Sony Computer Entertainment president Jack Tretton has spoken of fiscal 2008 as "a very challenging period of trying to sell future technology."
Tretton told Fast Company that Sony had successfully met its PlayStation 3 sales target during the last financial year, but he also noted the difficulty of pushing a high-end device at a time when consumers were being particularly cost-conscious.
MAG: Massive Action Game
Official trailer
3:18A new dev diary with some sweet gameplay footage
MAG: Massive Action Game
Official trailer
3:18A new dev diary with some sweet gameplay footage
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MAG: Massive Action Game
Official trailer
3:18A new dev diary with some sweet gameplay footage
"Hopefully last year is as bad as it gets. I think all indicators are that 2009 is going better than 2008. In 2008, we had a 38 per cent increase in sales and we hit our ten million units worldwide goal for PS3 sales... At the worst possible time, if you're hitting numbers and delivering success... my hope is that as our production efficiencies improve and more great games come to market, the horizon has got to be better for 2009 and 2010.
"It's like being out there in a storm - it does cause you to question your conviction, and tie yourself to the mast and weather the storm," he added. "We have hit a very challenging period of trying to sell future technology, a high-end device, but is on the high-end retail pricing spectrum, at a time when people's disposable income is limited. But I think the fact we were successful in that says people are getting the message, that you get tremendous value when you buy a PlayStation product. Yes there are cheaper machines out there, but not ones that deliver the degree of value for the money that ours does."
Having sold ten million PS3 units last business year, Sony is targeting 13 million system sales during the current one. The predicted 30 per cent sales increase has led analysts to forecast a PS3 price cut this summer, but earlier this week Sony CEO Howard Stringer dismissed rumours of an impending price drop as illogical.
Dammit...I'm trying to be on best behaviour as of late but CVG just keep teasing me with these topics!
They're coming thick and fast, aren't they?
I don't really have anything to say about this story really. To be honest, I couldn't give a rats a*** what happens to Sonys profit margins (same goes for MS) - it's just not interesting.
Can't resist watching people get their knickers in a twist over some ridiculous comment though. Isn't that what forums are for?
i wonder how much success of the ps3 is due to the ps2, if MS had been the dominant force in the market would the ps3 be doing so well? i dont know, i think it would struggle and is why the 360 is cheap, microsoft couldnt hope to compete if they were priced so high.
i wonder how much success of the ps3 is due to the ps2, if MS had been the dominant force in the market would the ps3 be doing so well? i dont know, i think it would struggle and is why the 360 is cheap, microsoft couldnt hope to compete if they were priced so high.
The success of the PS2 probably has helped the PS3, but you could also argue that it's also hurting it too - the PS2 is still selling in respectable numbers.
I've no doubts that the PS3 will overtake the 360 eventually, but (and this is something that very rarely gets mentioned in the daily forum arguments), MS will be more than happy with the market share that they've amassed with the 360....they couldn't have expected to be ahead at this stage of the game, considering the sheer dominance of the PS2 and the Playstation brand.
Only fanboy's care about who is 1st, 2nd or third in the console race. What matters more to Sony is that they actually start making some money from the PS3. I'm pretty sure that if they did finish 1st in total sales of this generations consoles, they would also have made no profit. To be third, and make a profit, is probably fine by Sony at this juncture.
Only fanboy's care about who is 1st, 2nd or third in the console race. What matters more to Sony is that they actually start making some money from the PS3. I'm pretty sure that if they did finish 1st in total sales of this generations consoles, they would also have made no profit. To be third, and make a profit, is probably fine by Sony at this juncture.
Making no money makes no sense.
true but wasnt money made in the past from software sales as they sold the ps2 for a loss didnt they? why isnt this happening this time around? might be due to increased competition from a resurgent nintendo and newcomer MS. i think Sony dropped the ball somewhat and didnt expect such a tough fight when they started planning the ps3 which would have been quite a while ago.
Posted by nottsville Is this Sony's "justification" week or something? Every day we've heard something
That's because CVG drip feed snippets from interviews all week to make it feel like there is more breaking news than there really is.Keeps us commenting on the same interview all week long.
Only fanboy's care about who is 1st, 2nd or third in the console race. What matters more to Sony is that they actually start making some money from the PS3. I'm pretty sure that if they did finish 1st in total sales of this generations consoles, they would also have made no profit. To be third, and make a profit, is probably fine by Sony at this juncture.
Making no money makes no sense.
I get your point on how 1st, 2nd and 3rd doesnt matter, but a lot of people don't. Just because ps3 is 3rd doesn't mean it isn't selling well. It's selling fine as it is, it's hit about 24 million worldwide so far, which is, to be honest, a great success. All this media garbage about how sony should stop the PS3 is crap, since it's still selling, just not as much as they'd hoped. Same goes for the 360 and the wii, they're all selling, the 360 has a high rate of failure, doesn't stop sales does it, but the media like bigging up this s**t, its like swine flu. In reality, swine flu is just flu. But the media have to big it up so it seems important.
It's going to get worse before it gets better. And that's not just for Sony.
Yep, all the indications are that things are going to get a whole lot worse in the economy before they get better!
It's the American economy that's in meltdown/freefall at the moment, with conservatively 16 Trillion in national debt and debtor countries such as China trying to fire-sale their Dollar reserves by buying up businesses and physical assets like they're going out of fashion...welcome to the Amero and some very s**t times!
Just to be clear, I have no 'side' in any stupid 'console war'.
I like to play games, thats why I buy a games console. (Or three at the moment. I feel the vast, vast majority of people that own consoles, or are interested in buying a console think the same.
I am not going to doubt that some of the things the PS3 can do put it leagues ahead of the 360.
However the simple fact is that for a lot less money you can buy an xbox that can play games just as well as buying a ps3 that could cost twice as much.
It's going to get worse before it gets better. And that's not just for Sony.
Yep, all the indications are that things are going to get a whole lot worse in the economy before they get better!
It's the American economy that's in meltdown/freefall at the moment, with conservatively 16 Trillion in national debt and debtor countries such as China trying to fire-sale their Dollar reserves by buying up businesses and physical assets like they're going out of fashion...welcome to the Amero and some very s**t times!
I spent the weekend in mallorca with a very successful hedge fund manager looking for houses - he painted a very, very bleak picture for the established economies. He said cash will be worthless in the future due to massive cash surpluses in the east.
Pressure on the emerging economies to not fix their exchange rates to equalise prices, they won't want to, the 'west' will go down the protectionist route and impose import tariffs.
In his view if basic world economics aren't sorted out over the next twenty years or so it will be trade war, if not war. f**k CoD, you'll be able to experience for real by the time the PS7 comes out!
Anyone who buys a house now is playing a very risky game. My sister is and she's an idiot!
Maybe from a profit point of view for sony, but that was largely due to Exchange rates and not just in the gaming division. With the Yen at record levels again the Ł€$, it was always going to be messy and the reason they are not slashing PS3 prices yet too.
From an owner point of view, it was a pretty good year, and this year also looks good for games and ad ons.
It's going to get worse before it gets better. And that's not just for Sony.
Yep, all the indications are that things are going to get a whole lot worse in the economy before they get better!
It's the American economy that's in meltdown/freefall at the moment, with conservatively 16 Trillion in national debt and debtor countries such as China trying to fire-sale their Dollar reserves by buying up businesses and physical assets like they're going out of fashion...welcome to the Amero and some very s**t times!
I spent the weekend in mallorca with a very successful hedge fund manager looking for houses - he painted a very, very bleak picture for the established economies. He said cash will be worthless in the future due to massive cash surpluses in the east.
Pressure on the emerging economies to not fix their exchange rates to equalise prices, they won't want to, the 'west' will go down the protectionist route and impose import tariffs.
In his view if basic world economics aren't sorted out over the next twenty years or so it will be trade war, if not war. f**k CoD, you'll be able to experience for real by the time the PS7 comes out!
Anyone who buys a house now is playing a very risky game. My sister is and she's an idiot!
I'm afraid to say I agree with your Hedge Fund friend totally and will even go a stage further and say that within the next 10 years cash as currency will be wiped out globally and replaced by RFID chips, which is what is being pushed at the moment in the US.
Also, listening to Gerald Celente who has singlehandedly accurately predicted just about every economic boom or bust event in the last 20 years, his predictions between now and 2012 really are something people should be s**tting themselves about.
Sad thing is I'm pretty sure he's bang on the money again, but people carry on believing the s**te on the TV and media in general, and that Obama is the saviour...what a f**king joke that is!
It's going to get worse before it gets better. And that's not just for Sony.
Yep, all the indications are that things are going to get a whole lot worse in the economy before they get better!
It's the American economy that's in meltdown/freefall at the moment, with conservatively 16 Trillion in national debt and debtor countries such as China trying to fire-sale their Dollar reserves by buying up businesses and physical assets like they're going out of fashion...welcome to the Amero and some very s**t times!
I spent the weekend in mallorca with a very successful hedge fund manager looking for houses - he painted a very, very bleak picture for the established economies. He said cash will be worthless in the future due to massive cash surpluses in the east.
Pressure on the emerging economies to not fix their exchange rates to equalise prices, they won't want to, the 'west' will go down the protectionist route and impose import tariffs.
In his view if basic world economics aren't sorted out over the next twenty years or so it will be trade war, if not war. f**k CoD, you'll be able to experience for real by the time the PS7 comes out!
Anyone who buys a house now is playing a very risky game. My sister is and she's an idiot!
I'm afraid to say I agree with your Hedge Fund friend totally and will even go a stage further and say that within the next 10 years cash as currency will be wiped out globally and replaced by RFID chips, which is what is being pushed at the moment in the US.
Also, listening to Gerald Celente who has singlehandedly accurately predicted just about every economic boom or bust event in the last 20 years, his predictions between now and 2012 really are something people should be s**tting themselves about.
Sad thing is I'm pretty sure he's bang on the money again, but people carry on believing the s**te on the TV and media in general, and that Obama is the saviour...what a f**king joke that is!
Exactly - all we need is optimism. Rubbish, there are factors in this way beyond consumer confidence. The financial institutions realised they were f**ked and things were unsustainable, that's why they stopped lending and the credit markets dried up.
We were living in a bubble for the best part of ten years, how is that going to correct itself in two? My friend/client talked about this in 2005/6 and is doing very well - his fund is up 40% in 2009, so some people are making money! Perhaps if I ask him nicely he'll buy me a PS3??
Anyway, back on topic. If we are going down this road, Sony, with it's more expensive machines aimed at the higher end of the market, coupled with the high yen, are going to suffer more than Nintendo/MS in the current climate, and in this climate Americans will buy American even more than they do already.
Another Sony story, jesus christ. Even as a PS3 owner, all these claims being levied out irritate me. Microsoft are the ones who usually have brashness down to a t.
Sorry Jack if the failing YLOD PS3 60 gb anything to go by its going to get worse...Value for money ...not with a life span of between 13 and 30 mnths....Disgusted Sony Fanboy ( I have the vid to prove it so shut it)
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Another Sony story, jesus christ. Even as a PS3 owner, all these claims being levied out irritate me. Microsoft are the ones who usually have brashness down to a t.
