PS3 Gets A Price Drop In Japan (well kind of)

[Wedgy]

http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/japanes...ces-230297.php

PS3 sales in Japan haven't cooled off, they've frozen. Consoles sit on shelves as gamers wait it out: Waiting for actual games to appear or prices to drop. Retailers, on the other hand, are an impatient lot. Retailers are also buying "used" PS3s at much lower prices than previously, paying well under the original sticker price. Just look at how the Don Quijote in Akihabara is slicing 20 percent off the 20GB PLAYSTATION 3. Nice 20-20 irony. The 20GB version originally books at 49,980 yen (US $412), but is being offered for 39,980 yen ($329) in a sale ending February. The shop is knocking a flat 10,000 yen ($82) right now. Japanese bulletin board 2chan reports that this at other Don Quijotes as well. It's interesting to check out the PS3 vibe at 2chan; Reasons for not buying go from "there are no games I want" to "video stores don't rent Blu-ray movies." Well, not yet that is

I have been thinking about this matter for a few weeks now and will share my thoughts on the whole matter.

Yes i think their is a problem and Sony needs to address the matter. however i dont think its all the doom and gloom people make it out to be.

All consoles have this period where they sell like hot cakes then the demand drops right down and levels off.
Think back to last year the 360 was flying off selves pritty much till it first million sold then its sales slowed.
This is exactally what has happened to the PS3, it sold 1 million then stopped
The only the difference is it took the 360 till mid feb 06 to get to that number, where as the PS3 did it in a month and a half.
People just assume that because this point was reached so quickly that the PS3 is going down when really its hanging in there just fine.

Add the whole Wii effect to this and its no wonder people think the PS3 is doing crap.
It has been a total wild card selling 4 million already. No one expected this and it just isnt normal.
Its not that the PS3 is doing bad, its that the Wii is doing so great.

Relating more to the topic:
I dont think this is one of those "the PS3 has failed!" things, after all its sold twice as many there in 2 months then the 360 has in 14.
I think it the case where its just viewed as a future investment, people want to buy it because of MSG4, GT5, FF13, DMC 4 and RE5 ect.... However those games are a long way off so their is no point spending all that cast on one now when you can wait in hope a price drop because you wont miss anything.
Plus a hell of a lot of people have just bought Wiis, which does have some must play games out for it already so they wont need a PS3 just yet.

I predict once those better games come out the sales will pick up and this will start when games like warhawk, heavenly sword, lair, assasins creed and UT 2007 all come out.

[majin]

i cant be arsed writing out in paragraphs so ill just number what i want to write.

1. yes the sales are slow in japan but if anyone saw the last hardware sales every console and handheld dropped by more then 50% in sales after xmas, so i think this is being blown out of proportion. people cant expect the ps3 to be selling out instantly at its price point, as you said its an investment and not a impulse buy like the wii is.

2. it just doesnt have any good games for the japanese to want to buy it for, that will soon end with VF5 coming out but for the japanese to go mad then they need to get the ff13 and whiteknightstory type games out there.

3. from march onwards the ps3 should start selling well (as well as it can for its price anyway) and if it doesnt then sony definately needs to start worrying and thinking of a price drop this xmas.

[X-Buster!]

PS3 will get on its feet just like the other consoles, Sony was unlucky to have such a lame launch line up which is also what happened to Microsoft but Nintendo were lucky to have such as exclusive as Twilight Princess.
I think it'll all go back to normal once the big titles arrive as Sony still had some very big selling exclusives.

[majin]

http://uk.gamespot.com/news/show_blo...stnews;title;1

o and btw the "price cuts" were just a promotion one of the chains in japan were running.