How to Botch Something: Lessons from Sony

So we all saw the mayhem that happened at the launch of the Third Coming of Playstation. People trampled their fellow Americans to get their hands on the nicely priced space coffin. As the smoke began to clear, as the blood was mopped up from the cement, as the bruises went their rainbow of colors on the way to healing, while all this was happening some people began to question what exactly was happening. It became immediately clear that there was only one exclusive launch title that was worth breaking the pickle jar for. Consumers (and ebay sellers) were more than aware that the supplies sent verses the demand mimicked Rommel's supply lines in Egypt. Since if only there are 300,000 who could possibly buy a developers game to begin with (because of supply problems), Sony began to lose its exclusivity contracts to the Xbox. Finally, to prove God does indeed actually punish bastards every once and while, the public laughed at the greedy ebay sellers stuck with six PS3's on the eve of Christmas. It turned out all the guys camping out were all just selling them, hilariously, no one actually was wanting to actually play it.

To truly understand how badly Sony lost out on a fantastic opportunity to make hundreds of millions let's understand something. The PS2 was the most popular game system ever. The Xbox was treated with suspicion as Microsoft finding yet another way to eat the earth, Nintendo's Gamecube failed miserably in America (the one market that matters). Sony was the invincible Sparta, like most Greek heroes they were feared, unstoppable.... and held hubris in their hearts. Mind you, most companies actually lose money when they sell a system (Wii is the rare exception where Nintendo makes $40). So you make back money in selling controllers, licenses, games, etc. Zeus has a way of dealing with pride, he smites you. The PS3 suddenly became second fiddle to the far less powerful, but AVAILIBLE, Nintendo Wii. How the mighty fall. Yes the name "Wii" continued to prove Eastern Orientals havent quite grasped the English language beyond "Golden" and "Happy Ending", but you could actually buy one.

So whats this all about? PS3 supplies have caught up in America, but now no one wants one. Everyone wants a Wii (which I have by the way). Now that PS3 sales are cool in America, Sony now has the giant balls to charge even more ridiculous prices to our European fathers and Canadian step-brothers (Europe is getting a overwhelming 1 million units shipped). In Canada you'll pay $50 more, in the UK you'll be paying 425 pounds (nearly $150 dollars more). It would be understandable for maybe the Wii to take advantage of its surprize success to bump up a few more bucks. For the already plagued PS3, it is almost so stupid its expected from such a botched launch.

The PS3 will be eating dinner in hell with Icarus for at least the next six months until some actual titles come out.

New Year's Resolutions

So what's Team Easily's resolutions? I thought I would share mine, in the interest of everyone else sharing theirs:

1. Realize the plans I'm making for critical agriculture/development are poorly planned mistakes before tens of millions of my countrymen starve to death clawing at the burned ground. Actually, quit job as dictator of poor island and leave alive.

2. Be less of such a slut.

3. Return to one of my first true loves. Violently persecuting Roman Catholics.