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[Quotient]

Perhaps the network effects of launch made it seem like there was really just one console to own this gen? Last gen you were missing something pretty significant without any one of the consoles--that's an intimidating choice and a lot to buy at once. Analysis paralysis can be a real problem.

Also--a certain amount of buyers would simply have been too young to buy a console. Wonder how that fits in? I can't imagine it's not related to gaming...as you've said, it's really not a great box for anything else, and unlike PS3 there's cheaper blue ray players now, like...the PS3.

I wonder if Indie games are a much bigger selling point to non-core gamers than people realize. Mobile has introduced them to smaller games and now they want a similar experience with nicer graphics on their TV? Any media capabilities the PS4 does have would help to justify the purchase some more.

I wonder if these are PC gamers who are now jumping into the console market either for the first time, or returning after a long absence.

These are folks who would be into the Indie scene, as well as wanting the most powerful console.

The last of us also may have had an influence as it is regarded as the best game of the generation and only playable on a Sony system. This may have pushed PC gamers into finally jumping into the playstation ecosystem.

 

[Disaster Nebraska]

Oh I agree, it's partially a different situation.

But the Wii->Wii U transition demonstrates the importance in understanding your audience, because that will help you retain and cater to them, both for the PS4 and for the future.

I think a key difference is that the Wii grabbed an audience that Nintendo never had (or didn't have for many years since the NES; IMO, it recaptured a "silent majority" that had exited gaming since the Atari/NES era.)

Sony had a 100+ million console right out the gate, and then a 150+ million console as a follow-up. Even when they "stumbled" they pulled 80 million with the PS3 and will likely hit 90m by the time that console leaves store shelves.

PS4's success is not a surprise at all. PS4's absolute domination over the competition is a bit more surprising (but not really, considering what they're up against).

 

[Art Vandilay]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inemuri

This needs to catch on in the US. I don't think this would fly with my boss though.

 

[lowhighkang_LHK]

i think this quote is important:



Those who never purchased a console last-gen are now buying a PS4. This has surprised Sony and also surprising to me. The PS4 is less of a media machine than the PS3, so they must not be buying it for that functionality, they must be buying for the games - but why now?

Because the rise of touch pad gaming and sitting on your toilet while you take a shit iphone gaming does open up people to the concept of games.

I don't deny console gamers are being lost to iOS gaming, but there is also a lot of influx coming the other way.

My sister would never ever touch a controller, thinking it was like, kryptonite. But after she started playing a few games on her iphone, she now will at least pick up the ps4 controller and mess around a bit, or at the least watch me play for a little bit if the game seems interesting.

Also, why do people forget that the Playstation brand dominating gaming for close to 10+ straight years. This is Sony merely not fucking up and reclaiming the title they once had for so long.

 

[tanod]

My guess is the Jimmy Fallon episode where they debuted the PS4 got them a lot of traction with the non-core gamer.

This video has about 7 million views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hUUsqhetX4

 

[Sylver]

Crazy how just 2 minutes of words led to all this...

This was pure gold, Sony killed it there. xD What was MS thinking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOwA46785pk
:_)

 

[18-Volt]

Reasons? For casual crowd? Better Call of Duty, FIFA, Madden and Need For Speed.

Us gamers have really high hopes for The Last Guardian.

 

[squidyj]

feels like they just had a very positive narrative around them. A narrative people wanted to be a part of.

 

[GeneralArrow]

It's the GAF effect folks, /s. Actually, market awareness is huge. I think what Sony is forgetting about that they're coming into a new generation of gamers and families who are 30ish who might have had there first kid and are looking for a powerful affordable gaming solution. The idea of gaming being taboo no longer exists. So many of us are 25-30 and never had the opportunity to purchase our own console. Sony has just gotten it right, they have opened up to an entire new generation of gamers. That's what is happening. Sony has had a lot of flack these past few years and now they're turning it around. This is partially due to that.

 

[Mononoke]

Too bad this success didn't transfer to the vita also

Price was always too high for a handheld device. Especially when they had to compete with people using tablets and phones (both for every day tasks, and gaming). There really was no room in the market for a high priced portable gaming system. And it's a shame, because the Vita is incredible hardware (from a spec perspective). But you can't have that kind of hardware without the price.

It was always doomed to fail. Outside of Nintendo's initial blunder with the 3DS, they have always been wise to keep the price down to a level people are willing to spend. And because Nintendo's graphics are never cutting edge (and I actually mean this in a good way, I think Nintendo makes great looking games with their arty style and creativity), it's allowed them to keep sticking with hardware that doesn't cost that much.

Sony got it right with PS4, because $399 for a next gen console was a great price (given what the specs were).

 

[sense]

Great Sony got where it is with the PS4 because of dumb luck. Makes sense they have no idea what they did because they apparently have no idea what they are doing still. Where the hell are my firmware updates with all of the promised features?!?!

yep nothing but dumb luck....

 

[Bogey]

I thought every console manufacturer's main source of income wasn't so much the sale of the actual console, but much rather all running charges, such as their share of every game sold for that console, plus of course charges for their online services.
The console hardware used to be subsidized in the past, and even now I thought it'd only break even after 1-2 game sales or so.

Of course an expanding install base is always highly preferred due to that very reason as well. But instead of worrying whether all remotely interested customers already own a PS4 now, shouldn't they rather be.. well.. happy if they all did, and then focus on how to keep their revenue stream up and running with those (soiftware sales etc.)?

 

[JLeack]

well the xbox one completly botched everything, you had a good price point, good name, nice advertising.

You didn't do anything Great per say, you just didn't do anything wrong which made you the console of choice.

Bingo. Wii U and Xbox One shot themselves in the kidney, leg, and pelvis. PS4 didn't.

 

[FZZ]

Outside of Japan, it's selling fantastic.

- Great h/w
- Good price
- Great games

= win

Not true yet.

By next year after all of it's unveiled exclusives are out and assuming they're not bad it should be though.

 

[Karsticles]

Crazy how just 2 minutes of words led to all this...

What is even more amazing is that "we won't screw over our consumer base" is the most thrilling thing said at the start of the generation by any of the three companies.

 

[Tigress]

I'm not so sure why either. It's certainly not the games. The Wii U had a better launch line-up.

I guess it could be that they made such a big deal about the No-DRM thing and the good press created a lot of hype, and the media was all on their side.

The Wii U was coming off the reputation of the Wii and Nintendo though. Sure, Nintendo fans might want it, but anyone else would have been skeptical. Take me for example. When the Wii U came out I complained to the sales guy that Nintendo just doesn't get third parties. He claimed that this time around Nintendo meant to change that.

You know what I thought to that, "I'll believe it when I see it." Point being I am betting a lot of people by the time the Wii U came out were skeptical that Nintendo would have a console that actually had third party games. And when selling consoles you really need to have a good start, even when you already have a good rep, especially when your rep is really bad. Hell, I think the PS3 only survived cause Sony was coming off of a really good reputation).

 

[tanod]

Perfect Day launch commercial has 18 million views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0d9d-cdxhk

Used game policy video has 15 million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA

These are big numbers. Their marketing people have to be ecstatic about this kind of exposure.

 

[SerTapTap]

I wonder if these are PC gamers who are now jumping into the console market either for the first time, or returning after a long absence.

These are folks who would be into the Indie scene, as well as wanting the most powerful console.

The last of us also may have had an influence as it is regarded as the best game of the generation and only playable on a Sony system. This may have pushed PC gamers into finally jumping into the playstation ecosystem.

That's an interesting idea. As I frequently have to explain, Playstation does have a set of "exclusive indies" that are quite worth checking out in addition to sony first party. Off the top of my head, Journey, Flower, Sound Shapes, Velocity 2X, counter Spy (I hope!), Hohokum, everything Housemarque, most of what they showed at Gamescom for that matter.

This was pure gold, Sony killed it there. xD What was MS thinking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOwA46785pk
:_)

I preordered a PS4 that very night of E3. Spectacular.

 

[Secret_asian_man]

My guess is the Jimmy Fallon episode where they debuted the PS4 got them a lot of traction with the non-core gamer.

This video has about 7 million views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hUUsqhetX4

Forgot how well done that showing was; it sold me on the camera.

 

[ghst]

I wonder if these are PC gamers who are now jumping into the console market either for the first time, or returning after a long absence.

These are folks who would be into the Indie scene, as well as wanting the most powerful console.

The last of us also may have had an influence as it is regarded as the best game of the generation and only playable on a Sony system. This may have pushed PC gamers into finally jumping into the playstation ecosystem.

i think most PC gamers wanting to play TLOU waded in wearing wellies and a gas mask and got out as soon as the dirty business was done.

they certainly weren't getting buzzed on immersing themselves in the raw power of a £100 GPU and a couple of netbooks duct taped together.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

.

if I had to guess I'd say because Nintendo and MS just made bad products. All Sony did was watch them crash and burn while playing it safe.

I really don't think MS made a bad product. They nearly did but they fixed almost everything bad about the XB1 before release. Then in pretty short order they allowed indies to self publish, got rid of kinect and now Games with Gold is pretty much on par with PS Plus(on XB1 and PS4 anyway). They also have a fantastic lineup of exclusives that puts PS4 to shame. With hindsight I actually believe the XB1 is the superior system. I hate hindsight.

 

[NeoGarrison]

It's... refreshing how frank he is being. Though probably not the best thing for shareholders to hear.

For the core and casual gamers not on the PS3: I would say part of it is because of the momentum the PS3 started gaining near the end of the 7th gen. They had a lot of good exclusives, multiplats started to get better optimised, and developers like Valve changed their tune about the PS3. Another thing that helped them was how bad Microsoft fucked up with their PR/DRM fiasco which really helped tip people on the fence towards the PS4. I would also attribute their own PR, lower price range, and really getting their message across. Nintendo blew up on the launch bad and Microsoft shot themselves in the ass, and Sony was smart in how they took advantage of the situation.

As per why completely new people are jumping on board... that I can't explain. Xbone was specifically tailored to achieving that goal what with their message of the "All in one entertainment system", making tv shows, contracting people like Steven Spielberg, emphasis on Kinect, the NFL deal, etc. and has seemingly failed. Sony, on the other hand, has done next to nothing to cater to that crowd, and is seemingly winning. That is puzzling.

Completely agree with you there, this is not a good thing for shareholders to hear. As far as the all in one entertainment system, I think people who want things similar to that already have it or are getting it by just getting a new smart tv nowadays. I actually explained my ex-wife about what the xbox one does and the first thing she said was: Why get another box If I can just watch netflix on my TV? What I really don't get is where did MS come up with the idea that there was an audience to cater to anyways?

 

[Vestax]

This was pure gold, Sony killed it there. xD What was MS thinking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOwA46785pk
:_)

LoL

I forgot about this one. I didn't forget the Don Mattrick interview were he suggested that people should get an X360 if they didn't want to be online with the Xbox One. What a tool.

 

[Some Nobody]

Huh? This doesn't make any sense. Didn't Sony made a huge detailed splash on the day they revealed the PS4 saying why this is the best system to play games in? Saying this is the best place for gamers? Giving us the most powerful console in the planet supposedly with some of the most amazing exclusives there is....and now it's like: I don't know why people are buying it! Seriously wtf is he thinking?

You know what, upon seeing how Sony is completely baffled and acting nonsensical when it comes to the PS VITA it appears some of these suits actually drank the "mobile phone gaming future" Kool-Aid from the new kids on the block. Which is about as stupid as a restaurant preparing to close up shop because a hot-dog stand opened up in the corner. Yes of course we want dedicated devices bro who in the world told ya that we didn't?

WAKE DA F<&% up bro it's selling because GAMERS are buying it. As far as new people coming into gaming well what do you expect for crying out loud?! It's an amazing medium in which more people are getting exposed and guess what.... more people get born every day. There will be tons of new kids which first system is a PS4.

1.) Yeah, first of all, he knows why. He can't exactly SAY, "Man, Microsoft really screwed up. Lucky for us."

2.) iPhones still kick the shit out of PS4 in terms of sales. If they're still doing unprecedented numbers two years from now, THEN you can spout all this console gaming isn't being replaced stuff.

 

[MavFan619]

I bought mine because I was ready to move on from PS3 even just to play better versions of cross gen games. Love Sony 1st party bought it on the potential of that as well. I think the fact he doesn't know why it's doing so well and Xbox One still has day 1's out there just goes to show how much one dropped the ball.

 

[BumRush]

That's... surprisingly honest.

I have the same concern: That we may be exhausting a larger range of all potential buyers rather quickly, and that the drop-off could be very strong. Hope not.

I see your point but the "system sellers" (Destiny, Uncharted, FF15, Bloodborne,

Spoiler

TLG

, Sony Santa Monica project, etc.) haven't even been released yet.

 

[Marty Chinn]

I think it shows that a lot of the "wisdom" about mobile taking over was hogwash.

I mean, PS4 selling like hotcakes, iPad growth declining. That's mud in the eye of every analyst in recent years.

(Although this failed prediction seems true for Japan).

I don't think we've proven it's hogwash at all yet. It's still way too early and we could be still in the wake of the core audience finally being able to get a new console after a long generation. iPads were never the real threat to consoles when it came to mobile gaming. They definitely help hurt it, but the bulk are the people with mobile phones playing games there. So iPad growth declining doesn't prove it's hogwash because mobile phones are still the larger piece of the pie. All we've seen is the core audience desperate to move on to a new generation. We haven't seen if the casuals will follow. That's the true threat of consoles being in decline.

 

[Quotient]

i think most PC gamers wanting to play TLOU waded in wearing wellies and a gas mask and got out as soon as the dirty business was done.

they certainly weren't getting buzzed on immersing themselves in the raw power of a £100 GPU and a couple of netbooks duck taped together.

The Last of Us may have been the straw that broke the camels back - it may have convinced them of the quality of Sony's first party, which is very strong.

 

[A_Gorilla]

Don't worry Sony, MS and Nintendo are pulling their hair out over the same question as well...

 

[Respawn]

I have to hand it to Sony, they did a great job of not fucking up.

Tell me about it

 

[Etnos]

Not that hard to see. Great tech at a great price, with the promise of great games.

PS4 is a nice console, but common!? Great Tech? .... intel haswell is great tech, Apple ARM chips are great tech, I can literary think of like 10 examples of great tech, before the PS4, it is literary a mediocre APU with single core performance comparable to chips done a decade ago. Is that great tech!?

It is a fine console worth getting, but it was dated tech even before launch.

 

[Jomjom]

Bingo. Wii U and Xbox One shot themselves in the kidney, leg, and pelvis. PS4 didn't.

I think the popular meme needs to be changed from "_________ shot themselves in the foot..." to shot themselves in the pelvis.

 

[HalfwayOrb]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inemuri

Didn't know that. That's awesome.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Clean focused message, good hardware, great support with many great games to come soon, great price. Main competition shot themselves in the foot by dishonoring their fanbase which takes game ownership very seriously.

Recipe for success. Sure the console market has probably shrunk quite a bit, but it'll be almost all Sony's.

 

[coolasj19]

i think this quote is important:
Those who never purchased a console last-gen are now buying a PS4. This has surprised Sony and also surprising to me. The PS4 is less of a media machine than the PS3, so they must not be buying it for that functionality, they must be buying for the games - but why now?

Exactly, it can't be games. But that's the only thing the PS4 is set to excel at right now.

Streaming hype. That's why the camera is also selling well.

That is a possibility. And if it's true, maybe the same thing will happen when VR hits the shelves?
"What's this VR thing? It looks cool. How much? $500 (PS4 @ $300 + $200 Morpheus)? Sure why not."
Few million easy right there =P

My guess is the Jimmy Fallon episode where they debuted the PS4 got them a lot of traction with the non-core gamer.
This video has about 7 million views.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hUUsqhetX4

A 6% conversion rate? That is absolutely insane.

 

[MavFan619]

I really don't think MS made a bad product. They nearly did but they fixed almost everything bad about the XB1 before release. Then in pretty short order they allowed indies to self publish, got rid of kinect and now Games with Gold is pretty much on par with PS Plus(on XB1 and PS4 anyway). They also have a fantastic lineup of exclusives that puts PS4 to shame. With hindsight I actually believe the XB1 is the superior system. I hate hindsight.

Eh bit strong on the exclusives putting Sony to shame on PS4, neither has a true must own till Bloodborne is out, but that's just me.

 

[Nafai1123]

PS4 is a nice console, but common!? Great Tech? .... intel haswell is great tech, Apple ARM chips are great tech, I can literary think of like 10 examples of great tech, before the PS4, it is literary a mediocre APU with single core performance comparable to chips done a decade ago. Is that great tech!?

It is a fine console worth getting, but it was dated tech even before launch.

Give me a fucking break.

 

[KiraXD]

Knack.

lol the one game i wouldnt recommend to my worst enemies... what a garbage game that was...


Honestly its probably all word of mouth and internet arguments over which is more powerful.

Kids these days dont want to be "That Kid" with the crappier console (just an example... dont jump on me for this.)

seems like everyone i see in stores tends to lean towards PlayStation, parents coming in to buy for their kids are being told PS4 is more powerful and parents dont want their kid to have the less powerful console...

again personally i dont care... i just want games, im an adult who can buy what i want... but a lot of sales are just what i said...

 

[Soroc]

I really don't know either Yoshida...

I bought one only because I got it for basically 50% off. But I have no interest in playing anything at this point. I know down the line I will just like with my PS3.

Right now though its a great netflix box for me!


I do wonder about exhausting the enthusiast crowd too fast but sales aren't seeming to slow down yet. I think there was a log of 360 fans that converted to PS4 as well.

 

[DieH@rd]

This was pure gold, Sony killed it there. xD What was MS thinking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSIFh8ICaA
:_)

Fixed.

[We need to push this vid over 15mil ]

 

[MavFan619]

i think most PC gamers wanting to play TLOU waded in wearing wellies and a gas mask and got out as soon as the dirty business was done.

they certainly weren't getting buzzed on immersing themselves in the raw power of a £100 GPU and a couple of netbooks duct taped together.

Oh boy.

 

[Omega]

hey guys whats marketing?

there's people that don't even know Destiny is on X1

 

[Ingueferroque]

I love how straightforward and honest he comes across, fantastic PR man.

 

[Creaking]

Because it provided a quality product at an affordable price (in most locations) and avoided stupid gimmicks.

hey guys whats marketing?

there's people that don't even know Destiny is on X1

Man, Wikipedia really ought to have solved this kind of thing. I could never buy something based solely on what I see in ads.

 

[Etnos]

Give me a fucking break.

Noup, it is true. The IPC in those AMD apu's is garbage, it is practicaly decade old performance.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I mean, how many amazing games came out on PS3 in 7 years? And how many of those studios are now making games for PS4? It's just common sense that the PS4 has good games on its way.

Most of them were exclusives or titles that carried over. The worst part was having a testable IP from the start, then having developers saying there were difficulties programming for the PS3, and then having every single Triple A game come out on both sides. The thing is, the PS3 held its own ground after years of people hating it for whatever it did. Sony had every right to back their exclusive hits. It's just people weren't necessarily going for that. They wanted the XBox experience ontop of everything else.

Now Sony has woken up, realized they can deliver, and some people see it as a major change. It's not like the PS1 and PS2 did poorly. Each console had millions of fans and the experiences were always something new. The PS4 isn't a test console at all. It's taking everything people liked about Xbox or PC and they're seeing major changes to how they make games. I've heard it said a few times, but the typical game isn't going to be made anymore. They're going to use whatever they can to do it. I think Sony just had a time frame to make those adjustments and learn off the PS3 cycle. We don't have a competitive box as a gaming console anymore (well not as huge), but we have new experiences to enjoy. I think the PS4 will be known as a console for the experience rather than a console to go online and play a FPS all night long, like the Xbox and Xbox 360 were. It'll still be there don't get me wrong, but I think Sony knows how to push gaming entertainment better.

They did this whole thing with PS1 and the PS2. Half of the classic games we talk about come form that era. It's just taken different forms over the years. Sony can deliver that again and I see it happening. MS will eventually do what they've done, but the PS line is still great. They just have to prove that like they did for the fans of their older consoles.

 

[Amir0x]

Honestly no one is sure why, Sony. Game shit show central on the platform, and your first party offerings to date are comically mediocre. I was hopeful that'd change but The Order is being called garbage by basically 85% of all showfloor attendees who played it.

Indies don't count (focus on real games Sony), so Yoshida and I are both perplexed anyone keeps falling for the PS4 scam.

 

[kpaadet]

Don't worry Shu, I wouldn't read to much into those numbers.

 

[Broank]

1 People were craving next gen systems for 2 years.
2 Microsoft created their own PR nightmare and Sony got the most important thing right (price)

 

[ChimpanzeeThat]

It's selling well in my experience at retail because of the cheaper price point in comparison to the Xbox One (until they took the Kinect out anyway) and PlayStation has always been a very strong brand in the UK anyway.

I have no idea which has sold better in my corner of the world though, but last gen i know we definitely sold more Xbox 360's but the tide has turned now in Sony's favour, definitely.