MMR: Is Sony to Blame for the PlayStation 3 Launch Violence?

[robwright]

After eager gamers and salivating capitalists waited in line for several days, the PlayStation 3 made its long-awaited debut Thursday night in the U.S. But midnight sales across the country turned into chaotic and sometimes violent ordeals. Who's to blame for this mess?

 

[JackM]

It is absolutely absurd to blame Sony for the actions of those who completely lack self-control. We are not talking about a great depression where people are dying if they don't get food. We are talking about a toy, be it for kids or grown ups. If you need to camp out for days to get a toy, you are sad. Wait a few months and there will be more. For once, I'd like to see individuals take responsibility for their own actions and quit blaming everyone else for your lack of discipline.

The thieves and thugs are to blame, too. Is that not obvious?

All those parents who were a part of the melee, what does that say about them? No, Sony isn't the problem. We the people are the problem.

Sony and the retailers should not have any responsibility for the doings of the stupid cattle masses. However, that's not to say they couldn't have done more. I think it indicates what they are, big business that doesn't care about much other than profits. As much as we don't like it sometimes, it's not a crime.

The answer is easy. Retailers need to have people sign up in the months in advance for a drawing of who gets to buy the first wave of products. They can figure out the details.

As a gamer, I'm ashamed of the few morons who give others a bad image. Gaming is not an excuse to be irresponsible.

 

[caamsa]

Actually the shooting was a robery attempt not an attempt to get a PS3 but peoples cash. The problem/violence has nothing to do with Sony it was just people behaving badly and there was no excuse for it. 8O

 

[scottclock]

I believe the long lines waiting outside the store before system launches are the main problem. They generate the opportunity for young people with cash to be shot at, robbed, to become very cold and sick and to miss work or school. The long lines also provide a place for high emotion and misunderstandings that cause fights and riots.

The way to eliminate long lines with all their attendant issues and dangers is to have all stores generate lists of customers who have expressed their interest to buy a new system at some point after that system is launched. Every store who would be given systems for sale would abide by generally equivalent rules. The general rules would be that everyone would give their name and phone number and pay a nominal service charge to be on the list (say 5 to 10 dollars). The list would start very early in the cycle....say a year before projected system launch...or at least six months. This would keep the craziness and pre-order line issue down to a minimum because only the most far-sighted fanatics would be rushing to get on the list that early. (EB Games approach was to send out very late night emails to those interested telling them that the pre-sale was the next morning....the suddenness of the email kept the numbers for PS3 sale people waiting in line the next day down to a lucky few).

Once the list was "opened", anyone could add their name to the list, but their position would be correspondingly lower in the priority. The list would be allowed to grow, and could even be added to after the launch date by anyone who became interested after the launch. The list would be retired only after a point that the units were plentiful relative to the demand and thus the list was not useful anymore. Stores with websites could provide information on-line about delivery times and instruction by priority number.

The need for a substantial down payment could be decided in terms of timing of the units expected delivery. The rules could require that individuals make their downpayments within so many months (say 3) of the expected delivery time. Anyone failing to make their downpayment timely would be dropped from the list or be pushed back further in the list until payment was made. Or...down payment would be required from first being on the list.

In addition to avoiding long waiting lines and frequent calls to the stores subsequently ("when is the next batch coming in?"), this method has the advantage that it gives the retailers and the manufacturers information about the size of the demand for the systems. Necessarily, there can be issues in such data (are some people putting themselves on multiple lists to see which comes in first?), but just like airline reservations and college applications, the statistics of such sitiuations can be analyzed and understood over time. Beside, retailers and manufacturers could allocate new machines on the basis of the size of the number of pre-orders on hand for any location.

We need more order in this chaos. I have been watching launches since the Sega Genesis and the SNES, it has only gotten worse over time, not better.

By enabling an approach like I have described, people would be going to their retailer to pick up their system according to an organized approach within normal store hours. The only way that a criminal would identify a new system buyer would be to go into the store and watch people going to the customer service desk....a much more difficult endeavor than driving by a long line of people outside at 3am in the morning.

 

[Harvey13]

Not Sony...
Not the Retailers...
Not the makers of violent games...
Not the lawyers...

Maybe it's the fault of hardware websites that keep telling us what we need to buy to be better gamers... Nope

Maybe it's Society in general for not accepting breast feeding in public as a natural extension of motherhood... Nope


It's the stupid sh!t individuals that think they're above the rest of us.

Acckkk, blaming anyone other than the individuals is just an extension of the 'Twinkie' defense, get real and stop trying to write social comentary articles on a hardware website.

 

[k77316]

Is completely stupid to blame Sony for all of this.

Like it was Sony's best interest of releasing only a small amount of consoles to the US market.

What if Sony would have skipped the whole lauch this year like in Europe?

Then all these fanatics would have caused violence and the blame would have been Sony's.

So no matter what they would have done they would have got the blame!

 

[infornography42]

As much as I like my Sony bashing (and I really really do) I can't really blame them for this violence.

I can blame them for trying to rush a console out before Nintendo thus exacerbating an already tight release with insufficient product to come anywhere close to fulfilling demand. But controlling the crowds is the job of the store and protecting the public is the job of the police.

Some stores could have done a MUCH better job of handling the situation but when it comes right down to it, it comes to the responsibility of the individuals committing the crime. The law needs to come down HARD on those people.

I personally think anyone who waits more than a few hours in line for something like this is certifiably insane. More will be released, with less hype, before Christmas if that is even a deadline at all for some of these people. Most of them are just impatient. That doesn't mean I'm going to blame them for the violence done against them even though they created the situation that made it both possible and attractive.

Keep blame where blame is due and try not to spread it around too much lest you get some on you.

 

[SunnyOverHere]

My advanced apologies, Rob, but you are way off.

I already figured someone was going to try to blame Sony for the PS3 launch frenzy but I'm surprised that a Tom's Hardware writer would waste a single key-stroke on such an absurd notion that Sony is to blame. In an "all-you-can-eat" and "all-you-can-sue" society, this kind of blame game continues our inability as a society to take self-responsibility and move forward positively.

I'm all for taking down a company no matter what the size if they are ripping people off or creating products that are unsafe or do not meet what they claim but to blame a company for not making enough products to satisfy the market OR pass out flyers on how to be a good citizen is absolutely ridiculous.

Should we have sued Sesame Street, Jim Henson's family, and the makers of Tickle Me Elmo when kids were getting trampled on the floor while parents (even some grandparents) were beating up other parents on the eve of Thanksgiving years back? Apparently your history is blind.

This article is disappointing and short of depth - one of the reasons why myself and many others feel that Tom's Hardware has spread itself too thin and the articles are not well written or relevant like they used to be. Come on... you started the article that you were depressed by all of this. You can do much better than this.

 

[robwright]

Should we have sued Sesame Street, Jim Henson's family, and the makers of Tickle Me Elmo when kids were getting trampled on the floor while parents (even some grandparents) were beating up other parents on the eve of Thanksgiving years back? Apparently your history is blind.

Actually, I think Sony's history is blind. As I stated in the column, the company had prior experience with the launch of the PlayStation 2. As someone who witnessed the chaos and crowds firsthand for the PS3, I know some of the mess cannot be avoided. There are bad people everywhere and they'll seek to take advantage of a situation like this. I expect nothing from those people. But I do expect more from a company that has the history, knowledge and experience of Sony. They were holding the cards in the game -- if a retail location or city or town was unwilling to put up more police and security for people waiting in the parking lot, then Sony should have denied them their PS3 shipments. The company could have gotten together with each retail to develop a universal system to handle the crowds and manage the order of the lines. It didn't, it was poor planning on Sony's part.

Do I think Sony should be sued by people that got trampled or shot or robbed? Absolutely not. But do I think the company should take a long, hard look in the mirror and learn how it could have done more to prevent this mess? Yes, absolutely.

As for Tickle Me Elmo, I didn't really follow that phenomenon.

 

[Harvey13]

As for Tickle Me Elmo, I didn't really follow that phenomenon.

Rob with all due respect to a THG Editor...

I visit THG several times a week and lurk in the forums.

But you are a Hardware site not a social commentator, your quote above tells it all... you are not aware of this particular subject matter, be it:

1. Sony PS3
2. Tickle Me Elmo
3. Nike Basketball Shoes
4. Leather 'Bomber' Jackets
5. "Who" concert tickets in Cleveland
6. Wedding dresses off the rack sales
6. etc...etc...etc...

Consumer driven violence is a fact and it's the responsibility of individuals. No not all of these examples are identical situations but it does show this problem has been around for awhile. Even the old black and white "I Love Lucy" sitcom had a skit about ladies fighting over items on sale.

Please keep to telling me which games are better and which console can be hacked into a linux based network browser, and stop the lectures about how a Japanese corporation is responsible for telling American retailers how to make people outside of their stores behave with a modicum of decorem, it was their parent's job and they failed...

 

[Kalakaua]

In my opinion, the only thing Sony could be blamed for is having 400,000 or less PlayStation 3's for launch. (I say for less because a analyst predicted less than 400,000 consoles for north america)

Blaming Sony for people getting shot, robbed or anything else is just ridiculous. It's kind of like blaming McDonald's for making you fat. Sony didn't make you wait outside, Sony didn't make those people shoot somebody.

If we want to blame people while we're at it, let's blame Ebay or the retail stores for not protecting their customer's. A lot of people wanted one so they could sell it for $2000 - $3000 and make a quick buck off of it. If eBay didn't exist then maybe the violence wouldn't have occurred. Sorry but my personal opinion is, Sony is not to blame here. I could be wrong but I believe I read at the Sony Metreon in San Francisco, they had security at the line, they had bracelets to show you were in line, they gave away food. How dare they? Really.

If Sony forced stores to bring in more security and refused them PlayStation 3 consoles if they didn't do so, then I think it would be seen as a even greater negative towards Sony (which the press and public seem to have a generally negative opinion of them already). It's the stores responsibility to protect their customers on their property. Even if that meant to refuse lines and force people to leave their parking lot.

 

[samir_nayanajaad]

well this is my opinion, I would say that the memory of previous console launches should be as fresh in sony's mind as well as the retail stores. After all both were involved in the craze of the PS2. So using that comparison of history both sony and retail stores fumbled the ball a little, both should have been a little more on the ball.

I think it would have been nice for sony to have given a heads up to stores because they do know better (or I hope they would) than anyone how devoted/crazy their customers are, or can be.

I do feel that more of the responsibility was on the people themselves after all if they don't start a riot, the riot police dont need to be called up. I just hope that at the next big launch I wont walk by my store to see the national guard out in force; keeping the peace, because citizens have lost all ability to behave as an adult and now have to be held by the hand like a 3 year old by the government.

 

[Quetz]

It is obserd to blame Sony for this.
Is it marketing to have a short supply? yes
But did Sony want this short of a Supply? no
Sony knows full well they would have been able to sell I would guess 1.5-2 mil units before Christmas. After that the sales will drop since it is such a big ticket item.
I can remember when there used to be near riots at every concert event when the tickets went on sale. What did they do they killed the line by handing out random numbers at a specific time so everyone showed up 30 mins or so before that and things got much better.
The lines are the problems and the crowed it gathers.
Just remember people are like water and will flow to the lowest point. You get a crowd of people together the low point will go to rock bottom pdq.

 

[captainlooney]

I'm sorry but this article is terribly opinionated and biased. Sony is in no way to be blamed for the violence that has occurred surrounding the PS3 launch. Honestly this opinion is similar to saying McDonalds is to blame for people spilling hot coffee on themselves (stupid lawsuit btw). The principles of supply and demand bring out the worst in humanity, NOT SONY. If I shoot someone for a PS3 should some executive at Sony be thrown in prison? Absolutely absurd...

Sony got what they wanted, a monumental release with enough hype to overshadow the Wii during launch weekend in the press and among the public. Sure more Wii units got sold but with the hype this launch generated, they have their foot in the door for potential buyers to get a hold of the console when shipments come in. Nintendo will best Sony in the short term with their cute little console but in the long term Sony will win in the end.

You can start the season 10-0, but if you end at 10-72, well, that good start didn't mean anything did it?

 

[hergieburbur]

Rob, I think you are getting carried away with the Sony bashing now. EVERY article I have seen you write on PS3 has had a negative slant toward Sony in it. Some Deservedly so, some not. But to say that Sony should be held liable for the actions of a few undisciplined people is just silly.

Thats the same as saying the US Government should be held responsible when an immature college student gets drunk and acts out in a foreign country. Yes, it speaks badly about us, but it is not the gov'ts (nor Sony's) job to watch such things.

Yes, Sony should have had a frame of reference from before, and they could have handled the shortage better (though if they did so, it wouldn't have been a shortage in the first place). Maybe they should have done pre-sales only, or, as I saw someone suggest in another thread, auction them off directly to prevent the "ebay phenomonan" from happening. However, there is no way they should be held liable for any damages incurred, and I for one would be worried about the legal precedent that would set if they were liable.

If I were Sony, and I got a bill from Boston, I'd tell them to STUFF IT. Thats what they pay cops for.

 

[MxM]

I think I will post here in support of Rob's article.

Look, he does not say that Sony is the ONLY one to blame, but Sony is partially to blame for this. Why? Because Sony was in position to make some steps to avoid this (like asking retailers to create lists instead of life lines).

So, if Sony had that choice and chose not to do it, then Sony is responsible (partially, but still responsible). Because this is what responsibility is. Free choice -> responsible.

Imagine a slim woman deciding to go for a walk just for fun along at night in a high crime neighborhood, perfectly knowing about very high chance to become a victim of some kind of crime. And if she did become a victim, whose responsibility is that? Of cause it is responsibility of that criminal who did it, but it is ALSO her responsibility as well. Because she could avoid the situation and she chose not to.

So Sony IS to blame (along with retailers, criminals etc.), because it did nothing to avoid the situation created by its own actions, while it could avoid it.

 

[Harvey13]

Yeah, it's the woman's fault for being a victim. All those Taliban are right in making sure their women wear burqha's and are properly covered head to toe so as not to cause long lines for a PS3.

 

[Harvey13]

I think I will post here in support of Rob's article.

Look, he does not say that Sony is the ONLY one to blame, but Sony is partially to blame for this. Why? Because Sony was in position to make some steps to avoid this (like asking retailers to create lists instead of life lines).

So, if Sony had that choice and chose not to do it, then Sony is responsible (partially, but still responsible). Because this is what responsibility is. Free choice -> responsible.

Imagine a slim woman deciding to go for a walk just for fun along at night in a high crime neighborhood, perfectly knowing about very high chance to become a victim of some kind of crime. And if she did become a victim, whose responsibility is that? Of cause it is responsibility of that criminal who did it, but it is ALSO her responsibility as well. Because she could avoid the situation and she chose not to.

So Sony IS to blame (along with retailers, criminals etc.), because it did nothing to avoid the situation created by its own actions, while it could avoid it.

MxM,
All sarcasm aside,
THIS IS THE MOST IDIOTIC POST I'VE EVER SEEN!
Makes all the fanboy flames pale in comparison. Rob Wright is problably wincing at the mere thought that this is in his defense (if not he should be). You sound like a convicted rapist trying to do everything to not accept the responsibility of your actions.
WTF are you thinking that a woman is responsible for her own rape?!?!?!?
And why is that germane to this topic; about indirect corporate responsibility for the actions of hoodlums?

 

[conslerb]

Sony sure as shit isn't to blame. It's people's responsibility to behave in a civil manner, and to be ready to defend themselves against attacks if the police aren't there. (Like carrying a pistol or pepper spray.) It's the police's job to realize there's huge lines. ANYWHERE there's a crowd there's reason to be concerned about violence. That's why they have police at concerts and protests. Especially after hearing about the shit that happened in Japan, you'd think they police would've been on top of this.

And MxM is a fucking moron.

 

[hergieburbur]

I think I will post here in support of Rob's article.

Look, he does not say that Sony is the ONLY one to blame, but Sony is partially to blame for this. Why? Because Sony was in position to make some steps to avoid this (like asking retailers to create lists instead of life lines).

So, if Sony had that choice and chose not to do it, then Sony is responsible (partially, but still responsible). Because this is what responsibility is. Free choice -> responsible.

Imagine a slim woman deciding to go for a walk just for fun along at night in a high crime neighborhood, perfectly knowing about very high chance to become a victim of some kind of crime. And if she did become a victim, whose responsibility is that? Of cause it is responsibility of that criminal who did it, but it is ALSO her responsibility as well. Because she could avoid the situation and she chose not to.

So Sony IS to blame (along with retailers, criminals etc.), because it did nothing to avoid the situation created by its own actions, while it could avoid it.

So... according to your argument, the people in line are to blame for waiting in line in the first place.

Pure Genius. Not attacking you, but you should really think something like that out to its logical conclusion before you post it, otherwise you are going to get flamed big time. And this time, you deserve it.

 

[Knyte]

Blaming a company that their product created chaos because the consumer cannot behave themself? Is this what we have become? That is absolutely insane.

A company makes a product, as long as the product works as it was designed and does what it advertises, then the company has no responsibility for the product after if leaves the factory. Sony did the best that they could to try to meet the demand they knew their product would cause. Trust me, I am sure they wish they could have had LOTS more units to sell. (Especially, since they are taking a hit on every one they sell, the sooner more units are in people's hands, the sooner they can turn a profit on software sales.) When they knew the total product count would be limited, they let us and the retailers know. The retailers could have set up their sales better, Sony could have warned the retailers, but ultimately it is you the individual that is responsible for being a dumb@ss and deciding to do stupid things for a quick profit (thefts), or for just being malicious (BB Drive By.)

Besides, I learned my lessons as a consumer with Playstation. NEVER buy a 1st generation playstation console. I did with the PS1 and PS2, and I am now on my 3rd PS1, and my 2nd PS2, from harware failures. (Lasers out of focus, over heating issues, drive failures, etc.)

In 3 months, everyone that was so excited to get a PS3 at launch, will be turning them upside-down and aiming boxfans at them to make the work. 😛

 

[hergieburbur]

Thats one reason why I haven't even thought of buying one yet. They do seem to suffer from heat issues in some cases. I think one thing that will help there is when they take the PS2 out of it and just use software emulation for backwards compatibility.

 

[reaper]

Jeez, why am I not surprised? You are Sony-hater after all. I remember you wrote a specific article about why we should not buy a PS3. If you take the point that PC is better PS3, then probably it is easier to accept. However, you compare between Xbox 360 and PS3 and the games. Now you blame Sony for the violence that occurs? Like they want to have shortage? People have been telling over and over again that Sony is not able to produce enough Blu Ray players for PS3, it's not some conspiracy theory. If they are able to make 2 millions consoles as planned, it would still be sold out on the first day. Taking Mayor Menino's stand proves nothing. It's his responsibility to provide security around Boston, not Sony's job.

 

[maverick7]

This is total bs... in no way does the fault lie with sony.. i actually couldnt bare reading that article and it was hard to even think about how sony could be to blame for any of that... thats just about as dumb as getting pissed off at construction workers for not building enough homes.. when it is completely up to them as to how many get built..

the rioting.. well its the us for god sakes.. you dont see S**t like that happening in canada or anywhere else around the world.. and the only thing which could stop that would be police.. as for who gets a ps3, again not sony's fault since they sold them to the stores and their job is done.. it is now up to the store to deal with it. (except for technical difficulties of course).

finally as i stated earlier, there is nothing sony could have done or should have done. and commenting on what someone said earlier 'sony should make more ps3 consoles' that is just silly...

 

[Barastaug]

It's EBAY's fault!!! :lol:

If people couldn't make a profit reselling them, you'd probably see half the people sitting outside. I heard of someone here in Houston paying day laborers to sit in line with him so he could buy 6 systems.

But really I think there is just a criminal element out there that saw this as easy pickings and hopefully retailers will think of better ways to handle this in the future.