Is The PS3 Really Selling That Well?
by Patrick Steen on November 27, 2007 at 11:59 am
We have seen reports from Japan and Europe showing that Playstation 3 sales are up, even thrashing the Wii in Japan three weeks running. Yesterday saw Sony boast a 300% sales increase in America since the beginning of November. But are things really that rosy for the Japanese giant?
Most signs point to a Playstation 3 recovery after a price cut and a solid advertisement campaign. Moreover, the all important quality titles are starting to hit, from Ratchet and Clank to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Even Assassin’s Creed ads only sport the Playstation 3 logo, showing Sony has got something right at last.
Yet there are other signs to suggest that perhaps this increase in sales is not as large as we and Sony think it is. We know Sony is very good at getting enough stock to retailers, but Playstation 3’s are in abundance after Black Friday. That needn’t be of too much significance though, since the hard to find Wii is severely understocked, and Sony can take advantage of the hungry buyers who can’t get hold of Nintendo’s offering.
Nevertheless, a 300% increase in the US may not be that much if both the Wii and the Xbox360 saw similar gains during the holidays. Just a little look at Amazon.com’s best sellers list we can find the Xbox360 at Number 12, the Wii at Number 24 and the Playstation 3 all the way down at place 44.
The Playstation 3’s price cut and new 40GB model also saw big gains in the United Kingdom, with the console being in the top 10 of Amazon.co.uk’s best sellers list week after week. However, looking at this list now, sees the Wii at an impressive Number 5, the Xbox360 at a respectable 19, the Playstation 2 at a surprising Number 29 and the Playstation 3 at the shocking Number 71.
Looking at Amazon charts of course does not necessarily reflect on the reality of things, but it can hint at an underlying trend. Take it all with a pinch of salt, but the Playstation 3 has rarely been at those extreme lows on Amazon. It could of course be a sign that people are out shopping for Christmas, rather than shopping online, but then you’d expect that to be the same for competing consoles.
So what are we asking here? Of course more evidence is needed. But is the increase in Playstation 3 sales really that impressive if the competing consoles have also increased in sales. Furthermore, could the increase be a short lived side effect after the price cut? Online sales suggest this, but more official numbers for each of the three consoles will be needed to discover the real story.
To lighten the mood, there is a second-hand Playstation 3 on sale at Amazon.co.uk for only £200! The catch can be seen in this comment: “Has been kicked a few times!!! Don’t think it’s working anymore.” Haha, O.K.
How is the Playstation 3 really doing?
Update: 11/28/07
Lets look at some more numbers to perhaps support this scepticism. There’s no doubt that the PS3 is selling better than it used to, if not much better. Therefore, if we take a cross section of recent PS3 sales we can have a better understanding of things. We can use recent Famitsu numbers and predictions from VGChartz (the accuracy of VGChartz is known to be up to 15% out of more official numbers from NPD, so they too must be taken with a pinch of salt).
Looking at the worldwide numbers from the week ending November 18th, in Japan the PS3 sold a whopping 53,000 units, compared to the Wii at 36,000 and the Xbox360 at a dismal 6,000. In Europe, the Wii leads with 132,000 units, followed by the PS3 at 84,000 and the Xbox360 at 58,000 units sold. In the United States, the PS3 is last at 95,000 units, followed by the Xbox360 at 163,000 and the Wii at 254,000.
Totting up these numbers we get an approximate world total of 422,000 for the Wii, 232,000 for the PS3, and 227,000 for the Xbox360. So here it can be seen that although the Playstation 3 leads in two major sections of world sales, it comes in almost equal with the Xbox360. This of course is impressive, considering the past numbers the PS3 was doing, but in comparison to increases from competing consoles, the PS3 is selling well but not that well.
Where does Sony’s reported 300% sales increase come from? Without official numbers it is difficult to hazard a guess, but once again looking at the estimates from VGChartz we can perhaps see. Sony said there was a 300% increase since the 2nd of November. Well on the week ending the 3rd November, VGChartz lists the PS3 as selling 55,000 in the US. Comparing to their forecast of this weeks sales (week ending 25th November), a staggering 174,000 PS3’s were sold. You can now see an approximate three fold increase. Sony could have made their increase sound even more impressive by using sales numbers from the week ending 20th October, where the PS3 sold only 28,000 meaning they could have reported an insane 600% increase in sales!
However, although this increase is impressive for the previously lagging console, looking at US numbers for the other consoles in the week ending 25th November, the Xbox360 has an increase to 254,000 and the Wii an increase to over 350,000 as reported by Nintendo themselves. In conclusion, the Playstation3 is certainly making a come back, but when compared to the increases made by other consoles in this Holiday period, it’s not selling as magnificently as we may have thought after Sony’s press release.
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- Sony To Offer 40 GB Playstation 3 In Europe — U.S. Next?
- Super Mario Galaxy Soars Past 1 Million U.S. Sales in November
- UK Market Research: Too High Risk to Stock PS3 Titles
- February 2008 NPD Data
- Is The PS3 Really Selling That Well? *Update*
- The NY Times Says Xbox 360 is Powered by Cell Processor
- Top Best Selling PC Games in US
- Sony’s Playstation 3 To Offer E3 2007 Content Via The Playstation Store?
on November 27, 2007 12:26 pm
so..your report is based only on Amazon best sellers? What about other retailers?
To answer your question: So how is the Playstation 3 really doing?
I think you should also get all the numbers for other retailers and you will get the answer you are looking for.
on November 27, 2007 12:28 pm
Oh, Sony. Thanks for a year of laughs.
on November 27, 2007 12:29 pm
what a stupid report!! amazon!!!lol. people will bash the ps3 for anything these days
on November 27, 2007 12:37 pm
Since Sony has yet to publish any real numbers regarding their sales after the price cuts, a heathly amount of skepticism is not a bad thing. One can only wonder if all the noise Sony is making about increased sales is to hide a deeper truth.
on November 27, 2007 12:53 pm
A really stupid article.. I mean u sitt here and write bs instead of actuelly callin retailers and get facts, Im not a fanboy but stupid sh1t like that just pisses me off.. Sony is doin all they can to get people pleased, yet everybody is still compailing, why don u complain about every 2 Xbox 360 dies?? Why dont u complain about all the dicks 360s is scratchin and ruining?? Why dont u complain about Supermario with the same story since Christ?? I mean we PS3 owners are lucky, we dont have to deal with our consoles dien’, and we have alot to look forward too and do right now (Unchrated, Assassin’s Creed, Ratchet And Clank, COD4 and many more) and we’ll be gettin, MGS4,Killzone 2, Final Fantasy (2 versions) God Of War 3, Home, Resistence 2, GT5, Tekken 6 and many more, now why the hell would u complain if u wasnt an Halo 3 (half ass HD) fool?? We can use internet browser on TV, can u say the same?? We can make our own Themes, can u say the same?? man this is bs, hwy I’m waistin my time, Im out..
on November 27, 2007 1:22 pm
Patrick Steen,
Come on dude. The total sales over the next few months is all that matter. Not your amazon list. Heck, the PS3 used to always be at the top of the amazon list. But it was the brick and mortars that it suffered from.
on November 27, 2007 1:33 pm
I’d imagine a lot of people are taking advantage of in store promotions and getting their consoles (regardless of company) in store whenever possible instead of waiting for it to be shipped. Amazon sales are nice and all, but hardly represenative of all retail figures.
More research would probably have benefited this article.
on November 27, 2007 1:42 pm
As you and I both know (and as is written in the article) Amazon is not the be all and end all of sales trends. It is merely a suggestion that things may not be as it seems.
I did suggest that people may be out shopping for Christmas rather than shopping online, but you’d expect this to also be reflected in other console sales on Amazon. The truth is, a drop to place 71 from the top 10 is out of the ordinary.
Moreover, as you can see, this article merely plays Devil’s Advocate. I am myself an owner of only a Playstation 3. I do not own an Xbox360 or a Wii. And I am enjoying Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune at this very moment, with a review to follow soon.
I know more evidence is needed, but we will have to wait until December 13th for NPD numbers for that. All this article shows is that I smell a fish, and moderate scepticism is healthy.
Patrick Steen
on November 27, 2007 2:41 pm
Patrick Steen,
That’s what I was trying to point out to you. The amazon sales are deceiving since I’ve been watching them since November 17th 2006. The PS3 has been 1st to 100th (summer 07 being the worst). It depends. Most of the time it has been top ten. But it has been the casual sales from Walmart and Kmart that have not been good. So, it’s best to take the amzon rank (40ish) with a grain of salt.
It’s also important to realize that the 60GB is no longer available from amazon anymore. Just 3rd party vendors. So, amazon doesn’t rank the 60GB high anymore. They don’t have any.
The 40GB is 40ish since it’s A$399. And the 80GB is 60ish since it’s $500 and has some BC. IMO, the 60GB with full BC was the best. And it was at the same price of the 80GB.
I think they should drop the price of the 80GB to $450 and keep the 60GB model at $500. And the 40GB at $400.
I think besides the EE chip cost. But I think they don’t want to do this because they don’t want to confuse consumers with mixing around the HDD sizes.
on November 27, 2007 3:04 pm
Amazon…although a fairly large internet sales company is only a minute, tiny fraction in the grand scheme of things as far as sales go. Actual storefront retailers and many other internet sites sell these bad boys too at a much larger scale than amazon and it is only a matter of time before people realize how great this machine is. The xbox 360 and Wii are nice but the xbox is actually more or less last gen technology souped up a bit…sort of like last gen 1.5 and the wii shouldn’t be compared to either of these…it’s more or less a gimmicky casual gamers dream with kid-like intentions. The PS3 is the only Next Gen system. It offers an HD-player right out of the box, blue tooth, WiFi, Cell Processing, Free Online Community (Home will be very nice) and motion sensing (w/ rumble if you imported and will be available in the US this spring)…The titles are out there now and the system is built like a tank…this is the machine to have.
on November 27, 2007 3:24 pm
Way to take into consideration multiple SKU’s.
By your numbers the PS3 has more than just the Wii and X360 to compete against… it also has a couple other PS3’s out there snaking its sales.
on November 27, 2007 4:05 pm
I see everyone taking up for the PS3 and I can understand why. But the truth is that it is a great system for $400 with NO GREAT GAMES. I work at Gamestop and was able to get a PS3 because I was not able to get an Elite. I sold my premium to get an elite and they sold the last one when i was off and I really needed a system cause i own over 300 dvd’s and love to watch them at all times. I hate that I did that because i cant play GOW, Bioshock, Halo 3 and now Mass Effect and working at gamestop I cant afford to get both but I will try to get me an elite ASAP.
on November 27, 2007 4:07 pm
I can say that we still have 60gig’s still in our stock as well.
on November 27, 2007 4:32 pm
Love this site. That being said, I think you and other gaming sites need to find interesting material pretty soon. The PS3 is here to stay and these console wars are getting old.
You need to come up with good material soon to keep up the traffic.
on November 27, 2007 7:09 pm
Thank you for your thoughts everyone. Pete. Firstly, I wouldn’t buy a console if you didn’t think it had games you like. It’s quite an investment. When buying my PS3 I researched the exclusive titles (as well as the non-exclusive ones) to see whether there would be enough to entertain me. In the end I bought the console because it had games that I wanted to play. I suggest you try out Uncharted Drake’s Fortune…a true corker. Or Ratchet and Clank, which we here at Ripten gave 9.8/10. Or even give Warhawk a go for a solid online shooting.
Furthermore, I must put these Amazon numbers in a bit more context. I’m aware of their limited relevance, and also that they are updated every hour, so they could be a flash shot of something that isn’t entirely truthful. However, I’ve had my eye on them for the past week and the Playstation 3 hasn’t budged from its position.
What led me to post this today? Simply because of Sony’s press release. I don’t doubt that they have had a 300% increase, but how relevant that is in regards to the competition, I do not know. This article was merely a question, and is of course waiting for more relevant and reliable numbers that will be coming next month.
Patrick
on November 27, 2007 8:27 pm
This is a wasted piece of sh!t to read…. why do u care if the ps3 sales or good or bad?? SO STFU
on November 27, 2007 8:33 pm
What you said:
>>
This article was merely “a question”, and is of course waiting for more relevant and reliable numbers that will be coming next month.
on November 27, 2007 8:39 pm
Oh I get it..Ripten just wants traffic.. well I guess it works.. Thumbs up for you..
on November 27, 2007 8:55 pm
John Starks.
There is no need to get emotional about this. The article is very clear with its premise and merely questions the glowing reports of the PS3 recovering.
As to why I care. Console sales are quite a hotly discussed topic, that is discussed almost every week, and when you see a change in the trends, and press releases from these huge companies, it is interesting to look at them, and question their validity.
Being a PS3 gamer, sales of this new console also interests me. Furthermore, sales this generation are quite engaging, especially when we would all like to see Sony recover.
on November 27, 2007 9:04 pm
Wow, any good news follows a spin with a pinch of negativity. Yes it’s impressive sales number. They are comparing their own sales data from last year. Which shows people still want a PlayStation. It’s the media that’s saying “but where’s the hard data, we want to compare it to Wii and Xbox.” Even if it doesn’t beat their competitors numbers they are still happy they are surpassing Playstation 2 sales in its first year. Jeez
on November 27, 2007 9:10 pm
amazon? who cares about amazon?
especially UK and USA are the last.
ps3 sold very well in europe and japan.
on November 27, 2007 10:04 pm
thats funny, when you wanna based your sale on one place. You have to know that you have to measure the sale based on all the other retailers. The reason could be also because maybe people just dont wanna go and order at Amazon.com and just get it right from the stores. Wouldnt that be better?
on November 27, 2007 10:22 pm
Patrick, I am a gamer so you know I had to get Ratchet because I was a fan of it for the PS2. I work at Gamestop so I really don’t have to research to know that the PS3 is a great system because I really know that it is. BUT I am saying day in and day out the PS3 is not selling like I would expect for it to be even with the 399 sku. But the 360 is coming off the shelf fast second to the wii. I really don’t consider the wii to be next gen because everything besides the remote gameplay you know for yourself that there is no comparison with the other two. It’s just what you like. I never said I didnt like the PS3 cause for the money I will tell all of my customers (YOU CAN’T BEAT IT) but everything it has to offer even most used to be exclusives are coming to the 360 which online play is so crazy. Maybe you can help me and tell me why Sony is doing away with the cell.
on November 27, 2007 10:28 pm
Hey guys and girls,
Appreciate your comments. I believe that our job is to find information that we believe to be entertaining and informative. I believe that my writers do just that.
We have plenty of articles on this site that speak of the Sony Playstation 3 in a more positive light (many of which have been written by Patrick himself), however we also have an obligation to our readers to play devil’s advocate.
We all want good games and we all want to be entertained. In terms of us just wanting traffic, that is ridiculous.
All the “smart” people know that we here at Ripten design, illustrate, write, and research, all in the hopes that some day, sea monkeys will surface from the depths of the ocean and stop by for a quick read.
Chad-
on November 28, 2007 1:06 am
Ripten is no doubt one of the better publications out there for gamers. Its just that I personally expected a little more from you guys than sales figures. Please don’t be IGN or GameSpot.
on November 28, 2007 2:23 am
The first post has a good point, ‘wow i looked at amazon.com and i guess that from that i can say that oh this is probably an indicator of a trend in ps3 sales’ double wow this article is misleading therefore i conclude that everything on the internet is as well *hint hint* STICK TO THE FACTS: PS3 SALES ARE UP. Period.
on November 28, 2007 2:50 am
Great article, and keep up the good work, some people want to blindly tke everything these massive corporations say as fact in an effort to make themselves feel better about the console they purchased. I think it is the job of the press to always question everything, dont let these silly Sony worshipping kids change how you do things.
on November 28, 2007 4:28 am
PS3 seems to have turned around here. I work in Gamestation in the UK, and we are selling more PS3’s in the last month, than the Wii and 360 sales put together.
I think people are sick of the 360 hardware faults, and the Nintendo drip feeding of Wii stock.
on November 28, 2007 7:33 am
HL: Sales talk takes up a very minimal percentage of our news here at Ripten, and at this moment it is very pertinent news. Sony saying there is a 300% rise since the 2nd November doesn’t tell us that much without hard sales figures. It seems like smoke and mirror, and I found that interesting
Zero: No-one doubts that PS3 sales are up. Just how significant this is in relation to the competition is what is questioned here. We know it’s selling well…but is it selling “that” well.
Mak: Well that’s interesting to hear. The last time I went into GAME in the UK they had no idea what games were coming to the PS3, telling me that games like Heavenly Sword and Uncharted were probably on the 360 as well, and most likely wouldn’t come out until 2008. So I’m glad they are starting to get to know their products.
on November 28, 2007 8:50 am
Hey Pete, I think your store selling mostly the other consoles is just due to a lack of consumer knowledge. It is good to see that there are Gamestop employees out there like you trying to teach them the truth about the systems.
As far as games go for the PS3. Here are a few I would suggest you buying: you said you had Rachet and Clank so grab these titles too…Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, Heavenly Sword, Warhawk (destroys Halo 3 in the online catagory trust me..i have both and Halo 3 is gathering dust along with the system it plays on)…..but you mention games for the 360 that you like and most of those are first person shooters. Resistance Fall of Man, Call of Duty 4, and on the 11th Unreal Tourney 3…..all of those are comparable to if not superior to Bioshock and Halo 3. Plus, Drakes Fortune and Warhawk will more than make up for Gears of War. Motor Storm is a great racer… a lot of add ons have been added through the PS Store. I have been playing Assassin’s Creed and Ninja Gaiden Sigma as well on PS3 and would recommend grabbing those too…..see, there are a lot of games out there for the PS3….now just work over for a few months and get them all :)
on January 17, 2008 9:22 pm
I cant belive the PS3 is a head of the wii by 2 units that is amazing. PS3 ROCKS!!!!!!!!
on January 17, 2008 9:26 pm
I cant belive the PS3 is a head of the wii by 2 units that is amazing. PS3 ROCKS!!!!!!!!
and the nintentendo wii