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PS3 outsells Wii and Xbox 360 ... in Australia
With 50,000 units sold since March, Sony is ecstatic to exclaim that PS3 is the top selling system in Australia and has been outselling the Wii and Xbox 360 every week. Michael "Wii is a bit pricey" Ephraim, managing director of Sony Australia says, "Based on GfK since launch, PS3 has been the number one next-gen console, outselling Wii and Xbox 360 every week, except for last week." Apparently the system is being touted as a Blu-ray player in electronics stores, so that whole lack of games thing isn't bothering the Aussies as much as it is the rest of the planet Earth.We don't have access to the GfK numbers, but the key thing to observe here is pacing, not actual numbers. Last week the Wii ended up being the fastest-selling console in Australia with the magic number of 100,000 unit. The Wii has sold twice as many units, but has been out since Dec. 7. The PS3 has been consistently selling more units each week since its March 23 launch (except for last week according to Ephraim). We'd call this a win for Sony, except if Australia's been having the same Wii supply problems as the rest of us, that might explain how the PS3 is outselling given its price tag. But we'll give Sony this one for now, a win through spin is still a win.
Aussie PS3 boss: Don't compare systems ... but if you do, PS3 is better
You may remember Sony Computer Entertainment Australia Managing Director Michael Ephraim for his interesting assertion that the Wii is "a bit pricey.". Well, he's back and swinging against the competition ahead of the system's March 23 release in the island continent. In an interview with The Age's Screen Play blog, Ephraim said that the Wii wasn't even worthy of comparison to the amazing power of the PS3. "We think PS3 is not a product to be compared with Wii, it is a completely different product," he said. "This is a digital hub, that is a games console." Never mind that the Wii also has a web browser, photo viewer, e-mail capabilities, etc. ... it's just a "games console" in Ephraim's mind As for the Xbox 360, Ephraim trots out the tired old canard about the Microsoft system costing quite a lot if you maximize its potential with an HD-DVD drive, wireless adapter and Media Center PC. This might be technically true, but a large portion of consumers aren't going to want or need these things in the first place. Spun another way, splitting the wireless adapter into an optional accessory actually represents a substantial savings for someone with a wired 'net connection. In the final analysis, Ephraim says that the PS3's vast array of features makes the system's price not exactly cheap, but at least "an insignificant factor." Sorry, but $1000 Australian (Roughly $788 U.S.) doesn't sound insignificant to us, no matter what you get out of it.
Australia <3 PSP, according to SCEA
SCEA being Sony Computer Entertainment of America Australia, of course. Michael Ephraim recently spoke with The Age about the success of PSP in the country that fellow blogger, Chris Powell, seems to have an unhealthy obsession with. When asked how he felt about the battle between the DS and PSP, he had this to say:"If you look at the markets, they are completely different. The DS really appeals to a lot younger, very female skewed, and the DS has done a fabulous job. PSP is a product that if you go back to the analogy of PlayStation and PlayStation 2, they are leaders in their field as far as the consumer offering. Price points, perceptions, or consumers coming to grips with what the device truly offers and the value that it offers, does take time. At approximately just under 200,000 PSPs sold in Australia and over 22 million sold worldwide, if you hold that up against any other gaming category, it's done extremely well.""All our research shows that the consumers that have purchased the device think its one of the sexiest and best designed digital devices out in the marketplace. The screen quality is exceptional. But we know we have more work to do on PSP and we have some plans for Christmas this year that will think will help pick up sales, and of course when PS3 comes out, the compatibility with PSP will add even more value. So we would like more sales but we have an incredible foundation, research shows those people who have bought it love it, and we need to just educate the consumers a bit more and show them what applications the PSP is capable of to show the device's value for money."I completely agree, Mr. Ephraim. At 22 million sold worldwide, the system is certainly not a failure, like people are trying to paint it to be. The system is quite successful, and with its ability to do so much, it really is a great value. Sure, it costs $70 more than DS, but you get a whole heck of a lot more.[Via Gamasutra]
