SCEE CEO: PS3 Will Overtake 360 in EU by Summer
Posted by Shawn on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 9:56 pm under Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Gamer Life, Games Industry, Microsoft, Microsoft, Sony, Sony
David Reeves, CEO and president of SCEE is claiming Victory in Europe over Microsoft. Based on December’s performance, PS3 sales will overtake 360 sales in EU by summer. Sony hasn’t published the official figures yet, but Reeves is confident about his prediction.
“In December we sold just over a million PlayStation 3s during the month,” he told MCV. “That’s across all PAL territories and that’s a sell-through figure.About 20-22 per cent of that figure was sold in the UK alone. We’re very happy with the performance of PS3 in the UK.
“We don’t often mention the competition, but I will give you some interesting data: In terms of installed base in some of our major markets, such as France, Spain, Germany and Italy – plus some distributor territories in smaller markets like Switzerland – our current cumulative installed base is now higher than Xbox 360.
“It has not yet reached that in the UK. But the team here expect to overtake the installed base of Xbox 360 across all PAL territories in late summer. It’s also worth mentioning that last week we outsold Xbox 360 in PAL territories by a ratio of three to one.”
So does Sony have victory in its sites or will it be out maneuvered by Microsoft?
via MCV
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January 24th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
When reading those figures people should remember that the 360 was launched in Europe 16 months before the PS3.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
What's up with people using the old ps3 pictures?
The otehr day I saw an ad for "get a free ps3" and they were using it. I was like "lulz, like they actually have a boomerang ps3." and browsed away (then again, I generally tend to ignore those free ads anyway).
January 24th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
yea Xbox sucks monkey dong!
January 24th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Actually the PS3 is performing poorly, along gamecube levels. Sony has been forced to cut its' price ($200 in less than a year) faster than any console in history because nobody was buying it. While the XBOX 360 has only had a single $50 price cut in 3 years. Furthermore, Sony is expected to post a 1 BILLION dollar loss in its' games division this quarter while MS made $364 million. Also, don't forget Sony is losing more per console sold than any gaming system in history. Have fun with those numbers Sony fanboys.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Well Josh.
Can you kindly remind us the profits Microsoft had it its first year? I would imagine they didn't do much better then the ps3 thank you very much.
January 25th, 2008 at 3:55 am
I love how the Sony PR spin does its best to not mention the Wii whatsoever. They always talk about 'competition' and the 360 in the same sentence, but the Wii, ohhhh, no, because they're being thrashed by it, it doesn't count as competition.
Sony, will you admit that you underestimated the competition, please? This is bugging me with your intended leaving-out of Nintendo in this. Is the Wii not a games console? Is the DS not a gaming handheld? Are they not fighting against you in terms of market? If that isn't competition, then what the hell is? Be thankful that gamers correct your intended leave-out as interpreting it as "err, yeah, we didn't think the Wii woudld do so well too."
It's not that I'm against PR spin, but it's beginning to frustrate me; Sony's lack of acknowledgement on this matter just doesn't make sense. The only people who care about these kinda numbers will likely know the others as well, so it's not as if by hiding the admittance they've got something to lose.
In terms of sales, that's pretty much accurate. The PS3 has been pretty accurate over here…but so has the 360. Unless the PS3 has suddenly become the dark horse, I've completely missed the sales.
January 25th, 2008 at 7:25 am
@ Joelteon7
How is the Wii competition against the PS3? I dont see that at all. I suppose you think the Honda Civic is competition against the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes S class? It cant see any realistic situation where someone who bought a PS1 and then a PS2 will suddenly decide they dont want any graphical leap in their new console nor do they want to play the games they have been playing for the last 10 years. Its bullshit. I can certainly see a lot of people buying both consoles but they are not in competition with each other. Sony and Microsoft are both fighting for the PlayStation's 100m+ install base. The people who buy all of the multi platform EA games and movie tie ins. The people who have been playing Metal Gear, Gran Turismo, Tekken, Final Fantasy and all the other games that wont be appearing on the Wii. Very, very few of those people will buy a Wii only, if they even buy one at all.
If you had bothered to read Sonys statement instead of just attacking the very concept of it you would have seen them mention they normally dont bring up sales of other consoles, and they dont. Its very rare for them to ever mention another consoles sales in one of their statements whether it be the 360 or Wii. Think about that. When is the last time you read a flag waving statement from Sony about how much they are kicking the 360's arse in Japan? Microsoft on the other hand turn every single months US sales stats into an attack on the PS3 completely ignoring the Wii and the fact that both the Wii and PS3 are outselling the 360 worldwide. THAT is living in denial. THAT is dumb PR.
I can understand why this story annoys you. It isnt that Sony are spinning figures because they arent. Since the beginning of December the PS3 has sold over 500,000 more consoles in the EU than the 360. It has now sold 3.9m units in the EU in 9 months compared to 5.4m 360's in 25 months. Worldwide the PS3 is now outselling the 360 every week despite the 360 currently being more popular in the states. No, the reason these figures annoy you isnt the spin put on them, its because they fly in the face of your PS3 doom mongering over the last year.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:02 am
@ Norbit
Im sick of your stats, i will beleive it when i see it and personaly dont care. I dont own a PS3 and probaly never will. the Xbox 360 is fine and so is my Wii. Other people do like the PS3 and so they should. Who cares for sales figues, what games are out/better. Each system is great and will have a large fanbase. You should buy one someday.
January 25th, 2008 at 10:43 am
@ Norbit:
How DARE you accuse me of not reading this. That's a fallacy in what you have said already, but, I'm above petty ignorance and will reply to what you have said. Why compare? Because there are THREE primary game consoles. Not however many different car manufacturers or models there are in the world. That analogy falls flat. You have the variety, you can fine pick what you want to the detail with cars. Games consoles are there for gaming on. Perhaps Sony and Microsoft have lost the plot with it being a 'gaming' console (multimedia centres, predominantly…I don't want a multimedia centre, I want a gaming console, that's why I spent my money on it, to play games on). Your choice is 3, not hundreds, if not thousands, so they are in direct competition with each other. A gamer is a gamer is a gamer and they want to have fun. They will buy the machinery that looks set to provide them with the most fun. A car is not a luxury, unless you have the money and in such an event, need only what you need and can afford. You don't need gaming consoles, but cars have considerably more use.
Was the graphical leap between the Nes and the SNES REALLY that astonishing? In hindsight, no. We've come to a point where graphics are already mouth-openingly good, so yes, I can actually accept that people don't want, or feel the need, for a graphical leap. The Wii does provide enhanced graphics, admittedly not a lot, but it still does and to argue otherwise is flawed. If you care about graphics that much, I ask the question as to why you (open 'you') want a gaming console when the purpose is to enjoy the core gameplay mechanics, not the blistering graphics. Many games have come along boasting supreme graphics, only to fail on the fun department. Crysis, the latest graphics-pusher, praised for its environments, but generally seen as a mediocre kind of game. You'll find that the games that last through the ages are not those that push graphics, but those that have gameplay. Gran Turismo 4 was a graphical leap over GT3. It was the same game, but with a bit more gloss and for an avid racing gamer fan, I was bored, quickly.
Your list of games are all exclusives. If people like a particular brand, they will follow it. If you want to be critical, which I am feeling like being, Tekken is just another generic fight'em'up spawned from the Street Fighter era with just another collection of randomly designed people. Gran Turismo is providing nothing new. Not that that's bad, but it can only last so long. Metal Gear Solid has lost and gained fans and is rather inconsistent, whilst you brand it as a Sony game, when its history clearly dictates…it's not.
Reverting back to my previous comment, I stated that Sony do mention, be it subtley or not, the competition. They frequently go at the 360. In a PR way, it makes the 360 seem lower than its position whilst making the PS3 seem bigger, reducing the gap between the two of them. Is the PS3 selling well? Yeah, course it is. I didn't expect it to with a steep price, but I don't have the figures. I also don't care about Microsoft's PR spin. This is about Sony, so bringing it up achieves nothing but a tu quoque…I don't care if Microsoft do the same thing, at the moment, the matter is Sony. There's very little as an idea to 'bad PR'. So long as it gets noticed and isn't drenched (see Manhunt 2) then it will seldom be bad.
I don't think I said at any point Sony are spinning figures, either, so please stop trying to make me sound like an ignorant and biased idiot, because I'm not. I do believe I said they 'seem accurate'. In all its connotations, the best way of saying they're not accurate from what I said is perhaps some sales bias, perhaps they measure in a slightly different way (some measure from sales from factory to business, others all the way through to the customer), but I sure didn't say they were making it up. I'm not disappointed with it, either. I said I must've missed the sales for it, but it doesn't mean I don't acknowledge it.
As for doom mongering…errr, what? My thoughts, this year, was that the Sony wasn't looking as up as it perhaps should be in terms of direct competition. I've never hoped the console would fail (merely that they would learn from that I personally thought was a ridiculous price tag, but, there are apparently many millions who disagree with that sentiment). I hope that Sony does learn from this whole experience what gamers want and try to cater to them, rather than to force stuff upon them when they may not initially want it.
I'm sorry if I've come off a bit brash, but I have a very frowned look on those who perceive me as ignorant. I'm not and nor do I give the impression to be. I respect your opinion, so I'd hope damn well you'd respect my opinions that are based on all the information I have witnessed and used to come to an objective final.
January 25th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
@Norbit
For someone who says they do not own a PS3 you sure as hell jump to Sony's side to defend the PS3 whenever you can. Why is that exactly?
And for the record a Honda Civic SIR will kick the hell out of a BMW 5 series. I've seen it happen with my own eyes.
January 26th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
@ Joelteon7
Your awesome if your saying wii is thrashing them cause it is GO WII YOU ROCK PS3 SUCK MONKEY@$@% AND 360S FUN TO BUT PS3S'S SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 27th, 2008 at 1:28 am
Again, all this trash talking and getting in each others face on the interweb about which system is worse or better is a matter of opinion and in the long run completely pointless, what you enjoy playing or gaming on is fine but just because somebody else likes something else is no reason to foam at the mouth and defend a console that will be obsolete in five years.
Don't play their game gentleman, let people like Norbit defend his piece of plastic to the hilt while bashing the competition whenever he sees fit, all he does is make himself look like a typical out of control fanboy…and they're part of the problem not the solution.
As for the big three in gaming, hell you can't buy advertising like this, the more we bicker amongst ourselves the better and i for one have become tired of it.