Sony's new PlayStation 3 video game has gone from top dog to underdog in record time.
Despite the buildup and hype around its arrival in November, the PS3 has been outsold so far — at a rate of almost 2-to-1 — by the Nintendo Wii.
In February, the Wii was the top-selling console video game system with an estimated 335,000 sold, outpacing the Microsoft Xbox 360 (228,000) and the PS3 (127,000), according to The NPD Group.
For Sony, that performance "is simply abysmal," says Newsweek's N'Gai Croal. "The PS3 is sucking wind right now. …. Price is a factor. Some of the negative buzz is a factor. Some of the FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) is a factor. And the lack of a large number of triple-A software titles is a factor."
Nintendo's $250 Wii, released the same week as the PS3 ($500-$600), has sold about 1.9 million so far, compared with 1.1 million PS3s.
Initial online bidding for the PS3 soared to $2,000-plus, but four months later, customers can find ample supplies in stores while Wiis remain tough to come by. "It's a strange sight. Nobody would have predicted that," says Dan Hsu, editor in chief of Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine.
Sony counters that sales so far of the PS3, which launches in Europe this week, rival early sales of the Xbox 360 and PS2.
"I chuckle when you say we are in trouble, because when you couldn't find them on shelves, some said we were in trouble," says Sony Computer Entertainment's Dave Karraker. "So we're damned if we do and damned if we don't."
The PS3's early stumbles — fewer than expected shipments, extensive updates needed for backward compatibility — caused some analysts to reconsider how the market might play out.
Read the full article here...Mike Snider
March 20, 2007
Source: USA Today