Arnold-KatayevSo the launch of the all new PlayStation 3 meant not just an all new piece of hardware, but also an all new price-tag. A price-tag that many have often called the magic number that should help alleviate any remaining sales issues with the PlayStation 3. At $299, the PS3's price tag is the same as that of the PS2's launch price back in 2000, which is amazing, but all things considered, the PS3 does offer a megaton worth of features and extras over the PS2.
In any case, NPD results from August tracked 13 days worth of PlayStation 3 sales at $299, six of which included sales of the all new PS3 Slim from GameStop, Amazon.com and Best Buy. It helped propel the PlayStation 3 ahead of the Xbox 360 for the month, but beyond the US, overall demand shot up everywhere else. In Japan, where sales of the PlayStation 3 had been flat-lining due to rampant rumors of the price-drop and new model, the PlayStation 3 actually outsold not just the Nintendo Wii…but even the Nintendo DS, by a decent 13k units.
First week of sales with the price-drop showed the PlayStation 3 selling nearly 151k units. The second week we saw the expected drop-off, as the PS3 sold 55k, but it's the following two weeks that are keeping eyes open, as the PS3 repeated yet another week of 55k units sold, and then 50k thereafter. And keep in mind, there was a fairly large holiday in Japan last week, and stores were closed – certainly holding back sales of the PS3 by just that much. Regardless, the unit is beginning to show consistency it's never had before.
Price drops in the past were met with a spike in week-1 sales, but with every week to come thereafter was a sizable decline until the PS3 came to rest at its norm. So far, things are looking promising, as the PlayStation 3 sold 310k units over the last four weeks.
On the other hand, the Nintendo Wii has been struggling with total unit sales of 61,000 and the breakdown at: 18k units, 15k, 15k, and 13k. But, one important thing to keep in mind here is that tons of Nintendo Wii price-cut leaks got out and so these numbers are likely a reflection of that. Next week will be the telling sign if the Wii is capable of coming back to the top.