While checking the websites stats as i like to do from time to time, i did come across some rather interesting information. Looking at the section which tells me what terms people used in search engines before coming across PlayStation Gamer UK. There were the normal “PlayStation UK” and “killzone 2 pre-order” terms, the one which stood out the most however was that was a considerable amount of people (so much so it was the second most searched term before visiting this website ) entering “Will Sony Cancel the PlayStation 3″.
While clearly the people entering these searches are most likely not that familiar with the gaming industry and clearly unaware that the PlayStation 3 has seen solid sales since its release and like all consoles isn’t going to go everywhere. It does peg the question why did they ask it in the first place. After looking into it there are some reasons why they may ask the question.
The first of which is the recent NPD data which has been released for November and a lot of the mainstream news outlets have taken this data and focused on how the PlayStation 3 sales were down on this time last year in the US. Now the average person may read this and come to the quick conclusion that this means that sony are going to stop making it which then makes them going on to google and see whats actually going on.
The second reason is less likely to be true however its worth being mentioned. When browsing other websites i have noticed in the user comments that they believe there is a lack of any real advertising for the PS3 over in the USA. While this isn’t the case in the UK since both the PS3 and PSP have seen plenty of air time over the hoilday season, if this is actually the case in America some people may think that Sony are giving up on the console since they no longer seen any adverts for it.
I hope this article as got you thinking and it does actually provide a good insight into what the public are thinking about Games consoles and how they are doing. I also hope that if anyone else comes onto this website after searching that term that they will see that the PlayStation 3 is doing fine and that with a line up of great titles such as Killzone 2 and God Of War III hitting in 2009 the only way is up for it.
Featured Comment
January 4, 2009 at 6:08 am
wow, just WOW. thanks for the article.I didnt find this article by searching if sony will cancel the PS3 but I do know they’re not doing bad just bad compared to the 360 and wii.Am I right or is this just correct for sales in a certain region? I love my PS3 and am glad I chose it over the 360 in July although I would love to have a 360. I now see the PS3’s pros and capabilities more than ever and love it.
January 4, 2009 at 7:01 am
Sony to cancel to PS3. I can’t believe you even thought for a second that that could be a possibility. If they cancel it, what would they turn to? A PS4? If they are having sales issues, they just need to slap a bit of a price cut, but cutting the PS3….never.
January 4, 2009 at 7:19 am
Being a webmaster of a site that gets more than 1 visit a day, I can tell you that you aren’t getting any hits for “killzone 2 pre-order” and that you’ve probably only had one hit for “will Sony cancel the PS3?”
This story is an embarrassment. Are you actually 12?
—————–
Comment Edited by PS Gamer UK – 4/2/2008
Thanks for your comment, but i will asure you that this site does get more than 1 hit a day in fact the average daily visits is a four digit number, but shouldn’t you really be focusing on your own site rather than coming on here an trying to insult this one?
As for the story being an embarrassment, i’m not sure if you are aware or not, but this is an Opinion site and the writer of this article was doing nothing else but stating his opinion on the matter that we do receive a number of hits from people searching for “are sony going to cancel the PS3″. Now if you honestly have a problem with that feel free to contact us as playstationgameruk@googlemail.com and we can discuss the issue further.
January 4, 2009 at 8:03 am
wow thats true huh, i see the ps3 on the t.v sometimes but see the 360 all the time, only time will tell. . . .
January 4, 2009 at 8:14 am
I really doubt that would happen anytime soon. I mean, the PS3 has a couple of good games right now like both resistance, uncharted, warhawk, MGS4, little big planet, heavenly sword, Eye of Judgement, naruto:ultimate ninja storm, both motorstorms, lair (yes, lair is pretty good. I like the story, gameplay and graphics), and the Smackdown vs Raw 2009 special edition that came only for PS3…I think. Also, it has a couple of good PSN titles like Pain, Pixel Junk Monster and Eden, Flow, Calling All Cars (when it the dirst time, was good. Now, there are better games.), Loco Roco Cocorecho, and Super Stardust HD. Plus, playing online is free. Playing Resistance 2 co-op or competitive is awesome….SPECIALLY if it’s free. Crazy 60 players games with no lag. Not to mention that the PS3 has blu-ray already installed. Man, The Dark knight, 300, Transformers and Wanted on blu-ray it looks totally sick, Specially The Dark Knight. Home is great too. Chatting, going to the theater, playing, the dancing lines or groups that people do are histerical. There are more things that the PS3 has like web browser, downloading clips and pics from the web browser, remote play with the psp, the music visuals of the planet (beautiful), the slideshow of the picks with music at the same time, life with playstation, sending picks to friends, the free themes and the ones that the Playstation Store are selling, CHARING bought games and add-ons with family members that have a PS3 (PSN titles), hard drive change(is cheaper than the other console), and the future titles of 2009 that the article already mentions. Oh, and keep an eye on Quantum Theory, Final Fantasy versus XIII, Final Fantasy: Advent Children Complete (blu-ray with Final Fantasy XIII demo), and many other things. Now, Sony cancelling PS3?….doubt that.
January 4, 2009 at 12:35 pm
ok lmao.. there not ganna cancle the ps3 why would you guys even think that ps1 and ps2 were a succes and ps3 just need more of a push just on the price side becouse free online,HOME, ps3>xbox360 games
January 4, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Well…. i must say Microsoft is doing a good work, by doing BS against Sony with bad rumors all the time, “good work” Microsoft!, it sounds like your reputation all the way in this kind of “news”.
January 4, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Was this article written by a 10 year old?
January 4, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Really this just getting plain childish. Why are people picking away at every morsel of information. Jesus NPD only once source of information about the gaming industry they dont cover the whole industry. Information sent to NPD only through participating retailers.
If you want to see how good MS or Sony are doing why dont you read the stocks and shares.
January 4, 2009 at 3:10 pm
yet a other retarted fan boy making shit up cuz he knows the ps3 pwns the 360 anyday
January 4, 2009 at 4:32 pm
NPD numbers don’t mean a thing to the shareholders who still see the gaming division hemorrhaging money. The worlds economy isn’t getting any better for years so if the company doesn’t shorten its timetable to profit I don’t see where its unreasonable to think such a thing. They sell the PS3 at a loss and their licensing revenue isn’t breaking even yet.
They are laying off a good percentage of their employees and already restructured a year ago. Next step is looking at divisions that are not generating working revenue I’d think. May not be the PS3, but don’t fool yourselves thinking that the people who make the decision, whos only motivation is their dividend check, won’t be looking at it at some point.
January 4, 2009 at 6:12 pm
You need an editor!
This is “writing” is just lethargic. You can’t even capitalize “i”.
January 4, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Ya dude, you’re right, there really is very little PS3 marketing in North America. It’s ironic when you think about it. Microsoft can’t manage to combat those Mac vs. PC commercials but they’ve launched a huge marketing campaign for the 360. Whether you like Microsoft or not you have to say they’re doing a good job marketing their product, it’s a shame Sony wouldn’t try harder.
January 4, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Atrociously written but a good point nonetheless.
January 4, 2009 at 7:40 pm
If Sony were to cancel the PS3…..the entire videogame industry would go with it. Casual gamers are not going to purchase games regularly enough to keep the industry afloat, the industry needs a machine that has the neccessary games to asppeal to the hardcore crowd – the ones that actually buy more than 2 games a year – the PS3 is the only console that has those games.
Do you really think the videogame industry could thrive on a bunch of unused Wii’s and a console with no exclusive games that blows up one third of the time??? So in answer to the question……only mentally retarded members of the public could possibly believe Sony would cancel the entire videogame industry.
January 4, 2009 at 8:30 pm
There are plenty of PS3 ads still around in America, FWIW.
I agree that this article is badly-written, and the worst thing is, it looks like the writer could have done better if they bothered to put in some effort. That makes me reflexively question whether their research is also sloppy. I know facility with languages is unrelated to knowledge about the gaming industry, but laziness is laziness.
January 4, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Here is my analysis.
Sony would have dropped PS3 if they could. They can’t right now because they have an outstanding supply contract with Toshiba to keep buying PS3 chipsets for a fixed period of time when Sony sold its PS3 chip foundry to Toshiba.
Sort of like how Sega kept producing 10 millionth Dreamcast before announcing Dreamcast cancellation, because they had outstanding supply contracts to resolve.
Since Sony sold off PS3 chipset foundry to Toshiba back in March 2008, Sony will likely produce PS3 until March 2010 before announcing official cancellation. In the mean time, Sony will stop promoting PS3 and keep the price at the current level.
January 4, 2009 at 8:52 pm
@ David Macphail Says:
> If Sony were to cancel the PS3…..the entire videogame industry would go with it.
In the US, Xbox 360 accounts for 70% of sales for 3rd party publishers. 3rd parties have already written off PS3 and this is why 3rd parties are so eager to sign exclusivity deals with Microsoft for little money.
January 4, 2009 at 8:56 pm
The PS3 won’t be canceled but don’t pretend its selling, cuz its not.
January 4, 2009 at 8:59 pm
sony isnt canceling anything your just tryin to get some publicity
Edited by PS Gamer UK 4/1/2009
Hi Thanks for your comment. However can you please state where in this post, does it claim that the PlayStation 3 is getting canceled?
Thank you
January 4, 2009 at 9:22 pm
[...] Read the full article here There are currently no comments highlighted. [...]
January 4, 2009 at 9:51 pm
People are asking this question, because they are familiar with the game industry. These are probably people that remember Atari cancelling the Jaguar, Panasonic cancelling its 3-DO line of products, Sega cancelling its Saturn, and finally Sega cancelling its Dreamcast. I realize that some of those are examples of flops way beyond the PS3, but there was a time when everyone believed Sega would be in the console races forever. In fact there was a time that Sega dominated the industry with its Sega Genesis. Now Sega is out of the console races, because they like all companies couldn’t afford to lose an incredible amount of money on their consoles. Well here we are in 2009, Sony has seen some incredible successes with its Playstation systems, but the PS3 is a financial disaster. Sony loses billions of dollars a year on the PS3, and people have to ask how long is Sony willing to weather these losses. It’s a legitimate question, I know I’m wondering if Sony will cancel the PS3 myself.
January 4, 2009 at 11:37 pm
In the US, Xbox 360 accounts for 70% of sales for 3rd party publishers. 3rd parties have already written off PS3 and this is why 3rd parties are so eager to sign exclusivity deals with Microsoft for little money.
yeah thats why ps3 is the lead project on most games nowadays… 70%? not that much
January 5, 2009 at 12:27 am
Well actually, the Sony PS3 and PSP are down in sales. According to a recent study, the Nintendo DS are way up in sales versus the PSP which is actually down 27% in sales. According to another research, in Japan almost 8 Nintendo Wii’s sold for everyone 1 PS3. The Nintendo Wii has sold ALOT more than the PS3. I think the reason is because the Nintendo Wii is unique and different than the latest gaming systems. All systems have a type of controller which you sit down and play. The Wii added a twist to that by making the player actually get up and move.
January 5, 2009 at 1:11 am
They want their poor code back.
January 5, 2009 at 1:32 am
@Sam,
I really like you analysis of past consoles. They do say history tends to repeat itself, especially when looking at the PS3 on the lines of the 3DO and Jaguar. The price was simply too much for the market to catch on, therefore they lost their developers. I know there are other underlying reasons behind their demise, but I can’t help to think that PS3 tempted fate and now Lachesis is measing the PS3 up and Atropos has her scissors ready. And remember, even the gods feared the Moirae (3 Sisters of Fate)!
January 5, 2009 at 2:50 am
@ Deadmeat
I find your analysis and prediction for Sony to be spot on. You show incredible wisdom in this area. Sony will likely bow out sometime in 2012, when the industry and owners start pressuring for information on the next console from them. By that time, they will have potentially made back some of their losses and can write off the game division.
My prediction:
1. Microsoft announces the specs for the XBOX 720 at E3 in 2010.
2. Microsoft releases the XBOX 720 in the summer of 2011.
3. One year later, Sony gets pressured by the industry press to make their announcement.
4. There is no word from Sony.
5. The industry realizes that there will not be a PS3 around holidays 2011.
And Sony has said there are no plans for a PS4:
http://www.psu.com/Reeves-has-no-knowledge-of-PlayStation-4–a0005799-p0.php
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/784/1018784/sony-mulls-dropping-ps4-plans-bloke-reckons
http://www.codenamerevolution.com/?p=8005
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Sony-Says-There-Are-No-Plans-For-a-PlayStation-4-100430.shtml
http://www.acidmods.com/news/?p=292
Ouch. And the PS3 sales for the holiday are down 20% from those last year! Do you think that is helping Sony any?
To the complete fool above that stated that the PS3 is the lead console for developing games. What a joke and total fabrication! You read that on a Sony Fanboy blog, did you? Yeah…..
January 5, 2009 at 3:48 am
A couple of considerations to bear in mind- I don’t work or guarantee this, but:
1. Sony has been successful with the BlueRay standard that it has incorporated into the PS3- and continues to evolve this standard with web-enabled updates of the video playback/control component of PS3- so the box serves as an important R&D component for their BlueRay
2. Sony has just invested and shipped a lower production cost PS3- demonstrating their ongoing support of this platform from a production cost of about $800 to $400 dollars per unit not including licensing (Sony also did this for PS2- releasing a smaller, more cost effective unit around mid-cycle of the product life).
3. The cell chip technology is touted as being superior to X-box and is only now being fully exploited…
4. Sony, having a production/content company- will continue to evolve the technology and will likely stay in the game for many years to come.
-Jon
http://jmerril.wordpress.com/
January 5, 2009 at 3:59 am
Very good!!
http://blackcatonedolar.wordpress.com/
January 5, 2009 at 4:19 am
I dont think sony will cancel PS3 unless sony prepare for PS4
January 5, 2009 at 4:45 am
@ jmerrill
That $400 dollars is only comparable to the $800. It is the component cost only. It does not include, as you say, licensing. Nor does it include marketing, shipping, packaging, assembly, etc. It is only the sum total of the individual pieces that make up a PS3. So much more cost is involved before it arrives at your doorstop. Still, it is a good sign. Compared to the $800 just two years ago.
My year old 40 gig PS3 model weighed almost half the weight of my launch 60 gig model. I plan on purchasing the CECHP01 model (160 gig) as that one is the only NA model that uses the 65nm Cell and 65nm RSX. It is the model that you reference from that iSuppli article circling the web.
January 5, 2009 at 5:40 am
I dont mind if the PS3 went under..
I bought..like 8 games this year alone..and I use the 360.
Yet I don’t consider myself hardcore.
“actually buy more than 2 games a year – the PS3 is the only console that has those games.”
where are you getting your information?
January 5, 2009 at 5:54 am
I dont think so
Sohail
http://iMobile.us
January 5, 2009 at 6:04 am
[...] post by Playstation Gamer UK [...]
January 5, 2009 at 7:51 am
its impossible. Sony is successful with PS1 & PS2 and even PSP. Just give PS3 some time. The blue ray disks still cost higher than dvds, thats maybe why most people dont buy PS3. But personally, i still use PS2, the fat one coz u could modify it and add hard disk and you could use it for 12 hours straight (coz good ventilation) unlike the slim PS2.
January 5, 2009 at 4:42 pm
For the idiot that said the 360 accounts for 70% of third party game sales. Perhaps you’d like to explain why EA, Ubisoft, Konami AND Take – Two make the majority of their income from PS3 sales vs any other console on the market?
This is why third party developers have already moved away from the 360 (Did you never wonder why it has no games this year???) and are signing exclusivity deals for the PS3 for NO money – do your research, moron.
Microsoft are more likely to cancel their 3 – fix – me, they’ve been hit so hard financially they’ve already been forced to close one of their own internal game studios (Ensemble, for anyone who doesn’t know) and the rumours are that Rare will be the next to bite the dust.
You 360 fanboys must really be getting desperate, then again, i suppose the PS3 being cancelled would be the only way your piece of crap console with a 33% failure rate would have any chance of winning this console war, hmm?
January 5, 2009 at 6:49 pm
well I don’t think ps3 can be cancel look at this way ps3 to me is like the new nintendo 64 for this consel generation.It not the price point that hate it or they what the blu-ray it that ps3 has hardly any good games. games are comming out this year like killzone 2 looks promissing but I feel this could be avarge shooter if gran turimo,GOW3,final fantasyXII(now coming on xbox 360 but not in japan but that googd thing for japan) and others come out this year they still have dommiate the gaming market this year or long time ago.also people don’t really care about blu-ray(though it makes lot of room for three games)or cell prossor they just what to play games that’s all hey it work for the wii and 360. so the question is ps3 getting cancel in my opinin no but it just be the nintendo 64 not the dreamcast or 3DO just the nintendo 64.
January 6, 2009 at 12:30 am
@ David McPhail
http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=34838
Even the original XBOX is played more than the PS3. No titles for 2009? You keep spouting that rhetoric and list games for the PS3 that will SUCK, that no one will buy, so what’s the point.
Heavy Rain, right.
I love your “teen in his parent’s house who knows it all” comment about developers moving away from the 360. What a joke! Developers love the 360 because Microsoft has an easy to program console, unlike that convoluted Cell that Sony put forth.
You go right ahead with your blinders on and keep enjoying your 720p, < 30 fps games with screen tearing. If that’s what floats your boat.
Sony will have certainly left their mark on the console industry when they drop out. Too bad their last mark (the PS3), was a skid mark.
20% less sales over the holidays than last year! How do you explain that one? Sony sales keep dropping further and further back from the 360. Even with all its hardware problems, you would think that Sony could overtake them, but they can’t. It is truly truly sad.
January 11, 2009 at 2:17 am
I want to start this off by saying that i own both a PS3 and a 360.
Anyone can come here and say what they want but at the end of the day its business. If a company loses enough money on a given product the only solution is to cut your loses and start over. The PS fans can say what they want but thats the truth. Do you think SONY really cares that you own their system. If they are not making a profit they could care less. And that goes for any company including MS. So to say that they might cancel is not that far off. If we have learned from the past it can happen. Remember just a few years ago everyone thought Nintendo was going to bite the dust and now they sell more systems then both Sony and MS put together.
February 1, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Oh, its great!
February 16, 2009 at 12:41 am
Wow clearly this article was written by a 12 year old 360 fan boy who is all pissed off because he can’t get his hand on a PS3 or Kill Zone 2.
And Sony will not cancel PS3 ever. They aren’t doing as bad as you think plus too many people already own a PS3, canceling it will just piss off a lot of people.