AfterDawn: News

UK gamers buy 165,000 PS3s in two days

The PlayStation 3 (PS3) console has had an extremely successful launch in the UK, with gamers buying up 165,000 units in two days following the launch according to Chart-Track estimates. This would make the PS3 console - which retails in the territory for £425 - the fastest selling "home" console there yet, ahead of Nintendo's Wii console and Microsoft's Xbox 360 console.

When the Xbox 360 console launched in the UK in November 2005, it sold 70,000 units during its first weekend. As for Nintendo's Wii console, it managed to move 105,000. Both launches were noted to have suffered from shortages with both company struggling to keep up with demand.



Sony delayed the launch of the PS3 in PAL territories for four months, giving the company time to produce enough units for a shortage-free launch. Overall, the excellent figures puts the PS3 in second place for the "fastest selling games hardware" to the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which sold 185,000 units during its launch weekend.

Source:
GamesIndustry.biz

Written by: James Delahunty @ 26 Mar 2007 12:49

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• 23 comments

• limelight

  Thats great when is God of War III coming?

  26.3.2007 13:30 #1

• bhetrick

  165000 in 2 days... out of how many available?

  26.3.2007 14:10 #2

• muccione

  Sony is flexing a bit of muscle here
  Well done

  26.3.2007 14:12 #3

• dCBb

  Originally posted by bhetrick:165000 in 2 days... out of how many available?
  I think I read somewhere that there was an estimated 200,000 PS3s available for the launch.

  26.3.2007 15:28 #4

• gozilla

  Quote:Sony previously stated that the UK would get around 220,000 of the 1 million PS3 units allocated to Europe for launch.http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23781
  
  not bad, they shifted 75% of stock in two days.

  26.3.2007 15:33 #5

• Hopium

  they aren't flexing any muscles here, if the wii had an october release and nintendo pushed it back 4 months it would sell far more units just from anticipation, also they sold more units in the uk than they did in japan total. also the psp was the fastest money maker which is also a huge joke considering the only thing its good for is to mod and play non-psp games on it. so if you ask me this is just a fluke and the brits were all hyped and i think also high!

  26.3.2007 15:40 #6

• chubbyInc

  I like how all this PS3 articles always mention something about selling faster, better graphics, more consoles sold in a 1 hour period etc..than 360 or Wii.
  
  I think Fox News won a court case about News not having to be true to actually be news.
  
  So by Sony posting figures like that, the only ones who know they are lying are Sony themselves.

  26.3.2007 15:47 #7

• Hopium

  amen brotha chub
  its just more big brother propaganda
  
  also based on the statements about the psp selling so much just goes to show how much UK knows about gaming and good consoles :D

  26.3.2007 15:57 #8

• BIGnewb

  why do ppl hate the playstation 3 so much.everytime some news comes about the ps3 all the xbox fans hop on and say something.we dont care xbox 360 go to your own forum.if you're interested in ps3 the nyou respond to this.keep your mouth closed.this is gangbanging so keep your comments to yourself.THANKS!

  26.3.2007 16:03 #9

• chubbyInc

  Didn't wanna get people flamed up. Playstation has done quite well with PS and PS2, I just think their new console and how they are marketing it is bad.
  
  Not sure what BIGnewb meant in regards to gangbanging, I'm sure their is no forums here about that, you'll have to try a different website.

  26.3.2007 16:11 #10

• Andrew691

  Originally posted by chubbyInc:I like how all this PS3 articles always mention something about selling faster, better graphics, more consoles sold in a 1 hour period etc..than 360 or Wii.
  
  I think Fox News won a court case about News not having to be true to actually be news.
  
  So by Sony posting figures like that, the only ones who know they are lying are Sony themselves.
  Did you read the article? These are not Sonys figures, "according to Chart-Track estimates" they are merely estimates from an independent company. But then I guess Sony haters have to jump on every little thing reported and try and make it anti-Sony, give it a rest, cant you see that despite your dislike of the console other people arent so closed minded as you?
  
  EDIT: Am not trying to start a flame war, but seriously...

  26.3.2007 16:21 #11

• muccione

  Originally posted by BIGnewb:why do ppl hate the playstation 3 so much.everytime some news comes about the ps3 all the xbox fans hop on and say something.we dont care xbox 360 go to your own forum.if you're interested in ps3 the nyou respond to this.keep your mouth closed.this is gangbanging so keep your comments to yourself.THANKS!Just to be clear here...The only people that hate on the PS3 is the ones who can't afford it and want to nit-pic-it. I own both PS3 and the 360..I got both of my systems on the day of the launch. I just can't wait till more games come out of the PS3 that suit my taste. I have NOTHING bad to say about either one, I had more problems with the 360 and NONE with the PS3..guess what...I still love both of them, glad I have both and glad I have a HDTV to play them on. Oh ya ..And it nice to be an adult gamer so I can afford what I want....My kids are sooo lucky..They have never had to ask for a new system or wait till christmas, birthday/holiday to get one..I already have it...for myself

  26.3.2007 16:44 #12

• snowlock

  If you have two or more children, your kids would like the Wii better. =X They are lucky to have a gamer for a parent, though.
  With no HD and no tilt-tech 360 is obviously the bottom of this barrel.
  
  On topic, I think better stats are the only way to judge this release. They said the launch was pushed back with expressed purpose of building enough units ala days gone by. Sony made a great move there and it makes me wish anyone did that over here in the States, then I'd have had a Wii on release date and might have a PS3 by now (if I'd saved for months on end.) That also means you technically can't judge other launch numbers in direct relation to these. Just like bhetrick said, "out of how many available?"

  26.3.2007 17:13 #13

• ZippyDSM

  Delays+saving money+anticipation+delays+stocking up="greater sales than expected"
  even at half these numbers its not bad,Sony and MS do well with marketing to sheeple that are distracted by shiny things....

  26.3.2007 17:26 #14

• Hopium

  "With no HD and no tilt-tech 360 is obviously the bottom of this barrel." didn't notice that my 360 running in 1080p wasn't high def, must be an error. and fsck the tilt tech i played motorstorm for an hour with that crap and would rather play excite truck on my wii then some junk sixaxis crap. also i'm not a 360 fanboy nor a ps3 hater i have all 3 systems and the only thing i play on my ps3 is god of war 2 which seems ironic i sold my ps2 to buy a ps3 and the only good game so far was a ps2 title :[ and this "independent company" got thier numbers from sony so whether you like it or not its just propaganda. 360 didn't sell much at launch cause people weren't as excite they were ahead of everyone by a year, there was no competition they were next-gen while everyone still happy and content with thier current-gen. also "The only people that hate on the PS3 is the ones who can't afford it and want to nit-pic-it." lmao when i spent over $800 bucks on a console i'm allowed to pick out all the fucking errors i want. spending $599 for the system $59.99 for 1 game $49 for another controller then $80 for a good HDMI cable(xbox is including one in its 360 elite) i think i have a right to be pissed especially when heavenly sword and motorstorm were supposed launch titles. also i on;y opted to get the HDMI for trial and error, my tv supports 1080p via component. but i got the HDMI to see if there is any difference. and to be honest its wasn't an $80 difference :P
  
  
  lmao "marketing to sheeple" lol zippy is da man

  26.3.2007 17:27 #15

• ZippyDSM

  Hopium
  I am not a rich gamer I like spending my money wisely the 360 has a mature line of of games that makes it worth while but the hardware it self has a high fail rate to high for me to jump blindly into
  
  The PS3 is horse crap right now its gooey smelly and worth a sht load of moeny in time a nice garden will ripen on it for now tho its just costly sht.
  
  The WII is fun and innovating sure the 4 year old graphics are a let down but the price is right for something that can actually do backwards compatibility over systems twice its price without any issues to boot.
  
  
  All in all the WII is worth every penny the 360 will cost you more because you will probably have to send it in for repairs....acouple of times and the PS3 is lacking for its price.
  
  I do see the PS3 being the center of gaming in acouple years,hell I even see MS upgradeign the 360 more with a better chipset and HDVD in acouple years ,the Nintendo needs to polish it controls make them more crisp and responsive as well as add full control configuration over it so you can use the new controls on older games,so far Nintendo is not doing much with what it has.

  26.3.2007 18:15 #16

• Hopium

  microsoft isn't putting a faster chip in the 360 only a cooler running one, and they will never put a HD-DVD or any other format drive in their machine cause they really are not part of the format wars on new hd content delivery mediums. thats why they won't put a HD-DVD drive in the machine cause they don't wanna get stuck with hd-dvds if it fails. also the wii isn't actually backwards compatible cause its nothing different from a cube lol. they sold oyu the same system twice with a cool new controller and new interface with online options :D the ps3 is an cheap Blu-ray player and thats about it for now, i mean motorstorm was all hype no substance, resistance is just a basic fps nothing special and then everything else i can play with my 360 and have with a nice friends list to join up easy with others. also OMG the web browser sux. i don't use them on either the wii or the ps3 cause i have a bad ass pc right beside me but come on if wii can do it so can you sony!!!! also i must say yes the ps3 might be good in the future like maybe next christmas? but why launch now with nothing at all, i literally mean nothing at all. they are losing all their exclusives because of their dumb ass marketing moves and companies can't make money releasing only on the ps3 cause even if they sold a copy of their game to every ps3 owner in the world they are not breaking even. now i have no cries about dmc4 or RE5 cause i will buy them for the 360 not that they may look better on ps3 but i want teh achievements :D plus live leader boards. sony is really fscking up and its no ones fault but their own. if they would have waited and released the ps3 at the same time halo 3 comes out and you could buy a ps3 with heavenly sword, motorstorm,resistance, metal gear solid, devil may cry, gta4, lair @ launch they would be 2 years behind m$ but i guarantee it would have been the biggest launch in console history. IF YOU ASKED ME SONY DESERVES ALL THE BAD PRESS AND FLAMING THEY GOT.
  ibought my ps3 cause they had oblivion and heavenly sword and motorstorm as launch titles so i had mine pre'd and when i got it and realized all i could play was crappy ports from every other console or resistance i almost returned it. till i watched a Blu-ray movie :P

  26.3.2007 18:50 #17

• ZippyDSM

  Hopium
  anyone thats uses a console for surfing suxs thus of course the browser will automatically suck,because tis on a console trying to surf the web.
  
  
  the 65NM is a bit better designed if anything it will smooth out the rough spots in some games(like gain a whole fps or 2) also the chipset is gettign a boost for the new black 360,the one with HDMI and 120HDD,the format wars will take another 3-6 years to end by I can see MS making do and offering a model 3 or 4 with a next gen drive in it and selling it for almost 450 or whatever the PS3 high end has fallen to.
  
  But in all the thing I want most from the "new" is stability if MS put in the newer CPU better cooling AND a slight chipset redesign I will get one even at 480 its worth it because it has something the PS3 dose not......(games)

  26.3.2007 19:09 #18

• mclukeyb

  Oh some people are sad they need to come on and try to put ps3 down. well i suppose people always try to fight when threatened.

  26.3.2007 22:00 #19

• SProdigy

  I remember buying my PS2 at launch and playing it for 2 years or more before I even considered getting a Cube or Xbox. It was the king...
  
  Fast forward to the present day, and Sony's marketing crap and the high price of entry, and I stay clear of the PS3.
  
  Blu-Ray movies look good, but we all know that none of you want to pay $30-$35 USD for a movie you already own. If you go to Blu-ray or HD-DVD, you're stuck, because the studios are on one side or the other. A movie on BD may not come out on HD and vice versa. 360 has Marketplace for HD movies, but do you want to pay to rent them? Most of us will just d/l the HD rips.
  
  Nintendo's marketing team is smart and they have captured the market with a simpler technology than the competition. Everyone says that 360 and PS3 will drop prices as the tech is cheaper to make, but what happens with Wii? If it's already cheaper, the console could drop to Cube-like prices within a few years and totally dominate the same way PS2 has been for the last couple years.
  
  In short, I'm not a Sony hater, but all of their recent blunders question whether I want to support a company that keeps screwing up. Anyone else notice that Sony Pictures is pumping Spiderman 3 propaganda all over the place? Even that is nauseating.
  
  One last thought: I was still working retail through the holidays, and all the console launches. I would see a fair amount of 360's returned after their launch, and quite a few of the PS3's too. They are both without their problems. However, you couldn't even find a Wii, much less one that got returned. It amazes me that stores still have people waiting in line overnight for vouchers to purchase one, 5 months after the launch.

  27.3.2007 04:14 #20

• BobbyBlu

  Quote:Blu-Ray movies look good, but we all know that none of you want to pay $30-$35 USD for a movie you already ownSorry but thats HD-DVD that has more old title than New.Actual i own 23 Blu-ray titles didn't plan on buying any Blu-Rays but after watching them your eyes get spoiled.
  
  
  Its funny how people try to bring negative to any good Sony news thats put up on this board....But you hater's are so small your not even noticeable in the Sony community.Call it PR if you want but news is news & take it how you want but Sony have a very strong track record of console sales that speak for itself like it or not Sony going to be here for a long time so you better learn to live with it.

  27.3.2007 05:36 #21

• nptwenty

  I own Xbox 360 & PS3 im sorry but xbox is not bottom of the barrell. At the moment im sorry 360 is best for games online and offline. Just compare the two. Xbox 360 20GB hard drive and HD cables with headset. PS3 cheap crap cable (thanks Sony here's another £20 of my hard earned money just so I can play it in HD) Ok got Motostorm let go online. Hey dude! where u from? Hello? Helllloooo anyone there? Oh yeah no Friggin headphones/microphone. WTF? Sony I spent how much on your console:( Oh but it plays blurry dvds - whoopee! I bought a "game console" I want to play games with my friends call em donkeys when they crash or when I shoot em ect. Not type out text messages.

  27.3.2007 08:03 #22

• azndrake

  Originally posted by nptwenty:I own Xbox 360 & PS3 im sorry but xbox is not bottom of the barrell. At the moment im sorry 360 is best for games online and offline. Just compare the two. Xbox 360 20GB hard drive and HD cables with headset. PS3 cheap crap cable (thanks Sony here's another £20 of my hard earned money just so I can play it in HD) Ok got Motostorm let go online. Hey dude! where u from? Hello? Helllloooo anyone there? Oh yeah no Friggin headphones/microphone. WTF? Sony I spent how much on your console:( Oh but it plays blurry dvds - whoopee! I bought a "game console" I want to play games with my friends call em donkeys when they crash or when I shoot em ect. Not type out text messages.I have a ps3 and he is all BS. I am positive he does not have a ps3.

  27.3.2007 11:31 #23