February 2009 Console Sales Figures

[Big Fo]

Wii ........................ 753K
Nintendo DS ........ 588K
Xbox 360 ........... 391K
PlayStation 3 .... 276K
PSP ................. 199K
PlayStation 2 .... 131K


Wii Fit w/ Balance Board (WII) ......... 644K
Street Fighter IV* (360) ................... 446K
Street Fighter IV* (PS3) ................... 403K
Wii Play w/ Remote (WII) ................ 386K
Killzone 2 (PS3) ................................ 323K
Wii Mario Kart with wheel (WII) .......... 263K
Call of Duty: World at War* (360) ...... 193K
Mario Kart DS (NDS) .......................... 145K
New Super Mario Bros (NDS) .............. 144K
Guitar Hero World Tour* (WII) ............. 136K

               Feb-08         Feb-09         CHG YTD Feb 08     YTD Feb 09     CHG
Video Games     $1.34 Billion  $1.47 Billion  10% $2.52 Billion  $2.81 Billion  11%   
VG Hardware     $481.4 Million $532.7 Million 17% $861.9 Million $978.4 Billion 14%   
VG Software     $673.3 Million $733.5 Million  9% $1.29 Billion  $1.41 Billion  10%   
VG Accessories  $182.8 Million $207.1 Million 13% $371.4 Million $418.6 Million 13% 

Analysis, LTD figues, corporate spin, and other typical stuff to follow after I get some dinner.

[Eaglesfan27]

It'll be interesting to see The Show's sales figures next month. I suspect that provided a nice boost for the PS3 in preparation for The Show's release.

[Big Fo]

Gah, got the month wrong again, I blame NPD for waiting until the month is past halfway over.

LTD (USA)

DS ........28.640 mil
PSP ......... 14.712 mil
360......... 14.560 mil
PS3 ....... 7.723 mil
Wii .......... 18.972 mil
PS2 ......... 44.531 mil

Change from February 2008:

PlayStation 2 .......... -63%
PlayStation 3 .......... -2%
PSP......................... +22%
Xbox 360 ............... +53%
Nintendo DS ............ +0%
Wii ........................... +74%

Originally Posted by NPD

The U.S. video games industry continues to post strong year-over-year comps despite the tough economy. Unit sales increased even more than dollar sales did, reflecting a slightly lower average retail price for all categories as compared to last year.

The Xbox 360 realized its biggest non-holiday sales month, save for September 2007, when the Halo 3 release brought in a large group of new owners. Compared to last month, the PS3 realized the greatest month-over-month unit sales increase of all platforms.

Consumers picked up nearly 20 million units of video game software in February, a 14% increase over February 2008. The average retail price for games is 4% lower than last year, which is why the dollar sales increase is not quite keeping in pace with the increase in unit sales.

A long-established video game franchise, the Street Fighter property continues to generate impressive sales results. The great performance of the new title, Street Fighter IV, on both the PS3 and Xbox 360, is a testament to the power of carefully cultivating evergreen properties.

March should be another great month for software sales between Pokemon Platinum, GTA: Chinatown Wars, Halo Wars, the two MLB titles and of course, Resident Evil 5, just to name a few of the key drivers. The sheer quantity of great content coming to market early in the year should keep industry sales humming throughout 2009.

Thoughts:

Wii/DS continue to sell great, 360 numbers are excellent for February.

The legendary PS2 continues it's slow decline.

Street Fighter IV sold amazingly well for a fighting game that isn't called Super Smash Bros. And that PS3/360 split is the most favorable towards the PS3 of any big multiplatform game I've seen. Perhaps the 360's crappy D-pad is the culprit here.

Killzone 2 was only on sale for two days of this month's reporting period, so that's actually pretty good IMO.

Nintendo's evergreen software titles remains evergreen. It kinda makes sense though, NSMB and Mario Kart DS were the two games I initially bought with my DS.

Perhaps Star Ocean 4 should have been multiplatform.

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

It'll be interesting to see The Show's sales figures next month. I suspect that provided a nice boost for the PS3 in preparation for The Show's release.

We might not ever find out since we only get the numbers for the top 10 which will have Wii Fit, Wii Play, Mario Kart Wii, Killzone 2, and maybe both versions of Street Fighter IV and CoD: World at War 360 taking up places. Also, the two versions of Resident Evil 5 will definitely chart and so will Pokemon Platinum and likely GTA: Chinatown Wars as well. There have been a lot of big releases for this time of year.

Heck, the 360 version of MLB2k8 outsold the PS3 version of the Show last year. For comedic reasons I want to know how well the PS3 version of MLB2k9 sold.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

It'll be interesting to see The Show's sales figures next month. I suspect that provided a nice boost for the PS3 in preparation for The Show's release.

Killzone 2 was release on the last day of February, so that effect won't be seen until March either.

[Cringer]

I haven't even seen Killzone 2 in a store yet down here. I have checked Target and Wal Mart when I go and have seen nothing. I thought I had the release date wrong.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Cringer

I haven't even seen Killzone 2 in a store yet down here. I have checked Target and Wal Mart when I go and have seen nothing. I thought I had the release date wrong.

I saw that some retailers had mentioned over at NeoGaf that Sony undershipped the game in certain areas. It sold out relatively quickly in those areas. They're supposed to be stocking another good-size shipment by next Tuesday. Probably check back then.

[Big Fo]

Top 20, top 10 by platform

Top 20 Games Overall, February 2009

1. WII FIT WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. STREET FIGHTER IV* 360 CAPCOM USA
3. STREET FIGHTER IV* PS3 CAPCOM USA
4. WII PLAY W/ REMOTE WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
5. KILLZONE 2 PS3 SONY
6. MARIO KART W/WHEEL WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA
7. CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
8. MARIO KART DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* WII ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
11. F.E.A.R. 2: PROJECT ORIGIN 360 WARNER INTERACTIVE
12. SKATE 2 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS
13. LEFT 4 DEAD 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS
14. NBA 2K9 360 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
15. HALO 3* 360 MICROSOFT
16. CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR PS3 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
17. LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA WII LUCASARTS
18. GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
19. MY FITNESS COACH WII UBISOFT
20. FALLOUT 3* 360 BETHESDA SOFTWORKS

Top 10 Wii

1. WII WII FIT NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. WII WII PLAY W/ REMOTE NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. WII MARIO KART W/WHEEL NINTENDO OF AMERICA
4. WII GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
5. WII LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA LUCASARTS
6. WII MY FITNESS COACH UBISOFT
7. WII JILLIAN MICHAELS FITNESS ULTIMATUM 2009 MAJESCO
8. WII NASCAR KART RACING ELECTRONIC ARTS
9. WII SUPER SMASH BROS: BRAWL NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. WII TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 09 ELECTRONIC ARTS

Top 10 Xbox 360

1. 360 STREET FIGHTER IV* CAPCOM USA
2. 360 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3. 360 F.E.A.R. 2: PROJECT ORIGIN WARNER INTERACTIVE
4. 360 SKATE 2 ELECTRONIC ARTS
5. 360 LEFT 4 DEAD ELECTRONIC ARTS
6. 360 NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
7. 360 HALO 3* MICROSOFT
8. 360 GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
9. 360 FALLOUT 3* BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
10. 360 GEARS OF WAR 2* MICROSOFT

Top 10 PlayStation 2

1. PS2 GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
2. PS2 NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
3. PS2 GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
4. PS2 GUITAR HERO AEROSMITH* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
5. PS2 MADDEN NFL 09 ELECTRONIC ARTS
6. PS2 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
7. PS2 RESIDENT EVIL 4 CAPCOM USA
8. PS2 KINGDOM HEARTS RE: CHAIN OF MEMORIES SQUARE ENIX INC
9. PS2 WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2009 THQ
10. PS2 LEGO BATMAN WARNER INTERACTIVE

Top 10 PlayStation 3

1. PS3 STREET FIGHTER IV* CAPCOM USA
2. PS3 KILLZONE 2 SONY
3. PS3 CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
4. PS3 F.E.A.R. 2: PROJECT ORIGIN WARNER INTERACTIVE
5. PS3 GUITAR HERO III LEGENDS OF ROCK ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
6. PS3 GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
7. PS3 SONIC'S ULTIMATE GENESIS COLLECTION SEGA OF AMERICA
8. PS3 NBA 2K9 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
9. PS3 RESISTANCE 2* SONY
10. PS3 MORTAL KOMBAT VS. DC UNIVERSE* MIDWAY

Top 10 Game Boy Advance

1. GBA UNO 52 DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
2. GBA SHREK 2/MADAGASCAR OPERATION PEN ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3. GBA BIG MUTHA TRUCKERS DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
4. GBA PUPPY LUV: SPA & RESORT ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
5. GBA MADAGASCAR ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
6. GBA ASTEROIDS/PONG/YARS DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
7. GBA DRILL DOZER NINTENDO OF AMERICA
8. GBA GOLDEN NUGGET CASINO MAJESCO
9. GBA SPYHUNTER/SUPERSPRINT DESTINATION SOFTWARE INC.
10. GBA VAN HELSING ACTIVISION BLIZZARD

Top 10 Nintendo DS

1. NDS MARIO KART DS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. NDS NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. NDS CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
4. NDS LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA LUCASARTS
5. NDS SUPER MARIO 64 DS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
6. NDS FIRE EMBLEM: SHADOW DRAGON NINTENDO OF AMERICA
7. NDS MARIO PARTY NINTENDO OF AMERICA
8. NDS KIRBY SUPER STAR ULTRA NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. NDS POKEMON RANGER: SHADOWS OF ALMIA NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. NDS BRAIN AGE 2: MORE TRAINING IN MINUTES A DAY NINTENDO OF AMERICA

Top 10 PSP

1. PSP GRAND THEFT AUTO: LIBERTY CITY STORIES TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
2. PSP MIDNIGHT CLUB: LA REMIX TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
3. PSP GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE
4. PSP IRON MAN SEGA OF AMERICA
5. PSP LOCOROCO 2 SONY
6. PSP MADDEN NFL 09 ELECTRONIC ARTS
7. PSP WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2008 THQ
8. PSP LEGO BATMAN WARNER INTERACTIVE
9. PSP WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2009 THQ
10. PSP CRISIS CORE: FINAL FANTASY VII SQUARE ENIX INC

Top 10 Portable Games Overall

1. NDS MARIO KART DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. NDS NEW SUPER MARIO BROS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. NDS CLUB PENGUIN: ELITE PENGUIN FORCE NDS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
4. NDS LEGO STAR WARS: COMPLETE SAGA NDS LUCASARTS
5. NDS SUPER MARIO 64 DS NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
6. NDS FIRE EMBLEM: SHADOW DRAGON NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
7. NDS MARIO PARTY NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
8. NDS KIRBY SUPER STAR ULTRA NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
9. NDS POKEMON RANGER: SHADOWS OF ALMIA NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. NDS BRAIN AGE 2: MORE TRAINING IN MINUTES A DAY NDS NINTENDO OF AMERICA

Top 10 Accessories

1. WII NUNCHUK CONTROLLER NINTENDO OF AMERICA
2. WII REMOTE CONTROLLER W/ JACKET NINTENDO OF AMERICA
3. PS3 DUALSHOCK 3 WIRELESS CONTROLLER SONY
4. 360 LIVE 1600 POINT GAME CARD MICROSOFT
5. 360 LIVE 1 MONTH GOLD CARD MICROSOFT
6. 360 LIVE 12 MONTH GOLD CARD MICROSOFT
7. WII REMOTE CONTROLLER NINTENDO OF AMERICA
8. WII CHARGE STATION NYKO
9. WII WHEEL GRIP NINTENDO OF AMERICA
10. 360 HEADSET MICROSOFT

Top 20 by platform:

360 - 9
Wii - 6
PS3- 3
DS - 2

Nice month for 360 software.

NBA2k9 got a bump after the price was cut from $60 to $40.

Could the reemergence of Halo 3 be down to people hearing about Halo Wars and wanting to play the real deal instead? It hadn't charted for awhile.

I guess everyone who bought Tiger 09 didn't know about Tiger 10 with MotionPlus support coming in a few months. It'll be the first one I get since Tiger 07.

DS Top 10 = portable top 10 gave me a laugh. There' are a lot of PSPs out there, I don't really get it. I know piracy is a problem but it's also a problem on Wii/DS/360/PS2 and most other consoles in history other than the PS3. And it's not like the difficulty involved in pirating PS3 games has made that console a huge software seller...

For this month we can deduce that there were 40 games that sold between 45k and ~130k since House of the Dead: Overkill sold 45k this month and was the fiftieth best selling game in February. edge-online.com

[Big Fo]

Motherload full of data (NPD, not that vgchartz rubbish) as of the end of January 2009:

Multiplatform

Assassin’s Creed - 2.3m (360), 1.15m (PS3)
Bioshock - 998k (360), 106k (PS3)
The Bourne Conspiracy - 103k (360), 83k (PS3)
Burnout Paradise - 371k (360) 306k (PS3)
Civilization Revolution - 96k (DS), 254k (360), 149k (PS3)
The Darkness - 284k (360), 133k (PS3)
Dark Sector - 139k (360), 97k (PS3)
Dead Space - 337k (360), 212k (PS3)
Disgaea - 45k (DS), 78k (PSP)
Dynasty Warriors 6 - 113k (360), 103k (PS3), 26k (PS2)
Eternal Sonata - 98k (360), 33k (PS3)
Fallout 3 - 1.14m (360), 452k (PS3)
Fight Night 3 - 1.19M (360) 526k (PS3)
Guitar Hero 3 - 2.37M (360) 830k (PS3) 2.75M (Wii)
Guitar Hero: World Tour - 924k (360) 466k (PS3) 1.39M (Wii)
Kane & Lynch - 300k (360), 197k (PS3)
Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 1 - 85k (360) 46k (PS3)
Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2 - 20k (36o) 16k (PS3)
Lego Batman - 207k (360), 128k (PS3), 507k (PS2), 420k (Wii)
Lego Indiana Jones - 241k (360), 142k (PS3), 456k (PS2), 563k (Wii)
Mirror’s Edge - 207k (360), 125k (PS3)
Mortal Kombat vs DC - 592k (360), 512k (PS3)
N+ - 26k (DS), 21k (PSP)
Prince of Persia - 282k (360), 248k (PS3)
Pure - 158k (360) 92k (PS3)
Rock Band 1 - 1.65M (360) 648k (PS3) 1.03M (Wii)
Rock Band 2 - 1.02M (360) 384k (PS3) 353k (Wii)
Saints Row 2 - 480k (360), 188k (PS3)
Saints Row 2 [Collector's Edition only] - 30k (360), 11k (PS3)
Shaun White - 271k (360), 141k (PS3), 537k (Wii)
Silent Hill 5 - 73k (360), 84k (PS3)
Silent Hill Origins: 80k (PS2), 154k (PSP)
Skate - 606k (360) 202k (PS3)
Sonic Unleashed - 113k (360), 69k (PS3), 315k (Wii)
Soul Calibur 4 - 500k (360), 353k (PS3)
Space Invaders Extreme - 58k (DS), 34k (PSP)
Star Wars Force Unleashed - 823k (360) 464k (PS3) 626k (Wii) 175k (DS) 263k (PSP) 352k (PS2)
Tiger Woods 09 - 216k (360), 174k (PS3), 565k (Wii)
Unreal Tournament III - 164k (360) 219k (PS3)

360
Beautiful Katamari - 96k
Banjo: Nuts & Bolts - 154k
Battle Fantasia - 4,704
Blue Dragon - 189k
Halo 3 - 4.66m (regular), 633k (CE), 479k (LE)
Infinite Undiscovery - 110k
Left 4 Dead - 1.28m
Lips - 46k
Lost Odyssey - 348k
Ninja Gaiden II - 517k
Saints Row 1 - 1.02m
Tales of Vesperia - 107k
The Last Remnant 118k
Viva Pinata 2 - 80k

PS3

Folklore - 109k
Genji: Days of the Blade - 96k
Heavenly Sword - 386k
Lair - 185k
Little Big Planet - 670k
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 1.09m
Motorstorm 1 - 427k
Motorstorm 2 - 138k
Ninja Gaiden Sigma - 316k
Rachet & Clank: Tools of Destruction - 427k
Resistance - 1.07m
Resistance 2 - 640k
Time Crisis 4 - 206k
Uncharted - 534k
Valkyria Chronicles - 74k

Wii

Animal Crossing - 654k (game only), 161k (Wiispeak bundle)
Blast Works - 31k
Castle Shikigami 3 - 7,366
Fantastic 4 - 76k
Mario & Sonic @ at the Olympics - 1.99m
No More Heroes - 208k
Ultimate Duck Hunting - 49k
Ultimate Shooting Collection - 1,126
Zack & Wiki - 117k

PS2

Disney Golf - 59k
Final Fantasy X - 2.46m
Final Fantasy XII - 1.85m
Katamari Damacy - 450k
Kingdom Hearts 1 - 3.28m
Kingdom Hearts 2 - 2.3m
Kingdom Hearts: RE:Chain of Memories - 312k
Marvel vs Capcom 2 - 246k
Odin Sphere - 149k
Persona 4 - 123k
SMT: Devil Summoner - 43k
SMT: Digital Devil Saga 1 - 51k
SMT: Digital Devil Saga 2 - 43k
SMT: Nocturne - 60k
Silent Hill 2 - 512k
Silent Hill 3 - 279k
Silent Hill 4 - 209k
We Love Katamari - 230k
Yakuza 1 - 56k
Yakuza 2 - 24k

PSP

Crisis Core: FF7 - 708k
Patapon - 229k
God of War: Chains of Olympus - 640k
Star Ocean: First Departure - 69k
Yggdra Union - 12k

DS

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - 71k
Chrono Trigger - 210k
Contra 4 - 115k
Dragon Quest 4 - 76k
Final Fantasy 4 - 275k
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - 233k
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney - 117k
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All - 110k
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations - 92k
Professor Layton & the Curious Village - 340k
Trauma Center: Under the Knife - 225k
Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 - 61k
The World Ends With You - 172k

MyCoach Series
Word - 263k
Spanish - 224k
Japanese - 90k
French - 83k
Weight - 76k
Chinese - 34k
SAT - 25k
Smoking - 3k

Lots of interesting info there.

It makes me wonder a few things, like where is the sequel to Professor Layton and the Curious Village, how come more people weren't interested in the sequels to Resistance and Motorstorm, and why aren't there more Wii versions of multiplatform games? It's clearly worth the extra sales in most of these cases.

Valkyria Chronicles and Dragon Quest IV deserved better but Americans either need their JRPGs to have Final Fantasy on the cover or feature Disney characters

[twothree]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Valkyria Chronicles and Dragon Quest IV deserved better but Americans either need their JRPGs to have Final Fantasy on the cover or feature Disney characters

Or, not cost $40 for a DS game. I finally picked up a copy of Dragon Quest IV now that it only costs $30. And, I will probably pick up a copy of Valkyria Chronicles for the PS3 when the price drops in a year or so.

[Cringer]

Skate 2 is not in the top 10 list for the PS3. My fellow PS3 owners suck, it's a great game to own.

Do they ever put out lists for downloadable content? Since I just spent money on my first console download (Call of Duty: WaW map pack 1) I notice this kind of info is never listed.

[Big Fo]

Not really. Steam also hardly ever releases numbers.

Microsoft did come out with a statement saying that GTA IV's: the Lost and the Damned outsold Killzone 2 last month though.

[spleen1015]

It is a shame that Assassin's Creed has sold more than Bioshock.

[sterlingice]

Disappointing numbers for Disgaea, N+ DS. I wish TWENY had sold a little more, too, because I badly want a sequel

A little surprised that RB2 has sold more on the 360 than the Wii(!) and PS3 combined- tho it did come out on the 360 first. GH:WT is the opposite- about the same time and the Wii has about the same as the 360 and PS3 combined. Maybe it wasn't the best idea for EA to stagger the releases- it gave Wii owners only one choice before Christmas (RB2 for the Wii came out the week before Christmas, iirc) so they went with GH.

SI

[Big Fo]

Yeah Rock Band 2 came out in September on 360, so it was on sale more than twice as long. The Wii version of the original didn't make it out until June.

TWEWY did pretty well imo.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

It is a shame that Assassin's Creed has sold more than Bioshock.

I was thinking the same thing this morning. It shows you the power of advertising.

[DeToxRox]

Just saw that NCAA 2010 is scrapped on the Wii. Didn't think it sold well but still sucks for Wii owners.

[Big Fo]

If the reviews are anything to go by EA is doing Wii-only owners a service

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Interesting bundle being offered by a major German retailer. Normally, the PS3 is 399 euros. The retailer is offering a PS3 and a PSP together for 399 euros. That bundle would work a whole lot better in the U.S. than the PS3 + 2 games bundle that they're considering.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Several websites are reporting a 'big' PS3 announcement is coming tomorrow (March 31st) from Sony. It's the last day of the fiscal year for Sony. Not sure whether it's a game announcement or price drop.

A drop to $99 for the PS2 is also expected on April 5th.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Sony also just announced that they will guarantee royalties to match development costs on a PSN game. In return, the developers will guarantee PSN exclusivity. Interesting concept. There's been a lot of good PSN original IP exclusives. This will probably help that along even further.

Sony to match dev budgets in return for exclusivity // News

[Neon_Chaos]

If they don't announce a price drop soon, they're doomed.

[Big Fo]

Square Enix has finalized their purchase of UK publisher Eidos, known for Tomb Raider and Championship Manager among other franchises.

kotaku.com link

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Neon_Chaos

They're doomed until they announce a price drop.

Fixed.

They've been 'doomed' for some time now, though the term is a big overdramatic given that the system continues to sell surprisingly well despite its price point. A price drop would provide a good boost, especially in Europe.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Square Enix has finalized their purchase of UK publisher Eidos, known for Tomb Raider and Championship Manager among other franchises.

kotaku.com link

Final Fantasy World Cup FTW!!!!!!

[Big Fo]

That'd be great, imagine you're playing the 2010 WC as Argentina and when you need a goal, cast a summons and suddenly Maradona appears on the pitch and begins dribbling circles around the opposition.

[Cringer]

It's only cool until you get to the main boss/finals and you have to face the team made up of 7 headed dragons. You better have a player who can turn the ball into giant blocks of ice since their goalie breaths fire on the ball and has never given up a goal....ever.

[cartman]

Sony has released their big price drop announcement:

25% drop in the price of the PS2 to $100 or 100 Euro.

Sony Cuts PlayStation 2 Price by 25 Percent - PC World

[gstelmack]

I hope that's not all, but if it is:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Big Fo]

Nice price if anyone doesn't have a PS2 yet, most of the games are cheap too.

The GameCube came out in November 2001 and hit $99 in September 2003.

The PS2 came out in October 2000 and is just hitting that mark today.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

I hope that's not all.

I wouldn't be shocked at all if that was it. There's a reason I put tick marks around the 'big' announcement in my previous post. The announcement of PS3 bundles with two games included all but assured that the price point would not change.

[Kodos]

Everybody loves to get a Bronze medal in a competition with three players.

[Big Fo]

Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime had this to say on CNBC:

“All of our retailers are out pre-selling this right now. What they are telling us is the pre-sales for this device are stronger than they ever seen. Stronger than the DS Lite, stronger than any console they’ve sold, including our own Wii console. The consumer reaction has been very strong because they see the benefit in the added attributes we offer.”

http://www.siliconera.com link to the televised interview


I shouldn't be surprised by this yet I am still sort of. To me this thing doesn't scream "must upgrade." Now if somebody doesn't have a DS already then I get it, there's a lot of good games and they might as well get the most fully-featured DS (unless GBA support is a huge deal to them).

[stevew]

It's only like 100 bucks if you trade in your DSL. I mean, I know that's not great, and gamestop is raping you, but that's what im doing anyways. I think my daughter's dslite is out of warranty anyways by now.

[Big Fo]

Industry Heads Discuss Growth and the Future of Games

People who know a whole lot more than we do talk about where videogames are going.

by Nate Ahearn

April 9, 2009 - Yesterday at the MI6 Conference held in downtown San Francisco, an annual panel was formed to discuss the future and direction of the videogame industry.

It's called the Gaming 20/20 Panel and this year included Michael Pachter, Managing Director of Research at Wedbush Morgan Securities as moderator; John Pleasants, COO of Electronic Arts; Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K; Kai Huang, Co-Founder of Red Octane; Darrell Rodriguez, President of LucasArts; and JJ Richards, GM Massive.

While nothing truly newsworthy came out of the discussion, I jotted down some of the more interesting exchanges and quips that I heard during the hour and a half talk.

-The software attach rate on Wii was the highest last year of the three major consoles.

-2K's success with Carnival Games: Almost 3 million copies sold. The PC budget market consumer is very similar to Wii consumer according to Christoph Hartmann.

-Guitar Hero sells better on Wii than any other platform.

-No panel member knows how to perfectly market and build a game to attract the Wii user.

-John Pleasants said he wasn't sure there was going to be another console cycle. Michael Pachter responded by saying, "When I told my friends at Microsoft that I didn't think there was going to be another console cycle they asked me, 'What are you smoking?'"

-JJ Richards says that the PS3 has been slightly de-emphasized when speaking about Massive's overall strategy.

-Christoph Hartmann thinks that PS3 sales will start to pick up in Europe, similarly to the trend that was set with the PS2. Says 2K is very committed to PS3.

-Kai Huang echoed the notion that the PS3 is still a viable and strong console with a bright future.

-Christoph Hartmann asked John Pleasants of EA, "Who has the best basketball game? Who has the best basketball game?" Alluding to the fact that NBA 2K9 was far superior to NBA Live 09.



-Michael Pacter thinks that the music genre is not a fad saying, "People think gamers are going to get tired of playing music games, but that's like saying they're going to get tired of putting songs on their iPod."

-John Pleasants says people are working on "next-generation music experiences." Also saying that the music game space will be around for at least the next ten years.

-Darrell Rodriguez says, "We need to be careful about over-accessorization" when talking about music game peripherals.

-The conversation was completely derailed at one point when Michael Pachter went off on a tangent that included him talking about the penises that were created in Spore's Creature Creator.

-When asked about onLive JJ Richards said, "Can't wait to actually see it work in my house." Darrell Rodriguez says that it is the future of gaming but just about every panelist agreed that it is a distant future.

ign.com link

I liked the 2k guy calling out EA on the basketball games.

The news about Wii's attach ratio isn't that surprising, it had always been about even with the PS3 and since this was just based on last year the 360's head-start didn't skew things like it does with lifetime attach ratio.

At the same press conference where Nintendo said Wii Sports Resort and Wii MotionPlus will be out in July overseas,
Nintendo said that 600,000 DSi were sold in America and Europe over its debut weekend.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Yet another PSP bundle on the way. This time, it's a 'Rock Band Unplugged' black PSP bundle..........

Harmonix, the world’s leading developer of music-based games, MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced plans today to release Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. Rock Band Unplugged, developed by Harmonix in partnership with Backbone Entertainment, a Foundation 9 Entertainment studio, and based on the award-winning Rock Band series of games, will launch simultaneously in both North America and Europe June 9, 2009. The game will launch exclusively on the PSP system with software retailing for $39.99 in North America.

“Rock Band Unplugged reinvents band gameplay while staying true to the authentic feel of the Rock Band console games,” said Bob Picunko, Senior Vice President of Electronic Games for MTV Games. “Harmonix delivers innovation with every game they develop and we are excited to continue our long-list of industry firsts with the Rock Band in-gamewireless music store on the PSP system.”

Rock Band Unplugged creates a full band experience in the palm of your hand by combining traditional beat match gameplay with key elements from both Rock Band and Rock Band 2, such as overdrive and chords. Your hands are the “peripherals” in Rock Band Unplugged allowing you to take direct control of the lead/bass guitars, drums and vocals. In addition, players can expect a rich Rock Band experience with fully functional modes like World Tour, Band Survival and Warm Up and a robust character creator for full customization!

Rock Band Unplugged will feature over 40 master-recordings including nine brand new, exclusive songs for the PSP system for a limited time! Plus, Rock Band Unplugged will include the first fully-featured in-game store for downloadable content on the PSP system in the North American and European markets, leveraging the PSP system’s wireless capabilities. The in-game store will be powered by PlayStation®Network, and players will be able to use their existing PlayStation Network account to purchase tracks, similar to the Rock Band console experience. PSP system owners will also have the option of purchasing tracks via PlayStation®Store on the PC.
The following tracks will launch exclusively through Rock Band Unplugged on the PSP system for a limited time before becoming downloadable content for the other platforms:

* 3 Doors Down- "Kryptonite"
* AFI- "Miss Murder"
* Alice in Chains- "Would?"
* Audioslave- "Gasoline"
* Black Tide- "Show Me the Way"
* Blink 182- "What's My Age Again"
* Freezepop- "Less Talk More Rokk"
* Jackson 5- "ABC"
* Tenacious D- "Rock Your Socks"

To commemorate the debut of the Rock Band franchise on the PSP system, Sony Computer Entertainment America plans to release a limited edition Rock Band branded PSP Entertainment Pack at the launch of Rock Band Unplugged. The bundle will include the game, a voucher to download Paramount Pictures’ School of Rock from PlayStation®Store, a 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo™, and a “Piano Black” PSP system. The Rock Band Entertainment Pack will be available in North America for $199.99 (MSRP).

Rock Band is the ultimate platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune – all while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Featuring the most master recordings of any music game ever by the world’s biggest rock artists, Rock Band includes tracks that span every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock, to heavy metal and punk.

[Ksyrup]

-John Pleasants said he wasn't sure there was going to be another console cycle. Michael Pachter responded by saying, "When I told my friends at Microsoft that I didn't think there was going to be another console cycle they asked me, 'What are you smoking?'"

I do a little work with MSFT's games division, and while I have no real inside info or anything, I know that when I talked to them about a month ago, they were already looking ahead to the next "next gen" product.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I do a little work with MSFT's games division, and while I have no real inside info or anything, I know that when I talked to them about a month ago, they were already looking ahead to the next "next gen" product.

There are a bunch of articles with rumors out there that allude to the Xbox 720 or whatever it will be called being in development. The only thing I wonder is if they will delay the launch if the economy is still bad in 2010 or 2011 when they were probably looking at launching.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

There are a bunch of articles with rumors out there that allude to the Xbox 720 or whatever it will be called being in development. The only thing I wonder is if they will delay the launch if the economy is still bad in 2010 or 2011 when they were probably looking at launching.

That seems to be the reoccuring theme. All three of the console companies are looking to stretch this generation out a year or two longer than they normally would. There's really no incentive to release one soon. Economy is down, Nintendo is still making money, Sony and MS want to lengthen the cycle to squeeze out some profit in this generation.

[Ksyrup]

I certainly didn't get the sense anything was imminent. More like they wanted to get everything right and in order now so the next one could be done properly with plenty of pre-planning and thoughtfulness, compared to how rushed the first couple of launches were.

[Big Fo]

I hope the "compromise generation" doesn't last too long. I just want a box with HD graphics (doesn't even need to be much better than PS360 or a full PS2/Xbox/GC -> PS360 leap), an IR pointer, and a more advanced motion controller than the Wiimote (Wii MotionPlus should fulfill this but it's not out yet...). I'll be waiting for a few years at least.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like MS is going with the 'get rid of the extra copies' bundle much like Sony did in Europe. Fable 2 and Halo 3 will be bundled with an Elite........

Xbox Press : CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY AND FINISH THE FIGHT WITH THE XBOX 360 GAME OF THE YEAR BUNDLE

Another 'what was he thinking' comment from a Sony exec...........

VG247 » Blog Archive » SCEA: “We’ve captured the hardcore” with PS3, will push for casual later this year