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The last time Sony introduced an overhauled PlayStation 3, sales skyrocketed and remained high for a while.
Obviously, with the unveiling of no less than three new models (only two of which are currently confirmed for the US), Sony is hoping for a repeat of history. And the good news is, sales have definitely climbed in the UK. Not too shocking.
As noted by GameSpot, new GFK sales data shows PS3 hardware sales surging 138% when compared to the previous week, and this is due in large part to the newly released 500GB PS3, which went on sale in the region on September 28. GFK has reported that the fresh model accounted for 37% of all PS3s sold during the week, and that’s quite significant and a good sign.
If you’ve forgotten, the new PS3 is about 20% smaller and 25% lighter and also features a new disc drive. Gamers in North America will have access to the 250GB and 500GB versions but it remains to be seen if that 12GB flash memory system is US-bound.
Tags: ps3, playstation 3, new ps3, ps3 sales, new ps3 model
10/2/2012 9:12:09 PM Ben Dutka
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To this date, no Skyrim DLC has been released ever for the PlayStation 3 console, and we might just have the answer.
We recently stumbled upon to this theory made by one of our readers about the delay by Bethesda in delivering the Dawnguard expansion.
We’re not sure whether we support it, but it is interesting to look at.
Here’s what Falcon D. Stormvoice has posted:
“It’s sad how fanboys try to blame the pre-existing console for the Dev not tailoring it to that console. Bethesda tried to get away with being lazy, and that’s not Sony’s fault.”
“What it comes down to is, they ported the 360 version to PS3, engine and all. Bethesda could have made an engine for the PS3 version that used the cell processor and hard drive more instead of putting all of the stress on RAM.”
“Patches were able to make Skyrim run smoothly on PS3, but with this engine, adding even more content via DLC becomes very problematic. At this point, this is the most likely explanation for why it has taken this long — you can’t fix engines with patches. It also handily explains why they can’t say what the difficulty is — they’d have to cop to neglecting their PS3 customers.”
“Whatever money they saved by merely porting, it probably won’t assuage the effects of the enmity they’ve fomented between PS3 customers and themselves.”
What do you think? Is PS3 too advanced enough to handle that they had to resort to ports?
Bethesda has been replying questions about the delayed Dawnguard PS3 DLC among other interesting bits about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as well as it future add-on.
We all know that Dawnguard has been hitting other platforms except the PlayStation 3. Well, it seems the situation with the DLC release “hasn’t changed” and that’s according to Pete Hines, VP of PR at Bethesda.
He also has clarified on the discount issue, whether or not PS3 users will be getting generous offer for their wait.
“I’m not going to answer “will you give a discount” or “what if you can’t” questions until we get clarity on them working.”
Meanwhile, Pete has also thrown an interesting reply regarding the release of Hearthfire on PC where he said “ask me again in a week.”
Could it be that the latest expansion finally available for the PC, Steam after a long wait next week?
Finally, Pete has mentioned that they are currently working on a new DLC although no release date has been set yet. According to him, this has caused a stress to the development side of the Dawnguard PS3 add-on.
“From our forum post: Dawnguard is not the only DLC we’ve been working on either, so the issues get even more complicated”
If you’ve somehow managed to miss out on BioWare’s three Mass Effect games, then good news: BioWare and Electronic Arts announced a new Mass Effect Trilogy bundle today. The compilation naturally features all three games in the Mass Effect series, so it should be perfect for those who have yet to jump aboard the Mass Effect bandwagon. What’s surprising about this announcement is that the Mass Effect Trilogy will be coming to Xbox 360, PC, and PS3, meaning that PS3 players will finally get to enjoy the first Mass Effect title. It was looking bleak for a long time there since Microsoft acted as publisher on the first game, leading many gamers to believe that Mass Effect would never come to PS3. Not only is Mass Effect launching on PS3 in the Mass Effect Trilogy, but it will also be available as a standalone download on PSN. Unfortunately, PS3 players are going to have to wait a bit longer than Xbox 360 and PC players. While the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the Mass Effect Trilogy will be launching on November 6, PS3 owners won’t be getting it until “a later date.” The announcement from Electronic Arts doesn’t get any more specific than that, so PS3 players might have a while yet before the Mass Effect Trilogy launches on their console of choice. The Trilogy will only cost $59.99 when its released, which is surprising considering that it features three full games and Mass Effect 3 isn’t that old. BioWare will be celebrating the release of the Mass Effect Trilogy with the first “N7 day,” which is slated for – surprise! – November 7. Details on N7 Day are still pretty slim, but we’re told that there will be a number of in-game and online events to celebrate the new gaming holiday. More information on both the Mass Effect Trilogy and N7 Day should be coming soon, so stay tuned.
chasloyal You took my bit about not liking Europeans literal xD! (We don’t like Americans either… No, don’t take that seriously). But on a very serious note; most Australians don’t identify themselves by their (predominantly-)British heritage. Try calling an Irishman a “Brit” in a bar after he’s had a pint or two of Guiness, and you may get some idea of how an Australian might respond. Self-hate has nothing to do with it. Australians consider themselves Australians.
Back on-topic:
Have you seen PlayStation Stores in EU, AU and UK? They are a mess and have been for a long time. The PS Plus section is literally broken. SCEE is grossly incompetent, and many games get delayed without explanation, promised then pulled, or just never appear.
See: http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2012/09/19/heads-up-game-store-update-19-september-2012/
23 pages of comments from last week’s blog update, when LittleBigPlanet Vita downloads were broken on launch, people complaining about error codes, failed installs, being charged multiple times, and followed by poor communication from SCEE on all fronts. In the same update, Double Dragon Neon was pulled (apparently they uploaded a demo to the store, not the full game), and it took them 2 days to fix it. And all that’s just in the last 7 days.
CounterStrike: Global Offensive is still absent from EU, UK and AU stores, despite being available on PSN in NA, as well as all regions on XBL and Steam.
It took them at least 3 months to put Trine 2 up after its release date. Episode’s of TellTale’s The Walking Dead series have also been mysteriously delayed. The YouTube app, Crunchyroll and several other PS3 and Vita apps are absent.
Last year around September-ish 2011, they launched Arc The Lad under PSOne Classics, but after many people bought it and complained, it was removed from the store because they had uploaded the Japanese version. An English version of the game finally made it to the store earlier this year. Many more have been announced or promised and 2 years+ later, still nothing. Spyro, Tomba, Syphon Filter 2, the list goes on.
Frustration over a Skyrim Dawnguard PS3 DLC release date has continued to plague Playstation 3 gamers. As of now, there is still no Dawnguard for PS3, as well as no Hearthfire, both of which are available for Xbox 360. Recent news given by one of the people from Bethesda may give new hope to what seemed like a lost cause though.
There had been previous Skyrim rants fielded on Twitter by Bethesda as they continue to perform damage control over the lack of DLC availability for the Playstation 3. As reported by Product Reviews website, Pete Hines, the Vice President of PR and Marketing at Bethesda sent out a recent tweet response to a Twitter member, which claims that a PS3 version of the downloadable content is still being worked on. Hines tweeted:
“@NazDaBaz_MTW not cancelled, still working on it. The process of “trying things” just isn’t a quick one.”
The new tweet was sent out by Hines yesterday, which gives a glimmer of hope to Skyrim gamers who own the PS3 version. However, at this point it might seem like a foreign concept, seeing as Xbox 360 owners have been able to play Dawnguard for months and now are getting to enjoy Hearthfire. If nothing else, Bethesda might want to come up with some sort of compromise to make Playstation 3 owners happy such as a newly designed DLC just for the PS3.
If you woke to the news yesterday morning wondering why Sony chose the Tokyo Game Show to out a new slimmer-than-slim PlayStation 3, well, just do the math: The PS3 outsells the Xbox 360 in Japan roughly six to one, whereas Sony’s set-top lags behind Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in unit sales by around 15 million units this side of the Pacific.
The new slimmer, even lighter PlayStation 3 looks a little like a curvier version of the PS2 slim — almost book-sized, though with a slight bulge in the middle, giving it an elliptical appearance. At half the size of the original 2006 model and roughly a quarter smaller than the current PS3 Slim, you could slip this new “PS3 Slimmer” into a backpack comfortably and tote it around like a laptop. (Whether you would or not is another question.)
(MORE: Isn’t It Time for a PlayStation Vita Price Cut?)
In the U.S., it’ll be available in two configurations: a 250 GB version for $270 with Uncharted 3 (Game of the Year edition) and a voucher for $30 of Dust 514 digital content (the free-to-pay EVE Online-connected shooter), and a 500 GB version for $300 that’ll bundle Ubisoft’s upcoming American Revolution-era sneaker, Assassin’s Creed III.
In the U.S., the 250 GB PS3 (up from 160 GB) will be available starting Sept. 25, while the 500 GB model (up from 320 GB) will be available a month later on Oct. 30 (the same day Assassin’s Creed III arrives). Sony’s also offering a white version in Japan, but it looks like the U.S. is limited to Sony’s classic “piano black” flavor.
Also: Note the ribbing across the midsection, obviously a fingerprint deterrent and, though I could be dead wrong here, possibly doubling as a thermal vent. It’s not clear from the media snaps whether the flat areas framing the ribbed section will be glossy or matte. [Update: The ribbed section is in fact a sliding cover for discs.]
Interestingly, Sony announced a version with 12 GB of flash memory for Europe that’ll sell for €229 (about $300), which makes me wonder if Sony’s take on Europe is that it’s lagging in the transition from optical to purely digital media. Unless the company’s targeting arcade players — though at €229, it’s hard to imagine how — you’ll jam less than a handful of full PS3 titles into that kind of throwback-sized space.
Why a new PS3 now, with the next PlayStation imminent? Well hold on, who said anything about a new PlayStation? Oh right, the media. And how’s that working out as we head into 2012′s closing months, with not a peep about next-gen consoles (save Nintendo, who announced the Wii U back at E3 2011)?
Sony’s Tokyo Game Show 2012 presser, with not a dash of info about its future system plans, confirms several things about its present ones.
For starters, there’s what Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO and president Jack Tretton has said repeatedly over the years — that Sony thinks in 10-year cycles. The PlayStation 2, which launched in 2000, continued to sell in the millions well after the PlayStation 3 arrived in 2006. While it’s probably stretching to think the company would wait to introduce new technology until 2016, it’s clear at this point that Sony’s in no hurry to roll out a new PlayStation.
(MORE: What if Sony’s So-Called ‘PlayStation Orbis’ Really Does Kill Used Games?)
And why should it? If we’re playing the “who’s most powerful” game, Nintendo’s new Wii U is said to be merely on par with the PS3 and Xbox 360, so any perceived threat from Nintendo is going to be stuff like brand recognition, the appeal of Nintendo’s new controller mechanic and the company’s ability to craft compelling and can’t-get-this-anywhere-else games around the latter. And turning to the Xbox 360, while Microsoft’s outselling Sony by a comfortable spread in the U.S., tally up global console sales and the two companies are neck-and-neck.
Speaking of install base, if you had to split the market with your competition this generation, and only now, six years on, were hitting the sixty-some-million units shipped mark (where your last console had sold over twice that), you’d probably wait to split the market as long as possible. I’m sure that applies to Microsoft’s decision about “when to go,” too. In this late-stage game of chicken, where companies scheme to outwit each other at juggling developer requirements, launch windows, launch titles and platform hardware lock-in, I suspect the guiding principle for both Sony and Microsoft is “delay, delay, delay.”
I don’t think players are really clamoring for new hardware, either. That’s my subjective read, granted, poking around message boards and comments on next-gen console rumor stories, but one that’s grounded in reality: New game systems always sound exciting on paper, but almost never deliver off the block. You’re forking over the most money you’ll pay in the system’s life cycle — $400 to $600 when the PS3 launched — in trade for a handful of games, most of which play more like proof-of-concept demos than the mature, often groundbreaking titles that show up a year or three down the road.
That said, I’m not sure I follow Sony’s logic on the new PS3 model prices — $250 to $300 — but then I haven’t since the PS3 launched with 3DO pricing. Sony seems to think they’re the boutique console maker or something. I can appreciate the way the PS3′s nearly caught up to the Xbox 360 (despite the PS3′s higher price tag and year-behind launch), but judged against the PS2′s sales, the PS3 looks like it’s treading water.
Clearly Sony feels the market isn’t yet saturated, and that the PS3 remains appealing enough to charge what it’s been charging since the first slimline model showed up. The company’s going to up-sell on the extra storage and pack-in games, of course, and to be fair, it’s hard to argue with 250 GB to 500 GB of storage — or games like Uncharted 3 and what certainly looks like it could be the best Assassin’s Creed yet.
Maybe it’s all a setup. Maybe Sony takes us through 2012 and into 2013, announces its next PlayStation, then slashes the pricing on these ultra-slim models, positioning them as “the lower-end buy-in to the PlayStation Platform” (as Gamasutra’s Patrick Miller argues). Maybe Sony’s only going to tease the next PlayStation in 2013 and make us wait until 2014 or even 2015 (hey, we can hope!). Maybe, as Sony suggests, there really are people out there who’ve simply “been looking to add another PS3 to [their] household.”
We’ll see. For both Microsoft and Sony, this holiday season depends more than ever on the usual slew of trendy sequels (most of which aren’t platform exclusives). Microsoft probably has Sony outgunned on an “any one title” scale with Halo 4, but I suspect the lion’s share of this year’s revenue is going to come from multiplatform fare like Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Assassin’s Creed III, Far Cry 3 and Resident Evil 6.
MORE: Did the PS Vita Show Too Much of Its Game Face at Launch?
After you’ve chosen your character, you’ll embark on a much-more-engaging story than the original “Borderlands,” one that even incorporates the protagonist characters from that game, beautifully expanding on the world of this franchise instead of merely offering a new narrative with the same set-up as the first title. If 2K Games had gone that route – merely produced a new adventure using the same tools, setting, and characters from “Borderlands,” they would have had a creative and commercial smash. But they went further in every area, finetuning the gameplay, enhancing the storytelling, and giving players a more fully-realized and alive world than before.
The story this time centers around an actual villain, a charmingly evil fella named Handsome Jack. He’s constantly taunting and tormenting you as you seek to thwart his attempts to take over Pandora with the assistance of both your co-op partners (if you choose) and dozens of fascinating NPCs. The Douglas Adams-esque Claptrap, the wisecracking robot, is back but he’s joined by faces both familiar and new like the tough Lilith and an otherworldly assistant named Angel. The writing here is simply spectacular. From the progression of the story to the design of the side missions to merely the development of the supporting characters. The main story is so much more engaging than not just “Borderlands” but most games of this type that forgo screenwriting in favor of mere size. RPGs often work from a quantity over quality aesthetic. Give them a lot of game and they won’t notice that most of it isn’t interesting. That was clearly never the creative goal here.
Even the side missions, and there are HOURS of them, feel organic to the world and to the setting that the developers were trying to achieve. Some are silly – setting up a birthday party for Claptrap, delivering packages in a certain amount of time, testing out a new weapon – but some would be major story missions in lesser games. There was more than one occasion in which I was purposefully trying to pound out a few side missions to up my player stats (“grinding” if you will) when I had to check to make sure I wasn’t accidentally doing a story mission when I didn’t want to yet. That’s how deep, fun, and well-written even the side missions are here.
“Borderlands 2” is a game in which success breeds new skills and new challenges. Completing missions, killing enemies, even finding new locations in this massive world – every accomplishment earns XP which moves you closer to Level 50 on your player experience progession. With each level upgrade, skill points are given that can be used on separate trees to truly alter your character. It starts with basic health and shield upgrades but moves to very unique skill options, deepening the personal experience of the game. You also earn “Badass Tokens” by completing a myriad of in-game challenges (like headshots, using a certain kind of weapon, etc.) that can be used to tweak your general skills like Gun Damage, Melee Damage, etc. It will not be long before you feel like your character is truly yours – something you have helped design and not merely chosen to play.
Once again, the world of “Borderlands 2” is filled with things for you to take. There are boxes, chests, mailboxes, and even outhouses filled with ammo, health pick-ups, shields, and weapons. Combat in “Borderlands 2” breeds not just reward but choice. Do you take this weapon? Which one will you drop in its place? Which one will you equip? Personally, I favored one kind of firepower for sometime but realized I needed to have an array of options to quickly arm to really succeed.
All of these elements – hundreds of weapons, mods, skill points, etc. – could have led to a game that was cluttered with choices but “Borderlands 2” never feels that way. Everything about it feels refined and perfectly developed to not only allow for customization but amazing repeat play value. Even if you took one character through this massive world, exploring all of its unique locations and completing all of its missions, it would take you literally DAYS of gameplay. And then you could start over with a different character and have a completely different experience (or wait for the inevitable DLC that will include hours of new missions). It’s not just the likely Game of the Year for 2012, it’s one that most people will be playing well into 2013.
Owen Good from Kotaku reported that Wii U has sold out its pre-order stock of deluxe Wii U models on GameStop while the basic bundles apparently are dwindling.
It certainly give Nintendo something to cheer about but how does it fare compared with other high-definition consoles such as the PlayStation 3?
According to Ars Technica’s report back in 2006, the PS3 was sold out in minutes for both models. And it is worth to note that they were priced at $499.99 and $599.99 respectively which obviously more expensive.
Then again, GameStop reportedly had only 13 to 16 pre-order slots for PS3 at each store back then, and it is yet unknown what sort of allotment Nintendo has given each retailer.
Nintendo has recently revealed a Deluxe Set Wii U model with a 32 GB of memory and a Basic Set version with 8 GB. The deluxe set comes in black and will cost $349.99 and the white basic set will cost $299.99.
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