Slow HDTV sales impacting PlayStation 3 uptake
Slow sales of high-definition television hardware in the US is holding back sales of Sony's PlayStation 3, as consumers feel the effects of the economic slowdown.
That's according to analyst Michael Pachter, who also said that consumers had been opting for cheaper Xbox 360 console deals, rather than the more expensive PlayStation 3 offerings.
"There was likely some substitution of Xbox 360 for PS3 purchases, due to recent price reductions for the Xbox 360 and the bundling of the console with two free games," said the Wedbush Morgan specialist.
"In addition, we believe that PS3 sales are being impacted by lower demand for HD televisions as a result of the recession."
Cumulative US sales of the PlayStation 3 through to November were 6.1 million units, compared to 12.4 million Xbox 360 consoles.
However, Pachter believes that during the first half of 2009, sales for Sony will begin to look up as consumers show interest in exclusive titles and Blu-ray capabilities.
"We believe that several PS3 exclusives, notably LittleBigPlanet, along with focus on the Blu-ray will drive hardware sales over the next six months," he said.
He also added that he expects December sales for the entire hardware market in the US to show further improvement over last year.
"We do not expect the recession to impact videogames in December; rather, we think that as Nintendo increases Wii supply further, Sony markets Blu-ray, and Microsoft rolls out its New Xbox Experience, hardware sales will show year-over-year increases in December."
Xbox 360 currently has a combined lead over PlayStation 3 of around one million sales across five key European territories - the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
That's according to GfK Chart-Track data seen by Eurogamer that shows like-for-like sales of console hardware across October and November.
The installed base totals suggest that Sony is catching up on Microsoft, which launched Xbox 360 over a year earlier than PS3.
But following a price cut in September, Microsoft's figures have jumped and the platform holder can be confident of holding its lead into the New Year.
Earlier this month, Sony Europe president David Reeves told MCV that PS3's installed base was 300,000 bigger than Xbox 360's "in PAL territories", which also includes countries outside Europe, like Australia.
In Australia, X360 has 410k compared to PS3's 285k as of July 2008.
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