14 DAY TRIAL // As a desperate approach to get the PS3 to sell, Japanese retailers have reduced its price with 20%. The console was originally launched with a price cut by 20% already so now, another 20%...? What is the PS3 coming to? Once thought to be a blast on its launch, it now sits still by dozens on shop shelves.
MaxConsole is reporting that "PS3 sales in Japan have not just chilled but FROZEN. The problem of PS3's not selling in their native motherland has got so bad that retailers are cutting their prices by as much as 20% in a bid to move the systems. As soon as PS3 gets some good games, expect things to heat up!"
The successor to PlayStation and PlayStation2 should have done better, keeping in mind the time Sony took to throw it in the "ring." The truth is that, with such powerful rivals (Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii) PS3 had its way cut out for itself but it still doesn't explain all the failures it has had since launch day.
First, the market was packed full with options so, some who got bored of Sony's PS system or just wanted to try out something new, went for the other two, the Wii or the 360, or even had a change of heart concerning large space occupants and less mobile systems and went for the new handheld consoles.
The PS3 has also received criticism for graphics when GameSpot saw the opportunity to compare it with its rivals, on NFS Carbon.
The PlayStation3 was released in Japan on November 11, 2006, at 07:00. There were reports that many of the initial consoles were obtained by businessmen who paid mainly Chinese nationals to buy the console without any software to resell on eBay. According to Media Create, PS3 systems were sold within 24 hours of its introduction in Japan. Sony has opted to go with an open pricing scheme for the 60 GB model, allowing retailers to set a price point themselves.
So what happened? Whatever the reason, it surely isn't doing too good and the question remaining is: what is the next move if the PS3 still sits on the shelves gathering dust?