Sony expects 100 million PS3 sales
At a recent shareholders meeting in Japan (Tokyo) Howard Stringer, Sony CEO, said that Sony’s fortunes are set to turn around despite recent losses and the costs incurred by producing a new games console with added Blu-ray functionality.
No doubt proud of shipping 103.6 million PS2’s, at the same shareholders meeting Ken Kutaragi, President & CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, said that Sony expects to sell 100 million PS3’s “over the next several years”.
Sony overall posted a 66.5 billion Yen ($570.7/€455.9/£313.7 million) loss for the first quarter of 2006, compared to 56.5 billion Yen ($484.9/€387.4/£266.5 million) during the same period last year. The company’s games division posted a profit, but Sony predicts a year-end loss of 100 billion Yen ($858.3/€685.7/£471.7 million) due to high ramp and start-up costs incurred by the PS3. Not so pretty numbers.
Back in March 2006 Business Week reported that Sony was expecting to sell 200 million PlayStation 3 units in its first five years to the market. They were hoping to push 12 million units in their first year alone. Reaching those goals is important because it would allow Sony to decrease the cost of manufacturing for the Cell processor. This would, theoretically, allow them to compete with industry giants like Intel and AMD.
So what do you think? Will they sell that many PS3 or is the competition much more fierce this time around? Or maybe you feel the games market has changed since the PS2 introduction in 2000? Will Xbox 360 & Wii sell more?
Its a VERY VERY dificult bechmark for them, THe price is really high but no one realises that it is only becasue PS3 has a BLU ray Drive in it by default, the X360 Only costed less becasue it didn’t have HD DVD as a default drive, its price will be announced AFTER PS3’s Release, which is a really cunning tactic, IMO.
I truely can’t believe that Sony actually believes that. If they do, I think they will be dissapointed. While I do think the system will sell ok, I think it will do worse than 360. The price is simply too high, no getting over that fact. You’re up to nearly $700 or so with only a couple games, controllers. That’s, to put it blunt, INSANE. And right now, IMO, PS3 has very few unique/original games. Far less than 360. I’ll be getting a Wii anyhow though so it doesn’t matter to me. 
