Support NeoGAF

[BenjaminBirdie]

Went in GameStation Birmingham (Europes Largest Game Store) at 5:30pm today after work - total queue for PS3?

1 guy. Staff said he'd been there since 1:30 - wonder if he's a Sony plant?

World of warcraft Burning Crusade launch had a larger queue...

The biggest game store in the continent? Reallies?

 

[iapetus]

I'll throw in my anecdotal evidence too, for what it's worth. I've been dropping into Tesco to pick up food on my way home from work at about the same time on the launch day of every console this generation. For the Wii launch there were about six people queuing up. For the Xbox 360 launch there were exactly 19 (for 20 systems, and I immediately nabbed the last spot). For PS3 it took me a while to count, but give or take 5% or so there must have been 0 people queuing. That said there were a few people lurking around the store who were blatantly there to pick up the PS3. But there wasn't one of those roped off areas with a handful of people sitting on chairs, afraid to go to the toilet for fear that someone would steal their place in the queue. It's not a proper launch, really...

That said, when I picked up the 360, everyone I spoke to in the queue was there because they'd failed to get a preorder elsewhere, and had heard Tesco had some and weren't taking preorders. With Wii I assume it was the same story. That's just not going to happen with PS3.

 

[KAOS]

Congrats to the new european ps3 owners!

 

[captive]

I'll throw in my anecdotal evidence too, for what it's worth. I've been dropping into Tesco to pick up food on my way home from work at about the same time on the launch day of every console this generation. For the Wii launch there were about six people queuing up. For the Xbox 360 launch there were exactly 19 (for 20 systems, and I immediately nabbed the last spot). For PS3 it took me a while to count, but give or take 5% or so there must have been 0 people queuing. That said there were a few people lurking around the store who were blatantly there to pick up the PS3. But there wasn't one of those roped off areas with a handful of people sitting on chairs, afraid to go to the toilet for fear that someone would steal their place in the queue. It's not a proper launch, really...

lol what?

 

[snorggy]

let's wait for the numbers before we hammer any more nails into sony's coffin! i think the number of units available are pretty unprecedented for a console launch... like... it may not sell out, but it still could end up being a really successful launch...

... or is a console launch automatic FAIL if it's not a sell out?

 

[antiloop]

As long as everyone that wants one gets one all should be good. If they can't sell the rest, they just have lower the price. It doesn't have to be harder than that.

Good luck everyone, and happy gaming!

 

[Keyser Soze]

I pre-ordered today, very calm I am!

 

[Sirolf]

There is one F.....G million PS3's at launch
I don't expect them to sell out in one day !!:lol
In my nearest game store,there is about one hundred preorders for tomorrow(France).

 

[Vaandaviii]

Why should be people queuing if almost everybody who plans to buy one has it reserved? That's stupid.

 

[PowerRun]

So the EU PS3 doesn't support 60Hz for anything lower than 720p then!?

Wouldn't that make that Heavenly Sword "dev" a liar then?

Not sure if he's lying, but my screen only does 50Hz @ 576i/p. At 720+ it's always 60Hz. Tested in PS3-menu

 

[spwolf]

Wii launch had around 20 people after work, and then 100s when I went back at 11:30pm. No doubt the actual midnight launch will be fairly big, but I don't think they were expecting crowds.

whole point is that with 1mil of PS3's on day one, there is no sense in waiting in queue... now people might show up at midnight to pickup their consoles, but no reason to wait in queue though...

 

[mrklaw]

lol what?

have you read many of Iapetus' posts?

 

[Shiggy]

whole point is that with 1mil of PS3's on day one, there is no sense in waiting in queue... now people might show up at midnight to pickup their consoles, but no reason to wait in queue though...

Do you really think there were one million units shipped on day 1, although that amount is planned to be delivered during the launch period.

And just look at Wii, the system sold much more than one million units and there's still a high demand.

 

[spwolf]

Do you really think there were one million units shipped on day 1, although that amount is planned to be delivered during the launch period.

Sony confirmed 1mil at DAY 1.

 

[Fess]

Not sure if he's lying, but my screen only does 50Hz @ 576i/p. At 720+ it's always 60Hz. Tested in PS3-menu

576 can only be 50hz so that's normal, but on the PS2 the games themselves gave you the option to run the game in 480i and 60 hz if you wanted to.
Doesn't the PS3 games give you that option?

 

[Forsete]

Do you really think there were one million units shipped on day 1, although that amount is planned to be delivered during the launch period.

There are 1 million units out there day one. The units have been shipped to Europe over several weeks.

 

[captive]

have you read many of Iapetus' posts?

Negative. I think i should, they seem quite stealthily funny.

 

[Shiggy]

Sony confirmed 1mil at DAY 1.

So for how long do they plan to do no more shipments then?

@Forsete
I don't doubt, but it's funny that the "one million consoles" should last for the whole launch period and all are put into stores on day 1.

 

[Elios83]

So for how long do they plan to do no more shipments then?

@Forsete
I don't doubt, but it's funny that the "one million consoles" should last for the whole launch period and all are put into stores on day 1.

1 million units have been already shipped to retailers, and it seems that by the end of the month total shipments for Europe will be at 1.5m units.

 

[Shiggy]

1 million units have been already shipped to retailers, and it seems that by the end of the month total shipments for Europe will be at 1.5m units.

Sony said there will be one million consoles made available during launch period, so why shouldn't we trust them? It's also unlikely that such a high amount is even needed.

 

[spwolf]

Sony said there will be one million consoles made available during launch period, so why shouldn't we trust them? It's also unlikely that such a high amount is even needed.

Sony said 2 days ago that they will have 1 mil on DAY 1. What are you talking about?

 

[MiamiWesker]

Midnight is in about an hour and a half in UK correct?

 

[Shiggy]

Sony said 2 days ago that they will have 1 mil on DAY 1. What are you talking about?

Was it a press release? Then sorry, but what I'm saying was said in one, and I think those are more reliable than their PR interviews.

 

[Stop It]

http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/

Heh, that made me laugh, a lot, both of the top two articles actually, I hate ebay scalpers

Anyway, even though I do expect the initial alloaction to have mostly sold out by the end of the day in the UK, I don't expect Wii style demand, I dont think it can reproduce the whole impulse buy cycle that the Wii has (I have got nearly 5 people wanting a Wii, just by showing them it, 3 at least have either bought or reserved one).

Midnight is in about an hour and a half in UK correct?

No, its 20:36 here, although tell game.co.uk that, it's already selling the PS3 on the store.

 

[Elios83]

Sony said there will be one million consoles made available during launch period, so why shouldn't we trust them? It's also unlikely that such a high amount is even needed.

That was said two months ago, and they used the expression 'launch period' just to cover their ass in case of last minute shipment problems.
The situation right now is really different since they have been able not only to deliver the first million units but new shipments are expected by the end of this month in all Europe.

 

[spwolf]

Was it a press release? Then sorry, but what I'm saying was said in one, and I think those are more reliable than their PR interviews.

that was months ago... now they have 1 mil on day one, and they upped allocations per country... UK got bumped to 300k from 250k, France 100k from 60k, etc. It was head of Sony UK who confirmed it.

That is why you see people from game stores reporting stuff like having more PS3's in stock that all the Wii's they have sold so far, etc.

Sony has the units, it crazy not to sell them, when they can. They reported production of 4mil PS3's in mid Feb, when they sold only 2... and they will produce 6 mil by end of March.

 

[Shiggy]

OK, then sry.

That is why you see people from game stores reporting stuff like having more PS3's in stock that all the Wii's they have sold so far, etc.

Doesn't this mean that stores have more than 1.5 million units available?

 

[spwolf]

Anyway, even though I do expect the initial alloaction to have mostly sold out by the end of the day in the UK, I don't expect Wii style demand, I dont think it can reproduce the whole impulse buy cycle that the Wii has (I have got nearly 5 people wanting a Wii, just by showing them it, 3 at least have either bought or reserved one).



No, its 20:36 here, although tell game.co.uk that, it's already selling the PS3 on the store.

I doubt they will sell out on day 1... if they sell out by end of April, it will be great . And I am serious.

UK gets 300k PS3's on day 1, while it got 60k Wii's during the launch period... Numbers are way too big for quick sellout of 600 Euro console.

 

[spwolf]

OK, then sry.



Doesn't this mean that stores have more than 1.5 million units available?

it means that due to high allocations, even smaller stores got loads of them.

 

[jax (old)]

nope

yes. ToyrUS had/has the best deal followed by gametraders. Who knows, maybe sales were better there.

The good thing about aussie sales figures, we'll get it in a week...


I'm also going with the unmitgated disaster route. I was so sure I was going to buy a PS3 but til BC news hit in the last week and it was a fiasco, my interest completly died.

 

[Lain]

I'll probably kick myself in the ass later on (especially because I'm still unhappy in regards to BC), but I think I'll go out and buy a PS3 tomorrow. I really hope in time Sony will get all my PS2 and PS1 game playable on PS3, and I also hope i wont get raped on the price for games (as well as finding the ones i want).

 

[PowerRun]

576 can only be 50hz so that's normal, but on the PS2 the games themselves gave you the option to run the game in 480i and 60 hz if you wanted to.
Doesn't the PS3 games give you that option?

Connected the PS3 with the composite cables and my screen tells me it's running at PAL50. No option in either Ridge Racer 7 nor Formula-1 to switch to 60Hz. Time to switch back to component, this composite signal is headache guarantee :S

 

[nofi]

Connected the PS3 with the composite cables and my screen tells me it's running at PAL50. No option in either Ridge Racer 7 nor Formula-1 to switch to 60Hz. Time to switch back to component, this composite signal is headache guarantee :S

So I'm sat here waiting for the 11pm bus into town and you're telling me that via normal SD resolutions I'm only going to get 50hz?

Surely not...

Edit: Guess not.

 

[Pilopo]

Microsoft make his appearance at PS3 Paris Official launch place :lol :

and yes its a boat that just went by PS3 one on the seine

 

[spwolf]

So I'm sat here waiting for the 11pm bus into town and you're telling me that via normal SD resolutions I'm only going to get 50hz?

Surely not...

Edit: Guess not.

well what console was it and what firmware? I couldnt even play PAL dvd's on my US console (I am in Europe)... let me check if 1.6 firmware fixed it... nope...

 

[nofi]

well what console was it and what firmware? I couldnt even play PAL dvd's on my US console (I am in Europe)... let me check if 1.6 firmware fixed it... nope...

And now I'm reading that you can't even select a widescreen mode in SD. Now, only now, do I find this out.

Someone tell me you can play PS3 games in 16:9 through a SCART cable.

 

[Midas]

And now I'm reading that you can't even select a widescreen mode in SD. Now, only now, do I find this out.

Someone tell me you can play PS3 games in 16:9 through a SCART cable.

I feel your pain, but it's time to get a new TV buddy. You can get a 32" LCD for like nothing these days.

 

[Forsete]

I'l pick up my system at 10:30 in the morning tomorrow.

 

[spwolf]

And now I'm reading that you can't even select a widescreen mode in SD. Now, only now, do I find this out.

Someone tell me you can play PS3 games in 16:9 through a SCART cable.

i would think that depends on game though and what options it gives to you. I am pretty sure that PS3 can output widescreen under SD, it should be under PS3 settings. Someone might not have checked that.

 

[Goldrusher]

Someone tell me you can play PS3 games in 16:9 through a SCART cable.

Ofcourse you can.
PS3 games are designed for widescreen resolutions.

 

[Midas]

I'l pick up my system at 10:30 in the morning tomorrow.

I will be at SIBA around 10:45 waiting for them to open. Hopefully I'll get my hands on one of the bundles with Motorstorm and Kingdom of Heaven, if not - I'll need to go to Webhallen. :lol

 

[nofi]

Ofcourse you can.
PS3 games are designed for widescreen resolutions.

Oh thank god (and you). Pre-order still on.

Now, it's just that 60hz thing.

 

[PowerRun]

And now I'm reading that you can't even select a widescreen mode in SD. Now, only now, do I find this out.

Someone tell me you can play PS3 games in 16:9 through a SCART cable.

Yes you can setup 4:3 and 16:9 for SD reso.

About what someone said about the Heavenly Sword "dev" who apparently said something along the lines of PS3 being able to display PAL60, I guess it's software option which won't be available in all games, if any at all. The manual doesn't say anything about anything below 576i/p

 

[nofi]

Yes you can setup 4:3 and 16:9 for SD reso.

About what someone said about the Heavenly Sword "dev" who apparently said something along the lines of PS3 being able to display PAL60, I guess it's software option which won't be available in all games, if any at all. The manual doesn't say anything about anything below 576i/p

Annoying, though, Ridge Racer will look like crap at 50hz. Might not bother with that one now.

And yeah, I need a new TV...

 

[Ceb]

Microsoft make his appearance at PS3 Paris Official launch place :lol :

and yes its a boat that just went by PS3 one on the seine

I think this calls for a "whatswrongwithu".

 

[Danj]

Gamespot UK are going to have live coverage of the launch events starting from 11pm in an On The Spot Special.

 

[hadareud]

cool, that should be quite interesting to watch.

On a side note I don't think I have never seen a launch with so much bad press and unimpressive launch stories. Might be to do with the date (March) and that they are overshipping, but the publicity is not really favourable for Sony

 

[Ceb]

Is noone live blogging from that usual French launch event store?

 

[spwolf]

cool, that should be quite interesting to watch.

On a side note I don't think I have never seen a launch with so much bad press and unimpressive launch stories. Might be to do with the date (March) and that they are overshipping, but the publicity is not really favourable for Sony

kind of... it is mostly online... I have read local (eastern european) game mag who had PS3 featured, and everything was overwhelmingly positive, with few blurbs about stupid roumours started on blogs...

 

[SenkiDala]

Webcam from Geneva, for the PS3 launch: here