So, as expected, Sony threw a massive launch party to celebrate the PS3 going on sale. However, the situation wasn't nearly as glorious as was anticipated - a comparatively miniscule number of customers actually went to the effort of showing up.
The biggest event went down at the Myer's Pitt Street store in Sydney. Barricades were set up, security were on hand and the effervescent radio personality Lizzy Lovett was on stage ready to rev the crowd. At 9:30pm, only a showing of Casino Royale away from sales, noone had shown up to wait in the barricaded line. Still, the night progressed relatively steadily, and eventually the crowd rose to around 70 customers - with several hundred cash-strapped onlookers.
The first happy customer.
The bigwigs of the night included Michael Ephraim, Sony Australia Managing Director, and Bernie Brooks, CEO of Myer. Their enthusiasm masked an obvious disappointment, and a few direct questions were skirted over. GameSpot AU grabbed an interview with Bernie, and asked a rather simple question concerning how the midnight launch compared to those for the Wii and 360. Bernie began with the classic diversion, "It's a fascinating question...."
It isn't really.
The PALGN staff were on hand around the country to check out various launches from assorted retailers - JB Hifi and EB Games to name just a few. The problem was, despite claiming most stores would be open at the stroke of midnight to dish out the technology, numerous locations were locked and deserted. The Brisbane CBD Harvey Norman was completely inaccessible, various Electronics Boutique stores were locked tight and - given the small number of customers who attended the biggest launch in the country - we couldn't have expected more at other locations.
Yours truly also checked in at one of the most successful EB stores in the country at midday today, and there was still a pile of unsold consoles ready to go out the back. They were selling steadily throughout the day, but the snap-it-up attitude of Aussie consumers just wasn't out in force over the last 24 hours.
Slinking in the shadows for now.
Plenty of sources have revealed their reactions to the launch, and it's a mixed bag. Danny Zarka, the first person to pick up the new console from Myer, said, "I'm surprised there aren't more people here, I thought the place would be packed." Meanwhile, The Age newspaper promptly published an article entitled, "Crowds go mild at PlayStation launch".
The reactions of retailers are seemingly bright. Brooks cited a figure of $2 million worth of pre-orders for the console for Myer alone. Harvey Norman is also expecting over $10 million worth of PS3 sales by Monday.
And from the Kotaku gaming forums, Digital_Sky's reaction was impressed. "Um, 80 people seems like a *lot* to me. Maybe not as much as hype-mongers might want you to think would come, but an 80-person turnout on launch night in one location doesn't exactly sound like total abject plummeting failure. 20 people, maybe, would."
Though many people are already condemning Sony to failure, a few are on the straight and narrow, taking it with politically correct optimism. From our very own forums, Andronicus simply noted, "When the price point has come down to a level that the average consumer thinks they can justify paying, then I'm sure things will pick up. And anyway, it's only been on sale for less than a day."
Apparently nothing can dampen their spirits!
The reaction to the PS3 launch hasn't exactly been positive, to say the least. So what does this mean for Sony? It demonstrates a lack of Australian eagerness to put down the cash for the unit, but perhaps this is not quite unexpected. The $6 million marketing campaign is now in full swing (having launched today), and the aim is to educate consumers about what the PS3 can offer beyond just gaming. The PS3 is indeed an impressive piece of technology, even touted as an investment by the Sony team, so it will take some time for Sony to pick up the consumer slack and move those units.
A Sony spokeswoman in the Sydney Morning Herald said, "The marketing tag line for PlayStation 3 is 'This is Living' and you'll see this develop with time to include broader messaging beyond gaming enthusiasts; after launch we will begin our approach to communicate with entertainment enthusiasts and beyond."
Compared to Microsoft's $1 million marketing campaign for the 360, Sony are really looking to spend money in order to make money. They have some catching up to do, and the poor reaction to the launch did little to hit the accelerator. Still, the black box is out right now, so check out our official PS3 Launch Hub for all the details on the when, where, why and how of Sony's console for 2007.
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PS3 Launch Hub
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