You really think that the lack of PS4 units is only due to demand? Come on, now.. Yes, demand is great, but Sony's failing (hard) to supply markets, specially the biggest one.
Of course, that's one of the best problems you can't have, but still..
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PS4/Xbox One Sunday Retail Stock Check: December 15-25
- Thread starter Vyse The Legend
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You really think that the lack of PS4 units is only due to demand? Come on, now.. Yes, demand is great, but Sony's failing (hard) to supply markets, specially the biggest one.
Of course, that's one of the best problems you can't have, but still..
Iacobellis
Junior Member
If true, its the Dreamcast situation all over again
they had record supply, it is/was biggest launch in the history of Sony... they "won" NPD despite their supply "issues" and despite also sending a lot of units to Europe.
They have far bigger problem of supply in non-US-UK markets, where demand is much higher and you cant pre-order one until end of January despite them airing the shipments.
Iacobellis
Junior Member
Sony took out SEGA, now they take out Microsoft?
BrokenIcarus
Member
Im sure EA could make a dudebro game with beer pong subgame as the level loads
ps3ud0 8)
It probably doesn't really matter to you Americans, but in the Netherlands (that's Western-Europe) there's literally not a single PS4 you can get in-store. Everything is going to pre-orders. Retailers are expecting to have enough stock in January or February (some even say March at the earliest) to put some PS4s on shelves.
James Sawyer Ford
Gold Member
Sony has had some pretty large restocks in December though. Best Buy had a big one last week where they got tons of units and sold out quickly. This week some Best Buys had units, and a lot were given to Walmart and Target.
Thing is whenever PS4 is in stock it sells out immediately. Not the case with the Xbox One. So is Sony truly "failing hard"? Sony is going to be shifting a lot of PS4s in December...I think it should be close to matching their November NPD...so around a million.
The demand is just much greater than what they can supply.
Krisprolls
Banned
Of course it's only due to demand. Every store sells dozens of PS4 nearly instantly when they arrive, what is Sony supposed to do ? They won't buy new factories just for the few months. It would cost too much.
They make the most they can and numbers don't seem to show they produce less than MS. They just can't match the demand. It will stop some time in 2014. People won't buy a Xbox One instead anyway. They want a PS4.
Actually I'm pretty sure this has happened.
Iacobellis
Junior Member
It's truly the PS2 all over again.
Sony is playing it smart by stocking the most competitive markets first. The PS4 has already gone on sale in almost three times as many as markets as the XB1.
Sega took out themselves, Sony just delivered the coup de grace.
MS was also taking themselves out before their DRM reversals. Post-holiday sales will show us whether it was enough...
Iacobellis
Junior Member
Why would someone spend an extra $100 instead of waiting for the system to be in stock?
Uno Venova
Banned
I'm sure a couple people did that, enough to significant? Doubt that.
Sony sees PlayStation as an international brand. Given that, they can't just blow off the rest of the world for just the US. MS can get away with this because America is clearly the Xbox's strongest region, and barring the UK, the Xbox isn't particularly popular worldwide. It certainly doesn't help that many of the features MS touted as assets for the Xbone is incompatible with much of the world outside the US.
MS built an American box, so them focusing all their attention on the US makes perfect sense.
MS built an American box, so them focusing all their attention on the US makes perfect sense.
Vinsanity.
Member
The Target I went into today had 5 XB1's (including a Day One edition) and no PS4's.
Christmas is kind of a hard deadline.
It's a little soon for PS2-era chest pounding, I think- particularly given the tight November NPDs and strong possibility for MS to win December.
Pound_lb003
Member
Do you guys think that the stock Sony held back for December was to bolster NPD's?
Do the NPD's matter that much to the business?
Do the NPD's matter that much to the business?
Iacobellis
Junior Member
That's why eBay exists. The markup for consoles this time around is relatively low, being around $100-$200 higher than MSRP.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
According to what?
Imperfected
Member
Impatience. Especially in the US and UK, where an absurdly large number of gamers just want their annual CODBLOPSFIFA fix. The fact that it's happening really isn't in question, it's whether or not the degree to which it happens is statistically significant that's questionable.
I mean, you had a guy in the UK buy a bloody picture of an X-Box One off eBay because of some combination of impatience and ignorance. I'm pretty sure that sort of individual is less discerning a consumer than you might hope.
It's at least a strong possibility.
The Abominable Snowman
Member
Both are selling really well. Time to declare one of them dead for some reason.
Central VA: If you want a PS4 contact GameCrazy
Central VA: If you want a PS4 contact GameCrazy
According to shipment reports. People here seem to think X1s are languishing on shelves, but they are not.
Iacobellis
Junior Member
Wii U also sold well out of the gate.
Sony's plan also works for when the launch fever dies down American retail will only be able to absorb so many units. So while MS can match Sony in shipments now by focusing on their key market when sales slow Sony can just keep on shipping consoles all year round to the rest of the globe.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
"Some guy at best buy" is shipment reports?
James Sawyer Ford
Gold Member
I still don't know if it's more shipment reports or more reports of Xbox One's sitting on store shelves.
The same reason people pay 100s of dollars over MSRP on Ebay and Craigslist to get a console sooner rather than later. Impatience.
You seem very emotionally invested in this. No, GAF god FamousMortimer is shipment reports.
The Abominable Snowman
Member
Wii U died mostly due to noone wanting one after Christmas. And didnt do nearly as well as either the PS4 or XBO before Christmas either. Even the "Dying, Dreamcasted Xbox One" sold more in its first week than the Wii U did its first 3 months.
Nintendo stuffed retail channels and failed to have sale through to consumers. That's not the case for Sony or Microsoft. Both are shattering launch records independent of one another.
There is no reason to hold back units for sale, when you are trying to sell every unit. I often read speculation along these lines but it's never made any sense.
Krisprolls
Banned
You have multiple reports here of people who saw xbox on shelves both in the us and in Europe. It definitely has a harder time selling out than the ps4.
Why would they do that though? Rush to market? Lack of manpower to bring a damn TV guide to more than one or two markets? Don't give a shit? Seems incredibly short sighted to develop and market a box as an all-in-one and yet it is only that in the US
December numbers for NPD will be very interesting. It seems that the demand for the PS4 is higher than for the xbone but we don't know shipping numbers and MS might still outsell the PS4 for the month.
Would be funny if the only market where the xbone wins this gen is Brazil.
People comparing the Dreamcast to the xbone need a reality check though. Sega basically had to drop the Dreamcast for financial reasons. MS doesn't have too, the xbone division is just a drop in the ocean while they rake in the monopoly profits on Office. There is only a small risk in that the changes the new CEO has to implement could result in gutting the xbone division (though that has the same chance as doubling down imo).
Would be funny if the only market where the xbone wins this gen is Brazil.
People comparing the Dreamcast to the xbone need a reality check though. Sega basically had to drop the Dreamcast for financial reasons. MS doesn't have too, the xbone division is just a drop in the ocean while they rake in the monopoly profits on Office. There is only a small risk in that the changes the new CEO has to implement could result in gutting the xbone division (though that has the same chance as doubling down imo).
Being on shelves is not a problem unless they're collecting dust.
According to the similarity in total global sales between XBO and PS4 over the first few weeks, and Sony shipping to many more countries, including the Asia launch a few days ago. Sony is spread much more thinly than MS. To overcome this they would need to have significantly higher production overall, which does not appear to be the case.
Iacobellis
Junior Member
Well they certainly aren't collecting anyone's hands.
PoweredBySoy
Banned
If anything MS took themselves out.
Pound_lb003
Member
I did wonder that.
So you don't think the NPD results are enough of a force to influence the value of a business?
It seems stupid to suggest they would, but it seems equally stupid to dismiss the concept entirely. The NPD's do turn heads, they are a metric investors use.
James Sawyer Ford
Gold Member
The problem is no one knows if they're collecting dust or not.
All of these anecdotal stories of Xbox One stock availability don't really tell us anything.
Whereas if someone says "my store got X PS4s and all of them sold out", we at least have a concrete number of sold through to consumers.
I really want to see these shipment reports you're talking about
famousmortimer
Banned
The million dollar question.
And it's probably a bit of both. I think december will be close in NA. A bloodbath worldwide.
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