Xbox Gains Ground, Outsells PS2 In U.S.? 103
Thanks to Reuters for its story noting that Microsoft's Xbox is "expected to have outsold Sony's PlayStation 2 for the first time on a monthly basis in April" , apparently helped "by a price cut that made the Xbox cheaper than the PS2" - though a PlayStation 2 price cut to $149 is seemingly rumored for announcement at E3. The rise of the Xbox-exclusive title is also noted: "Titles like 'Ninja Gaiden' and 'Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow' rode rave reviews to big sales, both finishing among the top five titles in sales for March, according to the NPD Group." Elsewhere in the same article, Dan Hsu of EGM comments on Xbox 2's possible showing at E3, commenting: "I think it'd be very strange for them to announce anything like that, because it would only hurt this holiday season for them... Even if this thing is not coming out for a year or two years, that still gives the impression that [the Xbox] is outdated technology."
GameCube already outsold PS2.... (Score:5, Informative)
And before anyone opens their mouth about that being non-news....that's exactly what is being claimed here about the Xbox now.
XBOX has all the momentum (Score:3, Informative)
This is not just a month affair. We are talking first quarter PS2 sales for Sony down 28% from last year, Sony's profits down massively in the first quarter due to a sharp drop in sales of both PS2 consoles and games.
Meanwhile XBOX was the only console that actually had an increase on console sales in January and February, even before any price cuts were announced. Plus an increase of a whopping 80% in games sales.
And now this.
Sales figures for game consoles in April were XBOX 270,000 units to PS2 200,000 versus Gamecube 100,000 for Nintendo's GameCube . (http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%
Even the anti-American British publication "The Economist" has come around to the view that Microsoft is about to eat Sony's lunch.(http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?
Extract : "Next week, the industry's biggest trade show, E3, which takes place in Los Angeles, will provide the first glimpses of the next round. It is expected to be a brutal two-way fight. For, after a difficult start, Microsoft has now established itself as Sony's main rival, and is gaining momentum. Most important, it has won the crucial support of games publishers, says Nick Gibson of Games Investor, a consultancy. That means Microsoft will "pretty much be neck and neck with Sony" in the next round"
XBOX has been by far the best game console on the market, best processor, best graphics, more memory than any other console, hard drive included, network card as standard, its the easiest console to develop games for and has always been the best value for money by far, even before this recent price cuts.
Now are having some of the best games on XBOX coming out now and later this year.
Consumers have finally figured it all out and are feeling the PS2 to get themselves an XBOX as quickly as they can.
Its time for you to wake up and smell the coffee.
Wrong (Score:2, Informative)
Your selective memory seems to forget that the Dreamcast came first. And not only was it first, but it had the far better game library. The PS2 was absolutely barren for almost a year! Just because you're the first on the block doesn't mean you'll be first in sales (see also Saturn).
Re:Wait a minute... (Score:2, Informative)
Because this really matters? It fits in perfectly with my receiver and, cable box, and DVD player. On the other hand, my Gamecube doesn't fit into the entertainment cabinet quite correctly.
too noisy
Mine's much quieter than my PS2. Lest you think it's a fluke, we have 3 Xboxes in our house and two PS2s, so I've got a good basis for comparison.
too fragile
Huh? Ours has been running fine for well over a year with no problems. That includes the controller. My old PS2, on the other hand, occasionally didn't load games correctly due to a fault with the DVD drive.
all those moving parts?
What the hell are you talking about? You mean, the DVD drive and the single fan? This is different from other systems how? Or do you mean a hard drive as opposed to a much-more-likely-to-be-lost-or-damaged memory card?
Nintendo makes some really fun games (we also have a Gamecube), but it's pretty hard for me to back them when the Xbox just delivers a lot more. Dolby Digital sound, component video, longer controller cables, built-in hard drive and networking (add the network adapter and a memory stick and even a Gamecube costs more than an Xbox)...these things matter to me. No, the average kid might not have a good sound setup or a big screen TV, but some of us do. The Xbox utilizes them and the Gamecube doesn't.
And it's not like there aren't a bunch of great Xbox games, either. Mario Kart is fun, but we're already rather tired of it...after more than a year, we still play Halo regularly. I'd rather have Splinter Cell in Dolby Digital and 480p than Twin Snakes in stereo and SVideo.