PS3 is out of the woods, says Stringer

By Ellie Gibson Published 28 January, 2008

And beginning to hold its own.

Sony Corporation boss Howard Stringer has said he's confident PlayStation 3 is on track to beat Xbox 360 in the console war.

Stringer told Reuters sales of the machine are improving, despite an economic slowdown in the US.

"PS3 has now gone past Xbox on the Christmas market. It's moving into its own as it gets into higher bandwidth," he said.

"PS3 is out of the woods and beginning to hold its own."

Stringer's comments echo some made by SCEE boss David Reeves just a few days ago. He reckons the PS3's European installed base will exceed Xbox 360's by late summer, don't you know.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (54) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • smirny #1 4 years ago

    Unless they start giving out hard facts (i.e figures) I just can't believe anything anyone from Sony says.

  • keyboardmonkey #2 4 years ago

    Sony boss says he is confident about Sony business !

    Quick someone get this in the news.

    In other news
    Microsoft boss says he is confident about Microsoft business!
    Edited by 1 at 28/01/08 @ 10:42

  • Psychotext #3 4 years ago

    Only a few days until we see their financial results. Will be harder to spin them. =)

  • Rodney #4 4 years ago

    He's probably right though isnt he?

  • space_ace #5 4 years ago

    sixaxis navigation gets you out of the woods with no rumbles along the way.

  • miiiguel #6 4 years ago

    Sony talks more about Xbox than games. They're obsessed with the 360, they didn't give a crap to the previous Xbox, though... weird...

  • ElNino9 #7 4 years ago

    Oh Jesus, this should be fun.

    / awaits teh fanboi's

  • toythatkills #8 4 years ago

    BUT WHAT OF THE GAMES, SONY? Are you selling any of those? The silence around attach rates alongside an obsession with telling people how well systems are shifting isn't a good sign. It's spin-erific.

  • Goodfella #9 4 years ago

    Oh Jesus, this should be fun.

    / awaits teh fanboi's

    Which side? One's alrerady here, isn't that right, miiiguel?

  • GamesConnoisseur #10 4 years ago

    If that is the case then PS3 had to ove sell X360 by a great margin over in USA to catch up on the lost ground not just on the head start of X360 but where X360 had consistently sell ahead of PS3 for months.

    However we know in Europe and Japan PS3 is selling better than X360 apart from UK.

    Different story if the games on PS3 sells as well as X360, as quiite a good number of those PS3 buyers get it for Blu Ray Movie plus odd games!

    Still like smirny say, hard facts, so links please!

  • miiiguel #11 4 years ago

    I'm on my side. Money to play games. Games to play for my money.
    Simple.
    I don't do brands.

  • Eighthours #12 4 years ago

    Can't someone just cut out Sony reps' vocal chords and make the world a more peaceful place?
    Edited by 1 at 28/01/08 @ 10:51

  • brooza #13 4 years ago

    Maybe they mean that over it's lifeting the PS3 has sold more than the 360 did this christmas

  • Raziel #14 4 years ago

    I got my PS3 late August.
    I currently own 1 PS3 game.

    Where are the GOOD games Sony?

  • Putty-Man #15 4 years ago

    Didnt that dude Reeves make a similar comment a few days ago...

    ...yip he did, its still on the Eurogamer front page too!

    I think Eurogamer have some sort of a deal with Sony that if new is light they can just ring them up and get a mad console WAR comment from a top exec.

    In fact, scratch that, Im sure you dont need a deal with Sony for that.

  • muscleblade #16 4 years ago

    Many less informed gamers out there i guess. If you need a Blue ray its ok. For games not so much considering the competition.
    For games alone 360 and Xbox live is superior. I am not a fanboy but this is the facts. Anyway the software sales are much higher on the 360 that says something doesnt it?

  • DrDamn #17 4 years ago

    @GamesConnoisseur
    "Different story if the games on PS3 sells as well as X360, as quiite a good number of those PS3 buyers get it for Blu Ray Movie plus odd games!"

    Linky to slightly dubious but all we have VGChartz

    360 Installed base = 16,644,811, weekly software sales = 1,027,542 ==> 6.17%
    PS3 Installed base = 9,430,866, weekly software sales = 631,172 ==> 6.69%

    "Still like smirny say, hard facts, so links please!"

    Yeah that would be nice wouldn't it?

    Considering the PS3 has a worse games catalogue and is still a bit more expensive then you can't blame the bloke for being optimistic. Though they must also be thinking about what they could have done if they hadn't fecked so many things up.

  • IneptPercy #18 4 years ago

    I have been looking at standalone HD-DVD and blu-ray players and the PS3 is the cheapest blu-ray player which must help sales. Been looking at a multi-player for both formats and it would be cheaper to buy 2 separate players... But that's another issue.

    Either way I am still not bothered by which console sells more.

  • miiiguel #19 4 years ago

    Weirder is the disapearing of the "OH-my-God-it's-the-Sony-network-Home!", thing. What happened to that?
    All they seem to care nowdays is 360.
    360 this; 360 that...

  • thedaveeyres #20 4 years ago

    Out of the woods, but covered head to toe in bear shit.

  • menage #21 4 years ago

    I still don't see a real valid reason to buy one (which means give me a freaking killer app or 2 or get lost).

    Well, maybe because I want a machine that doesn't break:p.

  • Dizzy #22 4 years ago

    >If you need a Blue ray its ok

    Well Sony is happy with that. They probably make more money on a sold Sony Pictures Bluray than on a game.

  • drumbaby #23 4 years ago

    Yes, this is no good without Stringer coming in here, braving a load of twats, and posting links.

  • sharpfish #24 4 years ago

    I believe him.

    I've been a ps3 hater since Sony first started lying.

    I've been an Xbox360 advocate since I bought one in 2006.

    No more. I'm sick to the back teeth with the RROD/RETURN/RROD cycle that goes on. I have no faith left in investing money in more xbox 360 games (a shame as they were the best so far).

    In 2008/09 Sony do have some VERY tempting games coming out, possibly a price drop (important) and of course pretty much the confirmed 'winner' of the HD wars in BluRay. So... combine those with continuing lack of faith from CURRENT Xbox 360 owners (those that have had RROD / E74 etc..) and I can see that PS3 will do far better from now on.

    Sony are still arrogant, but MS has screwed us over big time and shouldn't be rewarded any further with multiple console purchases or software collections that will be of no use in a year or so when your console WILL die.

    I'm selling all my games/accessories (loads spent on them alone) and i'm not sending the box back to MS again (would be third time) they can't fix it, they won't give a new one and i'll be damned if i'm spending more money on it.

    BTW for people who also feel this please sign the 'recall Xbox 360' petition (yeah, it's only an online petition but in this case it's all we have - it also has over 6000 sigs so far!)

    [link url= http://www.petitiononline.com/360recal/petition.html
    ]http://ww w.petitiononline.com/360recal/p...[/link]

    This is what they should have done in the first place, a FULL RECALL not put the emphasis on the customer to box/send/get bashed up and still broken console back.

    Sony is no saint but for reliability how can anyone seriously recommend the 360 now? It may have the best games (at the moment) but that's no good if you can't play them for more than a week before your console dies (again).

    Rant Over but this message needs spreading until MS do more than offer a ridiculous 'fix 3 lights' BS repair (that doesn't actually last). I pity the people with 1 light (av chip error) or drive errors that have to pay for a fix even though it's still MS's fault.

  • miiiguel #25 4 years ago

    360 is doomed, from now on...

    sharpfish and Sony said so. Insomaniac said it so, 300 days ago. Shit is..., it's taking toooooo damn long!
    Edited by 1 at 28/01/08 @ 11:32

  • FenderMaster #26 4 years ago

    Funny...


    last gen XBOX was reliable wheras i went through 3 PS2's (PS2 slimline seems ore durable though), and sony never admitted there was a problem with their hardware, charging me E100 each time it broke

    when did sony become the reliable ones?

  • miiiguel #27 4 years ago

    I can only imagine, if 360 was the PS3 and vice-versa..., 360 would be dead by now. PS3 is living on the success of PS2 (what a fine package it was/is). The good thing about this "gaming fiasco" is that for the next PS, Sony will have to do much, much better.
    Edited by 1 at 28/01/08 @ 11:39

  • BlueDot #28 4 years ago


    "when did sony become the reliable ones?"

    When they had to market their console as a Bluray player too. People won't put up with unreliable hi-fi gears like they do with console/pc.

  • DrDamn #29 4 years ago

    "when did sony become the reliable ones?"

    When MS out-shitted them with the 360. PSOne & PS2 where both pretty bad for reliability from experience. MS went for a very risky strategy in getting out a comparably powerful console well before Sony were ready. It has given them a lot of reliablity problems and a bad reputation but it has also given them the lead they currently enjoy. Worth it? I'd say in the long run - absolutely.

  • Weezer #30 4 years ago

    We all knew this was going to happen, and I bet MS knew it was coming too. But in terms of Xbox taking a big chunk out of PlayStation, then it's a roaring success. Sony has paid dearly for its long line of fuck-ups.

    Just speculation, bit I think MS are very well placed to have an 'Xbox 3' ready to come to market in about two years' time (Nov 2010 would be 5 years after 360) - smack bang in the middle of PS3's lifespan. Sony has been burned badly on this generation and it simply can't bring a new machine out for at least five or six years from now; PS3 needs to pay for itself, Blu Ray, the cell chip etc.

    As long as 1) MS continues to suppport a cheap, slimline Xbox360 and 2) 'Xbox 3' is seamlessly backward compatible, they have a great chance to screw Sony over. It could bring a machine out that was quantifiably better than PS3 and Sony would have nowhere to go.

    Interesting times.




  • Gaol #31 4 years ago

    Sharpfish speaks the truth, pretty much how all 360 owning friends feel about the machine - Sony might be arrogant but remember all the delays at lauch to ensure a reliable product went out - for M$ to put a machine out that is so badly flawed it is almost guaranteed to fail within 2-3 years is outrageous.

  • muscleblade #32 4 years ago

    As a previous owner of both systems ( i sold my PS3) i feel sorry for the gamers that went the Sony route this time around. If your a hardcore movie lover and needs Blue Ray but also play games you need both the 360 and a PS3 anyway.

  • thewolfiv #33 4 years ago

    i got a 20GB ps3 from america on saturday and all i can say is its HUGE! never seen a console so big, but at least its quiet compared to the xbox 360, but no games i just download the demos, and god of war one and two for theses games alone it was worth it. (i should state that i had a ps2 bought it for 300 pounds when new one week later, ONE week only, sony dropped the price by a 100 pounds i called them rather annoyed guy told me to get lost. never bought a sony product since) but all in all i can't complain it plays PS2 games just a pity the online is so crap, even if your a fan boy you gotta admit live is miles ahead of playstation network thing...oh and just another thing wtf is with the demos on PSN? you download them then have to install them after waiting for 30 mins they add another 6-7 mins to install sony you really got to fix that...
    Edited by 1 at 28/01/08 @ 12:48

  • ParanoidZombie #34 4 years ago

    RROD ... no games ... bluray ... HDDVD ... rumble ... sixaxis ... free online ... xboxlive ... wifi ... achievements ... home... shoddy ports ... PC ports...custom soundtracks ... exclusives vs exclusives ...episodic content ...HDD support ... PR ...delays ... NPD... VGchartz... Attachment rate... units shipped... units sold... Core...40gb...

    Ok, let's call it a tie, I'm bored.
    Edited by 2 at 28/01/08 @ 12:55

  • L42yB #35 4 years ago

    Ahahahahahahahahaha!

    Ha!

  • Arcadiian #36 4 years ago

    @ Gaol.

    I can see your point. Sony will probably either catch up to or surpass Microsoft during this generation, too. But whether MS messed up with reliability or not, I've still been playing fantastic games for two years, while waiting for Sony to sort out the PS3. I hardly play mine. I'm looking forward to Home and that, but it seems that by the time the console finally kicks off, the next Xbox will be around the corner. The arrogance of Sony in the run up to the PS3 launch (and PS2, for that matter) put many people off, including myself. This happened in the 90s to Nintendo, SEGA and now Sony. Let's hope they learn their lesson. :)

  • muscleblade #37 4 years ago

    @farticusmaximus

    That is the truth. The PS3 owners that dont see this is totally blinded by their fanboyism. Their loss.

  • Rash' #38 4 years ago

    farticusmaximus, 360 provided the best HD gaming of 2007. There's no disputing that. Whether that is true for it's preceeding year is barely debatable. And nothing's a given. I don't see many exciting propects in this year's line up for 360. This will be Sony's year in terms of sells.

  • DrDamn #39 4 years ago

    @farticusmaximus
    One thing I would question is whether so many people will be willing to buy the XBox 3 early on and how many will wait and see after the reliability issues with the 360. Personally I feel the same as you - despite one machine failure I wouldn't have missed out on all the great games - but there will be some knock on effect from this gen.

  • Darren #40 4 years ago

    Howard Stringer said "PS3 has now gone past Xbox on the Christmas market." .

    Well that's no real surprise seeing as the Xbox market has been dead for over two years now! LOL

    Or does he mean Xbox 360...? ;)

  • groovychainsaw #41 4 years ago

    Out of the woods and into the swamps. You can at least now see the target, but it'll be a long old slog yet i suspect...

  • SleepyMagpie #42 4 years ago

    You know what, Ellie? We already saw an article in EG where a Sony-man stated something to this effect last week, so this is not news.

    No, this is flamebaiting, base strifemongering for hits, and drags the otherwise more than competent EG down to the level of English tabloids, which we other Europeans are so leery of.

    Cut it out please.

  • darc #43 4 years ago

    If Haze is half the game it's looking to be, and remains a PS3 exclusive, that'll definitely help Sony. I'm just waiting for the price to drop a bit more, and/or waiting on a used PS3 with PS2 compatibility. But that's all worth about $250 to me, not $400.

  • darc #44 4 years ago

    "haze is hardly going to sell ps3's no matter how good it is, its no halo hype machine, gt5, mgs4, little big planet etc will however sell ps3's."

    I see your point. I'm always forgetting that my taste in games is not entirely mainstream.

  • david78 #45 4 years ago

    These comment threads are so unbelievably full of fanboys (On all side) it's beginning to really piss me off.

  • captainrentboy #46 4 years ago

    God I'm bored of this fanboy nonsense, there was a time where I'd stand by my glorious 360 and defend it with all my worth, but fuck me, it's a bit sad aint it? I really can't be arsed anymore.
    To be honest I can see the PS3 having a great year this year, I can't see its sales surpassing the 360's for a good two years yet, but MGS 4, LBP and GT 5 will surely bring home the bacon big style, yes the 360 has some great upcoming games, but they're slightly more hardcore (NG2 ,Fable 2, Alan Wake*maybe*), so I think a lot of the 360's biggies will appeal more to people who already own the console rather than attracting new buyers.
    But all in all, honestly I don't care either way anymore, why do sooo many of you give a flying toss? As soon as the PS3 has 5+ games that I really want then I'll get one of those buggers too.

  • djed #47 4 years ago

    @ space ace

    I'm sure six axis controls would get you out of the woods... eventually. But you had better wear a helmet, mah boi!

  • Hawkins #48 4 years ago

    I bought a PS3, for some Blu-Ray film exclusives, since it's apparently winning by a landslide against HD-DVD, then 1 second hand game, which remains unplayed.

    I did play the Burnout Paradise demo on it for a little bit however...before I bought the full version for the 360, a console I've completed a few dozen quality games on.

    We need the new Tekkens, Gran Turismos and Final Fantasies now!

    It would be interesting if we found out that the PS3 was actually having more success as a Blu-Ray player.

  • Diomedes #49 4 years ago

    Farticus....if you only knew how stupid you sound...

  • mkreku #50 4 years ago

    I honestly don't think Alan Wake will be out this year.. It's Remedy we're talking about after all.

  • bad09 #51 4 years ago

    Okay after this I can't take it no more!

    Headbog you talk utter, utter crap with no real intelligent argument. 360 has had the best games period! The ps3 has been s**t as a GAMES console! Just except it and cuddle up to it tonight to make it feel better, you sound like you sleep with it!

    You have to be the WORST fanboy I have ever heard. welcome to ignore poster friend.....

  • bad09 #52 4 years ago

    @ farticusmaximus

    LOL! It was funny at first but it just annoys me reading his rubbish now!

  • Kryon #53 4 years ago

    LOL, I take it headcase is back talking his Tesco value brand of utter horse shite again ;-)
    I put him on ignore after severely pwning him in the GTA4 thread, the kid got SO angry it was hilarious, I honestly would pay money for a live video link to watch his reaction after he's been PWNED for the 100th time, I can just imagine his little face turning red, his lip starting to wobble, his eyes welling up with fear, rage and disbelief.

  • Yaz #54 4 years ago

    Can you feel the love in this room?

    Group hug everyone. :)