When the Playstation 3 (PS3) was introduced in late 2006, it was one of the few choices and among the most economical ways to buy a Blu-ray player. Almost four years later, Blu-ray is still driving PS3 sales – which is stunning, especially since any individual game title has the least influence in convincing U.S. consumers to pick up the console.
Sony Move for PS3
Back in 2006, some readers may remember the roll out disaster of Blu-ray and the PS3 due to a shortage of Blu-ray components, it was widely assumed that the integration of Blu-ray in the PS3 may actually, due to its high price, kill the console and impact the general adoption of the Blu-ray format in family rooms. Today we know that Sony’s decision was a lucky one, as Blu-ray remains the most cited reason why U.S. consumers buy a PS3.
According to a survey among 700 consumers who do not own a PS3 at this time, 65% said that Blu-ray capability was a purchase motivator. Other reasons included the recent price reduction (63%), available games (62%), an upgrade from the PS2 (62%), as well as network gaming and multimedia capabilities. While it is generally believed that the release of specific game titles boost game console sales (which is somewhat confirmed by sales data published by NPD), Nielsen’s survey found the opposite: Only 12% of respondents said that a specific game was a purchase motivator to get a PS3.
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The researchers said, however, said “there is evidence that suggests that software and gaming strongly motivate these potential buyers, with the library of games cited by 62%. In addition, the desire to connect and play games with friends who already own a PS3 and the ability to play multiplayer games on the PlayStation Network that speak to the appeal of PS3 as a gaming platform are also included by many gamers, indicating that these respondents are motivated to purchase the system in part for its gaming capabilities.”
Despite the fact that buying a specific game does not rank high on the list of reasons for acquiring a PS3, GOW III was the most popular game among those who mentioned that a particular title is a Top 5 motivator of their console purchase, Nielsen said. Across a list of 20 PS3 titles including Heavy Rain, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Little Big Planet and Gran Turismo 5, one-third (33%) of gamers indicate GOW III as their first choice.
Read also: Game console shipment results for April 2010
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