You've got to start feeling bad for Sony at some point. Sure, they made their own bed with this whole PS3 disaster, but nothing seems to go their way. Case in point - the PS3 finally launched in Europe this week, and it went badly. Really badly. As in, no one even bothered to show up badly.
The worst turnout appears to have been in France. I say "appears" because I can't read all the websites that are in french to confirm, but the photos paint a pretty clear picture. Basically, Sony was left with thousands of consoles unsold due to the outrageously high price that the PS3 is commanding in Europe (around $850 USD).
Should this even be news though? I mean, is anyone really surprised by this? First, Sony disses Europe by dropping them from the worldwide launch. Second, they announce an enormous price for the console, and the lack of a "low-end" version (the 20 GB model is not currently offered in Europe). And last, they yank the chip that allows for full backwards compatibility. Did anyone expect this to go well?
Sony needs to remember that success doesn't just mean Asia and the Americas. Those Euros have a pretty good exchange rate. I think it's time for Sony to start giving people their money's worth. And just a quick note to Kutaragi - that doesn't mean bundling a can of deodorant in with every PS3 sold in France. Yes, we all know that they need it, but something tells me it wouldn't go over very well.
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