Kaz Hirai misspoke -- Sony clarifies launch plans
by Nick Doerr 
{ Aug 23rd 2006 at 4:30PM }
Recently, Kaz Hirai spoke about the Playstation 3 launch in an interview over at gamespot. It was a really fun read and all, but there were a few foreboding moments. These moments, like shortages of the console upon launch, aren't uncommon, but still need to be addressed. A Sony spokesman had the nerve (and the common sense) to correct Kaz Hirai in regards to his statements in the interview. The spokesman said: "We are still on schedule to ship 2 million units for our mid-November 2006 launch and additional 2 million units by the end of the year for a total of 4 million units." Isn't that worse? With the production (or just assembly) not yet underway, doubling the number as quoted by Kaz is scary! Maybe 4 million units won't sell by years end, but producing that many is a daunting task. Would Sony (not to mention Nintendo and Microsoft as well) do this on purpose? Have shortages? It may lower risk and they won't have a million sitting in a warehouse somewhere, but is it a part of their plan to say "no, we'll definitely have them ready for you" and then... not? Does a shortage really increase demand and boost sales? It's all speculation, but the facts remain the same: Sony is planning on 4 million units by the end of the year. Good luck, Sony.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sputnik @ Aug 23rd 2006 4:40PM
http://gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=19231
Microsoft's next-gen console now "owns football"
Well maybe there won't be many PS3's sold in Europe after all...leaves more units for Japan (the only place PS3 is looking to be successful)
kizman @ Aug 23rd 2006 5:19PM
they dont own the winning eleven series, the best soccer franchise so all isnt really lost.
boots @ Aug 23rd 2006 6:17PM
How the hell is football related to this, 'sputnik'? Try staying on topic next time, wise 360 boy.
Anyway, with 4 million consoles before 2007, it seems that enough people will end up satisfied, and that PS3 will win 73% market share by 2012. True story.
Sponge @ Aug 23rd 2006 7:01PM
Do you think that all 2 million original PS3s will work? The PS2 and PSP all had problems at launch (and even well after launch) and with this untested tech in there, who knows if the PS3 you buy on launch day will still work after a month.
tacolibre @ Aug 23rd 2006 7:52PM
Winning Eleven series is the US name for Pro Evo. This is the equivalent of having Madden be exlusive on the 360. Europeans and the rest of the world love Soccer.
ODOD @ Aug 24th 2006 8:16AM
FYI its only for 1 season... and sponge.... how many of the 360's had problems?? On a poll of 700 people over 100 had problems... thats about 16% of people had problems... not exactly perfect....
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/xbox.html
tacolibre @ Aug 24th 2006 7:28PM
LOL...they quote a poll from TeamXbox.com for that article...not exactly scientific now is it. Web polls are useless.
Sponge @ Aug 24th 2006 7:57PM
I know the 360 had problems ( maybe because it was probably rushed), but you know Sony's track record is much worse.
boots @ Aug 26th 2006 2:13PM
That's not true, Sponge. Microsoft's Xbox 1 has been the most defective console to date. More than 70% of Xboxes had at least a single flaw, whether it was the Thompson DVD drive, or the power cord. Xbox 360 sounds a lot worse. On every gaming forum, you're going to find a bunch of people frustrated with their system failures. My hard drive doesn't work anymore. Other people simply get overheating consoles. Others simply freeze. And so on...
Justin @ Aug 30th 2006 8:30AM
Well actually, it's not really a daunting task to produce the same amount of units by year end as they are for launch. Think about it...they are making 2 million for mid-November, and they havent started production yet. Say theoretically they dont start production until the end of Septemeber, they end up making 2 million units in a month and a half. So it would be the same to make 2 million more in the month and a half from mid-November to New Years.
-Justin