There's little else to add when Ars article own article compare the 1 million devices day one/24 hours sales of PS4 with several days/weeks/first month of release of other historical console record sales. These numbers are historical. And though there's some truth in that they don't assure instant success in terms of long term health of its platform the facts are that great generational sellers had great launches.
Arstechnica: Dont read too much into the PS4s million day-one sales
- Thread starter Zombie James
- Start date
Zuhzuhzombie!!
Member
First day sales won't mean a thing in 10 years.
720p will.
720p will.
Nor was it intended to be. It was a marketed fact. That's it. Looks like Ars is reading too much into it.
ProfessorMoran
Member
Fact: 1 million in ONE REGION in 24 HOURS has never been done before, it's substantially more than what any company has been able to achieve, both in terms of generating the necessary consumer demand and the number of units Sony has been able to have ready by launch, what will happen in the future? Nobody fucking knows but the fact that Sony has been able to stay on a positive message and start the generation with the strongest launch in console history is NOT hype, but fact. Ars should just deal with it and stick to reporting the facts, because they sure as fuck don't have a crystal ball either.
First of all - throwing in a healthy dose of skepticism is not "downplaying its success."
But even if it were, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, because the press should never "celebrate" the success of anything in the industry it covers - the press exists (in theory, at least) as an adversarial institution that criticizes the industry. As such, we should all welcome skeptical viewpoints, especially when they come from analysis of similar numbers in the past.
After years of hearing how smartphones have taken over the gaming industry, how consoles are dinosaurs that are long past their time, how Sony was crazy to go the full games route and not make something like an all-in-one family entertainment unit, how the decrease in console sales year over year pointed to an entire decline of the gaming industry, we finally not only have great sales figures, but the best sales figures in the history of videogames. This before the holiday shopping frenzy has begun, before the console has launched in thirty more countries before the end of the year, before major AAA blockbusters have been released.
Excuse the fuck out of me Ars for getting a tad excited, I guess I need to wait a year before I can allow myself a sliver of enjoyment out of the news.
Excuse the fuck out of me Ars for getting a tad excited, I guess I need to wait a year before I can allow myself a sliver of enjoyment out of the news.
One of the Ars staff is not happy with the opinions we're posing on their opinion article
I guess the tweets and personnal emails they must receive have a lot less thoughts put into them than the messages in this thread.
maverick40
Junior Member
It is Ars... site that became famous for reviews of hardware where 5% is considered big deal, let alone 125%.
Anyone with any lick of sense knows that nothing is "won" in the first month of sales. The article is pointless and does nothing but downplay the huge day one PS4 numbers.
Huh? You asked the question yourself in your last post - "why hasn't it been done before?"
I give up having a discussion with you...
playstation forces ... ASSEMBLE!
edit: Doenst really matter most gamers in the know are aware of each platforms advantages/disadvantages. Mainstream press where this stuff will matter eg time reuters articles which can lead to "oh wow 1 million ps4s must be good." are already out. Word of mouth will do the rest if the ps4 does turn out to be better than xbox1 overall in the future. Im not too worried. But yes, there does seem to be quite a bit of defending. On both sides, but its far more prevelant on the xbox side because some of the people arent used to their console losing the status quo number 1 position in their territory etc I would assume.
edit: Doenst really matter most gamers in the know are aware of each platforms advantages/disadvantages. Mainstream press where this stuff will matter eg time reuters articles which can lead to "oh wow 1 million ps4s must be good." are already out. Word of mouth will do the rest if the ps4 does turn out to be better than xbox1 overall in the future. Im not too worried. But yes, there does seem to be quite a bit of defending. On both sides, but its far more prevelant on the xbox side because some of the people arent used to their console losing the status quo number 1 position in their territory etc I would assume.
miDnIghtEr20C
Banned
The point was that he was playing in 900p the whole time.. yet he thought it was 1080p. And he said he could see the differences so easily. Yet he was at 900p the whole time. Even when he thought he was playing 1080p. You have to see hilarity in that.
TheLaughingStock
Member
You heard it folks. Consoles can't succeed. Tablets and phones are just too popular.
Eh?
Xbox didn't take off because it was new to the game and Nintendo lost a lot of goodwill from their cartridge fiasco. Granted Halo helped but neither had enough to convert the Sony faithful that generation.
Arrogant Sony is basically why PS3 had such a horrible start. It's taken a whole generation to forgive.
MMaRsu
Gold Member
He makes no point at all.
While launch sales aren't necessarily an indicator of long term success, good launches do fall into the, "Certainly doesn't hurt!," category.
Console success is, after all, just one great big install base race. Generally speaking, but not always, the first console to break ten million units, is going to be the primary console that developers cater to. This is one of the reasons the PS3 struggled for the first half of its lifespan, it wasn't just that the hardware was difficult to master, there was also little incentive to really master it. Developers just assumed most people would buy the 360 versions of the games, and it wasn't until fairly late in the PS3's lifespan that you could consistently expect PS3 multiplats to play just as well as their 360 counterparts.
So, while they're right that Sony could still screw things up in the long term, covering 1/10th the distance to the ten million unit goalpost right on the first day, is certainly a good start.
Console success is, after all, just one great big install base race. Generally speaking, but not always, the first console to break ten million units, is going to be the primary console that developers cater to. This is one of the reasons the PS3 struggled for the first half of its lifespan, it wasn't just that the hardware was difficult to master, there was also little incentive to really master it. Developers just assumed most people would buy the 360 versions of the games, and it wasn't until fairly late in the PS3's lifespan that you could consistently expect PS3 multiplats to play just as well as their 360 counterparts.
So, while they're right that Sony could still screw things up in the long term, covering 1/10th the distance to the ten million unit goalpost right on the first day, is certainly a good start.
mentallyinept
Banned
No one capable of critical thought would assume that the PS4's launch day success automatically means that they have won a 5+ year consumer war and that Microsoft and Nintendo should pack it in.
However...
Selling a million consoles on day 1 is an unprecedented event in this industry. That accomplishment should not be understated. It sets an undeniable tone going forward that the PS4 is a force to be reckoned with and that Microsoft and Nintendo need to get their ass in gear if they want to compete.
However...
Selling a million consoles on day 1 is an unprecedented event in this industry. That accomplishment should not be understated. It sets an undeniable tone going forward that the PS4 is a force to be reckoned with and that Microsoft and Nintendo need to get their ass in gear if they want to compete.
One of the Ars staff is not happy with the opinions we're posing on their opinion article
Man, games journalists sure are touchy little buggers. If you don't felate their article just right you're an entitled forum whiner.
1.21Gigawatts
Banned
Yeah... News at 11. A good start isn't everything.
But its a good start a least.
But its a good start a least.
Unknown One
Member
You would think journalist would be thrilled about this. It proves the industry is healthy, yet here they are downplaying it.
Suikoguy
I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
No, but he did write this:
http://penny-arcade.com/report/arti...lion-units-in-24-hours-a-number-that-is-even-
It's a strange world out there.
The day one numbers are significant.
According to "usual suspects"
1. The PS4 has no interesting launch games
2. Has a resolution advantage that no one can see and isn't important
3. Doesn't do anything "innovative," ie, force Kinect/TV integration down our throats.
....and still manages to sell 1 Million + on day one.
Considering all of these "disadvantages," seems pretty fucking significant to me.
According to "usual suspects"
1. The PS4 has no interesting launch games
2. Has a resolution advantage that no one can see and isn't important
3. Doesn't do anything "innovative," ie, force Kinect/TV integration down our throats.
....and still manages to sell 1 Million + on day one.
Considering all of these "disadvantages," seems pretty fucking significant to me.
Uncle Ulty
Banned
So I wonder what it will mean when the XBone hits 1 Million sold?
Oppo
Member
I am not going to give them the extra click, but...
... this. Very much, this.
I think I'll continue to chose when I'm actually impressed, if it's ok with you, Ars.
... this. Very much, this.
I think I'll continue to chose when I'm actually impressed, if it's ok with you, Ars.
Seems reasonable
bigboss370
Member
It's the biggest console launch in history. Does anyone have an enthusiastic gaming article for this?
captmcblack
Member
This gen is only a year old.
Nothing is decided yet.
...but anything that downplays the idea of a console launching with a 1 million userbase in a DAY in the biggest market is kinda strange at best. It's the biggest console launch ever...but even ignoring that (because hey, games are way bigger business now than they were in any gen before it, and we just had a crazy 7-year gen from 2005 - 2012, so the context is different) a big and active userbase day one is a big deal.
Nothing is decided yet.
...but anything that downplays the idea of a console launching with a 1 million userbase in a DAY in the biggest market is kinda strange at best. It's the biggest console launch ever...but even ignoring that (because hey, games are way bigger business now than they were in any gen before it, and we just had a crazy 7-year gen from 2005 - 2012, so the context is different) a big and active userbase day one is a big deal.
That's a point he brought up though, if Nintendo could manufacture 2 million Wii's for launch, they would have sold 2 million.
However, it's all "if's" and "but's" Sony should be applauded for actually pulling it off as we're seeing, Microsoft could very well top that number this Friday.
Good.
Killing_Joke
Member
The fuck? How is it not impressive? They completely shattered first day/week/month sales in 24 hours. No one has been able to launch with such a huge amount of supply. This "uhh anyone could do it if they had more units!" is bullshit.
LowEndTorque
Member
I feel like I just stepped into an alternate universe.
Well, I bet they have their reasons to react so harshly but they sure are taking some effort to downplay a historical record of day-one sales. If it was an iDevice tripling on day one past record sales of first month of release in its class it would be the entire tech blogosphere distributing the felatios to commemorate.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
What makes sense? People being impressed by launch sales numbers means they are idiots who think the entire generation is decided by a single day? Who is the audience for this article?
"What if" scenarios are all well and good, but we can't be sure how much the Wii would have sold if they had infinite supply. We do know that the Wii U was not supply constrained (well, maybe in some locations on the first day), and it did not sell very well.
The fact remains that the PS4 is the first console to pull of these kind of day-one sales (all while launching in a single territory), and it's impressive. There's nothing not-impressive about it.
WonkyPanda
Member
*shrug* Ars (along with Anand) post some of the best hardware reviews on the net. I guess this is a new revelation of their MS agenda?
Those articles are just "console war" articles, we are tired of this and so the backlash.
It's fantastic and gaming press should say it's fantastic, not "dont read too much into the PS4s million day-one sales".
And then, they insult us, "touchy little buggers" we are... We have a bias and agenda and all... We are just CONSUMERS, it's not rocket science to think a product is great because it is great. Why downplay it everytime? It's like it's the job of the gaming press to keep the "console war" alive.
This performance is great, i don't know very much about it but it could be the best "day one" in history for a videogame console, it seems. So what? It's not good because it breaks the BALANCE of war? Lol.
Fanboys are a minority, fact is, and i will repeat myself, we are CONSUMERS. And we try to go to the better deal, because reasons. I don't give a fuck about brands and which multinational built this product. Gaming press is annoying right now.
It's fantastic and gaming press should say it's fantastic, not "dont read too much into the PS4s million day-one sales".
And then, they insult us, "touchy little buggers" we are... We have a bias and agenda and all... We are just CONSUMERS, it's not rocket science to think a product is great because it is great. Why downplay it everytime? It's like it's the job of the gaming press to keep the "console war" alive.
This performance is great, i don't know very much about it but it could be the best "day one" in history for a videogame console, it seems. So what? It's not good because it breaks the BALANCE of war? Lol.
Fanboys are a minority, fact is, and i will repeat myself, we are CONSUMERS. And we try to go to the better deal, because reasons. I don't give a fuck about brands and which multinational built this product. Gaming press is annoying right now.
Thing is, they're not wrong. It's just that, it goes without saying that the first 24 hours of a console don't necessarily spell doom and gloom. Sony knows that well having had a horrible first couple years of the PS3 and then ultimately beating the 360 in sales. So yes, sales in the short term can't be extrapolated to a 10 year cycle.
He's saying the PS4 might not be market leader right? Which is fair enough, we haven't seen the xbox yet, but I wanted to see if other consoles that started off strong stayed strong, so..
Wii - (market leader) 1.25m in 42 days
360 - 0.9m in 39 days
PS3 1m shipped in 50 days
PS2 - (market leader) 500,000 in 24hrs
xbox - 550,000 in 1 week
gamecube - 500,000 in 1 week
Dreamcast - 372,000 in 4 days
so for the past two generations, the console that has started the best has remained the highest selling and market leader. Why he is comparing the 360 to the Dreamcast I have no idea.
Wii - (market leader) 1.25m in 42 days
360 - 0.9m in 39 days
PS3 1m shipped in 50 days
PS2 - (market leader) 500,000 in 24hrs
xbox - 550,000 in 1 week
gamecube - 500,000 in 1 week
Dreamcast - 372,000 in 4 days
so for the past two generations, the console that has started the best has remained the highest selling and market leader. Why he is comparing the 360 to the Dreamcast I have no idea.
He's saying that launch day figures don't automatically predict success or failure, this is 100% the truth. He also mentions that some previous consoles could have hit 1 million on launch if they weren't supply constrained, I also believe this to be true (for PS2, Wii). Where his argument falls apart is how he doesn't factor in all the other things that make or don't make a console successful over the long term. PS4 has a lot going for it beyond just price, a lot of things that will keep momentum going. Comparing PS4 to early sales of Dreamcast and Wii U and saying, "it could do poorly long term like these consoles!" is straight up bullshit as it doesn't take into account the entire picture (price, power, brand power, moment coming off last gen, 1st and 3rd party support, OS and services, controller, etc).
nordique
Member
Well, they're sort of right. I don't see what the beef is. Launch is always supported by enthusiasts first and foremost.
Only thing is, PS4 will likely perform well in market post-launch....if not immediately after, eventually.
I don't see the thing diving off a cliff post-launch like the Wii U, unfortunately, did.
Only thing is, PS4 will likely perform well in market post-launch....if not immediately after, eventually.
I don't see the thing diving off a cliff post-launch like the Wii U, unfortunately, did.
Cornbread78
Member
LOL, amazing if true, so unbiased and definately without a slight agenda, amIrite?
He's saying that launch day figures don't automatically predict success or failure, this is 100% the truth. He also mentions that some previous consoles could have hit 1 million on launch if they weren't supply constrained, I also believe this to be true (for PS2, Wii). Where his argument falls apart is how he doesn't factor in all the other things that makes a console successful or holds it back over the long term. PS4 has a lot going for it beyond just price, a lot of things that will keep momentum going. Comparing PS4 to early sales of Dreamcast and Wii U and saying, "it could do poorly long term like these consoles!" is straight up bullshit as it doesn't take into account the entire picture (price, power, brand power, moment coming off last gen, 1st and 3rd party support, OS and services, controller, etc) which have a massive effect on long term prospects of the console.