bit-gamer.net

Sony: PS3 will dominate market in five years

Sony: PS3 will dominate market in five years

David Reeves reckons that the PlayStation 3 will eventually dominate the market, but that it will take time.

David Reeves may be leaving Sony pretty soon, but that doesn't mean he's going to stop bigging the company up in the meantime, as proved by his recent claims that Sony will take a dominant position in the console market soon.

Soon is a relative term though, naturally. Reeves actually reckons that it will take Sony between three and five years before it can honestly claim the PlayStation 3 is in a dominant market position.

"I don't think it will be next year, but in three to five years it will become dominant on the market," Reeves told GI.biz.

"The legacy will be that people will see a tortoise and hare situation. In a way, in the end it will be a dead heat. People will say PS3 took a while to get going but it really caught up very quickly and confounded many of the critics from the first year."

Comparing that estimate against Sony's claim that the PlayStation 3 will have a ten year shelf-life means it'll manage to hold that dominance for just two years, taking eight years to get to the position. In the mean time a new Xbox and Nintendo platform will probably have been released.

David Reeves joined Sony in 1995 and slowly rose to his current position as CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, but retires at the end of the day to be replaced by Andrew House, former chief marketing officer.

What's your opinion of the PlayStation 3? What do you think destiny holds for the monolithic console? Let us know in the forums.

35 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply
Brooxy 30th April 2009, 12:12 Quote
Unless Ninty and Microsoft release a new console within the next 5 years, I don't think so. Not out of flaming, but out of existing sales figures.

February for example (US Sales):

Wii 700,000+
360's - 400,000
PS3 - 275,000


And from what I gather it's been consistently like this for some time. Sony have a long road to travel...
Fod 30th April 2009, 12:13 Quote
make it a normal looking set top box pls. kthxbai.
Bauul 30th April 2009, 12:18 Quote
By then the Wii 2 will definately be out, and probably the 720 (or whatever it's going to be called) will be out as well, and the PS3 will be old hat. The only way it can survive is if Sony can build the kind of base the PS2 has, and to be honest I don't think that's going to happen simply down to how the PS3 hasn't attracted the range of devs the PS2 did.
shigllgetcha 30th April 2009, 12:37 Quote
lol low asperations at sony
naokaji 30th April 2009, 12:55 Quote
lol whut?

PS3 as the dominant console? have they ever looked at Wii sales numbers? Even if Nintendo would stop selling the Wii immediately there would be no chance for Sony to sell enough Ps3's to catch up before the next gen of consoles comes.
DXR_13KE 30th April 2009, 13:03 Quote
the guy is smoking some nice weed...
amacieli 30th April 2009, 13:04 Quote
I wonder if he's banking on Blu-Ray taking off more, and positioning the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player, in order to get to be "dominant"? Then again, there's nothing stopping MS from adding Blu-Ray on - in fact, they're probably just biding their time waiting for the right moment. Maybe. Who knows.
13eightyfour 30th April 2009, 13:08 Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by amacieli
I wonder if he's banking on Blu-Ray taking off more, and positioning the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player, in order to get to be "dominant"? Then again, there's nothing stopping MS from adding Blu-Ray on - in fact, they're probably just biding their time waiting for the right moment. Maybe. Who knows.

Wouldnt MS have to get 'permission' from sony first before they make a blu ray player?
amacieli 30th April 2009, 13:22 Quote
Wouldnt MS have to get 'permission'

Couldn't they just buy the bits off the shelf like everyone else?
sear 30th April 2009, 13:27 Quote
You guys do realise that in 3-5 years, it'll be 2012-2014, right? And by then, the PlayStation 3 will be a last-gen console... nice.
mclean007 30th April 2009, 13:35 Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by titanium angel
Wouldnt MS have to get 'permission' from sony first before they make a blu ray player?
They'd need a licence, but I doubt Sony could legitimately refuse to grant it.
reaper1984 30th April 2009, 13:41 Quote
Hilarious. Sony has made so many strategic errors with the PS3. Blu-Ray will never take off like DVD as the online distribution model gathers pace. The hardcore gamer is playing on the Xbox 360 and the PC, while the casual gamer has the Wii. What's the PS3's niche? Sony can't pull the plug on it, but this arrogant certainess that they will dominate is rather annoying.
Turbotab 30th April 2009, 13:46 Quote
I reckon Sony have plans to miniaturise the PS3, in the same vane as the Psone, and sell it to automotive manufacturers, that would boost total sales figures somewhat!
zabe 30th April 2009, 13:47 Quote
am I the only one who's lost all excitement for consoles in this generation?
let me explain my point:

NES - great
SNES - even better

N64 - revolutionary 3d worlds
PS - greatest variety and very good games

PS2 - perfect system
GAMECUBE - ahem... + reusing old formulas
XBOX - nice first try from msoft, but I wasn't blown away

PS3 - boring, lack of cool games/innovation
XBOX360 - boring, lack of cool games/innovation
WII - still reusing old formulas (except the motion thing, but I prefer to play sitting down, and not moving around like crazy & getting tired... that's just personal preference though)

honestly, this generation, I'm having so much more fun just playing Crysis with my GTX260.
the only thing that is motivating me is the OpenCL and physics breakthrough.

so, once again I state my question... am I the only one?
Saivert 30th April 2009, 13:51 Quote
So I guess the overpowered and overpriced console is still biting their bottom.

People don't want excellence. They just want something that works adequately and is cheap. A super sportscar doesn't sell in large quantities either. Only a select few riches own one.

It's the same thing over and over again in each article about the PS3. I'm puzzled as to why Sony still doesn't get it. But I guess they can't go back now when they have their heads so deeply up their bottoms on this one.

Market dominance.. hahaha..
Icy EyeG 30th April 2009, 13:52 Quote
Ten years of shelf life? I really doubt it... I mean, if you consider the CellBE CPU, it could be debatable, but as far as the RSX goes, it's outdated already as we speak (it's based on the obsolete geforce 7-series GPUs). Not to mention that in 4 or 5 years video consoles will probably have GPGPU support or similar.
I've always thought they were going to release a (more compact) PS4 with an updated RSX and more system RAM, but keeping the CellBE CPU.
Turbotab 30th April 2009, 13:59 Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by zabe
am I the only one who's lost all excitement for consoles in this generation?
let me explain my point:

NES - great
SNES - even better

N64 - revolutionary 3d worlds
PS - greatest variety and very good games

PS2 - perfect system
GAMECUBE - ahem... + reusing old formulas
XBOX - nice first try from msoft, but I wasn't blown away

PS3 - boring, lack of cool games/innovation
XBOX360 - boring, lack of cool games/innovation
WII - still reusing old formulas

honestly, this generation, I'm having so much more fun just playing Crysis with my GTX260.
the only thing that is motivating me is the OpenCL and physics breakthrough.

so, once again I state my question... am I the only one?

QFT

The list of consoles that I've owned:

Master system
SNES
PS1
PS2
No plans to buy a PS3 / XB0X360. And unless their next-gen brothers do significantly more than ramp up the graphics power, I won't buy those either.
The trouble with consoles is that, PC graphics cards have gone crazy, improving faster than Moore's law, and relatively affordable to boot. If the consoles had an element of upgradability, I might be more inclined to purchase one
Gunsmith 30th April 2009, 14:30 Quote
aint gonna happen, next generation is just going to mean better gfx and more meh/easy games.

the latest VG cats sums up the industry nicely

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/images/090423.jpg
lewchenko 30th April 2009, 15:18 Quote
In a parallel universe, the PS3 maybe is the best selling console, but unfortunately for Sony.. in this universe the following happened :

- MS convinced IBM to build them the Xenon CPU which uses the same PPC core as the Sony chip, then throws 2 more in for good measure... which resulted in a CPU comparable in performance to the PS3's new cell overall. Sony thought they would be a generation ahead of MS in the planning phase.

- The GPU solution that the 360 chose to use was on par with the PS3, so no real graphical advantages.

- The 360 was 1 year+ ahead with regards to time to market, despite initial planning by Sony to be the 1st - the PS3 waited for Bluray lasers to become available / affordable... but was it worth it ?

- Nintendo thought outside the box, and invented a new control mechanism - coupled with 2 gamecubes strapped together they had a low cost (underpowered) console which turned out to be a whole bag of fun to use and tapped the casual (single game purchase!) market to make millions!


In the end the PS3 was NOT far ahead enough in terms of technology than the 360, and just about every game released on the consoles is the same as the 360 version.

In order to win this race, they needed to distinguish themselves via technology and thus delivered games. It just didnt happen. Even with the RROD too to help them!

So back to this universe.. where it all went wrong for Sony, the only thing they can do now to compete is reduce the price as they dont have any other advantages. Bluray players will soon be so cheap that it will no longer be an option for people to consider the PS3 instead of a stand alone player .. so that wont save it.

I have a wii, a PS3 and a 360 so am a fanboy of all, but it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out that with very few exclusives and a comparable technology set and game library, your only option is to compete on price.

Do I believe the PS3 will catch up...... No.

The next MS console will be here in less than 3 years, and Sony better have an answer for it...
zimbloggy 30th April 2009, 15:23 Quote
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
sandys 30th April 2009, 15:49 Quote
MS and Sony only see themselves as competitors, the Wii is another market entirely, the type of market that doesn't really play trad games.

Will Sony catch its competitor MS, in US probably not as there is too much of a head start but in Europe there is a good chance, they are already pretty close to each other, if it weren't for the sensationalist and inaccurate reporting from CardJoe you would see that is what is being talked about PAL territories, even with MS having a fire sale on the 360 the PS3 is still doing well and it still has plenty of titles out now and in the future that are worth buying.
Aterius Gmork 30th April 2009, 15:59 Quote
Who actually cares about those news? I for one don't.

If the 360 would have games that would be worth putting up with the crappy controls (and the RRoD issue) I'd buy one, and if the PS3 would have said games I'd buy one. But let's assume I'd have both. I surely wouldn't care about which console sells best, it just doesn't make any difference to me as a gamer. Especially not in five years. It's not like I'd see any gains from the money they (=MS, Sony) make. They aren't going to lower the royalties for the games...
M4RTIN 30th April 2009, 16:07 Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aterius Gmork
But let's assume I'd have both. I surely wouldn't care about which console sells best, it just doesn't make any difference to me as a gamer. Especially not in five years. It's not like I'd see any gains from the money they (=MS, Sony) make. They aren't going to lower the royalties for the games...


your argument is the one thing that completley ruins fanboys everywhere lol. if only people could see it's not worth defending something like a piece of consumer electronics on the internet, since the manufacturers really don't care what you do
themax 30th April 2009, 17:30 Quote
It's usually only when Sony says something crazy that people laugh. I remember Nintendo themselves saying they aren't competing with the 360/PS3 yet noone in the media has yet to call them out now since they have been comparing their sales to PS3/360 thus far in their own conferences and events.
Htr-Labs 30th April 2009, 18:45 Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by lewchenko
In a parallel universe, the PS3 maybe is the best selling console, but unfortunately for Sony.. in this universe the following happened :

- MS convinced IBM to build them the Xenon CPU which uses the same PPC core as the Sony chip, then throws 2 more in for good measure... which resulted in a CPU comparable in performance to the PS3's new cell overall. Sony thought they would be a generation ahead of MS in the planning phase.

- The GPU solution that the 360 chose to use was on par with the PS3, so no real graphical advantages.

- The 360 was 1 year+ ahead with regards to time to market, despite initial planning by Sony to be the 1st - the PS3 waited for Bluray lasers to become available / affordable... but was it worth it ?

- Nintendo thought outside the box, and invented a new control mechanism - coupled with 2 gamecubes strapped together they had a low cost (underpowered) console which turned out to be a whole bag of fun to use and tapped the casual (single game purchase!) market to make millions!


In the end the PS3 was NOT far ahead enough in terms of technology than the 360, and just about every game released on the consoles is the same as the 360 version.

In order to win this race, they needed to distinguish themselves via technology and thus delivered games. It just didnt happen. Even with the RROD too to help them!

So back to this universe.. where it all went wrong for Sony, the only thing they can do now to compete is reduce the price as they dont have any other advantages. Bluray players will soon be so cheap that it will no longer be an option for people to consider the PS3 instead of a stand alone player .. so that wont save it.

I have a wii, a PS3 and a 360 so am a fanboy of all, but it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out that with very few exclusives and a comparable technology set and game library, your only option is to compete on price.

Do I believe the PS3 will catch up...... No.

The next MS console will be here in less than 3 years, and Sony better have an answer for it...

well put....I don't think you missed anything lol ;)
perplekks45 30th April 2009, 19:53 Quote
Sony said themselves that the intended life span for the PS3 is 5 years before they launched it. Sooooo... please tell me again how that works out now?
jsheff 30th April 2009, 22:03 Quote
"I wonder if he's banking on Blu-Ray taking off more, and positioning the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player, in order to get to be "dominant"? Then again, there's nothing stopping MS from adding Blu-Ray on - in fact, they're probably just biding their time waiting for the right moment. Maybe. Who knows."

I don't see how marketing it as a Blu-Ray player is going to be much use anymore, with standalone Blu-Ray players hitting as low as around £125 at the moment, half the cost of the PS3. Seems that console redesigns gave the DS and PSP a kick in the market, as well as Sony's own PSOne and PS2 Slim, I'd say that reducing the size of the box (make it stack damnit!) and/or a cut in price is what the PS3 needs to really start flying off the shelves. I know Sony can't really afford to take the cut in the current economy, but not many consumers can afford to drop £280 at the moment either, especially when the Xbox 360 retails for £125/£160/£220 and the Wii for £180. (I'm using Play.com prices of consoles with no bundled games or extra hardware)
Major 30th April 2009, 22:16 Quote
What he is saying is not false, within 5 years, the "less techy" market will buy PS3s and therefore it will dominate the "last gen" market, like how the PS2 is apparently selling like hot cakes because they are cheap as chips, less techy people don't understand PS2 vs PS3, and it still has awesome games with decent graphics.

Funny comment I have to say, but it's true.

Whatever the PS4 is going to be, they need too look at costing, but I think the reason the PS3 is a little steeper in price is because of BR? And when the next console is released (if it is a console), they will be cheap to buy anyway.
perplekks45 30th April 2009, 22:27 Quote
Making the PS3 smaller might be hard for Sony to pull off as that might lead to having some overheating problems. And I bet Sony is still laughing about MS... silently. ;)
2bdetermine 30th April 2009, 23:41 Quote
"PS3 will dominate market in five years"

Five years or less from now people move on to a new and better thing.
shaffaaf27 1st May 2009, 00:51 Quote
doest anyone realise how long the PS2 has been here. by saying a 10 year shelf life doesnt meanwithin that 7/8th year the PS4 will not be out. im assuming it will, and the ps3 will be like the ps2 then, cheap and god of war to carry it :D
sui_winbolo 1st May 2009, 00:53 Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by sear
You guys do realise that in 3-5 years, it'll be 2012-2014, right? And by then, the PlayStation 3 will be a last-gen console... nice.

I'm guessing Sony has just given up on next-gen wars, and they want to take the last-gen market like the PS2 has. :p
perplekks45 1st May 2009, 03:21 Quote
To achieve that there's just one small thing Sony has to do:

Release a PS3 with FULL backwards compatibility... WORLDWIDE!
The_Beast 1st May 2009, 04:45 Quote
come on

I loved my sony PS1 and PS2 but when the PS3 came out, I wasn't impressed. I didn't need a Blu-ray all I wanted it for was for gaming. And the price was enough to turn me away from it even more

There's now way they will even come close to holding the market
talladega 1st May 2009, 06:20 Quote
if they were to drop the price to be equal to the 360 it would outsell it by far and possibly be on par with the wii. Until they can drop the price their sales are going to be just a little lower than the 360. And to me, who do I care? Sure it's be great if it'd start selling like crazy and dominate. But I can't play sales. Not sure about everyone else but playing sales has never been fun for me. As long as the games I love are still being made and no games on the other 2 consoles interest me, I'm perfectly happy with the PS3 selling as little as it is. And right now, that's exactly what happening. The only games I care about are on PS3 so who cares if it's not selling?

Those Sony execs need to stop making fools out of themselves. In 5 years PS4 will be out and I wont care about the PS3 anymore!
Log in

You are not logged in, please login with your forum account below. If you don't already have an account please register to start contributing.



Discuss in the forums

More About...