Sony's Hirai: Repeating PS2-Size Sales for PS3 'Not Fun'

He's already seen the movie.

Posted 21 Jul 2008 by Staff

Kaz Hirai

Kaz Hirai, the chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment says that he hopes that lifetime PlayStation 3 sales will top those of the PS2. He also tells the Financial Times that the older console's sales give him a pain where the next-gen console is concerned. "It's not fun for me replicating the PS2 numbers. I've seen that movie already", he said.

According to the FT, Hirai wants to sell 150 million PS3s. The paper doesn't actually get Kaz to say as much though. It merely builds on the SCEE boss stating, "I want to try to see if we can exceed the PS2 numbers after nine years, otherwise why are we in this business?" So, this looks like a bit of maths that uses the current 140m PS2s sold and adds... 10m.

As of the end of Sony's last fiscal year (March 31st, 2008) Sony had sold 12.85 million PS3s worldwide. That's over a period that's just short of 15 months. With 12.85 million sales under its belt, Sony has 137.15 sales to go to hit its target. However, the PS2 had sold between 10 and 14 million units worldwide depending on how you read Sony's official figures.

According to everyone's favourite analyst, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, once the PS3 gets below $200 (Ł100) it will sell as well as the PS2. That doesn't look as though it's happening any time soon, however. Sony just announced that it will introduce the 80GB PS3 at the same price as the existing 40GB model (Ł299, $400 for the US). That might represent added value, but it doesn't put the console any closer to selling at below $200...

Do you think Sony will make it? Let us know in the Forum.

^{Source: Financial Times}

Companies: Sony
People: Kaz Hirai

Comments

SuperSaiyan4 21 Jul 2008 11:07

1/16

The only reason why PS2 sold that many over its life cycle was mainly due to the millions that kept breaking, the lens was a common problem and then the slimlines kept over heating. Not to mention the many versions of the PS2, standard one, different colours ,quieter one with built in ethernet, more different colours, slim line, then more different colours...

Special editions, different colours, smaller and thinner etc etc and the ones that kept failing and breaking.

spudgun 21 Jul 2008 11:38

2/16

>The only reason why PS2 sold that many blah blah

Oh someone's been drinking Toilet Duck again...

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SuperSaiyan4 21 Jul 2008 12:05

3/16

Oh look its a PS3 fanbaby that doesn't like facts still waiting for Bioshock are we? After crying for the game then saying its crap then crying for it again then a year later boom! Its on the way...Thanks for FF 13 though lmfao!

realvictory 21 Jul 2008 12:09

4/16

SuperSaiyan4 wrote:

The PS3 has plenty of time to catch up with the PS2 in those respects, so I'm that not worried.

Anyway, I don't see what the problem is - the PS3 hasn't lost anything, and no one cares whether you like them or not.

Although I'm thoroughly disappointed with Sony's delay at porting the RROD to the PS3.

SuperSaiyan4 21 Jul 2008 12:22

5/16

PS3 hasn't lost anything? Ermmm now lets see:

Sony has lost first place and is in 3rd yes 3rd.

Sony has lost the following games could be more:

Dragonball Z
Ridge Racer
Ace Combat (Only on the 360)
Devil May Cry
Final Fantasy 13

Also GTA 4 came out on both machines first instead of Sony having an exclusive time frame - oh and GTA 4 looks miles better and runs far smoother on the 360 I did a side by side comparison with both consoles on, on a 40inch 1080p Samsung and holy s**t the PS3 one was super dark even with all settings on high and stuttered constantly!

Oh and Sony tried releasing an update to the PS3 that could match what the 360 could do and they failed, instead of f**ked up lots of peoples expensive blu-ray players...

Oh and let us not forget the other major announcement Square Enix has...Am really looking forward to it ;-)

Overall the 360 has proved to be the best platform for HD gaming, it offers far more than the PS3 and has better quality games, graphics, online service, content and accessories that you can choose to buy.

And lastly Sony go on about HD etc but where are the HD cables?? And they go on about the online but where is the headset?? Oh wait PS3 fanbabies say its about choice!! Well for f**ks sake so is the 360 thats why you can buy the wireless adaptor seperatly. Also that PS3 controller oh boy worst pad ever.

realvictory 21 Jul 2008 12:43

6/16

SuperSaiyan4 wrote:

The PS3 still has those games, except for Ace Combat. So, okay, it's lost Ace Combat...

I don't know what you mean about the Blu-ray players... Other than that, what you're trying to state as a fact is mostly subjective. The XBox 360 has more content, but that doesn't take anything away from what th PS3 has. And games are being released continually, so I don't really mind, as long as I get to play the games I want.

I never had a problem getting an HD cable, nor a Bluetooth headset; nor did I have trouble setting any of it up - so where's the problem? That they didn't bundle them? What does that stop me doing? The only relevant aspect linked to that is the cost - but we've always known that. The XBox 360 has been out for longer, didn't even have HDMI or a hard drive as standard, and doesn't play Blu-rays - so I would expect it to be cheaper.

If the main reason you have an XBox 360 and not a PS3 is because of the controller, then well done. I've had years to get used to the PS3 controller design, and it's good enough for me. Personally, I can't see any advantage the XBox 360 controller ever gave people.

IgNiZ 21 Jul 2008 18:44

7/16

Nothing against the 360 but the PS3 will eventually prove to be better value for money. There are sufficient games to keep players happy (for now) and the online service is quite good. It's power is still being harnessed so there definitely will be more games in the near future. This is my first console. PS3 for me is great value for money, especially after Bluray won over HD DVD. This is gonna be significant as the 360 is not as powerful in terms of pure processing power and it does not have the HD DVD anymore to have mountain sized games to store. Plus, the HD DVD drive when it existed was still a separate piece of machinery. The PS3 on the other hand is all in one. The price? I am happy with it. I pay for a game console + Blu ray player. It's a proper media center for me. 360 will definitely have to make some h/w changes to eventually deal with powerhouse games that will come out on the blu ray. Also, they just can keep piling separate pieces of hardware as addons for too long.

Daz 21 Jul 2008 18:45

8/16

where are the HD cables??

Currys, Dixons, Comet take ya pick.

And they go on about the online but where is the headset??

Carphone Warehouse, any phone shop really

IgNiZ 21 Jul 2008 18:59

9/16

With Regards to the HD cables. Yes, as a consumer it would seem odd not to pack one with the PS3. I purchased HDMI cables from amazon, paying 8.99 for two cables. Perhaps overall production and packaging cost might have been a bit too much. None the less, an odd decision to not pack HD cables with a HD gaming device. But, not something to put me off the device itself.

shadowpal2 21 Jul 2008 20:02

10/16

Wow 150 million PS3s. Hmm...Sony can do it. Honestly - they can do it!!!! They have the hardware, now what they need is more exclusive software. Once they get those. It'll be back on track just like the PS2. The PS2 was so successful due to the fact it had such a variety of titles. Sony so far leads the charge with MGS 4 but with FFXIII exclusivity gone, Sony has to try harder. However they still have Final Fantasy Versus XIII which is actually more hyped up than FFXIII. They're going to need more software however like I've said before. Once they release HOME out, they can compete with online service fairly well. However 2.41 firmware update is pretty good with the whole in game XMB capabilities. All Sony has to do is find developers that can fully master PS3's potential and basically establish a very strong network. They're close to the network. But they gotta work on software.

kickedcann 21 Jul 2008 23:33

11/16

i had my ps2 wen it first came out and i still have working fine and still playing it...going to switch to ps3 christmas hopefully..i hope sony reaches their goal their my faverete gaming company..they need to put trophies in those ps one classics that would be sweet./.

deleted 22 Jul 2008 01:06

12/16

SuperSaiyan4 wrote:

seriously, i can get the fact you hate, yes hate the PS3, you love your 360 and a pround Fanboy, but didnt you own a PS2? i mean even if your MS through and through before the XBOX didnt you have a PS2? were you Dreamcast only or Gamecube Man/boy/child/idiot?

Why Diss something that gave the games industry something good something that made gaming pretty mainstream?

and why are you bringing up lens problems when 360 has RROD which far out weighs the lens problems?

PreciousRoi 22 Jul 2008 01:30

13/16

Mebbe he stuck with his PlayStation for a year, I did. I borrowed a PS2 from a friend and played a bit of Gran Turismo 3 and I think I played some other game, Kessen perhaps at his house. The word I was getting at the time was that in order to "Link" PS2s together one would need to use FireWire, and connecting even two consoles together would require a rather pricey hub. Of course I later learned that cheaper USB would suffice, but I was still sore at Sony over not supporting the Link Cable in the original PS and was looking forward to playting a game that was never released. (mooted Xbox port of a PC Medal of Honor game, would have been, far FAR, FAR superiort to the tardy PS2 retread of Frontline, and would have likely been an early Sytem Link monster) Two other friends of mine also held off and waited for the Xbox in anticipation of System Link goodness, and we ended up recruiting even more, eventually had a nice little LAN group of around 8, sometimes we even managed to all be there at the same time. Those were the Good Old Days...

We shall not see their like again.

SPInGSPOnG 22 Jul 2008 09:24

14/16

SuperSaiyan4 wrote:

Sony has lost the following games could be more:

Dragonball Z
Ridge Racer
Devil May Cry
Final Fantasy 13

I've resisted the urge to call you a king sized tool many times. Not because you are not obviously a king sized tool - but because other people here have done an admirable job of pointing the fact out. But this time, I have got to say, what f**king planet are you on, you stool?

Sony has not lost those games, they are still coming out on the PS3. Xbox 360 has gained them. That's a completely different thing.

Ace Combat - who really would care if it never came out again on any console.?

Also that PS3 controller oh boy worst pad ever.

You see... you may think that. But no-one cares what you think.

PreciousRoi 22 Jul 2008 12:19

15/16

'sides, everyone knows that the Worst Pad Ever is a toss-up between the two that bookended Nintendo's best pad ever(SNES). The original NES pad was just garbage, and the 64 pad was an abomination.

schnide 22 Jul 2008 12:39

16/16

PreciousRoi wrote:

'sides, everyone knows that the Worst Pad Ever is a toss-up between the two that bookended Nintendo's best pad ever(SNES). The original NES pad was just garbage, and the 64 pad was an abomination.

I don't think you can call the N64 pad an abomination. The left hand side of it was useless, but the right hand side was perfect for GoldenEye.

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