Q&A: Sony Australia chief talks PS3 sales

  • By Laura Parker, GameSpot AU
  • Posted Aug 1, 2008 8:21 am GMT

We chat to the boss of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia on how the 80GB PS3 will sell down under, the latest sales figures, the Xbox 360 price cut, and when Aussies can expect PlayTV.

Sony AU managing director Michael Ephraim.

Not to be outdone by Nintendo's impressive announcement that more than 500,000 Wiis have been sold in Australia so far, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCEA) came out with its own figures this week touting the PlayStation 3's success down under. SCEA says 305,000 PS3s have now been sold in Australia since the console's launch in March 2007, with an additional 75,000 units in the market thanks to giveaway deals like the Bravia television offer. We caught up with SCEA head Michael Ephraim today to ask him about the latest sales figures, as well as chart his opinions about the upcoming 80GB PS3 model, how the 360 price cut will affect PlayStation sales, and much more.

GameSpot AU: What are your thoughts on the latest PS3 sales in Australia, and where does it position you in the market?

Michael Ephraim: The first half of this year has been a PlayStation 3 half. The gaming category is so big now, and there are so many different experiences you can get out of video gaming, like hardcore gaming, casual gaming, and family gaming. But if you look at our business, we are a hardcore gaming consumer electronics product. There is no product on the market like ours. Our competitors will probably say the same for their product, but that's the nature of the business.

In January and July we did a Bravia television deal with the PS3, where we moved 75,000 PS3 units. Our weekly sales since January have also been very strong, and with the price point and experience comparison, we've outsold Xbox close to 2 to 1 over the six-month period. We are outselling Xbox at a rapid rate.

GS AU: Do you think that the Xbox price cut in Australia will have a negative effect on PS3 sales?

ME: In the month of June and July Xbox managed to close the gap somewhat, but we are still in front. As I mentioned before, up to the month of July we're clearly ahead of Xbox. And I think it will stay that way because I don't think it's a question of price. Firstly, they cannot hold up a release schedule close to ours, and I'm being very honest here. Secondly, all you have to do is look at what titles are coming out on Xbox compared to what titles are coming out on the PS3--Resistance 2 is getting amazing reviews; Little Big Planet is blowing people away; MotorStorm 2 is doing well; and then there are the SingStar and Buzz franchises. If you look at our social gaming franchises, we've sold in excess of 1.3 million social gaming peripherals. That momentum and brand awareness is giving us the advantage. We have gamer games and social games. The PS3's Blu-ray player is also giving us an advantage when compared to the Xbox, which doesn't have a HD device. High definition is what people want now, and they can get that with the PS3.

GS AU: How do you think the 80GB PS3 will sell here?

ME: I think the 80GB model will sell really well in Australia. Consumers can look forward to 40GB more, plus the DualShock 3 controller. We're also launching Platinum titles in Australia [on August 4], and as software and hardware go hand in hand, one will definitely sell the other.

GS AU: Do you think people will keep buying the current PS3 model knowing that the new 80GB is coming at the end of this month for around the same price?

ME: We have reduced our stocks of the current PS3 model to prepare for the launch of the 80GB, but I think we'll continue to sell the current model right through to the end.

GS AU: When can Australians expect to see the video download service and Play TV for the PS3?

ME: Yes. We're still resolving some coding issues with Play TV, but it should be out here in the first half of 2009; it's very exciting for us because high-definition TV is the future. The same applies to the video downloading service--we're working on a local solution at the moment, but we hope to have it out in Australia sometime in 2009.

The incentive behind both the video downloading service and Play TV is to expand the capabilities of the PS3. Play TV will allow consumers to play video games whilst recording TV shows, with the added function of watching recordings back on the PSP; the video downloading service will extend the PS3's current offerings, including video and music.

51 Comments

  • Smoolander

    Posted Aug 7, 2008 7:46 am GMT

    Having comments on articles like these are pointless. It just allows a bunch of console biased people to spout garbage about why their "system" is the best, and act as a justification of their purchase.

  • Thewbacca

    Posted Aug 4, 2008 2:30 pm GMT

    We're not talking about the Ps2, we're talking about the Ps3. But the Disc Read Error thing went on for a lot less time than the Red Ring of Death (which is still frequent).

  • akoolbrother420

    Posted Aug 4, 2008 11:20 am GMT

    Thewbacca you can also say that about the PS2s performance last genreration

  • Thewbacca

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 9:55 pm GMT

    And how much of the 360s sales do you think come from store warranties and replacements? You might want to consider that.

  • Camerongb

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 6:06 pm GMT

    I Don't Think That They Should Bag Out Xbox 360 So Bad I Own both consoles And Both Have The Advantage/Disadvantage But Honestly Of course they are beating sales. i wonder if they thought people may just buy a ps3 for the blu ray and not for gaming. and another thing i don't think sales should be counted if they give it away with a tv

  • Thewbacca

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 2:15 pm GMT

    Because they have before. And its not casual games, it social games (you know, like Guitar Hero), there is a difference.

  • overshine

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 9:52 am GMT

    Why is Sony targeting casual gamers?

    :\

  • Razzi65

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 4:05 am GMT

    i still need a PS3

  • Thewbacca

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 3:35 am GMT

    You're thinking about it in the wrong way. Shared games that are designed on the 360 and not tailored to the Ps3 are going to run just slightly worse, just like games made on the Ps3 and ported to the 360 run worse on the 360. Look at the exclusives to see the graphical detail - MGS4 is unsurpassed at present. As you can see, the Ps3 is the High Definition Next Gen console.

    And the dividing of the RAM, again, is just a difference, and not inherently worse or better.

  • 29121994

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 1:05 am GMT

    i have a comment to make. i don't think either console has the advantage and i don't want to show and bias even though i am a loving ps3 owner. i learnt something that really annoyed me the other day, the ps3 has only 256 mb of ram in contrast to the 360's 512. Even though the ps3 has another 256 mb of video ram or whatever it is, the lack of am in the system is present in games like the orange box where i have played both versions and i have to say the ps3 version lags badly at times and has really long load times. The other thing that i learnt the other day is the reason that not all ps3 games are 1080p compatible,whilst all 360 games are at least 1080i compatible. With that being a fact i don't know how sony can now call the ps3 the high definition next gen console if it can't beat a console that came out all the way back in 2005.

  • monkeyd_93

    Posted Aug 3, 2008 12:44 am GMT

    how long have they had the 80GB in mind for australia? i only asked sony like just over a month ago if we were getting another model they said nope the 40GB is fine for us. im also expecting this to be a rip off like everything else, like we pay double americans do for the 40GB

  • Thewbacca

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 11:26 pm GMT

    monoendo1, you can shut up and go away. This concerns you precisely nil. Go and play on your bug ridden overpriced console.

    And people who try to correct me should probably look up the definition of overpriced, since people have been applying it to the wrong console.

  • DeltaCobra

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 11:21 pm GMT

    I got a 60 gig PS3, but we have a 40gb one in the house also. I can confirm the 40gb versions are actually faster. Download and install speeds are heaps faster on the PS3. I think I have read somewhere that confirms this. The 40gb came out with a better processor. Not sure if the 80gb is now using like 45 nano meter tech or something..

  • monoendo1

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 10:06 pm GMT

    **** PS3 Get it away from me.

  • tawagivercetti

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 7:44 pm GMT

    buy all consoles and stop complaining sorry to sound negative but you guys are whiny b**ches
    this my toy is better than yours mentality is so lame

  • Thewbacca

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 6:17 pm GMT

    Are you kidding me? Lets take a look at Sonys upcoming release Schedule. Resistance 2, Motorstorm : Pacific Rift, LittleBigPlanet, Tekken 6, Heavy Rain, SOCOM : Confrontation....By contrast, what does the 360 have to show? 4 games, two of which are highly likely to be awful (Banjo Kazooie and Halo Wars - the first because of bad direction, the second cause of bad concept). As for 2009 - does it even need to be said? MAG, God Of War III, Wardevil, LA Noire, Final Fantasy 13 Versus (or is it verses? I can never figure this out), White Knight Chronicles, Red Dead Revolver 2, Killzone 2, Yakuza 3, and, of course, inFamous.

    If you're reffering to keeping a schedule - yes, Sony is a lot more likely to delay a game, rather than release something that they think isn't good enough. I myself prefer a good game soon over a bad game now.

  • xchiefmegadethx

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 6:05 pm GMT

    "They cannot hold up a release schedule close to ours,?"
    Is he serious?well he works for sony so what could he say...
    was supposed to be the year of sony,this year?but delays and more
    delays and canceled games.
    Have left xbox 360 with the Big games this year...
    New xbox dashboard update coming soon with some great features
    year of xbox 360 really.

  • Thewbacca

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 5:40 pm GMT

    Actually, its closer to $599. And if you'll recall, the thing isn't region locked, so you can easily import one from America for about $460

  • punkologist

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 5:30 pm GMT

    mcmill WTF???

    In Australia the PS3 is $799 which is robbery when you consider the A$ is at 97 us cents at the moment.

  • Thewbacca

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 5:01 pm GMT

    I don't see why people think a 40 gig would be a waste of money. Hell, most of us are supposed to replace the Hard Disc Drive ourselves with the instructions.

  • Abdul_1

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 4:07 pm GMT

    the 40 gig model is a true dissapointment......... i currently own the 60 gig which is way bettrer in evry way but the 40 gig is one of the dumbest movez made by sony........... hopefully the exclusive games can make up for it all lie MGS4 or GOW3(excluding FFX3)!!!!!!!!

  • necronaux

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 9:52 am GMT

    WHY would anyone want to buy the outdated 40g model when the 80g model is coming out soon and (around) the same price? Now if they discounted the older model (-$50 -$100) to clear it off the shelves, it would be a bargan.

  • Guitargamer1

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 12:52 am GMT

    Ladies and gentlemen if I say I don't want to play Fable 2 you have to believe me. I have a PS2, Gamecube, N64, PSP, PS3, NES, SNES and a pretty good gaming PC. I eventually will get a wii (for the same reasons I got a GC, Mario, Mario and hey look Resident Evil) and the 360's lineup is a little underwhelming. If you look at exclusives there isn't alot. Gears of War and Dead Rising are the only games I have liked from the 360 so GoW2 is a good thing. But fable 2...I mean I got a pc and I never bought the first one so I'm not that excited. Also, since 80 percent of 360 exclusives go to PC I can always get them later. Am I the only one who thinks Nintendo could of released the controller and an updated version of the GC instead of a new console? Cause they might as well have...nintendo seems like stuart saying "look what I can do". My PC is kinda like a Wii....in CoD4 when I move my mouse, the guy looks to the right :O

  • epsilonone

    Posted Aug 2, 2008 12:04 am GMT

    the games on xbox that i would pay are on PS3 or PC. so i would up date my PC befor buying a xbox but if u only got the $ for a xbox or wii go and get one

  • devildemondruid

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 10:23 pm GMT

    so theres nothing on 360? so gears of war 2, fable 2, prince of persia, final fantasy 13, saints row 2, mirrors edge, resident evil 5, street fighter 4, halo wars, fallout 3, exclusive gta 4 episodes, wwe smackdown vs raw 2009, i am alive, prototype, red faction guerrilla and far cry 2 are nothing? yes some of those titles are mutiplatform but they are on 360 and all the games above look to be AAA titles this is one of the best looking lineups in history. i cant wait to add them to the line up i already have including call of duty 2,3,4, halo 3, assassins creed, bioshock, half life the orange box, gears of war, perfect dark zero, need for speed most wanted, prey, saints row and gta 4. and the announcment of net flix, even arcade games like street fighter turbo hd, portal: still alive, geometry wars 2, simply its a great time to be a gamer on 360. for the head of a rival company to downplay the sheer amount of quality of its nearest rival is both an insult and arrogance. And to people saying the wii isnt really a next gen console accept it they had a different strategy then the current crop and it worked. they have sold more then both other consoles and are still going. And to whoever said "techincally whoever comes second behind nintendo is the real next gen winner" i had a good laugh. so whoever comes second in sales is first? that would make good conversation "well yea they sold more consoles and were bankrupt but really were first in next gen terms".

  • raghraghragh

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 8:04 pm GMT

    I'm glad we're getting PlayTV without having to wait a million years.

  • rooftopsniper

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 7:35 pm GMT

    This is funny. I was just reading everyones comments and it's always funny to see someone who has written ps3 rulez and xbox has nothing get +3 on their comment when someone else writes anything with the word xbox in it and gets a -3.
    In a way I agree with what is being said, I work at an EB games in Aus and there is no denying that the PS3 is outselling the 360 at the moment. It also saddens me deeply to see so many people are still falling into the mediocre trap which is the Nintendo Wii. Don't get me wrong, I am by no means a fan boy of any console, matter of fact I own all 3 "next gen" consoles and both hand helds and love them all. But the Wii relies way too heavily on it's motion gimmicks and seemingly refuses to release any good games besides hundreds of first party Mario games, which frankly I am getting a little bored of.
    That being said, although I am frothing at the mouth over LittleBig Planet, there is no way someone can honestly say they never want to play Gears of War 2 or Fable 2 because they are garbage, they may not be their cup of tea but to call them garbage is just ridiculous. What the PS3 HAS to do is stop relying on the PS2 and start focusing on their new console because the fact is that the PS2 is selling a lot more than the Wii and unless Sony starts showing everyone what the PS3 is capable of it will never sell as much as it should.
    When it comes down to it, I know a lot of the people who say Gears sucks would jump for joy to hear it was coming over to Sony as I know heaps of people said Final Fantasy XIII would be crap until they heard it was going multi-platform. There is no point trying to defend one console and hating the other, in the end the only person who is missing out is you.

  • sammysalsa

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 5:18 pm GMT

    Well the Playstation name is more popular down under and it really helps sell the ps3 to casuals who have no idea. i know plenty of examples.
    however as someone mentioned the ps3 is $50 more than the 360 you are wrong. This is Australia we are talking about the ps3 40Gb costs around $700AUD (~$700US lol) whereas the 360 pro is about $500AUD or less (the figures are based on the last catologues i looked at) and the arcade at $300-$350AUD which is cheaper than a wii in Australia!

  • Spyder25000

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 3:55 pm GMT

    The PS3 is a more powerful machine
    IF the game dev's go hang on this ps3 can do alot more than the 360 they will go make some ps3 games and not to metion the fact they have 25gb of disk space
    The exclusive games to PS3 look so much better!
    The PS3 is the hardcore gamer
    The Wii is for family fun (it is not in the same league as The PS3/360)
    So if the Wii has the most sales compared to the others - it's who ever comes 2nd the true Next gen winner

  • justincoool

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 2:38 pm GMT

    PS3's line-up is better than 360's. Always has been. Bioshock was the only 360 game I even liked and it's coming to PS3. Microsoft needs to make first party games and stop buying 3rd party multiplatform stuff. I have no interest in Fable.

  • blastm

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 2:01 pm GMT

    The truth is, the PS3 lineup look a lot like the one of first xbox. The PS3 still need a few RPGs, but microsoft is stealing them all away.

    And i bet the Australians, like the Europeans, will really like the way they were given the old 40go at the same price as the 'new' 80go "through to the end" .. We pay a higher price for our machines than in the US or JP, and we still don't get the respect that should come with it..

  • ps3thabest

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 11:26 am GMT

    anybody brought siren blood curse? its classic.
    they should put solid snake in there

  • ps3thabest

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 10:48 am GMT

    ps3 tha best

  • micmill

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 10:27 am GMT

    360's "price drop" is so overblown. It's smoke n' mirrors. It's a temporary clearance price to get rid of that now obsolete 20gb console. It's not a true price cut!

    So let's see, you can buy a 360 with 60gb for $350 or you can buy a PS3 with 80gb and a freaking blu ray player for just $50 bucks more... seems like a no-brainer to me...

  • unholymight

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 9:32 am GMT

    ps3 is good

  • raverrozza

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 8:37 am GMT

    i was very surprised at how little the wii was ahead of the ps3. well i know it is alot but i imagined a huge difference. especially if you have been keeping up with the australian charts!

  • dunnowhathuh

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 6:53 am GMT

    I guess he's taking whatever victory he can get and blowing it out of proportion. It's like when you're getting your ass kicked over and over again until finally you start winning and you'll say anything and everything to try and justify it despite the fact that a chunk of it is you talking out of your ass.

    Anyone who says that price isn't an issue clearly has a few wires crossed. Give it some more time, if the PS3 is still out in front in monthly figures despite the 360's price drop a little while down the track, then I'll shut up. It's only been one month - it's like trying to do a survey with just one person.

  • SLandeRR

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 6:52 am GMT

    @joey0695: This guy is a paid employee of Sony. Do you expect him to say, "well gee, we got some alright games but man I'm going to buy a 360 later in the year to play gears 2, fable 2 etc." Of course not. If he was just some random off the street, fair comment, but he is paid to be a sony fanboy.

  • Cereo1

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 6:43 am GMT

    There's no reason to compare Wii and PS3 right now. He said it quite clearly that PS3 is in the more "hardcore" gaming market, not the casual/family one. So 360 and PS3 battle each other and the Wii is in a different market with no direct competition, thus much higher sales.

    I'm glad casual people have a new system but it hardly effects real gamers, its just bringing a lot of new people into the gaming world. Then when they realize their system is shallow and lost its luster, the "hardcore" gaming market with see more and more people, which is good. And they'll be looking for PS3's or 360s.

  • joey0695

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 6:14 am GMT

    Ok,
    This guy is very arrogant but i'd like him to comment at the end of the year when gears 2, fable 2, too human, GTA 4 content etc. come out. Microsoft may not have had a very strong start to 2008 but im pretty sure they will finish strong and on top!!

  • Sagacious_Tien

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 5:57 am GMT

    He is such an arrogant twit. Still, he toes the company's line and he has done a good job in selling the PS3 to Australia.

  • choasgod

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 5:12 am GMT

    Gah i hate SCEA... i wish that guy would for once stop being so arrogant. Yes PS3 has sold 305k units, Yes that 380k with the Bravia giveaways added in... But still - he needs to start talking like a normal person now. It was SONY executives talking like this which hurt PS3 in the first place -- now once he provides us with content around the same time as the US gets it - then ill be happy. Until then SCEA needs Kaz to tell them lift their game.

  • raverrozza

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 3:29 am GMT

    no the 75000 isnt counted in the 305000 sold.

  • user_nat

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 3:25 am GMT

    They gave away almost a quarter of all PS3s in Australia?
    Surprised HD tv sales are that strong. And when he says they were outselling on a 2 to 1 basis.. was he counting giveaways?

  • universquall

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 2:19 am GMT

    How about asking when our Store will stop sucking. At least put the download size on the screen like the others do >_

  • raverrozza

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 1:35 am GMT

    lv15 ninja

    no by the time the 80s out there will be barely any 40s about. at that point retailers will probably give a discount or game bundles to get rid of the whatever 40s are left but i imiagine you will be hard pressed to find a 40 once the 80 is out.

  • Nintendo_Man

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 1:26 am GMT

    Cocky as ever, yet they have failed to provide us with the same PS3 bundles the US have got plus lets not forget they delayed the release of the PS3. He has conveniently ignored sales of the Wii because they cannot admit they aren't number one anymore (in sales and software).

  • LV15Ninja

    Posted Aug 1, 2008 1:24 am GMT

    He's Saying that the 40gb will stay in stores along with the new 80gb PS3? does that mean the older 40gb versions will get a price cut?

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