Last week EB Games called the Xbox One launch the ‘biggest launch in Australian gaming history’ and now, this morning, it’s calling the PlayStation 4 launch one of the biggest console launches of all time.
It’ll probably be a while before the dust settles and we get a real idea of who sold precisely what but, for now, it seems like retailers are — predictably — lauding both launches as a great success.
“This was one of the biggest console launches of all time, and was twice the size of the Playstation 3 launch we saw in 2007,” said Shane Stockwell, Merchandising Director at EB Games. “Demand for the Playstation 4 is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, and we are currently taking preorders for shipments in early 2014.”
Twice the size of the PlayStation 3 launch. Older readers might remember that the PS3 launch wasn’t all it could be back in March 2007. Launching at $999 didn’t exactly result in a barnstorming start, so it’s difficult to say precisely how positive doubling those numbers really is. That said, early research stated that people were almost twice as likely to pick up a PS4 compared to the Xbox One. Again, it’s difficult to be specific at this point.
According to Debra McGrath, National Brand, Engagement & Events Manager for EB, pre-orders for the PlayStation 4 have been astronomical.
“The passionate customers that showed up to our launches last night have had their PS4 preorder since before July this year – in some cases the preorders were placed so long ago that our EB World program didn’t even exist,” said McGrath. “The first preorder for the next Playstation was put down way back on the 5th of July, 2011 – this just demonstrates how much these fans love the Sony brand.”
Anecdotal evidence on a store-to-store basis seemed to suggest that twice as many people had pre-ordered a PS4 compared to the Xbox One, but anecdotal evidence suggests that less people turned up to midnight launches. Kotaku US Associate Editor Luke Plunkett attended a launch in Canberra — apparently his local store had twice the pre-orders for PS4, but half the amount of people at the midnight launch compared to the Xbox One.
Again, that could mean a lot of different things.
Michael Ephraim, Managing Director at Sony Computer Entertainment Australia seemed delighted with the launch, and made reference to the fact that it will be difficult to pick up a PlayStation 4 over the next month in the lead up to Christmas.
“I’ve never seen demand like we are seeing now with PlayStation 4,” he said. “Even though we are getting more PS4 consoles in before Christmas, our retail partners tell us that they don’t expect many to be left on the shelves by the time Christmas comes. We will continue to supply the demand, starting in January and every subsequent month until we satisfy Australia’s appetite for PS4. In the meantime, we thank our fans for their patience – we promise PS4 is worth the wait.”
It looks like both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 had fairly spectacular launches here in Australia.
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60 responses to “PlayStation 4’s Launch Was ‘One Of The Biggest Console Launches Of All Time’”
Well considering I’m hearing quite a few EB’s got roughly 1/4 the quota of PS4’s than XBO for launch day, even if it’s more heavily pre ordered it couldn’t really beat it.
Yeah… until the dust settles on the launches and you can just walk into a store and get one off the shelf then we won’t really know where they stand, simply because we don’t know how much demand there is, only how many units are available i.e. not enough to meet demand.
It could come down to yeild and production rate too, how many working consoles they can actually roll off the line every day. Looking at the strip down of each console, the XBone (like myself when I strip down) seems pretty crude when compared to the PS4. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are able to smash those monstrosities off the production line. The yeild rates would probably be helped by having happy workers that don’t spit into the consoles and actually get paid too – I think the XBone is being produced in Singapore?
I know not many PS4s were available at my local ebgames – 98 in the first shipment – which is not that many. I don’t have mine yet and my copy of AC4 is sitting on my kitchen table taunting me.
I’m pretty sure they’re all coming out of Foxconn in China. Could even be the same factory for all I know.
Flextronics apparently. I think they were manufacturing the Xbox 360 slim. They have an assembly line in Manaus, Brazil too which is probably the reason why the Xbox One doesn’t cost the price of a small car in Brazil.
Correct, XBone is manufactured by FoxConn, so was the Wii….
Actually, I think MS are splitting production between FoxConn and Flextronics. So we’re all right. Everybody wins a prize! 😀
Well thankfully my PS4 is running flawlessly! Hope I haven’t spoken too soon….
Well there was easily a third of the people at the PS4 launch compared to the Xbone launch – at my store anyway.
You turn up at a launch, mainly to get a launch console. You could go to the XB1 launch and walk out the door with a console. The PS4 launch, you couldn’t, so I would have been very surprised if big numbers turned out. It would be mostly people who had pre-ordered just coming in to collect their machines.
This. Was talking to the manager of my local EB yesterday, and he said that it would be a lot easier than the XB1 launch, they didn’t get out until 3am because of all the walk-ups, but with PS4 they were sold out, so it was just a matter of waiting till midnight and handing them over.
in Perth Ebgames, PS4 is in their Third Shipment, Like I went there in September and I got put in Third Shipment, where with Xbox One, its available on launch… LOLz
I had a discussion on Facebook with someone about this. They were complaining that no retailers were selling competitive bundles with free games and such. No need for bundles when they are selling themselves.
But that is on the assumption that there is exactly the same amount of consoles available at launch… You could be the third shipment, but each shipment might only consist of 10 PS4’s…. So you can’t really say that the Xbox One being available in stores is a LOLz. And provided they were able to show off their console long before the PS4 (meaning the PS4 design most likely hadn’t been finalised) it’s no surprise they were able to go into manufacturing earlier and distribute more consoles at launch… LOLz
They showed off their console at the XB1 reveal in May, about 3 weeks before the PS4 was revealed at E3 in June. That’s hardly “long before”.
I actually think this might have a big part in the difference between GPU’s in the two consoles, Microsoft wanted to finalise the hardware as early as possible and start ramping up production.
Think of how many consoles are sold around Christmas time to parents. Parents don’t pre order, and they’re certainly not pre ordering a present to arrive in Feb, so having Xboxes on the shelf is a smart move.
Perth store had way more Xbox’s arrive than PS4
How and why is that “lolz” possible! I trust you have seen EBs exact stock stats to make your statement valid, until you can provide evidence, you comment just sticks way out as a Sony fanboy troll belch!
How and why people can’t just enjoy what we have is beyond me! The need to segregate and divide is for the more simple minds!
I pre ordered at jbhifi in August and yesterday they told me that I won’t be able to get a ps4 until about dec 17th/18th and they have over 200 pre orders. I also gave my buddy at Harvey Norman a call and he said they were supposed to receive 27 consoles which would have met their pre orders but they only received 9
My local Eb had probably 10-15 people there. It was a very sad affair indeed.
At my local Ebgames store we had roughly 98 people lined up waiting outside the doors. It was pretty intense.
Roughly 98?
Passing the time counting ppl in line
Basically was seeing as I was number 97 -__- really wasn’t fun waiting. My mistake sorry guys I shouldn’t have typed in roughly, that was the total estimate.
haha all good just being a pain in the ass
This morning I was the first person at EB at 8am, with one other guy a bit after me. Plus some lady wanting to buy one without preordering.
But I was the 17th PS4 sale so I assume they sold 16 of them at the midnight launch.
I was the first guy in the door for ps4 at 8 am today at my eb games and I had arrived 10 minutes late.
The XB1 I was there 3 minutes late and there were already 5 or 6 people who had picked one up already and still a bunch in store.
I think the XB1 has clearly sold more simply because they have stock right now,
yeah Sony need to really get the consoles out there. People that are on the fence will simple get an xbox because they are available.
Mr Satan from DBZ in that second picture there.
I don’t know how much I buy into the ‘scale’ of this launch.
I was at Woden last night (Which store was Luke at?) and there were 20 people there to pickup consoles.
I sit here this morning with one answer as to why there wasn’t te buzz for midnight launch… I picked up ‘Knack’ last night and can’t bring myself to open it. The launch lineup seems to have more ‘AAA’ 3rd party games (BF4, AC: Black flag and COD:Ghosts) but even the SEN Store is empty.
I’ve got a great looking console, but feel a little hung over in the Sony corner, the Console is here, I like the look/feel of the PS4. But even a day 1 60Gb PS3 had more going for it :/
I hope Sony have a number of tricks up their sleeves. Starting with porting some of the SEN content for PS3 across to start to fill in the ranks.
It’s a pretty horse, I’m just not sure what race it’s in…
I was at Gungahlin. There were 50-60 people, easy for the XB1 launch. And that was a shitty, cold night (you have to line up outdoors at the G store).
Last night, 20-30, tops. Nice night, and apparently – according to the staff – waaaaaaaaaay more pre-orders.
My theory is that there was less buzz from the HARDCORE, since the XB1 was “first”. Only other thing I can think of is that there’s slightly different demographics at play, at least at launch, and more PS4 preorder types had to work today, so didnt wanna go to a midnight launch.
Leaving out stock levels, I’d agree with the demographic difference, based purely on the PS3 demographic. It’ll be interesting to see whether that translates over to PS4, since the marketing for PS4 seems aimed at the cool young ‘players’ whereas the Xbone marketing seems aimed at the Sports/cable TV/working dude.
I think you also got a few XBO pre orders rocking up to the midnight launch to make sure they got their Day One editions and FIFA bundles, although enough stores fucked up the FIFA bundles.
“Yo, Xbone, I’m really happy for you and I’mma let you finish, but the PS4 had one of the biggest launches of all time. One of the biggest launches of all time!”.
Sorry I had to do it (the opening paragrah just reminds me of the Kanye West/Taylor Swift VMA incident and made me laugh
I all shenannigans.
I work a main store and worked it for the launch. Of the 110 consoles we had in the back room, we sold 20.
With the launch being on a Friday morning I just couldn’t justify it going in at midnight, getting home, playing Killzone or Resogun for half an hour, few hours sleep, work and then crash on the couch falling asleep with controller in hand. Nah, I’m picking it up after work and enjoying a full weekend of next-gen goodness 🙂
My reasoning for midnight XBO launch was to get on and updated before the rest of the world hit the servers, just incase :). Didn’t play any games until the next day, left them installing.
Yeah, from all reports I’m reading on different forums/sites this launch fizzed out pretty quickly. If it was due to demand or the lack of consoles hitting our shores (or both) is anyone’s guess.
Or people have jobs.
Luke Plunkett came to Canberra? Out of all places he could’ve gone to, he came here? Wow.. lol
That’s where he lives!
I live here!
Luke wasn’t known as Luke until he arrived in Canberra, just like Jackie Chan.
You poor bugger
Well considering ps4 sold 1million on its first day in NA only and XBone sold 1million worldwide. I think we all know who won the sales war for now.
Yes, neither of them.
It’s not quite that simple to compare.
Sony sent all of their initial stock to the US & Canada, and claim to have sold 1mil. Microsoft who, sent their initial stock to the US & Canada, and 11 other countries, claim to have sold more than 1mil.
With Sony staggering their launch to push more consoles into each market when stock becomes available, they maximise their launch figures — a direct comparison could have been made if Microsoft pushed 1mil consoles into North America as well (I assume Sony would have still sold more, but then Microsoft has the bigger user base in the US), or if you compared the total units sold within 2/3/whatever weeks of the initial launch for each console… else this debate will continue for the next decade as each console is slowly launched in Argentina, Ghana, Ukraine, etc. etc. etc. — new markets that will count towards total launch sales.
Microsoft put on a bigger singular launch event, Sony put on multiple launches that will make them appear the more successful — whether or not that still would have been the case if they hadn’t. That’s all that can really be said.
But Sony said the one million sold is retail figures not what they sold to retailers
You would make a terrible market analyst, but a great politician.
Maybe i’m getting old but in my 35 videogame loving years, i’m never been so unexcited or uninterested about new hardware and games than with the PS4 and Xbone. Help me doctor.
Yeah, I’m feeling the same way. I’m not saying that it always be that way … but as it stands, it’s not exactly like I’m having to resist the urge to go and buy either console. I think it’s mostly to do with the fact that I became more and more of a PC gamer during the course of the last generation. When I first got my Xbox 360 I couldn’t believe how good Gears of War looked (it was seriously impressive in contrast to your run-of-the-mill Xbox and PS2 games). The games on Xbox One and PS4 look nothing special in comparison to PC, plus lacking it’s performance. I’m waiting for some pretty compelling exclusives before I’m even halfway interested.
That first image looks like Liverpool Westfields. Could it be?
Yep, that’s Liverpool Westfields.
There was about 100 people at the midnight launch. I was second in line and got mine quickly without issue. Since I downloaded the update patch earlier in the day, I was able to get myself set up while people were probably updating.
The launch numbers have been SERIOUSLY hampered by demand outstripping supply by so much. I know many people in the queue with a long wait. We’ll have to wait 6 months to really see how big the PS4 launch is when everyone who actually wants one at launch has one.
It occurs to me that with such a large uptake of launch consoles, it perhaps invalidates the argument that waiting a few months after launch to pick up a console so you hopefully avoid any of the initial hardware issues will be negated by that console probably being within the initial production batch.
As long as marketing geniuses still use the “biggest launch ever for EVERY NEW GAME IN A SERIES (every COD release is the best launch ever)/CONSOLE” i refuse to believe it.
“I’ve never seen demand like we are seeing now with PlayStation 4,”
It would be interesting to see how that’s actually being measured.
I thought it was pretty widely known in the local industry that Microsoft allocated up to twice as many Xbox Ones to retailers than Sony allocated PS4’s. This, even though Sony had about 10-20% more pre-orders.
This is what I heard from one source at a retailer, as for others, it was assumed to be a similar scenario there also.
This clearly explains why there’s Xbox One’s on shelves, yes – Sony sold more pre-orders but also didn’t allocate enough stock. Let’s hope there are no major hardware issues…..
EBGames Swanston Street, Mebourne favours XBone over PS4. They have posters of XBone everywhere and a little section for PS4 only. The staffs also talks about their “preference” of XBone only. I wonder how much bonus do they get from MS.