“Sony’s PS3 is dying on the shelves.” That’s the first sentence in an article, titled “Sony’s PS3 A Sinking Ship: Sales Plummet,” over at CNNMoney.com. As PS3 owners ourselves, we’re more than a little worried – after all, we know how accurate the major news networks can be when it comes to our favorite hobby.
Kidding aside, the article does cite a thought-provoking statistic: while the Xbox 360 and Wii saw increased sales this November compared to last, PS3 sales actually dropped 19 percent. According to the author, three factors are contributing to the PS3’s iceberg-seeking trajectory:
- It’s the most expensive console on the market.
- No one cares about Blu-ray.
- The PS3 doesn’t have any must-have exclusives.
What do you guys think? We offer up our opinions after the break.
Here’s our problem with those three reasons: only one of them is a fact. Yes, $400 is the least you can spend on a new PS3 (cheapassgamers might disagree). Compare that to $200 for an Xbox 360 and $250 for a Wii and you’ve got yourself an indisputable fact.
However, we’re going to take extreme issue with the author’s second and third points. Blu-ray is catching on big time, and I think the first-day sales numbers of The Dark Knight and Iron Man will back me up on that one. As for the third point, LittleBigPlanet, Valkyria Chronicles, and Resistance 2 say “Hi.” Heck, even IGN declared the PS3 the place to go for exclusives in 2008.
It’s obvious that a price cut would help the PS3’s competitive position, but it seems silly at this point to brand the black beauty a sinking ship. After all, Blu-ray is awesome, the exclusives are there (with more on the way), and we haven’t even begun to review emergency procedures (it’s men and old people first, right?).
