Rich Fiscus
7 May 2008 10:03
Sony's PlayStation 3 has hit a milestone in Europe by finally passing the Xbox 360 in total console sales despite the lowest priced PS3 costing nearly twice as much as the entry level version of the Microsoft console (£299 compared to £159) and a 16 month head start for the Xbox 360.
Games consultant Nick Parker credits the console's eventual success to Sony's strategy of giving it more of a mass-market appeal, saying "The PS3 is far more mass market than 360, which has gone for traditional adult males - and that does not go down well in continental Europe."
At a European PlayStation event in London Kaz Hirai of Sony spoke about the PS3's early struggles, noting "There were teething problems... and customers were a little underwhelmed by early games." He also expressed optimism that the PS3 is poised for similar success within the next 2-3 years in North America.
Speaking about Sony's future plans for the console, he said the company intends to focus on promoting it as a "multi-faceted interactive entertainment system," a strategy they've had since the PS3's launch, but have often been criticized for in light of Blu-ray's failure to capture a significant share of the home video market. However, as the success of Microsoft's Xbox Live online store has shown, there are other markets available to be exploited.
To date their efforts to compete in the online content arena have been disappointing to say the least, but if Sony manages to leverage the extensive music and movie catalogs available from their home video and music divisions they could certainly position the PS3 as an all-in-one home entertainment juggernaut.