PS3 sells out! (100K units)

[VG Aficionado]

Now this is a surprise ;)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42303000/jpg/_42303696_ps3_203ap.jpg

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42303000/jpg/_42303694_ps3_416ap.jpg

Last Updated: Saturday November 11 2006 12:55 GMT (http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6130000/newsid_6139100/6139168.stm)
PlayStation 3 sells out in Japan
Japanese gamers get hold of a PlayStation 3

Sony's PlayStation 3 games console has sold out in Japan, with some gamers queuing overnight to get one.

Sony only had 100,000 of the machines ready for the launch, and all of them were snapped up in hours.

One fan, Tomohiro Shimokawa, said: "I'm very excited at this moment. I didn't sleep at all so I read magazines and talked with other people."

Gamers in the UK won't be able to buy a PlayStation 3 until the European launch in March 2007.

The PS3 is the second of three new consoles that together have been called the next generation of gaming.

Sony console launches
Japanese gamers get hold of a PlayStation 3
1994 - PlayStation
2000 - PlayStation 2
2004 - PlayStation Portable (PSP)
2006 - PlayStation 3

Microsoft's Xbox 360 went on sale before Christmas 2005, while Nintendo's Wii machine goes on sale in the UK on 8 December.

One of the reasons there weren't enough consoles in Japan were because of a new type of DVD drive inside the machines.

It's called Blu-Ray and will let people who make games fit loads more information on the discs. Some people even think games will look like films.

Games consoles and gaming are now worth $30 billion (£15.7 bn) around the world each year.

So far more than 100 million PlayStation 2 consoles have been sold around the world since it was launched in November 2000.

[Grovestreet]

Now this is a surprise ;)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42303000/jpg/_42303696_ps3_203ap.jpg
He looks happy, One of the Lucky 100K.

[Kiosko]

Wow. I wasn't expecting it to go that fast! This is great news.

[Sephiroth_VII]

There were 100k units, and thousands of gamers were camping in front of gamestores.

How could it go any slower?

[nwo504]

does this mean that ps3 outsold xbox 360 in japan already?

[cliffbo]

does this mean that ps3 outsold xbox 360 in japan already?

i'm not sure just checking...

edit YES!?

1. DS Lite - 113,097 [5,477,109] units
2. PSP - 23,725 [1,473,473] units
3. PlayStation 2 - 20,982 [1,216,764] units
4. Xbox 360 - 6,580 [91,529] units
5. GBA SP - 1,443 [209,885] units
6. GB Micro - 1,299 [131,982] units
7. GameCube - 647 [69,653] units
8. Nintendo DS - 373 [956,534] units
9. GBA - 20 [3,201] units
10. Xbox - 0 [1,696] units

don't think this is the complete sales figures so i'm still not sure.

[venomv]

Those look like weekly numbers, as of about a month ago, 360 had sold in the area of 140k consoles.

[cliffbo]

Those look like weekly numbers, as of about a month ago, 360 had sold in the area of 140k consoles.

thanks Venomv :) close though eh? give it another two months...

[sceptic]

Ouch!! when a console sells more in a day than your console does in a whole year if have to ask is it worth it?!

[Crossbar]

i'm not sure just checking...

edit YES!?

1. DS Lite - 113,097 [5,477,109] units
2. PSP - 23,725 [1,473,473] units
3. PlayStation 2 - 20,982 [1,216,764] units
4. Xbox 360 - 6,580 [91,529] units
5. GBA SP - 1,443 [209,885] units
6. GB Micro - 1,299 [131,982] units
7. GameCube - 647 [69,653] units
8. Nintendo DS - 373 [956,534] units
9. GBA - 20 [3,201] units
10. Xbox - 0 [1,696] units

don't think this is the complete sales figures so i'm still not sure.

What are those figures?

[the boney king of nowhere.]

i'm thinking maybe the figures in brackets are total for this year... maybe financial year?

[cliffbo]

What are those figures?

sorry should have provided a link:

http://www.the-magicbox.com/gaming.htm

[cliffbo]

i'm thinking maybe the figures in brackets are total for this year... maybe financial year?

they are, but i'm not sure when the financial year starts.

[Galcian]

100,000,000 people in japan, and 100,000 units, and some of you are suprised it went this fast? Japan - Sony, come on now.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Yeah I can't say I'm surprised or amazed at this. Short supply, incredible demand. I mean, pssh. Der. The title should have a period not an exclamation point :p

[cliffbo]

100,000,000 people in japan, and 100,000 units, and some of you are suprised it went this fast? Japan - Sony, come on now.

i'm not surprised at all. if they had 10 million at launch it would have been the same story...

[julps31]

Lol in yo face Nolan Busnell (i think thats how you spell it). 300,00 would be gone in no time if they had that many available. Welp..thats what i've been saying tho..its gonna sell out in no time. And it did lol.

[curryking1]

MADNESS!! Could this be an teller of good fortune for the PS3 to become another PS or PS2? Or could it be just a ill displayed omen to throw us off from predicting the demise of Playstation?

Only time will tell, tune back in 5 years from now for the verdict!!!:uhh: :crazy:

Aright... uhh anyways.... honestly VG, whoulda thunk it? lol!

I seriously hope for another Playstation dominated generation, but only to the extent of PS2s domination, no more. The existence of competition is always a plus!!! But being ahead also counts. 60% is a gold figure for a 'winner' in the gaming arena I think. It's not too big, but big enough to get a significant majority of the AAA titles.

I loved my gaming combination of the PC and PS2 last gen, it was solid gold. Basically every game I could possibly ever want on both those platforms. Please let it be like that again! The last ten years of my gaming have been utterly and simply amazing, beyond anything else I could get for myself anywhere.

I just want more of that, I couldn't care less where it comes from, but I'm more happy if it keeps coming from one place all the time, it's less complicated that way haha. It's good to be a PLAYSTATION gamer.:angel:

EDIT: When I get my PS3, that first picture is SOOOO going to be my avatar.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42303000/jpg/_42303696_ps3_203ap.jpg

King of the world!!!

[Grovestreet]

It is impressive but im Not surprised, Japan is a Sony place, They have always liked them more than they do MS or Nintendo(Im not trying to be a troll here, Just stating the obvious) ;)

[Ben-N1ce]

They didn't even have 100,000 units ;)

[cliffbo]

TOKYO—For the hearty souls willing to brave the chill of a November night in Tokyo, it didn't take more than a few minutes past midnight to know if a PlayStation 3 would be theirs--those lucky gamers were handed a numbered ticket which guaranteed them a unit. Then, it was just a matter of waiting out the hours until the stores of Shinjuku and Akihabara opened their shutters.

But for the general masses that woke up at more reasonable hours Saturday, the best they could do was to secure a raffle ticket and hope that lady luck was on their side when they returned to the store when the raffle was being held.


Counting down the hours.

While there may have been enough PS3s for the hardcore gamers who wanted them badly, there was no denying that Sony's Japan allocation way too slim to match the demand.

As the countdown to the PlayStation 3 launch in Japan ticked down to its last minutes, GameSpot editors headed to Shinjuku's Yodobashi Camera, where SCEI president Ken Kutaragi made an appearance during the PSP launch back in 2004.


Prepping for the first sales.

SCE head of worldwide studios Phil Harrison was spotted for a short moment just before the scheduled launch time, at 7AM, but most eyes were peeled for Kutaragi, who was expected to show up and reprise his leading the PSP launch in '04.

Kutaragi did eventually appear at the store as we had expected, but unfortunately, it was well over an hour after the opening hour and drama of the launch activities. He had picked the Bic Camera main branch outlet in Yurakucho to hand out the first console--to a young eager customer from China we were told.


We have a winner.

At Shinjuku's Yodobashi camera, the first person on line was a 22-year-old student who had been waiting in line since 6pm on Friday. While he looked tired and worn from the long wait, he shined a grin as he walked away with PS3 and Mobile Suit Gundam game.

Similar scenes were taking place in other locations throughout Tokyo, most selling PS3s without preorders or raffle tickets. The Ikebukuro Bic Camera had over 1,200 customers with numbered tickets, while the Shibuya Tsutaya, the official launch location for Microsoft's Xbox and Xbox 360, had about 300 units to sell.


For others, the rain continues--as does the wait.

While hardcore gamers returned home happily with their PS3, it was another story with the general public who weren't aware that the PS3 would be supplied in only limited numbers.

From around 8am on, we saw dozens of people approaching stores only to see Sold Out signs in front. It was pretty apparent what was going to happen next.

To see how things were going at stores giving away the raffle tickets, we went to the Shinjuku Bic Camera to see if there was a line. To our surprise, over 400 people had formed a line by around 9am--when the store was scheduled to hand out raffle tickets. But soon, a staffer came out and held up a Sold Out sign at the end of the line, telling the unlucky stragglers they no chance at all at buying a unit.

A similar scene was happening at Sakuraya, which only had about 20 units each of the 20GB and 60GB models. There was still a line of about 200 people even after the scheduled closing time of the raffle ticket distribution.

In Akihabara, Sofmap's main branch had about 300 people lined up to get raffle tickets, with everyone holding umbrellas to cope with the heavy rain. Similar to the line at Shinjuku Bic Camera, a staffer eventually came up and held up a Sold Out sign, turning away any additional people trying to line up after 9:30am when the store was to hand out its tickets.

Generally, those waiting in line to get raffle tickets were a very different group from the customers who waited overnight. The crowds we saw in the overnight lines consisted of hardcore gamers, foreigners, and homeless people hired by scalpers. They were mostly male, and many of them wore heavy clothing to survive the cold, additionally prepared with portable chairs and handheld gaming machines.

On the other hand, the lines that formed at raffle locations this morning consisted of more casually dressed people with a good number of female customers, parents with children, and a few elderly folks lining up to buy a PS3 for their grandchildren perhaps.

Sony seemed to have anticipated there might not be enough PS3s for the casual consumers at launch, which would explain why the company seemed to have been holding back on its mass market ad campaign. While Sony had posted numerous billboards at train stations and had run a flight of TV ads in prime time, the company didn't begin its push until just a week ago. In comparison, Nintendo has been running Wii ads on TV for nearly a month, even through the console isn't due until December.

Given the high demand of the PS3, the console is already selling at inflated prices on auction sites. The 60GB model, which sold for an average price of 59,800 yen ($508) at retailers is selling now for around 90,000 yen ($765) on Yahoo Japan's Auction site. The 20GB model, which retails for 49,980 yen ($425), is going for 70,000 yen ($595).

Sony expects to ship 100 thousand units every week after today's launch, which should give it total sales of about 400,000 units by the time the Wii is released in December. Coincidently, Nintendo expects 400,000 units to be available Day 1 of its launch in Japan.

Then the console race in Japan begins in earnest.

http://www.gametab.com/news/737056/

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Whaaat, the premium model is selling for an average of 508 dollars? Ain't this a bitch.

[Grovestreet]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjx6MlWZ2LE
O_o

[curryking1]

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=69868

The Eurogamer 'review' of the PS3 launch in Japan, with more pics!

[cliffbo]

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=69868

The Eurogamer 'review' of the PS3 launch in Japan, with more pics!

you've been a very very busy man fella LOL

edit 'a low key event'!!?? they sold out! crashing games? come on, fud spreading already!

[Sephiroth_VII]

So yesterday, Friday November 10, the day before PS3's launch, the absence of queues in Tokyo came as no shock. Just a surprise. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a2ruHzlSFM)
:laugh: