Shrygue
July 13th, 2007, 16:30
via Games Industry (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=26699)
Capcom Europe boss Mark Beaumont has warned that PlayStation 3 is lagging behind in the sales stakes - suggesting that it's software and not price which is the major factor.
Speaking at the E3 Media and Business Summit Beaumont told GamesIndustry.biz, "I don't think there's any way you can not say the PS3 is lagging. Just by looking at the figures, it's not performing to the levels the other platforms have.
"I'd say PS3 is probably in third place at this point; it remains to be seen whether they'll stay there or not."
Beaumont said he has "mixed opinions" about the recent decision to cut the price of PS3 by USD 100 in the US, suggesting it may be the software available for the system which is key to boosting sales.
"I would say Sony's product portfolio has had more to do with holding them back than the price point of the hardware itself," Beaumont offered.
"They are still the cheapest Blu-ray player in the marketplace, so that's going to additionally help them to put more units out there. You may very well look at that and wonder if people are just watching movies or if they're actually playing games as well; that's something that has to improve over time," he continued.
"Also it's tied to the offerings they've had so far. As they get a more robust line-up, the tie ratio will probably grow. Sony will tell you that the tie ratio on the PS2 was fairly low when it launched, so they're seeing parallels between the two."
Capcom Europe boss Mark Beaumont has warned that PlayStation 3 is lagging behind in the sales stakes - suggesting that it's software and not price which is the major factor.
Speaking at the E3 Media and Business Summit Beaumont told GamesIndustry.biz, "I don't think there's any way you can not say the PS3 is lagging. Just by looking at the figures, it's not performing to the levels the other platforms have.
"I'd say PS3 is probably in third place at this point; it remains to be seen whether they'll stay there or not."
Beaumont said he has "mixed opinions" about the recent decision to cut the price of PS3 by USD 100 in the US, suggesting it may be the software available for the system which is key to boosting sales.
"I would say Sony's product portfolio has had more to do with holding them back than the price point of the hardware itself," Beaumont offered.
"They are still the cheapest Blu-ray player in the marketplace, so that's going to additionally help them to put more units out there. You may very well look at that and wonder if people are just watching movies or if they're actually playing games as well; that's something that has to improve over time," he continued.
"Also it's tied to the offerings they've had so far. As they get a more robust line-up, the tie ratio will probably grow. Sony will tell you that the tie ratio on the PS2 was fairly low when it launched, so they're seeing parallels between the two."