Sony Plans Deposit Scheme for PS3 in UK? 134
An anonymous reader writes "Sony is reportedly in talks to introduce a new £150 per PS3 deposit scheme across retailers in the UK. The proposed scheme aims to help improve resource allocation as well as reduce the 'eBay phenomenon' which was evident with the 360's launch, deposits were secured from as little as £5 and crafty sellers would sell the console way above its retail price."
You Decide (Score:1)
Re:You Decide (Score:1)
Re:You Decide (Score:1)
I'd hit her, errrrrr it ermmmm I'll stop drooling now.
What was the question again?
yields of the deposit? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:yields of the deposit? (Score:1)
Obligatory post (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:1)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:1)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
Some of us are kind of fed up with all the viral marketing type of articles about the PS3 around here when we have already decided that the PS3 is most likelly a dead fish anyways and even if it isn't we've already made our minds to get something else for our gaming needs so we don't really care that much.
Then again, maybe it's just me.
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
Oh yeah, I'm buying a Wii instead of a PlayStation 3 as well...
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
Not if I get it off the shelf first.
Somehow I don't think Nintendo is going to have the fullfillment problems of MS and Sony. I also get the feeling that I will be able to choose only between the Wii and 360 for a little while anyway.
Re:Obligatory post (Score:1)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:1)
unless i'm misunderstanding what your trying to say thats pretty obvious
The majority of miles in a 100 mile journey are done after the first 10 miles
Re:Obligatory post (Score:1, Flamebait)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:1)
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2, Insightful)
I'll probably end up with one of each, eventually. But I won't be buying ANY of them right around launch. Hell, I haven't even gotten around to buying a 360, and they've been out how long now? When there's games I want for the platform that I can't find for anything I already own (other consoles or PC), THEN I'll buy the platform.
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
I know I shouldn't but I have to bite on this one. So far everything I've seen from the Wii looks quite a bit above the Gamecube in graphics level, which I think leaves it in great shape given that Resident Evil 4 was one of the best looking games of any console of the previous generation.
Re:Obligatory post (Score:2)
Hahaha... Sorry, that doesn't even warrant a real reply. Come on, Ken, post with your real Login name.
An excellent idea (Score:3)
Even better though, they have got to set a cap on the number of systems you can buy. However I do feel that all of these solutions should be more up to the retailer than anyone, which is why Sony is working with them on thinking through how to smartly work with pre-orders so people who want the consoles can get them.
Re:An excellent idea (Score:2)
Re:An excellent idea (Score:3, Informative)
*I realize that the term "manufacturer" probably isn't the right term anymore since pr
Goodwill and tie-ins (Score:3, Interesting)
Let's say a Gamestop in Podunk, Iowa sells thirty consoles and 20 of them go off via eBay to the coast. That Gamestop may (stupidly) be stocking games for thirty people with only ten customers can be had, and is going to have a rough go of it.
Basically, getting a real customer to buy from a store instead of a middleman generates a lot of goodwill which i
Re:An excellent idea (Score:1)
Lets say I want to get a PS3, I don't, but for the sake of discussion lets pretend I want one.
1) I go into a store, and ask that they put me on a waiting list.
2) They collect my $150 and now I'm on a waiting list.
3) My machine comes in, and they sell it to me, and
deduct my deposit from the price.
So, as long as I have money for the deposits, I'm still free to speculate on the ebay market.
I'm just not convinced ebay can support costs higher than SONY wants the device to sell for
at ret
Raises the bar though (Score:2)
Actually, I seem to remember paying $50 for a PS2 preorder before they launched, so I don't think the idea is unprecidented - they just increased the amount.
Frankly though I think the $500 cost of the console alone will deter a number of pure speculators, at least until the first round of purchases and the eBay proce starts spiking. Then everyone gets the eBay fever and goes wild..
Re:Raises the bar though (Score:2, Informative)
Just repeating PP, and makes my point (Score:2)
If you'll look the person I was responding to was the first to use $150, I thought they might be talking about US preorders.
Also, if the price for a pre-order is really $300 it only makes the numebr of people will to pre-order to sell on eBay even smaller.
Yes I am quite happy to pay $300 for a pre-order, knowing I'll not have to stand in line or pay a terrible sum of money on eBay. I'm not
Sounds Good (Score:3, Funny)
I don't think I've ever been so excited about a machine as the PS3.
Re:Sounds Good (Score:2, Informative)
Revisionist history? (Score:2)
Sorry to blow through your massive Flame-On there, but the PS3 was originally supposed to launch THIS spring - in JAPAN! Is was always scheduled to launch later in the year for ths US. It is late in Japan but not yet late here. What you are thinking of was mindless speculation that Sony would be "forced" to sell PS3's earlier because the 360 was releasing last year.
Try to find any material that backs up your ill-researched assertion that is w
Re:Revisionist history? (Score:2)
Re:Sounds Good (Score:2)
A Lexus, being a car, doesn't require 3rd party support (games, accessories, etc..) to actually be worthwhile.
Sure, Sony can put out only 50k units, sell out in 28 minutes, and call it a "market victory." But if those numbers don't spike soon after, who's going to make games for it?
It's like games for Linux. Game developers don't give a damn what percentage of your manufacutring
Re:Sounds Good (Score:1)
I would have thought a service/gas station is 3rd party support for a car.
Re:Sounds Good (Score:2)
Re:Sounds Good (Score:2)
Not every station has everything. One of the big problems in the take up of LPG powered cars (despite the fuel being half the price) is that they're in the catch where no-one buys the cars because they can't fill them up. No-one provides the chance for them to fill it up because only 3 people own the cars.
Re:Sounds Good (Score:2)
By "types" I assume you don't mean "grades," right? I find that interesting.
And what are LRP and LPG?
Re:Sounds Good (Score:2)
LRP is "Lead Replacement Petrol". We only mandated cat convertors in 93 so plenty of cars need leaded fuel, LRP has no lead but works on those cars.
LPG is as the anoncow put it, Liquid Petroleum Gas, which cars can be converted to use. It's about half the price of petrol. You do lose a few % of power though. The conversion is maybe $1500US or so, which you can make up quite easily buying fuel at $3 a gallon instead
Re:Sounds Good (Score:2)
I wonder if you guys are going to adding that corn-based stuff too?
Re:Sounds Good (Score:1)
Except when you lose money on each one (Score:2)
The reason Sony is subsidising the PS3 by so much is to sell as many consoles as they can so the install base goes up - bigger market for their developers. If they can't build enough, the market doesn't grow much, and they might as well have not bothered subsidising them.
Oh well. For every console they didn't build, that's ~$300 saved in subsidies, at least.
Add to that... (Score:3, Funny)
You Must Be Young (Score:2)
The Sega Dreamcast launch was rather impressive too, I was sad to see that system fail. PS2 never impressed me much after playing the DC and I wasn't much of a Ridge Racer
Re:You Must Be Young (Score:2)
Uh oh... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Uh oh... (Score:1)
Futureshop.ca - Similar idea (Score:2, Informative)
Once they had a tentative allocation # from MS. They began allowing pre-orders of 10 xbox360's per day for a month or two (basically had an allocation of approx 600 or so). So if all of the 10 were gone you'd have to wait for the next day.
One night I was up really really late, and it turns out futureshop.ca is PST time, so I jumped online at 3am EST and was able to secure a pre-order (didn't charge my card until the day of shipping) . And su
This could be interesting (Score:2)
Even better would be if the same deal could go over with the Wii. Now that would be an interesting comparison!
Re:This could be interesting (Score:2)
umm... the currency converter here [concierge.com] converted 150 uk pounds to 267.80 US Dollars... would you really want to make a $267 down payment on a consol that everyone is expecting to cost $250 at most?
Re:This could be interesting (Score:2)
150 UKP Deposit? (Score:5, Insightful)
It certainly won't discourage entrepreneurs who want to make a bit of cash, and (maybe I'm cynical) looks more like Sony trying to make people commit to a purchase. I'd certainly feel uneasy ponying up a quarter of the console's price before launch.
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:1)
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
They already have a system in place for this, it's called a long-ass line and one unit per transaction. You get in line, you get to buy one machine, then you get back in line. If you're lucky, you get another one. But you aren't, because they don't have enough to give everyone in the line one, let alone more than one.
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:1)
> transaction. You get in line, you get to buy one machine, then you get back in line. If you're
> lucky, you get another one. But you aren't, because they don't have enough to give everyone in
> the line one, let alone more than one.
Sure, but it would be extra effort to set up your retail system to compare credit card numbers against orders in all your branches and stop people from buying more than one mac
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
They want to prevent one person from getting multiple units. See, if one person buys them all, then tons of people have to go home pissed off that they didn't get any. Hope this clears things up for you.
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:1)
> get any. Hope this clears things up for you.
No, if one person buys them all, tons of people have to order them and leave a deposit, or look elsewhere. Some of the people buying them at your shop were pissed off cos they couldn't buy them elsewhere. Pissing people off because your shop sold out is preferable to having stock on the shelves because of a pointless `one each` policy.
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
That's why I explicitly specified a "one per visit to the register" policy, and if you had actually read my comment you would have known that. Well, that assumes you have more than two neurons to rub together, which given your response, is not a safe assumption...
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
Well, it's too bad you don't know what the fuck you're talking about, because a whole LOT of stores have sold only one of a given game console per customer on launch day. I remember seeing it in print ads for bo
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
On launch day, people are lined up around the block. There are typically more people than consoles. If there aren't, then it's in your best interest to sell multiple units to the same people, because it gets your inventory into motion. If they are, then just getting back in line will mean they only get one. Like I said in several prior posts.
As an aside, this whole POS thing is a GREAT SCAM. We have micros here and it's amazing how you always have to be making these difficult modifications to the screen
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
Are they really? How strange. I'm most likely to buy a game used off the 'net - but then, I won't be buying a PS3 anytime near launch. Or any other time before it's $200 or less, if I can't run general purpose linux on it.
Barring that, I'm next most likely to just visit whatever store I'm closest to :P
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:4, Funny)
The Sony board must have some sort Brewster's Millions bet going on. If they successfully trash Sony as a company, they'll get a better one.
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
The credit cards billing cycle ensures that you personally are only responsible for the deposit (since that payment spans multiple billing cycles), since the 'final payment' and the Ebay auction theoretically happen in the same billing cycle you can wash one against the other.
This breaks
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:3, Interesting)
Next up will be some article about Sony having to turn away game development companies that want to develope games for the PS3 so as to avoid having too many titles when the PS3 comes out
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
It's just people with nothing better to read/write about overanalyzing every move Sony makes.
Re:150 UKP Deposit? (Score:2)
the plan doesnt prevent the outrageous ebay markups. what this plan does is prevent people fr
how about a different aproach (Score:1)
It would be cool... (Score:2)
Re:It would be cool... (Score:2, Insightful)
The is absolutely no way a high depo
"Right thing to do" (Score:2)
Re:It would be cool... (Score:1)
Just a thought... (Score:1)
Re:Just a thought... (Score:2)
Not the main problem (Score:2)
As others have pointed out, it doesn't solve the problem of selling the one you've got on eBay for scad of money -- if you'd call that a problem.
The bigger problem as I see it, like the Xbox2 launch, is those dealers which take your deposit and then turn around and sell your reserved console away anyway. I don't see how higher deposits will alleviate that issue.
The human factor... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:The human factor... (Score:1)
Re:The human factor... (Score:1, Offtopic)
Picture this scenario: (Score:4, Insightful)
On the wall behind the counter is a big, glossy PS3 propagan^Wpreorder poster. Pay £150 now, get nothing for a month.
On the left are shelves of new Wii consoles + game for £150.
On the right there's new and used X360s for £150 or less.
You can probably guess what happens. If not you'll just have to wait 5 months to find out.
Re:Picture this scenario: (Score:2)
You probably already have a PC, and the games are cheaper.
There are just too many reasons NOT to get a PS3.
Re:Picture this scenario: (Score:2)
On the right there's new and used X360s for £150 or less.
HA! You think the Wii won't sell out? Be prepared to pay $600 on eBay!
If anyone wants an XBox, no need to wait. In stores everywhere.
Re:Picture this scenario: (Score:2)
People don't make £150 buying decisions at the register of a gaming store. People don't buy consoles based on what they see in the display case.
The fact of the matter is (much to the dismay of the anti-Sony crowd on Slashdot) that even at the high price, there are going ot be enough rabid buyers out there for the initial allotment of PS3s, and those buyers aren't motivated by games or
Why have a deposit? (Score:2)
I'm a little surprised Sony is attempting to manipulate the market with deposits etc. The people buying/selling on ebay are just responding to the demand.
Sony should respond to the demand also.
The initial release could be the premium early adopter platinum-gold-kryptonite edition with genuine plastic trim and ultrablack controller, with free HDTV TV, games, Sony Pictures DVD's and movie passes included for only $1500. They can then release progressively lower priced versions with less freebies until the
Re:Why have a deposit? (Score:1)
Honestly, does anyone think the PS3 is going to stay $600 for any length of time? The early adopters get the latest and greatest, Sony takes them for as much money as they possibly can then in six to eight months they drop the price and start selling them to the rest of us.
Sony backed pre-orders (Score:2)
When the PS2 launched in the UK, Sony operated a centralised pre-order scheme - you would still pre-order with your chosen retailer, but they had forms issued by Sony, one form for every allocated console. So, if you got a form, you knew you would get a console. You also got a few little extras from Sony.
Having gone through the debacle of the Xbox 360 launch - and in particular the poor ability of certain (major online, name begins with A) retailers to issue on a first-come, first-served basis - makes you a
PS3 price will drop once supplies aren't scarce (Score:2)
I think their smartest move would be to simply launch the PS3 on eBay. That way they can make most money from those rich kids that I envy so much. Too bas this would piss retailers off so much it would have negative long
Hmmm.. what to do with about £150?... (Score:2, Insightful)
Option 2) A Wii
Ebay wont be an issue (Score:2, Funny)
Really, really dumb marketing plan. (Score:1)
Breaking down the £425 cost into those numbers is about the dumbest thing they can do in the history of dumbness. Because you know what also costs £150? Yes, a Nintendo Wii. You know what costs £280 now (and knocking a fiver off before November isn't going to cause any pain)? Yes, an XBox 360 Premium pack.
The Wii + 360 pl
Possibly not such a smart idea (Score:1)
legally binding (Score:1)
Thats the big question in my opinion. If a offer like this was available in the US and Sony was legally bound to have a console for you at launch then I may bite. The problem with the 360 launch, at least in my corner of the US, was that all the game store knowingly sold more pre-orders than they would ever have gotten. On top of that the stores informed you that you would not get a la
I wish companies (Score:2)
Whatever the deposit is, whatever else they try to do the simple fact is supply will outstrip demand and people will get pissed off and the consoles will be on ebay for silly money.
Two solutions to this, you can either increase supply, or reduce demand. We can assume Sony have maxed out the supply bit, so they now have to try to reduce demand in some way (and seemingly they've been trying their best to do this for months with the neverending fiascos).
Re:Information wants to be FREE (Score:2)
Re:Information wants to be FREE (Score:3, Funny)
Yarrr, there be more than one kind o' pirate, ya know! I doubt they be shippin' those PS3s over to the English Isles by aeroplane, and thar be an ocean ta cross! And what 'ave you got in an ocean? Pirates!
...
Although I'm not sure exactly how pirates would actually use a PS3, I doubt that most pirate ships have upgraded to HDTV yet. Maybe that'll be happen during another raid.
Re:Information wants to be FREE (Score:2)
Re:Funny PS3 Pre-Order Side Note (Score:2)
In other news, ipod sales totally blew away phonograph sales this month.