Originally posted by philia:
India has never been a major video game market and never will be one in the foreseeable future.
YEs racist. Here's the news
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=129379NEW DELHI: Electronics major Sony launched game console PlayStation 2 in the country at Rs 17,900 -- almost double its grey market price. Despite the PS2's high-entry cost, company officials are confident about invading your living room.
"PS2 console prices are high because of the 66 per cent customs duty. We have launched it officially as there is a potential market for it in the country," said Tim Stokes, heading distribution markets for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE).
SCEE has appointed Mumbai-based Milestone Interactive Software to distribute the PS2 and its gaming software for the Indian region.
However, industry analysts said Sony has a tough battle ahead with the grey market, in addition to intense competition from Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and Microsoft's XBox, which are abundantly available in the smuggled goods market.
In addition to playing audio CDs and PSl and PS2 games, the PS2 console can also be used as a DVD video player. But you can playback region 2 DVDs from European countries.
While 200,000 people own PS1 in the country, Sony officials estimate a penetration of 20,000 PS2 across the country. "Majority of them are unsatisfied customers as they end up spending the original PS2 price in the first six months," said Jayant Sharma, chairman of Milestone, which develops as well as distributes third party publishers software including PS1 and PS2 game consoles in India.
Sharma said they did trial runs after buying PS2s from the grey market. "In the first three weeks we had to spend an additional Rs 3,000 to make it work. It is not a good proposition buying in the grey market."
However retailers in Palika Bazaar tell a different story. "We have satisfied customers repeatedly coming to buy PS2 gaming software," said a retailer who sells a dozen PS2 consoles each day.
While gaming prices have been strategically brought down to Rs 1500-Rs 3000 levels by overseas game publishers and distributors in order to capture mind share among the teen buffs, it is available for a couple of hundred bucks in the booming grey market.
Games like Eye Toy, Formula One 2003, Final Fantasy X, Tomb Raider, Lord of the Rings are best sellers this month in India. In general, titles in action, adventure sports, violence and wrestling generate interest in the Indian market.
Milestone plans to set up PS2 kiosks in office and entertainment complexes to market the product.