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Sony declares gaming war on the Wii

Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Oliver Milman, Latest reporters' blogs October 8th, 2007 by Oliver Milman

So Sony hasn’t given up on its PlayStation 3 console then – it is attempting one last assault on the dominance of Nintendo’s Wii. It’s gearing up to a bit like Halo 3, but without the guns.

The PS3 has seen its price chiselled down from the previously eye-watering £425 to £349. While the latter figure may still seem a lot, especially when compared with the Wii’s £179, it should help spark some interest in gamers previously uninterested in the console.

There is also a new, smaller, PS3 that will be about £100 cheaper than its bigger brother. Sony is also taking the opportunity to remind everyone about the bells and whistles the PS3 has, such as a DVD player, that the Wii lacks.

Future, publisher of the Sony PlayStation magazine, has hiked up the price of its tome with promises of shiny giveaways in anticipation of hordes of febrile gaming fans storming WHSmith in a frenzy of reawakened PS3 thumb-lust.

How exciting! But will any of it actually work? The gap in worldwide sales between the PS3 and the Wii (and even the Xbox for that matter) is currently around five million – an impossible void to bridge even in the hectic Christmas period.

A more realistic goal would be to get the PlayStation back in the position it has held previously – the edgier, more grown-up alternative to Nintendo’s bubbly, kid-friendly offering.

These ‘brand values’ (I know, horrible phrase) is what has sustained the PlayStation through various incarnations and cemented its place in the public’s consciousness. Rather than worrying just about sales, Sony should ensure that this baton is passed on to the next generation console.

A good first step would be to sort out the marketing. The delayed launch of the PS3 in the UK was further marred by a confusing and rather pointless series of ads which told the stories of various characters staying in a shady hotel.

Although it was my job to follow this campaign, I could not tell you who these characters were, what they were doing in the hotel and what the hell this all had to do with sitting on your bed playing Grand Theft Auto. So, what chance the public?

Maybe a new set of ads need to be rolled out to get the PS3 to where it should be, in image if not commercial success.

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