Sony Delays Playstation 3

As a result of problems related to the mass production of a key component of its Blu-ray dvd player, Sony (SNE) will delay the European launch of its next generation video game console, the PlayStation 3 (PS3). Sony will also reduce the number of PS3 units immediately available in both the U.S. and Japan.

In the U.S., the ps3 will launch on November 17th, with approximately 400,000 consoles available for sale. The U.S. launch will come almost a week after the Japanese launch which will consist of merely 100,000 units.

Sony's PlayStation 3 is the successor to the PlayStation 2, the world's most popular (and as recently as July, the world's best selling) video game console.

The Number That Really Matters

The fact that there will only be 400,000 ps3 units available for sale in the United States on November 17th is totally unimportant. The launch date itself is unimportant. What matters is how many units will be available for sale in mid to late December.

Sony claims it will have 1 million to 1.2 million consoles available for sale by December 31st. I think it's safe to assume they don't plan to have many arrive between December 26th and December 31st. So, let's assume there will be at least a million ps3 consoles available for sale in the U.S. by Christmas.

Will that be enough to put a PlayStation in the living room of every household that wants one?

No. There will almost certainly be many people who have to go without a ps3 for Christmas, despite being willing to pay the very high price Sony is asking. But, that's nothing new. Other consoles (including the Xbox 360) have been launched without an adequate number of units immediately available for sale.

This isn't like failing to get enough Glad trash bags on store shelves. Once the console has launched, limited availability shouldn't cause many people to switch their planned purchase. If they want it and it's out, they'll wait for it.

A delay is much worse than a mere shortage. There's a promise (and a tangible product) behind a console that has already launched. So, very few people in the U.S. or Japan who planned to buy a ps3 are likely to change their minds because of a Christmas shortage no matter how severe.

The Things That Really Matter

The success of any gaming platform is largely based on five factors:

Available Titles

Relative Launch Date

Price

Predecessor's Installed Base

Technology

Of these five, technology is by far the least important factor. The four most important factors (available titles, relative launch date, price, and predecessor's installed base) are difficult to separate. Clearly, having a predecessor with a large installed base (such as the PS2) can be tremendously beneficial, if you get satisfactory marks in the other three areas (titles, launch date, and price).

Predecessor's Installed Base

The PlayStation 3 dominates when it comes to having a predecessor with a large installed base. So, how does it score in the other three areas?

In terms of available titles, the ps3 scores as well as any of its competitors, if not better. However, none of the three consoles (Xbox 360, ps3, or Wii) does very well in this regard. Unfortunately, the titles are likely to be somewhat segregated by console. There will be quality games on each system; but, almost no one will buy all three. Simply put, there will be some games exclusive to each console that a lot of people would really love to play but can't.

Also, there's the danger that both the ps3 and the Xbox 360 will be seen as the more adult and less casual consoles. microsoft (MSFT) and Sony have Nintendo to blame for this but, let's put that issue aside for now.

Relative Launch Date

Returning to the list of factors that determine a console's success, let's consider the launch date issue. Sony clearly has a bit of a problem in Europe, because it will have one less Christmas season than both the Xbox 360 and the Wii. Some analysts think Sony will lose no more than a few hundred thousand console sales to substitutions. If that's true, lost revenue might be in the hundreds of millions rather than the billions.

Strong sales of the Xbox in Europe during the Christmas season would be a very bad indication for Sony. The combined price of an Xbox and a ps3 is prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, the two consoles are far more similar to each other than they are to the Wii. As a result, while some European Wii sales might be recoverable by Sony at a later date, because individuals will choose to buy the Wii first and the ps3 later, very few Xbox 360 sales would be recoverable. Essentially, every Xbox sold in Europe this Christmas is a ps3 that will never be born.

Three Separate Markets

The U.S., Japan, and Europe are really three very different markets. It's quite possible you could have a console that is very successful in one market and yet unable to get any real momentum in another.

Before this delay, I felt strongly that Europe was the market where the ps3 could come closest to duplicating the performance of the ps2 in terms of market share. There's a long-term danger that microsoft will gain market share in the U.S. and Nintendo will gain market share in both the U.S. and Japan.

Obviously, Europe isn't as well defined a market as either the U.S. or Japan. So, it's much harder to predict how a certain type of console or a certain type of game will go over there. The U.S. and Japan are very clearly defined game markets, largely because they have very clearly defined consumer cultures in general and entertainment cultures in particular.

So, what does the ps3 delay mean for Sony's future in Europe? It's hard to say. I'm more interested in seeing what the installed base of each next generation console will look like in the American and Japanese markets after Christmas 2007, when we'll have the first real chance to predict how this round of the console wars will play out.

Of course, there are some predictions that seem pretty safe even now. For instance, it seems safe to say Sony will lose worldwide market share. Simply put, the ps3 won't be able to duplicate the market share dominance of the ps2.

So, most likely we're talking about Sony's ps3 falling somewhere north of catastrophic failure and south of market share gains. Although I think both of these scenarios are extremely unlikely, catastrophic failure is more likely, simply because improving upon the PS2's market share seems a near impossibility given the much tougher competition this time around.

Is there a real risk that the ps3 might end up being a catastrophic failure? I don't think so, simply because of the number of ps2 systems still out there. Price combined with solid competition on both of Sony's flanks is the only thing that could cause such a failure. If the price prevents widespread acceptance of the system, third party publisher support would be a problem down the line. Nintendo doesn't need a lot of third party support. Sony does.

Although I do think Sony is doing serious harm to its PlayStation line by insisting upon including Blu-ray and charging a ridiculous price, I don't think any amount of managerial ineptitude is likely to cause the catastrophic failure of a successor to such a dominant console as the ps2.

Price

If price isn't the elephant in the room, it should be. Most of the articles I read about the recently announced ps3 delay / production scale-down didn't say much about the pricing of the ps3. That's a mistake especially, because several articles mentioned the laptop battery recall, which has nothing to do with the ps3 and very little to do with Sony (it has everything to do with lithium-ion batteries irrespective of their manufacturer).

The PS3's price is a big problem. One that might have manifested itself in poor Christmas sales, if the number of units available for sale had approached the expected demand. For now, Sony is planning on having so few units available in the U.S. by Christmas that the launch will go well even if the ps3 is ultimately a failure. Sony claims it will have 6 million units by the end of its fiscal year. A few analysts are skeptical, but Sony is sticking to that line.

In the weeks ahead, expect Sony to make a big deal about the fact that it will actually make more ps3 units available by the end of December than the number of Xbox 360s microsoft had made available by the same time the year before. It's a valid point. But, it omits two key facts. The ps3 is launching after the Xbox 360 and there are more ps2 owners out there who will want to trade up for the new system.

Since the ps3 is launching after the Xbox 360, no one is waiting around to see what the alternative will look like. They already know what the Xbox 360 is, what it can do, and what (some of) the games available for it are. As soon as the ps3 launches, the comparisons can begin. That wasn't possible when the Xbox 360 launched and everybody knew the ps3 was on its way.

The second reason why no parallel exists between the demand for Xbox 360s at launch and the demand for PS3s at launch is simply that there are more PS2s out there. As a result, Sony having as many units available by Christmas as microsoft had the year before would be a lot like Gillette having as many new razors available as Schick had produced the year before. The difference in market share obliterates any possible comparison.

So, even though I think the ps3 is far too expensive going into the Christmas season, I'm quite sure that fact won't be evident in the sales numbers, because there will be a severe ps3 shortage throughout 2006. Even if the PlayStation 3 is too expensive, it will look like it's selling well, because there simply won't be enough of them produced in 2006.

Why am I so convinced the ps3 is priced too high?

The ps3 is too expensive to be a Christmas gift. Around Christmas, a lot of these consoles are bought by parents as gifts for their kids. Parents are willing to pay a lot for them, because they're a huge one-time item for the kid (and the parents have been hearing about it since well before the launch). But, the prices likely to be charged in 2006 for the ps3 are simply beyond what parents are willing to spend.

It's not an issue of how much consumers have to spend versus the value they're getting. It's an issue of being psychologically unprepared for paying this kind of price for any gift.

It may be a price older gamers are willing to pay to get a ps3 for themselves. But, it's not a price parents will be willing to spend on their kids.

Geoff Gannon writes a daily value investing blog and produces a twice weekly (half hour) value investing podcast at: http://www.gannononinvesting.com

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The Wakeboard Tower: Outfitting Your Boat

If you are a water sports enthusiast, you and your family and friends frequently may enjoy a wide array of different activities including wakeboarding, wakeskating, sky skiing, tubing or water skiing. You may have invested a good deal of your disposable income into a boat. You may now be contemplating outfitting your board with a wakeboard tower. Consequently, you may be wondering what you should look for when it comes to making the purchase of a wakeboard tower.

In shopping for a wakeboard tower, there are some factors that you will want to keep on the top of your mind as you seek out the product that will best meet your needs over both the short term and well into the future. Because a wakeboard tower -- and other wakeboarding accessories such as a wakeboard tower mirror, wakeboard tower speakers and related products -- is a significant investment, you will want to make certain that you find equipment that will last you for the long haul.

In looking for a wakeboard tower, the following factors should be considered:

durability

As mentioned previously, because you will be putting down a decent amount of money to obtain a wakeboard tower, you will want a product that will last a long time. Therefore, you definitely will want to buy a durable product that is well constructed. In addition, you obviously will want safe wakeboarding equipment and gear. More durable equipment generally equates as safer equipment

cost

There is some variation when it comes to the cost associated with a wakeboard tower. By shopping around, you likely will be able to find a product that will best fit in with your overall budget. One plan of action that you might want to consider is the purchase of a universal wakeboard tower. With this type of tower, you will be able to move your equipment from boat to boat should you trade in your current watercraft for something different on down the road.

styling

While style might not be the most important factor when it comes to equipment such as a wakeboard tower, it should be included within the overall equation when you are in the market for this type of equipment. Towers do come in different styles. Generally speaking, there are different tower styles that blend in smartly with different boat and watercraft designs.

By keeping these factors in mind, you will be well on your way to identifying and purchasing the most appropriate wakeboard tower for your watercraft. In short, you will be well on your way to many enjoyable days out on the water.

paul Tamens is a wakeboarding nut, and spends all his free time thinking and coveting cool and fun wakeboarding produts and accessories. He teaches people more about Wakeboard Towers at www.wakeboardtowerinfo.com

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Why Do You Need A Living Trust

You may have heard of a living trust, but maybe you think that only rich people need or can create such a thing. Actually, a living trust is relatively easy to create, and there are very valid reasons why you and I should consider creating one. A living trust effectively empowers your designated trustee to manage the trust's assets and property for the benefit of you and your family. The trustee can be anyone you choose, including yourself! You will also be able to appoint a successor trustee, much like an executor of a last will and testament, who will see that your wishes are carried out.

Another thing that prevents us from taking this step is that most of us simply do not want to think about what would happen if we die or become incapacitated. This type of thought frightens us or makes us feel bad. We do not want to comprehend the fact that we will die some day. But, what will happen to our family? Are there small children in the home? Where will they go? What will happen to them?

These are questions everyone needs to answer and answer as soon as possible. Life comes at us quickly and it ends just as fast. While this is not a pleasant thought, it is something that needs to be discussed and planned for. A living trust can assist an individual in having their desires followed if they cannot answer for themselves. It is also vital that everyone take time out of their busy lives and accomplish a living trust.

Despite the feeling that most of us have that this is over our heads, an individual can obtain the necessary legal documents and forms without a lawyer's help. They are relatively straightforward and simple to fill out. It is very important for a person to complete a living trust so that their hopes and desires can be realized even after they are gone. The paperwork will normally just take a couple of hours to fill out. Every few months or when things in an individual's life changes dramatically these documents will need to be updated.

It really is that simple. It will not take long and, thanks to your living trust, your loved ones will not have to figure out your desires when you are gone. Your living trust will settle the estate. many times when an individual does not have a living trust, or at least a will, the government can take what rightly belongs to their loved ones.

This type of document can assist you with what you would like to accomplish. If you are seriously hurt in an accident, a living trust will assure that you receive exactly the care that you want. An individual may choose not to live on a breathing machine or with a feeding tube for the remainder of their lives. This is important for loved ones to understand the significance of a person's wishes. Without a living trust your loved ones may be fighting over what they think is best for you when you are not able to speak your wishes.

Instead of the young children winding up with the comfort of a caring relative, they could end up in the state's custody. No parent would want that for their child. They need to have a living trust to ensure their well-being and others in the family. It is an important step to take at any age. Tomorrow may never come, live for today and protect your family for the future.

An individual is terrified of death or becoming a burden on other people. You can control what happens after the unthinkable occurs. Obtain the paperwork to complete a living trust. It is the most important step an individual can take in their lives. Do not let the state or government be in charge of the future of your family. Finish those papers and put them somewhere safe. after they are completed, talk to family members and let them know what the final wishes and desires are. They need to know what will happen if a major part of the family is no longer around.

As complicated as it seems, establishing a living trust, whether a joint trust or some type of revocable trust, is simple and easy with the forms and software that is available today.

Donovan Baldwin is a texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, .and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness,yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

You can find information on legal forms and software at http://www.legal-forms-supermarket.com/ You can learn more about the living trust at http://legal-forms-supermarket.com/about/living_trust.html

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