Microsoft are claiming that the combination of the 360’s price cut, exclusive games like Gears of War 2 and heavy marketing has helped the console beat the PS3 in Europe for the last month or so. The price cut, which means you can buy a HD gaming console for just £129.99, had led to Microsoft having sold “more than double PS3’s volume since the price drop in September”. At the same time, SCEE refuse the drop the price of the PS3, instead relying on quality exclusive games like LittleBigPlanet and Resistance 2 to shift units off the shelves.
“I would call out our success in the Mediterranean countries in the last few weeks as a genuine step change from where we’ve been. The investment we’ve made in the right campaigns, the right price point and content that truly appeals to those markets,” said European interactive entertainment boss Chris Lewis. “In Italy, we were double PS3’s sales last week. In France and Germany we are at or better than PS3 consistently now. We dominate in Russia and the Nordic countries and in Spain – a traditional Sony stronghold – we’re now outselling PS3. It bodes incredibly well for our Christmas prospects.”
Via MCV.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:05 am
You need two consoles out there (I think the Wii is a different kettle of fish) to keep thing moving and exciting. I just wish the PS3 was doing a little better though. I still think of it as a new console but it’s been almost a couple of years now. That said, it does most things I want it to, Home is round the corner (still not sure what effect that will have) and i’ve plenty of games to be getting on with. So it’s all good!
November 21st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Strange how sony don’t seem to be bothered about Microsofts dominance, and yet it seems like a top priority for Microsoft. I mean is sony bothered, but are just to reluctant to drop the price, or are they really not bothered, and think they are selling enough sku anyway.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:38 am
Sony are doing what they always do, taking it easy, after all The PS3 is gonna be around for another 6-8 years, they’ll make their money on the console come late 2009, then drop the price, plus sales of the ps2 is still selling in the 100′000+mark every month, and I dont think even the wii will out sell the ps2 come the end of its life cycle.
Sony Have no Worries - and I still think they should NOT drop the price of The PS3.
3shirts Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 10:43 am
I agree that the price is right but a few ads explaining why it costs more would be a good idea imo.
djhsecondnature Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 10:44 am
agreed
deepmenace Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 10:49 am
there are some good new ads out in the states - if you google new american ps3 ads you’ll see.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:42 am
Sony seem to be burying their head in the sand a little. I have still NEVER seen an advert for it on TV (not even those LBP ones that were on here a few days ago) and rarely see any in papers or on billboards. All they need to do is point out everything it can do and why its more expensive and they’d sell a lot to the people who simply don’t know!
Xbox adverts are on constantly it seems, and even the multi-platform game ads show the 360’s box predominantly (premusably cos Microsoft paid more).
Come on Sony, you gotta spend it to make it!
djhsecondnature Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 10:45 am
As of the last couple of weeks the number of PS3 and especially LBP adverts (in the UK) on websites, TV, cinema, papers, mags, etc, that I have seen have increased dramatically.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:43 am
I think one big difference this generation is that although one console (excluding the wii) will come out on top, it’s highly likely that both consoles will sell a huge amount and therefore who is actually winning becomes less important. If the 360 has an install base of 40 mil and the PS3 of 35 mil, people won’t really care. I mean I would love the PS3 to come out on top, but as long as there’s a sound PS3 install base and developers are supporting it I’m happy.
Aitrus Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 12:36 pm
I agree. Why care how much the ‘box is selling, as long as the PS3 is selling enough to have a decent install base and the full support of the developers?
November 21st, 2008 at 10:47 am
i think sony are just playing their own game. its going to plan i reckon.
with play.com doing a bundle like this for £300 i’d be pretty content:
Sony PlayStation 3 PS3 Console with 80GB HDD + Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA 4) + 300 (Blu-ray Movie) + Blu-ray Remote Control + LittleBigPlanet
outright bargain.
im still bitter about not having Left 4 Dead though. probably the one game i want from the 360 lineup…..
djhsecondnature Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 10:50 am
true I wish I could get left for dead. So I am, on PC :)!
deepmenace Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 11:42 am
my pc with ati x1950 pro seems to have serious issues with hefty games. it crashes out after 10 or 20 minutes of play of HL2 Ep2.
it does manage to do a full 3dmark gfx test without faltering though….
ive fiddled with it so much and failed that i’ve decided to give up trying to fix. i work in IT so i pretty much know my way around too.
/fingers crossed for an eventual ps3 port/
nineself Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I’m thinking of getting Left 4 Dead for the PC as well.
Deepmenace - If you are looking for new graphics cards, you can get the old 8800’s from nvidia quite cheap now and you can overclock them to within an inch of their lives and get some fantastic performance out of them.
November 21st, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I have no idea how things are going in Europe, but here in the Middle East the 360 is outselling the PS3 only because the 360 can run copied games; one can buy a 360 game for 2$ while a PS3 game costs about 70$ (I bought MGS4 for 100$!!!)…
November 21st, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I got both consoles, but I’m a PS3 guy. I just bought the 360 to have one really. And I was not impressed when it got the RRoD the second day I had it.
And when it comes to Sony vs. Microsoft, I think Sony is doing the right thing. Thinking about quality, what’s best for the customer. Not som Microsoft “get-as-much-money-as-possible-in-least-possible-time” shit. I don’t like MS, I love Sony.
I don’t really care who outsells who, both will stay on the market anyway, and I will always go for Sony.
Peace.
November 21st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
it is no surprise that the 360 is starting to sell a lot more consoles in Europe. £129.99 is a bargain, it’s just a shame that there’ll be a lot of unhappy kids / people come Christmas day when they realise they need a hard drive to get the most out of it.
I see no way of Microsoft making money from console sales this Christmas, the amount of adverts that are on TV is stupid. Sometimes there are 2 on in the same break and this is happening at prime time when it must cost an arm and a leg to put a single advert on, never mind 1 or 2 every interval.
I for one, am sick of seeing the 360 adverts, but it is a shame Sony can’t dig a little deeper into their pockets and advertise things like LBP and Home occasionally. (I have a lot of casual gamer friends who have a PS3 and they don’t have a clue what home is about - never mind the general public).
November 21st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I see the console industry as becoming very much like the music industry nowadays. Pomp, grandeur and hype are becoming the ways to get the best sales, whereas the quality stuff doesn’t need to whore itself out. It will find its audience and stay true to its roots.
Basically, think of Microsoft as Girls Aloud and Sony as Iron Maiden.
November 21st, 2008 at 1:07 pm
The PS3, first off, seemed like one of those fun family consoles, a deviation from the almighty PS2 (not). Not a lot of people took to the idea of having a massive black box sitting in front of their TV or below it, so they went with the good looking, slim, white (also more coloured) Xbox 360. Me, being both a ps3, and Xbox 360 owner, and with a dual screen TV, can compare the two, easy-peasy. PS3 = better graphics, Xbox 360 = More efficiant, fun way to play. No offence to you guys here on TSA, and im all for the PS3, all the way, im just telling it like it is, and whoever sais otherwise, is wrong.
colossalblue Says:
November 21st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Why would we be offended? The xbox is a great piece of kit for gaming, we just don’t write about it here. It’s too easy to get caught up in the rivalries and possibly miss out on some of the experience.
November 21st, 2008 at 1:11 pm
a bit more advertising wouldn’t be bad for sony if im honest. i even heard some radio adverts for the xbox the other day. But sayin this, isnt the ps3 selling more since its release than the ps2 did by this point?
November 21st, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Sony needs to start doing some advertising for the PS3 now, its getting to the point where sales are going DOOOOWN!
November 21st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Well at least the PS3 is still selling, Sony are making enough money
November 21st, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Sony have said advertising campaigns will ramp up in December. Saw the new whole world in your hand PSP ad today. I love my PS3
So I don’t care about price drops any more…
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:58 pm
FYI:
“Rumour: Further price reduction to PS3 console in March 2009″
[ http://www.1upgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3717 ]
TalkPlaystation.com is reporting a rumour of further price reductions for PS3 consoles in March 2009…
—
Sony Computer Entertainment Staff Annual Briefing 2008
Posted by Talk Playstation
on Nov.23, 2008 at 11:12 am
Two days ago in London was the Sony Computer Entertainment Staff Annual Briefing. An anonymous source going by the alias of ‘Legends’has tipped D+PAD magazine massive Playstation news, here’s what was said.
Price cuts coming in March, PS3 performing better in PAL territories than 360
“Our source tells us that SCEE President David Reeves took to the stage to discuss the current economic climate and how it shouldn’t affect PlayStation business, though was quick to mention that SCEE will be getting more competitive in price from March 2009 onwards. Our guess is that we’ll be seeing price cuts to PS3 around Easter to tie in with the release of Killzone 2…
Reeves then went on to say that the PS3 has a bigger install base than the 360 in PAL territories, and that the install base gap will significantly increase in 2009. Apparently SCEE is the success story of the SCE divisions, generating more profit than SCEA and SCEJ. 2008 sees it ‘in the black’ in profit our inside man revealed. Apparently there are more technological innovations to come for both PS3 and PSP, but details weren’t disclosed.”
—
BFN,
fp.