Kotaku
Everything's bigger in Russia! An enormous country like that needs enormous consoles. And enormous consoles need enormous ads! Explains Kotaku reader MaxS:
The caption here above PLAYSTATION 3, which sais "игровые просторы России", can be roughly translated as "the gaming spaces of Russia", that is "spaces" as in "vast open spaces of land".
If the PS3 speaking Russian isn't enough to get you in the mood, check out the romantic night view below. Kotakuite Igor, who works for gaming and computer Igromania Magazine, got up close and personal with the Moscow billboard. His pics after the jump.
Comments
Compensating for something are we?
Gosh that's ugly...
Look how big the games are...oh wait, that's the entire libary...
Its ok Russia, I still love you.
"Blah, blah, blah PS3 is TEH SUX Blah, blah."
I forget why I read people's comments on this site anymore.
Something about that sign makes me officially hate PS3.
@magiczero: What were you expecting in a post like this?
Its only obvious it aint gonna be a garden of roses. ;D
It looks like Sony is quite desperate.
Blah, I hope Sony recovers.
In Putin Russia, Playstation3 plays you
what the picture doesn't show is "Actual Size" at the corner...
i like the nightshot...makes the billboard actually stand out....
At least it isn't anything confusing (i.e. evil baby doll), or talks down to people (i.e. "Cell processor is so fast, it might even be smarter than you.")
But, wow... Really? They thought it was necessary to plaster that ENTIRE WALL with a PS3 ad? Even though all previous advertising attempts have failed to spark PS3 sales?
@icepick314:
[rimshot]
Apparently "Resistance: Fall Of Man" has been renamed in Russia.
It's now called "Resistance: Is Futile. And if you try we'll take away your passport and put polonium in your Weeties".
Boom boom.
How obnoxious.
In Russia you see giant PS3 ads, in Poland you see inflatable Xbox360 and Masterchief's.
These kind of ads arent really that effective either.
In soviet russia the PS3 doesn't buy you!
Did they build the wall of billboards just for this, or was it already there? What's on the other side of the billboards? Are HDTVs becoming common in Russia?
anybody remember before it was cool being a fanboy, when games were a bit more of a niche and youd be happy to see a video game ad of any kind? Good times.
Id rather see this thing than half of what circles through time square.
It is nice to have this big one in my city.
Still the only one beta trial member from Russia.
Obviously they've dedicated this advert to the one person in Russia who can actually afford to buy a PS3.
Why aren't the games' titles translated into Russian?
Ahem, what does 'Game open spaces of Russia' ACTUALLY MEAN?- what are sony trying to say? that Russia is just a barron wastleand where anything is game? I speak russian and there is no 'the' in игровые просторы России.
Somone from russia. Just happens to be called Igor.
These are the end of times.
@Gringo: Cool, so you are there in Russia. I had a few questions listed above, but the main one I want to know about is the HDTV situation. Are HDTVs becoming common in Russian?
@Spartan1308: ahh...Russia not Russian
> the one person in Russia who can actually afford to buy a PS3.
Even here, in Ukraine, not in a biggest city, ps3 selling like hot cakes.
For euro price + additional 100-200 USD to sellers.
And, yeah.
Poor russians and ukrainians owns hdtvs.
In Moscow especially.
Actually, I think the Russian for "huge" is Огромный, although that might be "enormous". Am I taking this to literally?
I'm from Russia also(Moscow). HDTVs are becoming pretty common- everyone who buys new TV usually takes HDTV. Mostly 720p. Mine is Samsung 32', 720p. Gears Of War looks totally awesome on it. But HD-DVD and Blu-Rays are very difficult to find- and the players too. So I plug my PC with DVI-HDMI cable into TV and enjoy 720p-rips, which I download from the Internet. I never watch movies translated to Russian- official translations basically suck!
@Spartan1308: personally I have Sony Bravia W series and Sony Home theater with HDMI, but I can say that HD television is still not welcome in Russia. There is no such thing as Sky HD and etc.
I can show you my setup photos, but I don't think that it will be appropriate here.
@Garcian: That's because Russian has no definite article. If you knew Russian at all you'd know that. :P
That road was in PGR2 ... I love that fucking road. There's an awesome chicane just after that bit on the left.
you all are pretty stupid to hate on Sony over a sign that has nothing to do with anything
anyways, it reminds me of that boat Microsoft had during the PS3 launch in Europe
Just got my ps3 yesterday. I love it. Payed 500$ca which saves me 150$ and 14% tax.
If only a XBox 360 screenshot of PGR3 was posted in the ad...
@BigChiefSmokem: Ah yes the love boat from MS.
That was excellent.
MS should go drive a bunch of X360 white and green buggies by those posters. Now that would be swank.
Marry the PS3 for her 'UGE TRACKS OF LAND!
@TheIrishNinja: "anybody remember before it was cool being a fanboy, when games were a bit more of a niche..."
Uh, no...?
And here comes the XBOX360 boat. lol.
ATTACK ITS WEAK POINT FOR MASSIVE DAMAGE!
So they actually pay for a PlayStation 3 in socialist Russia? I thought it was common ownership, you know, Communism, everything is free. But hey, they actually pay for the PS3 in Russia. Hypocrites.
I can just see the novelty t-shirts:
'I'm big in Russia'
It looks like you need a boat crossing that river there with a big sign that says "XBOX 360 *HEARTS* YOU"
The Microsoft boat on it's own would have been annoying like this pointless billboard.
But the fact it was out there out of spite made it funny as hell.
When planes start crashing into this, be prepared for more anti-Sony comments.
@.digiwalsh: If I'm not mistaken, this billboard is smack in the centre of Moscow, just across the river from Kremlin. That's where all the money in Russian is, and that's where most of the buyers will be.
@Altima NEO: Size of this:
15m x 397.5m
Area: 5962.5 m2
Boat from MS will look tiny.
Ah, by the way:
http://www.citymayors.com/economics/richest_cities.html
Moscow is #45.
So let's stop with this "So they actually pay" and
"one person in Russia who can actually afford to buy" comments.
@Gringo: Thanks, I was curious.
Russia is the only country in the world where PSP sales is growing up. Sony hopes it'll be the same thing with PS3. That's why they put in tons of money in ads.
>It looks like you need a boat crossing that river >there with a big sign that says "XBOX 360 *HEARTS* YOU"
When I saw this banner for the first time (I made this photos), I thought exactly the same thing. Ships go past every five minutes in this place.
>Are HDTVs becoming common in Russian?
No. Most of 360/PS3 owners in Russia use PC monitors. They find no sense to buy HDTVs. As for me, I have Samsung 26" 720p.
DAAMN, looks like an ad that would be more at home on a race track or something...
Or maybe Spaceball One.
@RiceBandit: My bad, that was the 90's for me, then.
If only this was in Germany, then we could compare it to the Berlin Wall.
And now for a different type of comment: I wonder how much it cost?
That's fucking huge.... O.O
that looks pretty damn sweet at night. I don't see what you people are bitching about. Ps3 has as many good exclusives as all the other consoles and more coming out for it. Cool ad though.
I do usually appreciate Sony's advertising schemes, including the evil baby dolls, but there's just something about this that's a little too in your face. Reminds me of, oh lets say Blade Runner. Freaks me out.
This is for a console that will sell 100.000.000 units in less than 6 years. You could argue that this ad is too small.
@E2K:
Right, because pevious consoles always determine the success of a company's next one. Just like how the N64 was a huge success because of the NES and SNES before it.
Or, you know, you could be pulling those numbers out of your ass, seeing how there's no current indication that the PS3 will sell anywhere near that amount in it's lifetime.