Japanese games journalist Kiyoshi Tane has laid down his thoughts on the PlayStation 3 in a 207 page book controversially titled Why Did The PS3 Fail?
Tane, an editor for culture mag Continue, was originally of the opinion that the PS3 would follow the PS2 as this generation's leading console. Less than a year of the console being on sale, apparently, has convinced him otherwise.
While the PS3 has undoubtedly had its woes - and continues to lag behind the Wii and 360 in terms of hardware sales - isn't it a bit premature to describe it as a failure?
This is a console, after all, that Sony maintains will have a ten year lifespan. Sony also maintains that the PS3 is out-performing the PS2 at the same point in its life cycle.
Still, the fact that a publisher feels that it can have success with a book going by such a sensationalist title (and it is - the book currently ranks Number 15 on the Amazon Japan sales ranking) is not a good sign for Sony.
Tane, an editor for culture mag Continue, was originally of the opinion that the PS3 would follow the PS2 as this generation's leading console. Less than a year of the console being on sale, apparently, has convinced him otherwise.
While the PS3 has undoubtedly had its woes - and continues to lag behind the Wii and 360 in terms of hardware sales - isn't it a bit premature to describe it as a failure?
This is a console, after all, that Sony maintains will have a ten year lifespan. Sony also maintains that the PS3 is out-performing the PS2 at the same point in its life cycle.
Still, the fact that a publisher feels that it can have success with a book going by such a sensationalist title (and it is - the book currently ranks Number 15 on the Amazon Japan sales ranking) is not a good sign for Sony.
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SuperSaiyan4 10 Sep 2007 12:04
1/17
I prefer the 360 but have a PS3 but here is the thing, how has it failed when it sells a lot in Japan and still sells in other countries?
Also Sony hasn't said it has failed, its just selling a lot slower than the PS2 because lets face it firstly the PS2 has tons more games and the PS2 is tons cheaper than a PS3...
If you sell the PS3 at the same price as the PS2 then no doubt it will probably be at the top spot...
Also Sony hasn't said it has failed, its just selling a lot slower than the PS2 because lets face it firstly the PS2 has tons more games and the PS2 is tons cheaper than a PS3...
If you sell the PS3 at the same price as the PS2 then no doubt it will probably be at the top spot...
tyrion 10 Sep 2007 12:30
2/17
SuperSaiyan4 wrote:
Also Sony hasn't said it has failed, its just selling a lot slower than the PS2 because lets face it firstly the PS2 has tons more games and the PS2 is tons cheaper than a PS3...
The PS3 is selling fewer units than the PS2 at the moment, but is apparently selling better than the PS2 did at this point in its lifecycle. Also, if you believe them, VGChartz say that the PS3 is selling exactly the same as the 360 was at this point in its lifecycle.
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YenRug 10 Sep 2007 12:32
3/17
The book is probably as much about how the PS3 has failed culturally, as it is about any commercial failure, in Japan. A good 6 months before the Wii was released, I read an editorial by a videogame journalist living in Japan, it made interesting reading even at that early stage.
Japan, whilst very modern technologically, is still very traditional culturally, in a lot of ways. The author explained that Japanese acceptance of something has a kind of critical mass, once it passes that then everyone else feels they must do or own that item in order to conform and not been seen as a social failure. If there are competing items in a group, then the first to achieve it gains dominance in the long-term.
In the last generation of videogame systems, PlayStation 2 hit the ground running, thanks to the original PlayStation, and quickly became the de facto system of choice. The Nintendo DS, thanks to the all-age group targetting of certain pieces of software, achieved this quite early on in its battle with the PSP.
The author then went on to explain how the Wii was already making itself, long before launch, the system that caught people's attentions and desires. It didn't help that the Japanese were being put of by Sony's haughty admonitions that they would be the creators of the next generation of videogame systems.
As it stands, the Wii has caught the popular opinion in Japan and is now seen as the system to own, if you want to fit in. Whilst the PS3 might still go on to have decent sales, it is unlikely to be the market leader and replace the Wii as the must-have. In this sense, yes, the PS3 can be classed as a failure, already.
Japan, whilst very modern technologically, is still very traditional culturally, in a lot of ways. The author explained that Japanese acceptance of something has a kind of critical mass, once it passes that then everyone else feels they must do or own that item in order to conform and not been seen as a social failure. If there are competing items in a group, then the first to achieve it gains dominance in the long-term.
In the last generation of videogame systems, PlayStation 2 hit the ground running, thanks to the original PlayStation, and quickly became the de facto system of choice. The Nintendo DS, thanks to the all-age group targetting of certain pieces of software, achieved this quite early on in its battle with the PSP.
The author then went on to explain how the Wii was already making itself, long before launch, the system that caught people's attentions and desires. It didn't help that the Japanese were being put of by Sony's haughty admonitions that they would be the creators of the next generation of videogame systems.
As it stands, the Wii has caught the popular opinion in Japan and is now seen as the system to own, if you want to fit in. Whilst the PS3 might still go on to have decent sales, it is unlikely to be the market leader and replace the Wii as the must-have. In this sense, yes, the PS3 can be classed as a failure, already.
deleted 10 Sep 2007 13:37
4/17
Failed!, dont they mean why it has failed to take the world by storm like was expected, because it certainly hasnt failed, its just lagging at the moment, time will tell, but i dont hold my breath for a major boost in sales anytime soon, with halo 3 on the horizon and the Wii`s big big libary of Pre xmas titles, but it could still turn it around, but doubtful this side of 2008.
Joji 10 Sep 2007 14:17
5/17
Bizarre to hear of such a book coming from japan. Sony officially will never admit openly of the PS3 failure, because of corporate 'never say die' tactics. They compare it to PS2 sales, because they can't do so to Wii and 360. A typical business/PR move.
I've been a gamer for many years now, and also a keen watcher of the ups and downs of the industry. I still remember that E3 not so long ago, when the Nintendo were up against the ropes, with Sony still holding the industry belt. N64 and GC were cool consoles with great games, but both were a big blow to Nintendo.
I still remember that time. Nintendo magazines were next to empty content wise for months and all seemed bleak. When many said Sony would rule again, I disagreed. Why did I disagree back then, against the status quo?
Because I feel Nintendo are a three strikes and your out kind of company. Their past is littered with success and failure (decisions good and bad), both which they have learned much from, and in some cases have more learning to do all the time. I knew that if they failed to trump PS3 and PSP, it could well see them exiting the industry like Sega. Sega's surprising fate, after so many years of success, was an important warning shot across Nintendo's bow, that they had to get Wii and DS right. It would have been a shame to go out of the industry, Sega's way. Nintendo came out fighting and the rest is gaming history, against great odds.
Nintendo have had three major failures in the past, SNES CD Rom, that PS1 was born from, Virtual Boy and N64 64DD add on. The later proved they needed to move to a cd/dvd format eventually. PS1 proved that they were wrong on the cd front and Virtual Boy proved Virtual Reality was nothing but a major fad. These failures were vital to learn from, even f money was lost. If you factor the GC into that equation as a result, it was a major shift in where they should have been in the first place. GC getting late to the market was what really hurt them most.
Time has been a big player in Nintendo's fate for a while now, since the SNES days. They've arrived late and lacked forward thinking hardware wise, in places, while their games are always forward thinking. N64 and Mario 64 are a good example of this.
We know Nintendo aren't as heavily entrenched in hardware like Sony, and it could be said this is Nintendo's strength, the focus on games with tech as a later catalyst to play them. Nintendo have always been keen on experimentation to achieve this. Look at their recent consoles and you'll see more thought has gone into their controls than they innards of the consoles themselves. Is this where they are lacking? Perhaps so (GC and more so now Wii, should have had a hard drive by now), and I hope they get it right eventually, soon if not next gen. Thinking of games and gamers is great, but without thinking of outside developers much, they can easily create problems.
I've sometimes thought that if someone who knows PCs well, worked at Nintendo their console tech might better (in tech terms not build and reliability quality) , enough to appease developers/publishers. Always room to learn new tricks, but time isn't kind to slow pokes. I'd be very surprised if the Wii successor didn't have a hard drive, as the same way Nintendo introduced pads, wireless pads etc, hard drives could soon be/are standard fare. With a hard drive comes demos, something Nintendo still fail to exploit bizarrely and something 3rd parties would love to see (the success of Live, proves what an effective tool a demo can be).
PS3s problems stem from Sony investing too much faith in tech, Blu Ray and films, an interesting flip side of the Nintendo coin. Sony priced themselves out of the market and Nintendo priced themselves in. Cheaper Wii development wasn't enough to tempt developers/publishers from PS3 or 360, and now many of them are paying the price for dismissing Wii through tech and fad angles. This is why Nintendo's move for the casual gamer was so effective and important, and none of us saw it coming, yes, not even me. So, even if the big boy developers/publishers don't and bite Wii, like previous gens, Nintendo can still survive in another way, thus insuring their future and ours, either way hardcore gamers still get served. .
The morals of this story are don't underestimate the competition, when you are high on the cloud of success. Its a long fall from grace, if you make bad choices with a big ego (yep, I'm talking to you, Sony). Listen to those who put you where you are and sometimes act accordingly. All the big three can learn from these, as well as each other.
Indeed, PS3 is a commercial failure (like GC previously and ironically, despite some great games), and frankly I feel despite it being s**t hot hardware, its beyond saving, because Sony are letting greed and pride cloud their judgement. They are not in any position to dictate price terms, either cut the price heavily or its a slow motion death from a high cloud. Eight million ways to die, choose one Sony.
I'd like to read this book, I hope it gets a translation.
I've been a gamer for many years now, and also a keen watcher of the ups and downs of the industry. I still remember that E3 not so long ago, when the Nintendo were up against the ropes, with Sony still holding the industry belt. N64 and GC were cool consoles with great games, but both were a big blow to Nintendo.
I still remember that time. Nintendo magazines were next to empty content wise for months and all seemed bleak. When many said Sony would rule again, I disagreed. Why did I disagree back then, against the status quo?
Because I feel Nintendo are a three strikes and your out kind of company. Their past is littered with success and failure (decisions good and bad), both which they have learned much from, and in some cases have more learning to do all the time. I knew that if they failed to trump PS3 and PSP, it could well see them exiting the industry like Sega. Sega's surprising fate, after so many years of success, was an important warning shot across Nintendo's bow, that they had to get Wii and DS right. It would have been a shame to go out of the industry, Sega's way. Nintendo came out fighting and the rest is gaming history, against great odds.
Nintendo have had three major failures in the past, SNES CD Rom, that PS1 was born from, Virtual Boy and N64 64DD add on. The later proved they needed to move to a cd/dvd format eventually. PS1 proved that they were wrong on the cd front and Virtual Boy proved Virtual Reality was nothing but a major fad. These failures were vital to learn from, even f money was lost. If you factor the GC into that equation as a result, it was a major shift in where they should have been in the first place. GC getting late to the market was what really hurt them most.
Time has been a big player in Nintendo's fate for a while now, since the SNES days. They've arrived late and lacked forward thinking hardware wise, in places, while their games are always forward thinking. N64 and Mario 64 are a good example of this.
We know Nintendo aren't as heavily entrenched in hardware like Sony, and it could be said this is Nintendo's strength, the focus on games with tech as a later catalyst to play them. Nintendo have always been keen on experimentation to achieve this. Look at their recent consoles and you'll see more thought has gone into their controls than they innards of the consoles themselves. Is this where they are lacking? Perhaps so (GC and more so now Wii, should have had a hard drive by now), and I hope they get it right eventually, soon if not next gen. Thinking of games and gamers is great, but without thinking of outside developers much, they can easily create problems.
I've sometimes thought that if someone who knows PCs well, worked at Nintendo their console tech might better (in tech terms not build and reliability quality) , enough to appease developers/publishers. Always room to learn new tricks, but time isn't kind to slow pokes. I'd be very surprised if the Wii successor didn't have a hard drive, as the same way Nintendo introduced pads, wireless pads etc, hard drives could soon be/are standard fare. With a hard drive comes demos, something Nintendo still fail to exploit bizarrely and something 3rd parties would love to see (the success of Live, proves what an effective tool a demo can be).
PS3s problems stem from Sony investing too much faith in tech, Blu Ray and films, an interesting flip side of the Nintendo coin. Sony priced themselves out of the market and Nintendo priced themselves in. Cheaper Wii development wasn't enough to tempt developers/publishers from PS3 or 360, and now many of them are paying the price for dismissing Wii through tech and fad angles. This is why Nintendo's move for the casual gamer was so effective and important, and none of us saw it coming, yes, not even me. So, even if the big boy developers/publishers don't and bite Wii, like previous gens, Nintendo can still survive in another way, thus insuring their future and ours, either way hardcore gamers still get served. .
The morals of this story are don't underestimate the competition, when you are high on the cloud of success. Its a long fall from grace, if you make bad choices with a big ego (yep, I'm talking to you, Sony). Listen to those who put you where you are and sometimes act accordingly. All the big three can learn from these, as well as each other.
Indeed, PS3 is a commercial failure (like GC previously and ironically, despite some great games), and frankly I feel despite it being s**t hot hardware, its beyond saving, because Sony are letting greed and pride cloud their judgement. They are not in any position to dictate price terms, either cut the price heavily or its a slow motion death from a high cloud. Eight million ways to die, choose one Sony.
I'd like to read this book, I hope it gets a translation.
Steviepunk 10 Sep 2007 15:05
6/17
While I would agree with most other posters, the PS3 is not really a failure compared to the performance of the PS2 at this stage in it's life, however compared to the 360 and the Wii, it is failing. Total sales are not relevant in that regard, there is a 1st place, a 2nd place and a 3rd (last) place - currently the PS3 occupies the 3rd place (pun intended - maybe the PS2 marketing team could tell the future...). For Sony, the sales will work out and they'll make money on it (not to mention the Blu Ray foothold), however they wanted 1st place and haven't got it.
The other mentioned in the article that always gets to me is the quote "10 year" thing. Everyone seems to act like this means it will be 10 years until the PS4 - I'd highly doubt that will be the case.
What was the life span of the PS1? around 10 years, it continued to be sold all through the PS2s reign, likewise the PS2 will probably be with us for another 5 years along side the PS3.
So in around 5 years I'm sure we'll see the PS4, which will take the spotlight while the PS3 continues to be sold for many more years.
The other mentioned in the article that always gets to me is the quote "10 year" thing. Everyone seems to act like this means it will be 10 years until the PS4 - I'd highly doubt that will be the case.
What was the life span of the PS1? around 10 years, it continued to be sold all through the PS2s reign, likewise the PS2 will probably be with us for another 5 years along side the PS3.
So in around 5 years I'm sure we'll see the PS4, which will take the spotlight while the PS3 continues to be sold for many more years.
deleted 10 Sep 2007 15:05
7/17
Joji wrote:
Long ass Comment
in full agreement Joji,
Also wasnt the gamecube`s hardware technically better than the ps2`s and if so doesnt this show that raw power doesnt = success?
Steviepunk wrote:
So in around 5 years I'm sure we'll see the PS4, which will take the spotlight while the PS3 continues to be sold for many more years.
Just in time for the general consumer to take up HD movies. and then we will only have another 5 years to wait until Sony expects HD downloads to become possible.
alexh2o 10 Sep 2007 15:16
8/17
If Blu-ray fails then the PS3 can be classed as a failure (at the moment). If Blu-ray wins, then no matter how badly the PS3 does it can be classed as a success due to its key role in winning the format war and making Sony billions in Blu-ray royalties.
Crisko 10 Sep 2007 16:17
9/17
haritori wrote:
Also wasnt the gamecube`s hardware technically better than the ps2`s and if so doesnt this show that raw power doesnt = success?
Exactly. PS2 was a bitch to program for too with its awkward video chip (split into 3 VDPs) and a measly 4Mb video RAM but developers still achieved amazing things on it because they knew it was worth the time and effort with the installed user base it had. Hence, XBox and GC ports of PS2 games looked on par with them alot of time but then Resi 4 and Halo 2 show off what those respective consoles could do, granted Resi 4 still looked very good on PS2 but it proves my aforementioned point.
I have to agree with everything said RE: the PS3 having "failed". I do prefer the 360 because of its games and I don't think the PS3 is more powerful than the 360 as Sony and its army of fan boys would like you to believe. However, all that said, I think its a good piece of kit with plenty of potential and its far too early to say its failed. Sales will pick up and Sony will have to bite the bullet eventually with a price drop.
Someone mentioned Japanese culture having this mass acceptance mindset. There was a sketch (Adam and Joe, I think) where they paid this Japanese girl to start screaming, "OMG, its Adam and Joe!!!" and within 30 mins there was a massive crowd round them all taking photographs and fighting to get a look. Police had to come and sort it out because it was spilling onto the road. Nobody could pass without trying to get a photograph because that would be going against the crowd (literally).
Joji 10 Sep 2007 16:52
10/17
The way things are going with Blu Ray, its far from over wit HD-DVD. The other day Sony were saying they'd like MS to have a Blu Ray add-on too. That sounds like freaking desperation to me.
hollywooda 11 Sep 2007 10:55
11/17
After the PS2 Sony had it all lay'd out, all they had to do was build on its massive success by giving gamers what they wanted!!!...did they?, no...they gave us what they wanted... however you cook it, Sony throwing away the games console lead they had after the PS2 is a monumental fcuk up of titanic proportions!!.. & that's where the PS3 has failed....
tyrion 11 Sep 2007 12:19
12/17
hollywooda wrote:
Sony throwing away the games console lead they had after the PS2 is a monumental fcuk up of titanic proportions!!.. & that's where the PS3 has failed....
I won't deny that the PS3 hasn't sold the amounts we all expected it to after all of the hype, but it's apparently selling better than the PS2 did and according to VGChartz it's selling almost exactly what the 360 did worldwide if you align the launches.
The 360 has its head start and is doing well on the back of that. However, if I remember correctly, the weekly sales were slowing down recently. Obviously they sped up again after the price cuts, but then the same should happen for the PS3 when it gets a price cut.
The Wii is, of course, spanking everybody. However, there is a risk of the Breville effect hitting if they don't keep the hardcore gamers happy.
I think it's still too early to call anything. A good exclusive on any platform may change the landscape considerably. I'm still sticking with my 40/30/30% split for PS3/360/Wii estimate that I have been forecasting for a while now.
The PS3 may need that 10 year lifespan to get up to 40%, but I think it'll get there.
hollywooda 11 Sep 2007 13:53
13/17
two simple things will massively help the PS3 out of it hole, 1). AAA exclusive titles, good games that are PS3 & only PS3, its what killed the compertition for the PS1/2. 2). A price cut, & i mean! a price cut, no packages no films no games just 300 quid for a PS3...simple really.
deleted 11 Sep 2007 13:56
14/17
hollywooda wrote:
two simple things will massively help the PS3 out of it hole, 1). AAA exclusive titles, good games that are PS3 & only PS3, its what killed the compertition for the PS1/2. 2). A price cut, & i mean! a price cut, no packages no films no games just 300 quid for a PS3...simple really.
Bingo Bango Bongo!
tyrion 11 Sep 2007 18:42
15/17
hollywooda wrote:
two simple things will massively help the PS3 out of it hole, 1). AAA exclusive titles, good games that are PS3 & only PS3, its what killed the compertition for the PS1/2. 2). A price cut, & i mean! a price cut, no packages no films no games just 300 quid for a PS3...simple really.
You got it in, erm, two!
Exclusives are coming, Warhawk is excellent, Heavenly Sword will amaze window shoppers like nothing since "The Juggler" or Microcosm and Little Big Planet managed to put a giggle into Tim's mouth, so will win over anybody.
Price cut; I'm expecting one in time for Christmas, but I'm betting it'll be £350 or so.
deleted 11 Sep 2007 18:56
16/17
tyrion wrote:
hollywooda wrote:
two simple things will massively help the PS3 out of it hole, 1). AAA exclusive titles, good games that are PS3 & only PS3, its what killed the compertition for the PS1/2. 2). A price cut, & i mean! a price cut, no packages no films no games just 300 quid for a PS3...simple really.
You got it in, erm, two!
Exclusives are coming, Warhawk is excellent, Heavenly Sword will amaze window shoppers like nothing since "The Juggler" or Microcosm and Little Big Planet managed to put a giggle into Tim's mouth, so will win over anybody.
Price cut; I'm expecting one in time for Christmas, but I'm betting it'll be £350 or so.
tyrion wrote:
Price cut; I'm expecting one in time for Christmas, but I'm betting it'll be £350 or so.
the question is though, will 360 also have another price cut? and if so how will the PS3 AAA titles do against 360`s(s**tload of em) AAA titles?.add Wii into the equation and its AAA titles and i will stand by my guess that the PS3 isnt going to see big big sales until 2008
I believe its going to take Final Fantasy and MGS to shift some units over and above what its competitors are.
hollywooda 12 Sep 2007 08:53
17/17
i think you can 4get chrimbo this year... i'd say by the mid/end of next year the PS3 will start to become more like what we expected it to be. In my eyes its still got a loooong way to go. I'm still looking for a reason to buy 1, & if the price doesnt drop low quick then i dont think even the mighty MGS4 can make me buy a 400 quid console 4 1 game. I've made my gaming life on the 360 now with my gamertag my online friends my gamerscore the PS3 has just lost too much ground for me & until the games dry up for the 360 or suddenly every games developer start only making PS3 exclusives, i'm not gonna bother. Shame i really enjoyed my PS1/2.