Theory on PSO shortage

[Maverynthia]

Do you think that this shortage of PSO games is delibrate because SEGA doesn't want a lot of copies of this game for the end of the year lying around so they can take it off their taxes that they have lost money and thus get reimbursed next year when they make money off the game??? Then at the beginning of next year..BOOM there's like PSO game copy rabbits where you can't NOT find the game everywhere you go....
For not having the game available for one month that saves them the one month on the shelf that the game could be headed for bargain bin city.

Bleh...

[LollipopLolita]

the rumor is that it's getting repackaged

[rbf2000]

No, that sounds silly.

My guess is that they are repackageing them so they can bundle it with a keyboard.

[LollipopLolita]

rbf isn't that what that someone someone told you? huuuh

[WraithAkaMrak]

Hopefully a keyboard bundle. Which would be great. And much needed. As long as current owners can get it sold separately.

[Spy]

Heh. I think ST is really just out to screw the Gamecube.

[rbf2000]

On 2002-12-11 20:49, LollipopLolita wrote:
rbf isn't that what that someone someone told you? huuuh
Yea, but I sound a lot smarter if I pretend like I came up with it, instead of giving credit where it's due.

[Maverynthia]

I did hear the rumor of the repackaging with the keyboard or BBA, but that rumor was squashed.

Since I don't hear anyone in opposition, it must be because SEGA needs the tax break and looking good next year shows SEGA is making progress out of their bankruptcy...

[SnAPPUrU-nyan-ko]

Someone leaned against a cable, and it became loose. That's my guess :3 I bet we don't get reimbursed for lost time on our HL... meep

[LollipopLolita]

not that shortage kitty, the game shortage itself. not servers

[SnAPPUrU-nyan-ko]

...hahaha X3 "Stupid cat!"

[Ruby-chan]

Since I don't hear anyone in opposition, it must be because SEGA needs the tax break and looking good next year shows SEGA is making progress out of their bankruptcy...


I'm pretty sure Sega never filed for bankrupcy, just stopped selling game systems. There's thousands of companies that just sell software, after all. Besides I'm quite sure I would have remembered the words, "Sega has filed bankrupcy" blah blah blah.

[Subliminalgroove]

I had heard that when all of us PSO crackheads ran out and bought the game and a modem/b-band adapter, and hopped onto servers that just were not set up for the type of traffic that they recieved. This scared the crap out of Sega, who cut down on production of PSO. The "shortage" gives them a bit of time to get their shi. . . I mean servers . . . in order.

For example: Tonight's unscheduled server maintanence... http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_smile.gif

Sub



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Subliminalgroove on 2002-12-11 22:02 ]</font>

[Nidarrock]

On 2002-12-11 21:59, Subliminalgroove wrote:
I had heard that when all of us PSO crackheads ran out and bought the game and a modem/b-band adapter, and hopped onto servers that just were not set up for the type of traffic that they recieved. This scared the crap out of Sega, who cut down on production of PSO. The "shortage" gives them a bit of time to get their shi. . . I mean servers . . . in order.


I can believe that. I saw PSO on the shelves for about a week or two after it's release and then saw nothing through November. It wasn't until this week that I saw PSO on shelves again, and a good number of copies too. Well that's just my two cents. Have fun.

[Maverynthia]

Hrm, has anyone seen any stock reach the shelves in december? If people have then maybe they are doling it out one state/area at a time...

[BigDaddy]

Sega no longer manufactures any type of hardware, a keyboard bundle is wishful thinking. Even if there was a keyboard, it would be announced by Agetech by now (ASCII's American distributor from what I understand). The same goes for every other 3rd party company, it would've been announced by now. We unfortunately won't see a GC keyboard for the rest of the year (but hopefully not forever). In addition, they would not hold back shipment "just because there's no keyboard."

The theory of "they're doing it for tax breaks" is a little ridiculous. November and December are the biggest sales months for every industry in the economy. Companies push to get games that are not yet finished to get finished around these times, not the other way around.

The other theory of "well, the servers are too small" again, does not make any sense. If the servers were too small and they're trying to make it bigger, why in the world would they cut the American servers from 4 Ships down to 2 Ships? It seems like they're downsizing, not expanding.

Look, it may seem like I'm spitting at other peoples' assumptions of what's going on, after all we really don't know. However, we can take an educated guess and use process of elimination to try and deduce the possibilities.

What's my personal theory on the matter?

I think that Sonic Team realizes that the entire PSO launch has been a mess, beginning with the JP dupe bug which lead to the segregation of servers, then Nintendo's lack of BBAs/Modems to a non-existent communication device for a game that relies heavily on communication in America. Sonic Team knows that there is a dupe bug on the U.S. software also, which would help explain why the JP ver1.1 servers are not connected despite it being up already. What Sonic Team could possibly do is release a ver1.1 in the U.S. also. With Japan, they had too many users already to do an instant recall/exchange by the time the bug was discovered (PSO sold about 56,000 on the first day). So they just used the BS excuse of "we'll wait and see what happens" when they knew that they were going to segregate servers regardless. So with America, since the initial sales were nowhere near as high as Japan's (PSO didn't even make it to the Top 10 for its first week in release, it didn't help it released on the same day as GTA:VC). So since the American dupe bug was discovered about 4 days after PSO's release, the less initial users makes it easier to do an instant recall or exchange system. They can immediately stop shipment/production of the bugged U.S. version and only the initial buyers would get affected. In Japan's case it was a lot of users that would've been affected, in America's case, it's only a small niche.

Now, if you thought that theory is too confusing, my simpler theory is that Sonic Team realizes that the GC isn't exactly America's choice for "console online gaming" and Nintendo itself isn't even showing any type of support. So since the XBox version is practically done, XBL is a success, XBox has a slightly larger userbase here in the states, and is more synonymous with being online capable... this all adds up to more potential buyers on the XBox. What they're probably doing is downgrading the number of GC American players by reducing shipments or stopping shipments during the holdays all togerther. They most likely want these users to not get the GC version, but instead end up on the XBox version early 2003 instead. So in essence, they'll be supporting the XBox version in America the most, whilst supporting the GC version in Japan the most. That way, no one will really care about the entire separation of servers issue.

Or... it could be a combination of both.

[Riel]

Also add the PPPoE issue with BB,that was fixed in the Japanese V1.1,but is still on the initial copy of the U.S version.They forgot to fix that so they stopped making the launch day copies in the USA,but did not make a public announcement,like in Japan,about that bug.If you head over to the official PSO forums,lots of people are complaining about this,and what Sega is telling those people is to send them the disk,so they can test this......what they are in fact doing is sending them a new copy,the one that is being re-shelved now in store,which contains the fix for PPPoE,like on the Japanese V1.1.

Just another theory though,not fact.

[BigDaddy]

My God, I did not even know that Sega was doing that. I would not be surprised if America sees a ver1.1 and doesn't connect with the current JP ver1.1 until then.

More theories on what the American ver1.1 may contain aside from the fixing of the dupe bug and the BB problems could be an anti-cheat device lock which could theoritically happen since if a ver1.1 in the U.S. comes out it will be well after the release of the Action Replay (which releases on the 17th). Now the question is, will American players loose their items also should there be a ver1.1?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BigDaddy on 2002-12-13 07:22 ]</font>

[Maverynthia]

The theory of "they're doing it for tax breaks" is a little ridiculous. November and December are the biggest sales months for every industry in the economy. Companies push to get games that are not yet finished to get finished around these times, not the other way around.

Exactly, SALES months! Why do you think every store has a SALE at the end of the year. They are getting rid of all their stock. It also looks good on the books we sold 56000 copies LAST year (2002) and we sold 1000000 copies THIS year (2003).


Also they maybe HAVE recalled the game not because of the keyboard/no DVDs to burn onto but because of the v1.1.

They may be waiting to release PSO 1.1 and are tweaking it right now. Because it makes no sense that other SEGA games that were released about the same time to after the same time that are fairly popular are ON the shelves but PSO is not....

[BigDaddy]

Heh, I'm glad someone sees my point and no one took my post as an insult to the intelligence of others.

The strange thing about JP ver1.1 is that there is still absolutely no word on whether it wil be connected. All we have are Sega reps on the official PSO message boards constantly saying it'll be connected after this maintenance, then when that didn't happen, then it'll be connected after that maintenance, blah, blah, blah.

[CorneliusPower]

I'm Virgin ears to all this vers 1.1 Japanese disc to fix Dupes. Let me get this straight i know this to be hear-say as of NOW but if all is true Sonic Team of America is going to be releasing a new version as well? I thought that was the very reason PSO GC was post-poned to begin with, oh sheesh. I know that ST of America was fixing the bug, but doesnt the re-release of v1.1 in Japan mean they have to start from scratch, no items'n such, and if the same happens here in America...oh by would i be pissed. I read big Daddy's post and I understand it somewhat, but reading all this info for the firs time is over-whelming, I invested way too much time on my characters and a lot of money getting on-line, i dont even have a keyboard. heh. I hope Sonic Teams does everything they can to fix the bugs w/out having us Americans start all over. If I'm paranoid just slap me and I'll wake up, lol.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: CorneliusPower on 2002-12-14 03:46 ]</font>

[IceBlink]

I think someone spilled Dr. Pepper on the stock control computer. o_O

Er... anyway, if the problem is still that bad in the US, think of how it would be in Europe when it's finally released. >___<

[Subliminalgroove]

On 2002-12-14 10:29, IceBlink wrote:
I think someone spilled Dr. Pepper on the stock control computer. o_O

Er... anyway, if the problem is still that bad in the US, think of how it would be in Europe when it's finally released. >___<




Ummm, I think I'd rather not... this is giving me queasy feelings as it is...

[Annoy]

Hrm, has anyone seen any stock reach the shelves in december? If people have then maybe they are doling it out one state/area at a time...

Hmm..could be...but when I got mine in Mid-November there were tons on the shelf. So yeah http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_razz.gif

[Maverynthia]

Well come Fri-Sat, I should know...that's when Amazon said my PSO would arrive...

If it doesn't I have to resort to begging other people with credit card Paypal and access to a stash for it... (NO EBAY)

As for US 1.1 I think some JP people might have given their items to a trusted friend and then when they came back with 1.1 that friend could give the items back.

But I'm not sure how that works....

Bleh no PSO sucks....I keep hearing my friends go on and on about this or that..I want my dudes in dresses (Yeah I know it a robe, but that's a though ^_^)
Which leads to an off topic question of why FOnewm wear that get up while their HUman compatriots wear a robe? I'll ask that in another area however...

[Maverynthia]

Update: I got screwed BIG time..NO PSO....

So anyone have any ideas to get a copy?
I keep hearing people say:
"Sold Out..my store has it!"
So any change to get a copy...

[RedFox]

i'm importing my PSO from the US and i recieved a phonecall from my importer saying that the US PSO had been temporarily discontinued in order for it to be re-released so that it will be the same as the JP v1.1

This seems like a logical enough reason to me but what about all those who bought the "old" US PSO??

[BWS-1]

On 2002-12-12 23:31, BigDaddy wrote:
Sonic Team realizes that the GC isn't exactly America's choice for "console online gaming" and Nintendo itself isn't even showing any type of support. So since the XBox version is practically done, XBL is a success, XBox has a slightly larger userbase here in the states, and is more synonymous with being online capable... this all adds up to more potential buyers on the XBox. What they're probably doing is downgrading the number of GC American players by reducing shipments or stopping shipments during the holdays all togerther. They most likely want these users to not get the GC version, but instead end up on the XBox version early 2003 instead.


Exactly what I think, and you know what? Today's GC will be tomorow's DC: a dead console as the DC is today,no more buyers, no more severs, no more players. They're abandoning the GC the same way they've abandoned the DC.