Playstation Discussion Archive

[Dante]

gorgeous artwork.

[Dante]

Folks Souls: Forgotten Legend Scans (Monster Kingdom Renamed)

[Guest Jordan]

Oh god i hate when Japanese developers name things all Engrishy..

[Dante]

Sales of the PlayStation 3 have dropped dramatically on the second week of release in the UK, with official Chart Track figures revealing a fall of 82 per cent.

 

Chart Track data is gathered from 7000 UK retail outlets representing 90 per cent of the software market, including GAME, Gamestation, Play.com, Asda and HMV.

 

A spokesperson for Chart Track confirmed the figure to GamesIndustry.biz this afternoon, stating: "Yes, sales of PS3 hardware have dropped by 82 per cent."

 

Last week, Chart Track revealed that the PlayStation 3 had sold 165,000 units in the first two days following the launch, making it the fastest-selling home console in the UK.

 

"We publish the first week figures because there's such a clamour for them that we can't keep it a secret," said the spokesperson.

 

This week's software charts revealed that sales of the top two PlayStation 3 titles, Resistance: Fall of Man and MotorStorm, had dropped by over 60 per cent.

 

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe declined to comment.

[mario_jr]

Well of course it was going to sell well the first few days, everyone who had pre-ordered or wanted one was going to pick it up when it came out. Now you're left with people who either can wait and are not in a rush to go out and buy it, and people who are just not all that excited about it.

[Retro_Link]

Well of course it was going to sell well the first few days, everyone who had pre-ordered or wanted one was going to pick it up when it came out. Now you're left with people who either can wait and are not in a rush to go out and buy it, and people who are just not all that excited about it.

Around 30,000 isn't a great number of sales for only the second week though!

And it likely it will fall each week still, until some must buy titles get released!

[Aimless]

Around 30,000 isn't a great number of sales for only the second week though!

Bear in mind the 165,000 were sold over the launch weekend, so to get an idea of how many were sold last week you'd have to deduct from the launch week's total. And no, I don't know how many that was.

[Retro_Link]

Bear in mind the 165,000 were sold over the launch weekend,

Oh yeah! Wonder what the weeks sales were?

[Noodleman]

It didnt sell out and nothing has changed between this week and last to make people want one more. So it was pretty obvious that it would happen really. If people wanted one they got it on launch week because they where avaliable.

 

OMFG SONY IS D00MED !1?!?!?!1!11111

[Mr. Bananagrabber]

I imagine that's pretty normal for ever console except the Wii.

Most films drop 50% in their second week, I assume something similar happenes with consoles.

If not however. Unlucky Sony.

[gaggle64]

For a console who's whole business startegy is sustainable games sales, this and the situation in other territories doesn't exactly bode well for the future in any case.

[Dante]

New DMC4 Info

 

* Series staples remain intact - everything running at constant 60fps.

* Attention paid to every detail in the game is staggering.

* Characters are a lot more expressive in-game.

* High-definition graphics everywhere you look.

* Environments look so in touch with the DMC universe.

* Environmental destruction during battles such as the Variel boss battle are unparalleled with anything ever seen in the series.

* The game will have a crisp and responsive feel when playing.

* The game feels like a PS3 game more than anything else.

* Capcom are making the game so they exceed the break point of what they can handle.

* The camera is much more cinematic now.

* Vehicles can be seen strewn across Fortuna. Cars and vans will be on the side of the roads etc.

* 16x9 aspect ratio. The camera will play a big part.

* More meaning and justification to the cutscenes and flow of the storyline.

* Same graphics engine as Dead Rising will be used to give the basic support to the graphics and appearance of everything.

* Yuji Shimomura will be directing the cutscenes etc. again. He will ensure that the cutscenes will look much more action-packed and more stylish than ever. He understands the universe and Dante so will be able to make the cutscenes suit them.

 

Characters:

 

* Nero's Devil Bringer is natural and not difficult to use.

* Dante's animations and expressions will be in the same cool tone as before.

* Dante plays totally different to Nero. He also has the four basic styles from Devil May Cry 3 returning - Swordsmaster, Gunslinger, Royal Guard and Trickster. The core animations still look the same from Devil May Cry 3 but everything has been upgraded to look more natural and enhanced. He's as responsive as ever. Much more like DMC3 Dante than DMC1 Dante in terms of mobility.

* Nero's moves now have button combinations which will go in to the Info thread. Similar presentations in the menu screen as the Devil May Cry 3 moves.

* Vergil was a subject that was avoided as it was reiterated that Dante was one of the main focuses of this game. His character will be built upon. Dante and Nero are the main focus points in this game and in the future of the series. This could hint that Nero will play more roles in the future. Vergil was still not confirmed to be in the game though yet it wasn't said that he won't be.

* All of the cutscenes will be done by Yuji Shimomura

 

 

Enemies:

 

* Variel will be extremely detailed with his battlefield being an epic scrap. Destructible environments will have a place in this battle as Variel destroys everything to get to you.

* The Frosts will be difficult enemies to destroy. They can disappear and reappear. Plus they can attack you in groups.

 

Nero moves list

 

Charge Shot - Hold square to charge, then release to fire

"As well as shooting bullets in rapid succession, you can charge up your gun for a slower, but more powerful shot."

 

Exceed - Pull L2 to charge the EX-guage

"Revving your EX-guage like a motorcycle handle, you can build up to three levels of extra power for your moves."

 

Streak - While holding R1, press the left stick towards the enemy + triangle

"Streak is a powerful forward strike"

 

High Roller - While holding R1, press the left stick away from the enemy + triangle

 

Hell Bound - Face the Grim Grip and press R1+Circle

"Think of this as a a grappling hook-like move that you can use to reach far away platforms - but only if there is a globe to catch.

 

Buster - Press circle near an enemy

"This attack can be performed after you catch an enemy. Best used at the end of a combo, since it doesn't work well with juggleing.

 

Snatch - While facing an enemy, press R1+circle

Used to grab enemies in the air or on the ground

[CooInTheZoo]

Oooh if i had money right now...

 

(though i only want to set it up. none of the current games interest me that much hahaha)

[ReZourceman]

I imagine that's pretty normal for ever console except the Wii.

Most films drop 50% in their second week, I assume something similar happenes with consoles.

If not however. Unlucky Sony.

 

Indeed. I guess its the norm. (Although...82% sounds...VERY steep)

[Gizmo]

Ouch. That seems a bit excessive for a drop. I'm no PS3 fan but that number looks really bad for Sony. The Japanese figures look pretty bad too...hopefulyl Sony will get a price drop out soon to pick up the numbers :/

[Goron_3]

Sales droppd sharply in America too. Remember how it was outsold by the GBA, as well as every other console apart from GC and Xbox? Gonna take a while for it to pick up i'm afraid.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Indeed. I guess its the norm. (Although...82% sounds...VERY steep)

 

82% is very steep, but of course the actual figures mean way more than the percentage.

[rokhed00]

Phil Harrisons finest hour?

[Nintenchris]

Uh oh.. this isnt a good sign

http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/HP/3-/3342537/Sony_Playstation_3_PS3_Console_With_60GB_HDD_+_FREE_HDMI_cable_+_Click/Product.html

 

They have lowered the price to £399 with a HDMI cable and a Blu Ray movie... Click

 

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/26423/WH-Smith-slashes-PS3-price

Whsmiths are doing the same

 

and a little bird told me that Game will also be following soon.

[rokhed00]

Uh oh.. this isnt a good sign

http://www.play.com/Games/PlayStation3/HP/3-/3342537/Sony_Playstation_3_PS3_Console_With_60GB_HDD_+_FREE_HDMI_cable_+_Click/Product.html

 

They have lowered the price to £399 with a HDMI cable and a Blu Ray movie... Click

 

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/26423/WH-Smith-slashes-PS3-price

Whsmiths are doing the same

 

and a little bird told me that Game will also be following soon.

 

Yeah, quite a few places have cut the prices, Woolworths are about to follow suite too. Sony have already sent out second and third shipments and lots of places now have more stock than they did at launch.

[Dante]

PSP, a New Focus On Teen Market

 

Sony is shifting its marketing focus for the PSP platform to the 13-17 year old demographic, with a new marketing campaign titled "Dude, Get Your Own."

 

I spoke with PSP senior product manager John Koller this afternoon about the PSP's recent price cut, and he says that the move towards the teen market is based on who's buying the system:

 

Most of our registered owners database stats have shown the 13-17 year old consumers far outpacing other groups in terms of purchase. The intend-to-purchase crowd is living mostly in that group as well. We're looking to expand beyond where we've been. PSP started as a device to appeal to 18-34 year-olds, but north of 26-27.

 

More Q&A with Koller on PSP's future after the jump.

 

"There were a few reasons," says Koller, for dropping the PSP's price now. First, Sony "received some savings on the cost of goods, which we wanted to get to the consumer." Second, "Wal-Mart sold 110,000 units in five days on Black Friday [last year] when they dropped the price to $169." Finally, the aforementioned shift to the 13-17 year old market.

 

The desire to more directly target that 13-17 year-old market was what led to the All I Want For Christmas Is A PSP campaign last year, Koller said. "That campaign clearly did not work," he said, but it was an attempt to "identify ways of speaking and marketing to that 13-17 year-old consumer. It was an effort to be able to target that individual in a more quiet manner and not go out and promote it and have it be something that was found. The way it was done is not correct... In the future, we'll be more clear and transparent to the consumer."

 

Going forward, Sony will unveil the "Dude, Get Your Own" campaign.

 

The idea this year, says Koller, is to "break out of the home cycle." A significant amount of PSP users in that 13-17 group play the device at home. "The teens that are doign this value the ability to utilize the portability," Koller notes paradoxically. By portability, he clarifies, he means "I can play it upstairs while my parents are watching the TV downstairs."

 

This, of course, is of little value to adults with their own apartments and TV sets. For teens, it is a big draw, which is one reason for the high sales in that group.

 

But Sony wants them to get it out of the house and "into more of a lifestyle focus." That's the reason for adding the T-Mobile hotspot functionality that Sony touted last month. Koller says that Sony will "regularly launch" firmware updates this year with functionality that is strongly directed at that 13-17 market, although he could not reveal details on any of them.

 

Sony has found that more and more PSP owners are using the device for multimedia applications, specifically, downloading music and movies from their PC to the PSP. "There's a lot of that," says Koller. In fact, Sony says the "second most valued use of PSP" is as a music playback device. "Music shot up substantially" over the holiday season, he says.

 

As for releasing a new hardware redesign of PSP that includes more onboard storage, Koller would not say.

 

In the meantime, Sony isn't giving up on the embattled UMD movie format, although -- again -- they're going after that teen market with "more targeted content, rather than the kitchen sink approach," says Koller. "What we're seeing from studios is that they are establishing what that content needs to be, primarily action and comedy. They're calibrating that towards what the consumer is."

 

As far as gaming goes, "there are a few titles we're looking at as hardware drivers this year" -- from God of War to SOCOM to "a number of third-party exclusives" which Koller declined to name. Third party makers, though, are on board with the demographic shift, he says. "They're very aware of the direction that owner registrations have been going in. You'll see a lot more teen-oriented titles launching."

 

Even with the software release list waning, Sony's American branch still remains committed to delivering unique PSP experiences. "We really want to be able to identify ways to set the software apart from console software. Consumers don't want a mobile version" of a game they can play at home, says Koller. God of War on PSP will be "entirely different than anything you can play on consoles."

 

Finally, I asked what Phil Harrison was referring to when he lumped the PSP in with his "Game 3.0" concept of user-generated, dynamic, ever-changing content. "The PSP, within the PlayStation brand, sits as kind of the cultural object of desire, the ability to take that content with you elsewhere outside the living room," says Koller. "With a number of initiatives coming out, they'll be able to use the PSP in new and exciting ways."

 

Game|Life

[Ashley]

Hmm we at Game have better bundles in waiting (they send down the POS a few days ago) and I presume they change tomorrow when the rest does. We'll either have better bundles or indeed lower the price if everyone else does.

[ZeldaFreak]

Hmm we at Game have better bundles in waiting (they send down the POS a few days ago) and I presume they change tomorrow when the rest does. We'll either have better bundles or indeed lower the price if everyone else does.

 

Last time I looked in gameat the bundles for all their consoles, gamestation still had better value bundles for sale

[ReZourceman]

Last time I looked in gameat the bundles for all their consoles, gamestation still had better value bundles for sale

 

But dont Gamestation out do Game at....well....everything.

 

Example.

 

SW BattleFront 2 on XBOX @ GAME £29.99 (Pre-owned) And lucky if you find a copy.

 

SW BattleFront 2 on XBOX @ Gamestation £12.99 (Pre-owned) 3 copies in stock. I also picked up RCT2 Time Twister for 99p and Theme Hospital for free as it was BOGOFF.

 

I hope GAME go out of business to be honest with you. I really do...they really are total crap.

[Ashley]

I hope GAME go out of business to be honest with you. I really do...they really are total crap.

 

And me. Would make my life easier.

 

However as they're always on a plus, it won't be happening for a long time.