Peter Moore: PS3 “crumbling” in Japan

Who do you think is worse off in Japan at the moment: Microsoft or Sony? When asked about how the Xbox 360 was faring in Japan, Peter Moore decided to turn the question on its head, commenting instead on Sony’s apparent lack of success in the face of the Wii. GameDaily notes Moore, who said,

That’s probably a better question for Sony who’s getting outsold by what, 6-to-1? You can bet that Sony built a long-term business plan about being successful in Japan and that business plan is crumbling. I built a business plan [for Japan], but I don’t think my expectations in Japan were anything close to what Sony’s expectations are. They are failing. They’re missing their plan by much more than I’m missing my plan.

The Xbox’s flagging performance in Japan is no secret – the Famitsu Marketing Data Service determined that Microsoft’s next-gen console sold only 122,565 units through its first half of the year in Japan.

Nevertheless, Sony is indeed outsold by Nintendo‘s raging hot Wii console by 6 to 1 last month: the Wii scored around 1.78 million units sold on the first half of 2007, with the PS3 clocking in only at around 504,000 units sold.

Moore also attacked Sony’s 10-year plan, which has been mentioned time and again on numerous occasions. “I’m not sure what their 10-year plan is,” Moore said. “It’s like they just said, ‘We have a 10-year plan’ [and that’s it].” For those who still aren’t in the know, Sony claims that the PlayStation 3’s advanced hardware is good to go for 10 years, attempting to replicate the PlayStation 2’s overwhelming success.

He then explains Microsoft’s own plan for the Xbox 360. According to Moore, the plan that incorporated cost reductions in Xbox 360’s hardware gave them a clear advantage in price that will enable them to significantly reduce price points quicker than Sony. He also emphasized the importance of plan execution and reaching out to the market with low price points in order to become successful.

That’s all well and good, but how about the trend of Xbox 360 console failures that may have been the grave side-effect of cost cutting? Moore, however, is confident about their long-term outlook for the Xbox 360. Adding to the interesting (though indirect) exchange of words and figures between Sony and Microsoft, Moore said:

So we see long-term growth, we see connected entertainment through Xbox Live continuing to grow, the games we have both in depth and breadth feel good… so yeah we’ve got a plan and it’s a long-term plan. Nobody knows how many years; it’s easy to say 10 years. Their plan I’m sure is being rejiggered as it is because it was their plan to sell 6 million units during the fiscal year and I don’t think they did that.

Who do you think is worse off in Japan at the moment: Microsoft or Sony? When asked about how the Xbox 360 was faring in Japan, Peter Moore decided to turn the question on its head, commenting instead on Sony’s apparent lack of success in the face of the Wii. GameDaily notes Moore, who said,

That’s probably a better question for Sony who’s getting outsold by what, 6-to-1? You can bet that Sony built a long-term business plan about being successful in Japan and that business plan is crumbling. I built a business plan [for Japan], but I don’t think my expectations in Japan were anything close to what Sony’s expectations are. They are failing. They’re missing their plan by much more than I’m missing my plan.

The Xbox’s flagging performance in Japan is no secret – the Famitsu Marketing Data Service determined that Microsoft’s next-gen console sold only 122,565 units through its first half of the year in Japan.

Nevertheless, Sony is indeed outsold by Nintendo‘s raging hot Wii console by 6 to 1 last month: the Wii scored around 1.78 million units sold on the first half of 2007, with the PS3 clocking in only at around 504,000 units sold.

Moore also attacked Sony’s 10-year plan, which has been mentioned time and again on numerous occasions. “I’m not sure what their 10-year plan is,” Moore said. “It’s like they just said, ‘We have a 10-year plan’ [and that’s it].” For those who still aren’t in the know, Sony claims that the PlayStation 3’s advanced hardware is good to go for 10 years, attempting to replicate the PlayStation 2’s overwhelming success.

He then explains Microsoft’s own plan for the Xbox 360. According to Moore, the plan that incorporated cost reductions in Xbox 360’s hardware gave them a clear advantage in price that will enable them to significantly reduce price points quicker than Sony. He also emphasized the importance of plan execution and reaching out to the market with low price points in order to become successful.

That’s all well and good, but how about the trend of Xbox 360 console failures that may have been the grave side-effect of cost cutting? Moore, however, is confident about their long-term outlook for the Xbox 360. Adding to the interesting (though indirect) exchange of words and figures between Sony and Microsoft, Moore said:

So we see long-term growth, we see connected entertainment through Xbox Live continuing to grow, the games we have both in depth and breadth feel good… so yeah we’ve got a plan and it’s a long-term plan. Nobody knows how many years; it’s easy to say 10 years. Their plan I’m sure is being rejiggered as it is because it was their plan to sell 6 million units during the fiscal year and I don’t think they did that.