump up from DVD as DVD was to VHS that argument holds. And later in the lifecycle of HD when it becomes more mainstream it will make a difference. And when / if the HD format war bottoms out *and* if Blu-ray wins. But not right now to any meaningful degree.

Long term, provided Blu-ray survives as a format, yes it will make a difference. *Games* (and a sensible price) are what makes a difference in selling a games console, as the Wii has proven, both in terms of it's sales to date, and the apparent slackening off of demand as it becomes apparent the software pipeline isn't too healthy...

Must admit the PS3 does look better 'in the flesh'. Not saying it's a design classic, but it looks better than the pics I saw.

I spent a fortune upgrading my movie collection from VHS to LD, and another fortune upgrading from LD to DVD. Now they want me to upgrade again? They must be joking. I think for once I'm going to skip a generation and wait for Ultra HD.

@Mark

People where also moaning once the ps2 came out with DVD support. Now look how many people are also using it for this purpose.

I've no idea where BlueRay will be in a few years but i guess that the future would look darker without the PS3.

I don't feel that Wii games are sensible priced. Actually if you take into account the development time for those titles then they are overpriced. But i agree that games are the most important factor (whilst this simply isn't the case for everyone who buys a ps3). But what else do you play on the Wii beside of Wii sports? In the near future we'll see Mario Galaxy and...? I'm pretty confident that time after time you'll see also good titles on the PS3. Different games like on the Wii but nevertheless good games. I suspect the XboX360 will be the king of the hill in the near future here.

I actually like the aesthetics of the PS3 more than the 360. I'm not sure I like the new black "elite" 360's any better than the original, as far as looks go.

The PS3 just seems more...commanding. I actually think it's a sexy design when it's standing up. Sitting it looks kind of...well, yeah, "Foreman'ish."

I wasn't trying to suggest Wii games are more sensibly priced, and even acknowledge the dearth of a quality release schedule.

What I'm suggesting is that the PS3 price point is very wrong, and unless it changes before Christmas (which Sony seem to be saying it wont), then they won't sell anywhere near as many units as other platforms.

But then Sony do keep re-iterating that PS3 is in it for the long run. It's intentionally a slow burner...but is that the right strategy in this "game", especially when the difference between PS3 and 360 isn't noticeable.

And yes, as it stands 360 is probably the king for the next year or two, unless ninty can bolster that software line-up.

(For the record, I have none of the three consoles. I almost bought a Wii, but for the lack of a decent release schedule. I *always* wait for the games before I jump on any platform.)

I don't understand why the PS3 isn't priced reasonable. You pay more and you get more. As said before, those who don't need it should get another console. I'm more upset about the fact that europeans have to pay more than people in Japan or USA. So lower the european price and increase those from Japan and USA. :O)

The PS3 has a lot of power compared to the PS2 and if you use this power wisely you can come up with some pretty cool games. I don't care if it's only 20% or whatever faster than a XBox360. It plays in a totally different league than the Wii and it has enough power to bring up some nice pictures on todays displays. Look how much they got out of the PS2 and it's still selling well.

The Wii is only about the controller which is great but also not perfect. I DON'T WANT TO SWAP BATTERIES. I'm swinging this thing, i do ray heat and so on. Why can't there be a device which makes proper usage of all these energy ressources?!

By the way the new Xbox 360 Elite is said to sell for $480 (120GB HD, HDMI, less noise?)...

The manufacturing cost is not a factor for retail price, it is a factor for profit margins. The only factor for retail price is "How much are people will to pay for it". As long as they're selling, neither Wii games (or console games in general) or the PS3 is overpriced - although they may be to expensive for you.

It's worth it just for Zelda: Twilight Princess. Everything else is just an extra bonus.

Laserdisc? hehehe. Millions of smart Aussies skipped straight from VHS to DVD. Or maybe LD wasn't available here. I don't know, but those old huge floppy things were hilarious.


Hehehe, you should probably stop comparing crappy PS3 ports to Xbox360-originated games.

I live in the UK, maybe you understand my issue with the price?

I should have said "very, very nearly". I get my annual bonus paid tomorrow (and it's a tidy sum too), and it wouldn't feel the small dent a Wii would make...

> I don't understand why the PS3 isn't priced reasonable.

Simple really, in general people expected to pay $299 for a new console. Going to $399 like MS did was barely within acceptable "inflation". Doubling the price to $599 was stupid. Doing it simply to force a higher end version of DVD on people (no game relevance whatsoever) was even more stupid of Sony. In the long run they may win big with this strategy, in the short run, with hindsight, it was just dumb.

@Mark
I feel sorry for you guys getting generally ripped for stuff like this in the UK but i don't know how relative this is to the other consoles. In germany €600 for a PS3, €330 for a XBox360 and €250 for a Wii. You for sure have some financial advantages in other fields though.

Obviously they would have a lot of more friends if they could offer the PS3 for just €500 but in the end i'm more willing to pay €600 for a PS3 or going for a Wii if i really want one than going for a XBox360 for instance, independent of the price.

I think the way price factors into it is somewhat relevant. PS3's specification and capabilities are clearly geared more towards the Home theater HD crowd, than the PS2 was. With a POTV you could still get the most out of your PS2. With a PS3 this is no longer the case, and the console alone costs nearly as much as most peoples entire entertainment systems.

Sure for people whose DTS5.1 satellite speakers cost $140 USD a piece, the PS3 is a bargain (a bargain that'll play all your new HD porn no less). For everyone else, it just doesn't offer a compelling reason to buy.

You mean like those who already bought one? Some of them don't look like the people you've described to me.

Well most of people who've bought one now are largely enthusiasts with more money than sense. They're buying it because it's a new shiny toy, and they can buy it without it even registering on their bank accounts. They don't care whether it has good games or BR movies. They buy it because it's new technology more than anything else.

However to achieve mainstream market success the PS3 needs to appeal to pragmatic buyers, rather than enthusiasts and early adopters.

But there are good games around. I liked Motorstorm and Virtual Fighter, not this much that i would buy a console instantly but nevertheless good games. We have different opinions about this and i suggest we let the time decide what will happen...

Well I guess Sony can afford a bit of a slowdown. According to the Financial Times, they sold almost as many PS3's in Europe in the first two days as Nintendo sold in the entire first month. And more than Microsoft shifted in their first month.

I suppose. But with the losses on the massive recall on laptop batteries, the $1.7 USD billion loss so far on the PSP, and all the bad press they've been getting, one wonders how many more losses they can afford before investors start panicking?