The Slim Effect™ has taken the United States by storm. The new PS3 Slim is selling out nationwide, Uncharted 2 is topping every sales chart there is and 360 is losing major momentum going into the fourth quarter.
Not only is Halo 2.5: ODST already being discounted $10 but Forza 2.5 has failed to gain any momentum despite being weeks away from release and the 360 Elite Modern Warfare 2 “meh-gaton” seems to be a complete failure.
The year of the PS3 continues…
Keep your eyes on SDF throughout the holiday season for unbiased, real-time sales data.
“Forza 3 is easily outclassed by the excellent damage modeling of DiRT 2 and even Need for Speed: Shift. Specifically, cars tend to sport the same generic “scratch” and “scuff” textures when they’re hit, and dent deforming seems limited, as well.” – 1up
“For a game so dedicated to all things automotive to slip in the cockpit is seriously disappointing, and part of what I see as a larger problem with presentation.” – Gamespy
“The achievements in Forza 3 are frankly quite boring. Easy, but super boring.” – Xbox 360 Achievements
“The game comes with a second disc filled with 100 more cars and 29 new tracks. That’s nice. However, it requires a 2GB install. Those without HDs are screwed…” – Games Radar
“Visual car damage might also be an issue for some, with the damage model used here nowhere near as dynamic as that found in the likes of Burnout Paradise or DIRT 2″ – VideoGamer
“Cockpit views are modeled for each car, but they aren’t quite as stunning as in Need for Speed SHIFT.” – GameTrailers
“The car interiors too, disappointingly, look a bit too grey and plastic-y. Forza 3 certainly doesn’t live up to Gran Turismo in the in-game visual stakes.” – CVG
Sony gives an unbiased, real talk opinion of the gaming industry… a very good read.
SCEA president Jack Tretton has said that one of the major advantages the PlayStation brand holds over its rivals is its ability to appeal to the masses on a worldwide basis.
The executive spent a chunk of a recent Forbes video interview contrasting his own company with Microsoft and Nintendo. He said that Sony is more profit driven than Microsoft in the short-term, suggesting that the Xbox maker “can afford to be more patient” when it comes to generating a return on investment.
He then argued that “Nintendo is almost the polar opposite”. For the Japanese firm, “features are nice” but “profitability is king and I think that is enviable”, he said, adding that Nintendo’s successful delivery of a “casual, youth-oriented entertainment experience” for 20 years now enables the company to “print money”.
“I think we like to see ourselves somewhere in the middle,” he said of Sony. “We don’t have unlimited money, we cater to a more mass market audience. I think we’re willing to take a little bit more risk than a competitor like Nintendo is and ultimately we deliver to the masses on a worldwide basis and that’s what we’ve done for the last 15 years.
“In an industry that’s certainly had its challenges this year, we like to say that the environment where PlayStation wins is best for this industry, because we have a brand that can play on a worldwide basis, young and old, male and female, where our competition tends to be relegated to either select regions or to select consumer audiences.”
Elsewhere in the interview Tretton said that the PS3 had enjoyed “skyrocketing sales” since the introduction of a price cut on September 1.
Sony has told GamesIndustry.biz that sales of PSP hardware are up over 120 percent in the UK, following the launch of the PSPgo.
Sales of the PSP-3000 have also grown, as the hardware benefits from the release of the long-awaited Gran Turismo for PSP on UMD and EA’s FIFA 10, which this weekend broke records for the franchise.
“PSPgo has performed in line with our expectations, driving 100 per cent incremental volume for the category and has benefited the broad PSP portfolio with PSP-3000 also enjoying a big lift,” said SCEE in a statement. “PSP software sales also having been a standout with both new releases GT PSP and FIFA 10 performing well.” The new PSPgo launched last Thursday and sells in the UK for around GBP 224.99.
Early adopters are able to download a free copy of Gran Turismo PSP until October 10, and UK consumers can also access a deal which allows them to download another three games for free if they register with Sony online.
When contacted by GamesIndustry.biz this morning, Chart-Track in the UK said it would not reveal any independent sales data for the PSPgo. “It’s a new format and we are simply not revealing the figures for public consumption,” said director Dorian Bloch. Update: Sony has clarified that sales of the PSP hardware are up over 120 percent compared to the previous week.
The PSPgo sold as many units as the PSP-3000 during the period.
Yet another successful hardware launch from Sony. 2010 is going to be a great year for the company.
