PS3 comes in 5th in sales for April

[sir clinksalot]

The PS3 was not only beaten by the Wii and the 360, but also the nine year old PS2.

PS3 bested by older brother - plugged in - Yahoo! Games

According to official April figures released by the NPD Group, the Playstation 3 found itself beaten out for fifth place by an unusual competitor: its predecessor, the Playstation 2.

The PS2's success was probably the only nugget of April sales news to put smiles on the faces of Sony execs. Nintendo platforms continued their lockdown of the top spots, with the Wii coming second and the DS coming both first and third, courtesy of the just-launched DSi: the DS's two hardware variations accounted for an astonishing million sales during April.Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 was down slightly over last April, but still managed a solid fourth place and remains on course for a record-breaking year.

But both the Playstation 3 and PSP posted disappointing results, with the PS3 placing sixth with its worst performance in over 18 months, and the PSP limping in seventh with a total of 116,000 sales -- down over 30% on March's numbers.

The news has revitalized persistent rumors of price cuts for Sony's PS3. The system's base model is between $150 and $200 more expensive than its competitors, the Wii and Xbox 360. Industry news site Gamasutra predicts we'll see a $100 cut in the $400 Playstation 3 announced at the E3 video games trade show in Los Angeles in early June.

So if your in the market for a PS3, probably best to wait until June.

[FrumiousBoojum]

And this is basically the same story they've been running for quite a while now...

It's rather bizarre that Sony is even letting the PS2 be sold for this long. We haven't seen such prolonged sales of an old console since the Atari 2600 (new games still released into the 90s!).

The usual model of transition period (a model Microsoft didn't use) seems to be the usual best model.

Hopefully PS3 will start to rise once people get sick of repairing their 360 constantly and realize that cheaper doesn't equal better. I have a 360, but it was rushed to the market too quickly and they never have been able to address all of its hardware issues -- so, I can't back the console fully.

If you're in the market for a PS3, it's actually best to hunt down an older PS3 -- those actually had PS2 hardware inside. And then do what I did -- upgrade to 500gb.

[justjohn]

Originally Posted by FrumiousBoojum

Hopefully PS3 will start to rise once people get sick of repairing their 360 constantly and realize that cheaper doesn't equal better. I have a 360, but it was rushed to the market too quickly and they never have been able to address all of its hardware issues -- so, I can't back the console fully.

How many times have you sent yours in to be able to call it "constantly'? I've sent mine in once in the last 3 years. However, ny PS3 bricked the same week as my 360 with only 5 hours of Ratchet and Clank on it.

Since then, I use it solely as a Blu-Ray player. It doesn't even live at my house, I lent it to a neighbor awhile ago and still haven't remembered to get it back.

The issues that MS has had with the console only show how good of a job they did building a strong library and an even stronger online gaming service. Even with a $50 yearly charge for gold and the red ring problems, the 360 outsells the PS3.

In fact, if someone asks me what console to buy with money being no object, I would still tell them to buy a 360 for the library.

[sailerm]

Sony is holding on to the PS2 because it is still selling well. The PS3 isn't selling well partially because the cost involved in including a Blu-Ray drive.

This is yet another black eye for Sony. I mean when people prefer Microsoft over your product, you've almost hit rock bottom.

[Coast21]

I had a ps3 for about a week, finished metal gear solid (which was awesome by the way) then tried to find something else to play that wasn't on my 360. Most of the good games were already on my 360 and the weekly updates were a major drag so I took it back. I really didn't like was how slow the console it self was. Online shop is slow, download speeds were equally slow, and updates take way to long, 360 installs updates in a couple seconds, a min or two for wii, then the ps3 takes 30 to 40 min!!??? why!!?

Any how they really need to step up their game to be successfull, I'd recommend they shrink the size of the console, improve its OS, UI, and get some good exclusive games on it.

[justjohn]

The PS3 is all about the wait. You cant even play a game without waiting for the manitory install. I've never understood why the PS3 takes so long to do anything. When the NXE came along, it was an under two minute download and a reboot to pit an entirely new UI on it. The PS3 takes forever to download an update. The 360 you download a demo and it's playable. The PS3 ittakes forever to download a demo, then you have to install the demo as well. Wait for this, wait for that...

[TikiRoomLiz]

I've played all the systems and just this past Sunday went to go sell my PS2 because I'm so in love with the Xbox. I was a die hard Sony fan until my brother lent me his Xbox and I was suprised at how much I enjoyed playing the games on it and the ease of the online interaction.

I think Sony is trying too hard when I see that they will be coming out with a special edition Hannah Montana PSP to (I'm guessing) capture the female video game market. Good luck with that Sony, until something dramatically improves with Sony I'll be playing Xbox (along with my DS).

[justjohn]

BTW, the PS3's got it's own problem called the YLOD (yellow light of death).

YouTube - The Yellow Light of Death [YLOD] for...

[Chernabog]

Meh to all you Ps3 haters lol.. I use mine every day for Ps3 games, Ps2 games, bluray player, streaming of videos from my computer, netflix, hulu, etc.

I do think the updates are annoying (they really should do it once every few months instead of once every other week). But I still think it's the best piece of hardware I've purchased (other than the TV itself, of course).

My Wii, on the other hand, is collecting dust. I think I've turned it on twice in the last 6-7 months. There is one new game coming out for it that I want (a Dead Space sequel), but that's all folks. The last game I purchased for it was a used copy of No More Heroes... 9 months ago.

And do y'all really like the Xbox controllers better? With those cheap, tiny little buttons? I'm really happy I didn't get the Xbox.

[justjohn]

The size, shape and offset sticks on the 360 controller are WAAAY more comfortable than the controller that Sony has been using for what, the last 15 years?

As far as the media extender goes, I just added my PC into my home theater and put the Air Mobile Mouse app on my iPhone. I get access to everything on my pc and use my phone for the mouse and keyboard.

[AE_Fan]

I have to admit when it comes to ranking of the systems, I really don't give a hoot about rank by how many units have been sold.

While out of the next-gen systems I own, I only have a PS3 and the Wii.

I'm pretty much in the same situation as Chernabog, I'm constantly using my PS3 to play PS3 and PS2 games..and I'm using it as my DVD/Blu Ray player.

Unfortuntly for the Wii, I truly find this to be the weakest of all the next gen systems right now. The last game I bought was MadWorld, and while it was a good game...right now the Wii is severly lacking in games to look forward to.

With the PS3, I currently have Infamous pre-ordered, and I'm eagerly awaiting God of War III and Rachet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time.

With the Wii, right now there's only Silent Hill: Shattered Memories...and that's it. Like I've been saying before, Nintendo better pull out huge surprises at E3...otherwise I have a feeling Wii's are going to be chucked out many windows.

[SuburbanGiant]

I have a PS3, and have never found anything to be wrong with it. And when Microsoft has to make a new console because they're running out of processing power, I can just keep on using my PS3...the PS3 is using about 40% of its power on current games. The 360 is using about something closer to 70%. Quite a difference.

If I were to get another console, I would get a Wii. Why? Because I've never seen anything that I want for 360 that I can't get on my PS3. And, my online gaming is FREE. Which means that $50 can go towards a new game, rather than the online upkeep of my current games...

I think Nintendo made a wise choice by not trying to compete with Sony and Microsoft on computing power. They seem to be making bank on ingenuity...the only problem with the Wii is that it is plagued by the reputation of what it could be, and what it isn't...the Wii was supposed to be "revolutionary.," but it seems like all of the studios decided to slack off on every Wii game they make...

Just look at any game review magazine. How many Wii games ever get anything above a 7/10? Then compare that to the PS3/360 list. There are a lot of games that are 9 or 9.5 out of 10. Why? Because the developers seem to understand that the gamers want quality on those systems. Wow. Random rant...

[brand42]

I like the Xbox controller better.

Then again, most of my gaming is done on a guitar or drum controller.

[dlx07]

I have the Wii, PS3 and Xbox360. Any time a game is available for multiple systems, I buy it for the 360. I prefer the Xbox controller and I have a much larger community of friends playing online on the Xbox.

Yes, I've had my 360 repaired but that was after a couple of years of frequent use. For anyone scared of buying a new 360, the latest models have a new chipset that is far less likely to overheat (the main cause of broken 360s). You have to know what you're looking for since some stores will still have older models in stock. The new chipset is called Jasper and here is an article about how to find one: http://community.winsupersite.com/bl...-xbox-360.aspx

[The Shadoe]

I ended up purchasing a PS3. I looked at the cost, capabilities, power, controller, etc. and it all came down to the PS3 being the much better deal. Those extra $100 mean a blu-ray player, web surfing, free internet, and a platform great for future growth.

The capabilities of the 360 will be maxed out much sooner than the PS3's.

As far as the controller, well, I like the feel of the Xbox 360s controller better. The ergonomics of how it is held are better. However, the offset sticks are incredibly awkward, and negate some of the ergonomic genius. The d-pad stinks.

I just think for the extra money you get a lot more with the PS3.