Comments on: October 2008 Hardware Sales

By: Glitch

Glitch — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:20:08 +0000

LBP ad update:
The “exploding dog” ad has just been aired on tv right before a national soccer match here in Denmark. It’s not the biggest match (Denmark vs Wales) but I guess a lot of people still watched the commercial.

By: mcloki

mcloki — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:27:29 +0000

Yes I was a little pissy this morning. Something about snow in the air makes me miserable.
I did see the numbers. And Sackboy sold roughly 4 hundred thousand copies in three weeks. Sony needs to “drop a bomb” on Black Friday and either reduce the price of the PS3 by $100 or pack in a game and 2 blue rays or the 360 is going to run them over. If the world economy is “circling the bowl” the way the pundits are saying. Saving $50 this Christmas on gifts is going to be massive.
Consumers discretionary income is gone this Christmas. They are going to need reasons to buy. Expect to see massive deals as suppliers look to clear up stock. They won’t want to be holding stock in January because after Christmas the shopping Malls are going to be deserted. Everyone will be too afraid to buy anything.

By: darrin

darrin — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:14:28 +0000

jeez mloki…

The worst indicator for Sony is how much better cross-platform games sell on 360.

The hardware difference isn’t surprising given the recent 360 price cut.

And the first-party software numbers look about right. LBP was released at the very end of the month, so that’s just pre-orders. If LBP doesn’t near the top of November’s charts (and I bet it won’t), then there will be a reason for real disappointment.

A Thanksgiving sack boy balloon sounds brilliant but converting their public image is a lot more complex than that. The whims of the mass market are very unpredictable.

By: Glitch

Glitch — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:51:52 +0000

Well, where I live there is quite a lot of posters LBP put up at for example bus shelters. I do not watch a lot of tv So I wouldn’t know if there has been any commercials for LBP in tv. But yesterday I saw a tv ad for Mirror’s Edge with only the PS3 mentioned at the end.

By: Emrah

Emrah — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:45:50 +0000

Even tho entry level Xbox is cheaper than wii now, wii has that family oriented image, and different sku’s for Xbox may mean they are not buying the full experience, but this is not the case with a wii. I am glad wii is not a powerful machine. if it was half the PS3 and Xbox360, all multiplatform games would be designed for half fidelity. Now, they have to have separate assets and development.

By: mcloki

mcloki — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:47:39 +0000

I’ve seen an ad fro LBP on TV. Wow do they miss the mark. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Sony marketing is the gang that can’t shoot straight. It’s practically criminal to their shareholders that they are this incompetent. I wrote a while back what Sony should have done. Wow talk about opportunity lost. Do you think Sony would be smart enough to have a Sackboy in the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. I’m Canadian and I know the exposure that would bring.
Wii’s are marketed to the concerns of everyday parents.
Fun that is wholesome. Mario could be a Disney character.
Fun that is fitness oriented. The kids may not do it but the intent to do something about the health of your child seems like the right thing to do.
Fun. in general.
If a parent or grandparent walks into EB or Gamestop are they going to buy their kids a game that promises the “Thrill of curbstomping” ? Most likely not.
The price cut is going to help the 360 like gangbusters this holiday season. Sony will be outsold this season and will never recover. They lost this generation. Japanese developers are in dissarray and will lose out to American and European developers. And here’s my bold prediction. Microsoft will will the next next generation console wars hands down. They always hit on the third pitch. It seems that Sony is going to be relegated over the next two years to selling off parts of their business in cell phones, media and hardware to cover their debt. Sony is done.

By: francois

francois — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:22:01 +0000

When I mention LittleBigPlanet to friends, they look at me with a strange look and they have no idea what I am talking about. Sony needs to advertize it better. I showed the game to some friends, it convinced 2 of them to get a PS3 for that game.

I think teenagers are more attracted to the XBox 360 in general, and price will also be a big decisive factor. At the same time a lot of adult and family will want a PS3 to enhance their HD entertainment experience at home.

By: Henning

Henning — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:36:18 +0000

Anyone see any ads for LittleBigPlanet?
Anyone?

* crickets chirping *