Kotaku
Following the release of yesterday's NPD hardware sales figures, in which the PS3 finally landed a few decent punches on its competitors, you could expect a few things to happen. One was that Sony would dance the happiest post-NPDs sales dance they've danced in a long time. The other was that Microsoft, relegated to the arse-end of the pack, would find putting a positive spin on their performance very, very difficult. Guess what? They found it very, very difficult. The end result is so timid that it inspires pity. Sympathy, almost.
Sure, David Dennis did his best when he claimed hardware shortages, but nobody was really buying that. Instead, the official spin relies mostly on software sales and abstract revenue figures, like the fact people spent twice as much money on 360 games in January than they did on PS3 games, or that third-party publishers are enjoying better success on the 360 than on other platforms.
The full, exhaustively cherry-picked statement is below:
January NPD UpdateToday we have an update from NPD on console, accessory and software sales for January 2008 and it demonstrates that whether you are a consumer, retailer, or a publisher there is no better platform for games than Xbox 360.
Xbox 360 experienced a record-setting holiday that has not slowed down in 2008. NPD today reported that in January, Microsoft sold 230,000 Xbox 360 consoles. Our retailers are telling us that Xbox 360 is selling as fast as they can restock, but due to this high demand, Xbox 360 is experiencing temporary shortages. We are working as quickly as we can to replenish inventory.
Xbox 360 Owners Spend More on Games; Drives Industry Ecosystem
* In January, $297 million was spent on the Xbox 360 platform (hardware, software and accessories combined), compared to $244 million on Wii and $219 million on PS3. (U.S. NPD, January)
* $159 million was spent on Xbox 360 games alone in January compared to $131 million on Wii and $80 million for PS3. (U.S. NPD, January)
* Total customer spending on Xbox 360 life-to-date now reaches nearly $8.6 billion; this is more than double PS3 and Wii combined. (U.S. NPD, January)
* Six of the top 10 best selling games in January are on Xbox 360's platform. (U.S. NPD, January)
* After five months on the market, "Halo 3" continues to make the top 10 best selling games list according to NPD with 127,000 additional units sold in January. (U.S. NPD, January)Games Play Better, Sell Better on Xbox 360
* "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" on Xbox 360 was the number one selling game across all platforms for the third month in a row. In January, the fourth edition of Activision's acclaimed war game sold more than 331,000 copies on Xbox 360 and outsold the PS3 version by more than 2:1. (U.S. NPD, January)
* Music fans love to jam on "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero III" on Xbox 360! The Xbox 360 version of "Rock Band" sold more than 172,000 units in January and ranked fifth on the top 10 best selling games according to NPD. "Rock Band" on PS3 failed make it into the top 25 list for January. (U.S. NPD, January)
* Third party publishers made 61 percent of their retail revenue, this generation, on Xbox 360 compared to 20 percent on Wii and 18 percent on PS3. (U.S. NPD, January)
* Xbox 360 has 83 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher compared to just 42 for PS3 and 14 for Wii.Looking forward, Xbox 360 will continue to be the destination for the best games with powerhouse franchises such as "BioShock," "Call of Duty," "Guitar Hero," "Halo," "Madden," "Mass Effect," and coming in April, "Grand Theft Auto IV." Whether you are an experienced gamer or a family looking for a night of fun, Xbox 360 is today's preferred gaming experience, where everyone is invited to play.
Comments
Ole Gil's gonna get himself some systems made.
@Erwin: Good ol' Gil is the best picture for "desperate" ever.
I'm not seeing how they seem desperate...
I wonder how the current shortage of 360s is going to effect them?
Thats still going on in the US right?
So everyone isn't invited to play on PS3s and Wiis?
I did not know that.
@Witzbold: oh yeah. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.
No sympathy whatsoever. 2008 and beyond belongs to the PS3. Here come the 360 fanboys...
I can't think of any stores here that don't have a 360 in stock. Such a lame spin lol.
I think what's gona hurt the 360 for now is, there's not much in terms of growth that can be seen. That's not to say the games won't continually get better. But right now, with PSN updates, HOME and all that jazz for the PS3 finally coming into play, can't help but think these sales figures will grow to be a trend.
Well what if there wasn't a 360 shortage? Would they still be in last place? Its hard to tell cause its still too early in the game.
Shortages? Really? Maybe I should buy a bunch of the ones that are gathering dust at the local Best Buys and get on over to eBay.
@kingclip: Yeah man, special invite or licensed accepted gamers only.
Aw, finally-Gil's moving up to the big leagues, boy! Ow! My back!
@LordMaim: I dunno since Kotaku ran a story on how there were 360 shortages. A few folks who worked for gamestop chipped in too with info it seemed.
I had found it weird that 360s would be out of stock myself.
@Witzbold: I've seen countless weeping children, unable to get their paws on the coveted Xbox360s. Those poor souls...!
Joking aside, Walmart was surprisingly out of stock of their Xboxes with HDDs, while they had a mountain of those arcades. I think they _are_ experiencing a shortage of sorts, but more due to the fact that no one really gives a shit about the Arcade version than anything else.
"Games Play Better, Sell Better on Xbox 360"
Not of them sir. I think you're desperately reaching on that one
I love how they say:
"Xbox 360 has 83 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher compared to just 42 for PS3 and 14 for Wii."
NO SHIT. The 360 has been out a year longer than both of the other systems.
@Sparx88:
Not all*
That's not very desperate. He actually makes some pretty strong points to obscure the poor hardware sales number. Nevertheless, i suppose you'll be seeing a lot more of these because the 360 is going to have a tough '08, especially if Too Human or Alan Wake slip into '09.
I <3 my 360 but I need that wireless adapter dammit! someone get me :(
Once again Luke your choice of picture is astounding. How do you keep doing it?
No really, I must know.
@Witzbold: If they are having shortages, they're clearly not 1/100th as widespread and ridiculous as the Wii, which somehow continues to top the charts with ease.
Yeah, that sounds desperate Luke.
"Games Play Better, Sell Better on Xbox 360"
WTF?
@njhardcoreguy: lets go giants!
what a pathetic press release... example: 3rd party games play better on 360....hahahaha. ahem, you want to tell that to Criterion?Capcom?Infinity Ward? exactly. retreat into the fetal position. You got pwnd for January.
@SkutSkut: PS3: Built-in wireless.
I'm still puzzled as to what pushed the PS3 so far. It couldn't only be blue-ray, can it?
@goldwings:
Blu-Ray without a doubt is a factor. Now with the for sure victory, people have peace of mind to pick one up.
You guys realize that there has been shortages for about a month, right?
Joystiq and their affiliates even had a running thing about it.
The shortage is fact, the reason is open for speculation. It may be legit or it may be MS burning off old model 360s so they can make room for the new ones. But whatever reason for it, its here. I know a guy up here in canada who just bought one. A Halo 360...and he doesn't play halo. because in all the city of ottawa that was the only one he could find.
But knowing that makes sony cheerleading harder.
I was about to agree on shortages... until I went out this afternoon shopping. There are loads of 360's sitting around Best Buy, Circuit City, and even EBgames had a bunch on hand.(non arcades)
Wow, PS3 sales 39k more in one month against the 360. At that rate it will take them approximately 54.87 years to match. Howeve the PS2 is Unbeatable.
@Marasai: I'd imagine that Ottowa has shortages of alot of things... like good looking women. Zing!
No 360 shortages in Jersey.
Actually blu-ray has likely been a pretty strong selling point for the PS3 - especially when it hit $399. Of course you had your very hardcore PlayStation fans that would purchase a PS3 just because's a PlayStation. I bought mine mainly for blu-ray, but also I know in the future there will be some really solid games for it (Uncharted was very good, though).
PS3 should see a pretty good year - especially when it's bigger exclusives hit. On the same token I expect the 360 is going to have a very good year as well. Plus Microsoft is in the position to do another price cut when it feels the time is right. So I don't think either Microsoft or Sony really needs our concern right now. :)
@DigitalHero, goldwings: Name recognition has probably helped too. Not nearly as much as with PS2, but it's still there.
First off, I'm not saying the PS3 isn't on the rise. Now, if there are shortages in places where the 360's in high demand, then yeah. Understandable. The stores in places where the 360 isn't as popular aren't going to send the systems back, are they?
Not sure if saying all that crap was the right idea from MS, but I see where they're coming from. Get last place in one month where you claim there were shortages, and people call you liars and are speaking of the "RISE OF THE PS3!!!" MS is basically in defense mode from all that crap and laying down the numeral facts, "More money's being made with games on the 360, not the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market. You know, the format everything's supporting now since just about everywhere else is dropping the HD-DVD."
There could be several other explanations to what's going on, but really people, use your common sense. Not your fan-goggles. Honestly, I believe eventually the PS3 will win, but I doubt highly the time is right after Christmas, where the 360 did pretty damned good. We need a little more evidence, people, before we come to that kind of conclusion.
@njhardcoreguy: I want one of those too, later on, I already have the other two systems and $100 is too much atm, much less $500.
Shortages? Since when? Not only that, but I never seen someone spew at the mouth trying to make a positive spin like this before. I like it Microsoft! I like it much! I suspect you'll be doing that a few more times this year, esp when FFXIII hits Japan this year. (Hopefully.)
@goldwings: Judging by how HD DVD was completely ANNIHILATED from top tier monopoly stores, I would say yes it is. That and maybe Devil May Cry 4 helped a little, though I doubt it, for America at least. It is multiplatform you know. I also doubt the reasoning for the shortages, I mean seriously I've seen plenty of all versions of Xboxs in a variety of different stores.
@Witzbold: I agree. You'd figure after two years, Microsoft would have their shit together.
@ReyDEEEEZY:
you're math is wrong. Even without the European numbers the PS3 outsold the 360 by 60k in America and Japan combined. In all fairness you could easily assume an outselling of roughly 75-80k
So things are looking up for PS3, eh? Good for them. Good for them...
Obviously they have some catching up to do with the 360s head start and some of their sales could be attributed to people buying a PS3 after owning a 360 for all this time (I know that's my next purchase).
But seriously, this issue has a lot more greyscale than some of these posts...
There are plenty of 360's around here. And as I've said before, quite a decent amount of Wii's.
The weird thing that I noticed when I went to Best Buy today to pick up some print cartridges? They were out of PS3's. They were actually telling a mother with her kids that they were sold out, and they expected to get more by Tuesday...
I'll be honest, I started laughing hysterically and had to actually ask the guy "Really? Seriously, you guys are sold out of PS3's?"
He replied that it was the damnedest thing, but yeah, people were using gift certificates left and right since Christmas and buying the things up.
Go figure. Looks like people want one, they just don't want to PAY for one. :P
Eh, I would not say they are desparate, but he does have a good point about the games. Just the fact that the response to the HARDWARE NPD should not include a statement about there SOFTWARE. Sure Xbox software is doing better on the 360, but this is about hardware. Microsoft should be doing better on the software. I mean, they do have more systems than the PS3.
As far as the shortages go, yea, that does matter. I know at my store, we have waaay more PS3 than 360. We do have a shitload of the crappy Halo Edition 360's though.
But yea, hardware shortages are a valid point. I mean, what if, at lanch, the PS3 had 2 million PS3's, they would have sold them all im sure, but they only had 500,000. They would be in a better spot than they are now. It is a valid point, but it is not an excuse. Plus the Wii has had hardware constraints since it was launched, and it is STILL selling better than PS3 and the 360. And I am pretty sure the 360 is not as wanted as the Wii is.
@ReyDEEEEZY:
IF they only outsell by that many EVERY month. Anyway, haven't seen any shortages in new york. Hell, even small electronic stores have a couple of them on the shelf, even if they don't carry ps3 or wii.
How the hell can they crack out a fluffy press release like that without mentioning achievements or gamerscore? Don'cha think that's a selling "point"? lawl
Oh is it this time of the month yet again where we all revert to foaming at the mouth fanboys? Okay.
MICROSOFT SUCKS YOU GOT OWNED SO HARD THIS MONTH AFTER HAVING ALL THOSE GOOD MONTHS SUCK IT YOU PUNKS. LOL M$ RROD'D ON THIS MONTH.
Around here, there has definitely been a shortage of 360s. I work at Best Buy and we sell out of them rather quickly, even the Arcades. I'm forever having people ask me where they can find one. Obviously, there's still more of a demand for Wiis, but I've been surprised at how fast PS3's have been selling.
Everyone seems to want the Elite or Pro versions. I've only seen the Arcade versions and a few Halo version since the holidays. So yeah, there may be 360s sitting on the shelves, but their not the desired "SKU".
Yeah, that's right. I used "SKU".
Actually, I think the reason why the Xbox 360 isn't lighting the world on fire, is because people are afraid of spending 400 bucks on a system, only for it to break in a few months.
After having my 360 break for the second time in a little over a year, only to find out that all my Xbox Live content is borked; I'm having a hard time recommending the 360 to anyone.
Six months ago, if you would have asked me whet system to buy, I would have said the 360 hands down. But now, i would recommend the PS3, only because most of the people I know have no patience in waiting a month to send in a broken console -- only to spend hours haggling over a phone with someone from India because their girlfriend can't play the games that they purchased on Live.
@Brackynews: You know its kinda scary how the lure of AP and upping ones GS makes people lean more towards 360 games though. Its like a subconcious though, its creepy.
"Aw, ain't she a beaut'? Y'can't beat the ole Xbox 360 for games. Now, can I interest you in some extended warrantees? These 360's will red ring on you before y'know it! They- shut up, Gil! Close the sale, close the sale!"
@Queasy:
Umm I see Elites on shelves all over the place where i live.
"In January, the fourth edition of Activision's acclaimed war game sold more than 331,000 copies on Xbox 360 and outsold the PS3 version by more than 2:1."
Sounds good, considering the more than 3:1 install base difference. :3
I do think you guys are being a little harsh though...the hardware shortages were pretty real, but they weren't extremely major. Microsoft simply underestimated the post-holiday demand while Sony was prepared for the situation.
I can walk into Costco and purchase a Pro Version of the 360 with no problem. There is no shortage of Xbox 360's. The PS3 is selling well because BluRay will probably win the format war and the 80gb PS3 with BC has stopped production so people on the fence that want BC are buying them up. Things will go back to normal next month.
@Queasy: oh no you di'int!
@Funnydale:
You know, I dont think that the system breaking is a big issue anymore. I'm not saying that it dose not happen, although I have an Elite and I have not had any issues. I'm just saying that if people were really scared, it would not have done as well this past year.
haha, desperate is right. excuses as well.
pic says all....
I prefer the Playstation games and systems. However one month does not a victory make. more than half a year does. If the PS out sells the Box then Dev's will be forced to learn how to make good games for it. So here's to that happening! cheers