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XBox (Games) The Almighty Buck

360 And Halo 3 Push Past the Wii's Sales 309

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.
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360 And Halo 3 Push Past the Wii's Sales

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  • Re:I wonder... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rizzo420 ( 136707 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @09:31AM (#21040357) Journal
    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.
  • Tit for tat... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Aphrika ( 756248 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @09:37AM (#21040453)
    Figures like this are expendable - just wait until you get the sales figures for Wii vs. 360 after Mario Galaxies is released...
  • Apples and Oranges (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Akaihiryuu ( 786040 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @09:53AM (#21040675)
    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.
  • by spxero ( 782496 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @10:08AM (#21040909) Journal
    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?
  • by brokeninside ( 34168 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @10:14AM (#21041017)
    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 (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ObiWanStevobi ( 1030352 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @10:17AM (#21041065) Journal

    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.

  • by aichpvee ( 631243 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @10:22AM (#21041159) Journal
    Shouldn't be too hard, they churn out mediocre games all the time.
  • 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.
  • by Seakip18 ( 1106315 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @10:28AM (#21041241) Journal
    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 saying other console makers are different(yet).

    I do agree with your point about the techie will build a system to fit his/her needs, but there is a point where they say "fuck it." and go a different route, say a media pc running MythTV or the such. At that point, xbox is good for your haloz and occasional viva pinata (sorry, to lazy to find the right characters.)

    I will say, their online service, while very pricey to someone who has been a pc man, is refreshing to use. I wish Nintendo would roll with something similar but not as a expensive.

    The move to separate Xbox into it's own division was a blessing of sorts. But what is going to happen when Halo 3 excitement dies down and stops pushing xboxes? Bungie is now on their own, freeing them to pursue other projects and other consoles.

  • by JeremyGNJ ( 1102465 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @10:32AM (#21041331)
    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 them....and a new one who isnt used to playing in the big leagues.
  • Troll huh (Score:1, Insightful)

    by JeremyGNJ ( 1102465 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @10:42AM (#21041509)
    I almost cant believe it. I make a post with an opinion and make various points to back it up and people mod me as trolling?

    The slashdot community need to grow up.
  • by ivan256 ( 17499 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @11:34AM (#21042483)
    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 increases over the lifespan of this console generation? Will the PS3 stay at the back of the line when some good games come out? Can Microsoft hold on to second place if they only have strong sales in one region?

    A new generation is a clean slate. A successful previous-generation machine means almost nothing. Sony had two winners in a row because they were both the best system+games combination in the market; not because the PS1 won market share in advance for the PS2. This generation's winner will be chosen the same way, as will the next. If Microsoft has the best selling box this generation, and that makes them think - even for a second - that it means they're assured the lead for the following generation too, Sony, Nintendo, and maybe some other company we haven't heard of yet will eat their lunch next time around.
  • by FriendOfBagu ( 770778 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @12:30PM (#21043553)

    Nintendo's Wii, despite not really having any significant new software releases, was close behind with 501K units sold.
    That seems a little misleading to me. Maybe the Wii didn't have any huge releases in September, but Metroid Prime 3, perhaps the Wii's most anticipated non-launch game, was released less than a week before September started.
  • by Gravatron ( 716477 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @12:41PM (#21043775)
    it's an expression. Just saying the amount of hours i've put into gaming with them justified their purchases in my mind.
  • by Blakey Rat ( 99501 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @12:54PM (#21044031)
    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.
  • by theantipop ( 803016 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @01:49PM (#21045067)
    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.
  • by theantipop ( 803016 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @01:51PM (#21045107)
    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.
  • by cornface ( 900179 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @03:23PM (#21046613)
    I see this factoid tossed around quite a bit. Is there any actual evidence that it is selling to people who don't normally enjoy video games rather than last-gen console owners who wanted something new to play while they were waiting for the 360 and PS3 to come down in price?

    I have a lot of trouble believing that a mediocre game library and a magical remote control are convincing non-gamers to spend several hundred dollars on games, who weren't previously swayed by the hugely broad libraries and discounted prices of the PS2 and Gameboy.

    Even a link to a consumer survey would be nice. I'm not saying it isn't true, but saying it doesn't make it true.
  • Re:The Real Story (Score:3, Insightful)

    by elrous0 ( 869638 ) * on Friday October 19, 2007 @03:35PM (#21046799)

    the PS3 had no major releases
    That pretty much sums up the PS3's entire first year
  • by Blakey Rat ( 99501 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @05:46PM (#21048941)
    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 ripped-off Halo's 'recharging shield/lifebar' design concept. And why half of those FPSes have also ripped-off Halo's 'carry two weapons only' design. If you don't think Halo has been influencial to the industry (the opposite of stale), then you're sadly mistaken.

    Story: Perhaps contrived, but they're working within a medium (FPS games) in which nearly every storyline is contrived. That aside, at least it's pretty damned original, which is a lot more than you can say for, for instance, Gears of War. In addition to that, it does a pretty job of getting the player into the game, at least players who aren't as jaded as you.

    Graphics: Sub-par compared to... what? Given, Halo 2 didn't exactly blow people away, but Halo 3 looks as nice as anything else on the market right now, and the original Halo definitely raised a few bars in the console world, if not necessarily the PC world.

    It's a simple trend of console kiddies having never seen or played a truly polished FPS before.

    Oh yeah, a "polished" FPS like Battlefield: 2142? A product so buggy that merely entering the actual game is a small miracle. There are polished console games and unpolished console games. There are very polished PC games and extremely unpolished POS PC games (like aforementioned Battlefield.) If anything, I'd say console games have the edge if only because at least the unpolished ones actually *work*, which isn't necessarily true of unpolished PC games.

    But making a claim that all PC games are more polished than all console games, that's just stupid.

    I do, however, hate most popular films. It's too bad your reasoning is so far off base.

    Is it? Considering you've given either wrong or vague reasons to dislike Halo, and you admit that you hate popular films, I think my reasoning is dead on.
  • by jma05 ( 897351 ) on Friday October 19, 2007 @05:52PM (#21049027)
    > 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 mechanic keeps a player quite well engaged than the shooters before it. The AI enemies have much more distinct combat personalities too. Halo looks "sub par" to you only because, they focussed on gameplay. Halo 3 was very well funded and took enough time. They certainly did not lack the skill or money to produce better textures.

    > the story even more contrived than usual

    Somehow, contrived stories are common in "Sagas". Take Soul Reaver series for instance.

    > the graphics always sub-par

    But always very acceptable at the time of release. Don't we see good gameplay past the graphics.

    > It's a simple trend of console kiddies having never seen or played a truly polished FPS before.

    Turns out that Halo is the official game of my gym class (everyone over 27). Everyone with an XBox plays Halo and almost nothing else on it. We don't play online. But 4 player death matches are a norm at our socials.

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