The PlayStation was launched in Japan on December 3, 1994, North America on September 9, 1995,[2] Europe on September 29, 1995,[3] and Australasia in November 1995.[4] The launch price in the American market was US$299[2] (a price point later used by its successor, the PlayStation 2),[8] and Sony enjoyed a very successful launch with titles of almost every genre, including Battle Arena Toshinden, Twisted Metal, Warhawk, Philosoma, and Ridge Racer.
Honestly Mel, there was a very (in)famous press conference at a major game show shortly before the PS1 launched, back when Sega and Nintendo owned the market. The Sega guy at the show talked a lot about how their Saturn console was going to do this and that, 'the best 2D', etc. Then the Sony spokesguy came up to the mike, and said one phrase only:
"Two hundred ninety-nine dollars."
Which apparently blew everyone in attendance away. The Sony machine was expected to come in at a considerably higher price point.
My guess is the $650 price you remember was what ppl speculated the PS1 was going to be priced at, before it launched. This is nothing new... some pre-launch speculation on the PS3 had its launch price at $900.
.
Maybe, but, somehow I still remember that price for it, and also remember how surprised I was.
right now, hd anything doens't make sense to me, for what my family watches std dvd works
BUT if i could get digital 3-D on my hd tv and blueray had it i'd upgrade and invest in this tech
WHY??? have you seen hanna montana movie concert in digital 3D??? it's the best 3d experience i've ever had, now if they could make a bourne identity ultimatum in BR digital 3d, that would make the "tv" experience much better. maybe they will do that for many more movies but in theaters ONLY, so they can market a "better than home" experience, make it uniigue.
for those of you who haven't seen this movie concert, rent some pre-teen or take some family member (so you won't embarrass yourself) and just sit through 20-30 minutes and you will see the future of movie theaters, can you imagine star wars, pirates, etc in this format. WOW!!!!
my 4 and 6 year old (no you can't rent them, find somebody else) didn't really care for it they thought it was going to be a 1.5 hr long tv movie of hanah montana and her tv gang.
Samsung Hd sets have a 3D output support connection. For $100 you can buy two pairs of LCD shutter classes. For $49, you can buy software that will allow most any games, movies, etc to be 3D from the Tv through the glasses. The software is likely for PC's though. They say that 3D games, movies, and such, will be coming out.
Great, you mention the 360, but not the Wii. What was Sony's solution to competeing against the more popular 360 and the cheaper Wii? By cutting down on functions. Don't believe me, look it up. They are planning on throwing in a new PS3 model (might have already, i dunno) that cuts out many features like online play, backwards compatibility with PS2, etc.
The PS2 is selling far more than the PS3, what does that tell you? Its a joke. Don't believe Sony stuffing the channels. Visit your local Best Buy and you will see boxes of PS3 stacked sky high, you will less 360 boxes, an almost NO Wii boxes. Ask a salesman and they will tell you, Wii sold out, 360 hotcakes, PS3 collecting dust on shelves.
Laterz.
The PS3's sales in Japan during both November and December were higher than that of the Wii. I don't have later figures.
You don't know what you are talking about, so stop it.
Toshiba may be burning some bridges here, too. There are reports that they've started to refuse honoring those deals for various bogus reasons, angering customers. Not good if they ever want to start a new format again.
Somehow, I doubt they will try. Toshiba has never been in the forefront of development. This is the only real try they made. The DVD was a complex affair where they were involved, and was only done to try to keep Sony and Phillips from coming up a winner again, but they had to give Sony part of it. This time they have lost badly.
ok.... pulled a chart from vgchartz. So PS3 has outsold 360 in other parts of the world besides the US, but who is on the bottom overall in both handhelds and consoles? Sony!
Ok, so here's more info, with a later date than the December one I gave before.
Is it possible that you're confusing it with the 3DO? That console launched only a couple of years prior to the PS1, and for $699.
.
I just seem to remember that. I can't explain why, just that I do. I'm not disputing the numbers you're posting, but somehow, I remember the $649 price, and the discussions I was in about it. In those days, I was much more into gaming than I am today.
I just seem to remember that. I can't explain why, just that I do. I'm not disputing the numbers you're posting, but somehow, I remember the $649 price, and the discussions I was in about it. In those days, I was much more into gaming than I am today.
Hmm... that is odd. Don't know what to tell ya, Mel... the PS1 sure didn't launch in the US at $650, I can say that definitively.
Heck, I used to work in console games, so I've been sandbagging a bit. Its cool that you were a gamer, though... all the cool ppl are.
Edit- Actually Mel, there is ONE way it could've launched at $650 where you were... it's possible that some 'intrepid' (read "greedy") retailers in your area did bundle their early allotments of PS1s with several games, more controllers, memory cards, etc. and jacked the price from $299 on up to $650. This sort of thing has happened with the PS2 and PS3 at launch too, though not everyone does it.
Total 'bollocks', as the Brits would say, but s*** happens. Though the console itself was only $299.
WTF you mean Sony packing a Blu-ray player in the PS3 isn't forcing consumer? They have yet to prove there is even a need for 25GB games.
How is this any different from Apple "forcing the consumer" into 3.5" floppies in 1984? There were two competing formats, one was better, and Apple chose the better format for their product.
Honestly, the only thing I agree with you about HD-DVD being in any way a better format is with regard to region encoding... but being in Hong Kong, that won't be a problem, as all DVD players, consoles and Blu-Ray players are sold region free due to the international aspect of the terrtory (we sell pretty much equal amounts of media from USA, UK, Japan and China).
Somehow, I doubt they will try. Toshiba has never been in the forefront of development. This is the only real try they made. The DVD was a complex affair where they were involved, and was only done to try to keep Sony and Phillips from coming up a winner again, but they had to give Sony part of it. This time they have lost badly.
I'm afraid I wasn't clear. I don't mean necessarily a new disc format, just some kind of new CE device or technology. If they screw the HD DVD suckers, er, buyers out of those free discs, nobody's going to trust them again.
No consumer was forced to buy a PS3. They bought the PS3 because of the excellent price considering it has a Blu Ray player in it. Sony was better at marketing this time around. Wasn't there another major game system with a HD-DVD player in it? Choices! Choices! And the consumers spoke with their dollars.
idiot... PS3 is a miserable failure. It trails far, far, far behind the Wii and even the xBox 360! Yes, the consumers made a choice, and PS3 w/ blu-ray was OBVISOULY not it! Blu-ray bundled with PS3 is a moot point, since PS3 barely even made a ripple in the consumer markets for both consoles and hd media players. Nobody buys blu-ray players, just like nobody buys PS3s. Sony is in such a bad financial state with blunders like the PS3 that its in danger of going bankrupt, possibly. This is not the mighty Sony we once knew, not even a shadow.
The PS3 and Blu-ray to a certain extent are almost complete failures...unless of course, that is, you live in either fantasyland or fanboy world!
also, Blu-ray won't even matter in a few years. By the time it gains any significant ground, if it does, it will be obsolete and bow to iPods, the internet, networking, and streaming.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdotdubz
According to the chart you posted the 360 has sold about 70% more units sold that the PS3. Even if we ignore the year long head start that the 360 had and and excessive production constraints with blue laser technology, it's more than a little hyperbolical embellishment to say it's "a miserable failure."
The PS3's sales in Japan during both November and December were higher than that of the Wii. I don't have later figures.
You don't know what you are talking about, so stop it.
Wow, you can't find the figures, how convenient. You can't compare a single month or two of slightly higher sales over the whole timeline and declare that PS3 is on an uptrend. For what, a month?!? Overall Wii is selling alot more. Come back in a year and tell me if PS3 keeps the trend. If it does, great, but don't start popping the champagne bottles because PS3 slightly outsold the Wii for a month after a whole year of being out. I think the PS3 is somewhere close to 15 million units behind the Wii in total sales, alotta catching up to do.
oh, and the PS3 had zero to minimal effect on Blu-ray winning the format war. The studios and retail outlets decided who the winner is.
and don't forget, there are lots of people out there who are confused over the benefits of Bluray over DVD, and there are many others who don't give a crap. I myself don't give a crap, I will wait until Bluray players cost $20 like DVD players before I buy one. For now, and for a long time, I don't see myself buying a Bluray player, and don't see any benefits of it either.
Bluray will NOT have the explosive effect DVD did. PS3 will have a minimal effect on Bluray's adaptation by the public, unlike PS2 which was a major factor in the adoptation of DVD.
According to the chart you posted the 360 has sold a little over 50% more units sold that the PS3. Even if we ignore the year long head start that the 360 had and and excessive production constraints with blue laser technology, it's more than a little hyperbolical embellishment to say it's "a miserable failure."
Yes but look at the Wii. Came out same time as PS3, does not offer a HD optical drive and it has outsold both PS3 and 360 combined!
What does that tell you? Most people don't care about Bluray. Oh, and alotta people bought PS3 because they didn't know any better, much like people buy Windows Dell PCs. They knew that the older products (PS2, Dells) were huge successes that were widely adapted so they based their purchase on that, not on which is currently the better gaming platform.
Yes but look at the Wii. Came out same time as PS3, does not offer a HD optical drive and it has outsold both PS3 and 360 combined!
What does that tell you? Most people don't care about Bluray. Oh, and alotta people bought PS3 because they didn't know any better, much like people buy Windows Dell PCs. They knew that the older products (PS2, Dells) were huge successes that were widely adapted so they based their purchase on that, not on which is currently the better gaming platform.
I really don't understand these bi-polar, all-or-nothing perceptions. If the Wii outsodl the PS3 that means the PS3 was "a miserable failure". The last console war kept painting Nintendo's GameCube as a failure when its sales were almost on par to the XBOX, especially when compared to the run away hit of the PS2.
There were more available for purchase and it's significantly cheaper. It's the same reason the 30GB Zune was outselling the iPod on Amazon.com for a week when the price was lowered to $80.
Everyone I know that purchased a PS3 knew exactly what they were were doing when they pre-ordered and payed $600+ for a PS3. The real interest wasn't the gaming aspect but the Blu-ray movie player.
The inclusion of the Blu-ray is what shifted the scales away from HD-DVD. There is a clear distinction of Blu-ray movie sales picking up speed once the PS3 became available.
Now that Blu-ray has a clear path as the HD optical media of the future and the pronounced failure rate of the 360 we should see a pronounced increase in PS3 sales. Obviously, this is just speculation on my part and should be taken with a grain of salt, but I predict that the PS3 will outsell the 360 within 14 months.
There were more available for purchase and it's significantly cheaper. It's the same reason the 30GB Zune was outselling the iPod on Amazon.com for a week when the price was lowered to $80.
Everyone I know that purchased a PS3 knew exactly what they were were doing when they pre-ordered and payed $600+ for a PS3. The real interest wasn't the gaming aspect but the Blu-ray movie player.
The inclusion of the Blu-ray is what shifted the scales away from HD-DVD. There is a clear distinction of Blu-ray movie sales picking up speed once the PS3 became available.
Now that Blu-ray has a clear path as the HD optical media of the future and the pronounced failure rate of the 360 we should see a pronounced increase in PS3 sales. Obviously, this is just speculation on my part and should be taken with a grain of salt, but I predict that the PS3 will outsell the 360 within 14 months.
Are you saying there were more Wiis or PS3s available for purchase? If you think Wiis, your dead wrong, because Nintendo has been having trouble keeping up with demand. Just ask any retail outlet anywhere and they will tell you, demand hasn't changed since the Wiis release. PS3 significantly dropped off however after the initial sale.
The only reason the PS3 has picked up is because it dropped its price, so the Zune analogy you gave actually applies to the PS3 rather than the Wii.
And just for arguments sake, the hardcore games I know all bought 360s, and said PS3 was not worth it. Anyone who I know personally that bought a PS3 bought it because it is a PS3, not having a single clue about besides that its made by Sony and called the PS3. Everyone bought the Wii, but went through hoops just to get one.
Yes but look at the Wii. Came out same time as PS3, does not offer a HD optical drive and it has outsold both PS3 and 360 combined!
What does that tell you? Most people don't care about Bluray. Oh, and alotta people bought PS3 because they didn't know any better, much like people buy Windows Dell PCs. They knew that the older products (PS2, Dells) were huge successes that were widely adapted so they based their purchase on that, not on which is currently the better gaming platform.
Given that the PS3 costed more than twice the Wii, and costsd 50% more than the already established XBox360, I'm skeptical of your suggestion that so many bought the PS3 not knowing any better. I think for the typical buyer, it takes deliberate effort to chose the most expensive platform when there were two cheaper platforms, three if you count PS2.
I don't think the comparison to Dell fits, as Dell has generally been offering the cheapest major brand of computer.
Comments
From Wikipedia:
Launch
The PlayStation was launched in Japan on December 3, 1994, North America on September 9, 1995,[2] Europe on September 29, 1995,[3] and Australasia in November 1995.[4] The launch price in the American market was US$299[2] (a price point later used by its successor, the PlayStation 2),[8] and Sony enjoyed a very successful launch with titles of almost every genre, including Battle Arena Toshinden, Twisted Metal, Warhawk, Philosoma, and Ridge Racer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playstation_1
Honestly Mel, there was a very (in)famous press conference at a major game show shortly before the PS1 launched, back when Sega and Nintendo owned the market. The Sega guy at the show talked a lot about how their Saturn console was going to do this and that, 'the best 2D', etc. Then the Sony spokesguy came up to the mike, and said one phrase only:
"Two hundred ninety-nine dollars."
Which apparently blew everyone in attendance away. The Sony machine was expected to come in at a considerably higher price point.
My guess is the $650 price you remember was what ppl speculated the PS1 was going to be priced at, before it launched. This is nothing new... some pre-launch speculation on the PS3 had its launch price at $900.
.
Maybe, but, somehow I still remember that price for it, and also remember how surprised I was.
right now, hd anything doens't make sense to me, for what my family watches std dvd works
BUT if i could get digital 3-D on my hd tv and blueray had it i'd upgrade and invest in this tech
WHY??? have you seen hanna montana movie concert in digital 3D??? it's the best 3d experience i've ever had, now if they could make a bourne identity ultimatum in BR digital 3d, that would make the "tv" experience much better. maybe they will do that for many more movies but in theaters ONLY, so they can market a "better than home" experience, make it uniigue.
for those of you who haven't seen this movie concert, rent some pre-teen or take some family member (so you won't embarrass yourself) and just sit through 20-30 minutes and you will see the future of movie theaters, can you imagine star wars, pirates, etc in this format. WOW!!!!
my 4 and 6 year old (no you can't rent them, find somebody else) didn't really care for it they thought it was going to be a 1.5 hr long tv movie of hanah montana and her tv gang.
Samsung Hd sets have a 3D output support connection. For $100 you can buy two pairs of LCD shutter classes. For $49, you can buy software that will allow most any games, movies, etc to be 3D from the Tv through the glasses. The software is likely for PC's though. They say that 3D games, movies, and such, will be coming out.
Great, you mention the 360, but not the Wii. What was Sony's solution to competeing against the more popular 360 and the cheaper Wii? By cutting down on functions. Don't believe me, look it up. They are planning on throwing in a new PS3 model (might have already, i dunno) that cuts out many features like online play, backwards compatibility with PS2, etc.
The PS2 is selling far more than the PS3, what does that tell you? Its a joke. Don't believe Sony stuffing the channels. Visit your local Best Buy and you will see boxes of PS3 stacked sky high, you will less 360 boxes, an almost NO Wii boxes. Ask a salesman and they will tell you, Wii sold out, 360 hotcakes, PS3 collecting dust on shelves.
Laterz.
The PS3's sales in Japan during both November and December were higher than that of the Wii. I don't have later figures.
You don't know what you are talking about, so stop it.
Toshiba may be burning some bridges here, too. There are reports that they've started to refuse honoring those deals for various bogus reasons, angering customers. Not good if they ever want to start a new format again.
Somehow, I doubt they will try. Toshiba has never been in the forefront of development. This is the only real try they made. The DVD was a complex affair where they were involved, and was only done to try to keep Sony and Phillips from coming up a winner again, but they had to give Sony part of it. This time they have lost badly.
Maybe, but, somehow I still remember that price for it, and also remember how surprised I was.
From Sony's own site: (SCEI is Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.)
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Business Development/North America
1995/09/09 PlayStation® introduced. (SRP 299 US Dollars)
http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatausa_e.html
Is it possible that you're confusing it with the 3DO? That console launched only a couple of years prior to the PS1, and for $699.
.
ok.... pulled a chart from vgchartz. So PS3 has outsold 360 in other parts of the world besides the US, but who is on the bottom overall in both handhelds and consoles? Sony!
Ok, so here's more info, with a later date than the December one I gave before.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...ly-issues.html
From Sony's own site: (SCEI is Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.)
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Business Development/North America
1995/09/09 PlayStation® introduced. (SRP 299 US Dollars)
http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdatausa_e.html
Is it possible that you're confusing it with the 3DO? That console launched only a couple of years prior to the PS1, and for $699.
.
I just seem to remember that. I can't explain why, just that I do. I'm not disputing the numbers you're posting, but somehow, I remember the $649 price, and the discussions I was in about it. In those days, I was much more into gaming than I am today.
I just seem to remember that. I can't explain why, just that I do. I'm not disputing the numbers you're posting, but somehow, I remember the $649 price, and the discussions I was in about it. In those days, I was much more into gaming than I am today.
Hmm... that is odd. Don't know what to tell ya, Mel... the PS1 sure didn't launch in the US at $650, I can say that definitively.
Heck, I used to work in console games, so I've been sandbagging a bit.
Edit- Actually Mel, there is ONE way it could've launched at $650 where you were... it's possible that some 'intrepid' (read "greedy") retailers in your area did bundle their early allotments of PS1s with several games, more controllers, memory cards, etc. and jacked the price from $299 on up to $650. This sort of thing has happened with the PS2 and PS3 at launch too, though not everyone does it.
Total 'bollocks', as the Brits would say, but s*** happens. Though the console itself was only $299.
.
WTF you mean Sony packing a Blu-ray player in the PS3 isn't forcing consumer? They have yet to prove there is even a need for 25GB games.
Nope it isn't.
WTF you mean Sony packing a Blu-ray player in the PS3 isn't forcing consumer? They have yet to prove there is even a need for 25GB games.
How is this any different from Apple "forcing the consumer" into 3.5" floppies in 1984? There were two competing formats, one was better, and Apple chose the better format for their product.
Honestly, the only thing I agree with you about HD-DVD being in any way a better format is with regard to region encoding... but being in Hong Kong, that won't be a problem, as all DVD players, consoles and Blu-Ray players are sold region free due to the international aspect of the terrtory (we sell pretty much equal amounts of media from USA, UK, Japan and China).
OMFG Melgross is a gamer? Are we talking back when http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archon_%28computer_game%29 was all the rage????
Ah, you young whippersnapper, I started out with Pong in college.
Somehow, I doubt they will try. Toshiba has never been in the forefront of development. This is the only real try they made. The DVD was a complex affair where they were involved, and was only done to try to keep Sony and Phillips from coming up a winner again, but they had to give Sony part of it. This time they have lost badly.
I'm afraid I wasn't clear. I don't mean necessarily a new disc format, just some kind of new CE device or technology. If they screw the HD DVD suckers, er, buyers out of those free discs, nobody's going to trust them again.
No consumer was forced to buy a PS3. They bought the PS3 because of the excellent price considering it has a Blu Ray player in it. Sony was better at marketing this time around. Wasn't there another major game system with a HD-DVD player in it? Choices! Choices! And the consumers spoke with their dollars.
And £££Pounds
The PS3 and Blu-ray to a certain extent are almost complete failures...unless of course, that is, you live in either fantasyland or fanboy world!
also, Blu-ray won't even matter in a few years. By the time it gains any significant ground, if it does, it will be obsolete and bow to iPods, the internet, networking, and streaming.
According to the chart you posted the 360 has sold about 70% more units sold that the PS3. Even if we ignore the year long head start that the 360 had and and excessive production constraints with blue laser technology, it's more than a little hyperbolical embellishment to say it's "a miserable failure."
The PS3's sales in Japan during both November and December were higher than that of the Wii. I don't have later figures.
You don't know what you are talking about, so stop it.
Wow, you can't find the figures, how convenient. You can't compare a single month or two of slightly higher sales over the whole timeline and declare that PS3 is on an uptrend. For what, a month?!? Overall Wii is selling alot more. Come back in a year and tell me if PS3 keeps the trend. If it does, great, but don't start popping the champagne bottles because PS3 slightly outsold the Wii for a month after a whole year of being out. I think the PS3 is somewhere close to 15 million units behind the Wii in total sales, alotta catching up to do.
oh, and the PS3 had zero to minimal effect on Blu-ray winning the format war. The studios and retail outlets decided who the winner is.
and don't forget, there are lots of people out there who are confused over the benefits of Bluray over DVD, and there are many others who don't give a crap. I myself don't give a crap, I will wait until Bluray players cost $20 like DVD players before I buy one. For now, and for a long time, I don't see myself buying a Bluray player, and don't see any benefits of it either.
Bluray will NOT have the explosive effect DVD did. PS3 will have a minimal effect on Bluray's adaptation by the public, unlike PS2 which was a major factor in the adoptation of DVD.
According to the chart you posted the 360 has sold a little over 50% more units sold that the PS3. Even if we ignore the year long head start that the 360 had and and excessive production constraints with blue laser technology, it's more than a little hyperbolical embellishment to say it's "a miserable failure."
Yes but look at the Wii. Came out same time as PS3, does not offer a HD optical drive and it has outsold both PS3 and 360 combined!
What does that tell you? Most people don't care about Bluray. Oh, and alotta people bought PS3 because they didn't know any better, much like people buy Windows Dell PCs. They knew that the older products (PS2, Dells) were huge successes that were widely adapted so they based their purchase on that, not on which is currently the better gaming platform.
Yes but look at the Wii. Came out same time as PS3, does not offer a HD optical drive and it has outsold both PS3 and 360 combined!
What does that tell you? Most people don't care about Bluray. Oh, and alotta people bought PS3 because they didn't know any better, much like people buy Windows Dell PCs. They knew that the older products (PS2, Dells) were huge successes that were widely adapted so they based their purchase on that, not on which is currently the better gaming platform.
I really don't understand these bi-polar, all-or-nothing perceptions. If the Wii outsodl the PS3 that means the PS3 was "a miserable failure". The last console war kept painting Nintendo's GameCube as a failure when its sales were almost on par to the XBOX, especially when compared to the run away hit of the PS2.
There were more available for purchase and it's significantly cheaper. It's the same reason the 30GB Zune was outselling the iPod on Amazon.com for a week when the price was lowered to $80.
Everyone I know that purchased a PS3 knew exactly what they were were doing when they pre-ordered and payed $600+ for a PS3. The real interest wasn't the gaming aspect but the Blu-ray movie player.
The inclusion of the Blu-ray is what shifted the scales away from HD-DVD. There is a clear distinction of Blu-ray movie sales picking up speed once the PS3 became available.
Now that Blu-ray has a clear path as the HD optical media of the future and the pronounced failure rate of the 360 we should see a pronounced increase in PS3 sales. Obviously, this is just speculation on my part and should be taken with a grain of salt, but I predict that the PS3 will outsell the 360 within 14 months.
There were more available for purchase and it's significantly cheaper. It's the same reason the 30GB Zune was outselling the iPod on Amazon.com for a week when the price was lowered to $80.
Everyone I know that purchased a PS3 knew exactly what they were were doing when they pre-ordered and payed $600+ for a PS3. The real interest wasn't the gaming aspect but the Blu-ray movie player.
The inclusion of the Blu-ray is what shifted the scales away from HD-DVD. There is a clear distinction of Blu-ray movie sales picking up speed once the PS3 became available.
Now that Blu-ray has a clear path as the HD optical media of the future and the pronounced failure rate of the 360 we should see a pronounced increase in PS3 sales. Obviously, this is just speculation on my part and should be taken with a grain of salt, but I predict that the PS3 will outsell the 360 within 14 months.
Are you saying there were more Wiis or PS3s available for purchase? If you think Wiis, your dead wrong, because Nintendo has been having trouble keeping up with demand. Just ask any retail outlet anywhere and they will tell you, demand hasn't changed since the Wiis release. PS3 significantly dropped off however after the initial sale.
The only reason the PS3 has picked up is because it dropped its price, so the Zune analogy you gave actually applies to the PS3 rather than the Wii.
And just for arguments sake, the hardcore games I know all bought 360s, and said PS3 was not worth it. Anyone who I know personally that bought a PS3 bought it because it is a PS3, not having a single clue about besides that its made by Sony and called the PS3. Everyone bought the Wii, but went through hoops just to get one.
Yes but look at the Wii. Came out same time as PS3, does not offer a HD optical drive and it has outsold both PS3 and 360 combined!
What does that tell you? Most people don't care about Bluray. Oh, and alotta people bought PS3 because they didn't know any better, much like people buy Windows Dell PCs. They knew that the older products (PS2, Dells) were huge successes that were widely adapted so they based their purchase on that, not on which is currently the better gaming platform.
Given that the PS3 costed more than twice the Wii, and costsd 50% more than the already established XBox360, I'm skeptical of your suggestion that so many bought the PS3 not knowing any better. I think for the typical buyer, it takes deliberate effort to chose the most expensive platform when there were two cheaper platforms, three if you count PS2.
I don't think the comparison to Dell fits, as Dell has generally been offering the cheapest major brand of computer.