Our poor “Game Industry”! The analysts and publishers have been so depressed lately. You see, the natural order of the world is PlayStation to be market leader, Xbox to be nipping at its heels, and Nintendo way far and distant to the point of leaving the console business. Last generation, this is how things were presented even though it was not exactly the case (example: Xbox and Gamecube sales were very near one another).
So you can imagine the depression going through the “Game Industry”. Even the analysts were giving angry replies. The natural order of the universe had gone upside down. Wii became the market leader, Xbox in the middle, and PlayStation in distant last. But this never stopped the hope. 2007 was to be the year of the PlayStation. Then 2008. Then 2009. And we all know how analysts love saying ‘price cut’. They reply it to everything that is asked. If you say, “Hey analyst, what did you have for lunch?” They would reply, “A price cut!”
So the combination of a price cut, new slim model, and it being the PlayStation has the analysts and publishers orgasmic. When they make their statements, I imagine they are jumping up and down, shouting excitedly, like little kids.
What is most amusing in all this is gamesindustry.biz reporting on Amazon.com’s PS3 Slim pre-orders.
“PS3 Slim tops Amazon Pre-Order Chart”
“Amazon US warns of PS3 Slim shortages”
What is so funny about this is it is inaccurate to use Amazon.com SALES as any indication of market trend. Can you imagine a news story saying “Product X tops Amazon.com’s sales listing.” That is not a news story, and looking at Amazon’s lists for sales trends is a bad idea in general. But the “Game Industry” is so hot and bothered by the PS3 Slim and price cut, that they have resorted to reporting the PRE-ORDERS. Even the typical Amazon.com’s statement on new items of ‘only one purchase per customer’ is given a news story! It is unbelievable what news sites are crafting as their ‘stories’ these days.
Then again, it is summer, the slowest period of gaming.
Price drops and new models only offer a temporary boost to momentum. It is the software library that sustains momentum. While the over-excited analysts will be declaring, “This generation is over! Sony wins! Just as we predicted!” for the next month or two, it will be very interesting what they will say when momentum does not truly increase. Will they demand Sony perform another price-cut? $199 PS3 this time next year? PS3 sales are going to come at the expense of Xbox 360 sales.
I am very curious how much Sony is losing on the PS3 Slim. Either Slim is the cheapest of Chinese cheap or Sony is really taking it in the shorts with the price drop. Sony was still losing money at the $399 price.
It is fun to watch the “Game Industry” all happy and excited. It may be their last chance to feel this way.
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