Much-maligned PlayStation 3 finally makes it to Europe
The long-delayed and much-maligned PlayStation 3 (PS3) will finally make its European debut on March 23, according to Sony.
Europeans will be able to buy a PS3, if they haven’t already bought a Wii
Initially only the 60GB version of the PS3 will be available; the 20GB version will come later. One million consoles, priced at 599 Euros (425 pounds), will be available for sale at launch. Sony has promised that there will be more than 30 games available, including: Resistance - Fall of Man, The Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion, and Motorstorm. Games will also be available through the PlayStation Network.
The PS3 has been on sale in the US and Japan since November last year; the European launch was put on hold after problems emerged with the production of PS3′s Blu-ray drive.
The big problem for Sony is that Nintendo’s Wii has been on sale in Europe since December 8, and by all accounts it has been a phenomenal success. Indeed, world-wide, all we seem to hear about is how great the Wii console is (people are even using it to loose weight). Even breaking wrist controller straps turned out to be a promotional opportunity for Nintendo. One of the key features of the Wii, the motion sensing game controller, was given a lot of free publicity, and all Nintendo had to do was to replace the faulty wrist straps.
The launch of the PS3 has been a big headache for Sony. Production and logistics problems meant that the console was beaten to market by Wii in both North America and Japan, and once launched, there were fewer units available than had been promised by Sony.
By comparison, Nintendo’s Wii gaming console initially sold out in Europe, with 325,000 units selling in two days after its December 8 launch. Many stores sold out in just hours. Nintendo sold 700,000 units in Europe during the course of December.
Apparently the feeling at Sony was that it was better delay the launch of PS3 in one market, than to fail in three markets.
I think what has actually happened is that Sony has sacrificed Europe, in order to try to save Japan and the USA, and at this point in time, it’s not clear that it has been able to do that.
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