Topic: More news for PS3

[Ceric]

I have to disagree.  I think Sony needs to make a splash in Japan first because that is where most of their investors are.  You say the three console war that is going to be fought here compared to the primarily 2 console war in Japan makes us the more crucial market.  I think the opposite(sp?).  I think it buys Sony time.  Lets face it.  If you wanted a 360 your getting a 360.  Instant grantification and a notable lineup coming up.  You want a Wii.  You'll get a Wii.  You want a PS3. You'll get a PS3.  If it was delayed until the beginning of next year I don't think it will hurt it anymore then releasing this Christmas.
Why?
See above.
Japan is where they are most comfortable from a developer and corporate side.  They need home market support.  Especially with Nintendo eying to become Stiff competition.  Japan adopts faster then the USA.  In fact about everywhere adopts faster then the USA.    Getting the PS3 out in Japan means more for the Blu-Ray contingency.  The Japanese seem to always be more willing to try new formats.
Being in the first part of the year would not hurt Sony as much as faulty hardware or a weak launch lineup.  In fact if the PS3 had faulty hardware it would hurt the Industry as a whole.  Nintendo will have a harder time catering to Non-Gamers and Casual Gamers because if 2 out of the 3 Next Gen systems had hardware problems then I myself would just be wary of all of them.  No one really impulse buys something that they think will needless break unless it's at trinket price.

[Arbok]

Quote
Originally posted by: Ceric
The Japanese seem to always be more willing to try new formats.

Doesn't mean they always take off though, unless there is a special circumstance like with Laserdiscs actually being cheaper there than VHS.

[Ceric]

Yeah.  But no where will a format instantly take off.  So being able to get one foot in the door easier is always a good thing.

[couchmonkey]

I agree with Ceric now (doing a lot of that today).  Japan is going to be very competitive, and Sony needs to get an early start there to please investors, not to mention Japanese developers like Konami and Square Enix, which are currently supplying the biggest titles for PS3.

[Ceric]

Quote
I agree with Ceric now (doing a lot of that today).

Soon you too will believe that Windows is just the Free Operating System that comes with Notepad.
All hail true believers.

[Kairon]

If there's one thing you all seem to agree upon, it's "screw europe."

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Ceric]

Quote
Originally posted by: Kairon
If there's one thing you all seem to agree upon, it's "screw europe."

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

?

I want everyone to get everything equally.  Now if you mean that Europe is ..... . Then yeah.  NOE really botched this time on their side.  With the PS3 fight Europe is well Europe.  It is the market that will more then likely be the first to crack the PS3 decisively.  I personally wouldn't want to release my console to someplace where I know that a larger amount of the user base plays pirated games and where people are fairly smart and headstrong enough to crack the system just for fun.  Not to mention, no offense, Europe tends to have to wait anyway so as Sony I must already consider them not that important of a market.  You notice that I'm also not favoring my home market of the US.  Why?  Because I beleive Japan would be the best place for them to launch.  I also beleive that Everyone else should get the PS3 at the same time after the Japan launch.  

[couchmonkey]

I was considering Europe (and Australia) yesterday.  It might be a good market to get into specifically because everyone ignores it.

I don't strongly prefer America or Europe for an earlier launch, there may be good reasons I'm not aware of to pick one or the other, but the only territory I really favour is Japan.  This is where Sony has the most momentum, and yet most people seem to agree that it's the area Sony is most likely to lose (probably due to DS vs. PSP sales).

[Spak-Spang]

Hey, you know...I hope Sony does release to Japan first.  I have no worries about the Sony vs. Nintendo fight in Japan.  Nintendo and Sony are both going to do good.  But I think Nintendo is going to do great.  It is going to be the system Japan favors this generation.  

If Sony focuses on Japan, it means Nintendo will have a nice easier time in the US.  Every single unit Nintendo sales above Sony in the US is Sony slipping ground.  Why?  Because despite what some analysists say Sony is going to have a hard uphill battle trying to get people to buy a very expensive new system, when one that looks just as good is $100 less, and then another one with brand new control system is even cheaper.  

As well, Sony is going to have to fight a format war with HD-DVD and right now nobody really wants a format change.  People are going to be skeptical to buy a new format until a few years down the road when the battle is decided...and that could mean waiting on the PS3.  

Nintendo doesn't have any of these worries.  They have Microsoft, which is a company that people love to hate...and Microsoft really botched up its early launch.  Finally good games are coming out for the system, but Nintendo has a much better diversity of unique, odd games, and more traditional games at launch.  

[Hocotate]

I couldn't put it any better. I agree 100% Spak. Things are set up very nicely for Nintendo this time around. First off, they showed Sony isn't the unstoppable giant everyone thought they were with the DS. The similarities between the DS-Wii and PSP-PS3 are so very clear (even though handhelds and consoles are different). Sony has become too obsessed with pushing Blu-Ray and are relying waaaaay too much on the name "PlayStation." And Xbox360 is still very much lol in Japan. I feel it's too late now for MS to take off in Japan. Once the Wii/PS3 are released no one will give the 360 a second glace in Japan. Mistwalker will help, but I still feel MS won't even come close to 2nd.

[Galford]

I think MS knows Japan is a long-term battle for them.  
They have said very quitely that Europe and the US would be the main battle grounds this time around.  
The only reason Sony is launching in the US this year is they don't want a reverse of last generation.

[Spak-Spang]

I think Microsoft knows they can't ever win Japan.  All they can do is hope to get better marketshare than last year.  But I also think that is why they are positive about the Wii.  They would rather Sony be weaker with less marketshare in Japan and Nintendo having taken Japan, then Sony with a large marketshare in Japan facing Microsoft in America.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

ahahahahahah 360 is doing worse than xbox did in the same time period in Japan.

The more money MS pumps into the 360/Japan market, the harder the whole deal will eventually crash in a typhoon of embarrassment.

[capamerica]

Not that I'm Pro-MS or anything but are you sure the Xbox360 is doing worst in Japan then the Xbox did?
Last I looked the 360 on avarage sold about 1500 a week (No where near as good as the DS or PS2), I don't recall the Xbox doing any were that good.

[couchmonkey]

I don't remember actual Xbox sales in Japan, but I do remember that at one time it wasn't doing much worse than GameCube - which was a lot more popular than the Xbox 360 is so far.

According to Wikipedia, Xbox sold an estimated 450,000 units in Japan.  It was released near the beginning of 2002, so let's say MS had 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 to sell those units (this year they probably haven't even sold a thousand).

450000 / 4*52 = 2,163 units per week, and that's not even taking into account that sales were stronger earlier on.

[Spak-Spang]

In the early DS/PSP sales threads we had Japanese numbers for Xbox and it was funny.  They weren't even selling 100 units, at times I think it didn't even sell 50!!!

Of course that was late life of the Xbox, but still that is horrible.  Late life Gamecube was selling 200+ units usually, if I remember correctly.  

Although, I am sure the units sold in America for Gamecube late life mirrored that of Xbox in Japan.

[Louieturkey]

Quote
Originally posted by: Spak-Spang
In the early DS/PSP sales threads we had Japanese numbers for Xbox and it was funny.  They weren't even selling 100 units, at times I think it didn't even sell 50!!!

Of course that was late life of the Xbox, but still that is horrible.  Late life Gamecube was selling 200+ units usually, if I remember correctly.  

Although, I am sure the units sold in America for Gamecube late life mirrored that of Xbox in Japan.

Actually, Xbox is now down to double digit and sometimes single digit numbers.  Up until 2 months ago, Gamecube was outselling 360 each week.  More gamecubes have been sold this year than 360s in Japan.

[Ceric]

You know I bet the whole 360 thing would take off more if Microsoft just bit the bullet and designed a completely different Windows OS with the Japanese in mind.  They tried doing this.  THere error messages are Haikus because it was found that they pay attention more to them.  If they seriously what more Japanese developers there going to have to gear there Big guns to Japan, Windows and Office, even more then what they've already done.  I'm sure 360 developement is intrinsically linked with Windows.

[couchmonkey]

Quote
Originally posted by: Spak-Spang
Although, I am sure the units sold in America for Gamecube late life mirrored that of Xbox in Japan.

GameCube has been outselling Xbox in North America throughout 2006, I think.  Of course the sales are low enough that the final impact won't be that noticeable anyway, but I'd say it's doing better than Xbox in Japan.