Slow HDTV sales impacting PlayStation 3 uptake
Slow sales of high-definition television hardware in the US is holding back sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3, as consumers feel the effects of the economic slowdown.
That’s according to analyst Michael Pachter, who also said that consumers had been opting for cheaper Xbox 360 console deals, rather than the more expensive PlayStation 3 offerings.
“There was likely some substitution of Xbox 360 for PS3 purchases, due to recent price reductions for the Xbox 360 and the bundling of the console with two free games,” said the Wedbush Morgan specialist.
“In addition, we believe that PS3 sales are being impacted by lower demand for HD televisions as a result of the recession.”
Sales of the PlayStation 3 during November were 6.1 million units, compared to 12.4 million Xbox 360 consoles.
However, Pachter believes that during the first half of 2009, sales for Sony will begin to look up as consumers show interest in exclusive titles and Blu-ray capabilities.
“We believe that several PS3 exclusives, notably LittleBigPlanet, along with focus on the Blu-ray will drive hardware sales over the next six months,” he said.
He also added that he expects December sales for the entire hardware market in the US to show further improvement over last year.
“We do not expect the recession to impact videogames in December; rather, we think that as Nintendo increases Wii supply further, Sony markets Blu-ray, and Microsoft rolls out its New Xbox Experience, hardware sales will show year-over-year increases in December.”
Credit goes to GiBiz - http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/slow-hdtv-sales-impacting-playstation-3-uptake
Altblogger’s take on this -
Michael where are you getting your numbers for slow sales of HDTV’s, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why sales of Sony’s PS3 are lagging behind those of Micorosoft’s 360. IT NEEDS MOAR GAMES HUURRRDURRR. I do agree though that 2009 should see better numbers for Sony with some pretty huge high profile releases planned for the year.
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