What are your plans for making sure you get a PS3 friday?

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 3:12 am

Does this launch feel "quiet" to everybody else. It just seems an after thought and the buzz of the new console isn't there.

Personally, I can't get excited about the PS3. 360 meets all my gaming needs. Plus its still about the games. The more marketshare the 360 gains the more games that will be made for the 360. Right now the PS3 needs to pull of a perfectly hyped launch and release killer app after killer app to knock down the 360. I don't see that happening.

Atxj · Post by **Atxj** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 4:30 am

Well, I have no interest in the PS3 whatsoever but after seeing them going for right at 2g's a piece on eBay right now I wish I would of preordered for a quick turnaround.

Also, the news just showed people that had been camping out at my nearest Best Buy since earlier today(Wednesday), that's insane.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:38 am

JRod wrote:Does this launch feel "quiet" to everybody else. It just seems an after thought and the buzz of the new console isn't there.

Personally, I can't get excited about the PS3. 360 meets all my gaming needs. Plus its still about the games. The more marketshare the 360 gains the more games that will be made for the 360. Right now the PS3 needs to pull of a perfectly hyped launch and release killer app after killer app to knock down the 360. I don't see that happening.

I was in my EB yesterday talking to Jeff who has been with EB for 15 years. I bought my PS1 and PS2 from him as well as Dreamcast. We remembered the days when you pre-ordered, you got a system. When I bought my PS2 at this same exact store, he and I both remember 450 people in line at midnight of the launch day. Every single pre-order was filled and they had systems left over for those walking in on launch day.

Tomorrow, his EB will get FIVE whole PS3's for launch day. When I walked in the store, I asked "so how is your PS3 launch shaping up?" He stated, "What launch...I am getting 5 whole PS3's...this is not a launch, it is a disaster."

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:08 am

JRod wrote:Does this launch feel "quiet" to everybody else. It just seems an after thought and the buzz of the new console isn't there.

Personally, I can't get excited about the PS3. 360 meets all my gaming needs. Plus its still about the games. The more marketshare the 360 gains the more games that will be made for the 360. Right now the PS3 needs to pull of a perfectly hyped launch and release killer app after killer app to knock down the 360. I don't see that happening.

not at all...the buzz is very much alive, just as much as the 360 launch was if not more. If you were trying to get a PS3, you would see the buzz. I was at my local ebgames yesterday just to check and people are trading in their 360's towards their new PS3's.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:47 am

DivotMaker wrote:
JRod wrote:Does this launch feel "quiet" to everybody else. It just seems an after thought and the buzz of the new console isn't there.

Personally, I can't get excited about the PS3. 360 meets all my gaming needs. Plus its still about the games. The more marketshare the 360 gains the more games that will be made for the 360. Right now the PS3 needs to pull of a perfectly hyped launch and release killer app after killer app to knock down the 360. I don't see that happening.
I was in my EB yesterday talking to Jeff who has been with EB for 15 years. I bought my PS1 and PS2 from him as well as Dreamcast. We remembered the days when you pre-ordered, you got a system. When I bought my PS2 at this same exact store, he and I both remember 450 people in line at midnight of the launch day. Every single pre-order was filled and they had systems left over for those walking in on launch day.

Tomorrow, his EB will get FIVE whole PS3's for launch day. When I walked in the store, I asked "so how is your PS3 launch shaping up?" He stated, "What launch...I am getting 5 whole PS3's...this is not a launch, it is a disaster."

Unfortunately, this is how things have been going with console launches. Bottom line, they should not launch unless they have a legitimate # of consoles to launch with. This would help avoid the circus that EBay becomes after a launch. If the supply is adequate you wouldn't see consoles going for $2000. Just my thougts...I could be wrong.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:03 am

JRod wrote:Does this launch feel "quiet" to everybody else. It just seems an after thought and the buzz of the new console isn't there.

No. It's very loud, all over the local and national media. Just as much buzz as any console launch, if not more.

Nintendo's aggressive retail stocking of the Wii at launch might please gamers, but it's not doing much for its mainstream media buzz. All of the stories I read and see now are about how the PS3 is released this Friday and lines already are forming at retail outlets due to the short supply. There might be a throwaway sentence saying the Wii also is being released in much higher quantities.

Sony is reaping a ton of publicity through its ineptitude or carefully planned IV drip of a launch -- take your pick on the reason. But Sony has a lot more to lose with this launch than Nintendo, I think.

Take care,
PK

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:28 am

Nintendo will sell a couple million Wiis for Zelda alone.

Wilk5280 · Post by **Wilk5280** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:33 am

Man, that Zelda game is really starting to perk my interest.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:40 am

pk500 wrote:

Sony is reaping a ton of publicity through its ineptitude or carefully planned IV drip of a launch -- take your pick on the reason. But Sony has a lot more to lose with this launch than Nintendo, I think.

Take care,
PK

It's pretty obvious that this is a marketing strategy from Sony. People want things they can't have, I think this only drives up the desire of the product. I don't think that Sony is going to lose at all on this when it comes to the masses. Sony will win the console war again, that's a given. However with that being said, i'll probably try and find a Wii this weekend as a christmas present for my sons.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:47 am

tjung0831 wrote:Sony will win the console war again, that's a given.

It is? Can I borrow your crystal ball? I do not know how you can state such with a straight face. We are at least a year, more like two before this "race" will tell us who is winning. Sony very well may win, but no one can make such a prediction based on anything but hope and what happened in the last generation. Keep in mind that this generation is going pretty much like the last one, only reversed for MS and Sony. Also, what is the criteria for winning? Number of hardware units sold, software units sold, revenues or operating profit?

It just amuses me to no end to see people make such statements when there is no factual basis to make such claims.

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:48 am

I believe Microsoft was accused last year of faking the shortage as well.

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 11:26 am

It's interesting that the 360 owners are generally oblivious to the buzz surrounding the PS3 launch (and I include myself among that group). It goes to show just how much we sell these things to ourselves. If I was interested, I would have been reading everything I could get my hands on regarding the PS3 for months and months, and I would be jumping out of my skin trying to figure out how to nab a console tomorrow. But I'm not interested, I haven't read anything, and aside from one billboard a few blocks away, I've managed to completely avoid the PS3.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 11:58 am

DivotMaker wrote:
tjung0831 wrote:Sony will win the console war again, that's a given.
It is? Can I borrow your crystal ball? I do not know how you can state such with a straight face. We are at least a year, more like two before this "race" will tell us who is winning. Sony very well may win, but no one can make such a prediction based on anything but hope and what happened in the last generation. Keep in mind that this generation is going pretty much like the last one, only reversed for MS and Sony. Also, what is the criteria for winning? Number of hardware units sold, software units sold, revenues or operating profit?

It just amuses me to no end to see people make such statements when there is no factual basis to make such claims.

Get your own crystal ball..

Fshguy · Post by **Fshguy** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:06 pm

tjung0831 wrote: not at all...the buzz is very much alive, just as much as the 360 launch was if not more. If you were trying to get a PS3, you would see the buzz. I was at my local ebgames yesterday just to check and people are trading in their 360's towards their new PS3's.

I don't get it, I can't imagine many people are trading in their 360s on a console they can't even get yet.

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:11 pm

I have not heard any of my friends saying that they are going to pick up the PS3... not a one. I actually do not know anybody (aside from interfriends) who is planning to pick it up.

And we are the kids. Well, sorta.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:11 pm

Fshguy wrote:
tjung0831 wrote: not at all...the buzz is very much alive, just as much as the 360 launch was if not more. If you were trying to get a PS3, you would see the buzz. I was at my local ebgames yesterday just to check and people are trading in their 360's towards their new PS3's.
I don't get it, I can't imagine many people are trading in their 360s on a console they can't even get yet.

Some of the people that preordered from ebgames have traded in their 360's as credit towards the PS3 and games. I guess ebgames might be offering a better than average deal if you trade in your 360.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:13 pm

tjung0831 wrote:
Get your own crystal ball..

Don't worry, I go by the facts that are available and I noticed your crystal ball is a tad tinted...thanks, but no thanks.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:23 pm

tjung0831 wrote:
Fshguy wrote:
tjung0831 wrote: not at all...the buzz is very much alive, just as much as the 360 launch was if not more. If you were trying to get a PS3, you would see the buzz. I was at my local ebgames yesterday just to check and people are trading in their 360's towards their new PS3's.
I don't get it, I can't imagine many people are trading in their 360s on a console they can't even get yet.
Some of the people that preordered from ebgames have traded in their 360's as credit towards the PS3 and games. I guess ebgames might be offering a better than average deal if you trade in your 360.

That must be a isolated local thing because I called 3 EB Games here in the Houston area and they each claim to have had maybe one or two people ask about trading a 360 for a PS3. They also stated that they would take PS2's in trade for pre-orders towards a PS3, but they would not take a 360 in trade for a PS3 mainly because the allocation of PS3's has been cut so drastically.

One manager Jeff, that I have been buying from at EB for 15 years did state that if EB Games ever did take trades of 360's for PS3's it would not be until well into 2007 when the supply chain is such that they have sufficient stock of PS3 systems (both versions).

EB Games Manager's words, not mine.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:27 pm

Shortages at console launches are a fact of life and has been since the PS2.

That is because they're pushing new components and technology and the manufacturing process hasn't been ironed out yet.

That's the price for getting new technology. The other option is the Wii, which may be little more than a higher-clocked GameCube but with that wand. Is it a coincidence that they have little problems ramping up production?

So you have a choice, get hardware which isn't the latest and greatest tech or suffer through shortages to get more advanced tech.

You can definitely have good gameplay experience without the latest tech but we'll see if the Wii delivers that beyond the novelty of the controller.

Some people have suggested Sony should be stockpiling units until March and then launch with plenty of units. Well besides missing the Holiday season, they'd be carrying inventory costs on the books for 4-5 months. No hardware company does this because the goal is JIT manufacturing. Sure they risk the chance of losing sales if enough interested buyers never buy the system (like get a competitor's product instead). But the lost sales from that scenario pales in comparison to the losses they'd have to book to carry inventory of finished goods.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:27 pm

If anything, Nintendo seems to be receiving a lot more hype and excitement than the PS3 thus far. Whether it's warranted or not, who knows for sure. However, I do think the release of two consoles within a couple days of one another likely will not create as much buzz. If there was more separation between the releases, I think it would be different.

DivotMaker · Post by **DivotMaker** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:37 pm

wco81 wrote:Shortages at console launches are a fact of life and has been since the PS2.

Yes and it is getting progressively worse with the 360 and now the PS3 launches. The PS2 launch was NOTHING like the PS3 launch because if you pre-ordered one, chances were excellent that you GOT ONE. There were 450 people standing in line at EB Games when I bought my PS2 at midnight of the launch day. Each person got theirs and the store had a number of units left for those who did not preorder later that day. This same store is getting FIVE whole PS3's. And they are not expecting another shipment until Dec 15th at the earliest. And this is a HUGE EB store in Sugar Land, TX near Houston. Please don't try to compare the 2 launches because it is ludicrous to try to compare in any way shape or form.

wco81 wrote:Some people have suggested Sony should be stockpiling units until March and then launch with plenty of units. Well besides missing the Holiday season, they'd be carrying inventory costs on the books for 4-5 months. No hardware company does this because the goal is JIT manufacturing. Sure they risk the chance of losing sales if enough interested buyers never buy the system (like get a competitor's product instead). But the lost sales from that scenario pales in comparison to the losses they'd have to book to carry inventory of finished goods.

Since Sony is already claiming that the launch of the PS3 is going to result in a billion dollar + loss for the next fiscal quarter, they could not afford to wait. They have one helluva uphill battle if they are pinning their profitablity hopes on PS3 for the forseeable future.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:42 pm

I would have to trade in my Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, DS, and all my games to buy a PS3 based on EB's current trade-in values. I'm only slightly being sarcastic.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:48 pm

I just do not understand what is exciting about the PS3 at all at launch. What, there are like 2 games that are not currently on the 360!?!? Plus the ones that are already on the 360 are better (see IGN’s COD3 review).

I understand that the PS3’s future may be filled with awesome games, but what I just don’t get is why so many are freaking out at their launch. Are people really that excited about Resistance or Motorstorm!?!? Are these really all the people that held off on a 360?

I love video games and new tech. gadgets, but I am just not fully understanding this launch and it’s excitement. It must be because I had a 360 for a year already…

Arkin710 · Post by **Arkin710** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:00 pm

I work across from the Sony Store in NYC. There have been people literally camped out since Tuesday to buy PS3s. The line as of yesterday stretched from 56th and Madison to 56th and 5th (one of the long city blocks). The first 400 people are supposed to get into a party at 9 pm tonight and be able to buy a PS3 at midnight. At least it has been reasonably warm here...

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:08 pm

Well I'm not sure which games I would get if I were able to buy a PS3.

Right now, the main reason I would get it is that my Sony VISA card is offering the equivalent of 10% off on purchases of Sony products through Jan 4. So that would be $50 or $60 off plus the points I've accumulated in 6 years since using points on my PS2 purchase back in Dec. 2000. Probably about $200 off in total.

So I don't have to get it at launch but before the end of the year would be nice.

Guess I would pick up some Blu-Ray movies at least, maybe try some downloaded games. No interest in Resistance or any kind of shooter games whatsoever. Not interested in Madden either unless the price was cut.

Probably NBA2K7, maybe RR7.