Sony Report Good PS3 Sales In Japan
Japanese in-store and cyber buyers are gobbling up Sony's long-delayed PlayStation 3, giving company officials some welcomed economic news.
People lined up overnight across Tokyo to be among the first to buy the console Saturday. But the online buying began in October, when the Japanese site of Amazon.com reported advance orders for it first lot of PS3's sold out in less than 20 minutes, The New York Times said. Tsutaya Online sold out preorders in just 6 minutes.
The scarcity turned into brisk business on online auction sites, where the price to buy a PlayStation 3 reached $1,100, about twice the machine's expected retail price, the Times said.
This appears to be good news for Sony, struggling to recover from a recall of laptop batteries and a 94 percent drop in profits in the most recent quarter. To reverse the decline and regain its title as an innovator, Sony needs PlayStation 3 to be a long-term hit, the Times said.
Before the PS3 can make money it must recoup development costs, the Times said. Sony won't reveal the total dollar amount, but analysts said it was in the billions.
Japanese in-store and cyber buyers are gobbling up Sony's long-delayed PlayStation 3, giving company officials some welcomed economic news.
People lined up overnight across Tokyo to be among the first to buy the console Saturday. But the online buying began in October, when the Japanese site of Amazon.com reported advance orders for it first lot of PS3's sold out in less than 20 minutes, The New York Times said. Tsutaya Online sold out preorders in just 6 minutes.
The scarcity turned into brisk business on online auction sites, where the price to buy a PlayStation 3 reached $1,100, about twice the machine's expected retail price, the Times said.
This appears to be good news for Sony, struggling to recover from a recall of laptop batteries and a 94 percent drop in profits in the most recent quarter. To reverse the decline and regain its title as an innovator, Sony needs PlayStation 3 to be a long-term hit, the Times said.
Before the PS3 can make money it must recoup development costs, the Times said. Sony won't reveal the total dollar amount, but analysts said it was in the billions.
