I'm starting to think Sony may have a problem with the PS3. I know there aren't any games worth having yet, so it's basically a Blu-Ray player only at the moment, but I'm surprised at the lack of demand the system has at this point. Saw an ad for Best Buy last night that said they handed out tickets for PS3s on the 31st an hour before the opened (minimum 25 per store). So when we were out by Best Buy today we stopped by, and they still had about a dozen left, all 60 GB. I thought it was kind of funny, but did pick one up so I could play FFXII since my PS2 is crapping out. Then later tonight we went to walmart, and they had about 5 just sitting there. Seeing as 2 stores had ample supply I went to Target as that is where I planned on getting mine with a 10% discount for signing up for a Target credit card. Sure enough they had one for me. That's 3 stores in 1 day that all had supply, and nobody in the store really seemed interested in them. In fact when I went back to Best Buy to return the one I had purchased there earlier (about 4 hrs later) there were still about 8 left, plus the one I was returning and another one I saw that had been returned as well. There simply isn't that great of a demand for these systems. In fact, both times I was at Best Buy I saw at least 2 people purchasing Xbox 360's. Today isn't the first time we've seen PS3s in stores either. We've seen them 3 times at Blockbuster when we just stopped in at the end of the day, and they said they had them all day each time. We've seen one or 2 at wal-mart before too. And on Christmas Eve there was about a pallet of 20 at Costco in their $700 bundle. Nobody seemed to care. To get a Wii here you still have to camp out overnight. I think Sony might be in trouble until they have a price drop, even after the good games come out.
They had 20 GB ones at a TRU I visited. I passed. No reason to buy the thing only for it to sit there until the games I want to play come out.
I saw a bunch of PS3s the other day at Best Buy (not sure if it was the 20 or 60GB). I do want to pick one up at some point, but like most I'm waiting til there are a few games I actually want to play on it. The darn Wii however I still can't find anyplace, and I have two games for it already.
even if I HAD the money to buy one, and the time to play any game I wanted, I still can't think of a single game for it that interests me.
it'll be a long time till I buy a PS3, if ever. After having 2 PS2's die, I'm in no hurry for another one.
Every one wants the Wii. Even people that I know that aren't really into video games want the damn thing.
I think that the general public is not willing to spend that much outright for a new system now. I also think it caters to the people who are in Hi Def. I am curious as to what percentage of America still uses SDTV as their primary set. I don't think the kid who plays games on his 19" TV is going to be impressed as the guy who has the 50" HD set. At the price of $499 you can back and buy almost 4 PS2's for that. The library is huge, and the games are getting cheaper. I got a new PS2 for Christmas. I look forward to many hours of gaming if my last-gen world.
Two friends of mine have found PS3s, one found 3 at a Walmart, one found six at a store where he lives. If had a stand-out launch title you wouldn't see such an excess, but nothing's really out that's worth getting a new system for. Meanwhile for the opposite reason, I cant give my kidney to get a Wii around here.
I've seen them quite frequently over the last couple of weeks. They're turning into the equivalent of Titanium Megatron. Shelf warmers. The majority of America is still using SD. I know I am. Just don't have the cash nor the room for a good HDTV. Out of all the people I know, only 2, possible 3, have HDTV's. It's just not a mainstream thing yet. In another couple of years, I expect it'll be the majority as SDTV's are going to start getting phased out, much like VCR's and DVD's.
I loved the days when it was foretold that all transmissions would be HD by 2006. What a load of crap. You can't force people into expensive technology. The price of DVD's and players have gone down tremendously since they first came out. I saw a player tonight for $30, and it was of decent quality too. New DVD's are below $20 most of the time now at launch too.
First, I think it unfair to say the PS3 has no games worth having. Perhaps fairer to say it has no games worth buying a $500 console to play. As for it warming shelves, that makes sense to me. Right after the holidays people tend to be cash poor, and their credit cards are often already taxed. What buying is being done is done by bargain hunters, looking for post-holiday clearance sales, and this does not apply to the PS3. For 90% of the US population, the PS3 is currently a high ticket item. It makes a great Christmas gift, maybe birthday or bar mitvah gift if your parents have some extra cash, but it makes a poor impulse buy. Even the few people who want it and can afford it still will consider whether that's really the best use of those Benjamens, just as they would before buying a $500 DVD recorder, computer, dish washer, or whatever. This is triply true if the person is married. At $250, the Wii is still going to be pricey for a large number of people, but the number of people who can afford it is going to be much higher. Plus, for most the purchase doesn't merit too much forethought, and it is easier to justify. If not an impulse buy, it's at least a casual one.
I work with a girl who picked one up the week before Christmas at a Gamestop. It was the only one, but it was just sitting there. Good gift for her loser boyfriend. I think it really boils down to price. If I had to choose right now, even if I liked Sony better, I'd probably go with a Wii or 360 just because of price alone.
That's the problem, the PS3's price has the Wii and 360 looking like a steal for a next-gen console. And Nintendo has done a great job of appealing to the masses, not just the gamers. My mom and wife both said it looked like fun, neither of which really play games. Too bad for them I have no interest in one. But Sony has been getting regular shipments out ever since launch, it's right after Christmas and people are looking at their credit card bills and passing out. It's really no surprise that they aren't still flying off of the shelves. As long as they don't keep losing exclusives Sony should be fine.
it's too much money for what it is, especially when something new and different is out there for less than half the price.
My brother called me this morning, said he was out looking for a Wii all night. To quote him, "I can't find the goddamn Wii anywhere! All I see are those piece of crap PS3s! If they weren't so expensive, maybe they'd be gone too!" He was really pissed.
