Compared To Last Year, November PS3 Sales Way Down

According to the NPD group (Silicon Alley Insider via CNNMoney.com), “sales of the PS3 are down about 19% from November 2007. Sony was only able to sell 378,000 PS3s this November, compared to 466,000 last year.” I’m very aware of the fact that we are living in one of the rockiest financial times in many decades, but this is definitely not a good sign for the PS3. Sillicon Alley Insider goes on to state several other figures, such as the XBOX360 (+59,000 units) and Wii (+Million) having great growth in that same period. This shows the consumer is obviously pursuing lower-cost machines and the PS3 is awkwardly stuck between the outro of the XBOX360 and the booming sales of the Wii. They go on to state some other key reasons:

So why is the PS3 flopping so badly?

  1. It’s the most expensive console on the market, $150 – $200 more than its rivals. Even if you believe the video game industry is “recession-proof” (it isn’t), a tanking economy makes consumers more price-conscious.
  2. The PS3′s big bonus is its ability to double as a Blu-Ray player. Too bad no one seems to care about hi-def DVDs. The differences between Blu-Ray and DVD are hard to see on a TV less than 50″.
  3. The PS3 just doesn’t have any must-have titles exclusive to the console. “LittleBigPlanet” has generated decent buzz but isn’t a game-changer, and neither is Sony’s new virtual world “Home.”
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12
Dec 2008
POSTED BY Christopher MacManus
POSTED IN

Playstation, PS3

DISCUSSION 15 Comments
  • Matt

    I dont agree with their idea that you cant see a difference in image quality on anything below 50 inches.

    I have both a 50in and 37in HDTV and when I play DVD’s on my 37in and then a Blu-Ray, I can clearly see a difference.

    I can see a clear difference between HD Broadcast and Standard-Def Broadcasts, and there is not a whole lot of difference between the two. I think the biggest problem with the PS3 is price-point. If they were to drop it $100 I would guarentee it would sell much easier. It has Blu-Ray, WiFi, and no need to pay monthly subscription to do online gaming, that right there is enough to sell me if it were not $399.

  • Matt

    I dont agree with their idea that you cant see a difference in image quality on anything below 50 inches.

    I have both a 50in and 37in HDTV and when I play DVD’s on my 37in and then a Blu-Ray, I can clearly see a difference.

    I can see a clear difference between HD Broadcast and Standard-Def Broadcasts, and there is not a whole lot of difference between the two. I think the biggest problem with the PS3 is price-point. If they were to drop it $100 I would guarentee it would sell much easier. It has Blu-Ray, WiFi, and no need to pay monthly subscription to do online gaming, that right there is enough to sell me if it were not $399.

  • Matt

    I dont agree with their idea that you cant see a difference in image quality on anything below 50 inches.

    I have both a 50in and 37in HDTV and when I play DVD’s on my 37in and then a Blu-Ray, I can clearly see a difference.

    I can see a clear difference between HD Broadcast and Standard-Def Broadcasts, and there is not a whole lot of difference between the two. I think the biggest problem with the PS3 is price-point. If they were to drop it $100 I would guarentee it would sell much easier. It has Blu-Ray, WiFi, and no need to pay monthly subscription to do online gaming, that right there is enough to sell me if it were not $399.

  • http://www.edepot.com edepot

    I think PS3 is actually going to win this generation. The secret facts are here:

    http://www.edepot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1155

  • http://www.edepot.com edepot

    I think PS3 is actually going to win this generation. The secret facts are here:

    http://www.edepot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1155

  • http://www.edepot.com edepot

    I think PS3 is actually going to win this generation. The secret facts are here:

    http://www.edepot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1155

  • Chris

    Allow me to direct the author’s attention to this article:

    - Blu-ray Sales Off the Charts

    http://gear.ign.com/articles/938/938098p1.html

    Please use more recent sources. The article you cited was written in May, eons before this holiday season began.

    You have to give the format a chance. I can clearly see a difference between SD and HD every single time no matter how small. Most people I know can too. For the price, you are getting one of the best reviewed BD players on the market. When the price goes down, and it will, people should start to realize what a true bargain it is — if they don’t it is truly their loss (probably almost as bad as Sony’s).

    And while XBOX sales are higher than the PS3′s, the 360 is notorious for having hardware issues and overheating. You are less likely to have that problem with your PS3, and even though you are paying more, you are getting that much better hardware. The next gen XBOX360 will be probably be just as powerful as your PS3.

    Give HOME a chance! Hasn’t even been released yet and you are already predicting its demise? Got any proof? Got any proof Little Big Planet won’t be a game changer? After all, it was selected as Game of the Month for several prominent gaming magazines in DECEMBER, perhaps the biggest month for games of the year.

  • Chris

    Allow me to direct the author’s attention to this article:

    - Blu-ray Sales Off the Charts

    http://gear.ign.com/articles/938/938098p1.html

    Please use more recent sources. The article you cited was written in May, eons before this holiday season began.

    You have to give the format a chance. I can clearly see a difference between SD and HD every single time no matter how small. Most people I know can too. For the price, you are getting one of the best reviewed BD players on the market. When the price goes down, and it will, people should start to realize what a true bargain it is — if they don’t it is truly their loss (probably almost as bad as Sony’s).

    And while XBOX sales are higher than the PS3′s, the 360 is notorious for having hardware issues and overheating. You are less likely to have that problem with your PS3, and even though you are paying more, you are getting that much better hardware. The next gen XBOX360 will be probably be just as powerful as your PS3.

    Give HOME a chance! Hasn’t even been released yet and you are already predicting its demise? Got any proof? Got any proof Little Big Planet won’t be a game changer? After all, it was selected as Game of the Month for several prominent gaming magazines in DECEMBER, perhaps the biggest month for games of the year.

  • Chris

    Allow me to direct the author’s attention to this article:

    - Blu-ray Sales Off the Charts

    http://gear.ign.com/articles/938/938098p1.html

    Please use more recent sources. The article you cited was written in May, eons before this holiday season began.

    You have to give the format a chance. I can clearly see a difference between SD and HD every single time no matter how small. Most people I know can too. For the price, you are getting one of the best reviewed BD players on the market. When the price goes down, and it will, people should start to realize what a true bargain it is — if they don’t it is truly their loss (probably almost as bad as Sony’s).

    And while XBOX sales are higher than the PS3′s, the 360 is notorious for having hardware issues and overheating. You are less likely to have that problem with your PS3, and even though you are paying more, you are getting that much better hardware. The next gen XBOX360 will be probably be just as powerful as your PS3.

    Give HOME a chance! Hasn’t even been released yet and you are already predicting its demise? Got any proof? Got any proof Little Big Planet won’t be a game changer? After all, it was selected as Game of the Month for several prominent gaming magazines in DECEMBER, perhaps the biggest month for games of the year.

  • Peter

    Of course anyone can see the difference between HD and DVD, but here “difference” is the key word. Most consumers won’t even notice HD is so much better unless when comparing side-by-side to standard def. The vast majority of people don’t “suffer” when watching DVD movies on a large screen: they just enjoy the show without looking at the individual pixels :-) .

  • Peter

    Of course anyone can see the difference between HD and DVD, but here “difference” is the key word. Most consumers won’t even notice HD is so much better unless when comparing side-by-side to standard def. The vast majority of people don’t “suffer” when watching DVD movies on a large screen: they just enjoy the show without looking at the individual pixels :-) .

  • Peter

    Of course anyone can see the difference between HD and DVD, but here “difference” is the key word. Most consumers won’t even notice HD is so much better unless when comparing side-by-side to standard def. The vast majority of people don’t “suffer” when watching DVD movies on a large screen: they just enjoy the show without looking at the individual pixels :-) .

  • Joe the plummer

    bluray lost marketshare to dvd players. why do you think so many bluray ads are showing up lately? People just don’t care when they can get a perfectly good looking dvd player for 40 bucks or less, and dvd discs at huge discounts over bluray.

    bluray was made for geeks and videophiles. unlike vhs vs dvd, people saw the convenience of discs over tapes, and loved the fact that they didn’t have to rewind or wait ages to fast forward, in addition to looking great without buying a new tv set.

    enter blu ray. most people honestly don’t care when their dvds look perfectly well, even in HDTV sets. there is zero added convenience, and no real perceived value. the geeks gill get turned on over 1080p 7.1 surround on a 60inch plasma….90% of the rest of the world, just want to watch a movie. For those people, dvd’s are just fine, and cheap.

    enter video on demand:
    Unless you collect movies, why would you buy one? VOD HD looks fantastic. It’s cheap and convenient. Again yeah, pixel by pixel geek comparisons will show bluray looks better than VOD HD. but who cares? 1% of the people may.

    in summary:
    PS3 & bluray are sinking faster than the titanic.

  • Joe the plummer

    bluray lost marketshare to dvd players. why do you think so many bluray ads are showing up lately? People just don’t care when they can get a perfectly good looking dvd player for 40 bucks or less, and dvd discs at huge discounts over bluray.

    bluray was made for geeks and videophiles. unlike vhs vs dvd, people saw the convenience of discs over tapes, and loved the fact that they didn’t have to rewind or wait ages to fast forward, in addition to looking great without buying a new tv set.

    enter blu ray. most people honestly don’t care when their dvds look perfectly well, even in HDTV sets. there is zero added convenience, and no real perceived value. the geeks gill get turned on over 1080p 7.1 surround on a 60inch plasma….90% of the rest of the world, just want to watch a movie. For those people, dvd’s are just fine, and cheap.

    enter video on demand:
    Unless you collect movies, why would you buy one? VOD HD looks fantastic. It’s cheap and convenient. Again yeah, pixel by pixel geek comparisons will show bluray looks better than VOD HD. but who cares? 1% of the people may.

    in summary:
    PS3 & bluray are sinking faster than the titanic.

  • Joe the plummer

    bluray lost marketshare to dvd players. why do you think so many bluray ads are showing up lately? People just don’t care when they can get a perfectly good looking dvd player for 40 bucks or less, and dvd discs at huge discounts over bluray.

    bluray was made for geeks and videophiles. unlike vhs vs dvd, people saw the convenience of discs over tapes, and loved the fact that they didn’t have to rewind or wait ages to fast forward, in addition to looking great without buying a new tv set.

    enter blu ray. most people honestly don’t care when their dvds look perfectly well, even in HDTV sets. there is zero added convenience, and no real perceived value. the geeks gill get turned on over 1080p 7.1 surround on a 60inch plasma….90% of the rest of the world, just want to watch a movie. For those people, dvd’s are just fine, and cheap.

    enter video on demand:
    Unless you collect movies, why would you buy one? VOD HD looks fantastic. It’s cheap and convenient. Again yeah, pixel by pixel geek comparisons will show bluray looks better than VOD HD. but who cares? 1% of the people may.

    in summary:
    PS3 & bluray are sinking faster than the titanic.