With a recent global price cut, the PS3’s sales have shot up, giving the platform a welcome shot in the arm as it enters the holiday season. Recent success in Russia has led to Sony producing nearly half a million games to meet demand, and now it has been revealed that Sony’s Australian arm has also noticed a surge in sales due to the lower price.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia’s Managing Director, Michael Ephraim, announced that the PS3 is currently the best-selling console in Australia this year, with sales jumping 400% in the first few weeks after the price drop, and are now 250% higher. In fact, the brand is so strong in Australia that PS3 sales were 50% higher than Xbox 360 the week after Microsoft’s price cut.
Ephraim told the Sydney Morning Herald:
If you look at the period now since (the PS3) price drop, we’ve outsold them by about 3 to 1.
But added:
I might add that we have been stock constrained on the 160 Gig (PS3 model) so we think the numbers could be even better. Our retail partners stockholdings in several key retailers have been out of stock in 160.
We’re definitely coming back into stock in a big way for our Christmas push and I feel the PlayStation format has now definitely taken centre stage.
The awareness of what PS3 does is very satisfying. Now store staff and consumers are starting to use PS3 in all of its glory with digital downloads, Music Unlimited, the movie service, catch-up TV.
Blu-ray movie playback will also be an important purchasing factor for consumers, according to Ephraim:
With 80 per cent of homes now having HD TVs, they understand what Blu-ray brings to that equation. We think that is going to hold us in good stead right through Christmas.
Sony’s marketing machine is sure to kick into full gear worldwide as we get closer to the lucrative holiday season, so there’s sure to be more positive announcements from Sony in the coming months.
