March Console Sales Numbers (omg)

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

What the hell is the "exclusive content?" Isn't this game coming out in April or early May or something? Shouldn't the exclusive content be known already.

Nope, they are probably still working on some of it. The exclusive content is downloadable stuff and it is not supposed to be out until the fall I think.

[Big Fo]

Nintendo's latest earnings report is out, which gives us some updated numbers. Shamelessly taken from neoGAF since I don't speak Japanese, here they are:

Current hardware LTD:
NDS: 70.60m
NA: 22.39m
Japan: 22.38m
Other: 25.82m

Wii: 24.45m
NA: 10.61m
Japan: 5.90m
Other: 7.94m


Wii Forecast for the next FY: 25m
DS Forecast for the next FY: 28m

Wii Software forecast for the next FY: 177m
DS software forecast for the next FY: 187m

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl: 14.77 million
Brain Age 1 and 2 (combined): 23.81 million

DS has 57 million-selling games (LTD). As of last year, there were 30.

Smash Bros Brawl: 4.85 million as of March 31

There are 26 million-sellers on the Wii.

Looks like Nintendo plans to increase production from 1.8m Wiis per month to 2.08m, I wonder if that will be enough.

25m more Wiis sold would have it pass the Super Nintendo after only two and a half years, crazy. The NES at 62m would be passed within three years of launch at this rate.

Profit/loss by year for the Big 3:

FY*       Sony**        Nintendo        Microsoft
1998    974,000,000    629,000,000
1999   1,130,000,000   645,000,000
2000    730,000,000    421,000,000
2001    -409,000,000   726,000,000
2002    623,000,000    800,000,000     -750,000,000
2003    939,000,000    560,000,000     -1,191,000,000
2004    650,000,000    316,000,000     -1,215,000,000
2005    404,000,000    777,000,000     -485,000,000
2006    75,000,00      894,000,000     -1,262,000,000
2007   -1,969,000,000  1,489,000,000   -1,892,000,000
2008   -965,000,000    2,480,000,000   532,000,000      
                  
Totals  2,182,000,000  9,737,000,000   -6,263,000,000

Congratulations to Microsoft for actually making money from their gaming division for the first time. I have no idea how much Sony stands to make off Blu-ray's victory but it'd take quite a bit to make up for the last two years.

[Schmidty]

I just have to ask - why does any of this matter so much to people? I'm not trying to be a smart ass or anything - I just don't understand what the intense interest is about. Are any of these consoles so close to being dead, that the constant monthly tracking and discussions are necessary?

[BrianD]

Wow, now there is a post that we haven't seen in ANY of the console threads yet.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Wow, now there is a post that we haven't seen in ANY of the console threads yet.

I just asked a question. I honestly was seeking a real response, not a dick-headed sarcastic repartee.

[Malificent]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

I just asked a question. I honestly was seeking a real response, not a dick-headed sarcastic repartee.

It's no different than political discussion or following who's winning in a sports league. You don't have any personal ties to it, but you just find it interesting to talk about.

[Schmidty]

Originally Posted by Malificent

It's no different than political discussion or following who's winning in a sports league. You don't have any personal ties to it, but you just find it interesting to talk about.

But that wasn't necessarily my point. Maybe I didn't make it clear: Are any of the consoles in serious danger of being discontinued or severely slowed in production any time in the near future?

I ask this, because (although I generally dislike them), I have been considering picking up a console in the next few months, and I want to make sure I don't buy a dying bird and not know it.

[Kodos]

None of them will die, you can rest assured about that. Basically, figure out which one has the most games that you like, and go with it.

[MJ4H]

Well if any of them severely tank, yes. None of them are really in any danger in this generation I'd say. Nintendo is clearly on cloud nine. Sony has the blu-ray thing going for them, and Microsoft has a big head start and consequently a big market share.

[Schmidty]

Ok, thanks. Now I just have to figure out which one has the best RPG's, Sims, and Strategy games. I'm assuming that all of them have similar quality sports games, so I don't have to worry about that.

[Big Fo]

Best RPGs - XBox 360
Sims and Strategy games - uhh, it might be better to just stick to the PC

Edit - For RPGs you might want to consider the PS2, and maybe a DS for strategy games, but you sounded as if you were choosing between 360/PS3/Wii

[Big Fo]

Updated tie-ratios for all five current-gen systems, USA only:

Xbox 360: 7.5
Wii: 5.3
PS3: 4.6

DS: 4.7
PSP: 4.2

joystiq.com link

[twothree]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

I ask this, because (although I generally dislike them), I have been considering picking up a console in the next few months, and I want to make sure I don't buy a dying bird and not know it.

Well, my best guess is that the XBOX 360 will be the first of the three consoles to be replaced, maybe in as little as two years. The original XBOX did not have a very long sales life compared to the Japanese consoles, only around 4 years, before being replaced with the XBOX 360. Each Playstation system and Nintendo system, I believe, has had over a 5 year sales life before being replaced, and the Playstation 3 and Wii each launched a year after the XBOX 360.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by twothree

Well, my best guess is that the XBOX 360 will be the first of the three consoles to be replaced, maybe in as little as two years. The original XBOX did not have a very long sales life compared to the Japanese consoles, only around 4 years, before being replaced with the XBOX 360. Each Playstation system and Nintendo system, I believe, has had over a 5 year sales life before being replaced, and the Playstation 3 and Wii each launched a year after the XBOX 360.

I think this might be the first generation in a while that actually extends *beyond* the typical five-to-seven.

Microsoft short-circuited the Xbox lifespan because they wanted to steal a march on Sony in this generation. So far, they seem to have been successful at it, and they're finally starting to realize financial benefits from that. If Sony starts curb-stomping them, they might reassess that stance.

Nintendo is in a position where a new PlayStation console or a new Microsoft console really wouldn't force their hand as it might have in the past. The bulk of their current audience probably wouldn't feel threatened by a new hi-def machine.

Sony, in addition to proclaiming a "ten year life cycle," spent an awful lot of money and brand capital to get Blu-ray established as the next-generation movie format of choice, and depending on who you listen to, as much as 90% of the installed BD players are PlayStation 3's. As long as Microsoft doesn't force the issue, they're probably going to be okay with building the brand back up and reaping whatever Blu-ray benefits come their way.

[Kodos]

I think Sony might be content to not match an Xbox 720 (or whatever) if it came out soon. The early years of a console are the least profitable ones. They might believe that they packed enough technology into PS3 to last longer than the usual console lifecycle.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

What the hell is the "exclusive content?" Isn't this game coming out in April or early May or something? Shouldn't the exclusive content be known already.

That's been a major question in recent days in the media. Microsoft is really dropping the ball by not letting people know in the run-up to the release what will be available as exclusive downloadable content on the 360. If you're going to spend $50M on something, you'd think that you would use it to your advantage. They should be talking about it at all times and letting gamers know just what will be available later this year. The only ones talking about it right now are the people who already own a 360. That's great to support the user base, but the intent was to increase hardware sales and that's not happening right now according to early pre-sales figures.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I think Sony might be content to not match an Xbox 720 (or whatever) if it came out soon. The early years of a console are the least profitable ones. They might believe that they packed enough technology into PS3 to last longer than the usual console lifecycle.

I'd agree with you and SackAttack. I don't think Sony will be in any hurry to jump to a new console anytime soon. They have a very good console on their hands that has the Blu-ray player and a lot of media features available. The improvement in the graphics department to a new console at this point would likely be relatively minor if it were done in 2010. Add in the huge success that the PS2 has been despite the introduction of the PS3 and it may be in Sony's best interests to ride this horse for a bit longer. A sub-$200 PS3 in a couple of years could be an awfully attractive buy for the mass market despite being out for 4 years at that point.

I think Microsoft's decision on how quickly to move to the next console depends on just how much they're losing in warranty costs to fix defective consoles. If they can get out a console model later this year that reduces the RROD problems, they could stick with the 360 a bit longer. If the problem persists, I don't think they can afford from a financial perspective to stay with the 360 past the year 2010.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

It should provide a boost for both systems as the analysts predict in the article that you quoted.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Microsoft likely wouldn't have drop $50M on exclusive DLC to secure a 2:1 or 3:1 loss in the sales margin in Europe since they have identified Europe as the battleground that they need to win this year. One thing that these sales margins show is that the PS brand loyalty in Europe is very strong. I'm not sure even Sony could have expected these numbers to go this highly in their favor.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Infinite Undiscovery website is finally up with lots of screenshots............

http://www.square-enix.co.jp/undiscovery/

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Surprising announcement from Sony today. The PS3 version of Singstar will be coming to the States on May 20th, which is sooner than was expected. Honestly, not sure why it took this long. The 2nd version is already well into development.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Here's the latest weekly numbers out of Japan...........

WII - 44,241
PS3 - 7,438
360 - 1,076

The standard consoles are really struggling to gain market share in Japan right now. The PS3 is in desparate need of a AAA title that appeals to the Japanese crowd because the Western-oriented titles just aren't doing enough to get the Japanese to buy. A price cut may be another alternative. It's a good thing that the European market is doing particularly well for them. Japan is certainly holding off on buying consoles at this point.

[SackAttack]

I think the 44k/week for the Wii suggests that it isn't consoles they're holding off on buying, it's the PS3 and 360

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I think the 44k/week for the Wii suggests that it isn't consoles they're holding off on buying, it's the PS3 and 360

Remember, the Wii isn't on the same level as the PS3 or 360. It is not a standard console.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Remember, the Wii isn't on the same level as the PS3 or 360. It is not a standard console.

You're right. It's blowing the other two away. The PS3 and the 360 really don't belong in the same conversation. Maybe we can give them a different name to distinguish them from the console Nintendo is selling.

[Kodos]

Next gen versus last gen 1.5?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

I think the 44k/week for the Wii suggests that it isn't consoles they're holding off on buying, it's the PS3 and 360

Not really. That 44K is actually pretty low for Japan. The Wii sales have dropped quite a bit from even a couple of months ago. In January, they sold 110K/week. In February, they sold 80K/week. That's just as significant of a drop.

Certainly, it's a two horse race over there as the 360 is basically not selling at all at this point. They need GT5, FFXIII, and MGS4 to come out sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, 2 of those 3 games won't be coming out for another 10-12 months. June should help with the release of MGS4, but the true boost likely won't come until a year from now. Price should probably be dropped by that point as well given the cheaper PS3 production cost starting in August.

[stevew]

Can you use a PS3 with a harmony remote, or do you have to use the bluetooth controller. I'm working on getting everything assigned to one remote(to rule them all).

[Travis]

Originally Posted by stevew

Can you use a PS3 with a harmony remote, or do you have to use the bluetooth controller. I'm working on getting everything assigned to one remote(to rule them all).

I haven't tried it yet, but there is a workaround out there apparently that will let you do this. You need to get one of the third party PS3 remotes that comes with an IR dongle that plugs into one of the USB ports, then program the commands for that remote into the harmony. Last I checked I think about the only thing you couldn't do this way was to power on/off the console with the harmony, but again, haven't tried it myself

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Certainly, it's a two horse race over there as the 360 is basically not selling at all at this point.

One of your most hilarious lines ever. The Wii has won that region like every other region. They have a 3-1 margin right now in total units sold in Japan. They aren't giving that up when they are outselling the PS3 6 to 1.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Travis

I haven't tried it yet, but there is a workaround out there apparently that will let you do this. You need to get one of the third party PS3 remotes that comes with an IR dongle that plugs into one of the USB ports, then program the commands for that remote into the harmony. Last I checked I think about the only thing you couldn't do this way was to power on/off the console with the harmony, but again, haven't tried it myself

Hmm, thanks.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

One of your most hilarious lines ever. The Wii has won that region like every other region. They have a 3-1 margin right now in total units sold in Japan. They aren't giving that up when they are outselling the PS3 6 to 1.

What's hilarious is that you somehow drew that conclusion out of what I said. Just because I state it's a two horse race in that region doesn't imply that the PS3 will catch up in Japan. Obviously, the release of Super Smash Bros. inflated the margin this month, so the 6:1 margin is not the norm. You'd complain if I solely used the sales numbers from the MGS4 release month in Japan. It's not any more accurate to state that the Wii is outselling the PS3 by a 6:1 margin on a regular basis.

I will note that several analysts have predicted that the Wii will be surpassed by the PS3 worldwide in 2011. I don't subscribe to that theory, but it's certainly not nearly as out of the question as you seem to imply. However, I'd personally agree with you that the PS3 will probably end up 2nd in that region. For that matter, the order of finish in all regions going forward will likely be the same as the Japan setup. Wii in first, PS3 in second, and 360 in third. It's been that way for several months except for the 5K unit move past the PS3 that the 360 had this month in North America.

[Big Fo]

A few things MBBF:

Smash Brothers came out in January in Japan, so what hardware bump there was petered out weeks ago.

Wii sales this last month (~200k) in Japan are in line with average monthly sales in the PS2 during it's best years, which isn't too bad really. "Holding off on buying consoles"

Wii sales were that high in January because the first few days of the New Year form the most important holiday season there...

Oh, and don't expect to Metal Gear Solid to save the PS3 in Japan. Bigger selling series (Gundam, Hot Shots Golf, Dynasty Warriors) have all made the PS2 -> PS3 jump and sold less than their predecessors, without causing any kind of long-term increase in hardware sales.

[Eaglesfan27]

Actually, the Wii has outsold the PS3 by a 6-1 margin several months in the last year in Japan. That is not a 1 time margin, this is a massive trend.

Edit: I was bored and double checked the numbers and most months it has only been 5-1. 6-1 is a new benchmark.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

What's hilarious is that you somehow drew that conclusion out of what I said. Just because I state it's a two horse race in that region doesn't imply that the PS3 will catch up in Japan.

Then there is no race. If someone has no chance of winning, there is no race. It's a one-horse race then. By saying it's a two-horse race, you do in fact imply that the PS3 has a chance to catch the Wii. Otherwise you would not have used the term.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Surfer Girl mentions in her latest post that she believes that the Bioshock sequel will be a 360/PC game and that there will be no PS3 version.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Always frustrating to see this kind of stuff from developers. It's well known that EA develops for the 'lowest common denominator' in consoles to avoid negative fan feedback if one version were better than a similar console. This article is a bit different in that the developers for the upcoming Ghostbusters game are openly admitting that they could produce a better game on the PS3, but they have decided to 'dumb down' the PS3 version to avoid negative feedback from 360 users.

http://www.n4g.com/ClickOut.aspx?ObjID=140033

I'm not sure why they openly admitted this, as it sets them up to be between a rock and a hard place. If they develop a better PS3 version, the 360 users complain. If they dumb down the PS3 version, the PS3 users complain. Either way, I think they would have been better off not saying what they did.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

New Prince of Persia game on the way this holiday season for PS3/360. Ubisoft needs this one to do well.

http://www.themanroom.com/news/Princ...ay_Season/2632

[Deattribution]

Thus far I've seen about 8 GTA4 commercials and everyone of them ended with the Playstation 3 logo and absolutely no mention of the Xbox 360, or even a logo for it anywhere on the screen that I could see. Maybe that's factoring into the larger boost for the PS3.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Things are starting to become a lot clearer now. Microsoft just cut prices in Asia. Also, estimates for number of shipped units for the 360 are to decline by 40% worldwide in fiscal year 2008 while the PS3 and Wii will see substantial increases. The analysts that were predicting Sony would pass the 360 in units sold worldwide by 2009 likely knew this was coming. This is going to make it awfully tough for the 360 to remain ahead of the PS3 for more than a year.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...8g&refer=japan

April 29 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. cut prices of its Xbox 360 game console in four Asian markets to help fend off market-share declines against Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp.

The Redmond, Washington-based company cut estimated retail prices in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, Brenda Hsieh, a Microsoft spokeswoman in Taipei, said today. The price of a basic version will drop by 17 percent to NT$10,360 ($340) in Taiwan and by about 11 percent in Hong Kong effective today, Hsieh said. Prices will fall 5.1 percent to 369,000 won ($369) in Korea and by 20 percent to S$499 ($366) in Singapore, according to separate e-mailed statements.

Global Xbox 360 shipments will probably fall 40 percent to 9.1 million units in the year ending in March 2009 after peaking during the previous 12-month period, Daiwa Institute of Research Ltd. estimated last month. Shipments of Sony's PlayStation 3 will jump 47 percent to 14 million units, while those of Nintendo's Wii may rise 26 percent to 24 million, according to Daiwa.

[MikeVic]

Ok, I know someone here will know the answer and I didn't want to find the last time it was talked about instead... in case the SKUs have changed.

What were the differences in the current PS3 and 360 SKUs?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

Ok, I know someone here will know the answer and I didn't want to find the last time it was talked about instead... in case the SKUs have changed.

What were the differences in the current PS3 and 360 SKUs?

Assuming you're looking at the best units for each console, the PS3 has built-in Wifi, backwards compatibility (60 and 80 GB machines), and free online play via PSN.

360 Elite has larger HDD and the Xbox Live functionality.

There's more minor differences, but that's the main differences.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Crytek boss says that future games will no longer be PC exclusive due to piracy. Expect to see them on consoles as well...........

http://www.pcplay.hr/modules.php?r=23

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Assuming you're looking at the best units for each console, the PS3 has built-in Wifi, backwards compatibility (60 and 80 GB machines), and free online play via PSN.

360 Elite has larger HDD and the Xbox Live functionality.

There's more minor differences, but that's the main differences.

The 360 Elite and Pro also have backwards compatibility via software for most Xbox titles (and many of them include an HD resolution upgrade for the trouble) that works pretty darn well. It's just funny that after all that bashing Sony did of that route, they've switched to it as well.

And it is worth noting now that the format war is over that the PS3 does have built-in BluRay. While that does not affect gaming much, it is an advantage the console has.

[Ksyrup]

I wonder if the Wii numbers will continue to be big, or even go up more, with Wii Fit coming out next month. My parents finally broke down and bought a Wii this weekend solely for Wii Fit.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I wonder if the Wii numbers will continue to be big, or even go up more, with Wii Fit coming out next month. My parents finally broke down and bought a Wii this weekend solely for Wii Fit.

They'll be big again this month. The supply has finally caught up with demand. Several sites had Wii's available for longer than usual a couple of days ago. They're at the point where there maximizing sales right now and will do so for the foreseeable future.

[Daimyo]

Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, and Wii Fit all within a 2-3 month period should make it big... along with Mario Galaxy in November, Nintendo is firing its big guns.

[wade moore]

Mario Kart question - does it only come with one wheel and if so are they selling the wheel seperately?

[PurdueBrad]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Mario Kart question - does it only come with one wheel and if so are they selling the wheel seperately?

1 wheel with it and you can buy them separate. I did this today but have not opened any of them yet.

[wade moore]

Thanks!

I'm not getting it right away since I got GTA IV, but I imagine the wife will want to get it at some point.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

God of War III may have online multiplayer. That would be absolutely SICK.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=187977