Something of a retail panic is gripping Japan’s games market right now, with PSP shipping figures from SCEJ being widely rubbished by an increasingly sceptical sector.
Sony had gone on record as stating that around 200,000 launch units will be available. Given the launch price is set at 19,800 yen for the basic pack, demand from day one will outstrip the quoted figure five-fold with ease.
However, retailers are beginning to make noises, claiming that - according to some reports - the actual hardware availability figure is likely to be much closer to 100,000, which is astounding, if it's true.
Retailer Lik-Sang, often the first to cut to the chase regarding hot item availability, states, “While Sony is preparing huge propaganda and advertising campaigns, it is getting clearer and clearer that the available quantity for launch will be ridiculously low. Insiders in Japan confirm that SCEJ pretends that 200.000 units will be ready for launch, with 100.000 more units reaching the market every week afterwards, bringing the aggregate quantity of units sold before end-year to half a million. The very same contacts who passed this claim to us, all told us right after that they were quite sceptical about these numbers.”
It’s now becoming increasingly obvious that PSP stock will simply be unavailable to most gamers, be they Japanese or importers, for a long time after launch.
Updates to follow.
Sony had gone on record as stating that around 200,000 launch units will be available. Given the launch price is set at 19,800 yen for the basic pack, demand from day one will outstrip the quoted figure five-fold with ease.
However, retailers are beginning to make noises, claiming that - according to some reports - the actual hardware availability figure is likely to be much closer to 100,000, which is astounding, if it's true.
Retailer Lik-Sang, often the first to cut to the chase regarding hot item availability, states, “While Sony is preparing huge propaganda and advertising campaigns, it is getting clearer and clearer that the available quantity for launch will be ridiculously low. Insiders in Japan confirm that SCEJ pretends that 200.000 units will be ready for launch, with 100.000 more units reaching the market every week afterwards, bringing the aggregate quantity of units sold before end-year to half a million. The very same contacts who passed this claim to us, all told us right after that they were quite sceptical about these numbers.”
It’s now becoming increasingly obvious that PSP stock will simply be unavailable to most gamers, be they Japanese or importers, for a long time after launch.
Updates to follow.
Companies:
SCEJ
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Comments
cawley 7 Dec 2004 13:36
1/2
If they take the ones they stuck in the walls of Japanese subways, they would have a few more to go round!!!
Waiting for the US release, anyway - fingers crossed the Dollar does not pick up between now and then (and Sony actually has some to sell in that territory)!
Waiting for the US release, anyway - fingers crossed the Dollar does not pick up between now and then (and Sony actually has some to sell in that territory)!
Autobot 7 Dec 2004 14:15
2/2
Having less than the demand is Sony's typical marketing ploy. Every system they release is done this way. They make around 10% of the systems they plan to sell at launch to make a hysteria. Now the PSP is going to be considered the MUST HAVE thing to get because almost no one is going to have it. In Japan where collecting and finding rare items is the current fad, this almost sounds like the perfect way to sell something.
As for Sony, I understand they want to cause a mass hysteria but to release 200,000 or even worse 100,000 is wayyyyy to low. It should have been around 500,000. Sony knows what there doing so I have some faith.
P.S. Why not just sell 2 systems at a store? That will cause a riot on the streets.
As for Sony, I understand they want to cause a mass hysteria but to release 200,000 or even worse 100,000 is wayyyyy to low. It should have been around 500,000. Sony knows what there doing so I have some faith.
P.S. Why not just sell 2 systems at a store? That will cause a riot on the streets.