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July NPDs Show PS3 Didn't Pull Ahead of 360 161

Posted by Zonk from the guess-who-still-has-first-place dept.
Despite last month's price drop, Sony's PlayStation 3 console just couldn't pull ahead of the Microsoft Xbox 360. Both, according to the latest NPD results, are still dwarfed by the continued domination of Nintendo's Wii console. 1up has the numbers for July: 'PlayStation 2 - 222k, PlayStation 3 - 159k, PSP - 214k, Xbox 360 - 170k, Wii - 425k, Nintendo DS - 405k, Game Boy Advance -- 87k.' For further commentary we can turn to Gamasutra, which offers a further breakdown on the numbers and some big picture perspective for this year: "Total industry revenue for 2007 presently stands at $7.0 billion. If there is no year-on-year growth for any month until the end of 2007, then the industry will finish the year with $14.5 billion in revenue, an increase in 16% over 2006. That's a reasonably pessimistic scenario ... If we start with our current $7.0 billion as of the end of July and continue at a rate of 40% growth through the end of the year, then we arrive at a total of $17.5 billion for all of 2007 ... If Wii supply constraints are eased, Halo 3 sells as well as expected, Sony's first-party software attracts more PS3 buyers, and Rock Band and Guitar Hero III are both hits, it seems likely that revenues may go above $18 billion. In this optimistic scenario, industry revenues during the single month of December 2007 would equal or surpass the total annual revenue from all of 1997."
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July NPDs Show PS3 Didn't Pull Ahead of 360 More

July NPDs Show PS3 Didn't Pull Ahead of 360

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  • More telling... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by faloi ( 738831 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @10:15AM (#20383593)
    Apparently PS3 can't pull ahead of PS2, much less competitors products.
    • That's hardly telling at all. The original Playstation outsold the PS2 for quite a while, too, yet the PS2 is still the console to beat (in terms of total sales).

      The Wii might make it, as it *is* strangely fun, kind of like the NES when it was first introduced.

      I think everyone is counting out the PS3 *way* too early. It's a damned good console, with a lot of room to grow, both in size of games (Bluray) and in technical ability (CBE).

      Plus, Ratchet & Clank will be out for it in October. I can't wait. (R

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by LKM ( 227954 )
        Well, the worrying thing is that if you compare sales aligned to launch dates, the PS3 is actually losing ground to the 360... Of course, the PS3 doesn't have any good games and the 360 has tons of them, so some good games might yet change that.

        And of course, the Wii is pulling ahead like nobody' business. It has already overtaken the 360 in worldwide sales and will probably own more of the market than the 360 and PS3 combined within a few months.

  • Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @10:21AM (#20383665)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • I called it [slashdot.org] and pretty much anyone who wasn't a self-professed "hard core gamer" did too.

      My vote is for Wii, PS2 then xbox 360. The PS2 is a good console, well established with lots of available games and, thanks to the PS3, is now dirt cheap. They're going for £70 in the shops here, which might not be cheap by American standards, but is still half the price it used to be before the PS3 came out.

      In addition, if you don't own a HDTV then I don't really see the point in picking up a P

    • Re:And this will not change (Score:5, Insightful)

      by PixelScuba ( 686633 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @11:22AM (#20384465)
      the Wii is genuinely more interesting and has more scope for games development than either

      I know this is slashdot and all... but this is PURELY subjective. I hear this ALL the time... the Wii has oh so much potential... but I have yet to really experience it. I bought a Wii because I saw one in a store and picked it up for a friend. He didn't want it and it has sat in its box in my room since June... unopened. Absolutely I see products for the Wii that look fun... Metroid Prime 3, Zelda, SSBB... but there aren't a lot. Moving the wiimote around and setting it on my head is not what I personally call "more scope for game development". I actually enjoyed Twilight princess for Gamecube more because it was easier to use a controller than the wiimote.

      I can't understand why the Wii is flying off shelves so fast... there really aren't many good reasons to have one at this time... my only guess is that it has that "Oh so sweet" factor that everyone is buying into. I know many are excited about the wii... but I would LOVE to stop hearing people declare the Wii a revolution and the new breakthrough in gaming that will usher in a new era of interactivity. I just haven't seen it... and the blockbuster titles for the Wii could have easily been done on the other consoles. The Wii certainly has fun titles... but could I please stop hearing how it will revolutionize gaming? At best, it will be a companion to traditional controller gameplay.

      • Re:And this will not change (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Turken ( 139591 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @12:05PM (#20385213)

        I can't understand why the Wii is flying off shelves so fast... there really aren't many good reasons to have one at this time... my only guess is that it has that "Oh so sweet" factor that everyone is buying into. I know many are excited about the wii... but I would LOVE to stop hearing people declare the Wii a revolution and the new breakthrough in gaming that will usher in a new era of interactivity. I just haven't seen it...


        It's pretty simple to explain why you don't understand the Wii's success and can't see the new era it has brought in. You're a gamer. You already know how to use a controller and you already know what you like and don't like. The Wii, however, was designed from the ground up for people who are either not already gamers, or are "burned out" gamers looking for something completely different. Old gamers see value in paying more for HD graphics. Non-gamers (or new-gamers) are more concerned about dropping a lot of money on something they are not sure that they will use regularly.

        The wiimote is a success not because the motion controls are more immersive than a traditional controller, but because it is simpler to understand and less intimidating than a two-fisted "thing" covered in buttons and knobs. Also, the simpler controls allow for a wider range of ages to play together, providing more incentive for families to choose the Wii over the other "traditional" consoles. Again, lowering the barrier to entry for people who would otherwise never consider buying or playing games.

        In my personal experience, this approach by Nintendo is paying off. My sister-in-law is not a gamer, yet she bought a wii for her family. Then she went and got several of HER friends to buy wiis for their families. For most of her friends, the wii is their first game console ever. Nintendo realized that selling video games to the untapped soccer-mom crowd has so much more potential than selling to the highly competitive and highly critical established-gamer crowd.

        So, yeah, you don't get it, but that's okay. Someday you'll have a job and a family and then you'll realize the value of having a system that everyone can understand, that everyone can play together, and doesn't require a large investment in time or money.

        • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

          by Anonymous Coward
          You know, I have a Wii, and I like it, but you're such a condescending prick I feel like getting rid of it just so I'm not in agreement with you. Maybe someday when you've moved beyond your petty "job and a family" line, you'll understand.

          • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

            by Turken ( 139591 )
            Heh. Petty as the "job and a family" line may be, you'll be amazed at how your perspective on life changes once you get one. Although given your current attitude towards work and family, I feel sorry for anyone considering you for their future. Doubly so for anyone that depends on you now.

            But moving beyond the pointless personal attacks... the fact still remains that Nintendo is selling boatloads of their products because they alone were able to break out of the "hardcore" microcosm that the gaming commun
      • I actually enjoyed Twilight princess for Gamecube more because it was easier to use a controller than the wiimote.

        Okay, granted I've only played Wind Waker and Ocarina with the 'Cube controller, but from all accounts the control system of Twilight for the GC is basically the same as those two games... and I have to say I formed a firm and completely opposite opinion the very second I acquired the slingshot. It is so vastly superior to the old control system that just thinking about going back to the old an

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by _xeno_ ( 155264 )

          What was it you didn't like? Waving the wand to swing your sword instead of hitting A?

          Personally, I hated that. The aiming system was a great improvement, but let's be honest: most of the time, you're Z-targeting, making the ease of aiming almost entirely irrelevant. Having to shake the controller to swing the sword was just plain annoying. Not annoying enough to prevent me from playing through the game, but annoying none-the-less.

          Honestly, I'm interested to see what Metroid Prime 3 does. It's got some interesting control options that I can't wait to try out.

          • Personally, I hated that. The aiming system was a great improvement, but let's be honest: most of the time, you're Z-targeting, making the ease of aiming almost entirely irrelevant. Having to shake the controller to swing the sword was just plain annoying. Not annoying enough to prevent me from playing through the game, but annoying none-the-less.

            Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that Zelda, being a GC game originally, is not a great showcase for the wiimote's potential as an essential gameplay element. Yet

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by rjung2k ( 576317 )
        "The Wii certainly has fun titles... but could I please stop hearing how it will revolutionize gaming?"

        It took several years for developers to warm up to the Nintendo DS, but we're finally starting to see games that couldn't have been done with previous systems.

        I expect a similar pattern for the Wii remote, as developers slowly migrate from "how can we shoehorn existing controls into this" and go into "How can we do something original with this?" OTOH, I expect the migration period to be shorter than that f

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by LKM ( 227954 )

        I can't understand why the Wii is flying off shelves so fast... there really aren't many good reasons to have one at this time...

        Have you even tried games like Mario Party 8 (which, strangely, got bad reviews, but is the most fun I've had in years), Super Paper Mario, the Wii version of Resi 4, Madden, Trauma Center, Mario Strikers, The Godfather (best version of the game), Rayman, Elebits, Excite Truck or Super Monkey Ball?

        There are a lot of great games on the Wii that could not be done on any other cons

      • Maybe it's me, but it seems mostly designed to sell to the gullible, parents, and the elderly.

        Why those three groups?

        1) Gullible people think that having a motion sensing controller is a revolutionary advance that will force great new games to be created.
        2) Parents want:
        a) their children to get exercise, the Wii at least gets them moving around while they play video games (or more than before)
        b) games they can play for extremely short times because they have kids instead of tim

    • I'm really starting to wonder about the Wii (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Sycraft-fu ( 314770 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @11:49AM (#20384909)
      My roommate got one last week and thus far I have to say if this is what they have to offer, they are in trouble in the long run. The controller is interesting, but I don't know that I'd call it any better. It has it's pluses and minuses over a normal controller. However the magic next generation of input it is not, at least not in my experience.

      Also it seems extremely gimmicky in relation to the controller. Two of the mostly highly rated games, Wii Sports and Wario Ware Smooth Moves just aren't all that IMO. Wii sports is neat, and is fine for a little sports game, but I don't see anything special.

      Take the tennis game for example. Yes, you swing the Wiimote rather than pressing a button, but that's all you are doing in effect. It doesn't measure the angle you swing at or anything, it is just timing. You hit at the right time and you get the ball to go where you want. This is the same thing you did with an older, button pressing style game, just using a different action. Interesting, but not something that really changes how games are played.

      Likewise Wario Ware seems like nothing but a giant controller gimmick. You do tons of rapid fire mini games (about 3 seconds a piece) that involve just figuring out what kind of motion they want you to make with the controller. You do it right, you win, do it wrong you lose. These are punctuated by extremely strange sound effects and visuals. Regardless, it doesn't seem like any real attempt to use the controller in an innovate way, just various gimmicks.

      If that's the kind of thing they have to offer, I don't see it as having a lot of staying power. It's got the "Ooooo nifty," factor combined with a good price that gets people to look at it now, but I don't see that as being what people will keep going for in the long run.

      We'll see where it goes from here, but thus far I don't see it really capturing the imagination, more I see it just putting out some silly gimmicks that people find fun. Nothing wrong with that, stupid fun is good fun, but that isn't the kind of thing that is likely to keep it going solid in the long run. After all, there's only so many controller gimmicks you can try before it gets old. What will sell me is when I see a good game that uses the controller to really enhance the experience. Something where I go "Nope, couldn't see this working well on a pad/mouse/keyboard/joystick/whatever." So far, I haven't seen that. Haven't had a change to play a whole lot of games yet but other than the gimmick games, the others seem to be using the controller but only as you'd use any other. Zelda looks like a great game, but the controller adds nothing really. I find myself wishing I could hook up a mouse and keyboard as that would be easier to control in my opinion.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by trdrstv ( 986999 )

        Take the tennis game for example. Yes, you swing the Wiimote rather than pressing a button, but that's all you are doing in effect. It doesn't measure the angle you swing at or anything, it is just timing. You hit at the right time and you get the ball to go where you want. This is the same thing you did with an older, button pressing style game, just using a different action.

        Timing is important,yes, but so is your angle and how you manipulate the remote. You can pinpoint where you want the ball to go t

      • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

        by Quila ( 201335 )
        I can't play FPS games with a joystick anymore. Being able to accurately point and shoot, and being intuitively separated from movement with the nunchuck, the Wii remote has ruined it for me.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by macshome ( 818789 )

        Likewise Wario Ware seems like nothing but a giant controller gimmick. You do tons of rapid fire mini games (about 3 seconds a piece) that involve just figuring out what kind of motion they want you to make with the controller. You do it right, you win, do it wrong you lose. These are punctuated by extremely strange sound effects and visuals. Regardless, it doesn't seem like any real attempt to use the controller in an innovate way, just various gimmicks.

        I'm assuming you've never played any of the other WarioWare games. They all play like that with the respective controllers of each system. It's nothing new to the Wii.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by 222 ( 551054 )

        Also it seems extremely gimmicky in relation to the controller. Two of the mostly highly rated games, Wii Sports and Wario Ware Smooth Moves just aren't all that IMO. Wii sports is neat, and is fine for a little sports game, but I don't see anything special.

        You're fairly unique in this respect, as Wii Sports isn't a pack-in in Japan, and it continues to sell well (36k as of the last week reported). At any rate, maybe it just isn't your cup of tea. I've enjoyed both titles immensely, and both are very group friendly. These are the kind of titles you pull out at parties, etc.

        Take the tennis game for example. Yes, you swing the Wiimote rather than pressing a button, but that's all you are doing in effect. It doesn't measure the angle you swing at or anything, it is just timing. You hit at the right time and you get the ball to go where you want. This is the same thing you did with an older, button pressing style game, just using a different action. Interesting, but not something that really changes how games are played.

        This is incorrect. It's not really your style of game, so I can see you not spending enough time to become more familiar with it, but here are some tips I pulled off an online for

      • Warioware -- I've played it and enjoyed it.

        It struck me that the developers at Nintendo were using it as a platform to figure out control-scheme/scenarios that can be used in other games. Players who had this game early in the console's lifetime would, as a result, also be more prepared for future games if they used "strange" control mechanics.

        Makes a ton of sense to me (fun game too). It made me go get the DS version.

        Offtopic: Playing WarioWare got me thinking; there were mini games in which your hand moti

      • Yes, you swing the Wiimote rather than pressing a button, but that's all you are doing in effect. It doesn't measure the angle you swing at or anything, it is just timing.
        A few other people have pointed out that this is incorrect, but I thought I'd mention that the easiest way to demonstrate that this is not the case is to try hitting a shot that should be backhand with a forehand swing, or vice versa. You'll find that the ball will most likely go out of bounds.

      • I think the issues you're having with the Wii can easily be attributed to a surprising lack of knowledge and/or experience. For example, you wrote:

        Take the tennis game for example. Yes, you swing the Wiimote rather than pressing a button, but that's all you are doing in effect. It doesn't measure the angle you swing at or anything, it is just timing.

        This is blatantly wrong. You can use your remote to slice the ball to the left or the right, and you can even do stopballs. It takes a bit of practise, but

    • Not really (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Tony ( 765 )
      There are two important things that set the PS3 above the 360: Bluray and processing power.

      The Bluray is an absolute win. It's not about HD video-- it's about game content. As it is, media-heavy games eat up a lot of space, and game manufacturers are already compressing textures and dropping the size of their levels just to squeeze everything onto a DVD. Bluray allows for better textures and bigger worlds. Game designers no longer have to worry about the DVD limit.

      The processing power is a double-edged swor

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
        Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • I'm finding this so improbable I'm having difficulty believing anyone would raise this. HD games, written for the PC, have been out for over a decade, and now nearly 10Gb is being seen as something unbearably low capacity?

          I think the situation is different for console games, as they duplicate data so that the slow seek times of optical media aren't as big a problem. PS3 games can be installed to its hard drive, which ironically means the Bluray may not be as necessary, but it may mean that xbox 360 games a
    • As Tony points out in another reply to your post, the 360 is not virtually the same as a PS3, especially as this generation of systems ages. Unless Microsoft is planning (as another poster commented) an Xbox 3.11 in the very near future (and screwing over 360 owners by discontinuing it as a platform), the PS3 will slowly pull ahead as more and more new game creators want the additional space afforded by blu-ray disc storage.

      Sure, lots of good games fit on a DVD, God of War is one of them, but a lot of game

  • Games on the 360 are great. Console sucks. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by maynard ( 3337 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @10:23AM (#20383685) Journal
    My 2nd 360 just died. First one shit the bed within 30 minutes of opening the box. Second one lasted about eight months of light use. This time it was the DVD-ROM drive that died.

    I can recommend the 360 as an amazing game machine. But it's hard to recommend it as a piece of hardware. I also have a PS3, which I've used for almost nothing more than playing BD movies. Definitely a better hardware and case design. If I were a heavy gamer though, I'd still probably prefer the 360.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Aladrin ( 926209 )
      I feel the same way. As far as number of games, and comfort of the controller, the 360 wins hands-down. When it comes to reliability and 'will I get to finish playing this game?' the PS3 wins.

      Almost everyone I've talked to that has a 360 has said they've been been through multiple boxes. I haven't, but I don't play long hours at a time and I have a fan blowing air across it all the time. I no longer wonder IF my 360 will die, but when. And the replacement box will have the same problem.

      The PS3... I re
    • Microsoft 360 fan boys suck. Seriously, you're worse than Apple fan boys if you think that is a TROLL post.

  • Interesting spin.... (Score:2, Informative)

    by ivan256 ( 17499 )
    This summary has some interesting spin.

    To me there are really two interesting things that happened with recent sales numbers:

    First: The Wii took the over the overall marketshare lead for this generation. [vgchartz.com]

    Second: The PS3 almost pulled even in July in the US, but pulled ahead of the 360 into second place [vgchartz.com] by almost 2x if you take worldwide sales into account.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ivan256 ( 17499 )
      Er... That second point was supposed to specify that it was second place in monthly sales, but I seem to have managed to lose that bit when I added the links. Clearly it has a long way to go to get to second place in overall sales.

  • Not surprising. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MeanderingMind ( 884641 ) * on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @10:59AM (#20384125) Homepage Journal
    I'm not particularly surprised the PS3 failed to outsell the 360 in North America. While the price cut represented an increase in value it didn't represent a decrease in the minimum amount of money to spend. I'm not an expert, but I'd attribute the increase in PS3 sales to people buying the system for the added value, and the failure to surpass the 360 to the non-interest of people who want/need to spend less money on a console.

    If the Wii has passed the 360 worldwide then the next, and possibly last, major milestone will be to beat the 360 on its home turf. Being #1 on a region by region basis as well as worldwide would be indisputable proof of the Wii's dominance.

    As it stands, Microsoft and Sony are both in similar situations. They need to take action, or concede this generation to their competitors. Microsoft can, at least, weasel their way out of it by bringing back Nintendo's line that they "aren't competing". It's a cop out, but that's Microsoft.

    Despite the insufficient sales boost from the price cut, I am anticipating a resurgence of sorts from Sony. Maybe I'm ignorant, but for the non-FPS inclined population there are few interesting titles coming out for the 360 in the relatively near future. Sony may not be much better, but I get the feeling that they're paying better attention than Microsoft.

    Microsoft's answer to the Wii appears to be that Viva Pinata party game/mini-game collection. To me, looks like a clear case of missing the point. The Wii isn't successful because of games like Wario Ware, Rayman and the like. Attempting to duplicate their success in this manner is foolhardy. Sony, at least, appears to have a better inkling of what's going on. LittleBigPlanet is a large step in the right direction, even if it is the only step we can see for now.

    I don't expect the current patterns to continue without change. Halo 3 will represent a change in 360 sales, as will SSB: Brawl for the Wii. Personally I'd rather like to see the patterns be more volatile. It's not that interesting when within a year of the generation the outcome is obvious.

    • If the Wii has passed the 360 worldwide then the next, and possibly last, major milestone will be to beat the 360 on its home turf. Being #1 on a region by region basis as well as worldwide would be indisputable proof of the Wii's dominance.

      No, actually the next milestone for the Wii will be to pass the 360 in Europe, Canada, and Australia (the 360 is still leading in all of those regions, but the lead is reasonably narrow ...unlike the US where the 360 nearly doubles the Wii still--source Neogaf [neogaf.com]).

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by brkello ( 642429 )
      No, at this point, the real challenge will be if the Wii will be able to beat the PS2 in overall sales.

      Also, with Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata coming out this month for the 360...there is plenty to look forward to. What good RPGs are coming out on the Wii?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Kjella ( 173770 )
      As it stands, Microsoft and Sony are both in similar situations. They need to take action, or concede this generation to their competitors. Microsoft can, at least, weasel their way out of it by bringing back Nintendo's line that they "aren't competing". It's a cop out, but that's Microsoft.

      Which is about as useful to say to the rafter half-way downstream that he should have a different boat. The 360 and even more the PS3 are expensive, high definition gaming machines with complex controllers (though I admi
  • Remember before the systems went to market? When a lot of folks here and elsewhere were predicting that Nintendo would do much better than any of the analysts gave them credit for? When all the analysts were talking about how Sony would continue on with its PS2 domination?

    Nintendo: 917,000
    Everyone Else: 765,000

    If we want to fight the crack problem in America, I think we should start with the analysts. Them and the local weather dudes.

    • Well, to be fair, analysts are backward-looking. They look at what happened before as a predictor of what happens next, but the whole success of the Wii comes from doing something different and expanding the market. I don't think even Nintendo expected to be #1; thus the "we're not competing" line.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by G Fab ( 1142219 )
      No, I don't remember that.

      In fact,I think most analysts expected the PS3 to be bloated and expensive and fail because so many gamers lack the disposable income for a 1080p PS3 type system. Everybody knew the PS3 was a waste of money. Even Sony had to make apologias for it.

      Anyway, these numbers are wrong. Sony is so strong in Europe that to not count that section is probably just an attempt to hype the XBOX (on Slashdot? Never!!!)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by LKM ( 227954 )

        In fact,I think most analysts expected the PS3 to be bloated and expensive and fail because so many gamers lack the disposable income for a 1080p PS3 type system. Everybody knew the PS3 was a waste of money. Even Sony had to make apologias for it.

        That's strange. I must accidentally have landed in bizzarro universe during my last wormhole experiment.

        Before the E3 where gamers got to actually play with the Wii, everyone was counting Nintendo out. And even afterwards, people tended to think that Sony would win. Analysts, especially.

  • PS3 doing badly? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by the_skywise ( 189793 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @11:35AM (#20384605)
    The PS3 is nearly even in sales with the more established XBox360 and has 0 must-have exclusive hit titles.

    I've got both and when I see my XBox360 I think: Bioshock, Geometry Wars (@#W(!!! I will get the survive million achievement), and soon Halo 3.

    I see my PS3 and think... Blu-Ray...

    And it still sells nearly as many units as an XBox360? Any company would kill for that.
    • What does sony have that's going to compete with Halo 3? (or even Metroid Prime 3? Hell, even Mario Strikers? ) Playstation Home? LittleBigPlanet and Killzone are the only great exclusives I see on the horizon, and both of those aren't shipping until February.

      If blu-ray is the only thing going for them, the Paramount/Dreamworks Deal and Halo 3 could end this fight this holiday season. 3rd place with a huge loss on every console sold is a bad place to be.
      • Some of the near-term PS3 exclusives:

        Lair, Warhawk, Drake's Quest, Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Heavenly Sword all of which are either out now, or due out over the next month or two (those are just the titles off the top of my head, I'm sure there are a few more).

        There are also a few PSN games (similar to Live! Acade), such as Super Stardust HD, and Calling All Cars, which are already out and have been helping build quite a following. The only problem with most on-line distributed games

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Osty ( 16825 )

      The PS3 is nearly even in sales with the more established XBox360 and has 0 must-have exclusive hit titles

      The PS3 was nearly even in sales for one month (July) which also saw a "price cut" (really a closeout price). Xbox 360 saw a price cut this month (an actual price cut, not a phasing out of a version of the console), so we'll have to wait and see what the August numbers look like. The 360 also had several big games this month (Bioshock and Madden08 -- say what you will about people buying the same gam

      • The PS3 was nearly even in sales for one month (July) which also saw a "price cut" (really a closeout price). Xbox 360 saw a price cut this month (an actual price cut, not a phasing out of a version of the console), so we'll have to wait and see what the August numbers look like. The 360 also had several big games this month (Bioshock and Madden08 -- say what you will about people buying the same game year over year, but Madden is a huge system seller), and the Halo 3 madness is already gearing up which sh

        • There are simply more (and better) games on the 360.


          That's my point. There are more (and better) games on the 360 NOW... and still the PS3 is keeping pace.
    • The numbers from NPD are for July, while X360 price cut and new games (BioShock/Madden) were only launched in August. That means that the PS3 increased numbers due to the price drop were not being compared with similar increases in X360 number due to price cuts. Additionally, almost anyone still waiting for the X360 console would have expected to get a price cut sometime soon following the PS3 price cut. That would delay the sales for July in favor of August sales.

  • I don't think console sales are the full story (Score:3, Insightful)

    by wooden pickle ( 1006975 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @12:22PM (#20385539)
    Nintendo systems are kicking butt. That's awesome. I love my Wii (that's what she said) and my DS, and I have a bit of a soft spot in my heart for Nintendo from my younger days. They're responsible for my favorite games growing up. But I don't think those console sales numbers tell the full story. At least not yet. There really does seem to be separate casual and hardcore markets right now. The question is which one is bigger. Out of the 5 people I know who own a Wii, I'm the only one with more than 3 games for it. Everyone else just has Wii Sports, Wii Play, and maybe one of Mario Party/Elebits/Excite Truck. I haven't seen comprehensive numbers, but I suspect that Wii owners buy less software than PS3/360 owners. Look at the monthly sales in the article. Number 1 is NCAA 08 for the 360 (pissed they didn't make a Wii version). I'll be VERY interested to see what Madden sales are next month. Part of that theory is that I think many Wii owners bought the system as an electronic board game. To play Wii Sports and so forth with their friends. They're content with 2 or 3 such games. The hardcore crowd is instead going to buy at least 1-2 immersive, live-in-the-basement-and-eat-Hot-Pockets-type games per month. And arguably, Wii just now finally got its second such must-have title today in Metroid. I thought it was telling that my Gamestops didn't do midnight openings for Metroid. I just think there's more nerdgasm going on for games like Bioshock, Crysis, Blue Dragon, and the next WoW expansion. And I think those are the folks that are gonna spend the money. I'm not going to be surprised if Wii console sales double up on everyone else this generation. But I'm also not going to be surprised if Wii software sales are eclipsed by sales for PS3/360.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by rjung2k ( 576317 )
      "Out of the 5 people I know who own a Wii, I'm the only one with more than 3 games for it. Everyone else just has Wii Sports, Wii Play, and maybe one of Mario Party/Elebits/Excite Truck. I haven't seen comprehensive numbers, but I suspect that Wii owners buy less software than PS3/360 owners."

      That doesn't explain why Wii software (from first and third parties) continue to sell well. Last I looked, the attach rate for the Wii is comparable to that of the XBox 360. Maybe you just have a bad sample.

      (Me? Got
    • Not so sure about that. From VGChartz post [vgchartz.com].

      In US/NA, attach ratios are:
      X360: 6.16
      Wii: 4.29 (including Wii Sports + Wii Play)
      PS3: 3.54

      Japan its:
      X360: 3.57
      Wii: 2.54
      PS3: 1.67

      And the 360 has a extra year of games for people to choose from. While I do agree there are people who only have a few Wii games there are always a group of people who only buy a few games per console. I know plenty of people with a PS2 and only have Madden, GTA3 and maybe another game or two. Same for XBox Halo 1/2 and another

  • The reality is, no matter how much Sony or Microsoft try to spin it, is that consumers will not be buying next gen consoles in large quantities until after most of the TV market is HDTV. That will not be until 2009, when everyone is forced to switch over and the $2000 HDTV set from 2005 is selling - without the bugs on release - for $300 retail.

    The market is a cruel mistress, and the Wii is surfing the wave, leading Nintendo fanbois and fangurls towards the next gen Wii successor they will release in 2009,

  • The big news in this really is... (Score:3, Informative)

    by macshome ( 818789 ) on Tuesday August 28, 2007 @01:51PM (#20387139) Homepage
    That the Wii outsold the DS. The DS has been the king in all territories for a long time now...
  • These Sony number, though they're not dominating, might even be a little higher than they should be. I've been considering a PS3 for a while now and after the $100 price cut on the 60GB PS3 and the 5 free Blu-Ray titles offer they've got going on, I've gotten more and more interested. If you look harder, there are further deals out there on the system. I don't think I've ever seen a competing system forced like this and I'm sure there are some people who are snapping it up with the reasoning that there's

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