PS3 Japan launch (the queues..)

Froot

f®eak s&#169 wrote: »

Thought that article was interesting. Looks like Japan is becoming no different to the West when it comes to "touting" the lastest game console.

You have to admit they are in a far better position to do that than 99% of other countries, earliest release dates etc

Wertz

lol just watching a few PS3 auctions this evening....why would anyone pay >€1500 for a f*cking console?

Where's Sony's lawyers now? Quick enough to issue writs against lik-sang...no such action apparent toward eBay or the sellers making huge mark ups on these.

The mail in the Kotaku post makes for interesting reading; who could argue that these limited Japan only releases play right into the hands of opportunists and create a frenzy for Sony's product? Some of the more cynical mong us might say that this is exactly what Sony intend to achieve with these tactics...

[edit]

http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZsoccergoodsQQhtZ-1

lmao

Pacifico

Wertz wrote:

Where's Sony's lawyers now? Quick enough to issue writs against lik-sang...no such action apparent toward eBay or the sellers making huge mark ups on these.

Quick enough?? You havin' a laugh?!

Lik sang were selling PSP's since launch, and it took them till a few months ago to act. You expect them to shut down ebay auctions within days?!

Stoichkov

Wertz wrote:

The mail in the Kotaku post makes for interesting reading; who could argue that these limited Japan only releases play right into the hands of opportunists and create a frenzy for Sony's product? Some of the more cynical mong us might say that this is exactly what Sony intend to achieve with these tactics...

Yep, Sony purposely only released 90,000 or so ps3s to whip up a storm. They secretly have a few million in storage but decided not to release them because they actually hate making money and want to help out Nintendo and Microsoft this christmas.:rolleyes:

Retr0gamer

They probably didn't do that for the PS3 launch but they purposely limited the amount of PSP and PS2 consoles at the American and European launches.

KdjaCL

Stoichkov wrote:

Yep, Sony purposely only released 90,000 or so ps3s to whip up a storm. They secretly have a few million in storage but decided not to release them because they actually hate making money and want to help out Nintendo and Microsoft this christmas.:rolleyes:

They intend to have 6 million sold by march 2007, i worked in a blue chip company before and if they are being produced at that rate (ie 4 months 6 million inc 500k for launch) that leaves 5.5 million to be made in 4 months.

If they ship as per QA there would be another 250k available in japan by xmas but there isnt going to be.


kdjac

projectmayhem

Froot wrote:

I dont see myself paying that amount of cash for something which cannot provide an integrated online facility. ala xbox live

ATM I'm playing the pc

just wanted to point that out

iregk

I'm sure most of that is a Sony PR rent a crowd. Same thing they did for the PS2 and as MS did for the XBOX...

Zombrex

It funny, you can't give away a Xbox 360 in Japan ...

Screw the PS3, I'm sticking with my SNES, best console ever TBH ..... wonder if Mario Galaxy will come out for it .... *crosses fingers*

Wertz

Pacifico wrote:

Quick enough?? You havin' a laugh?!

Lik sang were selling PSP's since launch, and it took them till a few months ago to act. You expect them to shut down ebay auctions within days?!

Sony hadn't as much of a problem with lik sang selling the PSP pre-US/EU launch as it meant more asian sales for them at the launch prices....but the moment those sales started affecting local sellers due to lower prices (and the impending PS3 launch) they got their day in court.
Regardless of that, it doesn't take lawyers to shut down ebay auctions....in a company like Sony's case, it more than likely only takes a few phonecalls....but why bother, when it adds to the hype?

Stoichkov wrote:

Yep, Sony purposely only released 90,000 or so ps3s to whip up a storm. They secretly have a few million in storage but decided not to release them because they actually hate making money and want to help out Nintendo and Microsoft this christmas.

Assuming that :rolleyes: is meant for me, no of course they haven't got a few million units in storage...you missed my whole point.
They haven't got enough units to go with a proper full blown release even in Japan alone....but they go ahead with it anyway, leading to the scenes above and the profiteering and eBaying, since no matter what it's more free promotional material and webnews.
They're already f*cked for xmas at the end of it all and include all their problems with laptop batteries they're royally f*cked for the whole finacial year...M$ and Ninty have nothing to d o with it...

Stoichkov

How did I miss your point? You intimated that the numbers released were low on purpose and I disagree with that.

Wertz wrote:

They haven't got enough units to go with a proper full blown release even in Japan alone....but they go ahead with it anyway, leading to the scenes above and the profiteering and eBaying, since no matter what it's more free promotional material and webnews.
They're already f*cked for xmas at the end of it all and include all their problems with laptop batteries they're royally f*cked for the whole finacial year...M$ and Ninty have nothing to d o with it...

The fact is Sony had to launch now, even with such small numbers. If another christmas went by without even an appearance by the ps3 the jibes of vapourware and such would return. They simply couldn't afford another release delay as it would have damaged both customer and developer confidence even more.

As for Sony as a whole, the battery fiasco has damaged them hugely and the gaming division has been making large losses due to ps3 development. While that may all sound bad, it was only a couple of years ago that the company was being kept afloat by the ps brand alone, now they have bravia, SE phones and cybershot cameras making decent profits.

Wertz

Wertz wrote:

The mail in the Kotaku post makes for interesting reading; who could argue that these limited Japan only releases play right into the hands of opportunists and create a frenzy for Sony's product? Some of the more cynical among us might say that this is exactly what Sony intend to achieve with these tactics...

Okay I'm not sure where in that bit I intimate that I think Sony are holding back product on purpose, I'm sorry if that's how it's interpreted. I most likely didn't put across what I intended my point to be in that post.

The actor/performers motto of "always leave them wanting more" is used to full effect by a limited release in a single market region....fair enough, Sony haven't got the product to sell, and I agree that they do need to release to quell the rumours, but if they'd been more realistic in the last years' press releases instead of promising the earth and more, then they wouldn't be on the backfoot like they seem to be with this console.

The whole thing is a mess and it's left a situation where a small number of people are profiteering and loyal PS fans the world over are being left disappointed.
At least when M$ did this last year they managed to do it with a global launch...

Just to add, I'm not an xbox fanboi and I'm not purely anti-Sony. This saga just leaves a bad tsate in my mouth and it's only intensified by the whole hype, that even a joke of a launch like this, continues to generate.

Smellyirishman

Wertz wrote:

Where's Sony's lawyers now? Quick enough to issue writs against lik-sang...no such action apparent toward eBay or the sellers making huge mark ups on these.

Well, actually... click me.

They may not have persude them (maybe they did) but they certainly instilled enough fear to make e-bay prempt the law suit. Ridiculous.

sprinkles

That's retarded. How the hell can Sony stop an individual selling his PS3 to anyone?? That's bringing this whole episode to a new level.