Squid of Man

A few weeks back, some people went into a bit of a shit-spin about retailers taking down their PS3 posters for a couple of days. Aussie-Nintendo led the charge, coming right out and suggesting supply shortages would result in delays aplenty.

Steve Wilson, Managing Director of EB Games Australia, restored some order last week, and the continued presence of PS3 promo posters in EB with NOVEMBER 17 in big letters only serve to strengthen his position.

So the safe money is on the PS3 arriving down under, on time. But here's the kicker: with Sony only shipping 2,000,000 units worldwide during the launch window, we won't get many; the Official Squid of Man Prediction is that Australia won't see more than 10,000 PS3s until 2007 ticks over.

Why? We're a speck of dust on the global gaming market. Microsoft knew it was more important to focus on Japan, Europe and the US for the 360's launch, and couldn't waste units on a peripheral market, which Australia most certainly is. Which is why the 360's "global" launch was Nov/Dec 2005, while ours was March 2006. Thing is, they still ended up short (Japan excepted, obviously), and then pissed us off royally by delaying our local launch by nearly five months.

So Sony are going to one-up Microsoft by launching globally. Proper globally. They'll have units in every major and second-rate market on November 17, and will make a big song and dance about it. Thing is, the fundamental business of demand and priority hasn't changed squat. Japan, Europe and the US will still take precedence, and they'll get 99% of the available consoles before Christmas.

We'll get a handful of consoles just so Sony can say they launched in Australia, and then we won't see shit until 2007. They'll be able to say we made the global launch, and they'll still be saving most of the consoles for the markets that really matter.

Personally, I couldn't give a flying fuck. At AUD $1000 (or thereabouts) and with no decent first-party games until well into 2007, the PS3 doesn't even trouble the darkest recesses of my Christmas wish-list.

Buit i'm all about community service, and I know there are those of you out there who yearn in the dead of night for Warhawk's cold, poorly-controlled embrace. And it's for you, just for you, that I am saying this. Don't bother pre-ordering it. For the amount of consoles we'll see in 2006, you'd have needed to have thrown a tenner down on a PS3 in 2004 to be high enough on the list to get yourself one.

Take that $10, look at it, move it around between your fingers for a few seconds....then....go buy some ciggies or a nice lunch or something.