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Sony's PS2 is likely to outsell PS3 not just this year but in 2007 too

businessweek.com — In December video game maker Square Enix Co. began running prime-time TV ads in Japan featuring battle scenes from its new adventure game Seiken Densetsu 4, or Legend of the Sacred Sword. Every 30-second spot ended with a familiar logo: PlayStation. But the game isn't played on Sony Corp.'s (SNE) new PlayStation 3 console. It's for the PlayStation

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  • grassgod, on 10/12/2007, -70/+0hi man i just digg your piece
    digg mine if you may leave comments
    intriguing read at http://globe-write.blogspot.com (ps3 is a failure according to google)
    plz give feedback
    thnx
    • Brajeshwar, on 10/12/2007, -33/+2Thanks
    • theblackgecko, on 10/12/2007, -1/+34"I just digg your piece"

      Did Digg turn into a gay bar with the upgrade?
    • Brajeshwar, on 10/12/2007, -24/+2lol, I didn't know what to say so, my response was "Thanks". What else can you do when people ask you to digg but to say, "alright, I'll look into it". ;-) Definitely I am not interested in that Bar if there exist one.
    • baxtermaddux, on 10/12/2007, -11/+5proof that digg needs forums and messaging ability
    • renegadeafk, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3hey man lets trade diggs!
    • b3mus3d, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"COMMENT MY PICZ LOL!"
  • merdiesel, on 10/12/2007, -17/+7@grassgod
    Get the ***** outta here spammer.
    • dacheetah, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5@merdiesel:
      Use the reply function. We don't need comments like this at the top level.
      I also think that being dugg down to -40 so far is proof enough that his comment wasn't welcome...
  • t0ny, on 10/12/2007, -7/+5Well duh its failing right now for one its $600 and two you cant buy it any where. Just fyi I'm not bashing ps3.
    • diggmaddy, on 10/12/2007, -6/+8Have you been missing the stories about the poor, lonely, caged PS3s in stores with no buyers?
    • hereticx, on 10/12/2007, -14/+8Am I missing something?

      It's sold out everywhere... but it's "Failing" ?

      How does that logic make ANY sense?

      I'd consider a sold out product a success story...

      Again, am I missing something?
    • hereticx, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7And about those stories...

      I went to Fry's here in Houston today doing some lap top shopping and there were indeed about 7 cases in a cage. But you couldn't buy them with out buying their "combo" of the PS3, 5 games and 4 blu ray dvd's for 999.99.

      Went to Best Buy up in Conroe on the way home, and they too had a few boxes caged. Again... only on sell with a combo.

      Maybe these stories have been leaving out an important little factor... or it could be coincidence.
    • WarezAppz, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2Actually - it could be argued that what you're missing is:

      The statistics are misleading. It sold out because of the would-be eBay seller's hoping to make some extra cash. In reality, my guess is: Most of the sales are inflated because of those would-be sellers on eBay.

      So in short - it's a win situation for Sony - despite that the larger picture may mean it will have a false victory unless they can manage to somehow re-inspire 'real' sales . . . .
    • Phych, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2The fact that there were so few units were sold and there are none available means it is failing. The PS3 may have sold out immediately, but there are hardly any new shipments for PS3's coming, which means no money coming in until they ship more units. The people who were able to get a PS3 are the only ones who will buy PS3 related products (games, accessories, etc.). That means there are only 500,000-ish people out there who will buy that stuff. It goes without saying that those who did not buy a PS3 will not buy PS3 related products.

      To add to this, people who didn't buy a PS3 most likely will grab a Xbox360 or a Wii or PS2 as it says in the article. The money that would have been made if the PS3 wasn't so limited went to the other gaming systems, which were available in much greater numbers. Those who did get the other gaming systems will most likely not get a PS3 when it becomes available. I know there are some of us out there who will get multiple systems, but the majority will only stick with one system. Not only did the PS3 miss out on the money made in consumers buying the console, but consumers will focus on building their collection of games and accessories for the console that they managed to get.
    • jpbleuu, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1i witnessed first hand the amount of ps3s that are sitting in stores unsold tonight. i went to ebgames to purchase a PS2 and Guitar Hero, they were complete sold out of both but the guy said they had a few ps3s if i wanted to buy one. i then went to toys r us where i purchased my PS2. i asked if they had any ps3s and the guy said that they had a few. i also went target and walmart and they both had at least 1. however not one of these stores had any damn component cables for the ps2.
  • diggamer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7As long as new games are being released for legacy consoles they will survive.
    Hell, there is still a huge community playing Quake 3.
    • knightblade2oo4, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11plus you can get a PS2 for $110 now. and it is far from a bad console. it has a ton of GREAT games, and a lot of the best ones are 'greatest hits' so they're $20.
    • russvan, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3Yeah, I just got an xbox with a modchip and I am loving it.
  • glitched, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2well at least maybe in the US:
    http://videogamecharts.com/page3.html
    the PS2 is still hotter than next gen.

    but definately not in Japan, where everything but both xbox's and gamecube outsold the PS2 in December.
    http://videogamecharts.com/page5.html
  • codyman, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I just saw the new slim ps2 and that thing is actually pretty cool. I mean, its tiny and it has network built in and even optical audio out.
    • Kale, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Optical audio out + component cables + built in ethernet keep it pretty competitive. The only thing I don't like about the slim Ps2 is the whiny little CPU fan that kicks in, whether playing a game, watching a DVD, or playing a CD. It's not the volume of the fan, it's the pitch that's annoying. I've thought about opening it up and putting a heat pipe through the casing.
  • xerus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I actually think I'm buying a PS2 slim soon, this older PS2 is a huge clunker sitting next to my Wii =/
  • dissident, on 10/12/2007, -15/+3you can play playstation 2 games on the playstation 3, so why waste money on the playstation 2?
    • WarezAppz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9um do the math
      $129 vs $600
      and you say 'waste' . . . .
    • carpespasm, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7because it takes a lot less money to play ps2 games on a ps2. why waste your money on a ps3?
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Not to mention the fact that PS2 games look like crap on the PS3.
    • Tivor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0And there's the whole "oops, that PS2 game isn't compatible with PS3" thing. You'd think Sony would have learned from Microsoft's mistakes, but nope. If you want to play PS2 games, then get a PS2.
  • pathy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7I'm just wondering here - Supposing the PS2 continues selling strongly (Which I assume it will, since it still has a huge library of games, and much more being made for it), will it be possible for the PS3 to sort of... enter in slowly?

    Unlike the Wii, which has had an explosion of sales, would it be possible for the PS3 to simply creep up on it, with possibly a 'Relaunch' sometime in the future, when it has a more established base of owners, and better games for it coming on the way?

    I'm not talking about dick size comparisons between the consoles here, but rather if this would be viable to happen for Sony, or if that's what they're planning after the intial response to the PS3? (Which while good, I'm sure they were expecting more.)
    • xerus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Some sort of killer ownage must own game would have to come out for PS3 for that to happen. And we still got God of War 2 for PS2 due out... so it wont happen for awhile I dont think. I cant really think of any PS3 games right now that would make me want to go out and buy a ps3 to play it.
    • glitched, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18Sony have used this business model before with the PSone to PS2 transition. Its funny reading comments that are EXACTLY the same as back then. All you have to do is replace "PS2" for PS1 and "PS3" for PS2 and you have 2000 all over again.

      Anyone buying PS2 now WILL NOT buy PS3 soon. PS3 will sell to people who bought PS2 many years ago AT THIS MOMENT. its why you wont see a Pink PS3 soon or a slimmer more mass market appealing model thats $129. This will come later and most likely generate the highest sales overall. Until then, keep your best asset running, and only gradually phase it out... your hugely popular last gen machine.. gradually introduce the new machine and adjust marketing according to the expected buyer at the time.

      Do all you guys seriously not remember comparisons to Dreamcast and PS2 back in the day? And not remember DC games looked NICER? Rez? Soul Calubur? (PS2 jaggies being the culprit) everyone saying Sony had lost? DC FTW? ...Remember?? People were still buying PS1 and didnt give a flying F about the DC PS2 "war", they carried on playing their PS1 in masses whilst Sony got the PS2 on track and the transistion was gradual.

      They could do that because they have never abandoned their last gen with a foul swoop, only slowly phasing out. Believe it or not but 100% Back compat plays a BIG BIG role in this even if its never really used, its more for a feeling that all your games are still worth something that you just recently bought for your older PS model.

      No matter when you move to the next platform its highly likely you just recently bought a game that you might still be playing. Is it not cool that you can do that on your new model? God of War II is a definate tactical release. Its a guaranteed seller, and its possibly the last PS2 game for many hardcores before they move to PS3 (Or maybe get swayed to another platform) ...

      Not remember the comments of how PS1 was the best thing for Sony and PS2 was never going to be as popular as it? No?

      Gamecube will kill PS2? (Seemed that way for a few months... but...)

      Broken PS2 promisies (Emotion Engine?) and Ken K's wacky statememnts back in 1999/2000, along with a launch of a pitiful game lineup for a whole YEAR (Worse than any I remember)! did not kill PS2..... why? because whilst 0.01% of the whole world population preached the death of PS2, online (Beleiving that they were being watched by the whole world) the rest of the REAL world carried on playing PS1 and by the time they wanted to move over to PS2 they discovered a nice momentum of software, reasonable price, and best of all, backwards compatibility with their existing software. Only a very small percentage of folks even remember how badly PS2 launched. Even 1 million people is 0.09% of overall PS2 installed base...
    • DisposableRob, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2"Do all you guys seriously not remember comparisons to Dreamcast and PS2 back in the day?"

      Actually I don't remember any of this. I bought a PS2 on launch day because it was pretty obvious (to me at least) that it would be the system leader for that generation. It had a DVD player and backwards compatibility, which none of the other consoles had. I do remember thinking that Sega should just drop hardware sales and go into software only and that if Nintendo doesn't want a kiddy image, then they shouldn't make a system that looks like a lunch box.

      I understand what Sony means when they say that the PS3 will be supported for 10 years. They don't plan on dropping support immediately like MS did with the Xbox. The PS3 is for the "hardcore" players who need the newest and greatest now, while they continue to support their real money maker, the PS2, for every other gamer. Eventually the PS3's price will drop any become more popular for the mainstream market.

      It's interesting how the console wars aren't about one system vs another anymore. Every company appears to be taking a completely different approach than the other now.
    • echonull, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@glitched

      In retrospect, you make an interesting point. If BluRay winds up being the dominant format, they'll have an installed base of players, too. It still seems to me that introducing a system with such supply issues is nigh-on irresponsible as a business strategy, but if I'm proven wrong when Final Fantasy XIV or something makes for a rush on the widely available $250 slim PS3s, so be it. It'll be an interesting lesson learned.

      Hell, I just bought my own first PS2 about half a year ago, so a late adoption strategy may be what they're actually going here. Time will tell, of course.
      Besides, they're making money off the PS2 as is; no reason to switch from that directly to losing hundreds per console sold.

      PS: fell swoop, not foul.
    • EtherGnat, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@glitched

      I'm not saying the PS3 won't catch on eventually but there are differences from the last generation. The PS2 suffered from a week launch but had a year to get its act together before the Xbox and Gamecube came out. This time it faces one established competitor and another that's unlike anything from the last generation. The PS2 was also more affordable. Keep in mind the vast majority of PS2s were sold for less than $200--a price the PS3 is unlikely to reach.
    • chicbicyclist, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@glitched

      In that generation, every console was at least within reach of each other in terms of power, design, and you forgot, price.

      This generation however, at least one console is quite radical from the other, opting for a novelty and focused on making new markets instead of directly competing like they did in the last generation.
    • popfrogs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The big "relaunch" is coming in March, when the PS3 gets a huge firmware update and it launches worldwide (read Europe).

      In the meantime Sony is asking NA PS3 owners what features are important to them, what they need, what they like, etc. The PS3 is wildly powerful and it seems that it can basically do anything at all. The only problem is, Sony doesn't appear to know *what* to do with it. So, they've been polling owners. It'll be interesting to see how this all turns out (spoken from the standpoint of a PS3 owner).
  • sabarsky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4PS2 vs PS3 is a case where $129 > $599.
  • PickledJesus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Nintendo breaks even on the Wii? BS, they make a good profit, even after R&D and shipping.
    • koshbaby, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I believe that "profit/loss" calculation for the XBox 360 is also inaccurate. Recent articles on Digg point to Microsoft earning up to 75 US$ on each unit sold... which also suggests that a price cut would be easy for them to do.... just to add salt to Sony's wounds, if you will.
  • netdroid9, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2Wow, the main competitor to the Wii60 is the PS2 0.0. It's kinda scary when you think about it...
  • ImTheDarkcyde, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1more speculation
  • ddxChrist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Fun sells. The PS2 is affordable and packed with enjoyable games. I certainly expect it to succeed despite its age. Currently, the PS3 is considerably expensive and isn't offering the greatest line up of video games. This isn't rocket science.
  • LittleDanzig, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3It's an issue of disposable income, really. Most of the people I've seen proclaiming the eventual triumph of both the PS3 and the X360 seem to be neglecting the simple fact that the gaming market is growing up. Lots of us playing games now are married, have kids, and just don't have huge amounts of money to spend on products that, like it or not, are nothing more than expensive toys. When I was nineteen years old and living by myself, sure, I could drop five or six hundred dollars on a console and eat Ramen for a month. When you've got a family to support, or student loan debt, or a mortgage, or any of the other myriad financial situations we old farts put ourselves into, budgeting half of a grand for an entertainment product is a risky endeavor at best.

    I think the PS2 will continue to sell well until one of the other systems reaches its price point, simply because of the financial concerns. As a holiday or birthday gift, a PS3 or an XBox360 (and in some cases, even a Wii), is a pretty hefty price tag to expect parents to comply with, whereas the PSX's current 120ish dollar price tag does place it within the realm of 'justifiable purchases.'
  • 0olong, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Should say that the PS2 is outselling every system right now, and may still in 2007.
  • chriskzoo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5It will also outsell the Wii and Xbox 360.
  • Klisk, on 10/12/2007, -6/+2I'd rather keep my PS2/Wii/360 3-way and just skip over the PS3. It just doesn't have any games coming out that I want. I also don't want bluray. I don't play to buy an HDTV, it just isn't a console for the market. It for a niche.
    • popfrogs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You know that by stating you don't plan on buying an HDTV that you're in the minority right?
    • angelp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You're playing that 360 on a standard def TV?
  • ep0niks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I always thought the move from Microsoft to remove XBox from the market was bad. I wanted another cheap and relatively good console beside my monster PS2 (with HDLoader) and the slim one. Sure i can buy a used XBox, but ***** it I want it new, in the box. Too bad Microsoft.

    I won't buy a next-gen console this year (2006) and at least not until mid 2007
    • jpbleuu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1really you don't plan on buying a console within the next 2 days?
    • Tivor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0January 1 is mid-year for you?
  • xsuite, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Square Enix should be renamed Enix Squared!!!
  • FormulaOne, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2
    We should also mention that the PS2 will continue to slaughter the 360 in 2007 and beyond.
  • thund3rstruck, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Per the article: "while Microsoft takes a loss on the Xbox 360."

    Uh.. no, this is inaccurate
  • InfinitySnatch, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Good to see that PS3 fearmongering has overshadowed Christian bashing.
  • teenheat312, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0digg me down
  • Beyond31, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yeah and PS2 is still SOny so theres no loss...In the mean time the 360 can barley keep up with the PS2 i graphics and can't touch it in sales and is getting there asses handed to them by a little console named the Wii. The Ps3 will be a factor in the following months so 360 hasn't a chance !!!
  • slaystench, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I won't be surprised if it does. I still want several PS2 games that haven't been released yet.
  • robbiedo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2I hate these blog spam stories from unsubstantiated sources.
    • glitched, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I hear ya on that one, but this one links to businessweek...
    • robbiedo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1exactly...just another part of the power structure keeping Homie down. Homie don't play that.
  • vladimonkey, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Ehh, whatever is going on right now, we all know it will take months, if not well over a year, to all shake out. I think one of the biggest problems with the PS3 right now (aside from the ridiculous price - worth it or not, that's a LOT of money for a game system) is the lack of compelling titles. Nothing, with the possible exception of Resistance: Fall of Man, that you can't get elsewhere for another system. There is no Gears of War. There is no Twilight Princess. Hell, not even access to Geometry Wars!

    Furthermore, Gamespot did a screenshot comparison of PS3 vs. 360 for a bunch of games common to both systems, and I was shocked by the results - the 360 just looked better overall in nearly every case. That would give me even more pause when deciding whether to spend $600 on something that isn't so much unique. Future potential aside, the problem right now is that it is difficult to see why it is worth the price, not to mention the hassle of actually getting one.

    Finally, as was alluded to in an earlier post, HDTV! To really appreciate the PS3, you need one. And not just any HDTV, but a damn good one to get the most out of it. Now, I know at some point it will be the case, but do you really think the majority of people have HDTV right now? Or even close to half? That limits the market in a huge way right there. True, you don't NEED" HDTV to use the PS3, but considering how much of a focus that capability is...surely that has to be hurting it.

    I'll stick with my PS2, which after sitting unloved for over a year, I have recently hooked back up and have been loving. Besides, if I had $600 to spend on something related to gaming, it would go for a GeForce8800!
    • Beyond31, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1So a system without HDMI hookups looks better than a machine with HDMI hooks ups ( hence producing TRUE HD ) haha ok pal go back to watching your fish bowel of a TV and tell me it's just as good as my 60 inch wall hanging PLASMA !!! ASS CLOWN !!!!
  • Paroparo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Of course the PS2 will outsell the PS3 for the first year of its existance. It was the same way with PS1 and 2.
  • JimmyJJWalker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Playstation had good support from the 1->2 jump, they kept making games and people should expect the same going forward.

    Nintendo has been all over the map with their cartridge formats over the years, the GC compatibility was a good move and hopefully the VC market evens out and they start charging rates commensurate with the age of the games on it.
  • womfalcs7, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3The PS2 will outsell all consoles in '07.
    • deadmann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Why digg that down? The PS2 is by far at the top of the list.
  • brooklynboy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Here we go again.

    First it was the week of the WII last week, now we're entering the weekend of the Anti-PS3 postings.

    This isn't even a legt article - it's a BLOG peice with ZERO proof or sources or references of any kind what so ever to back this guys claim that PS3 sales are waning, and it gets DUGG up to the front page? What's going on around here guys?

    I respect Digg for listening to opinions, but I can't respect poorly sourced half-written articles that bash the PS3 for the sake of bashing. Of PS3 sales have slowed down - we're past Christmas! Of course the WII is doing better - it costs less and isn't as powerful and doesn't provide either DVD or next-gen high-capacity storage formats.

    But can we please pay more atteniton to the articles that actually are honest rather than boosting some blogger's idea that the PS3 is a failure? When the PS2 was released the graphics were great but there were only a handful of games available and the in-game controls really sucked hard. Everyone took a huge dump on it.

    Fast forward one year later and PS2 was the KING of all consoles, and I suspect that will happen once this fascination with the WII's fancy pointing stick dies down.
    • hinterteile, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yeah, BusinessWeek is definitely an anti-PS3 blog that doesn't know what is going on in the business world. RTFA.
  • deadmann, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Sony are definitely about the long-term. Probably see the xbox 720 before the PS2 stops selling.
  • spvn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1no surprises here, I just bought a PS2 for christmas around a week ago, it's good enough for me, besides i bought it for about the price of an ipod nano.
  • pidey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Isn't seiken densetsu 4 for PS1? I thought it went

    Seiken Densetsu 1 = Sword of mana / final fantasy adventure
    Seiken Densetsu 2 = Secret of mana
    Seiken Densetsu 3 = Unreleased in US
    Seiken Densetsu 4 = legend of mana. (a PS1 game)
  •  

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