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El Segundo, Calif. – According to a video game system market forecast by iSuppli Tuesday, Sony’s strong U.S. PlayStation3 sales performance during Black Friday week should help the global video game console market return to growth during the fourth quarter.

If accurate, the feat would mark the first time this year that the market has expanded on a year-over-year basis, iSuppli said.

Global video game console shipments are set to rise to 24.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2009, up 5.2 percent from 23.4 million during the same period in 2008, iSuppli said. This follows declines of 2.1 percent in the first quarter, 35.7 percent in the second quarter and 10.9 percent in the third quarter.

“Sony’s PlayStation3 sales reached an all-time high during the week of Black Friday as consumers were attracted by its new low pricing and alluring bundle deals,” stated Pamela Tufegdzic, iSuppli consumer electronics analyst. “According to Sony, 440,000 PlayStation3 consoles were sold in the United States during the week of Nov. 29, a record for the product and nearly double from a year earlier. In comparison, Nintendo Wii sales were down year over year during the same period.”

Since its introduction in November 2006 the PlayStation3’s sales performance has lagged that of Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, due primarily to its higher comparative price.

Sony now appears to have somewhat leveled the advantages enjoyed by its rivals and has found ways to attract consumers back to the popular PlayStation line, iSuppli said.

“Sony has finally gotten it right with the PlayStation3,” Tufegdzic said. “The company has made a number of moves that now are paying off in terms of increased sales. These include a new product design that has allowed a price reduction to $299, down from $399, making it more affordable for consumers. Sony also is selling the PlayStation3 in bundles with popular game titles that cater to all ages. Furthermore, the PlayStation3 is being sold in bundles with Sony high-definition LCD TVs, pushing the game console’s Blu-ray player capabilities. These deals are perceived as good value by consumers. Finally, Sony increased its level of advertising on television, newspapers and the Internet, further boosting its sales during Black Friday and likely throughout the Christmas season.”

On the other hand, the Wii system has slowed down from its blockbuster pace during Black Friday 2008.

“Wii sales during the week of Nov. 29 likely amounted to 550,000, compared to nearly 800,000 during the same period in 2008, according to Nintendo,” said Tufegdzic.

Despite the decline from a year ago, the Wii outsold both the Xbox 360 and the PS3 over the recent Black Friday period, iSuppli said.

The big driver for Wii sales was gaming titles, particularly the new Super Mario Bros Wii, which is estimated to have sold more than half a million units in the second week of release.

Other popular titles for Wii include Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus and Mario Kart Wii. In addition, the $50 price reduction from $249 to $199 has helped to prolong the Wii’s popularity among consumers.

Microsoft did not report actual sales during the Black Friday week, but the company offered bundle deals to promote sales.

However, the strong performance for the global game console market in the fourth quarter won’t be sufficient to make up for weak conditions through the first three quarters of the year, according to iSuppli.

Worldwide video game console shipments will amount to 51.6 million units in 2009, down 6.7 percent from 55.3 million in 2008.

By Greg Tarr — TWICE

http://www.twice.com/article/439134-iSuppli_Strong_PS3_Performance_To_Lift_Global_Console_Business.php

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Home Entertainment Audio and Video services in North Carolina.

recycle-drop300 E-cycling awareness increases, but how do you get rid of your stuff?

There’s good news and bad news about electronics recycling, or e-cycling, in a recent survey of more than 1,000 Americans published by Pike Research.

The good news is that consumer awareness of the e-waste threat is increasing, and 76 percent of respondents stated that recycling is the most appropriate way to handle unused, broken, or obsolete electronics equipment. That’s good.

And the bad news? Consumers have few incentives to reuse or recycle their used electronics equipment. It is still too easy and inexpensive to throw e-waste in the trash. An optimistic estimate of average recycle rates is only about 15 percent.

That’s not so good.

According to Pike’s report, e-waste is the fastest-growing segment of municipal solid waste; it accounts for between 3 percent and 5 percent of incoming materials. And approximately 75 percent to 85 percent of electrical and electronic equipment is sent directly to landfill burial or incineration.

Projections for e-waste are increasing, on average, by 3 percent to 5 percent per year. Pike Research estimates there will be over 60 million tons of e-waste at the decision point for reuse/recycle or landfill in 2013.

Even many “recycled” electronics are merely shipped overseas and dissembled by third-world country workers dangerously exposing themselves to the toxins contained within our electronics. Many of the plastics are burned in pits, emitting noxious and harmful fumes. Several states have adopted electronic recycling laws, but no regulations exist for responsibly dissembling and disposing of e-waste, though many electronics recyclers take the Basel Action Network (BAN) pledge to only use responsible vendors and not to ship the products they collect overseas.

The silver lining?
The recycle rate could go as high as 50 percent or more by 2013, the Pike report says, depending on government intervention and economic incentives provided to consumers. “Assuming a recovery rate of valuable materials at 45 percent of the gross quantity of e-waste available, approximately 14 million tons of raw materials could be available for new product manufacturing during 2013,” the report states.

“Consumer behavior needs to be modified via a combination of awareness, incentives, and constraints to begin to change ingrained habits. Surveys by OEMs and advocacy groups indicate a majority of consumers do not know what their options are when a piece of equipment reaches the end of its useful life.”

Despite the widespread ignorance that exists about electronics recycling, consumers have several options, including free manufacturer and retailer take-back programs, electronics recycling sites, low-cost professional e-cycling companies, buy-back programs and occasional collection programs by municipalities.

Other findings by Pike Research:

* 37 percent of consumers felt that electronics recycling should be free, and an additional 35 percent stated that electronics should be collected and processed as part of a curbside recycling program.
* Only 14 percent felt that the cost of electronics recycling should be borne by consumers at the points of purchase or recycling. Some 10 percent supported the concept of “producer responsibility” where the manufacturer pays, an approach increasingly being adopted by many OEMs.
* The average consumer has 2.8 pieces of unused, broken, or obsolete electronics equipment in their home or storage area.
* The average consumer surveyed estimated that the cost of collecting, hauling, demanufacturing, and recycling a single piece of used electronics equipment is $12, however Pike Research’s analysis indicates that the true cost is more than $20.

by Steven Castle

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/good_news_bad_news_for_electronics_recycling/C155

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Home Entertainment Audio and Video services in North Carolina.