Stark wrote:However, Wii remotes don't have charge cables. That's... crazy. Nintendo says the nunchuck port can't handle recharge, but you can already buy recharger cradle things that apparently charge through it.
You mean these? Actually, they're just battery packs that replace the AA's and just snap in, with exposed contacts for the charger.
Personally, I prefer my massive array of AA's I already have floating around for TV remotes and (now-ancient) CD player. But I can see the angst.
... though really, knowing Nintendo, I'm surprised they didn't include some wierd battery in the remote. That way, they would charge you huge numbers for new batteries. Or even better, make you buy a new remote (like the iPod!).
I have another hypothesis for the high attach rate: people are taking the money they would otherwise spend on the PS3 and using it to...well, buy games. $200-400 would equate to roughly 3-6 games, and there are plenty of games people are interested in at the moment. I'm sure that if the Wii had the library the 360 has now, we'd see a similar attach rate.
I also suspect that there will be a significant upswing in 360 purchases once Halo 3 comes out, since every frat boy that's been holding off on getting it will immediately do so.
Do not meddle in the affairs of insomniacs, for they are cranky and can do things to you while you sleep. The Realm of Confusion
"Every time you talk about Teal'c, I keep imagining Thor's ass. Thank you very much for that, you fucking fucker." -Marcao SG-14: Because in some cases, "Recon" means "Blow up a fucking planet or die trying." SilCore Wiki! Come take a look!
I have another hypothesis for the high attach rate: people are taking the money they would otherwise spend on the PS3 and using it to...well, buy games. $200-400 would equate to roughly 3-6 games, and there are plenty of games people are interested in at the moment. I'm sure that if the Wii had the library the 360 has now, we'd see a similar attach rate.
I also suspect that there will be a significant upswing in 360 purchases once Halo 3 comes out, since every frat boy that's been holding off on getting it will immediately do so.
Probably likely, Halo 2 saw a massive upswing in Xbox sales.
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LONDON - The long-awaited UK launch of Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) games console has been marred by the cancellation of more than £10m worth of orders from retailers and consumers.
Retail industry sources claim the electronics giant has had as many as 20,000 pre-orders of the £425 console cancelled in the run-up to its delayed launch last Friday.
There have been none of the stock shortages typical of earlier console launches and the majority of the cancelled pre-orders are believed to have come from speculators hoping to sell the units on eBay for a profit.
Virgin Megastores claims to have ordered significantly more PS3 consoles than rival Nintendo Wiis or Xbox 360s, both of which sold out within 48 hours of hitting the shops before Christmas. However, it has sold only two-thirds of the several thousand PS3s available in its UK stores.
In an attempt to generate buzz around the launch, Sony offered a free Bravia TV worth £2000 to the first 125 gamers to purchase a console.
'The launch of the Play-Station 3 has been a victim of its own success,' said Stephen Lynne, senior promotions and partnerships manager at Virgin Megastores. 'There are so many available that consumers know they can get one when-ever they want.'
Sony is understood to have made 220,000 consoles available in the UK and retailers are yet to report the supply problems that have hit the launch of rivals. However, analysts are warning against interpreting the absence of a stock shortage as a negative sign.
Production problems forced Sony to confine the console's launch to North America and Japan last November. Its European roll-out was delayed by four months, which meant it missed the key festive sales period. Many speculate that Sony will cut the price later this year to boost take-up.
'This time next week we could be saying that the PlayStation 3 has been the most successful console launch ever,' said Nick Parker, an analyst at Screen Digest. 'Take-up was always going to be slower than that of its rivals because of its higher price tag.'
The PlayStation 2 won the last round of the console wars, selling more than 115m units globally. However, the PS3 is trailing in third in this latest battle. It has reportedly sold 1.5m units worldwide, compared with 5m Wiis and more than 10m Xbox 360s.
Let me repeat that, £10 Million in cancelled pre-orders.
The attach rate is games sold per console right? So why is it held in regard to how well hardware sales goes?
Article Above wrote:Virgin Megastores claims to have ordered significantly more PS3 consoles than rival Nintendo Wiis or Xbox 360s, both of which sold out within 48 hours of hitting the shops before Christmas. However, it has sold only two-thirds of the several thousand PS3s available in its UK stores.
Man, someone in the corporate office haven't been following the news. I would have ordered more Wiis!
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
Soontir C'boath wrote:The attach rate is games sold per console right? So why is it held in regard to how well hardware sales goes?
For the Xbox/Xbox360 & PS3, a high attach rate means the maker actually makes a profit. As long as sales of the console itself remain strong, a high attach rate is a good thing.
But by itself, the attach rate is a useless figure.
InnocentBystander wrote:
skyman8081 wrote:Let me repeat that, £10 Million in cancelled pre-orders.
Err, I read on digg the ps3 sold like half a million units in europe already, thats a drop in the bucket...
Sony loses money on each PS3 sold. It is only on the games and accessories that they make it back.
"Okay, I'll have the truth with a side order of clarity." ~ Dr. Daniel Jackson.
"Reality has a well-known liberal bias." ~ Stephen Colbert
"One Drive, One Partition, the One True Path" ~ ars technica forums - warrens - on hhd partitioning schemes.
For the Xbox/Xbox360 & PS3, a high attach rate means the maker actually makes a profit. As long as sales of the console itself remain strong, a high attach rate is a good thing.
But by itself, the attach rate is a useless figure.
Pretty much, the article's central point was that if a lack of future demand for the X360 puts it behind the other 2 systems in installed base, even a very high attach rate won't look attractive to 3rd party publishers.
Not that I believe that the X360 will chug along at it's current rate forever. Launch fever for the other 2 consoles will finally die down completely with PS3's PAL release and then there's a Halo 3 around the corner for this holiday season.
For the Xbox/Xbox360 & PS3, a high attach rate means the maker actually makes a profit. As long as sales of the console itself remain strong, a high attach rate is a good thing.
But by itself, the attach rate is a useless figure.
Pretty much, the article's central point was that if a lack of future demand for the X360 puts it behind the other 2 systems in installed base, even a very high attach rate won't look attractive to 3rd party publishers.
Not that I believe that the X360 will chug along at it's current rate forever. Launch fever for the other 2 consoles will finally die down completely with PS3's PAL release and then there's a Halo 3 around the corner for this holiday season.
It's fairly safe to say launch fever has already died down for the PS3. Just look at the availability in store shelves pretty much anywhere. As for the Wii. . . .well, point me to one store where I don't have to camp out for 3 days just in the hopes I might be able to get one.
"It's you Americans. There's something about nipples you hate. If this were Germany, we'd be romping around naked on the stage here."
SPC Brungardt wrote:there's a Halo 3 around the corner for this holiday season.
Gears of War 2 is also going to be a major seller, but that'll be coming out next year or later sometime.
"Okay, I'll have the truth with a side order of clarity." ~ Dr. Daniel Jackson.
"Reality has a well-known liberal bias." ~ Stephen Colbert
"One Drive, One Partition, the One True Path" ~ ars technica forums - warrens - on hhd partitioning schemes.
Any big Xbox games that aren't overhyped FPS fests I can see on the PC anyway? I'd like to see more innovative titles taking top spot, then maybe developers would put more cash in otherwise risque games.
Admiral Valdemar wrote:Any big Xbox games that aren't overhyped FPS fests I can see on the PC anyway? I'd like to see more innovative titles taking top spot, then maybe developers would put more cash in otherwise risque games.
You mean like the Dead or Alive games?
Not an armored Jigglypuff
"I salute your genetic superiority, now Get off my planet!!" -- Adam Stiener, 1st Somerset Strikers
For the record, Wii and 360 sales in Australia have been quite sluggish as opposed to stock on hand for quite a long time now. After the end of January, all Wii shortages ended across the country. Through most of Jan however Nintendo were really working to keep up with demand...mostly because Australia in console shipments is ALWAYS put last if there is major demand in another PAL market. Both the Wii and 360 had a very 'start-stop' start where you had shipments, delay, shipments, delay...
The PS3 on the other hand...well...it never really went through a shortage period...unless your talking about shortage of customers. In that case it just dropped dead. But after the first couple of days, sales have been glacial.
Chris OFarrell wrote:For the record, Wii and 360 sales in Australia have been quite sluggish as opposed to stock on hand for quite a long time now. After the end of January, all Wii shortages really ended.
The PS3 on the other hand...well...it never really went through a shortage period...unless your talking about shortage of customers. In that case it just dropped dead.
Would that be because Australians rather import their consoles than buy from local stores?
I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season."
Not really. Imports are not really a mainstream thing over here.
Of course, there has been a great deal of anger among the 'geeks' (read not Sony Fanboys, but not ignorant about the PS3 technology) over the fact that the US-Aus exchange rate has been sitting at around .80 US cents for some time, but Sony insist on charging 790 USD for a PS3....when the US sells the same configuration for 600 USD.
I've talked to a LOT of gamers and this has been the number 1 issue with them. Its a huge insult on Sony's part to the intelligence of people that they are apparently unable to do basic maths. Also a feeling that Sony is trying to make up some of the horrible hardware sale losses per unit by overcharging Australians an insane amount...and a general feeling of 'well fuck you too Sony!' from these people...who then go out and buy a 360 or a Wii when they may not have before...simply because they want to try and fuck over the PS3.
Its not something I've really seen before, but its quite amusing to watch.
Ace Pace wrote:
Indicative of a trend, that there is a large percentage of hard core gamers(which are still relevent) who are holding off on this console.
From the same article:
There have been none of the stock shortages typical of earlier console launches and the majority of the cancelled pre-orders are believed to have come from speculators hoping to sell the units on eBay for a profit.
After a rather successful United Kingdom launch last week, it appears that interest in the PlayStation 3 is quickly dying down. The PS3 launched with a bang in London and Sony even gave the first 100 customers waiting in line a free 46" HDTV and a free taxi ride home. According to Chart Track, over 165,000 of the consoles were sold within the first 48 hours of availability. Sony provided roughly 220,000 consoles for the UK launch.
The numbers for the second week, however, are down significantly for the PS3 in the UK according to Chart Track. "Yes, sales of PS3 hardware have dropped by 82 per cent," said a spokesman for Chart Track. Likewise, sales for Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm have cooled off by 60%.
Sony's PS3 is priced at £425 ($834 USD) in the UK. Many have commented on the relatively high price point compared to competing game systems like the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360. Sony executives, however, have long championed that the PS3 is built for the future and that the high price tag is justified.
"Many people are saying we're now joining the next-generation console era, but I believe we've stepped over the current next-gen to create the real next-generation," said Sony UK managing director Ray Maguire. "That's what we've done with just about every single component in the PS3. Whether it's the Cell chip, which is the best super computer brain that can handle lots of data, or the Blu-ray component which is the way to get 60GB of data into the marketplace, or the output that's required -- full 1080 and HDMI connections -- that's the way of the future."
So far Sony has declined to comment on the 82% decline in PS3 hardware sales.
Brotherhood of the Bear | HAB | Mess | SDnet archivist |
Do not meddle in the affairs of insomniacs, for they are cranky and can do things to you while you sleep. The Realm of Confusion
"Every time you talk about Teal'c, I keep imagining Thor's ass. Thank you very much for that, you fucking fucker." -Marcao SG-14: Because in some cases, "Recon" means "Blow up a fucking planet or die trying." SilCore Wiki! Come take a look!
"As you can see behind me, the PS3 customer lines continue to lead out of London I think, the Nintendo and Microsoft personnel are commiting suicide at the gates!"
