Sony expects to sell 150 million PS3s

Kaz Hirai, chief executive of Sony's PlayStation games console business, has set an ambitious target of reaching nearly 150m in sales for its slow-starting PlayStation 3 console.

Sony told those attending the video game industry's E3 convention last week that sales of its original PlayStation, launched in 1994, had reached 102m units and the PlayStation 2 console had now passed 140m worldwide in its ninth year on sale.
...
Mr Hirai, in a Financial Times interview, said his aim was for the PS3 to surpass sales of the PS2 over a similar time period.

"It's not fun for me replicating the PS2 numbers. I've seen that movie already," he said.

"I want to try to see if we can exceed the PS2 numbers after nine years, otherwise why are we in this business?"

Twenty months after the PS3's release, the console is barely 10 per cent towards his target. Sales to the end of Sony's fiscal year in March were 12.85m and it expects to sell another 10m in the current fiscal year.

Source: Financial Times

At the rate that its selling, I strongly doubt Sony will be able to reach that quota, nor any other company for that matter. However, I do admire their attitude.

Everyone has the right to dream...

Sony is setting them selves up for a MAJOR disappointment IMO

I can assure you, in all the years of this very short life that I have lived thus far, there is no better feeling, no better feeling in all the world than to prove the people who tell you "You can't," "You won't," "It's impossible," wrong. There is absolutely no better feeling than proving people who doubt you wrong. It is a feeling better than sex.

However, I do admire their attitude.

BladesOfAthena

Yea it was easy back then because the economy was in good shape and gas was nice and cheap. You cant sell that much when people dont have money in their pockets for a 500 dollar console and 60 dollar games.DarKre

HEY! gas is 12 cents p/gallon in venuzvela ( whatev) and also about 12 cents in Egypt!!

If they can appeal to venezvelans and Egyptians, theyll be selling tons of PS3's!

[QUOTE="BladesOfAthena"]

However, I do admire their attitude.

fluffy_kins

I dont think they believe that. It's either another case of Kaz being Kaz, or some damage control letting their stock holders know that they wont abandon PS3 at least till the next eight year.

I dont think they acn meet it within their target, but if they keep it for a long time, and focus on exclusives, they could meet the PS2, and maybe a bit better.

Microsoft as well, providing they focus on making their hardware more reliable, because 'warranty replacement' does not count as 'sale'

:lol: I think the end result is going to hit Kaz in his weak spot for massive damage.

Seriously, surpass the PS2's numbers, what with a completely different context, one that clearly precludes those kinds of sales figures? Sounds like Kaz drank the Kuturagi Kool-Aid or somethin'.

sorry but thats dreaming...

well yea he should talk like that to give hope but lets get real, thats just a dream...

and to be honest, I dont think anything can surpass PS2 for a long time, not this gen for sure, maybe Wii though but even Wii cant surpass PS2 in software, and i doubt even next gen...

If this was said if GTA4, Virtua Fighter V, Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5, Star Ocean 4, and Final Fantasy XIII were still exclusive, then I'd believe it.

I wouldnt be so quick to write it off.

I'm gonna stick my neck on the line and say that I think its a distinct possibility.

There is no way PS3 will sell 150 million. That's half the population. PS3 is probably the worst deal out of the 3 next gen consoles, and it is the most expensive. With how bad the economy is doing, and it isn't getting any better...we'll see what happens 1/9/09...people aren't going to shell out $400 or $500 for a PS3, when there are few advantages to it, and very few exclusives. Wii is the most likely console to hit $150 million. Wii's attract people who aren't just hardcore gamers like us. My 4 year old cousin has a Wii. I don't know any four year olds with a 360 or PS3, and a lot of her friends have one. I know kids 9-13 who have Wii's. I know teens who have Wiis, and my neighbor has a Wii, and he's in college. Wiis attract the most diverse group, 360s will outsell Wii and PS3 in $$$$, but Wii's will sell the most!

:lol: Oh Kaz, never change.

It's fine to have expectations. I expect to earn enough money to buy three Ferraris this year, one of them pink. That doesn't mean that neither my expectations, nor his, are realistic or likely to be fulfilled.

There is no way PS3 will sell 150 million. That's half the population.

giyanks22

the world is not usa you know ?

Hmmmm.......i'm gonna have to say that we should wait and see, because anything could happen.

However, I kinda doubt that they'll reach that number. I say 'kinda' because anything can happen. You may never know.

There is no way PS3 will sell 150 million. That's half the population. PS3 is probably the worst deal out of the 3 next gen consoles, and it is the most expensive. With how bad the economy is doing, and it isn't getting any better...we'll see what happens 1/9/09...people aren't going to shell out $400 or $500 for a PS3, when there are few advantages to it, and very few exclusives. Wii is the most likely console to hit $150 million. Wii's attract people who aren't just hardcore gamers like us. My 4 year old cousin has a Wii. I don't know any four year olds with a 360 or PS3, and a lot of her friends have one. I know kids 9-13 who have Wii's. I know teens who have Wiis, and my neighbor has a Wii, and he's in college. Wiis attract the most diverse group, 360s will outsell Wii and PS3 in $$$$, but Wii's will sell the most!

giyanks22

150 mil half the population of what?

besides, i doubt the 360m will make more money than the wii, even accounting for how cheap the wii is, it will probably outsell the 360 and the ps3 by an insane margin.

There is no way PS3 will sell 150 million. That's half the population. PS3 is probably the worst deal out of the 3 next gen consoles, and it is the most expensive. With how bad the economy is doing, and it isn't getting any better...we'll see what happens 1/9/09...people aren't going to shell out $400 or $500 for a PS3, when there are few advantages to it, and very few exclusives. Wii is the most likely console to hit $150 million. Wii's attract people who aren't just hardcore gamers like us. My 4 year old cousin has a Wii. I don't know any four year olds with a 360 or PS3, and a lot of her friends have one. I know kids 9-13 who have Wii's. I know teens who have Wiis, and my neighbor has a Wii, and he's in college. Wiis attract the most diverse group, 360s will outsell Wii and PS3 in $$$$, but Wii's will sell the most!

giyanks22

Given that the PS3 has sold 50% more than the X360 in 2008 and that the X360's sales have declined year after year but MS still doesn't feel the need for a price cut (the X360 is closer to a mass market price than the PS3, but it still isn't there) I wouldn't bet on the X360 outselling anybody hardware-wise. Rhetoric to the contrary, MS just doesn't seem to care.

I agree with you (and everyone else in this thread) that Sony's target is unrealistic.

There is no way PS3 will sell 150 million. That's half the population. PS3 is probably the worst deal out of the 3 next gen consoles, and it is the most expensive. With how bad the economy is doing, and it isn't getting any better...we'll see what happens 1/9/09...people aren't going to shell out $400 or $500 for a PS3, when there are few advantages to it, and very few exclusives. Wii is the most likely console to hit $150 million. Wii's attract people who aren't just hardcore gamers like us. My 4 year old cousin has a Wii. I don't know any four year olds with a 360 or PS3, and a lot of her friends have one. I know kids 9-13 who have Wii's. I know teens who have Wiis, and my neighbor has a Wii, and he's in college. Wiis attract the most diverse group, 360s will outsell Wii and PS3 in $$$$, but Wii's will sell the most!

giyanks22

I dunno, with the amount of features and quality titles that you get to play, I think the PS3 is a pretty damn good deal.

And the Wii isn't going to hit 150 million. If the PSOne or the PS2 can't, then no other console will. I reckon, that by the time the Wii reaches its prime, Nintendo will most likely release the successor to its console, which will cut into the Wii's sales just as the PS2 is was doing with the PS3.

If this was said if GTA4, Virtua Fighter V, Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5, Star Ocean 4, and Final Fantasy XIII were still exclusive, then I'd believe it.

ASK_Story

[QUOTE="giyanks22"]

There is no way PS3 will sell 150 million. That's half the population. PS3 is probably the worst deal out of the 3 next gen consoles, and it is the most expensive. With how bad the economy is doing, and it isn't getting any better...we'll see what happens 1/9/09...people aren't going to shell out $400 or $500 for a PS3, when there are few advantages to it, and very few exclusives. Wii is the most likely console to hit $150 million. Wii's attract people who aren't just hardcore gamers like us. My 4 year old cousin has a Wii. I don't know any four year olds with a 360 or PS3, and a lot of her friends have one. I know kids 9-13 who have Wii's. I know teens who have Wiis, and my neighbor has a Wii, and he's in college. Wiis attract the most diverse group, 360s will outsell Wii and PS3 in $$$$, but Wii's will sell the most!

CarnageHeart

Given that the PS3 has sold 50% more than the X360 in 2008 and that the X360's sales have declined year after year but MS still doesn't feel the need for a price cut (the X360 is closer to a mass market price than the PS3, but it still isn't there) I wouldn't bet on the X360 outselling anybody hardware-wise. Rhetoric to the contrary, MS just doesn't seem to care.

I agree with you (and everyone else in this thread) that Sony's target is unrealistic.

Either way, this guy said "outsell the PS3 and Wii in $$$$$". I'm guessing by that he means sell more total software or generate a larger total of money spent on MS consoles than any other? I can believe that.

It seems very unrealistic, but I'll take one positive message from it:

Sony obviously intends to support its new console for many years... hopefully more than even the PS2.

Once there's a slim-line PS3 selling for $150 (years down the road) we may see PS2-like sales, who knows? The hardware has plenty of room to grow, the games are coming and holiday season 2008 should be really big for blu-ray sales.