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."
When the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S first launched all the way back in 2020, console sales were not what either platform manufacturer wanted them to be. The pandemic slowed things down more than ever before, even though in the case of each next-gen console, all the units that were manufactured, sold.
Of course that didn’t last, and soon manufacturing limitations on the consoles were a thing of the past, and sales started to leap forward. For one next-gen console platform, at least.
I can see why Microsoft is putting their games on PlayStation with these numbers
Imagine how many copies of future games like Elder Scrolls VI, Blade, Indiana Jones and more they could sell if they went fully multiplatform.
Sony would probably be selling more if they stopped sending mixed signals about their future. Putting games on PC because you are taking data analytic advice from Microsoft about the future of consoles is folly and has limited their potential sales. Microsoft want Sony and the world to believe that consoles are done as a business so companies like Sony and Nintendo etc can end up serving Microsoft's platform. Remember when it comes to Microsoft "It is us or no one and the three E's" Don't fall for it.
Companies, particularly public companies like Microsoft, need to grow.
i mean its pretty simple, they spent close to 30 billion in acquiring activision, they thought they'd make it bk no problem, and that didnt happen.
its just shit that because of MS's miscalculation alot of people lost their jobs.
They are going to use AI for a large portion of the game development process. Upper management need bonuses and the shareholders need more money. So, people will lose their jobs.
They shouldn't have bought any studios. Some is okay...but they went on a shopping spree...stupid
The better question is why did Microsoft buy publishers for a service they were subsidizing they knew couldn't support.
And why are so many websites trying to make people feel sorry for Microsoft instead of truly criticizing the fact they are closing studios and killing jobs that would have been fine if Microsoft themselves hadn't gotten involved.
Quit feeling sorry for Microsoft and start feeling sorry for the industry and the all the gamers who are actually losing out.
THIS IS MICROSOFTS FAULT.
The first thing that happens after any major acquisition or merger is a consolidation of the whole new portfolio, which includes cutting any excess, bloat or portfolios that don't fit the larger MO of the big boy. So far, it's been par for the course with Microsoft and that's why gamers have been so against this acquisition. Tango Gameworks is the beginning. You think Microsoft wants to pay to keep small timers like Ninja Theory in business?
There is absolutely zero evidence to suggest that Microsoft will improve any of these studios, but plenty to suggest that they will get rid of what they don't need and hold onto the IP. The real agenda of the acquisition was always to acquire The Elder Scrolls, Diablo, Fallout, Call of Duty, Candy Crush etc. that will create millions in passive revenue stream for Microsoft regardless of where the games release. Microsoft simply wants their cut.
Because of Games Pass Microsoft has no interest in investing in new IP which is risky and requires creative talent they can neither nurture nor manage. Game Pass has also not grown in the way Microsoft expected it to, even post acquisitions. Therefore the logical thing to do, without serious money makers to release, is to cut as much cost as possible.
Backward compatibility works for many games on newer consoles, but titles such as The Simpsons: Hit and Run have been left out.
Sony are stupid and desperate had to give HDTV's away to give themselves some positive publicity because no one else would, then paid some twat on GamerTV to act like a complete and utter idiot of a Sony fanboy.
Oh and does everyone know that the HDTV still does not come with a HDMI cable? HAHAHAHAHA
nice pic! LMFAO!!
Hey Rider pass some positive feedback my way will ya done for you matey! ;-D
I thought i was the ONLY one who noticed that :]
Gamer TV + The Gadget show are both backed primarily by sony supported companies. Not hating, just pointing out the fact that there's always 2 sides to a story. When you watch gamer TV or the gadget show, your watching sony. 0.o
But the REAL question is..............
is not allowed on this website. Quit crying. B1tch
Considering that you dont even know what your talking about and lieing to yourself 247 and the reason why Sony gave a free HDTV is for the patient gamers that has been waiting all night for morning to get a PS3 unlike you SuperSaiyan4 your more retarded than a sack of dildos and Sony isnt desperate when actually thats what you think. you would have to be extremely retarded in every way to actually believe your own words when you didnt even read the article in why Sony gave free HDTV for gamers that waited to get there PS3 and plus your just jealous cause Sony is doing well in europe than the XBox 360 and Chagy may be the reason why that Sony didnt advertise it cause they wanted to be a suprise have you thought of that d0uche bag.
People cancelled their pre-orders, so they could just walk into a store and buy one instead? Sounds like a good thing to me.