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GC 2008: PS3 getting free 'VidZone' music service in Europe
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has announced that VidZone, "the online destination for music videos" that we've never heard of, will be offering a free, streaming music video service for the PlayStation 3. The "trial service" is expected to launch in early 2009 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Featuring a "full playlist of videos from hip-hop to punk and heavy metal to classics," VidZone will allow PS3 owners to build playlists and download songs, music videos (!!!) and ringtones "for a small charge." The best part is that the service will support remote play via the PSP, ideal for those awkward situations when you're out in public and simply must subject yourself and those around you to Kylie Minogue.
GC 2008: 160GB PlayStation 3 hitting Europe Oct. 31
With game installations, downloadable content and digitally distributed titles cluttering up our PlayStation 3's brain, it comes as little surprise to see Sony announcing yet another SKU with increased storage capacity. The word from its 2008 Games Convention press conference is that a 160 gigglebyte model -- which is otherwise identical to others units -- will be hitting Europe on October 31st, complete with €70 worth of downloadable game content. But is the €449 price tag a trick or a treat?We're checking with Sony regarding any plans to release this model elsewhere.
Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty Blu-bound in Europe
As revealed earlier in Sony's E3 press conference, popular platforming pair Ratchet & Clank are to embark on a $15 PSN adventure sometime this Summer. The cheaper, bite-sized game will serve as a "great introduction to what R&C is all about," depicting the adventures of the Lombax and robot following Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction's climax.For those excited by the news but alarmed by the lack of a physical disc to cherish and smell when nobody's looking, SCEE president David Reeves has promised a Blu-ray disc version of Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, just for PAL territories. There will also be PSN version, but we all know that'll look completely rubbish in your sprawling disc collection.
Metal Gear Solid 4 Database to educate Europe this Thursday
We've gotten into the bad habit of using the word "convoluted" every single time we write something about Metal Gear Solid 4, so we've gone ahead and opened up the thesaurus for this one. According to MCV, the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, an interactive encyclopedia meant to guide players through Hideo Kojima's byzantine saga, will become available on the European PSN this Thursday, June 26th. It's filled with facts, it's free and it'll check your MGS4 progress before spoiling the part where Meryl is eaten alive by robot marmosets (from the future).So, what did you think of "byzantine?" Personally, we think that sounds too much like one of those effervescent energy pills. How about "labyrinthine?" "Daedalian?" There's also "knotty." These thesaurus things are quite convoluted, you know.
PS3 sales reach 1 million in UK
GamesIndustry.Biz reports that the PlayStation 3 has now sold over one million units in the UK, a milestone reportedly reached several weeks before the PlayStation 2 did back in its embarrassingly low-polygon day. Sony's black behemoth was launched in the region on March 23 2007 -- roughly 47 weeks ago -- and thus reached the million mark in (slightly) less time than the 50 weeks taken by its predecessor. Considering the PS3's steeper price and the considerable competition it faces compared to the PS2, the news bodes well for Sony's future in the territory, especially when coupled with EA's pro-Station prediction for 2008. Things would be looking quite rosy if it wasn't for that darn Wii contraption.
No plans for 120GB PS3 in UK, says Sony
With rumors predicting the imminent disappearance of the PlayStation 3's 80GB model and its subsequent substitution by a new SKU in America, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has chimed in and told GamesIndustry.biz that it currently has no plans to introduce a 120GB PS3 to the UK. Whereas the rumored 120GB - 160GB PS3 (with Dual Shock 3 controller) would take the retired 80GB model's place in the US, there would be no ex-SKUs to do the same in the UK. The 40GB system is the only in-production model currently being sold in the European region.As for the arrival of a new PlayStation 3 in America, Sony is sticking to its silenced "no comment" guns.
'Violent' PlayStation 3 internet ad banned in UK
The Advertising Standards Authority has deemed fit to assassinate a UK PlayStation 3 advert believed to "glamorise violence or anti-social behaviour." Life Style Extra reports that the internet ad, depicting a gun-toting man called Kovac (seen in a different video to the right), drew 23 complaints after featuring on Yahoo and BT websites. The combination of the disgruntled fellow and the on-screen text, "You on my side? listen up I've killed for less. The music plays Puccini in my head," prompted the commercial watchdog to ban the ad for its "underlying tone of violence." While both the ad makers and Yahoo insisted that Mr. Kovac was placed behind a registration process and was only meant to mingle with adults, the ASA was firm in its concern that "the images of Kovac holding the knife and the gun, in conjunction with the text" would give impressionable youths all sorts of dubious ideas (none related to purchasing a PS3). Heaven forbid they end up in a dimly lit apartment and lying in a bathtub, muttering about the tiresome banalities of life. [Via MCV]
Euro Blu-ray sales up 1000% since PS3 launch
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced (via Pro-G) that more than 180,000 Blu-ray titles have been sold across Europe following a sales increase of over 1000% since the PlayStation 3's launch in March of this year. Sony is convinced that the surge in success for the high-definition format can be closely linked to the arrival of its all-singing, all-HD Console Royale. "The launch of the PS3 had a tremendous impact on Blu-ray software sales across the board," notes Matt Brown, VP International of Sony Pictures, who goes on to confirm that the PS3 is indeed an entertainment device. "Recent sales figures are a clear indication that the PS3 is seen as an entertainment device." Expect these figures to be cited in the shouting match between Blu-ray and algebraically-proven HD-DVD, shortly before old-fashioned DVD threatens to turn the car around.
Sony's PlayStation 3 production problems are over
Though you might feel somewhat confused by the mention of PlayStation 3 production issues in the face of plentiful in-store stock, it was a shortage of blue laser diodes used in the construction of the console that delayed its European release and constricted its initial launch supply. Compoundsemiconductor.net (yes, they have a website for that sort of thing) reports that there is officially a shortage of shortages, with Sony's production line now churning out enough blue lasers for all its consoles, Blu-ray players and needlessly elaborate office parties. More specifically, 1.7 million per month.A Sony spokesperson confirmed: "Production problems have now ceased, we're in full production as far as Playstation 3 is concerned and there's a steady chain of supply in North America, Japan and Europe." Though the production troubles may not have noticeably affected consumers in recent times, increased diode supply may yet lead to a reduction in manufacturing cost, from which savings could eventually be passed on to PS3 buyers. As if you didn't instinctually know already, the more blue lasers the better.[Via GamesIndustry.Biz]
Sega: Better pricing will be key for PlayStation 3
What a rough existence the PlayStation 3's price tag must lead. Blamed for being Sony's biggest stumbling block and derided by many since its birth, it can't even leave its quaint Cornwall home for fear of being cut, dropped, squashed, slashed or violently diminished. In an interview with Reuters, Sega Corp. corporate director Masanao Maeda openly admits that he, like many others, would probably assault the PS3's price if he ever ran into it in public, noting that a substantial cut before year's end is needed to increase demand. "Name brand, price and software are what count," says Maeda. "Since it's getting difficult to make software availability a differentiating factor, superior marketing and pricing strategy will be the key for Sony." Maeda makes an excellent point in highlighting the importance of software, an issue that upcoming PS3-exclusive games like Heavenly Sword and the unfortunately named Uncharted: Drake's Fortune certainly appear to be addressing -- at least as far as Western audiences are concerned. Putting the PS3's price under the knife would likely rejuvenate the system worldwide, though whether or not Sony will go through with it this year remains to be seen. In the meantime, we'll continue leaving menacing messages on the price tag's answering machine.
SingStar PS3 track list confirmed
The PlayStation 3's upcoming karaoke sim and potential torture device not only boasts the distinction of being the first announced "next-gen" sing-along-a-thon, but highlights Sony's intention of letting you piece together your own version of SingStar by purchasing songs from a robust online store. You're still stuck with the songs packaged on the game's starter disc though, and while several lists have been floating around the internet for some time, the final track list had not been confirmed until now. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has attested that the 30 tracks listed after the break (and originating from a promotional e-mail sent by a game distributor to retailers) will form SingStar's PS3 debut in Europe later this year. The songs destined to be mangled by your vocal chords include "Feel Good Inc." by The Gorillaz, "Losing my Religion" by REM and the somewhat insufferable "Beep" by the Pussycat Dolls. Mind you, "insufferable" is merely a matter of opinion -- far be it from us to question your enjoyment of modern music or the sound of a cat encountering a steam roller. UK retailers currently expect the SingStar starter disc to retail for £19.99, with a microphone bundle costing £39.99.%Gallery-1946%
PSP price drop extends to Europe on May 4th
The price of a PSP in Europe is set to be violently assaulted with a sharp object next month, when Sony plans to slash at it wildly in the hopes of trimming a few pounds. And Euros, obviously, but as with the US price drop earlier this month, that particular currency simply doesn't suit the rapid weight loss imagery we're going for.A report on GamesIndustry.Biz indicates that the retail price of the PlayStation puny will drop by £20 in the UK to £129.99 on 4 May. The rest of the continent will pay €169.99 following a drop of €30. The change in price will be accompanied by a cheaper £14.99 tag for Platinum titles, with Ridge Racer 2, Tekken: Dark Resurrection, Killzone: Liberation, LocoRoco and Moto GP all being included in the range and fighting against the argument that the system doesn't have any games.
Stringer: Euro PlayStation 3 approaching 800,000 sold
Speaking to the Financial Times, Sony's chief executive, Sir Howard Stringer, says that PlayStation 3 sales are close to reaching 800,000 units in Europe after the system's March 23rd launch. Narrowing it down, Stringer says, "I think [in] the first two days in the UK, £100m ($199m) revenue changed hands and that's probably the largest consumer electronics sale in history." While he doesn't comment on the 82% sales drop that followed the next week (perhaps because it "doesn't mean anything"), he notes that the system's reception in Europe has given it better standing in "the perception wars."Though the PS3 may have come down from its exceptional UK launch, the perception that the system is tanking simply because it's still in stock across the country remains. It's not aided by the system's performance in Japan either, and Stringer admits that "perhaps we lived up to the expectations in Europe in a way that perhaps we didn't in Japan." Still, analysts are more upbeat about the PS3's longterm fortunes, with one Yuji Fujimori of Goldman Sachs predicting the system to have a 50% market share within 3 years. Further assurances can be found in Sir Howard's following declaration, "I see no reason why we can't use content to drive the sales of hardware as the network connectivity becomes more sophisticated." Woah, using content to drive hardware sales? Is that some of the crazy "Game 3.0" stuff we've been hearing so much about?
Chart-Track: 82% drop in UK PS3 sales 'doesn't mean anything'
Move along, folks. There's nothing to see here. Reacting to yesterday's "leak" of PlayStation 3 sales data, which indicated an 82% drop during the week following the UK launch, Chart-Track's Dorian Bloch expresses that we really shouldn't put much that weight in the information his company works so hard to track and calculate. "A figure of an 82% drop has leaked out but that alone means nothing," he tells Next-Generation. "Given how much pent up demand there was for PS3 and given the sophistication of pre-order systems now, it really doesn't mean anything."Really? Perhaps we read it all wrong then, because the information allowed us to derive some context and conclude that the PS3 had sold an estimated 54% of its available stock (excluding supplemental post-launch shipments) in its second week, down from the 75% in week one. Coupling that with the significant drop in sales indicates, at the very least, that PS3 supply is by far exceeding demand. Furthermore, we estimated that the PS3 had accordingly sold 29,700 systems for the week, a figure which may be compared to the average number of PS3s sold in the last 4 weeks in doubly populated Japan -- approximately 29,552. All that from a single statistic that doesn't mean anything!Bloch makes a better point when he notes that comparing the PS3 launch to that of the Xbox 360 or the Wii is difficult, considering the shortages that entangled both competing systems during their arrivals. He goes on to say that, "Judging a console based on nine days on sale is just crazy. It doesn't make any sense." Though we suspect the "sellout = success" crowd may be acting unfairly towards the PS3, it certainly isn't enough to warrant downplaying a very significant sales statistic. What doesn't make any sense? Try the fact that someone like Bloch feels compelled to do damage control while Sony remains tight-lipped.
PlayStation 3 sales plunge 82% in UK
After obliterating records upon its launch in the UK last week, PlayStation 3 sales have come down to Earth with all the grace of a skydiving walrus using an anvil for a parachute. Citing the latest Chart Track data, a GamesIndustry.biz report discloses that sales for Sony's system have dropped by 82% in the last week. Having sold an estimated 165,000 units before, the percentage represents a drop of 135,300 units, resulting in total sales of 29,700 systems for the week.Previously, it was stated that the initial PS3 shipment for the UK numbered 220,000. With 55,000 units remaining after the first week and without considering any subsequent stock, it means that the PS3 sold an estimated 54% of its remaining stock. Compared to the 75% of stock sold in its initial week, it still makes for a notable 21% drop. Though the days are early yet and the PS3's overall performance in the country (and the rest of Europe) has yet to be assessed, things look to have slowed down quickly and considerably. [Thanks, Efren]
BBC: Sony sold 600K PlayStation 3s during Euro launch
Before going off on a wild tangent about PS3 chips being used in arcade machines, a short BBC news blurb claims, "More than a million [PlayStation 3] consoles were shipped across Europe on launch day last week with 600,000 sold." Of course, this figure includes the UK's record-breaking 165K unit debut. So, unlike what some folks think, there seems to be a benefit to keeping stock on store shelves. Wikipedia reports 930K units sold in North America to date, and 720K units sold in Japan; if you add in the BBC's unconfirmed 600K figure, Europe has purchased nearly one quarter of all PS3s sold to date. Not bad for a weekend.
UK PS3 launch saw 10m in cancellations, still #1
Maybe it has something to do with Phil's adorable accent, or their slightly upsetting European This is Living ads, but Sony did a number on the UK. Not only did the PS3 manage to break the record for best-selling home console launch in its weekend debut (take that, PS2!), but PS3 titles like Resistance and Motorstorm are sitting pretty at the top of UK entertainment software sales charts. Toss some free TVs into the PR mix, and things may just be looking up, but what's this?According to BrandRepublic, "as many as 20,000 pre-orders of the £425 console [were] canceled in the run-up to its delayed launch last Friday," totaling over £10m in lost sales! The same article quotes Nick Parker, an analyst at Screen Digest, who said, "This time next week we could be saying that the PlayStation 3 has been the most successful console launch ever." Uh, already true in the UK, Nick. So, widespread cancellations and the console still broke sales records? Then why are there still units on the shelves?Let's not mistake a healthy supply of consoles to mean there's no consumer interest; the two may be related but, like everything, we imagine there's a great deal more going on than simple numbers on store shelves. Sure, there's no Wiis sharing the shelves, but that's because Nintendo (for some reason known only to them) can't seem to make enough of them (insert duct-tape wise crack here). [Thanks, Dolla Dolla]Read - Sony PS3 hit by £10m in cancellations [sub. reqd -- try BugMeNot]
Resistance and Motorstorm topping charts in UK (not Europe)
After briefly, mistakenly and idiotically reducing the entirety of Europe, with all its many cultures, languages and shoes to just the UK in an article yesterday, we've taken steps to reinforce the pathways that connect our brains to our rapidly typing fingers. Said fingers insist that we now draw your attention to the PS3's continued success in Madagascar the United Kingdom, with launch titles Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm perching comfortably atop the Chart Track software list for the week ending 24 March.Insomniac's first-person shooter debuted in the number one spot, with the muddy Motorstorm slotting into second position. Virtua Fighter 5 is all the way down in 14th position, bested by Namco's symphony of slide, Ridge Racer 7 (11th) and the comparitively out of tune F1: Championship Edition (7th). Finally, historically accurate crab battle simulations find themselves relegated to 16th position. With these PS3 exclusive (for now, in the case of Virtua Fighter 5) titles making a splash in the charts alongside the PS3's strong launch performance in Guam the UK, it seems the doom and gloom impression that resulted from so many dead launch events was unwarranted. The coming weeks will show us whether or not the PS3 can maintain its momentum in both hardware and software sales.
PS3 kicks off most successful home console launch in UK... ever
MCV confirms the news that will send many a fanboy into a sequence of uncontrollable convulsions: The Playstation 3 has officially become the fastest-selling home console in the UK over its launch weekend. A reported 165,000 PS3 units were snatched from shelves, besting the Wii's 105,000 launch units and the Xbox 360's 70,000. The PSP still holds the top speed record (185,000 units) as a handheld, but we doubt that's the sort of caveat that will bother the folks at Sony.With plenty of consoles left in the 220,000 strong initial shipment, it would appear that a strong supply is the key to launch victory. Will sales remain brisk in the foreseeable future? We'll find out soon enough, but until then, expect some elaborately spun responses from Sony's competitors. Perhaps UK journalists ought to return those stacks of beer to Microsoft -- then again, alcohol already seems a likely explanation for steering the Xboat to the wrong continent.
PlayStation 3s fetching less than retail on UK eBay
As if on cue, the vicious news cycle repeats itself. Just days after the PlayStation 3 made its simultaneously generous, in the UK, and beleaguered, in France, European debut, would-be savvy eBayers are finding it just as difficult to unload their wares as their North American counterparts did several months ago. According to TimesOnline, "eBay's pricelist suggests that this time round the touts have misjudged demand." After looking up the definition for "touts" we realized this all seemed familiar ... almost like déjà vu.The week after the PS3's North America debut we even geeked out with some eBay stats and arrived at the scandalous conclusion that "next-gen auction prices fall as supplies increase." The problem, so much as it is one: UK shops remain well stocked with PS3 consoles! The good news: if that £425 pricetag was scaring you away, then try shopping here.
