What Happens If a Console Launches - And Nobody Cares?
- Scribbled on March 23rd, 2007 by Jonah Falcon
- Filed in Humor, Industry News, Shows and Events, Sony PlayStation 3
That whole Sony plan of delaying the PlayStation 3 release in the European and Australian market til March 2007, allowing both the Wii and Xbox 360 to get deeper footholds in those regions, doesn’t seem to be working. Not even their bizarre, trippy television ads seem to generate interest (though some may claim it’s had the opposite effect.) However, the combination of the delay, the price point and the constant loss of third party exclusives and the lack of generating new ones may have dealt Sony a serious blow, despite the apparent upswing of Blu-Ray sales.
In Australia, news outlets hoping to capture hundreds of excited purchasers queueing up to purchase PS3s during the midnight launch were severely disappointed. Depsite the reports of 2,000 preorders, stores were a virtual wasteland. In Franch, a whopping 60 people showed up to purchase PS3s, leaving 940 units unsold, while Microsoft cheekily reminded those few who arrived that they loved them, probably as much as Peter Molyneux loves his dog. French organizers of the launch ominously called it a “non-event”. In England, Sony gave away to the first 100 purchasers Sony HDTVs six times pricier than the console itself. A publicity stunt, to be sure, but one that might smack of desperation.
Is Sony in trouble?
March 26th, 2007 at 10:06 am
[...] a year after the American and Japanese launch continues to haunt them. A few days after the tepid Midnight Launch and Microsoft’s shenanigans, things continue to look dim for the next current-gen [...]