14 DAY TRIAL // Sony is eager to show off the PS3 Slim’s important launch, which has been out since September 1 with a price point of 299 dollars. One the same day that the NPD Group data for August came out, the Japanese console manufacturer offered some data on the progress of its newest device.
A statement from the company says that “Our top retailers have reported a 300 percent lift in PS3 hardware sales and an increase of 140 percent in total hardware revenue across the PlayStation portfolio when comparing the first week of September to the week before the $299 price adjustment.” Initial reports showed that the Slim led the PS3 to move 150,000 units in Japan in just three days after the official release, while in Great Britain, retailers reported jumps in sales of 999%.
The NPD Group numbers for August have also been reason for optimism for Sony. It's true that the Xbox 360 has still sold more console than the PS3 but there are other signs pointing that the situation might be reversed in the coming months. Software sales for the platform were the only ones that grew as the overall value dropped in August and the numbers for the month have not yet recorded the impact of the Slim, which was officially launched on September 1.
Of course, the data that comes from Sony says nothing of the impact that another big event has had. Microsoft responded to the Slim announcement by reducing the price of the Xbox 360 Elite version of its console and by beginning to phase out the Pro variant. This means that, in September and beyond, we will see a renewed battle of the consoles, this time with equivalent price points and with exclusive releases and additional features influencing gamers’ purchasing.