PSP Japan Launch looking ugly

[Jonbo298]

November 27, 2004 - Things aren't looking good for the PSP over in Japan. Well... maybe that's not exactly true. If you're Sony, and you want to generate lots of hype for your new portable system, things are looking very good. If, on the other hand, you're a game fanatic who wants to be among the first to own the PSP... not so good.

Getting a system on launch day may be tough -- and not just for consumers, but for retailers as well. Japan's ITMedia news service reports that SCE has already informed major retailers about the number of systems that they will be getting in time for launch. However, some smaller retailers may be out of luck. According to SCE spokesperson Yoshiko Furusawa, "On the first day, we plan on shipping 200,000 systems throughout the country. That's not a lot of systems. The allotment for each shop won't be very high, and it's possible that some low-scale shops may not get any."

Even pre-ordering a system has been tricky with the PSP. Unlike Nintendo, which had an official pre-order program in place for the Nintendo DS system, ensuring that anyone who walked into a major retailer on 11/3 could pre-order the system without hassle, there's been no such effort on SCE's part with the PSP. Numerous retailers actually started taking PSP pre-orders last week or the week before, but with little or no prior announcement, all available systems were quickly snapped up by the few who were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

Some retailers, even those who took pre-orders for the DS, have decided to not even take pre-orders for the PSP. Others apparently aren't sure what they'll be doing. One example is Bic Camera, one of the largest electronics retailers in the nation who, as of 11/28, was still not sure if they'd take pre-orders for the system. A clerk promised that the store would let patrons know as soon as something has been decided -- let's just hope they let us know a few days in advance so we can get to the store early in order to put our money down.

Elsewhere, some retailers are having to go back on prior consumer promises. IGN has seen a few cases where people were able to preorder the PSP, only to later get a call from the retailer stating that their system may not arrive on launch day. Just today, Amazon.com, which had sent e-mails to its customers stating that pre-orders had started, had a change of heart, stating "Shipment numbers from the maker are extremely low, making it into a situation where we cannot take pre-orders."

Instead, Amazon.com will, like many other retailers, sell the system on a first-come-first-serve basis starting on 12/12, the launch day. Of course, this means that those who pre-order Online will not be able to get the system until 12/13 due to shipping. They won't be alone, though, as those who managed to sneak in on the short-lived pre-order campaigns from the Online versions of Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera will also have to wait until 12/13 at the earliest for their system.

Perhaps getting a PSP on 12/13 will be better than the alternatives: either not getting one at all, or waiting in line on the morning of the 12/12 in the hopes that your retailer of choice will have enough systems to go around. Like the PS2 launch from four years back, this could get messy.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/569/569029p1.html

I figured Sony would learn from the US/Europe launch of the PS2 and supply with the upcoming demand. But it looks like its gonna be exactly like the US PS2 launch was. Not enough to go around, demand through the roof, people selling them for 4x the original price. Then a month later Sony produces more but demand is still through the roof.

[Null]

hey if that way works for em, more power to em.

you gotta admit, being sold out and not able to find one, generates much more hype and want for the item than if you walk into a store a see a pile of em at any given time.

[Jonbo298]

I don't think shareholders would look at it that way. They possibly would look at Sony and go "why not produce more units thus you make more money" then having pissed off consumers demanding more. It would seem like a good plan but its bad business, IMO.

Would you rather have thousands upon possibly hundreds of thousands of people pissed off because they cant buy your product because you failed to provide the demand or have those same thousands to hundreds of thousands of happy customers praising your product thus their friends, etc..go buy it too.

[Null]

well, they're pissed because they WANT it so badly. IMO, thats the best kinda pissed there is.

all im saying, is good or bad, being sold out with high demand creates more hype.

[Ginkasa]

Someday, though, not making enough systems is going to backfire. One of these days, there's going to be some people who walk to the store ot buy a PS# and when they don't find one available, they buy some competitor console out of frustration.

It'll probably take a couple of generations for that to actually escalate to damaging proportions, but it'll happen...


*shrugs and walks away*

[Canyarion]

Hopefully Ninty will have enough NDSs there, so ppl can get that instead.

[DeathsHand]

Originally Posted by Link1130

Someday, though, not making enough systems is going to backfire. One of these days, there's going to be some people who walk to the store ot buy a PS# and when they don't find one available, they buy some competitor console out of frustration.

It'll probably take a couple of generations for that to actually escalate to damaging proportions, but it'll happen...


*shrugs and walks away*

It probably already happens, thing is most people who are going to spend 150-200+ dollars on something aren't gonna go "Eh, instead of waiting a week or so extra, I'll spend this fairly large amount of money on something I don't want as much"...

[Canyarion]

Nope, but it's the parents and other uninformed buyers that might buy something else instead.

Oh well, PSP won't be out in the US till March, right?

[Jonbo298]

Originally Posted by Canyarion

Hopefully Ninty will have enough NDSs there, so ppl can get that instead.

Nintendo knew ahead of time in the US how many NDS's were pre-sold. They have an official pre-order system/setup so they know ahead of time approx. how many NDS's to make and obviously more after that to accomadte the non-pre order'ers. Right now I could probably go to my local EB's and pickup a DS if I wanted to.

[Null]

Originally Posted by Linkey

Someday, though, not making enough systems is going to backfire. One of these days, there's going to be some people who walk to the store ot buy a PS# and when they don't find one available, they buy some competitor console out of frustration.

It'll probably take a couple of generations for that to actually escalate to damaging proportions, but it'll happen...

not at launch, very doubtful that'll happen. unless it goes on and where people cant find one to the point were they get fed up with looking week after week..

people may think about buying something else when the thing they want is sold out at launch, but when the other item has so many there it gives the person time to say, hey, i'll think about it, this will still be here next week as i wait for the sold out item.

something being sold out when it comes out just creates more hype, always has, always will. it makes the item look so popular and hard to get that you almost dont have time to think about it when you see one, you buy first think later.

[DarkMaster]

Originally Posted by Jonbo298

I figured Sony would learn from the US/Europe launch of the PS2 and supply with the upcoming demand. But it looks like its gonna be exactly like the US PS2 launch was. Not enough to go around, demand through the roof, people selling them for 4x the original price. Then a month later Sony produces more but demand is still through the roof.

Learn from what? Their immense success? You don't think an internationally known, multi-billion dollar company can't produce enough units of their new, highly anticipated console for its tremendously important debut? It's a marketing strategy, Sony is extremely business smart, and if I was a shareholder I wouldn't be worried one bit.

Do you think anyone will be pissed off with Sony to the point of deciding not to buy the console? If anything they'll just want it more. People will be going crazy over getting one now, it'll be the hot item that everyone has got to have. You want what you can't have, it works.

[Jonbo298]

um, I dont think I was trying to say people wouldn't buy it ever if there wasn't any.

But good lord, you guys complain my head is up Nintendo's ass so far but yet you guys defend Sony's decision to not supply with demand.

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by Jonbo298

um, I dont think I was trying to say people wouldn't buy it ever if there wasn't any.

But good lord, you guys complain my head is up Nintendo's ass so far but yet you guys defend Sony's decision to not supply with demand.

i agree with you there

[Dyne]

I still feel extremely sorry for anyone who buys first-gen Sony hardware.

[Null]

Originally Posted by Dyne

I still feel extremely sorry for anyone who buys first-gen Sony hardware.

i feel extremely sorry for anyone who thinks like that.

no one i know has ever had a prob with sony first gen hardware.

first gen sony hardware is the same as first gen MS or Nintendo. everyone has thier share of problems.

Originally Posted by Jonbo298

But good lord, you guys complain my head is up Nintendo's ass so far but yet you guys defend Sony's decision to not supply with demand.

no one said it was thier decision. and no one said whether they like it or not. All i was saying is something has more appeal when its sold out.

people want what they cant have.