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TOKYO - Sony's long-awaited PlayStation 3 may have missed its global shipment target and been beaten in its home market by rival Nintendo's surprise hit Wii video game system, new figures show.

The results herald more bad news for Sony Corp., which is struggling to maintain its dominance in video gaming amid a three-way battle with Nintendo and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

Sony sold 466,716 PlayStation 3 units in Japan from its Nov. 11 domestic launch date to the end of December, according to a market survey released Tuesday by Japanese computer game publisher Enterbrain Inc. The figures fall short of the 1 million consoles Sony predicted it would ship domestically by year's end.
Earlier this week, Sony said it met its shipping target of 1 million PS3s in the United States in 2006. But the combined U.S. and Japan total puts the company well below its global shipping goal of 2 million.

Tokyo-based Sony is banking on the PS3 to spark a turnaround from tumbling profits and a costly worldwide recall of 9.3 million laptop computer batteries. Lackluster PlayStation sales would be further cause for concern for a highly hyped product launch already off to a rocky start with two delays.
ews of a possible shortfall in Japan helped send Sony shares plummeting as much as 2.7 percent Wednesday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The stock ended 1.8 percent lower at 5,450 yen ($45.79) amid an overall decline in the market.

Eating into Sony's sales at home was the unexpected success of Nintendo's Wii gaming system, according to Enterbrain. Nintendo sold 989,118 Wiis domestically from its Dec. 2 launch date to month's end, nearly double Sony's total.

In contrast to the PS3's focus on super-realistic graphics and high speed action, Nintendo's Wii turned to a revolutionary motion-sensitive wand controller hoping to lure a wider crowd of players — not just young men. The wand can be swung like a tennis racket, golf club or sword, depending on the game, and became an instant hit for its innovative approach.

Whats Your Optinion Guys?

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The Artist

its not surprising..as the wii is almost free compared to the PS3..
but i wonder what will happen in the long run.. when the full capacity of systems will be tapped.. i belive sony will come out the other end winning..
atleast the analysts belive so..

So poor sales yet are beacuse:
1. Wii is free
2. Its only availble in US.. where ppl much rather buy Xbox cause they american
3. No heavy titles released yet..

The race has just begun my friends

BMW Power

wat do you mean by "Wii is free"? you mean ppl arent purchasing them? or are u saying its free comparitively speaking with respect to the PS3?

I havent seen either yet, but from all that im reading on the internet, it seems that the Wii has recieved excellent reviews and very good publicity.

However i still find it amazing that the PS3 has the most sophisticated technology and insane graphics and even more publicity and even after all that ppl have opted to buy the Wii.... It reminds of an old phrase which applies well to the Wii: "Less is More"

Lets also not forget that the PS2 is in the guiness book of world records ( it sold 1 Million Units with 24 HRS of Release, YES 1 MILLION!). Comparitively, Seems like the PS3 is performing below standard, and btw, the PS2 was also expensive for its time when it was first launched.

So far the only disadvantage for the PS3 i can conclude at the momen is price and lack of games, but then again its a new products, so with time it will be interesting to see.

Alfie

Yeah, I think PS3 will shine late too.

I'm still struggling to think of what to buy.

The Artist

Yeah i mean its virtually free compared to the PS3´s high price...IE it has a low price..

PS
I will get my PS3 in march

BMW Power

March is about the best time to buy a PS3. Sony has announced the launch of the following titles in March 2K7:

Rainbow Six: Las Vegas
Indiana Jones 2007
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Heavenly Sword
MotorStorm
Burnout 5
Formula One Championship Edition
Coded Arms Assault
Army of Two
Virtua Tennis 3
Medal of Honor: Airborne
Golden Axe
Haze
Lair
Virtua Fighter 5
MLB '07
Def Jam: Icon
John Woo Presents Stranglehold

Osnabrueck

Really, it's not that the Wii is cheap - it isn't. It's the fact that the PS3 costs as much as a modestly equipped PC. Now that the early adopters who couldn't part with their money fast enough are out of the picture the units are starting to collect dust.

Good for Nintendo. I'm really happy that the Wii has struck a chord, not just in America, but also in Japan and Europe. Instead of playing into the console arms race they came up with something that genuinely gaming experience, and if initial reports are correct, they're reaching the untapped demographics they were shooting for.

Because the sheer muscle of the PS3 is so compelling, the sales are bound to pick up. But "hey this is amazing" only gets you so far, when the price point is so stratospheric.

The BluRay format is an albatross around Sony's neck right now. As production picks up Sony will be able to lower the price point, but there's a very finite pace at which they can do this. I wouldn't be surprised if the price point is only reduced by $100 for this year's holiday season.


Artist - you talk about the "full capacity of the systems being tapped." I know this was a serious issue when PS2 was released, but I just don't see it this time around. The PS3 graphics are already astounding, and they'll blow us away 3 years from now. Thing is - there's a level of 3D immersion that's been achieved by all three consoles, and everything else is icing on the cake.

Case in point - I watch some PS3 basketball game and was impressed by the high-def graphics and small details. But overall, I didn't feel as though the enhanced graphics provided a quantum leap to the gaming experience. The guys still looked like computer guys, because they behave like computer guys.

Anyways, the story is only beginning. It remains to be seen weather or not the Wii experience has the staying power to keep our attention. For now, I couldn't be happier that it's got a good start from out the gate.

Yannis

In a superstore here in Greece they had many Xbox 360 and PS3 next to each other playing the same games.
360's graphics were MUCH better. The word has spread out and many people who were waiting for PS3 are now buying a 360.

warot

I think the PS3 will eventually overtake the Wii, it's almost a given. As different as the Wii is (not to mention how competitive the price is), the style of game they have so far will not last very long. To me personally, I enjoyed that tennis game, but I'd rather be playing GT4 or Project Gotham.

Mikael

It takes some time before the game developers get to know how to use all the potential of the console so the launch games still aren't that good in visual look. But don't worry, PS3 is technologically superior to Xbox 360 so it will have the best graphics in the console world eventually.

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