October Console Sales Numbers...........

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

First, the raw numbers (numbers are from VGChartz):

Worldwide Sales:

DS: 1,870,000
Wii: 1,137,000
PSP: 992,000
360: 888,000
PS3: 554,000
PS2: 552,000


Europe:

DS: 887K
Wii: 479K
PSP: 384K
PS3: 354K
PS2: 297K
360: 220K

North America:

360: 649K
DS: 622K
Wii: 543K
PSP: 303K
PS2: 176K
PS3: 138K

Japan:

DS: 361K
PSP: 305K
Wii: 115K
PS3: 62K
PS2: 49K
360: 19K

1. This month's 360 numbers demonstrate the impact that Halo 3 has on the North American market. Mass Effect is due this month for the 360. Should provide a good software sales boost for the 360.

2. The PS3 will likely overtake both the PS2 and Xbox 360 worldwide in the upcoming month as price cuts hit Japan and North America last week. Europe is also still reporting brisk sales of the 40 GB PS3 with low supply available at this point. The announcement that Singstar will now release in 2007 should help European sales as well (won't release in NA until 2008). Sony also received more good news this week as two third-party exclusives which were originally announced as delayed until 2008 (Haze and Unreal Tournament III), were both announced as being set for December 2007 releases in North America.

3. Wii has Super Mario Galaxy coming out this week. Unfortunately, due to supply constraints, no bump in console sales is expected. They're selling everything they make at this point.

[Eaglesfan27]

I wouldn't count on #2. The 360 sales in North America continue to widen the gap over the PS3. Also, this week the 360 outsold the PS3 in Japan of all places:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182608...stnews;title;3

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Sony also received more good news this week...

Oh yeah, it's all lollipops and doughnuts for Sony

[Kodos]

Saw the $400 40 GB version at Walmart yesterday. If the 60 GB sitting next to it was $400, I probably would have picked it up.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Oh yeah, it's all lollipops and doughnuts for Sony

I saw something the other day on another forum where EA released some financial data that showed they actually made more money from cell phone games than they did from all their PS3 games.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I wouldn't count on #2. The 360 sales in North America continue to widen the gap over the PS3. Also, this week the 360 outsold the PS3 in Japan of all places:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182608...stnews;title;3

In regards to widening the gap, not sure where you see that. The 360 got a sales boost of roughly 250K units due to the Halo 3 release. Take that away, and the sales totals worldwide aren't that different. Certainly next month's worldwide sales figures will show that one of us was way off. Given that several online retailers sold out of their initial stock of 40 GB PS3's, it's likely that we'll see a pretty good spike for the PS3.

In regards to Japan, I already posted that in the previous thread. It took an exclusive release of Ace Combat 3 and the release of the Xbox 360 elite to spike the numbers to break even with the PS3 for a week. The new white PS3 was released in Asia this week. It's going to move a lot of units and the 360 will be lucky to sell 5K this week.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Bee

I saw something the other day on another forum where EA released some financial data that showed they actually made more money from cell phone games than they did from all their PS3 games.

Should that be a surprise? EA only released a few games for the PS3 and the ones they did release were inferior ports. Gamers aren't stupid. Put out crap and you're not going to get anyone to buy it. This is more of an indictment of the EA brand (which lost money last quarter and is taking big PR hits in the media of late) than anything having to do with the PS3.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Saw the $400 40 GB version at Walmart yesterday. If the 60 GB sitting next to it was $400, I probably would have picked it up.

Do you have a Hastings store in your area? They're selling the 60 GB machine for $400 right now. It's is an in-store only deal.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

In regards to widening the gap, not sure where you see that.

The 360 sold at almost a 5:1 clip over the PS3 this month in North America. That is the best ratio yet. That is widening the gap in North America which is what I said in my initial post. The PS3 is getting buried in North America which is a very important market.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

The 360 sold at almost a 5:1 clip over the PS3 this month in North America. That is the best ratio yet. That is widening the gap in North America which is what I said in my initial post. The PS3 is getting buried in North America which is a very important market.

They were buried last month because Halo 3 was released and the PS3 didn't have a price cut yet. You're out of your mind if you don't think that the PS3 will be very competitive with the 360 in North America next month. No Halo 3 boost + PS3 price cut is going to even out this region in a hurry. Couple that with wins overseas in Europe and a big jump in Japan due to the white PS3 (I have no clue why Asians go so hog-wild over colored plastic) and the PS3 will pass the 360 in worldwide sales for November.

This honestly shouldn't come as a terrible surprise. Most analysts predicted that late 2007/early 2008 was when the month on month totals would even out worldwide. The real question is whether Sony can do enough to actually start cutting into the 360's lead when the big games start coming in Spring 2008 for the PS3.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Do you have a Hastings store in your area? They're selling the 60 GB machine for $400 right now. It's is an in-store only deal.

The closest one is 662 miles away.

I'm pretty sure any savings would be lost in gas money at that point.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Should that be a surprise? EA only released a few games for the PS3 and the ones they did release were inferior ports. Gamers aren't stupid. Put out crap and you're not going to get anyone to buy it. This is more of an indictment of the EA brand (which lost money last quarter and is taking big PR hits in the media of late) than anything having to do with the PS3.

EA is one of the bigger game publishers around and they made more money on cell phone games than the PS3. Yes, I think it says a lot about the PS3.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Bee

EA is one of the bigger game publishers around and they made more money on cell phone games than the PS3. Yes, I think it says a lot about the PS3.

Fair enough. I'd argue that if they put out the same crap for the 360 that they did on the PS3 (Madden and NCAA are two prime examples) that they wouldn't have sold nearly as well as they did. I didn't drop a dime of my money on any EA title. Also, the library that EA has on the 360 is larger simply because they've had the console around longer. They're going to make more because there are more games available. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison in regards to revenue. The PS2 games sold shockingly well, despite nearly no upgrades on any of the versions this year.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Fair enough. I'd argue that if they put out the same crap for the 360 that they did on the PS3 (Madden and NCAA are two prime examples) that they wouldn't have sold nearly as well as they did. I didn't drop a dime of my money on any EA title. Also, the library that EA has on the 360 is larger simply because they've had the console around longer. They're going to make more because there are more games available. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison in regards to revenue. The PS2 games sold shockingly well, despite nearly no upgrades on any of the versions this year.

The comparison wasn't to the 360...the comparison was to FREAKING CELL PHONES! I never even mentioned the 360.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Bee

The comparison wasn't to the 360...the comparison was to FREAKING CELL PHONES! I never even mentioned the 360.

Yes, well I think we can all agree that the PS3 is as good as a cell phone. *end sarcasm*

It's excellent flame bait, but most EA investors would tell you that they're not laughing in any way over the fall in stock prices. The efforts by EA on the PS3 thus far have been deplorable.

[TroyF]

North America - 649k vs. 138k.

That's an astounding figure.

Keep in mind, while YOU are concerned with worldwide numbers, MS is mainly concerned with US and Europe numbers. They knew they wouldn't make a dent in the Japanese market yet.

If those NA numbers don't change in a hurry. (and I don't think they will), Sony is in a world of hurt.

[Galaxy]

Problem is, the 360 is still cheaper than the PS3.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Yes, well I think we can all agree that the PS3 is as good as a cell phone. *end sarcasm*

It's excellent flame bait, but most EA investors would tell you that they're not laughing in any way over the fall in stock prices. The efforts by EA on the PS3 thus far have been deplorable.

Actually right now I'd rather have a I-phone than a PS3, so no we can't all agree on that.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Problem is, the 360 is still cheaper than the PS3.

Not by nearly as much. Also, the fact that the PS3 was $200 higher priced that the 360 during its first year of existance didn't seem to hinder the consumers. Both the 360 and PS3 sold around 5.5 million units in their first year. In some cases overseas, the price difference was even larger.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

North America - 649k vs. 138k.

That's an astounding figure.

So the best month ever for the 360 when THE franchise game was released should be compared to a month of reduced sales due to an immenent price cut and mean that the sky is falling? I hope similar comparisons are made by you in the Spring when MGS4 comes out. Will you announce the sky is falling based on one month then?

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Not by nearly as much. Also, the fact that the PS3 was $200 higher priced that the 360 during its first year of existance didn't seem to hinder the consumers. Both the 360 and PS3 sold around 5.5 million units in their first year. In some cases overseas, the price difference was even larger.

It's still $50. With an economy that's starting to slow or even regress, people are going to be looking for value. This is a big boost for the Wii.

It doesn't give the PS3 any bigger advantage.

[MizzouRah]

MBBF loves to live in his own little Sony ps3 world doesn't he?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

MBBF loves to live in his own little Sony ps3 world doesn't he?

He really does. He is giving way too much of the credit for the 360's record month to Halo 3. Sure it helped, but there are a ton of games which are about to come out which have also helped. Also, the 360 just had a price break. October is also when early Christmas shoppers usually start shopping. November is the heart of the shopping season. There is no real reason to think that 360 sales are going to plummet or even go down this upcoming month with great games coming out and more people doing Christmas shopping for their first next gen system. I'm sure the PS3 will get a boost from the release of a stripped down 399 dollar PS3, but there are already concerns being voiced about lots of DDE with the new cheap PS3. Also, there is a significant percent of the population who won't buy it because of the removal of backwards compatibility. It all adds up to the strong possibility that the 360 will continue to outsell the PS3 throughout the holidays. However, I'm sure MBBF will continue to spin this into a cheerful scene for Sony.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

MBBF loves to live in his own little Sony ps3 world doesn't he?

I probably missed it but what is the reason or history for this? Does the guy work for them or something?

He's committed. I'll give him that.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

He really does. He is giving way too much of the credit for the 360's record month to Halo 3. Sure it helped, but there are a ton of games which are about to come out which have also helped. Also, the 360 just had a price break. October is also when early Christmas shoppers usually start shopping. November is the heart of the shopping season. There is no real reason to think that 360 sales are going to plummet or even go down this upcoming month with great games coming out and more people doing Christmas shopping for their first next gen system. I'm sure the PS3 will get a boost from the release of a stripped down 399 dollar PS3, but there are already concerns being voiced about lots of DDE with the new cheap PS3. Also, there is a significant percent of the population who won't buy it because of the removal of backwards compatibility. It all adds up to the strong possibility that the 360 will continue to outsell the PS3 throughout the holidays. However, I'm sure MBBF will continue to spin this into a cheerful scene for Sony.

Fully agree with this.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

I probably missed it but what is the reason or history for this? Does the guy work for them or something?

He's committed. I'll give him that.

Perhaps Bill Gates did nasty things to his puppy when he was a child.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Bee

Perhaps Bill Gates did nasty things to his puppy when he was a child.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

I probably missed it but what is the reason or history for this? Does the guy work for them or something?

It's because he has a rooting interest in their success (ie, he bought one). He does this with anything that he is emotionally invested in, he will gloss over anything that goes against what he wants to hear, and jump on every little bit of positive news or spin he can get. He did this with the Penguins/Predators going to KC as well, declaring that each move was inevitable, had already been decided, etc.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm sure the PS3 will get a boost from the release of a stripped down 399 dollar PS3, but there are already concerns being voiced about lots of DDE with the new cheap PS3.

Link? (Hint: be careful)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Good interview of Phil Spencer about MS Game Studios and the recent moves by several developers............

http://www.developmag.com/interviews/96/Game-On-Part-1

Microsoft Game Studios' general manager Phil Spencer on what the future holds
by Michael French

November 9, 2007

Bungie jumped, Bizarre was bought, and Bioware went to EA. If you believe the pundits, the past month has been tumultuous and troublesome for Microsoft Game Studios’ as its development partners go elsewhere. But MGS general manager Phil Spencer would beg to differ…

Let’s start with the the Bungie divestment – what are your thoughts on what has happened?

Being a game publisher means you have to properly manage that relationship with the creative talent. That is the strength that we must nurture – so when you build a partnership with a studio you have to acknowledge what will help make it strong as it can be, and as collaborative as it can be. Sometimes those relationships require an acquisition; sometimes there’s cards on the table, like IP ownership or sequel rights.
In terms of Bungie, our relationship with them now has never been stronger. Our relationship over the future of Halo, and at the same time making new Halo games, is probably at the most collaborative point it’s ever been at – and that’s what it’s all about. People can sit back and say ‘no, you have to have this kind of relationship with a developer in order to get what you need’, but that’s not really a long-term strategy. The right way to do things is just make sure the publisher and developer trust one another.
Do you think they’ll be stronger and working harder now that they are out of the comfier confines of being an in-house team?

I’ve got complete confidence in Bungie’s ability to run itself as an independent entity – as it did before we acquired them. I don’t know if they’ll be stronger as a studio in the long-term – I’m not convinced of that. And I don’t know if the strains of running a business on their own will hurt or help them. I do think that, however, the ‘live or die’ mentality that comes from being on your own, the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that kicks in, will really help the team re-motivate themselves. Bungie has made Halo games for quite a while – look at a studio like Rare, or some others out in the industry that has the chance to work on multiple projects, Bungie needs to get to that point. So where they are now should help them expand as they control their destiny.

What does the Bungie move say about Microsoft’s attitude towards acquisitions – are you moving away from them?

There’s really no formula we’re running at Redmond saying how many in-house or independents we want to have. It’s on a case-by-case basis and looking at the kinds of games or relationships we want to have. If a studio came to us today with an idea we’d talk to them about what they want to get out of the idea, what we as a publisher want out of it, and then build the business relationship between the two to make sure we both get what we want. I remember about five years ago I was sat in Las Vegas with Epic about a game called ‘Warfare’ – which turned into Gears of War – and talking about our relationship, and working out that relationship from the beginning to make sure that the end result was something we’d both be happy with. So that’s one example which has been fruitful but doesn’t mean we have to own them. Of course there are partners like Rare or Lionhead, a more recent acquisition, were you end up at a different result but still have the same great relationship.

And what was Microsoft’s reaction to Bizarre’s acquisition?

I love Bizarre Creations, I think they’re a great studio, and we’ve known them for a long while – they’ve helped us launch two platforms. I look at them as pioneers on Live with PGR2 and I will miss working with the team, but this opportunity came along for them. For where Martyn [Chudley] wanted to focus right now, and where he wanted to take the studio, it was right for them. We did talk to them before they made the final call on it, and in the end we had to look at what they wanted versus what we might have done with them. But it was best that they followed their hearts, and I wish them well. And it’s a small industry in some ways – who knows what will happen in four or five years or who we might be working with then – so it was best for us to make sure our relationship supported them.
I will miss working with them, but we are committed to PGR, and we will find other ways to get PGR done.

So are you looking for another team to get that game done?

We don’t have any clear set answer for how PGR5 might come to market yet, but we’re looking at a lot of different alternatives right now. Obviously [Forza creators and internal MGS studio] Turn 10 is a strong team, and they’re really focused on Forza and it’s doing well so I wouldn’t want to distract them, but it is an option. And of course there are some great independent racing studios we are going to talk to as well. We have a real place for PGR in our portfolio, and we know what it means relative to Forza, and some of the third party alternatives are not comparable.

PGR does really well as a European property as well – it does really well as a global franchise too, but the sensibilities that come from a studio in Europe really shows in the sales success it has had.

In terms of another acquisiton, the BioWare/EA deal has been perceived as a blow to MGS as well, especially as you’re publishing Mass Effect, and have presumably lost the potential sequel to that game…

Don’t assume that – we’re having discussions with BioWare. The first Mass Effect is still to come out, and I don’t want to get away ahead of that – the game has been built completely by that developer’s rules; it’s BioWare telling a story the way they want to tell it. So firstly I want to see how gamers respond to that. As for our future in that franchise – we feel very good about it, it’s still something that plays an important part in our portfolio, BioWare are a great partner, and I’m looking forward to discussing what we can do with them.

But with the Bioware, Bizarre and Bungie news, many have speculated that it’s a sign of weakness on MGS’ part. One news site said the foundation of Microsoft Game Studios seems to be “built on quicksand”.

I will say – and I mean it respectfully – that I find it all a little humorous. I don’t think people sometimes completely understand the relationship between a publisher and a developer. But I know what our relationships with our partners are, and I know the collaboration. I think speculation is fine – it’s good to have smart people talking about what’s going on. But I think this time next year, when we’re sat here talking about a great Banjo game or a great Fable game, or other upcoming games, it will all be a distant memory. I understand the speculation – but quicksand in our foundations? No way.

So there are no problems, as people have assumed?

Not at all. In fact, I don’t think there’s been a time at MGS when I’ve been able to go back 12 months and look forward to see how great our portfolio has done.

You talk about one or two future games there. Over the past 12 months MGS has been prolific – Halo 3 Crackdown, Forza 2, Blue Dragon, Shadowrun and others – the speculation about your relationships with developers has also commented the lack of noise around 2008’s titles…

Well there are games announced that are due next year – Fable 2, Banjo, Halo Wars. Those are some big games coming up. There are other games that will come.

One of the things we don’t want to do now is getting ahead of ourselves and showing games too early. I don’t think we do a service to our games community when we show games which we’re not completely sure of what games they are going to be. I have a real sense of responsibility to those consumers that have bought our platform, and want to be comfortable that when we show a game we have belief in that game and think it is representative of what it might be when that game comes out. I’ve seen games too early – or even things shown that aren’t the game, to try and build excitement about that game, but for us I’m not about doing that. For instance: we preferred to show Halo through the Halo Beta and actually show people ‘Here’s where we are’ and let that progress through the summer – that means we’re playing fair with our audience.

Certainly there has been a tendency in the past with some titles to release press assets that aren’t exactly accurate – do you think that ends up hurting the hype?

It certainly makes people ask questions. When we’re asked what’s coming up in the next two to three years, well, there’s tons we’re working on and we’re going to show them – not ‘when they’re ready’, or play some egotistical trick – but show them when they are ready to be shown.

One the experiences I’ve really learnt from the past few years was showing Too Human at E3. I’m proud to say that the game has really turned itself around – but we showed it too early back at that E3 – both Denis [Dyack, head of Too Human creator Silicon Knights] and I will put our hands up and admit that. Now we’ve since had a press event at the studio and had a great response to the game, and we’ve learnt to show a game when it’s ready.

It’s been six months since Microsoft Game Studios officially opened in Europe – what’s progress been like?

We’ve built a team here now. Key for us is finding great European talent to help us both understand the development community here better, and more importantly understand the gamers in the European community. Our portfolio now, and the games coming over the 12 months, is very well targeted towards different groups – but I think we can do better at that. So helping us have a base of publishing here, filled with people who are from here will help us achieve that. And clearly for us the basis of our success is building good relationships with creative talent – that’s our number one focus overall.

So have you found games ideas in Europe that you’re publishing or are you still looking?
Well, we’re always looking for good ideas. One of the strengths we’ve had in the life of 360 to date has been the strength of new IP we’ve brought to the portfolio – things like Crackdown, or something like Too Human or Gears of War. Finding those games has been very much about talking to the talent behind it and asking them what they want to make and discussing how we, as a publisher, can work on those games. We’ve definitely going to have other similar such fresh ideas come from European developers.

Do you now think you’re competing better for European talent compared to those publishers – and format holders – which have been more active in Europe?

Well, there are a number of publishers with headquarters here who have been able to just hop on a plane to Vienna or Spain and have a quick conversation about a game. Being based here has made that easier, so we’re certainly closer to talent now.

In part two of this interview, to be posted up during the week beginning November 12th, Spencer discusses the differences in developing for 360 and its rivals, why he’s letting Rare make a DS game (and what it will teach Microsoft Game Studios), plus his thoughts on the Silicon Knights vs Epic court case.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

October is also when early Christmas shoppers usually start shopping. November is the heart of the shopping season.

Which is why the Halo 3 boost is far from over. A lot of the adults who want to play Halo 3 and did not have a 360 already probably bought it on release. All of the kids who want to play Halo 3 and do not have a 360 already will probably be getting both for Xmas, meaning their parents will be buying them in November and December, if they have not done so already.

Halo 3 will continue to push up the sales of the 360 through the holiday season because of parents buying them for their kids, which is why Microsoft would want a game like Hale 3 released in the fall to begin with.

[CraigSca]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Not by nearly as much. Also, the fact that the PS3 was $200 higher priced that the 360 during its first year of existance didn't seem to hinder the consumers. Both the 360 and PS3 sold around 5.5 million units in their first year. In some cases overseas, the price difference was even larger.

But the problem is - Sony had the console wars WON. It was a no-brainer. You can scream peaches and sunshine all you want, but that fact is they had the entire market to themselves and the numbers are showing that they essentially screwed the pooch this time around.

My 8 year old son could have won the console war this round if he had stuck the word "Sony" on a clay ashtray. This failure on Sony's part is monumental in scale.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by sabotai

Which is why the Halo 3 boost is far from over. A lot of the adults who want to play Halo 3 and did not have a 360 already probably bought it on release. All of the kids who want to play Halo 3 and do not have a 360 already will probably be getting both for Xmas, meaning their parents will be buying them in November and December, if they have not done so already.

Halo 3 will continue to push up the sales of the 360 through the holiday season because of parents buying them for their kids, which is why Microsoft would want a game like Hale 3 released in the fall to begin with.

I completely agree. Also, the 349 dollar 360 includes 2 games which will be an influencing factor for parents who are trying to decide which system to get their kids while the 399 PS3 doesn't come with any, IIRC.

MFFB, I'm not sure why your hint is there. I don't have a link readily available, but I remember reading it on a few sites earlier this week. If work quiets down later this afternoon, I'll try to find it, but I saw discussion of it on OS for one, and I think Gamespot as well.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

But the problem is - Sony had the console wars WON. It was a no-brainer. You can scream peaches and sunshine all you want, but that fact is they had the entire market to themselves and the numbers are showing that they essentially screwed the pooch this time around.

My 8 year old son could have won the console war this round if he had stuck the word "Sony" on a clay ashtray. This failure on Sony's part is monumental in scale.

Winner. It's the thing he hasn't wanted to admit to from the start.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

MFFB, I'm not sure why your hint is there. I don't have a link readily available, but I remember reading it on a few sites earlier this week. If work quiets down later this afternoon, I'll try to find it, but I saw discussion of it on OS for one, and I think Gamespot as well.

The original article was retracted after it was found that the information was totally false. The site published an apology for publishing false information as fact. The return rate on the 40 GB models has been no different from previous models thus far. Sony currently reports a defect rate of 0.2% on the PS3. Nintendo reports a 0.4% return rate on the Wii. MS refuses to give any defect information on the Xbox 360.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I completely agree. Also, the 349 dollar 360 includes 2 games which will be an influencing factor for parents who are trying to decide which system to get their kids while the 399 PS3 doesn't come with any, IIRC.

MFFB, I'm not sure why your hint is there. I don't have a link readily available, but I remember reading it on a few sites earlier this week. If work quiets down later this afternoon, I'll try to find it, but I saw discussion of it on OS for one, and I think Gamespot as well.

Which is why I think Sony screwed up in trying to build an entertainment system, where Nintendo and Microsoft took a different route to that. Kids aren't looking for entertainment system. Parents and kids are after the best games (selection and quality) and the best value.

I think most of the hardcore gamers/fanboys have already picked up at least one system that they wanted. Now, I think we'll be entering a different phase of the console market in terms of what type of customers are avaliable. To me, I think this holiday season is very important for this generation of the console systems.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

But the problem is - Sony had the console wars WON. It was a no-brainer. You can scream peaches and sunshine all you want, but that fact is they had the entire market to themselves and the numbers are showing that they essentially screwed the pooch this time around.

My 8 year old son could have won the console war this round if he had stuck the word "Sony" on a clay ashtray. This failure on Sony's part is monumental in scale.

Couldn't agree more with this post. I've been critical of the Sony executives from the very start. Up until the recent price cut which was a step in the right direction (BC or no BC), they haven't done much of anything right.

With that said, MS has left the door open for them to still get back in this race, which is nearly as unbelievable.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

The original article was retracted after it was found that the information was totally false. The site published an apology for publishing false information as fact. The return rate on the 40 GB models has been no different from previous models thus far. Sony currently reports a defect rate of 0.2% on the PS3. Nintendo reports a 0.4% return rate on the Wii. MS refuses to give any defect information on the Xbox 360.

Hmm. Maybe I saw the article before it was retracted - still doesn't matter. You accuse MS of covering up the 360 failure rate, I wouldn't put it past Sony to do the same if their new version of the PS3 was having problems. I guess time will tell.

[Neuqua]

To be honest, MBBF is very good at what he does. If I were up and starting my own company, he'd be on my my payroll for PR for sure.

[Fidatelo]

You think so? I wouldn't want him near mine. A lot of people can see right through his rose-coloured glasses schtick, and those that do often find it insufferable. It seems to me that he'd drive away as many or more as he'd reel in.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Neuqua

To be honest, MBBF is very good at what he does. If I were up and starting my own company, he'd be on my my payroll for PR for sure.

Really? You can see right through him.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

You think so? I wouldn't want him near mine. A lot of people can see right through his rose-coloured glasses schtick, and those that do often find it insufferable. It seems to me that he'd drive away as many or more as he'd reel in.

Bingo!

[Big Fo]

MBBF, you could have waited until the NPDs came out (they still will, despite that article in the September thread), vgchartz numbers might be better than nothing but they're far from accurate. The only time they are semi-useful are for games that have fallen out of the top 10/20.

My 8 year old son could have won the console war this round if he had stuck the word "Sony" on a clay ashtray. This failure on Sony's part is monumental in scale.

[Eaglesfan27]

Apparently, the cell processor isn't quite as great or at least as profitable as Sony wanted it to be. Design and production of the cell processor has cost over 1.7 billion dollars and now Sony is shutting down cell processor production and research and selling its stake in the cell processor technology to Toshiba:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182641...stnews;title;2

[Galaxy]

I don't know what happen to Sony. They brought in Howard Stringer to turn things around (though he may have entered well after the PS3 was in the pipeline). They seem to have some success with the Bravia HDTV's. Hopefully they can re-structure and bring the engineers/developers closer with the customers.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Apparently, the cell processor isn't quite as great or at least as profitable as Sony wanted it to be. Design and production of the cell processor has cost over 1.7 billion dollars and now Sony is shutting down cell processor production and research and selling its stake in the cell processor technology to Toshiba:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182641...stnews;title;2

Sony was hoping that the Cell would make in-roads into the High Performance Computing arena, ie. Supercomputers. But now that Quad-core CPUs from Intel and AMD are common place, it doesn't make much sense from a cost or time spent rewriting code for a new architecture standpoint to take a long look at the Cell for existing projects or projects in the pipeline. If anything, they might catch on in 3 or 4 years, but evidently Sony doesn't want to wait that long.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

MBBF, you could have waited until the NPDs came out (they still will, despite that article in the September thread), vgchartz numbers might be better than nothing but they're far from accurate. The only time they are semi-useful are for games that have fallen out of the top 10/20.

I've always stated in previous threads that VGChartz numbers have a +/- of 10% on their numbers. It provides a good starting point for the discussion. I fully understand that the NPD numbers will be out as well.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

New game news. Bioshock appears to still be on for a port to the PS3. Also, Konami will be creating an entirely new Metal Gear Solid game for the PSP, due out next year.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3164283

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Hmm. Maybe I saw the article before it was retracted - still doesn't matter. You accuse MS of covering up the 360 failure rate, I wouldn't put it past Sony to do the same if their new version of the PS3 was having problems. I guess time will tell.

LOL......so Microsoft is covering up their failure rate, so it means that Sony must be too? C'mon, you're better than that EF. I truly hope you're joking.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

LOL......so Microsoft is covering up their failure rate, so it means that Sony must be too? C'mon, you're better than that EF. I truly hope you're joking.

No, I'm not. I found the link last night and you are right, they retracted it - after pressure from Sony. I wouldn't put it past Sony to cover things up, and I'm sure you can see that possibility as well if you would look at it objectively. Also, you should have mentioned in your last post that Bioshock coming to the PS3 is still a rumor at best, as the link mentions.

Interesting list of Game of the Year from the first of the various "award shows":

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/acti...yadded;title;1


Three of the four candidates for overall game of the year are 360 (ok PC too for Bioshock) exclusives: Bioshock, Mass Effect, and Halo 3.


The PS3 game of the year candidates:

Heavenly Sword
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Warhawk

I'm sure PS3 fans desperately want a game of Bioshock's excellence to come to the PS3, but rumor certainly doesn't mean it is happening.

However, once again, I find myself getting into ridiculous arguments with you, so I'll withdrawal again unless there is something truly newsworthy such as a new rumor of FF to the 360