PS3's now meeting demand (1 Viewer)

[Carlo_M]

Yes, I was joking.

Here's something to think about re: "gathering dust".

The claim was that Sony shipped 1 million PS3s to US by end of December.

That includes shipping up to Dec. 31. There was a known shortage/sellout of the consoles until mid-December some time. Sony was able to ramp up and air-ship additional units towards the latter half of December, which made up for a significant portion of the "1 million shipped".

However, I don't know how much you know about how retail works, but Sony doesn't ship to your local BB or EB. They ship to local warehouses/distribution centers, who then parse out the shipments to regional centers, who then ship to the stores. So it is entirely possible, no, not just possible, but plausible and probable that Sony shipped many units "by the end of 2006" that did not even make it into retailers shelves until the end of the month or beginning of this month.

Best Buy itself was sold out the week before and after XMas, and held off on putting stock onto their store shelves until their big New Years Day sale where they advertised a minimum of 25 per store. Think about that. 25 per store. How many Best Buys in the nation? I live within 25 miles of 10 of them.

That in and of itself, in one retailer, equals a ton of stock that Sony had already shipped to them that Sony counted as "shipped in 2006" but won't be sold until 1/1/2007 or later (I called all 10 Best Buys near me and all but one were sold out the next day when I got back from out of the country, I was able to get the one remaining one left at a new BB about 16 miles from my house that many people didn't know was up and running yet because it's behind a block-long construction wall).

So before you gleefully revel in those numbers, stop and think for a bit how much "dust those PS3s gathered" on the airplane to the trucks to the distribution centers to the warehouses to the stores. Not much I would wager. But the fact is that it takes a week or more even if Sony rush ships them, for them to get to the States and into the stores. Couple that with the holiday closures of many businesses (stores and transportation companies) and it's all too likely that a high percentage of the number of unsold systems (as compared to shipped by Sony) were actually in transit or being purposely held back like Best Buy did.

And I'm no Sony honk. This is my first PS system, I owned XBox, Cube, N64, Genesis, SNES, etc. As soon as Halo 3 comes out I plan to buy the 360 (hopefully the rumored v2 w/ HDMI). When the stupid EB or BB finally gets Wii stock I'll probably buy that.

 

[Austan]

I dont get it... even if PS3 sales figures are slow... It is still in the millions!!! The Europe launch is around the corner in March... By the end of summer we're looking at least 3-4 million PS3... So why are the HD DVD supporters making such a big deal on wither 1 million was sold in 6 weeks or 8 weeks? The point is really moot because by the time this thread was started it had already sold 1 million units.

I would be more concerned with wither Onkyo has released any news on when they are making a HD DVD player... Meridian has already "backed off" on any commitments...

FYI: I totally agree with the title of this thread!!! My shinny black PS3 is a freaking DUST MAGNET!!! Hey can we change the title to:
PS3's gather dust and FINGER PRINTS!!!

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

NDP numbers also don't includes sales from Walmart.

They are able to keep supply coming, so now all they need is a killer app, besides Blu-ray which is reason enough to purchase one.

 

[Carlo_M]

Haha, that's true. My PS3 is a dust magnet. Luckily, unlike my XBox, which has those stupid ridges that just ask for dust to get trapped, it only takes a quick wipe with a dry cloth to clean the 360.

And I fully agree about the Killer App. The low price point in comparison w/ standalone BD players, as well as its great performance (unlike the XBox and PS2 which were considerably worse at playing DVDs than lesser priced standalone players) on BD is a killer app in and of itself. However for those who do want to primarily game, they need something soon.

Tekken and Virtua Fighter are coming for those fighting junkies, but I wouldn't call either a killer app. Gran Turismo 5 is officially pushed back until end of 2007, which will likely mean 2008. Motorstorm shows much promise, but again, not sure if I'd call it a killer app, more like a potential sleeper success.

FEAR, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 and Rainbow 6 Vegas look to be competing for top FPS for the PS3 in the coming months, but the big established names (Half Life 2 and Unreal Tournament 2007) aren't due until the summer.

Other than that, the games that show the greatest promise aren't slated until Q3 and Q4 2007, that's a long time from now...

For the record I'm working off of this IGN tentative release list

 

[Chris*Liberti]

I loved my Dreamcast as well. At the time it was one of the best systems period. I just remember that it could render water with nearly the quality of the PS3, something no other system at the time even came close to doing. I just wished they would have worked harder at coming up with the encryption scheme. Within a few months there were ways to copy discs and within 6 months it was an abandoned system. The other system I really liked in the past was the Turbo Grafix 16, at the time it came out it didn't have any slowdowns and had better graphics than the PS.

 

[PeterTHX]

Hmm. Why are they still sold out here in both San Diego & LA Metro areas. We're not talking some midwestern area out in the boonies. I know many people still looking for them too.

It's also possible some haven't sold (if this is indeed true) because people have stopped looking and don't know they are available. Stores aren't exactly advertising that they have them now, do they? Once folks are aware that they're there...

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

I was going to say Lair might be the first but that seems to have gotten pushed back to May. But 1080p, epic style, full use of the sixaxis, definitely potential there.

Burnout 5 could be a hit at the end of March. Is that a port or a new game? I haven't followed what has been released on the 360. Not a system seller though.

Heavenly Sword is another that got a lot of people's attention.

 

[Brian-W]

Yep - NPD doesn't cover every retailer and every single machine shipped either. NPD is a great gauge for how things are selling, but it's not the end-all-be-all.

And as a former Sony employee, I can tell you, WalMart definitely got their fair share of PS3s.

 

[Ryan-G]

I live in a mid-size city with 3 colleges known country wide for excellence, and 2 of them are known world wide for excellence, all of them packed to bursting with console's target market, and they sit on shelves here.

I also have to say, "people have stopped looking and don't know they are available" is a fairly big reach. Wii's have been sold out since day 1 as well, and they don't last 5 minutes in a store.

__________________________________________________ ______________

Of far more interest IMO, is Pioneer's CES announcement of a sub-$400 BR drive for PC's. Now that could have some serious implications right now, and definitely a major bump up for the HTPC crowd.

http://www.anandtech.com/tradeshows/...spx?i=2905&p=4

 

[Carlo_M]

Ryan, there's plenty of evidence to support WHATEVER a person wants to believe. You choose to believe the reports of some members here saying they saw stock "sitting around" as indicative that they're sitting around everywhere.

I had my local Best Buy, in the greater Los Angeles area, do a stock search over multiple days at all of their stores during the timeframe of Dec 15-31. Nada. When they did get some in stock, they quickly went. The minimum 25 per store that they got 1/1/07? Gone. This was at over 10 Best Buys within 25-30 miles of me.

Huh, I'd have to disagree 100%. Because I'll be the first to admit that the game selection for PS3 SUCKS!!! Quite a lot of people feel that way. Retailers I've talked to don't move that much software for the PS3 because quite frankly, there's not a lot out (like a dozen games) and only 2-3 of them are good. Yet still, quite a bit of systems have been sold. And it's not because they're all Resistance: Fall of Man fans. I'm willing to bet quite a lot of people (just like a lot of posters here at HTF) bought it for BD capability. My buddy who works at Best Buy says their BD discs are moving at a rapid pace that isn't reflected by the number of standalone BD players they sell (which is very low). He thinks it's because of the PS3 owners. It's only going to grow. If BD wasn't a primary driving factor for all of those PS3 sales, what game in the current PS3 library sold the console?

And your requirement for an HDTV user base jump of 500% is a frankly outrageous number. People are buying new TV sets every day. Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. do great business. And do you know how hard it is to find a non-HD (at least 720p, capable of accepting 1080i even if it downconverts) sets in those stores? Really hard. They're now relegated to the areas that have VHS players. Just about anything over a 25" TV set is HD capable. I don't think manufacturers even make 27" standard def tube sets anymore, at least not to any great volume.

The HDTV revolution is already here. Sure some will sit on their current working standard def sets, no argument. But there are quite a few people buying HD sets. Heck, I live across the street from the BB so I go there almost daily. I frequently see someone pulling up a car to the front of the store to load some new TV. Being the HT geek I am, I always look. It's usually an HD capable set, whether a smaller LCD TV capable of 1366x768 or a larger one, I can't remember the last time I saw a standard def TV being hauled away.

Check this out re: LCD TV sales - which although they aren't all 1080p, are HD capable and do show a difference between BD and DVD (I know, I own a 32" 1366x768 LCD TV and it's very clear).
Check this link out for HDTV sales numbers pre-holiday 2006 season (where they always jump up).
Once Q4 2006 numbers are in, I'll wager that HDTV sales made another huge leap.

Look, I'm not trying to pursuade you that PS3 is the next greatest thing. It isn't for everyone. Many more Wiis and 360s are sold. But the PS3 has its place. It's going to help decide the format war in a way that even the 360s HD-DVD drive won't. January is also a known weak month for shopping because everyone's paying off their holiday debts. But my money's on Sony having a good first two quarters of 2007 with regards to PS3 sales. Sure, not as good as the Wii, but that thing costs half of a PS3. It would be a disaster if it DIDN'T outsell the PS3! Shame on Nintendo for not keeping up with demand, as far as I'm concerned, because I want one!

Believe in the HTF member reports of PS3s in stock equalling that they're "gathering dust". I won't begrudge you that. But I'll believe in the way the market and supply chain really works (with regards to how long a product takes to get from "shipped from Japan" to on store shelves in America). And the selling power of WalMart. And the fact that quite a few people have reported difficulty in finding PS3s as those who say they've seen them around.

 

[Ryan-G]

I'm not saying PS3's a bad console, it isn't. It's comparable to the 360, and competitive with it, in everything but price. But I honestly don't see good things coming from this, the markets where it's hard to find seem to correlate with extreme population densities. LA, San Fran, Seatlle(sic), NYC. Mid range cities seem to have them in surplus.

I'm only complaining because people seem to gloss over PS3's problems, which disturbs me, because I really don't see good things in the future for PS3. With so few consoles shipped, only 1 million, it should be sold out everywhere. The fact that they're sitting on shelves in places is indicative of a dangerous trend for PS3.

Regardless, I think it's time for me to bow out of this thread. It's already degenerating, and I accept some responsibility for that. I don't see this thread going anywhere other than "It's black!" "No it's white!" from here, and I don't really want to do that, and I know I don't have the willpower to resist the urge to take a side.

On to happier topics for me, see you all in the next thread

 

[Carlo_M]

I know you've left this thread, but I need to reply to your points because they need clarification for those who may be following the thread.
Not sure what problems we are glossing over. We know it's higher priced. We know it's sold less than the other two systems. But you take a few reports of in-stock PS3s and extrapolate that to mean doom, which given the nature of the short stock at launch, plus holiday delays and vendors like Best Buy sitting on stock, plus the ill-will of consumers who were pissed that eBayers were buying all of the initial stock (and that put off a lot of people including me), and now the post-holiday spending slowdown that historically occurs, and couple that with Sony now being able to supply stock, it should actually *not* be surprising that there is stock available.

On my morning coffee run, I'll go to my BB this morning and ask how many they and the local stores have. The manager knows me (and is probably sick of my face I come in there so often) so I think he'll do that for me, and edit this post.

But to wrap up, I'm not worried about Sony/PS3. I think they've learned from their Beta days. Sure, they engaged in another format war in HD, but they did it right this time, getting studio and other manufacturer support. They know they can't do it alone, and they're not doing that with the PS3.

And even if PS3 fades over time, I got myself a great 1st-gen BD player (by most accounts better than the initial standalone players with regards to response time) for $200 less than the lowest standalone I could find. That's already a bargain. The fact that it will be able to play some PS3 games that I'll like (and yes, there are a few on the horizon) is gravy. If that's my worst case scenario, I'm cool with it.

 

[Dave H]

This past week (southeast MI area) I literally visited a total of 10-12 stores (Target, Best Buy, Walmart, and Circuit City), called about another 15, just to find a 20 gig PS3. I mean it was this hard to just find one. One store had a couple, but they were previous opened. As far as 60 gig units, there were a few - but most stores still sold out. I just haven't experienced all of these "PS3s gathering dust." They are still very difficult to find around here.

 

[jervis961]

Great post Ryan-G, I agree this will come down to a agreement to disagree and I applaud you for recognizing this and bowing out. I too have a hard time not taking sides.

I don't think anyone wants to see Sony go under or anything but a lot of people have become sick of Sony's attitude and feel they have lost touch with the customer. The system is a great bargain for what you get but a lot of people can't justify spending that much to play games. Given some time they will be able to bring down the cost and release some killer titles but right now it isn't living up to the hype.

I too have a friend with information about stock of the PS3 but he works at EB. He advised me that they had 7 in stock at X-Mas they couldn't get rid of and that the other stores he spoke to in my area had the same problem. Like Ryan-G said we can argue all day but will never convince the other that we are right. We might as well sit back and watch things unfold.

I always enjoy a good debate and maybe we can discuss things again next holiday season when all the companies have worked out the launch kinks. Until then enjoy your PS3 and I'll see you around the forums.

 

[Dave Mack]

Hey y'all.

I am not posting this to be all fanboyish or incite anything, just a fun observation. Yesterday me and my better half had a b'day party for our wiener dog (I know...) and one of our neighbors came over and I wanted him to see my music equipment, his kids came upstairs with him and they were all more interested in my PJ settup and then the kids saw my PS3 and honestly, they were both like, "Woah! You have a PS3!!!" and I fired it up and they spent the next HOUR (while we went back downstairs) playing the one demo level of Motorstorm and were blown away. They both thought it was awesome and looked fab. (92" screen with Mits hc3000u PJ) Now they were like 10-12 years old and were very impressed and said it rocked. Later a couple of the adults with their kids (younger though) came upstairs and THEY wound up playing the demo for almost an hour. The kids were pretty bad at the game but were laughing their butts off and so were the adults... We also watched a few downloaded BD demos like Underworld to show the PQ and the adults were blown completely away and all want to watch movies at our apt. now.
Take it for what you will. Just trying to share a fun story. I don't think anyone knows exactly what will happen. All I know is that I do think (just IMHO) that the PS3 is the best $499 I've ever spent in my settup.

dave

 

[Jimi C]

My friend told me he was in our Best Buy on Thursday and they had a stack of about 20 sitting in the middle of the store. We went back today and saw a stack of about 12 sitting in the same spot. All 60GB models.

 

[ChrisMatson]

I finally pulled the plug and got a PS3.
I got one game, Resistance, and one BD movie, M:I3.
I am still getting used to the system, but my early impressions have been very positive.
I imagine that a new receiver (currently have a Yamaha 5250 from 2000) and display (currently have a 36" XBR450) are in my future in the next 6 months or so.

I brought the PS3 over to a friend's house today and connected it to his brand-new 46" JVC 1080p. I think he wants one now and he hasn't played games in over 5 years. Needless to say, he was quite impressed.

 

[BrettGallman]

I've seen about 10 PS3s at various stores since the New Year, but I fully expected that. The same thing happened with the PS2 and the 360, and it'll probably be true of all consoles. They just seem to be much easier to find after the holiday season.

 

[ppltd]

A little news on PS3 availability.


Read what you want into it.

 

[SVTStingRay]

very understandble seeing as tho the wii's are half the price of a ps3 and technically just a gaming system.

theres been alot of comparing the 3 systems so far and i think its so unfair because of all the differences.

the wii is in a different category from the others, its a pure gaming system. the graphics are not as up to par as the other 2 systems and no dvd playback.