Sony fucks up again!

[Guest CronoT]

As most people know, the new Sony portable handheld device, the PSP comes out this month. At my Wal-Mart store, it comes out on March 24th. Now, here's the funny part. We received about 40-50 copies of the PSP game, Need For Speed Underground: Rivals, yesterday, March 17th. We even had those large posterboard ads on the alarm towers advertising the game coming out on March 17th. Also, I have seen them myself.

 

So, how stupid is Sony? They've been advertising a game for sale for a new system, that was scheduled to be released 7 days before the release of the system itself.

 

Feel free to laugh away.

[Guest Flyboy]

... You should really stop posting.

[Guest CronoT]

I see you guys don't understand the underlying sitaution. I'll try to explain it quickly, because I have to leave for work. We can't sell those games until the PSP comes out next week. So, until then, they'll just sit there, in the back warehouse area, collecting dust, instead of collecting revenue. The amount of money it cost to produce, ship, advertise, and place those games into a situation where the consumer can buy them is enormous. Now, Sony has to wait a whole week, while they lose money. Now do you see the situation?

[Guest Scud]

... You should really stop posting.

[JHawk 0]

We've actually got the same situation at my Circuit City right now. Technically, we could sell the actual games since they've hit their street date. But...say the systems sell out on the 24th and someone who bought Need for Speed can't play it because they have no PSP.

 

We're not even allowed to take special orders on them if we sell out despite the fact that they want someone here 3 hours before open to pass out vouchers to buy the damn thing.

[AndrewTS 0]

You see, this is like when they launched the PS2 without any games anybody would want to play, but like in reverse!

 

Sony released games early for the PSP in Japan, too. PSP games are being sold right now actually, and Sony isn't going to be upset about it.

 

http://gmr.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3138877

 

It's an incomprehensible marketing gimmick.

 

Perhaps you should post on there^ instead, CT.

[Guest DVD Spree]

[sigh] Sending games to retail a week or so before the release of a console ISN'T AN EARTH-SHATTERINGLY NEW OR EVEN RETARDED PRACTICE. Companies often do this, as Andrew has pointed out.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I think this isn't as bad as when I had watched Ellen like yesterday and she gave one PSP away to a kid and then told the audience that people were paying nearly double price to order them from Japan before the actual ones for here were released.

 

That game was released early for the thousands (and yes, that is correct) of people who bought a PSP from Japan most likely.

 

Edit:

Stupid me forgot to finish my bolding tags.

Edited March 18, 2005 by Lightning Flik

[Guest DVD Spree]

I think we've got four PSPs at work, and thankfully none of them have the cursed dead pixels or buggered up square button. Unlike a lot of people who imported...

 

I also like Sony's answer to the dodgy button situation, which is basically that the button HAS to be that way due to the position of the screen, and so people are just going to have to get used to it. Charming.

[Renegade 0]

... You should really stop posting.

Wins thread.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Well that was time poorly wasted. Uh oh, they shipped you games and you'll have them ready to sell immediatley on launch date! Sony sure is retarded!

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Put in an application to Sony -- maybe they'll make you in charge of shipping.

 

I'll go and hit the refresh button 50 times now in tribute...

[tominator89 0]

F-5! F-5!

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

You see, this is like when they launched the PS2 without any games anybody would want to play, but like in reverse!

Actually, I thought they had a pretty good line up at launch. It wasn't a lot, but the quality was OK. I got mine first day and bought (I believe) Madden, Summoner, and Tekken Tag. Those kept me busy until the game pipeline could be established.

[AndrewTS 0]

DVDSpree: Actually, they reversed position on that, and decided to fix it. Doesn't change that it's a crappy attitude to begin with, but they wanted to nip any bad press in the bud I suppose.

[Anya 0]

Sony did the same thing with PS2 and we all know how badly that turned out. Oh wait......

[Guest DVD Spree]

DVDSpree: Actually, they reversed position on that, and decided to fix it. Doesn't change that it's a crappy attitude to begin with, but they wanted to nip any bad press in the bud I suppose.

Good idea - after Microsoft (rightly or wrongly) offered to replace 14 million power cables for nothing, I can't say it was terribly customer-friendly of Sony to just say "deal with it".

[Rendclaw 0]

At least they realized the blunder and immediatelt took steps to rectify it...

[Mole 0]

Sony just sucks in general.

 

And I'll probably end up buying a PS3, so yeah.

[dubq 0]

I think I lose brain cells every time I click on a CT thread..

 

Oh well, time to go to that place where my bed and TV is...

[The Metal Maniac 0]

The amount of money it cost to produce, ship, advertise, and place those games into a situation where the consumer can buy them is enormous. Now, Sony has to wait a whole week, while they lose money. Now do you see the situation?

 

How do they lose money, exactly?

 

They'd have had to pay the exact same prices to ship it a week later. Now, the games are already shipped, and they don't have to worry about it. Why does it matter if they sit in a Wal-Mart warehouse instead of a Sony warehouse?

[BUTT 0]

There were Gamecube games released before the system. This is smart becuase there ARE some people who are going to see that the game is available and say "Oh, I should get that now!" Probably not a whole lot, but with no competition, they can sell a few more copies than they would have had they waited until launch day to release the game. Besides which, this has nothing to do with Sony. The game is put out by EA.

[Mole 0]

This is smart becuase there ARE some people who are going to see that the game is available and say "Oh, I should get that now!"

Well these people are stupid.

 

Do they buy the game and say "OMG, look at this package how nice. I can't wait a week for Gamecube to come out and actually play it!!!"

 

How bout you buy the game when, I dunno, the system is out?

[Scroby 0]

CoronoT is almost correct, this could be a fuck up, but if anything it would be a retailers fuck up if they decide to sell the games before the actual system comes out. It'd be sad if a retailer decided to sell the games before the system came out and sold out and had no games to sell with the actual systems.

[2GOLD 0]

This is smart becuase there ARE some people who are going to see that the game is available and say "Oh, I should get that now!"

Well these people are stupid.

 

Do they buy the game and say "OMG, look at this package how nice. I can't wait a week for Gamecube to come out and actually play it!!!"

 

How bout you buy the game when, I dunno, the system is out?

 

Personally, I find people who buy the system and HOPE for good games to come out to be more idiotic than the ones who judge on a pretty costly decision based on the games.

 

I know unless they wow me with games, which so far they haven't come close to doing, I'm not spending a dime on the PSP.

 

This is the reason I picked the PS over the XBox, the Xbox had zero games at the start I wanted. Buying a system and crossing my fingers seems just as silly to me as buying based on games you can already see.

[Exslade ZX 0]

This is smart becuase there ARE some people who are going to see that the game is available and say "Oh, I should get that now!"

Well these people are stupid.

 

Do they buy the game and say "OMG, look at this package how nice. I can't wait a week for Gamecube to come out and actually play it!!!"

 

How bout you buy the game when, I dunno, the system is out?

Yea..so, wait (about one week at that) for the system to come out and buy that, only to find out the game is sold out. And here you are sitting there with a PSP, and nothing to do with it, because you have no games for it. That's smart.

 

I mean, most likely it won't be sold out, but why is it idiotic to get a game one week, then the system the next? Rather then get them both at the same time? (especially when there's a chance by then it might not be there) I mean, it's the same price..so what does it matter?

 

CoronoT is almost correct, this could be a fuck up, but if anything it would be a retailers fuck up if they decide to sell the games before the actual system comes out. It'd be sad if a retailer decided to sell the games before the system came out and sold out and had no games to sell with the actual systems.

But, the retailer did sell the games with the actual systems, pretty much. Because more then likely the people who bought the games early, will come back and get the system. So it's a win/win situation.

[Mole 0]

Yea..so, wait (about one week at that) for the system to come out and buy that, only to find out the game is sold out. And here you are sitting there with a PSP, and nothing to do with it, because you have no games for it. That's smart.

I've HIGHLY doubt most people buy the game before the system. I am pretty sure there will be a game somewhere for them to buy.

[razazteca 0]

You could watch the Spiderman 2 movie a few times.

[Scroby 0]

QUOTE 

CoronoT is almost correct, this could be a fuck up, but if anything it would be a retailers fuck up if they decide to sell the games before the actual system comes out. It'd be sad if a retailer decided to sell the games before the system came out and sold out and had no games to sell with the actual systems.

 

But, the retailer did sell the games with the actual systems, pretty much. Because more then likely the people who bought the games early, will come back and get the system. So it's a win/win situation.

 

Depends on the retailer. They may only get pre-orders PSP for a little while. So say all the games sell before the actual systems come out, and lets say a high percentage of the pre-order customers didn't get any of the games? That could fuck up that stores sale margin seeing how they could get more items per trans. and make more of a gross income selling more items at one time, plus you get unhappy customers because they just spent $250.00 plus tax on a system and have no games to play.

[AndrewTS 0]

People buying a Sony system at launch, with their current track record, aren't the sharpest crayons in the box anyway.