It seems that Sony is well on its way to having the most success console relaunch in history! The numbers are pouring in and the PS3 Slim is breaking records world wide in sales. A week has barely passed since its release in the UK and it is reported that Sony has already seen a 1000 percent increase in sales.
It has been reported from numerous sources that the PS3 Slim has sold over half a million units world wide. According to these numbers Xbox and Wii are both getting smoked by Sony, who was previously being outsold by them 3 to 1.
The numbers on US sales for the PS3 Slim are still a bit sketchy but officials are expecting sales to do well. The general consensus has agreed that these sales express the long awaited desire for a slimmed down PS3 at a better price. Some contributors would say it should have happened much sooner.
A month ago, the CEO of Activision, Bobby Kotick, complained about the high cost of Sony’s PlayStation 3. Kotick’s threat to Sony, to lower the price of the PS3 or Activision stops making games for the console, is covered here.
Yesterday, in an investor call, Sony CEO Nobuyuki Oneda revealed that manufacturing costs of the PS3 are down by 70%.
Sony reported the company’s first annual loss in 14 years when it released its fiscal first quarter earnings yesterday. Further, the company is projecting over a $1 billion loss through March 2010. Sony may be blaming poor sales on the state of the economy, but people like Bobby Kotick would be sure to argue the price of the PS3 is to blame.
Why does Sony’s PS3 cost so much?
The cost of manufacturing each console is roughly $800. The price to buy a PS3? $399. While it may be the highest priced console against its competitors, Microsoft’s Xbox and the Nintendo Wii, Sony is taking a hit for every PS3 sold.
Sony saw some relief in January when it announced that the cost of manufacturing had dropped by 35% to $450. Though a 70% drop in cost seems to be just what the company needs, which would allow, as rumored, Sony to drop the price of the PS3. But will Sony really want to eat into its new profits, especially after a first quarter in the red and a poor outlook for the rest of the fiscal year?
In an interview with the Times of London, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick threatened to stop making video games for Sony’s PlayStation 3. Kotick blames the high cost of the PS3 and the company’s poor sales of the No. 3 video game console. To the Times, Kotick said, “I’m getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don’t make it easy for me to support the platform. It’s expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better.”
The No. 1 video game console in the United States, the Nintendo Wii, has a price tag of $250. The cheapest version of Microsoft’s Xbox costs $200. But Sony’s PS3 goes for a staggering $399, causing complaints among many of Sony’s game publishers.
Unfortunately for Kotick, who is calling for Sony to make some price cuts before losing more business, Sony refuses to do as such. Despite reporting a $1 billion loss last quarter, Sony insists that the PS3 is losing momemtum in the mark. In response to Kotick’s threats, Sony issued this statement, “We enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience.”
Kotick may give Sony until 2010-2011 to make a price cut before reconsidering Activision’s support of PS3 and the PSP. But with a market value of $16 billion as the world’s largest independent video game developer, we’re pretty sure Activision has no qualms about cutting Sony out.
In this full cinematic trailer, you get a glimpse of the dark world of Prototype. Based in New York, the opening of this game shows a tactical team gunning down some type of mutant riot group that’s chasing a young woman. After annihilating the mutants, the tactical team decides to go ahead and kill the girl that they just rescued from them. Nice huh? I am guessing they killed her because they were worried about her being contaminated by the mutants. That is when the game’s protagonist Alex Mercer shows up and goes postal.
I found out about another one of Alex’s abilities in this trailer, that I was previously clueless about. Alex is able to shape shift and take on the form of other people. One scene in particular, Alex takes the form of a tactical agent to fool one of his pals, and then dispenses of him.
In the latest trailer from Batman Arkham Asylum, what you will be looking at specifically, is Batman’s close combat skills. Which in the case of this game is totally BA! It’s nice seeing Batman laying out the bad guys in this game and not holding back.
The Combat styles are reminiscent of the classic Batman, and by classic Batman I mean anyone besides Adam West. The enemies you’ll see in this trailer are the typical henchmen, Bane and a very Killer Croc style looking enemy.
Be ready for this one, I have a feeling this will be the first epic Batman game. You can expect Arkham Asylum June 23 for PC, PS3, Xbox 360.
Whether you were a fan of the previous game or not, you can’t help but look at this trailer and say, “that looks interesting.” Much like its predecessor, Dead Rising 2 seems to be free roaming, but this time the setting is equivalent to a Las Vegas knock off Fortune City.
Although the locations you will be frequenting are unclear, it appears you will be exploring the city’s main strip. Chuck Greene will be replacing Frank West as our new Hero and zombie slayer. A motor cross champ, Chuck is a daredevil and is quite resourceful. He is able to use his skills as a mechanic to progress through the game.
What you can expect from Dead Rising 2 is chainsaws on staffs, chainsaws on motorcycles, and did I mention there would be chainsaws? Of course you will be using other weapons as well, one of them a moose head that you wear to plow through zombies.
Currently being developed by Capcom and Blue Castle, Dead Rising 2 is expected for release this year and will be for multiple platforms.
We first announced this story way back in February, and at long last it has arrived. Let it be written that on April 21, 2009, the Left 4 Dead Survival Pack was released. If you have been waiting eagerly for this DLC, feel free to start screaming over top of your cubical “Left 4 Dead DLC, hooray!”
Survival Mode will take place at the horde trigger points within each of the 4 campaign modes. You will jump between each of these points, (each more intense than the last) until you reach the finale titled “Last Stand.” Described as being the high point of the Survival Mode, “Last Stand” is a lot like horde - on steroids.
According to Valve “Survival Mode draws on the planning and communication aspects of a successful Finale or Crescendo event, while taking it to another level. It rapidly hits a fever pitch that only a well coordinated team will be able to successfully survive. Everything from simply covering a reviving teammate, to making every shot count to minimize reloads becomes crucial in Survival Mode.”
Infected Spawn Curve
Courtesy of Valve, above is a graph depicting the infected spawn time of Survival Mode. I would suggest tattooing it to your chest. Valve has also provided us with “lull” time. Which was described by Valve as “a short interval of time during which nothing new will spawn.” These are the moments that you can catch your breath, reload your ammo, and heal.
This may come as a surprise, but for the past 5 weeks straight the PS3 has been outselling the Wii…in Japan! Nintendo sales are hurting in Japan, despite the fact they continue to boom here at home. Apparently Nintendo is not putting out the software needed to keep its fans faithful.
A Nintendo spokesperson has said “We hope to line up strong software to support hardware sales in the second half of the year.” The boost in PS3 sales have been attributed to the quality titles they have been releasing, something Nintendo is not doing.
” It is still the first few months of the year when sales are slow for the industry, so we are not particularly concerned.” From what I have been hearing they should be! Some economists are saying Nintendo’s stock will soon drop and now is the time to sell.
I think that it all comes down to putting out quality games, and Sony has done an excellent job of that. Last year, we had Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet, Resistance 2, just to name a few titles. I honestly can’t remember the last time Nintendo put out a title I was even remotely interested in (aside from Resident Evil 4), and I am not being biased - just realistic. Unless Nintendo starts releasing some innovative games, I foresee this trend continuing.
Yeah folks it’s true, Max Payne is coming back. Not the lame live action Max Payne, but the CG Max Payne we all love is returning. Expected to be released this winter, Max Payne 3 will be spread across multiple platforms.
Currently in development with Rockstar Vancouver, the third installment in the gritty franchise is said to be a new chapter in Payne’s life. Following the events of Max Payne 2, Payne is older now and retired form the police force but still up to his meddling ways. Returning to the themes of the previous games, Payne will once again be at the center of a plot based on corruption, and conspiracy.
It’s been awhile since we have seen or heard any information on the next installment in this franchise since Max Payne 2. Good news for the fans, we will be seeing Max Payne 3 this winter, and on multiple platforms.
It’s no surprise that the PS3 has not been doing to well in terms of sales. There are a number of factors working against Sony’s console, one of them is its bulky size. When matched against a console like the Wii that is compact and easy to move, it doesn’t stand a chance. Another factor is its price. With the sagging sales we can’t help but wonder when Sony will be making a price cut.
OK so you have heard all this before and you are wondering where this is going! Well…according to some new marketing stats from EEDAR, it appears we can expect a sales rebound for the PS3 next year. With the help of a price cut, EEDAR believes PS3 could seriously bounce back. As of now we have heard no official statement from Sony on this, but maybe with this news we will.
I think bottom line it comes down to the games. We have seen good games sell consoles before, this was certainly the case with Resident Evil 4 and the Gamecube. Sony has a good line up of games ahead, and cutting the price now could mean a pretty nice sales boost.
It seems that Sony is well on its way to having the most success console relaunch in history! The numbers are pouring in and the PS3 Slim is breaking records world wide in sales. A week has barely passed since its release in the UK and it is reported that Sony has already seen a 1000 percent increase in sales. 
It’s no surprise that the PS3 has not been doing to well in terms of sales. There are a number of factors working against Sony’s console, one of them is its bulky size. When matched against a console like the Wii that is compact and easy to move, it doesn’t stand a chance. Another factor is its price. With the sagging sales we can’t help but wonder when Sony will be making a price cut.
