Sony: 1mln to 1.2mln PS3s for North America in '06

Yesterday Sony dropped the bomb that they'd be delaying the PS3 launch in Europe and halving worldwide shipments for 2006 from 4 million to 2 million. So just how many of those 2 million are coming to North America? A Sony spokesperson told MTV News that instead of focusing on those day-one numbers, we should be looking at the 1 million to 1.2 million units available by the end of this year.
Now, we know the armchair analysts (and even some real ones) are getting all doom and gloom about the PS3's holiday prospects in light of today's announcements, but let's throw some context at the mess and see if we can't make this lump of coal shine. The Sony spokesperson was quick to point out the similarities between the PS3's impending launch and the now dominant PS2's launch back in 2000, which also shipped with a fraction of what was expected.
Keep reading for a fancy chart!

[HyperBear]

Gametime's first ever come-back in favor of sony with evidence and proof that even with all bad news and everything Sony has lied about PS3 n' all, They will still have more units on launch over 360, and more units by the end of 2006 than Xbox 360 did. Question is what will happen after the holidays after the initial launch of PS3's are gone, i dont tihnk too many people will be buying them then.

[Bill Nye]

I'm seriously considering getting one to sell on eBay now.

[TheMART]

So why did they state in the other more official comment it will only be 400.000? MTV is less reliable I guess

[lalaland]

They believe launch is the entire quarter, while Sony thinks it's the first days to a week.

So 500K for Sony is for the first days of launch -- a period MS only managed 324K in NA compared to Sony's stated 400K....

[PS3 Ultimate]

If you know that Sony is going to lose, then why are u here just to post denial? Its pointless. We Sony fans do not go into the X Box 360 forums and say this news about the 360 is BS or that one is bs. All you guys do is BS and say thats a lie and have doubts when the news for PS3 is good news. But when its bad news all u 360 fans do is egg it on and start saying oh thats true and all. This needs to stop. I guess your X Box 360s are'nt entertaining u enough that u have to come here everyday and post. And you 360 fans talk about sad Sony is?....pfft. Atleast have something decent to say. This is another reason why I do not like MS or the 360. Because of u ignorant 360 fans ruin it. Just like in X Box live ur all the same. No respect whatsoever. So what do you think now? I bet you 360 fans are denying the news here eh? And the news before u really believe it. You really put so much faith in the bad news. I have no interest in MSs consoles. They're done. The future is almost here, with The PLAYSTATION 3!

[Lucidmantra]

silly PS fan. Why is it that more Sony fans put pictures of people who work at SOny than MS fans put up of Gates, Allard or Moore? Because you are all so brainwashed you only believe what those 2 talking heads say. If there is anyone who doesnt care about you it is the guys in those pictures. They only want your money. Sony isn't going to take a loss on consoles like MS did last generation unless they are stupid but then again they are following alot of the same mistakes xbox has made in the past so maybe, just maybe... I think they are going to take a beating on the console. So buy em up Sony fans.

[kewlkat007]

You sound deperate bro...take a chill pill.

MS don't need fools to play it's console. Unlike sonyfanboys we have amind of our own and can think for ourselves rather than relying on Master ken your savior.

sonyfanboys are the most ignorant on here. Lets see your really not helping "sony" cause or your cult.

After all its only a gamesystem..with some type of war in fanboys puny brains.

[Balance]

remember 1.2mil is their estimate, just like 4million or whatever was their estimate 2 weeks ago. it is 11 weeks until the ps3 launches and i read somewhere (correct me if i am wrong) they were starting production the last week of september leaving 8 weeks until launch. so in 8 weeks of production the best they can do is 500k consoles world wide, how in the 6 weeks following launch (the remaining weeks in '06) do they expect to triple that production number and in less time to get to 2million, and they still have to be shipped.
like i said believe facts not estimates, especially from these guys.

[BlackCountryBob]

I aint no fanboy but I have gotta question the wisdom of anyone who believes any statement that comes from Sony at the moment, I dont even think they have any idea what the hell they are doing.

[THAMMER1]

Some of us just think we are gamers and are really fan boys. A gamer gets it they look for games and a good console. I admit the PS brand is popular but the PS3 is a let down for us all even 360 fans. As you can see alot of 360 fans are waiting on the PS3 too. But do not be dumb here look at what the 360 is it is agreat console. The PS3 we are still in hopes that it will be. All of the arguements are just dumb. If the PS3 failes you know the 360 is worht it. If your a gamer and not a brand loyal fan boy you feel me.

[Bishop]

I hate to say it but the PS3 won't be anymore of a letdown then the 360 has already been and that the Wii looks like it maybe but I still have hope that each console will be better in 2-3 years and maybe we won't be as letdown in the long run but who knows these things.

[Chronical]

i dont know why they are comparing the PS3 situation to to PS2. The PS2 back then had no competition when it first came out and Sony clearly killed the Dreamcast in the same time. i think its just hard for them to admit they F**ked UP

[Tempo]

given how cramped for time they are when manufacturing, will there be enough time for extensive testing of the finished product? Or will they gamble and ship untested consoles and pray they don't fail?

[Boink]

and you believe sony is telling the truth about 1 million?

what makes you so sure they are telling the truth this time? maybe cause you think a company can only lie so many times, before it HAS to tell the truth?

[lalaland]

Going by that statement, you shouldn't believe anything MS says either... They've probably misled (or "lied" as you like to call it) a lot more than Sony. They were the ones to call XBox graphics for Toy Story quallity (not Sony), they were the ones to call X360 fully backwards compatible. They stated a 2003 release of Longhorn, then delayed it, and delayed it, and delayed it, and cut it back, and skipped most of it.

Keep your faith... All companies will try to earn some money, and they can only do that by delivering something people will be interested in buying.

[THAMMER1]

you are a bitter fan boy. Stop being so ugly with your post bro you do not have to go out of your way to make sure you correct every thing. You are not really helping the fact that the way sony has handeled the ps3 has sucked from day one. Just chill bro.

[lalaland]

Actually I'm quite positive in my posts... You might call me a fanboy, I don't mind... but I do try to have some proper facts in my post and not anything made out of thin air.

Sony haven't exactly had the best press since their E3 05 presentation, and they have made some pretty silly remarks. But they still deserve to be treated somewhat fair, and making stuff up is not fair.

If we don't discuss from facts it will all just be a fanboy rant and there have been too many of those on theese pages.

[slugg]

The PS2 stole the Dreamcasts thunder with Sony's false promises about the "emotion engine" and "Toy-Story-like graphics" (yes, Sony used this term/comparision first) and until the Xbox and Gamecube were released a year later, basically they had no competition. This time, gamers are a little more discerning-- most realize that Sony's Killzone video was just CGI propaganda, once again aimed at making consumers wait for a supposedly more advanced system. They will be fighting against a firmly entrenched Microsoft system with a load of AAA titles and more on the way with a lack of proven hardware and console-exclusive games, and a huge amount of negative press in regards to their company as a whole and its Blu-Ray agenda. Now, instead of being an un-tested interloper, Microsoft has, at the VERY LEAST established itself as a contender in the videogame arena, and has unarguably the best online gaming service available in Xbox Live. Nintendo, this time around, instead of following its competitors lead (well, their virtual console is a lot like Xbox Live Arcade, but they might of thought of that on their own since they have such a huge library of franchises to tap into) have went a totally new and innovative direction. So, in conclusion, Sony has MORE competition, BETTER competition, INNOVATIVE competition, and SMARTER consumers to deal with this time around-- no matter how many systems they can make available, and even if they could have met their previous forcasts with a true world-wide launch, etc., they are still in trouble.