@GregS

Quote:

The teenage market, is also the market where education is pressing that every child and their dog has to have a computer. Put two and two together - when the price drops you have convergence, the love of games and the need for a computer, and as a bonus sans Windows.

Sounds like a great and brand new idea, I am sure all those families who don't have a VIC-20, errr... PC at home will rush out to buy a PS3.

Sony rewards the most vivid Playstation fans who couldn't wait to get their hands on the PS3 as soon as possible!

Last night at a launch event held at Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street , London Sony handed out everyone who attended a free £2,000 46-inch flat panel TV set to compliment their brand-new £425 PS3! Wow, I am very happy for them I am sure they don't feel bad about the delay anymore!

The UK market is very important for the PS3 also becasue it's by far the XBox 360's strongest market within Europe with an installed nearing a million. Pre-orders for the PS3 topped the Amazon.co.uk charts for almost a month:

http://amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/videogames/ref=sv_vg_h__3/202-9347500-3655816

There are strong indications Resistance: Fall of Man and Motorstorm are the platform's bestsellers. Resistance: Fall of Man is expected to be the first PS3 title to sell well over a million copies this month!

Here in Groningen around 100 people gathered at the local Media Markt at a midnight launch event, in addition to a free Blu-Ray movie of choice, people were being handed out a copy of Playstation Magazine and 3 people won a free PS3 through a lottery amongst those who attended! The winners receiving vivid applauses and congratulation from the audience.

Today the remaining unsold HD-DVD copies have been placed within the new Blu-Ray dedicated section and thus based on this it looks like it's now "game over" for HD-DVD at Media Markt, Europe's largest retailer of consumer electronics. I overheard some customers looking at Motorstorm for the PS3 saying: "Hhhmm this does look better than my XBox 360 games"

Gamers delighted to end PS3 wait

Last edited by MikeB on 23-Mar-2007 at 01:25 PM.
Last edited by MikeB on 23-Mar-2007 at 12:55 PM.

@MikeB

Wow, MikeB! You out did even yourself with a post that is so far removed from the rest of the thread and much of the linked reporting...

@jtsiren
Its the others I am hanging out for, for me Linux suxs with bells on. Mac could do it, but so could Amiga if it gets in early and starts getting the apps we badly need. Windows never (thank god).

Stranger things have happened but I think Sony is playing a serious game here, one that would have much appeal to its near neighbour, for a simple workhorse computer, which I see the PS3 as being (far removed from an optioned up-ed desktop).

AmigaOS fulfils a lot or requirements for a 256meg Cell processor, to work well as a workhorse, provided it is fully adapted and we get the basic apps in place to begin with. And China could well take it up )another convergence of a more economic kind - the console that sells most there will win, and computer-console has winner written all over it given the Chinese market that is developing (it will have to be cheaper of course).

If Sony is playing the long term hard ball option (Japan is notes for this I might add) our little OS is not such a bad thing to have on board. I am not saying they are backing anything, I think the open platform is an attempt to let OSes compete and the best win out.

If the thing is measured in a five year span, the OS that is taken up will show itself clearly enough. And it won't be god-awful Linux INHO.

Several million Chinese playing games, and then switching over to productivity ware on an easy to use, low maintenance OS is not hard to imagine in the next two years. Imagining them using Linux is somewhat harder to envisage.

Fingers crossed because our OS has a good many virtues the others lack, despite all the problems of current application shortages

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Greg Schofield, Perth Australia

@MikeB

Quote:

In Groningen more than 100 people gathered at the local Media Markt at the midnight launch event, (...)

We are more interested in how many came to Fun Computing. Did you also give away some flat panels with the first PS3's that you sold?

@MikeB

If I were one of the 100 customers I'd be really happy and enjoy my TV while trying to sell the PS3 on ebay for a minor loss . If I were one of the others I'd be really upset. Especially considering that they are not the ones who pay the most.

It seems receptions have been pretty lukewarm. The biggest launch place here had 60 people line up. In London it was a little over a hundred. In Warszaw it was a grand total of seven people.

I asked a local retailer yesterday, who had received 30-40 PS3s, how many pre-orders they've had. They had six pre-orders and they were selling the machine at a loss (4888 DKK vs the usual 5500).

I hope the new PS3 owners will think it has been worth the wait.

@GregS

I would certainly welcome OS4 on PS3. I think OS4 has to come out on as many platforms as possible for it to succeed, PS3 could be a really good platform.

Reuters and AFP reports on European PS3 launch.
Sounds as if there were more pressmen than buyers.

@hatschi

Quote:

I am sure all those families who don't have a VIC-20, errr... PC at home will rush out to buy a PS3.

You might consider that children are being born all the time and growing up from then on. Got a kid going into high school and want to give them the benefits of a computer when what they want is to play games. As I said when the penny drops, young parents with 13 year olds (and younger) are the ones that count their pennies, and are always concerned with the best possible options for their brood.

As also said, take your fingers out and count the cost of buying a moderate, soon to be outdated computer, and a console - the PS3 is the cheapest option.

No they won't be rushing out, but I suggest you watch the trend over the next year, its going to happen, as a school teacher I get asked often enough by parents what is the best thing to do, from today I can answer that easily enough.

Hopefully soon something might be firmly stated about AmigaOS and PS3 one way or the other, that we might get a good handful of apps X11 based at least, and I can start hitting the teaching forums, about the PS3 alternative.

Strangely most computing teachers have not put the connection together, but they will, it is almost a perfect package for students.

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Greg Schofield, Perth Australia

@GregS
#417
Quote:

The teenage market, is also the market where education is pressing that every child and their dog has to have a computer.

Not strictly true. In many (not all,) western countries, the governments turn a blind eye to their own population in regards to computing facilities. In many developing countries, the many of the same western governments insist every child should have access to computing facilities (note: not always their own personal computer.)

The PS3 is hardly attainable to an average child in a developing country.

Quote:

Put two and two together - when the price drops you have convergence, the love of games and the need for a computer, and as a bonus sans Windows.

The idea is a great one. It is just an idea however, and it may never happen. It relies on big companies jumping on the band wagon and developing edutainment software, hardware, so on. This may or may not happen - it is too early to tell. An idea is always good, an action is better.

Unity3D will soon be ported to the Wii. Whilst Unity3D is not a walk in the park to learn, it does open up the scope for edutainment on the Wii - and the innovative control mechanisms do that as well.

As has been pointed out by others, the Wii should not be under estimated in terms of under the bonnet fire power, and as such, should Nintendo relax and open the system up a bit more to third party developers, the Wii could easily over take the PS3 in terms of edutainment and therefore meet your idea well before the PS3 does - simply because of the price being half.

Again, let me stress - I love your idea, but it is just an idea. I would prefer to see your idea attained by the Wii simply because it is cheaper to build, cheaper to buy, and uses less power (electricity, which in the developing world is far more important than here.)

Edit: removed broken quoting.

Last edited by Thalos on 23-Mar-2007 at 01:07 PM.

@GregS

Quote:

As also said, take your fingers out and count the cost of buying a moderate, soon to be outdated computer, and a console - the PS3 is the cheapest option.

Why is the PC more prone to getting outdated? You can't even upgrade the PS3 with a faster CPU or Gfx card. Speaking about the PS3 as the "cheapest option" is funny when this is in fact what is hindering sales according to news reports of the European launch.

Also keep in mind that computer functionality is only a bonus and that the PS3 is (contrary to the VIC-20) not marketed at children, the educational market and the average computer user. It would destroy the whole "cool" image that took them so much effort to build up.

@Thalos

Here in Portugal, sales seem to be going well.
Pitty it´s not the same in my store.

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Power Mac DP 1.8 GHZ, 4 Gb Ram and still trying to get EUAE in full speed

@Thalos

Sorry mate I just used your post as a jumping off point, I was attacking what you said, but rather the general opinion you were expressing.

It is true it may not happen, especially if our OS does not get its act into gear, but that Chinese market is just unbelievable, India is not doing too badly either - and the middle class in both countries is getting bigger almost exponentially (just as the middle class is collapsing in the US and other Western Countries).

Sony is a very Japanese company (into long term strategies), and they don't have a hope of getting into the PC market, I think they have a way of undermining it though.

A downward price shift of just a quarter to a third is enough to appeal to some very big and new consumer markets that are especially interested in convergence technology as consumer items, 1 HDTV set, 1 PS3 and music, DVDs, games, internet and a computer are all delivered.

Remember also they are into flat screen HDTV in a big way as well which when properly scaled up production-wise is cheaper to produce than Cathode ray tubes. Little surprise that the PS3 uses HDMI with so few options (frustrating for me at the moment).

It is also worth noting that the US economy is about to nose-dive very badly indeed, China as a market lurches onto the main stage eager to rid itself of US reserves ) being the biggest US creditor nation) and no doubt convert them into Yens and Euros as quick as possible (a jump in domestic consumer spending will help that along). A year, this year inb fact, is going to see a lot of changes.

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Greg Schofield, Perth Australia

@hatschi

Quote:

Why is the PC more prone to getting outdated? You can't even upgrade the PS3 with a faster CPU or Gfx card. Speaking about the PS3 as the "cheapest option" is funny when this is in fact what is hindering sales according to news reports of the European launch.

To be fair, PS3 is far more powerful (due to being sold at a lost) than many budget PCs likely will be for years. This gives it an edge. If it would run Windows or even MacOS, it might rock in this computing segment. Now it is up to Linux to do the trick and I'm not as optimistic about that, but we'll see!

@hatschi

Quote:

Why is the PC more prone to getting outdated? You can't even upgrade the PS3 with a faster CPU or Gfx card. Speaking about the PS3 as the "cheapest option" is funny when this is in fact what is hindering sales according to news reports of the European launch.

Upgrading is the problem.

The PS3 is initially selling to electronically sated market, at a high price - it is not the only market, indeed the Asian consumer market is the larger and price there is an even bigger barrier - but how long the high prices?

Scale comes into things to a great extent, the production problems are now solved, the machines are being made in huge numbers, the early buyers are paying through the nose. If by the end of this year the price comes down by a quarter, the PS3 becomes the cheapest option for having a console and a computer.

Quote:

Also keep in mind that computer functionality is only a bonus and that the PS3 is (contrary to the VIC-20) not marketed at children, the educational market and the average computer user. It would destroy the whole "cool" image that took them so much effort to build up.

Nothing changes as fast as perceptions.

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Greg Schofield, Perth Australia

@hatschi

Quote:

We are more interested in how many came to Fun Computing. Did you also give away some flat panels with the first PS3's that you sold?

To clarify my company is focussed at alternative operating systems, for instance the local government has now moved from Microsodt products towards open source solutions such as OpenOffice.org and Linux is now increasing in importance. Due to Sony's efforts the PS3 regarding home OS users the PS3 is now part of Fun Computing's overall strategy as well. Very much unlike the Virgin Megastores or Media Markt, for Fun computing the PS3's excellent games and great movie capabilities are an excellent added bonus, for other companies it's precisely the other way around though!

Here in the Netherlands retailers took every PS3 Sony could ship (dwarfing both XBox 360 and Nintendo Wii launch shipments), for the Benelux this means over 50,000 units have been sold to retail. Of these units 44,000 were already pre-ordered since over a week ago. A second shipment from Sony is soon to follow.

Last edited by MikeB on 23-Mar-2007 at 01:51 PM.

@GregS

Quote:

The PS3 is initially selling to electronically sated market, at a high price - it is not the only market, indeed the Asian consumer market is the larger and price there is an even bigger barrier - but how long the high prices?

According to a Sony official, a price cut is not likely for two years. Why would they do that anyway when they are already selling it with big losses at the current price?
In more recent news, a Goldman Sachs analyst suggest price cuts though.

Last edited by hatschi on 23-Mar-2007 at 02:15 PM.

@GregS
#433

Quote:

Sorry mate I just used your post as a jumping off point, I was attacking what you said, but rather the general opinion you were expressing.

I didn't assume it was a personal attack, nor should you.

You raise very good points about the economies of China, the US, etc. As well as Sony's plans. I'm not entirely sure I see Sony being any more of a success than it is currently - but this is personal opinion more than statistical fact.

I wouldn't worry too much about the US economy being on a tipping point, unless you are living in a US zone. The EU press might play the issue up more than it is worth, but the US economy does not have the same effect it did 20 years ago.

Quote:

A downward price shift of just a quarter to a third is enough to appeal to some very big and new consumer markets

If the price dipped to below ¤375 (£250) for a sustained period of time, I'm pretty sure it would sell like hot cakes. They would also then be genuine competitiors to the XBox 360 (which let us not forget is basically a computer too,) and the Wii.

Heck, I can say now, at £250, I would buy one.

Quote:

A year, this year inb fact, is going to see a lot of changes.

For many things.

Well, I got mine. Someone else walked in to get one while I was there and they'd sold one just before I went in so they seemed busy.

They had a deal where you got RFoM and MotorStorm for £35 if you got them with the machine, not bad considering I was going to just get MotorStorm for £40.

I'm currently downloading GTHD (background downloading now works).

It's a georgous machine, unfortunately it's only connected to a SDTV so I don't get to see the HD graphics.

MotorStorm is real fun nonetheless

The store and all that works but the UI takes some getting used to having never had a console before.

The wireless and all that was also easy to set up.

The web browser also works - as I am currently demonstrating. I don't think it'll use it much as it's annoying to use on this TV, the anti-flicker works very well though. My wieless keyboard and mouse work fine so typing this isn't too much of a pain.

Anyway, fell free to continue arguing about it's merits (or lack thereof), I'm just going to enjoy it

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Whyzzat?

Just a little side note:

11 034 PS3's (=270 TFlops) are outproducing 158 963 PC CPU's (=151 TFlops) at Folding at Home.

Edit: The PS3's now spit out more than double TFlops than the Windows boxes.

FAH Stats

* Yes i know the Cell/RSX are spcialized chips and are beaten in other applications by General Purpose CPU's.

Last edited by Donar on 23-Mar-2007 at 03:08 PM.

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