Good News Europe, The PS3 IS Coming...

[Hyruleansoldier]

Well, I went wandering around Newcastle today. Like Sunderland, only much more well known and with a marginally better football team.

Couldn't help but laugh when I saw this one (as well as a dozen or so other shops, still happily offering PS3 pre-orders)...



Sony are going to have an uphill struggle conquering Europe methinks. If they thought it was going to be their territory of glory... They might wanna think again.

Lol, I actually think that ad is funny.

It should say: "Please don't disturb the long queue for the Wii"

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

Irony is one of advertising's most undervalued concepts...

As is grossing out your consumers (posted in Gamers' Lounge, might as well get a look in here too): http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.ps3fanboy.com/media/2007/03/consoulmagazine.jpg

Scantily clad babes = Fantastic advert. Scantily clad babes + Taking a dump = 

"Playstation 3: It's the shit!"

6 days to go... And some fool is headed out to do some radio interviews with the PS3 buying "masses" come launch day. I don't know why I do these things to myself.

[Sheldon Cooper PhD]

That ad is hilarious especially since Ridge Racer sucks.

What masses btw?

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

Inverted commas suggests I'm wondering the same thing, ZA.

Even my lecturer (shared the idea with her about two seconds before I logged on here) is wondering if I'll have enough people to interview come "the big day"...

[Sheldon Cooper PhD]

I am giving your professor some major kudos on that one and after the PS3 fiassco that was the good ol' USA, I dont think many people will be there.

[ZeldaMaster]

I have noticed the same thing in the U.S. Nintendo is doing a lot of advertising in the game shops and malls, but Sony just doesn't really seem to care much. It is no wonder Nintendo is ruling right now.

[Sheldon Cooper PhD]

Yeah, the manager at wal mart literaly cleaned dust off a PS3 on Tuesday last week.

Pathetic.....

[Python]

May I ask what is this Ridge Racer 7? I always thought it was Riiiiiiidge Racer. And where's the giant enemy crab? (Sorry, I still live in May 2006...)

Anyways, I really doubt there are going to be queues. Besides the price is still something out of this planet. Where I live, the cheapest price I've seen is 679 Euros (about £455 and US$885). And that's just for the console itself, no game included.

Talk about pricey. I guess that's a good reason not to buy it on Friday...

[Hyruleansoldier]

I have noticed the same thing in the U.S. Nintendo is doing a lot of advertising in the game shops and malls, but Sony just doesn't really seem to care much. It is no wonder Nintendo is ruling right now.

1) They have realised that Nintendo > Sony
or
2) They are so cocky that they believe they *need* no extensive advertising and the "product" will virtually sell itself.

I wonder which of the two is the more realistic version 

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

EXTRA EXTRA: Get your European Backwards Compatibility check right here! (And yes, contrary to earlier rumours, God of War does work)

Looks like Phil Harrison may have kept to his 1,000 PS2 titles promise, and doubled it. But still, as the combined chart for PS1 and PS2 BC shows below (courtesy of Joystiq, you'll be damned if I'll crunch numbers on this sort of thing), there is still a large chunk of games missing and nearly 20% of games are working "with issues"...



In other news: Seven Launch Titles Held Back
Splinter Cell: Double Agent, NBA 2k7, F.E.A.R., Oblivion, Untold Legends, GRAW 2 and Rainbow Six: Vegas will all be missing launch day.

Looking good, Sony... Looking real good...

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

The UK PS3 Launch... In a nutshell

With the Australian launch as underwhelming as it was, you would be wondering if Sony were worried about how their hot new console would be recieved in Europe and, particularly of interest to me, the UK.

When it came to the London launch, they had no need to fear. They had 100 £2,500 46" HDTVs to give away with their £425 machine.

That's right. £250,000 worth of TV was being tossed out while they made £42,500 from console sales. Screaming desperation or clever marketing strategy? You can guess which side I'll take...

However, I'm afraid the story was different in Sunderland, where the best my local game had to offer was some Miniature Heroes and Celebrations. Saleswise however, things could've gone worse. 25 consoles have been sold so far in one GAME. However, its probably worth noting this is out of 73. 23 of those consoles were sold at a midnight launch (I thought those were cancelled) while 2 went at 7 this morning.

The manager is confident they'll be all sold by Monday when I go see him again. We'll see...

Edit: Launch a failure in France?
One poorly translated report later...

"The event organized by Sony for its PS3 transfered with the failure."
"Whereas three months ago, for the launching of Wii of Nintendo, the spans were full as of 10 p.m., they remain hopelessly empty…"
"The few fans having made displacement are very astonished to only find itself. "

The best bit...? "Midnight. Without cries nor applause, the first purchasers is invited to join the boat store. One by one, it arise, with the smile. In fifteen minutes, it is folded, about fifty consoles on the thousand available are sold…"

I'm normally not a big fan of the French, but they may have won me over on this act alone.

Edit 2: Lacklustre launch in Warsaw, Poland
More European launch woes
"The queues and frantic scenes seen at the US launch so many months ago were worlds away from the eight lone Sony fans waiting patiently for their PS3s outside each of the two Sony stores we visited."

Edit 3: 20GB version coming in October...?
Hooray! An even more unpopular version of the PS3 is coming according to Amazon. 30th of October. Make a note...?

Edit 4: The Germans say... Smash your 360, get a PS3...
Climb a wall, chuck your 360, get a free PS3

Nuttiest of the news I've seen so far. Also worth noting 150/200 people out of Berlin's 3million population gave a crap.

I promise if I find a positive report it will show here....

[Sheldon Cooper PhD]

Curse you Europeans!!!!

Mainly Germans though!

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

Consider this the "good press" post

PS3 Fever hits.... PRAGUE!

Well, it is the first true console launch they have ever seen. A queue 15-20 metres long. 130 people and, and to top it off, the console sells out.... NATIONWIDE!

All 1000 Czech Republic consoles have sold out according to Sony. The Czech Republic... An untapped well of Sony fanboys? I would never have imagined it in a million years. Is there more goodness to come. Stay tuned to this post for good stuff, otherwise it'll be the  one above.

EDIT: No idea where to put this one...
The PS3 launches in Greece! And I have no idea what's going on in those videos whatsoever.  :

[Sheldon Cooper PhD]

Dear God that is sad....

Its not like 1000 consoles will do any thing though....just wait till the Wii and 360 launch there.....then all hells gonna break loose

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

I'd imagine they've got them already, just as the article suggests no one has bothered with a launch party for them.

The Euro/Aus Launch in a nutshell

Well, Kotaku have been kind enough to do everything I intended to. I'll leave you all to digest this now. We'll see how the situation is in a week.


<sub>#  Sony Australia throws a party, nobody shows up
- Speaks for itself

# London PS3 buyers score free 46" HDTV
- Buying the fans. Shameless. Bordering on tragic.

# Microsoft's Love Boat crashes the French PS3 launch
- Microsoft mock Sony, EA approves

# Sony UK boss Ray Maguire catches LAUNCH DAY FEVER
- Nutty claims of PS3 being the next-next-gen... Again

# British retailer GAME has supply covered. Needs to work on demand, though
- Shame...

# Microsoft PR gets cheeky at Virgin launch in London
- Microsoft 2, Sony 0

# The official Australian launch do: a pictorial record
- Clue: The pictures feature lots of empty space

# PS3 launches in Poland
- 8 people barely care. Would you if a console was costing you a tenth of your annual salary....?

# Independant British retailer breaks PS3 street date
- However, breaking street dates doesn't equal more sales. Who'da thought?

# Germans do, Swiss don't adhere to national stereotypes
- 360 crushing = Free PS3. Bring back the TVs...

# Greek PS3 launch a little bit tragic
- Guess I should move that one...

# Now Prague's coming down with LAUNCH DAY FEVER
- One positive piece of news out of 12. Well done Sony...</sub>

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

Can someone please tell me how the Hell this is possible?

PS3 breaks UK sales records? It can't just be blind Nintendo fanboyism that is making me doubt these numbers surely. I went into four shops today to check the situation. Both GAMEs were home to "around 20-30" systems, HMV said they had "enough to last a while" but wouldn't offer numbers and when I punched the catalogue number in at Argos I was informed of 42 in stock.

If these sales figures are true (which is still leaving me asking "How the hell?") the best I can see this being for Sony is everyone who wants a PS3 now has one. It beat the Wii and 360 because it wasn't held up by stock shortages, but I can see these big hardware sales dropping sharply over the coming weeks.

It didn't sell out, it's hardly selling now. Simple logic. 

[Sheldon Cooper PhD]

Dear God help us.....


"The PS3 Breaks Sales Records"?
Bulll Crap

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

I'm actually close to editing that to say almost since the PSP is considered the biggest selling system (rather than just home console) with 185,000 systems shipped in four days.

Of course, we all know how well that's done since...

Anyone who would like to check out the PS3's popularity in the UK first hand should check out eBay, where I'm guessing at least 20% of consoles sold were destined. They're selling at less than the retail price already. It took the US "grey market" a couple of weeks to die down, but with us Brits its a flat out dud for sellers.

[Sheldon Cooper PhD]

This is sure to tick you off EA....

Look at eBay yourself and see first hand what has happened in the way of the PS3 "sales" in the U.K.

[Ezlo's Apprentice]

I've been checking it over all weekend. I'm now looking at the 10 listings ending soonest....

I'm looking at it right now, and this is what I'm seeing.

And it's not some tatty old news site which is reporting this kind of failure. The Times Online

All looks fine to me. But I don't work for Sony, so of course it does... Not sure why you say it's sure to tick me off...