360 And Halo 3 Push Past the Wii's Sales

GameDaily has the NPD numbers for September, and they're impressive if only because for the first time in months Nintendo isn't dominating the top of every list. Total sales across the industry hit $1.36 billion (a 74% bump over last year), mostly fueled by Halo 3 sales. The game (across all skus) sold some 3.3 million units, while Xbox 360 platforms hit about 528,000 units sold last month. Ironically, the Wii had its second best month ever and the DS sold big numbers thanks to Phantom Hourglass. "Nintendo's Wii, despite not really having any significant new software releases, was close behind with 501K units sold. The DS handheld also did quite well, selling another 495.8K. Looking at Sony's platforms, the PS3 sold just 119.4K units, while the surging PSP sold 284.5K and the PS2 maintained healthy sales at 215K." The piece also offers up analysis from an NPD researcher, who feels Microsoft is likely to maintain some good momentum through the holidays.

Great news for MS!

[machinecraig (657304)]

Sounds like MS can keep their lead as long as they release a Halo-class game every month! If only they had thought of that sooner!

Re:Great news for MS!

[Gravatron (716477)]

Isn't it a bit odd that Sony or MS have to release a major game to increase sales, but nintendo can sell on it's hype alone? I mean, the wii's game drought is worse than Sony's, but they still beat them in sales. And Poor MS can bring out game after game and still not catch up most weeks.

I owned a wii, and sold it a few months later. It just wasn't as good a console as the hype made it out to be. My ps3 and 360, on the other hand, more than paid for themselves since I got them in the summer. Not being able to play galaxy or smash brothers hurts, but thats made up by the titles on the other two.

Re:Great news for MS!

[b96miata (620163)]

Paid for themselves? Are you making money off your consoles?

Re:Great news for MS!

[Burning1 (204959)]

He's counting the money he saved by playing video games rather than going out on dates. ; )

Re:Great news for MS!

[theantipop (803016)]

Have you ever thought maybe the Wii isn't selling on hype alone? That poeple might actually enjoy playing games on it? Sounds crazy, I know, but it's possible.

Re:Great news for MS!

[Frenchy_2001 (659163)]

Could it be that (shock and surprise!) you are not the target market for the wii?

The usual gamers and most people that spend lots of time on video games and expect deep engaging contents are NOT what Nintendo is aiming the wii at. I know it is disappointing for that crowd to not be the focus of the biggest console maker, but this is the choice Nintendo has made this generation: instead of targeting gamers and competing with the other 2, they went for the casual market and brought back gaming as a family activity.

I agree to everything you say on the Wii. It does have a lot of hype and it lacks new games. But this does not takes its qualities away. It is a perfect game for casual gamers. It is the only console where you can get anyone to play with you, from 6 to 80 years old. I've gotten my 6 year old niece to play wii sport (she loves the bowling game) or wii play (she likes fishing) and even my step mother (age 60+) played wii sport with us.

The people buying are not "gamers". They just enjoyed so much wii sport at a friend's house, that they are looking for one for themselves. The wii so far is pretty much a wii sport machine, but most of those people have been brought up on Mario and they will probably take the jump when galaxy is released.

I would not be surprised if the wii trailed the 2 other consoles on software/machine, as the people will really concentrate on a few games only, but this is not a real problem for nintendo, as they are making money on the console itself. 3rd party will need to understand their market to make money (look at ubisoft and rayman), but there will be potential for it.

So, the difficulty of finding a wii is not so much due to the hype than to the viral effect (about 20% coming to play with us at home want to get one afterward). Supply is only now catching up with the demand (a YEAR later!).

Oh, by the way, although MS is doing great sales with Halo3, This might be the only quarter they will get a positive cash flow again (on the xbox1, the quarters they released halo1 and halo2 were the only positive ones). This is the fact that worries me most about MS' future in the game market. So far, it is a money pit for them (about $2 billions per generation).

Re:Great news for MS!

[theantipop (803016)]

Wait, so you ditched you Wii after a few months of ownership and compare it to the PS3 a year after it was released? Maybe you don't like the games available for the Wii (from the ones you listed it sounds like you wouldn't), but to claim there is a game drought or there are no quality games available is ridiculous.

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[aichpvee (631243)]

Shouldn't be too hard, they churn out mediocre games all the time.

Re:Great news for MS!

[ArtDent (83554)]

Seriously. And that's just in America. They'll need to do it every two weeks to win worldwide.

What you just heard was the sound of Microsoft rather unimpressively blowing its load.

They just released what will probably be the biggest game ever on the console (or is there going to be a Halo 4?), and only managed to squeeze past Wii by 27,000 units (about 5%). And this in the 360's strongest territory.

Worldwide, Wii outsold 360 in September, 1,075,000 to 735,000. The 360 managed to hold a lead over Wii for a mere two weeks and is now trailing again.

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[Pojut (1027544)]

I still don't get why everyone's comparing the $2 special, Gen1.5 "Wii" against true "next-gen" (Gen2.0) consoles?

Maybe you are just super-young, or maybe you just aren't as hopelessly nerdy as me, but the Wii/360/PS3 is considered the 7th generation....GC/Xbox/PS2 were considered 6th...

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[Blakey Rat (99501)]

Personally, I think the feature set of the Xbox should put it in the "current generation" (or generation 7 as you call it), rather than the last generation.

Like the other current-gen consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), the Xbox has:
* Integrated storage, no requirement to buy memory cards
* Integrated network connectivity, not a plug-in widget to provide it
* Online service to assist in the hosting of multiplayer games
* Online game-purchasing/download service

The Dreamcast, PS2, and Gamecube had none of those. The X

Re:Great news for MS!

[Blakey Rat (99501)]

Ah, but if they did, your hipster-ism and built-in hatred of anything popular would then force you to hate that game! Then in a few years (once Halo became 'retro' enough to be cool again), you'd decry "too bad the masses latch on to MegaKill and not something so overrated, like Halo." Then you could adjust your tinted glasses and ironic t-shirt and move on to hating popular movies instead.

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[Blakey Rat (99501)]

Halo doesn't deserve its popular status however, thus it is overrated.

On the contrary, I think Halo deserves its popular status if only so that Bungie can be appreciated for what they accomplished with Marathon, a woefully UNDER-rated game.

I still think you're just a typical Slashdot hipster who must hate everything popular/mass media.

The gameplay is stale, the story even more contrived than usual, the graphics always sub-par, etc.

Gameplay: It's so stale, that must be why virtually every other FPS has rippe

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[jma05 (897351)]

> The gameplay is stale

How so? The covenant were some of the most enjoyable enemies to fight. I came to console games after I decided that I played too many FPS, RTS games and wanted to try different genres. Halo is the only shooter I enjoyed on the console since and I probably played it more than any other single shooter on the PC.

I think Halo has fantastic replay value in Solo alone. It can get quite addictive if you give it a chance. I think the constant weapon switching and duck for shield recharging

I doubt the 360 will be ahead.

[webmaster404 (1148909)]

At least here in the US, it is a challenge to find a Wii, most places are sold out of them I have only seen one when I was looking around in tech stores and the discount stores (Wal-Mart etc.) are sold out of them too, 360s are found in almost all of the stores same with Halo 3, lots of boxes, sure the Wii hasn't had a "Killer Hit" yet like the 360 has with Halo 3 but the games that are released are fun to play and with Brawl and Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn coming this winter, I would imagine that Wii sales wi

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[jlf278 (1022347)]

If you really want a Wii for retail and live anywhere near New York City (or know someone who does), Nintendo World in Rockefeller Center rarely runs out of stock.

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[MBGMorden (803437)]

While it is definitely a little difficult to find them (you don't just walk into a store and expect to buy one), it's not really THAT difficult for somebody wanting to buy one. I stop in the local Wal-mart 2-3 times per week during my lunch break just to look around and kill time (small town - not much else to do). 90% of the time I go look around the electronics department for a while, and though the Wii is USUALLY out of stock, in the last few months on 4-5 occasions I've found one (or in one case, 3) u

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[Endo13 (1000782)]

Just an FYI.. the Wii package does in fact come with a Nunchuck controller. The only reason you'd need to buy anything extra is if you need a second controller or want the Classic controller for virtual console games.

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[Zelos (1050172)]

The Wii definitely always shipped with a Nunchuk, your brother must have got a mispackaged console.

Tit for tat...

[Aphrika (756248)]

Figures like this are expendable - just wait until you get the sales figures for Wii vs. 360 after Mario Galaxies is released...

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[Floritard (1058660)]

Not necessarily, if only because of supply shortages. It isn't as hard to find as it used to be, but I still routinely see Wiis sold out at local gameshops. When I ask the clerk out of curiousity (I have one already), they often give me the "we get shipments on x-days and y-days, try and be here when the store opens" reply. If Mario Galaxies sparks any interest at all, the supply ceiling will be hit again in no time.

All that said, as a Wii owner I am starting to get a little apprehensive about the future

Apples and Oranges

[Akaihiryuu (786040)]

So they compare a month in which the 360 had a "big" game released and the Wii didn't have any major releases, and saying that the 360 sold more than the Wii in that particular month is news somehow? Plus, the Wii is still having supply issues (at least in the US)...for the most part you still can't go into a store and pick one up off the shelf, whereas there are piles of 360's everywhere, this has to play a part too.

The Real Story

[Applekid (993327)]

360 surpassing Wii by only a couple dozen thousand units isn't nearly as interesting as the 360 outselling the PS3 5:1. Sony's gotta be hurtin'.

Now, if Smash Bros. and Mario Kart weren't pushed back, and if Wii wasn't in such short supply, I wonder if the 360 would keep it's lead. Either way, can the 360 sustain the current lead for the next 3 months?

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[elrous0 (869638)]

the PS3 had no major releases

That pretty much sums up the PS3's entire first year

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[elrous0 (869638)]

n the other hand the PS3 has reached very little toward market saturation as its current 5 million units is less than 5% of the reasonable expectation,

Uh, you think the PS3 selling over 100 million units is a "reasonable expectation?" Are you on frakkin drugs?

Halo 3 move 3.3 million units

[brokeninside (34168)]

That's quite a few units. If I remember the numbers correctly, the latest version of Madden didn't sell that many units across all of the platforms its on the first month hit was out. It looks like about 1 out of 3 XBox 360 owners purchased Halo 3.

MS vs Wii

[ObiWanStevobi (1030352)]

I still fail to see how MS or PS3 are competing against the Wii. Maybe the fact that they all play games, but MS and Sony are the two really competing for a similar market.

Anyway, Halo was huge for the Xbox and will continue to push sales for a while. The downside of this seems to be that alot of other really good games are being drowned out. The Orange Box hit the 360 with very little fanfare and poor marketing, despite being one of the best collection of games I've ever seen. In November, Assassins Creed, Blacksite, and Mass Effect will be released. Although Blacksite initially looked really good, I can't see buying it now that I have Halo 3 and 3 updated Half Life titles.

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[Liquidrage (640463)]

The 360's greatest selling point is Live.

While it's often dissed here. Live is truely fantastic and next-gen in service and application.

I can download movies, TV shows, new games, demos (free), trailers for upcoming games. If it weren't for the fact I'm a sports junkie it would be cheaper for me to ditch digital cable and only download my shows and movies off of XBL.
I can keep track of my friends, invite them to games or get invited into their games. It keeps track of achievements and a lot more.

I

Re:MS vs Wii

[IamTheRealMike (537420)]

Yes, it's DRM on subscription, but solving that problem is really outside Microsofts scope. Believe me, NO software company wants to waste time writing and defending DRM software. They do it because the alternative is not being able to sell stuff, and in some cases (like video games) there is no equivalent of the open source model to fill in the gaps with alternative revenue streams.

Seriously. DRM is just a time and money sink. It's necessary because it pays for itself many times over, when done correctly (note: a cracked drm that requires exotic and annoying workarounds will still fulfil its goal). If everybody could be trusted to buy the things they use, it wouldn't be necessary, and the time spent on it would be spent on improving the product instead. But we don't live in such a world.

If we had an economic model in which anybody could copy to their hearts content, and the content creators still got paid commensurate to their products popularity - then you wouldn't need DRM. But it's pretty hard to imagine how that'd work.

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[PlatyPaul (690601)]

Well, where I live [rochester.ny.us] it's still extremely hard to find Wiis around. That said, I managed to buy 2 in the past 2 weeks (one for a friend, and one for my parents), but only by physically visiting dozens of stores (and, accordingly, learning from the stock staff when their typical shipments arrive). I still think I got lucky on it, too.

I expect that it will become impossible again when Mario Galaxy drops. I'm still wondering if I should preorder that one to make sure I get a copy....

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[aesiamun (862627)]

I've had really good luck with Target in Greece and Target in Irondequoit. I bought 4 in one day between those two stores. I have family on the other side of the state and it's even more difficult to find them there...

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[PlatyPaul (690601)]

Well, if you need more, the Target by Marketplace Mall gets shipments early on Sunday mornings and is typically stocked by around 11AM. Cheers!

Re:I wonder...

[sho222 (834270)]

but I wonder if the Wii's availability is playing into effect of how hard the system is to find?

Did you think about that statement before writing it?

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[ZiakII (829432)]

Did you think about that statement before writing it?

Sadly I reread it twice and it seemed to make sense in my tired little head......

slightly off-topic... but have any one who quit smoking have problems sleeping when they quit? (going cold turkey)

Re:

[Pojut (1027544)]

I didn't...but I switched from smoking one substance (which is legal but shouldn't be) to smoking a different substance (which is illegal but shouldn't be)

How long since the quit?

[BitterAndDrunk (799378)]

If it's the first few days, yeah, you'll have that.
Your body's going through withdrawal symptoms and keeping you awake.

Your sleep should return to normalcy in a week or so.

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[jimstapleton (999106)]

I bought mine two or three months ago. At the time, I wasn't seriously trying to get it, I just figured if I stopped in a store and if they had one, I might buy it. I think I ended up going through three or four EB/GameStops and Targets (don't laugh... too hard) before I saw one. I thought for a few, and figured since they were non-trivial (not quite hard mind you) to find, I'd get it.

They aren't hard to find, you just have to do a bit of leg work.

Re:I wonder...

[rizzo420 (136707)]

yes, people are still having a hard time finding it. none of the stores i've been in have it around here (target, walmart, best buy, etc). i don't shop at places like eb games or gamestop very often, so i don't know about them.

i assume when you said

but I wonder if the Wii's availability is playing into effect of how hard the system is to find?

that you meant "is the wii's popularity playing into effect of how hard it is to find?" the answer to that question is an obvious "yes". the wii is loved by the elderly, the young, the middle aged, the hard core gamer, the casual gamer, while the 360 and PS3 are mostly for people looking for good graphics and games like halo 3.

i was surprised to see that the PS2 had better sales than the PS3. that should say a lot to sony.

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[Jarjarthejedi (996957)]

I always ask myself when I see these questions where in the world the people asking them are. Over here in the SW I could right now leave my house and drive down to one of my local gamestops (there are 3) and buy a Wii, all three have them in stock (or at least had at the time Halo 3 came out when I last visited them). Best Buy has had them on the shelves since around April, Circuit City had them last time I went there (over the summer). There's no shortage of Wii's where I am, so I'm always curious that th

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[Endo13 (1000782)]

That looks like a really nice VR you're living in. Now all you need to do is find some way to make the GSOD show up later rather than sooner. Best of luck.

Re:Microsoft will win next generation

[spxero (782496)]

Wow.... just wow. The Wii's success is a blessing? I would say that's more of a curse, as Nintendo is not only making money on software sales, but on hardware sales as well. How much money is the 360 bringing in? Not as much, seeing as how the 360 is not going to be profitable until 2008. [gamedaily.com] (And this is despite shipping and selling almost a year ahead of time)

And with 8.19 Million units sold [wikipedia.org] vs. the 360's 6.72 million units sold [wikipedia.org] I think it's a little easier to tell who the winner is.

Console mods for the 360 may be successful, but they're also being blocked [news.com] from the main reason for having a 360.


I hate responding to trolls like you, but come-freaking-on. Does it hurt to lie through your teeth like that?

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[JeremyGNJ (1102465)]

Microsoft is good, excellant....maybe even the BEST at defeating a known business opponent. What they're NOT good at is emerging into new markets on their own.

The Wii is a blessing because it gives Microsoft someone to beat. Not only that, but a competitor OTHER than Sony. If it were not for the success of the Wii, the Sony would have continued it's dominance of the console market, and Microsoft would have still been "number 2 of 2".

Now they're "number 2 of 3", with their previous opponent behind t

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[ivan256 (17499)]

The game isn't over yet, and the PS3 isn't all that far behind the 360...

If this generation should tell Microsoft anything, it should be that beating the PS3 with the 360 doesn't guarantee them beating the PS4 with the Xbox3.

My prediction for the next generation? We won't know who's going to win it until at least 18 months after the last gen-8 console is released. Hell, we're not even going to know who wins *this* generation until well into 2008. Can Nintendo hold on as the leader when HDTV adoption increas

Re:Microsoft will win next generation

[yanos (633109)]

...and a new one who isnt used to playing in the big leagues.

We're not talking about the same Nintendo, me thinks.

Re:Nintendo will win next generation

[2nd Post! (213333)]

You forget one crucial component:
Nintendo will have the $249 next gen HD capable console (that will also be profitable) and compatible with the Wii and it's extensive install base.
Nintendo will continue to have MORE ideas, and will poach the great ones from Microsoft as well.

You think Microsoft will win because they can copy Nintendo?
That's like saying Microsoft's Zune will win because they copied the iPod... and then the iPod Touch gets released. Oops.

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[JeremyGNJ (1102465)]

I'm hardly a shill, i dont even own a console except for the Wii that my wife and daughter mostly play with. I'm into more complicated PC games.

I understand your point about the mods being done because "they have to be", but that's what techies like. To modify stuff to suit their needs. If you gave a techie two machines, one that did EVERYTHING, but they didnt like the UI, and one that lacked features (but could be modified to have them) and a nice interface.....they would chose the later. They (we)

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[Seakip18 (1106315)]

Disclaimer: I actually have an Xbox360 in my living room right next to a gamecube...RE:4 ftw.

By that same logic, shouldn't Vista be a dominating force then? I don't mean to be rude, it's just that I think your overestimating Microsoft's ability to listen and change.

Since you stated in your example, Microsoft by no means wants you to mess with their stuff. If that were so, then why are not seeing more third-party controllers for the Xbox 360? I mean, currently, $45 dollars for a wireless controller? I'm not

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[zsouthboy (1136757)]

We're going through puberty, you insensitive clod!

Re:Wow so

[Endo13 (1000782)]

the ps2 is outselling the ps3 at almost 2:1? Wouldn't this be like the gamecube outselling the wii or the xbox outselling the xbox360?

Yeah.

And nobody thinks that's slightly odd for Sony?

Not really. Everyone's used to it by now. Been that way since about the second month after launch.

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[paranode (671698)]

PS2 is still the most played game console and has an immense library of games to choose from. There is a very large market for affordable game systems with fun games. This is why the Wii is dominating right now. The PS3 suffers from a smaller selection of good games and the price being too high for all but the serious gamer.