Q&A: Sony Australia chief talks PS3 sales

Not to be outdone by Nintendo's impressive announcement that more than 500,000 Wiis have been sold in Australia so far, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCEA) came out with its own figures this week touting the PlayStation 3's success down under. SCEA says 305,000 PS3s have now been sold in Australia since the console's launch in March 2007, with an additional 75,000 units in the market thanks to giveaway deals like the Bravia television offer. We caught up with SCEA head Michael Ephraim today to ask him about the latest sales figures, as well as chart his opinions about the upcoming 80GB PS3 model, how the 360 price cut will affect PlayStation sales, and much more.

GameSpot AU: What are your thoughts on the latest PS3 sales in Australia, and where does it position you in the market?

Michael Ephraim: The first half of this year has been a PlayStation 3 half. The gaming category is so big now, and there are so many different experiences you can get out of video gaming, like hardcore gaming, casual gaming, and family gaming. But if you look at our business, we are a hardcore gaming consumer electronics product. There is no product on the market like ours. Our competitors will probably say the same for their product, but that's the nature of the business.

In January and July we did a Bravia television deal with the PS3, where we moved 75,000 PS3 units. Our weekly sales since January have also been very strong, and with the price point and experience comparison, we've outsold Xbox close to 2 to 1 over the six-month period. We are outselling Xbox at a rapid rate.

GS AU: Do you think that the Xbox price cut in Australia will have a negative effect on PS3 sales?

ME: In the month of June and July Xbox managed to close the gap somewhat, but we are still in front. As I mentioned before, up to the month of July we're clearly ahead of Xbox. And I think it will stay that way because I don't think it's a question of price. Firstly, they cannot hold up a release schedule close to ours, and I'm being very honest here. Secondly, all you have to do is look at what titles are coming out on Xbox compared to what titles are coming out on the PS3--Resistance 2 is getting amazing reviews; Little Big Planet is blowing people away; MotorStorm 2 is doing well; and then there are the SingStar and Buzz franchises. If you look at our social gaming franchises, we've sold in excess of 1.3 million social gaming peripherals. That momentum and brand awareness is giving us the advantage. We have gamer games and social games. The PS3's Blu-ray player is also giving us an advantage when compared to the Xbox, which doesn't have a HD device. High definition is what people want now, and they can get that with the PS3.

GS AU: How do you think the 80GB PS3 will sell here?

ME: I think the 80GB model will sell really well in Australia. Consumers can look forward to 40GB more, plus the DualShock 3 controller. We're also launching Platinum titles in Australia [on August 4], and as software and hardware go hand in hand, one will definitely sell the other.

GS AU: Do you think people will keep buying the current PS3 model knowing that the new 80GB is coming at the end of this month for around the same price?

ME: We have reduced our stocks of the current PS3 model to prepare for the launch of the 80GB, but I think we'll continue to sell the current model right through to the end.

GS AU: When can Australians expect to see the video download service and Play TV for the PS3?

ME: Yes. We're still resolving some coding issues with Play TV, but it should be out here in the first half of 2009; it's very exciting for us because high-definition TV is the future. The same applies to the video downloading service--we're working on a local solution at the moment, but we hope to have it out in Australia sometime in 2009.

The incentive behind both the video downloading service and Play TV is to expand the capabilities of the PS3. Play TV will allow consumers to play video games whilst recording TV shows, with the added function of watching recordings back on the PSP; the video downloading service will extend the PS3's current offerings, including video and music.