CE-Oh no he didn't, part XXXVII: Sony's Reeves says PS3 will be "the winner" by March 08

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves already caused quite a stir with his statement that the 60GB PS3 would soon be no more, and it looks like he's now set to kick up another hubbub, telling GamesIndustry.biz that he expects the PS3 to be "the winner" by March of next year. As if that wasn't a bold enough proclamation, he said that the PS3 "will be far and away the winner when you look at it by March '08," adding that "it's something that is going to be a slow burner, and suddenly it's like a tsunami; it will just overtake you." Let's just hope that tsunami comes at a discount.

[DBX00 @ Jul 16th 2007 2:51PM]

He's probably referring to Europe, since he is the head of that territory.

[ssuk @ Jul 16th 2007 3:16PM]

Makes sense their, Sony Europe are deluded and 1) Think we like them because of the PS2 (we did... But not over PS3) 2) Take us for granted (we're their 'biggest consumer market' according to them) 3) Fuck with us on a regular basis (software backwards compatability, no 80GB PS3, no price cut, etc).

Sony wont win, wont even come close. Sad as it seems the Wii will most likely be the winner of this generation, however much Xbox 360 had a head-start in the race.

[Mark @ Jul 16th 2007 2:52PM]

ya... I'm sure...

I fail to see the flow from alienate your entire user base to winning console war in 8 months. I guess anything can happen but at this point it almost seems like the PS3 was just a big scam

[Galley @ Jul 16th 2007 2:53PM]

Dunno if it will be my March of '08, but I fully expect PS3 sales to sky-rocket this fall. XBox 360 sales will remain stagnant and the Wii's novelty will begin to wear off and sales will plummet.

[Eric @ Jul 16th 2007 2:58PM]

Xbox 360 sales rates to remain stagnant with Halo 3 coming? Might want to rethink that.

[primetime4 @ Jul 16th 2007 4:34PM]

@Eric
I think you have to consider that most of the Halo fans out there already own a 360.

[Mark @ Jul 16th 2007 3:24PM]

Actually a very large amount of Halo fans (in my own experience) seem to be waiting for that to come out before getting the 360. In fact just about every1 I've talked to who's a big halo fan is waiting for Halo 3 to come out.

[pito189 @ Jul 16th 2007 3:34PM]

I won't be buying a 360 until Halo 3. Waiting has just gotten better with the Red ring hopefully getting fixed, the new longer warranty, and hopefully some updates in regards to HD size, and HDMI outputs.

[andy @ Jul 16th 2007 3:50PM]

Mark, Pito

You nailed it. Count me in on the waiting crowd.

I'm the proud owner of a modded xbox1 (use it for XBMC) and I have no intention to switch until Halo3.

Why buy now when I can still play halo2 online with everyone and teh 360 has production problems that are being fixed as we speak? I'll get halo3, and a cheaper, cooler, and more reliable 360 all the same time. I can't imagine why anyone would swtich right now.

Actually, having flat instead of declining sales is pretty good considering all that's in the pipe right now.

[injate @ Jul 16th 2007 3:58PM]

The "waiting for halo" point stands true for PS3 as well, just replace halo with FF13 or MGS4.

[Mile @ Jul 16th 2007 4:10PM]

I'm waiting until Halo 3 before I buy the XboX 360 because I figure the price will have come down, any issues will be fixed and Halo 3 will be available. I don't think I'm the only one by a long shot.

[derek @ Jul 16th 2007 2:54PM]

does he get paid for this?

[Joseph @ Jul 16th 2007 2:55PM]

As a former owner of a wii and a future owner of a PS3, I feel that in light of the low capabilities of the wii, the manufacturing problems with the 360, and the likely dominance of the blue ray, once the PS3 gets some must have titles, it will be well on its way to becoming the winning console of this generation.

[Eric @ Jul 16th 2007 2:57PM]

The better quote FTA:
"When asked if he thought GBP 425 / GBP 599 was still a high price to ask consumers to pay Reeves replied, "It is, but surprisingly, people are paying that amount of money for it. Now they'll get two games and an extra controller as well.""

I just can't imagine paying over $1200 (599 GBP) for a console. Man alive.

[Matt @ Jul 16th 2007 3:46PM]

The article was wrong, it was 425 GBP or 599 EUR, so that's only just over $850. Surely every teenager can afford that?

I'm sure Sony have done plenty of analysis on the price vs. (number of units sold)*(overall profit per console^) graph, so this is probably their most profitable strategy at the moment. It's just a shame that at such a price it does seem like they're laughing in our (European) faces.

^after games, controllers, etc sold to one console.

[Mak @ Jul 17th 2007 6:02AM]

Well most Halo fans already own a 360, so I doubt it will increase as much as you think. The recent relialbilty with red rings of death and HDD failures will no doubt also put a dampener on things.

The lacklustre Halo 3 beta will have also put many people off.

[Rohit Kapur @ Jul 16th 2007 2:58PM]

Is this really worthy of becoming a part of the "CE-Oh no he didn't" series? I mean, I know it's an outlandish and. . . well, wildly optimistic thing to say, but after all, he IS just endorsing his product. What else can one expect him to say - "The PS3's sales will pretty much continue to sink. . . just like Sony"?

:-)

I just think the series is wayyyy too sacred to include inconsequential things like this. Now the Seagate CEO (was it?) and his "porn" comment - THAT was a "CE-Oh no he didn't" moment.

'Nuff said.

[Evan @ Jul 16th 2007 3:02PM]

If people are going to send the statement they are ok with paying 500 to 600 dollars for consoles just wait and see how much the next ones will cost.

Heck, I was pretty upset when I found out the 360 was going to be 400 dollars.

The Wii may be considered a "novelty" by some of you, but it is actually affordable and I don't see the Wii going anywhere but up. Also, as you might have noticed, the games didn't go up to $60 dollars either.

Don't get me wrong, the content on the 360 and PS3 is in a whole different technological realm, but with those price points it hurts them. Imagine if the 360 Premium or Elite and the PS3 was within 100 dollars of the Wii. We would be talking about another Nintendo flop. Sure the content on the Wii is "neat" but the price points of the other two consoles are helping fuel Wii popularity.

[Mark @ Jul 16th 2007 3:29PM]

I agree with some of what you said but not all. The Wii seems to be selling even at higher price points(check amazon.com: $399 minimum) so I think it's invalid to say that it's the price points. The wii isn't selling because it's so low-priced; it's selling because it's really easy to pick up, creates radically different gameplay abilities than have been seen before, and offers games that appeal to what used to be non-gaming groups.

[Veritas II @ Jul 16th 2007 3:05PM]

Dugg down: Flamebait.

[saccorator @ Jul 16th 2007 3:10PM]

Maybe he knows something we don't...like after moderate use, the xbox360 fails and goes to red blinking lights and no longer is operable. Wouldn't that push people to the PS3? Maybe they have a new marketing campaign that lets consumers know that the PS3 will continue to work after playing through an entire game.

[Evan @ Jul 16th 2007 3:32PM]

Are for real? Wow, I had no idea that happened, especially since mine hasn't stopped working yet!

[Timothy Sottek @ Jul 16th 2007 3:20PM]

But will it play Doom twelve?

[Fritz Larco @ Jul 16th 2007 3:21PM]

Oh yea, most def...I'm planning to buy one in Jan/Feb, when all the games are out.

[Mark @ Jul 16th 2007 3:30PM]

what games? (and I don't mean non-exclusives or timed exclusives.)

[ibelli @ Jul 16th 2007 11:50PM]

...Heavenly Sword, Warhawk, Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid 4, Haze, Little Big Planet, Killzone 2... should I keep going? Okay -- Wipeout HD, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the HOME system, not to mention all of the Cross-Platform games that will be released, Grand Theft Auto, etc. So, my question: How can people say that that PS3 has no software support? Its kind of silly for people to keep spouting off that there are no games for the PS3. Based on that list of games, I can certainly see why this guy is optimistic. Transversely, I don't see Xbox 360 with a lineup of 1st party games nearly that impressive. I see Halo 3 being a big (huge) title, but I can't really see another system seller down the road for Microsoft. If there is something coming down the pike that I missed, I'll stand corrected. I think people will be very surprised in 8 months. Maybe not as surprised as that guy wants people to be, but people forget so quickly what Sony has going for it.

[Martin @ Jul 17th 2007 4:42AM]

@ibelli
Yeah I can understand why you're having a hard time listing the 360's first party titles (as well as third party), you just can't count that high.

First Party

Forza 2
Shadowrun (I know those just came out but they're this year)
Project Gotham Racing 4
Blue Dragon
Mass Effect
Too Human
Halo 3
Fable 2
Halo Wars
and there's more that I can't think of...

Third Party

Viva Pinata
Bioshock
Beautiful Katamari
Splinter Cell: Conviction
Crash of the Titans (Not coming to the PS3)
EA Sports games run at double the FPS of PS3 Games
Exclusive Grand Theft Auto 4 content
And once again lots of games that I'm sure I'm not mentioning.

The above games don't even include a long list of exclusive games that are already out and have done great which the PS3 has just a couple of.

Just off the top of my head I could list
Gears of War
Lost Planet
PGR 3
Crackdown (great game)
and more.

And if you compared my list of games to your list of games I'm sure you'd find that more people find my list to be more popular and better sellers than yours. And the 2 big PS3 franchises (FF and MGS) combined still don't add up to what Halo can produce in terms of sheer sales numbers of both games and consoles. So stop trying to fool yourself.

[Martin @ Jul 17th 2007 5:18AM]

Actually Viva Pinata is first party, not sure why I put it as a third party game. Oh and I forgot to slam Home for being a half-a**ed Second Life ripoff that most people will find pretty boring (I'm pretty much referring to myself on that one). I don't wanna walk around and make doll houses (apartments). I want to play real games and not have to walk around to find people to talk to. I want to scroll down my friends list in whatever game I'm playing and be able to open a voice chat with them. Now is that too much ask. The point is that while Home might be an interesting idea, it's usefulness ends as soon as you start a game (unlike Xbox Live). And if you people think the Wiimote is gimmicky, I can't wait to hear reviews on Home.

[Hey Apples @ Jul 16th 2007 3:39PM]

The 360's hardware deficiencies are infinately more correctable than the PS3's software deficiencies.

Truth be told, I don't foresee a clear-cut "winner" for this "war", except the consumer with a nice variety of titles and platforms to choose from.

[Matt B @ Jul 16th 2007 3:50PM]

Well at E3, we saw a ton of stuff to help the PS3 software deficiencies but nothing about curing 360 hardware deficiencies. How long is your argument going to hold up?

[alexhrose71 @ Jul 16th 2007 4:18PM]

Do you have honestly think the RROD isn't fixed ? They know the issue, its obviously getting fixed (360s coming back from repair now have a second heatsink for the GPU), MS is obviously motivated to cut cost and reducing repair work must be a top priority right now.

The 65nm cool running chipset has been photo'd I think I saw the pic on engadget or wired...its obviously going into production for this fall / holiday.

So the RROD issue is being laid to rest. I called MS yesterday and my check will be in the mail shortly for the repair I had done in Feb. It only took two weeks. Conversely, when my early-model PS2 died from bad disk errors (a known DVD drive quality issue in the PS2) what did Sony give me ? F*** all. I had to buy another PS2. Wonder why all those PS2s keep selling ? Sony doesn't stand by their product.

I'm no Sony basher (got a PSX at launch, PS2 about 6 months after launch when some good games started trickling in). Liked both. The PS3 is just in a bad spot right now, clearly a machine not engineered with gaming the first priority - same old rehashed controller with rumble removed and a poor implementation of wireless (blu-tooth is just not reliable enough), not enough done with the UI, not enough done for online.

The PSX and PS2 were gaming machines first. Xbox 360 IMO is really a hardcore gamers wet dream - great online gameplay, good arcade games, strong game lineup, comfy controller, good price. With the PS3 Sony lost their focus a bit and tried to synergize a little too much with their movie business, to the detriment of the console.

At $499 yeah its a great overall deal as a Blu-Ray player that plays games. As a gaming console its just not the right priority. I'd rather have seen a better GPU or maybe more memory, something that directly impacts graphic fidelity IN GAME.

Just my 2c. Oops rambled on a bit there :P

[SimbaDogg @ Jul 16th 2007 5:30PM]

@ apples
thats honestly one of the dumber things that i've heard throughout this post, and i think its just a bit of your xbot-ism showing. The hardware deficiency is infinitely more correctable? Yeah, sure
when the new 65 nm comes out...but as far as MS as their losses, what are they to do w/ the
exisiting 11.6 million consoles that have already been sold? Just keep waiting till they die, and
repairing them, or better yet...replacing them w/ the 65 nm chip (probably more costly).

all sony has to do is continue to lower their price, which they will do as they move to a
65 nm cell, and blu ray diode prices continue to drop.

ps3 owners just have to wait a lil while longer...more games are already coming FF13, MGS4, Lair, Warhawk,Killzone 2, Gran Turismo HD, and the list goes on...and these are all much heralded exclusive titles. as they titles come out, more people will buy these consoles (the same effect as xbox owners moving to 360 when halo3 drops)

software developers definitely are playing the waiting game...just waiting for more consoles to be sold, which will bring the possibility of more sales to their titles. i believe that a lot of the developers who have been exclusive to sony in the past, will keep on w/ their tradition as the sales start to ramp up.

@ Matt B
thank you...simply put

@alex
i understand your frustration w/ ps2...and sonys support of it, but...i hardly doubt that
they are continuing to sell ps2s like gangbusters simply because existing owners are replacing their
older ps2 units. Thats just...well, your making a huge stretch. i also had a bad ps2...but it only effected some movies during playback, and wasn't all that bad. 360 definitely has its deficiencies as a console...its funny that people compare the IPTV, movie downloads, and arcade game downloads of 360 to ps3...but the funny thing is, did we see all of these features within the first 8 months of its release? let the ps3 mature at least till this coming x-mas, and we'll see how they really stack up.

[Matt B @ Jul 16th 2007 3:48PM]

Didn't you hear? It's cool to hate on Sony nowadays.

It's the new black.

[Mr. Picklesworth @ Jul 16th 2007 3:52PM]

He's forgetting something with that little metaphor of his: A tsunami is a disaster.

[Timothy Sottek @ Jul 16th 2007 3:56PM]

Yes, but it need not connote a disaster.

e.g.: "John would soon be enveloped by a tsunami of breasts,"

or,

"Timmy was inundated by a tsunami of triscuits."

mmm. triscuits.

[Matthew McGuirl @ Jul 16th 2007 3:54PM]

2108?

[icepick314 @ Jul 16th 2007 3:55PM]

only way i'll get PSTRIPLE right now is if 80GB version is at $500 WITH SIXAXIS rumble...AND some FREAKIN' component cable for goodness sakes!!!

it's supposed to be HD and it's STILL packing yellow component cable!!!

[Cody @ Jul 16th 2007 4:20PM]

Is making stupid statements a trait of all Sony executives or is it just a coincidence?

[kojo87 @ Jul 16th 2007 4:21PM]

AHHH! the put Ken Katarugi's brain in a white guys body!!

[injate @ Jul 16th 2007 4:25PM]

I'm actually thinking this whole sony cluster drama-bomb might me manufactured by Sony. The capcom financial chief 2nd price drop rumor, SCEE dude giving away way too much info about the America market, Sony prez confirming 60gb no longer in production, and removal of emotion chip.

All that drama even drove me to want (buy now!) the 60gb model over the 80gb model. I think the ultimate goal might be to raise demand for the 60gb to be SO high they actually did sell out before August's 80gb debut. This dry spell wouldn't be a bad thing at all when I think about it. It'd be all over the news as 'bad' but people would get the impression the PS3 has become an overnight success during July. Then the 80gb would follow with a surprise price drop at or soon after launch.

[jason L @ Jul 16th 2007 4:30PM]

i can see why he says that.
i've had a ps3 since feb with no games. only for blu-ray movies
no great games out but they are coming
ps3 exclusive titles such as Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 by march 2008
later on in the year, there's going to be Final Fantasy XIII
there are a bunch of other titles for ps3 only and of course the games that are for other consoles as well.
just gotta wait for the good games to be released.

[Matt @ Jul 16th 2007 4:35PM]

I'm sure David's Asian audience will be delighted to learn there's another tsunami headed their way. That's like a concert in New Orleans where the lead singer says, "We're gonna rock you like a hurricane!"

[Ig @ Jul 16th 2007 4:35PM]

I must be getting old. I remember when Sony made money largely on their reputation for solidly performing products at easily affordable prices. Now it seems their number one product is hubris.

[Jonyah @ Jul 16th 2007 4:51PM]

It sure is easy to see who here has a PS3 and who is jealous they don't have one. I have every current console. I've played just about every game for the Wii. I can't stand to game on it anymore. It's novelty has definitely worn off. More and more, the PS3 is the system I play. The downloadable games keep getting better as are the for purchase ones. I don't exactly buy games (except the downloadble ones), but rather have a gamepass at my local video store. I go through a few games/week, and only sit long enough to finish the good ones (very rare lately). I definitely see the PS3 winning by march next year, if not earlier. If they truly bring out all the games they're promising, there will be no way anyone will be able to keep up. You can't truly game on the Wii, it's a party favor and the 360 is old news. With most HDTV's now supporting 1080p, people will want to use all those pixels and there's only player in that area

[NoK610 @ Jul 16th 2007 4:52PM]

I don't remember the original Killzone getting great reviews so I can't see why this one will be any better other better graphics, hopefully I'm wrong about this. MGS4 on the other hand is a definite buy. But I'm still going to wait after I get a 2nd 360 (65n) for the bedroom, and the PS3 price drops to at least $400, and more exclusive titles.

[ogvor @ Jul 16th 2007 5:00PM]

now of course he didn't say what they meant by winner, so whatever state the PS3 is in when march 08 comes around they'll have something they can say to the media that proves the PS3 is the "Winner". But it's pretty obvious that won't be sales, unless the price drops again to 399 by christmas and the Xbox 360 has no price drop (which would just be foolish on their part) and even though I only own an Xbox 360 as of right now, I'm pretty confident the Wii wil be way on top in terms of sales, and perhaps even surpass microsoft in total sales by the end of the year. Either way it'll be an intresting holiday season for the console wars.

[Broo @ Jul 16th 2007 5:19PM]

The only thing that will make PS3 sales 'like a tsunami' are more price cuts; I know people that own used cars that cost them less than a PS3...

[tom5304 @ Jul 16th 2007 5:46PM]

I picked up a Wii and I've had a lot of fun with it, but I can already see it's limitations, so I'm deciding between Xbox360 and PS3. The Wii is a keeper, though. I was leaning toward the PS3 for the BluRay and the HDMI output, but I just can't get past the PS3 controller and it's lack of vibration/rumble. The Xbox360's controller just feels right in my hands, and the PS3 just doesn't, and when you add lack of rumble, I just can't see going for the PS3. Looks like I'm heading toward the Xbox. The Wii's control system is great, and if the graphical output was anywhere near the other systems, I'd stick with Wii and forget the big boys.

[Siva @ Jul 16th 2007 6:24PM]

Anybody remember Tariq Aziz. He was Saddam's defence minister I think. During the war in 2003, he kept saying insane things like the US is losing the war, and Iraq will not lose, etc. It was quite comical. This guy comes across exactly the same. While I love my PS3 and Bluray movies, I don't think it is going to win the console wars.

[Tyson @ Jul 16th 2007 6:54PM]

OK back in the real world what’s happening is...

1. X-box has plenty more quality titles coming out to add to the plenty of titles PS3 is trying to catch up on (i.e. Rainbow 6 a year later, Raw v. Smackdown 2007 Ps3 cancelled too late)

2. Anybody still out there waiting to buy a system for a game would have bought that system regardless of price cuts; they want the game. I can’t think of one game except MGS4 that people will say ohhhhh I’ll run out and get a PS3 for. Plus, isn’t the rumor that that will come out for the 360 as well with all of the other formerly exclusive titles that jumped ship?

3. Xbox is cheaper and more prevalent for gamers except for those holding onto the PS2's glory days and trying to rekindle it in PS3

4. The PS3 had too much hype and blew its load. Sony supported Ps3 with 1 real exclusive title that was say above average not great (I won't say which if you don't know you haven't been keeping up with the story)

5. The Wii is cheaper than box the PS3 and 360, is easy to use for the whole family and even my mother who couldn't get past the first jump in original super Mario bros. circa 1985 has now bought one, so how does Sony plan to over come that hurdle.

6. There are two markets gamers and people who play games. Xbox has most of the gamers because they were sick of waiting for PS3 to release titles(mind you with no fresh content) that were released and price cut on the 360 and the Wii by far will continue to control the market for those who play games and for that matter those who don't. Nintendo has actually found a way to expand the video game market and make a huge profit.

In conclusion, what will Sony be ahead of figuring out how to make the PS4 a little cheaper with better titles and more family friendly? Here is a free tip stop bundling all of your technology in it so you can force it on consumers and concentrate on what people want a good time and quality games.

For the record before I am called a fan boy I own all three the Wii 360 and PS3 and that is an objective opinion from an ivy league business student.