2010 Console Sales Thread.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Yeah, Alan Wake is what I'm thinking.

I just remember seeing trailers for Heavy Rain back in 2006. Just seems like a really long development cycle.

I think a lot of them are dragging their feet waiting for an increase in installed base. The worldwide price cut should help that quite a bit in all three regions.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Fable III announced. Release Fall 2010.

Fable III Preview - Page 1 // Xbox 360 /// Eurogamer - Games Reviews, News and More

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

No, the HDD is upgradeable in the Slim model. The drive slides out of the bottom right portion of the front of the console rather than out of the side on the old model. It was mentioned in the presentation as well.

Yeah, I saw that later on and forgot to re-post here.

Thanks for the backup.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Yeah, I saw that later on and forgot to re-post here.

Thanks for the backup.

Only reason I knew right off the bat was because I'm looking to buy one. I was comparing the difference between the old model and new model and HDD removable was a must for me.

[Kodos]

Trailer for new PS3 exclusive 'Dead Nation'. I, for one, welcome our zombie overlords........

Thank you, Kent Brockman.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like the audio geeks got an extra gift with the new PS3 Slim.........

PS3 Slim bitsreams Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA audio, at last

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Gamestop may be selling the PS3 Slim as soon as tomorrow.......

Rumor: PS3 Slim Coming Sooner? – Loot Ninja

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

NPD expecting 40-60% jump in sales in September for PS3.....

Sony PS3 Sales May Surge After Price Cut -- Game Consoles -- InformationWeek

Not expecting much of a bump in August due to the already short supply limiting any kind of jump.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

NPD expecting 40-60% jump in sales in September for PS3.....

Sony PS3 Sales May Surge After Price Cut -- Game Consoles -- InformationWeek

Not expecting much of a bump in August due to the already short supply limiting any kind of jump.

This is where I think Sony still Doesn't Quite Get It.

Look, we're halfway through the lifecycle, so there isn't that First To Own It rush to purchase (or who knows, in some neighborhoods, maybe there still is?). What there is, more likely, is some pent-up demand because of the wait for the price to get down to "affordable."

We're heading into the 4th quarter here shortly, and at $299, the PlayStation 3 should sell very well from here 'til the end of 2009.

So what's the point in completely exhausting the retail channel *before* announcing the price drop? Sure, you squeeze every last penny you can out of the hardware you've already manufactured, but now you have nothing in-channel for perhaps 2-3 weeks, until the Slim hits shelves in any kind of quantity, and this right on the heels of the Madden 2010 release. Having newly cheaper product available for immediate purchase at that point in time would seem to have been the perfect synergistic opportunity, wouldn't it?

So, yay, you have an honest-to-God enthusiasm bubble building...and nothing to sell. We're past the point of shortages causing people to purchase for the prestige factor. Kinda like with the Wii shortages, with the difference being Nintendo was setting sales records even when they couldn't make 'em fast enough.

What's Sony doing?

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Gamestop may be selling the PS3 Slim as soon as tomorrow.......

Rumor: PS3 Slim Coming Sooner? – Loot Ninja

Also, for what it's worth - if Sony does in fact get the Slim to market that rapidly, then you can basically ignore everything I just typed out.

Looking around, amazon.com is saying 8/25, bestbuy.com is saying 8/27 if you choose overnight shipping, so it's either an echo chamber or there's fire under that smoke. I haven't seen any slims arrive at best buy yet, but maybe we'll see some tomorrow night.

[Atocep]

Sony will still be taking a loss on each console sold with the PS3 Slim.

Sony Losing Money on PS3 Slim - Kaz Hirai - Kotaku

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Sony will still be taking a loss on each console sold with the PS3 Slim.

Sony Losing Money on PS3 Slim - Kaz Hirai - Kotaku

Is this a surprise? MS and Sony have both worked with a loss model on the console knowing they have to get the units out there to make the money on the games, where the real profit margin lies.

Sony's problem isn't the loss on the current console as it's relatively small and at a much lower price point. Their problem was when they were taking huge losses on the launch units. That put them in a big hold right off the bat.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Is this a surprise? MS and Sony have both worked with a loss model on the console knowing they have to get the units out there to make the money on the games, where the real profit margin lies.

Sony's problem isn't the loss on the current console as it's relatively small and at a much lower price point. Their problem was when they were taking huge losses on the launch units. That put them in a big hold right off the bat.

Microsoft took a loss at launch, but they didn't continue to take a loss for nearly as long as Sony has and they never took as big of a loss per console.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Microsoft took a loss at launch, but they didn't continue to take a loss for nearly as long as Sony has and they never took as big of a loss per console.

I agree. Any reason you repeated what I stated concerning Sony's mistake?

I'm not sure why it matters in the end unless you're a stockholder. As a consumer, most people would be happy with getting a product at a purchase price below what it cost to make that product. I don't care what Sony is or isn't making profit-wise on the Slim PS3. All I know is that I'm getting an awfully good bang for my buck at $299 on a PS3. I'll be buying one next week.

[Eaglesfan27]

I was just clarifying that while Microsoft went with a loss model, they got out of that model much faster than Sony. It's just another sign of how bad Sony has fubared this generation. Not only did they give up their massive lead from last generation and fall into 3rd place, but they have lost much more money than their competitors doing it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I was just clarifying that while Microsoft went with a loss model, they got out of that model much faster than Sony. It's just another sign of how bad Sony has fubared this generation. Not only did they give up their massive lead from last generation and fall into 3rd place, but they have lost much more money than their competitors doing it.

Has anyone disputed that to this point? Though I would point out that other companies have made similar mistakes in a generation, only to come back in a new iteration.

Also, Sony's mixed blessing is that this generation is expected to last quite a bit longer than previous ones. If they continue to drop the price (which is likely given the Blu-ray drive plummeting cost point), they could still recover some of their losses on the console. Also, this doesn't even include their Blu-ray technology, which has seen tremendous growth in 2009. The PS3 will likely feed off some of that success, especially at a lower price point.

[Big Fo]

It will be interesting to see if the PS3 can outsell the 360 at the new price and how/if Microsoft counters the move.

Wii Sports Resort is now a million seller in all three major territories, the US, Japan, and Europe. Wii Motion Plus is over two million in the United States.

yahoo.com link

Good stuff, after playing Tiger Woods 10 and Grand Slam Tennis I'm a big fan of the device and want to see it do really well. I still haven't gotten around to getting WSR but am looking forward to playing that sometime in the future.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

It will be interesting to see if the PS3 can outsell the 360 at the new price and how/if Microsoft counters the move.

That's already happened. They dumped the Pro model and the Elite model will be sold at the $299 price point. It's similar to the model price swap that Sony did when the 80 GB machine was introduced.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Also, for what it's worth - if Sony does in fact get the Slim to market that rapidly, then you can basically ignore everything I just typed out.

Looking around, amazon.com is saying 8/25, bestbuy.com is saying 8/27 if you choose overnight shipping, so it's either an echo chamber or there's fire under that smoke. I haven't seen any slims arrive at best buy yet, but maybe we'll see some tomorrow night.

Your Best Buy isn't cool enough, or you aren't talkin'.

Already in at least one Best Buy in FL.

Sony PS3 Slim turns up at Florida Best Buy

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Your Best Buy isn't cool enough, or you aren't talkin'.

Already in at least one Best Buy in FL.

Sony PS3 Slim turns up at Florida Best Buy

Nice. I'll have to check the local BB on the way home.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Cringer

Your Best Buy isn't cool enough, or you aren't talkin'.

Already in at least one Best Buy in FL.

Sony PS3 Slim turns up at Florida Best Buy

All I saw at Best Buy yesterday was a coupla boxes of the Uncharted bundle.

We'll probably get 'em on the truck tonight, but we didn't have any in stock last time I set foot in the building.

[stevew]

I was in best buy today, they had the new consoles. Dunno if you had to buy it in the bundles they had on display though, those were too much extra crap.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by stevew

I was in best buy today, they had the new consoles. Dunno if you had to buy it in the bundles they had on display though, those were too much extra crap.

Best Buy doesn't force bundles. You can still buy the system alone if you want to.

The bundles help them save on labor a little bit though, now that several of the electronics departments have been combined. Instead of having to have someone always in gaming to try and attach software/controllers to a system sale, they can set that up on the table and get their attachments that way.

That's all it is.

[dervack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Is this a surprise? MS and Sony have both worked with a loss model on the console knowing they have to get the units out there to make the money on the games, where the real profit margin lies.

Sony's problem isn't the loss on the current console as it's relatively small and at a much lower price point. Their problem was when they were taking huge losses on the launch units. That put them in a big hold right off the bat.

Is it a surprise? Should be to you since you were posting about an article that said they cut down production costs 70% and then stated yourself that they could sell the console for $299 and make a $49 profit. Don't remember. I'll help you :

Fall 2009 Console Sales Thread. - Front Office Football Central

[KWhit]

Well, a LOT can change in 3 weeks and 2 days.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by KWhit

Well, a LOT can change in 3 weeks and 2 days.

Actually, it was much sooner than that. There was a clarification on that article on a couple of other message boards that stated that the cost was higher than that article reported. So it never was actually that low.

SackAttack, did you have many PS3 Slims in stock? Went to Best Buy last night to pick one up and they were sold out, but they did mention that there weren't a ton of units in the original shipment. They said the bigger shipment comes on Friday. Amazon.com was cleaned out in a hurry yesterday. They also will have a new shipment on Friday.

Was happy to see the new system is cooler by several degrees and has cut the power use by around 45%. That's a huge improvement.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Best Buy doesn't force bundles. You can still buy the system alone if you want to.

The bundles help them save on labor a little bit though, now that several of the electronics departments have been combined. Instead of having to have someone always in gaming to try and attach software/controllers to a system sale, they can set that up on the table and get their attachments that way.

That's all it is.

Wait, so I can go to Best Buy now and walk the video game aisles without getting hassled 50 times if I need help?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Found a PS3 Slim at Best Buy tonight. Really impressed with the size and quiet fan. My original PS3 isn't that loud to begin with. You have to get close to the Slim version to even hear the fan. That's going to be really nice when watching movies.

[SirFozzie]

interesting, Harmonix is doing a special:

Rock Band Special Edition (Game, Guitar, Mic, and Drums)

plus

Rock Band 2 Game

for $79 (with free shipping)

This is for 360/PS3 only

RockBand Xbox 360 PS3 Game $79

[spleen1015]

I have never had an issue with the noise coming from a console in my life. I don't know if I've ever even noticed it.

That cracks me up.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I have never had an issue with the noise coming from a console in my life. I don't know if I've ever even noticed it.

That cracks me up.

The 360 is loud, I notice it when I don't use the Disc drive.

[gstelmack]

Yeah, it's usually the DVD drive that is loud on the consoles.

[Neuqua]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Found a PS3 Slim at Wal-Mart tonight. Really impressed with the size and quiet fan. My original PS3 isn't that loud to begin with. You have to get close to the Slim version to even hear the fan. That's going to be really nice when watching movies.

Just wondering, why did you get a new PS3? Sorry if I missed it before. Is it just because it's the Slim?

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I have never had an issue with the noise coming from a console in my life. I don't know if I've ever even noticed it.

That cracks me up.

My 360 is quite loud when using the disc drive (as expected). My PS3 (launch 60 gb version) is also fairly loud when using the drive, it also sounds like the fan runs a bit more than the 360 if they're both just sitting using the hard drive or internet (I use 360 a lot for streaming and play some PSN games which is how I make that comparison).

/tk

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

Just wondering, why did you get a new PS3? Sorry if I missed it before. Is it just because it's the Slim?

I know I have MBBF on ignore now, but I couldn't resist.

Sony's asking all their operatives to purchase one, just to make sure the numbers go up

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

SackAttack, did you have many PS3 Slims in stock?

I've still yet to see one. We didn't get any on the truck last night and I didn't work today.

Originally Posted by Chubby

Wait, so I can go to Best Buy now and walk the video game aisles without getting hassled 50 times if I need help?

If you ever got hassled 50 times, I suspect one of three things is true:

1) you fit somebody's profile, either visually or behaviorally, of a larcenous thug. Doesn't mean the people offering to assist you see you that way, necessarily, but somebody's alarm is going off.

2) you look perpetually perplexed or clueless when you shop. If you're putting off "help me" vibes, you're going to get approached with assistance.

3) you have a habit of dismissing employees with an answer completely unrelated to their question, and they're on my level as vindictive bastards.

When I was in sales, if I asked an opening question and got an answer that makes contextual sense, even if it's dismissive ("Can I help you find a game today?" "No thanks, I'm good."), I'll give you some space until/unless you ask for help.

If I asked a question and got a non sequitur ("How are you folks doing this evening?" "No."), bet your ass I was gonna do my job as repeatedly and cheerfully as possible, with said individual as the target.

They'd expect me to respond with some degree of awareness if they approached me for help. I only ever asked for the same courtesy in return.

In the co-workers I've had at Best Buy in the last 8 years, I've never worked with anybody who was in the habit of pestering the same person more than twice in a visit unless one of those three things was true.

Or unless it was Black Friday and the sheer overwhelming mass of humanity had shorted out their visual recognition circuits.

[Eaglesfan27]

Here's an article about the very limited supply of the slim model of the PS3 and speculation that Sony is doing it on purpose to artificially raise demand:

PS3 Slim already on sale, disassembled - News at GameSpot

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

Just wondering, why did you get a new PS3? Sorry if I missed it before. Is it just because it's the Slim?

My wife often works until 1-2 in the morning. So when the 2 year old wanders in at 7:00 AM, she's been wanting a DVD/BR player to play some Disney movies on to keep the kid busy while she gets a bit more sleep. It'll primarily be used as a movie player, but I'll probably play some games as well. The old PS3 is down in our home theater area where I usually play my games.

Interesting note. When I picked up my Slim last night, one of the Best Buy employees said 'Ah, picking up a Slim PS3?'. I mentioned that I already had one and that I was picking up a second one primarily as a BR player. He said that just from chats he had with consumers, that around 1/3 of the people who were buying the Slim were buying it for that reason. Granted, it's just a random conversation, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if that were the case.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Article on marketing plans..........

Exclusive: First Details of U.S. PS3 Slim Marketing Blitz - IndustryGamers

Sony blog on their marketing..........

It Only Does Everything – PlayStation.Blog

Direct link to one of the new marketing videos.

http://www.viddler.com/explore/sceab...deos/531/28.92

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

double dola

First screenshots for GTA: Chinatown Wars for the PSP released. Looks like a nice upgrade. They need some sales badly to make up for the very poor sales on the DS.

http://www.rockstargames.com/chinatownwars/

New advertisements for the UK. Much better than the WTF ads that they previously used. Show the games/features, state the cheaper price point. Not sure why this was so difficult before now.

[sterlingice]

It's so disappointing that GTA:CW did bad numbers on the DS. It should have sold just fine

SI

[MJ4H]

It certainly got outstanding reviews (deservedly).

[sterlingice]

I'm hoping someone has a nice Black Friday or Christmas sale of it this year because if it drops to $20, it's mine. But I'm also not your run of the mill impulsive shopper that they're relying on. If companies relied on me to keep them afloat, they'd only be able to sell 1 or 2 games a year at full price and otherwise have to keep up a lot of shelf space open for discount stuff.

(I did pick up Wii Sports Resort and am trying to get Metroid Prime Trilogy, but even those are from the Toys R Us B1G1 50% off sale, so they're not at all full price. Considering Wii Play has never dropped below $50, I imagine Wii Sports Resort won't for quite a while either)

SI

[Big Fo]

Yeah Chinatown Wars a good game, I think the people who never played the PC versions and whose first experience with the series was GTA3 were put off by the top-down perspective, partially leading to the game's selling below expectations.

I actually found the game to be more fun than GTA4 which to me is this generation's second most disappointing game behind Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

LOVE the new Playstation 3 ads for the U.S. They've stuck with the same schtick that they used in the MLB 09: The Show ad campaign.

http://www.ps3blog.net/2009/08/27/am...3-slim-tv-ads/

[SirFozzie]

And 360 makes it official, hoping to steal some of Sony's thunder:

Microsoft confirms Xbox 360 price cut: $300 Elite on Friday; $250 Pro 'while supplies last'

Surprising ... well, surprising exactly no one, Microsoft has announced a $100 price cut on its Xbox 360 Elite model, bringing the 120GB console down to price (if not feature) parity with Sony's recently revealed PS3 Slim. While the Elite will take the place of the 60GB Pro at $300 beginning this Friday (that's tomorrow!), the Pro will enjoy a temporary $50 price drop. We say "temporary" because, once those are sold out, that's it. The hard drive-less Xbox 360 Arcade unit remains at $200.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

And 360 makes it official, hoping to steal some of Sony's thunder:

Microsoft confirms Xbox 360 price cut: $300 Elite on Friday; $250 Pro 'while supplies last'

Surprising ... well, surprising exactly no one, Microsoft has announced a $100 price cut on its Xbox 360 Elite model, bringing the 120GB console down to price (if not feature) parity with Sony's recently revealed PS3 Slim. While the Elite will take the place of the 60GB Pro at $300 beginning this Friday (that's tomorrow!), the Pro will enjoy a temporary $50 price drop. We say "temporary" because, once those are sold out, that's it. The hard drive-less Xbox 360 Arcade unit remains at $200.

We already have precedent in this situation though. Sony made a similar move when the 80 GB machine was introduced by doing a 'model swap' to combat an actual 360 price cut. It didn't work well at all. The 360 price cut was much more effective at that time. The roles likely will be reversed this holiday season.

[stevew]

yeah, it's the same price but the xbox 360 lacks a blu ray drive, and wireless connectivity. The Elite needs to go down to 200ish if it wants to compete in pricing.

And i'm a big Xbox guy too.

[gstelmack]

I agree, I'd like to see the Elite at 250. Better would be Arcade at 150/Elite at 200, but that will never happen...

[stevew]

Or just upgrade to a blu ray drive and add wireless and sell the elite at 300.