Nearly half a million people purchased Playstation 3s in September, according to NPD figures.

"We are in the midst of one of the most exciting times for PlayStation as we continue to redefine entertainment experiences for consumers, both at home and on the go," Sony's Jack Tretton said, pointing to the price drop for the Playstation 3 and the release of the PSPgo. "We've made unprecedented strides in digital and mobile entertainment with the availability of PSPgo."

"The best part is that we've only just begun an onslaught of relentless, rich content hitting throughout the fiscal year, including Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, God of War III, MAG, and ModNation Racers," he said.

Tretton said that Sony is "continuing to stack the chips this holiday with great game content" mentioning the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the PSP and Assassin's Creed 2.

He also pointed out the rave reviews that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has been getting from review publications, including this one.

"There simply has never been a better time to be part of the PlayStation family and we look forward to providing you with the best entertainment content and experience for many, many years to come," he said.

To use a sports metaphor, we hear the same thing every time the Lakers, the Yankees, and the University of North Carolina suffer a couple years of disappointment and then come back to contention, as if their rising tide really lifts all boats. But in this case, while Sony might be an overdog brand, the PS3 Slim has definitely provoked a price drop on the other two consoles, and that is objectively a good thing for the video game consumer.

Tretton then gets a little punchy and positions Sony as out-monied by Nintendo - but only because it's the people's choice. "We don't have unlimited money, we cater to a more mass market audience," he says. "I think we're willing to take a little bit more risk than a competitor like Nintendo is and ultimately we deliver to the masses on a worldwide basis and that's what we've done for the last 15 years."

We'll go with Tretton as far as the PS3 Slim - or at least its price - driving competition to the benefit of the gamer. Portraying Nintendo as a risk-averse console without a mass market, no.

Watch the entire video here.

Sony Winning is Best for the Industry [Destructoid]

"If things continue at this pace, it is conceivable that there will be product shortages," Tretton said, after noting the console's sales are up 300 percent over last year since its price was cut by $100. "We are up significantly versus last year," he said.

Reuters added that Sony's back on target to hit its goal of 13 million units sold this fiscal year.

Sony PS3 Sales Jump After Price Cut; Shortage Looms [Reuters via IGN]

"We could've come out with a PlayStation 2.5 for $299 or less, and in the first two or three years it would sell extremely well," he explains. "But there would be a point where people would be going, 'I am not really seeing the incremental leap.'"

For Tretton and Sony, they're "sacrificing the short term to pay dividends in the long term." Not sure how that works for Sony's bottom line, but hey, their company!

"People are having short-term thinking—the platform is not even three years old," Tretton adds. "It was $599; it's now $399." He goes on to say that Sony isn't planning to snare all customers in day one, but over a ten year period.

We're just glad that Sony didn't put out a PS2.5 so we have to buy another console. We're not made of money, you know.

Sony's Jack Tretton Talks PlayStation 3 and the 10-Year Console Cycle [Fast Company via Eurogamer] [Pic]

Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Jack Tretton has told CNBC "I think our [motion] controller can be used with every game that's on the system now - and every game we're working on."

Remember, before you get too carried away, he says "I think". Not "I know". "I think" isn't a guarantee.

PlayStation Prez On Leaks [CNBC]

I mean, imagine if we hadn't known about The Last Guardian! Or hadn't heard about the PSPgo weeks ago! Or figured Sony were working on a motion controller last year?

It would have been a keynote with punch. Real surprises, real excitement. In the end though, it wasn't, and those leaks (and educated guesses on the part of the motion controller) have Sony Computer Entertainment America boss Jack Tretton totally bummed.

"People don't respect confidentiality in this industry," Tretton told CNBC. "It's tough enough to keep a secret within your own company, much less when you speak to third parties."

"This is an industry that has trouble focusing on today," he continues. "We want to constantly talk about tomorrow.… You have to prepare for people to know things in advance. The frustrating thing is they only know a part of the story and that opens up a lot of conjecture and misinformation that ultimately waters down the reality when you roll it out".

We feel your pain, Jack, but don't Nintendo have to do the same thing? And when was the last time a major Nintendo reveal was leaked?

Damned if I can remember.

PlayStation Prez On Leaks [CNBC]

Sony says PlayStation 3 sales better than expected [Reuters]

The first percentage of note is the 99% year-to-date hardware sales growth of the PS3. SCEA also wows us with a 206% figure, which one can apply to year-to-date software sales on that platform. Stop! We're already getting dizzy!

We'll just let the soothing words and overhyphenating of CEO Jack Tretton finish the post off. He says "Our year-to-date sales growth of 99% for the PS3 reaffirms that consumers are indeed embracing PS3 as their entertainment hub-of-choice with its feature-rich offerings like Blu-ray and our recently announced video delivery service." Full percentage peppered gloat after the jump.

PlayStation by the Numbers - July 2008

PS3 Continues to Experience Strong Momentum; PS3 Demonstrates Hardware Sales Growth of 99 Percent Year-to-Date; PS3 Software Sales Growth Exceeds 206 Percent Year-to-Date

Total PlayStation Hardware Unit Sales Top 602,176

PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) again posted strong sales in July 2008, selling 224,900 hardware units, driven by the continued popularity of the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 bundle. From January to July 2008, more than 1.8 million PS3s have been sold in the U.S., representing a year-to-date hardware sales growth of 99%.

* Fueled by the introduction of 10 new first and third-party titles to the PS3 Greatest Hits program — including blockbusters such as MotorStorm, Warhawk, Resistance: Fall of Man and others — PS3 software sales showed growth of 206% year-to-date.
* SCEA will introduce an unmatched software line-up this holiday season and fiscal year with more than 140 first and third-party titles on Blu-ray disc for PS3, including SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation, Resistance 2, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift, NBA ‘09: The Inside, and the award-winning LittleBigPlanet.
* The popularity of PLAYSTATION®Network continued to grow in July with the new PLAYSTATION Network video delivery service on PLAYSTATION®Store, the release of the Qore's Episode 03 and the launch of highly-anticipated games such as PixelJunk Eden and Siren: Blood Curse. As of June 2008, there are more than 10 million registered PLAYSTATION Network accounts worldwide and approximately 200 million pieces of content downloaded worldwide.

PSP experienced solid sales in July with 221,651 PSP hardware units sold, spurred by continued sales of the God of War: Chains of Olympus PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) bundle. This represents a year-to-date growth of 16%.

PlayStation®2 (PS2) also had a solid month in July, selling 155,510 hardware units. More than 42.5 million PS2s have been sold in the U.S. as of July 2008.

Power of the PlayStation Portfolio

The PlayStation brand continued to generate impressive sales across all three platforms, earning $388.6 million in July.
· Year to date (Jan-July), the PlayStation brand generated almost $3.3 billion in revenue, representing an increase of more than 22% year-to-date.
· PlayStation total hardware revenue was $608.7 million in July, representing a year-to-date growth of 23%.
· PlayStation total software revenue in July was $183.6 million, representing a year-to-date growth of over 28%.

CEO Perspective

"Our year-to-date sales growth of 99% for the PS3 reaffirms that consumers are indeed embracing PS3 as their entertainment hub-of-choice with its feature-rich offerings like Blu-ray and our recently announced video delivery service. With an unmatched software line-up that includes LittleBigPlanet, SOCOM: Confrontation, Resistance 2 and MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, and the anticipated launch of our new 80GB PS3 model, we're confident in a strong second half of the year and look forward to quickly addressing any inventory shortages due to the transition.

- Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America

Specifically, he talked about the promise that Sony's regions would be a bit more antonymous under Hirai.

"There is no question that Kutaragi-san ruled with an iron fist, but it was his vision," Tretton said. "In terms of how we went to market in region, that was anonymous."

But Tretton said that Hirai has a better understanding of the company's day-to-day operations and the challenges they face both in Japan and abroad.

"He's been in the regions. He's been in the trenches. He's been outside the towers in Tokyo," Tretton said. "I think there is a better understanding."

Tretton also touched on how SCEA and other regions had to struggle a bit with the perception of PS3 as a super computer created by Kutaragi and the reality that the console had to be a gaming platform first to sell.

"Kutaragi-san built the PS3 as a super computer for the home," he said. "We thought there was a risk of losing the game identity of the Playstaiton 3, so we tried to distance ourselves from that and we understand that credibility would be built with games."

See our other Tretton stories from E3:
Tretton Says No 360 Final Fantasy XIII Coming to Japan
Tretton Explains the Long Road to Home
Tretton: Sony Considering PSP with Harddrive

Sony was working their way through a dry run of the upcoming Playstation press conference when someone noticed that what they were saying and doing was showing up on an unnamed site.

"Everything we were saying was getting posted within 15 minutes on the Internet," Tretton said.

So Sony called in security to do a search of the place.

"They found some guy on the third floor balcony laying down taking notes and calling it in to a service," he said.

Sony declined to name the person or the site they are affiliated with. We've contacted the ESA to see if anyone had their E3 press credentials revoked but had not heard back from the organization as of press time.

"I think we definitely thought about it," he said. "I think that's the trend moving forward."

With the recently announced ability to purchase movies on a Playstation 3 and move them over to a Playstation Portable, and as the cost of memory continues to drop, the chance that a new Playstation Portable would include some sort of internal storage option is becoming increasingly likely, Tretton said.

New of the push toward digitally distributed movies through the Playstation Store is also like to impact UMD's already flagging movie sales, he added.

"I think the UMD has struggled," he said. "And that's an understatement. That's been a very frustrating thing. I don't think (UMD movies) were handled very effectively."

He said it seemed that studios said "lets see if we can get people to pay $20 or $30 for crappy movies with less content."

Digital distributed movies, he said, is either going to supplement the UMD movie's struggle or be the "stake in the UMD's heart."

Sony compared much of its performance to itself—well, its former self—as it touts 127% year-over-year sales growth on the PS3 hardware, with software up 410% over the previous April. That looks impressive! In other crazy percentages, Sony notes that 23.6% of PS3 owners bought a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV in April, a "29.0% higher attach rate for the title than Xbox 360." Stop! I'm getting dizzy!

"PS3 momentum is fueled by enthusiasm for Blu-ray as the definitive high def standard and the growing number of consumers gearing up for some of the most anticipated titles of the year, exclusively for PS3, including the June release of Metal Gear Solid 4, and other great exclusives in the second half on the year, such as Resistance 2, SOCOM: Confrontation and LittleBigPlanet to name a few," said SCEA prez Jack Tretton. "With exciting PlayStation Network innovations and our strongest console-driving titles of the year still on the horizon, PS3 remains on pace for a breakthrough year.” Enjoy the full statement after the jump.

PlayStation by the Numbers
April 2008

PS3 Continues Blockbuster Year:

PS3 Hardware Sales Growth Exceeds 127% Year-Over-Year; PS3 Software Sales Up 410% Year-Over-Year

Total PlayStation Hardware Sales Top 505,363 Units

PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) continued its benchmark year with 187,071 hardware units sold in April (according to NPD April 2008 sales data). This represents a year-over-year sales growth of over 127%. More than 2 million software units were sold for PS3 in April, representing a year-over-year growth of 410%.

* Spurred by the tremendous legacy of the Grand Theft Auto franchise on PlayStation, over 1 million copies of Grand Theft Auto IV for PS3 were sold in April in North America, with 23.6% of U.S. PS3 owners purchasing a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV, a 29.0% higher attach rate for the title than Xbox 360. Enthusiasm for Grand Theft Auto IV combined with the launches of Haze and SingStar for PS3, is expected to continue to lift PS3 hardware sales through May.
* Grand Theft Auto IV and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue mark the beginning of a monster 2008 software line-up for PS3, including the highly-anticipated exclusive titles Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, SOCOM: US Navy SEALs Confrontation, Resistance 2, and LittleBigPlanet to name a few. These blockbusters promise to further drive PS3 sales through to the holiday season.
* Fueled by the launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on the PLAYSTATION®Network, approximately 6 million pieces of content have been downloaded from the PlayStation®Store in North America since this time last month, with more than 73 million pieces of content downloaded from PLAYSTATION Store in North America to date. There are currently over 3.9 million registered PLAYSTATION Network accounts in North America.
* The recently introduced DUALSHOCK®3 wireless controller for PS3 also proved to be a hot-seller, with sales exceeding $10.9 million in April.

PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) continued to boast strong sales in April with 192,696 PSP hardware units sold, representing a sales increase of 5.4% year-over-year. Fueled by enthusiasm for the exclusive blockbusters God of War: Chains of Olympus and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, the top two selling titles the platform of the month, more than 1 million software units were sold for PSP in April.

PlayStation®2 (PS2) also had another strong month in April with hardware unit sales reaching 124,376 units. More than 42 million PS2s have been sold to date in the U.S.

Power of the PlayStation Portfolio

The PlayStation brand continued to generate impressive sales, earning $387 million in April.

· Year to date (Jan-April), the PlayStation brand generated over $1.9 billion in revenue, representing an increase of 17.6% year-over year.

· PlayStation total hardware revenue was $126.2 million in April, representing a year-over-year growth of over 19.4%.

· PlayStation total software revenue in April was $215.1 million, representing a year-over-year growth of 68.6%.

CEO Perspective

“Clearly, the tremendous legacy of Grand Theft Auto on PlayStation, combined with the blockbuster launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue packed a one-two punch with consumers at retail this month. The proof is in the numbers and, in April, PlayStation 3 hardware sales experienced a 127% increase over April of last year. PS3 momentum is fueled by enthusiasm for Blu-ray as the definitive high def standard and the growing number of consumers gearing up for some of the most anticipated titles of the year, exclusively for PS3, including the June release of Metal Gear Solid 4, and other great exclusives in the second half on the year, such as Resistance 2, SOCOM: Confrontation and LittleBigPlanet to name a few. With exciting PlayStation Network innovations and our strongest console-driving titles of the year still on the horizon, PS3 remains on pace for a breakthrough year.”

- Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America

The emergence of Blu-ray as the de facto high definition standard is one more reason why PS3 is a great value to consumers...The combination of strong sales, Blu-ray dominance and widely-anticipated games all point to 2008 as a breakthrough year for PS3.

The rest of the statement covers not just the PS3, but the PlayStation "brand" which, Sony says, was number one in both hardware and software in January. The company also chose to focus on its upcoming library, with SCEA CEO Jack Tretton commenting "We have an exceptionally diverse lineup of exclusive games, from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Resistance 2 to more mainstream games such as LittleBigPlanet and SingStar." What? No Killzone 2, Jack?

For the full statement, packed with selective data, read on.

PS3 Outsells Xbox 360; PlayStation Brand Outsells Competition Combined

PlayStation Hardware Momentum
PS3 Outsold Xbox 360: PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3 ) demonstrated continued momentum in January 2008 with 269K hardware units sold in January, 17% higher than Microsoft.

o PLAYSTATION Network total downloads exceeded 7.9 million in January 2008, well above the 6.6 million in December 2007. Currently in North America there are more than 2.9 million registered PLAYSTATION Network accounts and more than 52M total downloads life-to-date from PLAYSTATION Store.
o The best is yet to come: The influx of exceptional exclusive and third-party games like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Grand Theft Auto IV, not to mention later releases such as LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, SingStar, to name a few, combined with current momentum for Blu-ray, are expected to further enthusiasm for PS3.

PSP (PlayStation Portable) continued its sales ascent in January 2008 with 230K PSP hardware units sold in January; representing an increase of 9% over January 2007. Also, with its new partnership with Skype and great upcoming new games, such as God of War: Chains of Olympus, Patapon and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, further sales growth is expected in 2008.

PlayStation 2 (PS2) also had an excellent month in January with hardware unit sales reaching 264K units. Also, the PS2 sold more software units than any other console on the market.

Power of the PlayStation Portfolio
According to NPD January 2008 sales data, the PlayStation brand generated the most U.S. retail dollars in the industry with $486 million, 25% higher than Nintendo and 61% higher than Microsoft.

o The PlayStation brand was #1 in both hardware and software in January.
o The PlayStation brand sold more hardware units than Nintendo and Microsoft combined (764K versus 530K and 230K, respectively).
o PlayStation total hardware revenue was $196 million in January; surpassing the total hardware revenue of Microsoft and Nintendo combined.
o PlayStation total software revenue in January was $224 million, 38% higher than Microsoft.

Industry Outlook
Coming off a great holiday sales season we see strong momentum behind PS3 in 2008, and feel confident about the year ahead. We have an exceptionally diverse lineup of exclusive games, from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Resistance 2 to more mainstream games such as LittleBigPlanet and SingStar. Beyond that, we have Blu-ray emerging as the de facto high def standard, the developer community is hitting their stride, consumers are recognizing the tremendous value and innovative services such as PlayStation Home are all in the works, so this is definitely shaping up to be a breakthrough year for us.

- Jack Tretton, CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America

I won't spoil number one, but it's certainly the most expensive of the lot. Let loose the finger pointing and HAHA-ing!

TOP 10 BLUNDERS OF 2007 [Next-Gen - thanks, Duane!]

As Takahashi writes, it's a decidedly different attitude, one that's been reflected in Jack Tretton's E3 presser speech and Kaz Hirai's Tokyo Game Show keynote. Both execs approached the opportunity to present a more humble Sony, with Hirai stressing that the company was working to bring down hardware prices and work more closely with third parties.

Is it too late? Many of Sony's PlayStation 3 exclusives have failed to light a fire under consumers and one has to wonder how this holiday's upcoming library contributions will fare in the face of what Microsoft and Nintendo have to offer. We'll soon know if cheap ass PS3s are really all it's going to take.

Dean's Take on NPD numbers for September [The Mercury News]

Instead, the handicapping of the PS3 was part of an effort to "encourage buyers of the entry-level PlayStation 3 to purchase more games designed specifically for the new system." If only there were some other ways of doing that outside of ripping out the PS3's ability to play PS2 games better than an actual PS2 in so many cases.

God, I just can't think of any. Obviously having better PS3 software won't work. Nor would working more closely with third parties to help them ship their PS3 ports of Xbox 360 titles day and date, feature for feature. I'll admit... I'm stumped!

Sony Slashes Price of PlayStation 3 [Wall Street Journal (subscription required)]

One of the big problems of software development given the costs is that companies are slaves to Wall Street and Wall Street wants results. If you have a long-term perspective on development, you have to be thinking two years out. To build a good game, you can't bring it to market in less than two years. If you react to what is going on here and now, you may find yourself with a different marketplace by the time you get there with the code. We have seen it time and time again. Tomb Raider was a revolutionary product on the PlayStation. Everyone tried to do a rip off. By the time they got there, it was too late. When Grand Theft Auto came out, everybody gravitated to Grand Theft Auto. Now the Wii is having success. They are touting casual gaming. Supposedly everybody is going to race over to casual games. The unfortunate thing is the fruits of those labors will show up two years down the road, and if the consumer tastes shift, they will find themselves all dressed up with no place to go.

Of course...we won't mention PSN, the SIXAXIS, or things of that nature.

An interview with Jack Tretton, head of Sony Computer Entertainment America [mercurynews]

However, the most interesting news was a preliminary look at PS3 sales following the pre-E3 pseudo-price drop to $499.

According to the company, sales for the PLAYSTATION 3 were up 135% in the two weeks following the price adjustment of the 60GB model, which went into effect on July 9th. Furthermore, all PlayStation products saw a sales increase during during that period, increasing 161% across the board.

SCEA president Jack Tretton attributed the PS3's improved showing to the new price as well as a "very strong software showing from E3." He added, "This jump in sales bodes very well for us heading into the fall as we launch an impressive arsenal of hardware and software, leading off with the new 80 GB PS3 in August along with the unveiling of highly anticipated games such as Lair and Warhawk. That will be followed by Heavenly Sword in September and six more exclusive first-party PS3 games in October, including Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction."

Yeah, but Jack, when are you guys going to put the GBA in its place? We want timeframes here!

I think the PS3 is the Surf 'n Turf. You want the lobster and steak and you're going to give yourself the treat of getting the best thing on the menu. The PS2 is your favorite burger restaurant — you go there for comfort food and it's just always good and is a good value.

[As for the other two consoles], one [Wii] is a lollipop, and I'm too old for lollipops. The other one [Xbox 360] I get sick from once in a while because the cook isn't always reliable.

You know what, Jack? This is one of those times where you should've deferred to Hideo Kojima's expertise on the subject matter. I realize GamePro unfairly backed you into a corner here, but the dude knows analogy and metaphor on a whole different level. Seriously. Kojima's legendary comparison between the Atari Lynx and a thousand year egg might just blow your Dockers off.

Feature: Sony's Jack Tretton: Wii is a "lollipop", 360 an "unreliable cook" [GamePro]