Sony Is Losing Ground Heading Into The Holidays

Sony’s showing at Gamescom back in August inspired a lot of confidence in the company. The combination of new games and the PS3/Vita Cross-Buy promotion turned a lot of heads, but lately it seems Sony has been turning heads for all the wrong reasons. This holiday season will certainly see fierce competition between Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, but while the latter two seem to be making some good moves, Sony seems to be shooting themselves in the foot. What is Sony doing wrong, and can they rebound in time for the holidays?

[LX-General-Kaos]

That is unfortunate and I wish them the best of luck within the gaming space.

[aceitman]

so if sony is losing ground , y did ms drop there price . is it they know sony is coming in strong this holiday.

[kupomogli]

@Syntax-Error

"What exclsuives does Sony have coming out for the holiday season? Lemme think....................NONE. "

There are exclusives. For example, the ones I'm interested in and will purchase are Playstation All Stars, Ragnarok Odyssey, and Assassin's Creed 3 Liberation. It also has the Ezio trilogy that I'm getting, but that's just an exclusive compilation as all the games are on the 360 and PC.

[andibandit]

@Syntax-Error

You are completely wrong.

If youre willing to shell out 250$
you can play Assassins Creed 3, as a Girl on a 4 inch screen.

OR

you can play Black Ops2 with
Fewer Maps
Fewer players
Worse Graphics
also on a 4 inch screen

for lets say around 300$

[showtimefolks]

Seriously what's going on with these Sony doomed or they will fail articles? Why don't we see anything about ms or Nintendo? Yet this site is run by so called ps3 fanboys?

This year sony's lineup of exclusives is the weakest but this year they could have 2 games sell a lot that wonder book and battle royal. Why because as much as those games are geared towards hardcore gamers they are also targeting casual market in a big way

And into 7th year when are we finally go stop comparing sales? Uncharted 3 sold really well why not one brings that up? Sony execs have said it them self they rather spend the money on games than advertisement so when a game does 2-3 million that's success how many games this gen have actually cross 5 million mark? Nguess what bioshock 1 didn't sell 5-10 million yet it's considered one of the best games of this gen if not ever.

If sales were everything than COD is the greatest game ever made and this year after that will be Medal of honor and AC3 both games which get yearly releases. In MOH case one year it's replaced by BF.

Stop hating on a company if you are a real gamer than you know this for a fact Sony has delivered more to core fans than gen than any one else and that's not an opinion that's a fact. Instead of going towards casual market like MS have done with kinect they sticking with what made them successful. Fable the journey anyone? N

Fable
Gears
Halo
Forza what else? Crackdown is a great IP but doesn't get the attention it deserves why? Because t doesn't sell well what about Alan wake selling so well in pc and not in xbox360 when heavy rain did well on ps3?

Why is it always halo vs Sony exclusives? Bwhy didn't forza sell as well as GT?

Instead of hating why don't some of y'all actually appreciate. If Sony are out of gaming business than we are left with MS and their media box more than gaming console and Nintendo who has a long long history of not getting 3rd party support

Everyone who has played beta for battle royal have said nice things about so I am hoping it does well and I think It will do quite well

Sony Sony doesn't have that many big games this fall maybe they will actually use some money on advertisement

Sony doom or ps4 will be failure articles need to stop stop hating. Be a gamer not a fanboy

[mcstorm]

This was said last gen about Nintendo and Microsoft but each gen is different. No one can be top all the time in technology. Look at MS for example 10 years ago they were streets ahead of Apple and Google in computing market but now they are playing catch-up and it looks like Apple could be the next to fall.

TBH if you look back at this gen sony have not had many big games this time of year they tend to be the 1st quarter and there sales patterns this gen show this as the 360 tends to out sell it the last few months of the year as the have there big guns like Halo and Gears plus push COD.

But like I said next gen it will be doom and gloom for who ever is in last place next gen as each on is different but Sony will be around for a lot longer I think this will be the case for Microsoft and Nintendo too.

[TKCMuzzer]

Good points. Many potential buyers will also be aware they can now pick up a PS3 this Christmas, go home sign up to the PSN, purchase PS+ and have access to quality games for £40 which will keep very busy for months to come.
Some people easily forget what services Sony are also offering, maybe it's really the first year instead of focusing on a certain games Sony are focusing on the PS3 itself and the value it offers.
Personally PS+ would sway me over the 360 if I was a new buyer this Christmas, it's as a good a deal as any of the three companies are offering.

[IAmLee]

Here is the daily sony hate article.
EVERYDAY. WHY IS THERE ONE OF THESE EVERY SINGLE DAY!?

[Anon1974]

Personally, if I want to peer into my crystal ball and take a stab at how the holidays will go - I like to look at the data so far that year as it usually gives us a good indication going into the holidays what we can expect versus the last year.

All consoles are down so far in 2012. One is slightly down but holding it's own without a price cut, one console's sales were down nearly half for the first two quarters of 2012 and one's sales have completely fallen off a cliff. I'll let you all figure out which is which.

This guy claims Sony isn't making their products particularly appealing to consumers, and yet consumers have been speaking with their wallets. The PS3 is far ahead of the 360 this year and Wii sales are non-existent - all without a PS3 price cut.

Do you really think the Wii knocking off another $20 from their price or a Kinect bundle getting a price cut is going to change the consumers mind suddenly when they've been staying away from both consoles in droves? Nintendo actually has a chance to come away this holiday as a winner with the 3DS and Wii-U, but stick a fork in the Wii. As for the 360, they had their best calendar year ever, then sales nosedived 43% year over year in the first 6 months. Even recent data in the US shows sales are still down 40% even in their strongest region. What consoles has ever seen that sales pattern without a replacement on the market? You can talk about market share in the US until you're blue in the face but last time I checked, MS doesn't get paid by how far in front of the competition they are in the US, they get paid by selling consoles.

The 360 4GB is already $199 and can be found on sale for $150 frequently. Microsoft doesn't need price cuts, it needs to get another console out quickly while Sony, if we're listening to consumers buying trends, just needs to keep doing what they're doing. Just my two cents.

[subtenko]

You people are crazy..I hope legitimate people who are out of the loop are not misinformed by the Sony bashers and 'trolls'. There's plenty coming out if you all have been paying attention.

Nintendo is the one who has a newer console coming out already, I don't know what M$ is doing recently but I'm sure a more loyal xbox fan could tell me. As for Sony they have a new ps3 model for whoever wants it, They have games coming out that people have been looking forward to this holiday as well, and there is the PS Vita which some are getting this holiday since they have the money now.

What else should Sony do, start making Ice Cream machine add-ons for the PS Vita?

[NYC_Gamer]

Sony right now cares about profit and not about being first when it comes to units sold..I'm sure Sony will release some bundles to make up for the lack of price drop..We can expect to find all kind of sweet deals for all consoles come this holiday season with stores trying to match each other.

[riverstars86]

Stop drinking the Kool-Aid buddy...

[GribbleGrunger]

Sony has outsold the 360 every week this year and in the last two weeks has increased how many units they've outsold them by...(60,000 last week, 90,000 this week) So, how exactly is Sony losing ground? Are we by chance evaluating American numbers here and confusing them with world numbers?

You can't pick and choose information when it comes to a product. You have to look at the 'full' picture, and the FULL picture is Rosy.

edit: I've taken a second look and there is no mention at all that this represents only American numbers.

[Erimgard]

This isn't about current numbers, but holiday strategy. 50% of video games sales happen in the last 6 weeks of the year. Making your product appealing at Christmas time is the most important factor in yearly sales.

[GribbleGrunger]

I completely disagree. Microsoft have won every Christmas for the last 5 years and Sony have reduced their lead from 8 million to 1.8 million. Christmas had NOTHING to do with that.

The picture is totally reversed in Europe and Japan where the 360 is losing ground going into the Christmas period, but it would be erroneous to write an article based on that fact. It's World wide figures or nothing, otherwise it's a biased article.

And why is it that an article about Sony gets so many 360 owners interested?

[-Alpha]

@Gribble

Speaking of this Christmas, they really are in a tight position, and that's what the article is about. Talking about everything else is irrelevant, it's like going into a Resident Evil 6 article and saying "But other Resident Evil games scored great". No need to get defensive about it.

Sony is definitely in a tight position this Christmas in between Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS strategies, and Microsoft's Kinect/price drop (which I'm sure we will see), and Halo 4 blockbuster.

Sony's only exclusive is LBP Karting, a new IP. All Stars has a good chance, if Sony markets it right, but the PR Department is a mess for this game. I'm pretty curious to see how Sony does this year with their biggest title being a new IP, and them refusing to do a pricedrop, and instead upping the price with bundles and big HDD's. No one is ignoring their previous success, it's simply a look at THIS Christmas

[nukeitall]

@GribbleGrunger:

That is because Sony has dropped their price every other year, while MS has held their price steady. Yet, MS sold about twice as many consoles as Sony during last years holiday. We are talking 6-8 million consoles here to put that into perspective.

MS is focusing on profit, while Sony *was* focusing on market share. I think that situation is potentially being reversed.

Also, I would love to know where you got your numbers from, as it seems like you are just getting them from thin air with no attribution.

[ZoyosJD]

The title states that Sony is losing ground heading into the holiday, yet the numbers reflect otherwise.

I don't know what you see, but consumers clearly see an appealing value in the PS3 which make the whole article moot.

This isn't about numbers, strategy, or anything else like that. It's a "journalist" being biased against the PS3 trying to generate heat amongst the fanboys.

That article wasn't on yahoo, it was for the fanboy audience.

If this was truly meant for discussion it should have had the numbers backing its premise.

But, the numbers currently show PS3 selling more with an increasing difference.

Even by VGCHARTZ biased numbers, last week the PS3 was up 19% while the 360 was up 7%.

[MikeMyers]

From the article;
"When it comes to the PS3, I believe Sony is making two critical mistakes. Sony will not be dropping the price of older PS3 models, and they will not be releasing the 12GB SuperSlim model in the United States. These two problems go hand in hand, as they show Sony’s failure to appeal to gamers who are either on a budget or are only “casual” gamers."

So it does look like this is from the American media perspective which is why it's biased. I do agree Gribble, the PS3 has been doing fine as far as hardware sales go when we take into consideration worldwide figures. I think we can both agree the PS3 should be doing better in America than it currently is and the 12GB SuperSlim model may have helped a bit. Sony looks to be in a position to not be losing money on the hardware, which explains no price cuts at the moment. The system still offers great value IMO.

[GribbleGrunger]

Yes, that's my only issue with this article. It appears to evaluate Sony's situation based entirely off American performance. Yes, I agree that Sony would be wise to release the 12GB version in the US, but we still don't know if they will. Having no RRP means that retailers can set their own price and we're already see that taking effect here in Europe with the £158 12GB slimmer. These prices will drop further when the older stock of slims is exhausted.

The reason Microsoft win at Christmas is because they always have huge price reductions... this year is obviously no exception. But during the rest of the year, Sony sell more than enough consoles to take the hit at Christmas and still claw away at that lead, hence 8 million becomes 1.8 million.

And on the matter of where I get those figures from, I note something very telling about the whole VGChartz fiasco. 5 years ago 360 owners loved the site and PS3 owners hated it. Now 360 owners hate the site and PS3 owners love it. Between the two hypocritical camps lies an undeniable truth

[joeorc]

while, what you say is true, what this bullet point about Sony's ability to not have anything this fall season, and is losing ground heading into the holidays is not only wrong its only a talking point if you do not take into account each companies systems they offer for sale @ retail and what their ability is to move said Hardware. While Microsoft has a quality system and software to go along with their marketing arm. That still leaves one big giant gaping whole to their whole point of market share when it comes to Both Nintendo and Sony. what many like to point out and it seems you maybe agreeing with them which judgeing by your statement i think you are, i could be wrong, but anyway. what many still do not get is the fact unlike both Nintendo and Sony ; Microsoft still only has one product!

its still just the XBOX360! by itself while both Nintendo and Sony have more than a single platform on the shelf in the market to sell their platform's to the consumer. unlike Microsoft; Sony has.

the Playstation 2
the Playstation 3
the Playstation portable
the Playstation Vita
The Playstation Mobile platform

All on the shelf in Hardware form in one shape or another to sell that hardware to sell software to the consumer on.

The fact that the just with the Playstation Mobile alone has right now 26 playstation Mobile certified devices in the market that is just between only Sony and HTC. that is not even counting Asus, Sharp or fujitsu yet.

Microsoft has Smart Glass and Windows Phone which is pretty Good Option for Microsoft to Expand their Xbox platform, but smart glass is not released yet and windows phone is still not doing very well in the mobile market, it still has far and away a large hill to climb right now than what Sony has simple reason is Sony was already had an advantage due to Android OS being the Market leader OS in the Mobile market before Sony released the Playstation Mobile as a platform.

Thats exactly why Sony Made the Playstation Mobile platform to take advantage of that Market strength. In the Mobile market the Android OS is like what Microsoft has on Desktop OS with Windows on the PC as their the number one OS that consumer's use world wide. In the Mobile Market its Android. while Apple has a larger chunk of the Mobile OS and Hardware platform market share, it still has less than Android does and Sony has made sure they intend to make the Playstation Platfor grow into the Mobile market, and Choosing the largest Mobile OS in the market does not hurt their chances. you see its just not about the Xbox360+LIVE+SmartGlass+window s Phone vs' the Wii+WiiU and 3DS vs Just the Playstation 3 + PSVita as the only thing that determines your market strategy. for one PSN may not Have a outright subscription base design like Microsoft has with XBOX LIVE but while Microsoft has Xboxlive sony has Playstation Plus and Playstation Home. which is very profitable for Sony.

Sony has expanded the Playstation as a platform into not only Mobile in a very large way, we are talking over 30 Playstation Certified devices by the start of 2013. to top that Off Sony has out right decided to increase their playstation Platform to the cloud also and are setting to expand playstation past just Sony only hardware there also. thats both GaiKai and Playstation Mobile.

I think for many So quick to call Sony as Trailing back or Losing ground in the Gaming market are not taking into account the areas that Sony are concentrating growth of the Playstation Platform into the market as a whole.

[LOGICWINS]

This article is in reference to the holiday season, not 2012 in general.

[CGI-Quality]

And how can the holiday be juged on "losing ground" when it has yet to fully take off? Also, how is Sony losing any ground while being ahead weekly still?

[LOGICWINS]

The answer is quite clear..

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Seraphemz]

CGI - Because this topic is going to get more hits, and more than likely shoot the article to the top. Even though it makes no sense.... thats N4G nowadays.

[wastedcells]

These articles are so short sided, does anyone bother to check the world wide sales to date. Sony is doing fine and still has a future full of games and a price drop. It's everyone else that's losing steam with current consoles because there are no games in their future.

[AnotherProGamer]

really the Sony/Butler case I don't think its going to affect their holiday season. noone I know even knows abouts it.

[Erimgard]

It's not about the lawsuit, it's about the fact that "Kevin Butler" will likely no longer be used by Sony. Those commercials were quite popular.

[neoMAXMLC]

I don't remember seeing a new Kevin Butler commercial in ages.

[greenpowerz]

This is nothing new, this is the case every holiday. The only thing differnt is the 360 has started to outsell all competition in annual sales because of the holiday gains.

MSFT was #1 in 2011. In 2012 where the 360 has the only core exclusives and has lots of casual games plus a price drop will give the 360 a bigger lead than the one from last year, where the holiday pulled the 360 ahead regardless of fanboys using VGcharts all through the year(this year too)

Kinect and MSFT 1st and 3rd party games will be the only things close to being as appealing as Wii U compared to other current gen offerings.

Hell I know people buying a 360 for kinect and Internet explorer

[KwietStorm_BLM]

You just made up a handful of things for no reason, especially with the only "core exclusives" nonsense. So many people talk about vgchartz being off with their numbers, but you say regardless of fanboys using it lol. Your avatar is Master Chief, your name is greenpowerz, you're actually cheerleading Xbox in post that's already trying to point out Sony's flaws, and you refer to Microsoft by their stock exchange ID. Man listen..

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

No. The PS3 is still outselling the 360, by a pretty large amount, might I add.

Why are people buying 360's though? I don't get that...

[HammadTheBeast]

Halo, Gears. That's literally all I'd need it for. Luckily, I got a PS3 instead.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

See, I already bought a 360 for Gears 3. I sold it quickly after my disappointment wore off... :/

Halo 4 is probably going to be a good game, but why purchase a console for it? That's a bit pricey.

[KMCROC]

pref·er·ence =
  the act of preferring

[NeverEnding1989]

It takes about ten 10hr long PS3 exclusives to equal the amount of time I'll be spending on Halo 4. Actually...more like 40 PS3 exclusives, going by the amount of hours I put into Halo 3.

And let's not forget about 6 hour games like Heavenly Sword :)

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

I'll be spending a lot more time on All-Stars Battle Royale than Halo 4. I'll go through the campaign on Halo 4, but no multi-player. I have better games for that.

[Blankman85]

Better games for online than Halo 4 this holiday season? Like what?

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Borderlands 2, Assassin's Creed 3, and the billions of other online games I already have. I enjoy Halo, but I don't really get that "fun" aspect out of it that I get from TF2, Battlefield 3, Killing Floor, PayDay: The Heist, or even Call of Duty. Tribes: Ascend came out recently, as well. Tribes was an inspiration for Halo, originally. It's odd to see the two at such opposite ends of the spectrum now.

I know we all have our preferences, but I don't understand buying a system for one game. I'm sure many people will be picking up several multi-plat titles this holiday season, too. The point still remains... Microsoft is getting away with murder. Sony releases exclusive after exclusive every year...and for all that try, they're just now getting close to surpassing the 360 in sales. MS can get away with one or two big releases a year. Sony can release twenty and the world would be none-the-wiser.

"I have better games for that." "Have" was the key word. I'm sure Halo 4 will be a good game, but let's not make this something it's not. It's not something that would pull myself or any of my friends away from Starhawk, Uncharted 3, or Little Big Planet Vita.

I guess what I'm trying to say is...I need variety.

[smashcrashbash]

I love how people are trying to blow the whole Kevin Butler thing out of proportion. Microsoft has been doing so many things over the years that make them look like greedy inconsiderate bastards and still managed to move forward and the minute Sony does anything like this suddenly the doom articles increase.Most people don't care and what ever they have between Kevin is their business. It hasn't stopped me from anticipating their games or wanting their products.When was the last time we saw a KB commercial? And most people griped about how pointless it was to have them. Now that they have a falling out he has suddenly become their greatest asset.Most people probably know nothing about it.Look you can disagree with the lawsuit if you want but don't talk BS please.Do people pull in people standing on a street corner to become journalists now or something? Try reading over what you write before submitting it.

[NeverEnding1989]

When has Microsoft ever done anything related to the Xbox 360 that is greedy and inconsiderate?

And please don't include examples that SONY also does (cough) exclusive DLC.

I'd really like to see one valid point, if you can manage it.

[moparful99]

Umm the RROD fiasco? Forcing you to buy a bunch of pricey accessories that should have been built into the console from the start like an HDMI port or how about a WIFI adapter. Built in rechargeable batteries in the controllers. A disk drive that doesn't eat discs. Buying up developers and wasting their talents on features and casual games. Universal hard drives. Free to play online. Etc.. Microsoft is one of the greediest companies to ever grace the face of our planet and people buy their products with a happy ignorance and people like you defend them to the death...

[TKCMuzzer]

Well, if I want to access Netflix, YouTube etc on my 360 I have to throw Microsoft £40 a year. That's quite inconsiderate considering I purchased their console and yet have to fork out more money to access most of its features.
That's not something they sing about in their adverts by the way.

[BitbyDeath]

I'll be interested to see how the Wonderbook sells this Christmas. Still seems very quiet on the advertisement front.

[chrisarsenalsavart]

Here in the Uk, Sony has beginning a new tv campaign.
The only problem is fifa13 and AC3 ps3 and vita versions are advertised together and doesn,t show to the consumer why they should pick up the vita version.
I thought they would at least advertise AC3 liberation properly.
Don,t get me wrong, it is nice to see playstation ads all th time on tv, but they really need to do a better job at it.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Well, to be fair its kinda early to showcase ads for Wonder Book now. Sony will probably start showcasing it and start doing doing web domain advertising first, and hopefully soon. Then when it gets closer to launch start doing Tv based advertising.

Sony has a lot to advertise right now It's interesting because they have Tv ads for the Super Slim over in Japan right now. I'm guessing there doing heavy advertisement in Japan?

With limited PR management and marketing, It'll be interesting to see how Sony will go about selling its hardware and games to the people in the U.S this upcoming holiday season.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Goddamn this is so tired. Just play your games, stop being a couch businessman/analyst, and stop with the oh no Sony articles. Just stop.

[0pie]

shity article made by "i dont work in the industry but i know everything" a-hole.

[yesmynameissumo]

It's amazing to me these articles exist. You cannot get a 4GB 360, retail, for $150. The $50 off only applies to Kinect and the Halo 4 bundles now priced at between $250 and $350 (Halo 4 bundle). I think at $270 250GB w/extas or $300 500GB AC3 PS3 bundle is in a position to be competitive.

[Erimgard]

From Kotaku:

"Our source says the drop is all versions of the 360, at least at GameStop. The 4GB 360 goes down to $150, the 250GB and 4GB w/Kinect down to $250 and the 250GB w/Kinect down to $350."

http://kotaku.com/5951552/t...

[ZoyosJD]

Only those $250 and up.

http://www.gamestop.com/bro...

[ChunkyLover53]

That is terrible news, maybe PlayStation All Stars, Wonderbook and Little Big Planet Karting will turn things around for them? Probably would have helped to keep Sly Cooper for a release this year.

@CGI-Quality
Its terrible that Sony is losing out compared to the other companies.

[CGI-Quality]

How is this terrible news? Never mind, lack of bubbles won't fulfill my request for an answer. :D

[wastedcells]

He is a troll. All his comments on sony articles either completely against Sony or he thinks he can word them like this one and pretend he is not trolling.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

***"How is this terrible news?"***

Didn't you know? Opinion pieces are regarded as "NEWS" or as some call it... "the truth" on N4G whenever it is negative toward Sony and anyone that DARES argue against said opinion piece-- err I mean "Da truth" is a delusional, in denial, blind Sony fanboy.

It's really unbelievable how someone people think on here..

[Catoplepas]

And how exactly are Sony losing out?

As already stated many times the PS3 outsells the 360 quite comfortably, and has a 1st and 3rd party exclusive line up and back-catalog that puts MS' utterly to shame. Not to mention the fact that the PS3 continues to be supported as a gamers console, while the Xbox has been abandoned to a gimmick.

Who's missing out again?

[chrisarsenalsavart]

Let all company run their own strategy towards the holiday season and only then we,ll see.
On N4G, if you like ps3 or wiiu, you re the enemy. Why?
Why saying nintendo is doomed when the console has not even launched yet?
Why saying sony should leave the hardware race when they actually outsell the competition week in, week out?

Because websites such as N4G are run by M$ .
Just look how they pocketed gamespot and IGN and you ,ll understand that if you want unbiased views on gaming you need to check european websites for that.

[Blankman85]

To be honest, I find that 360 and Wii/U fans co-exist on this site relatively well. The SONY camp is the one that hates on everything that isn't SONY.
Headline: PC is the best gaming platform - N4G reaction: But you can't play teh PS3 exclusives on teh PC like teh Uncharted 2!!!
Headline: Wii U innovative - N4G reaction: Teh PS3 and Vita can do all thingz alreadyz!!!
Headline: Microsoft bringing IE and Halo 4 to Xbox 360 this holiday season - N4G reaction: Teh ps3z already has teh internet and teh many many egglusives better than gaylo!!
Headline: SONY patent tongue controller. - ZOMG SONY you are teh bestest ever! So breathtaking and considerate thinking about the handicapped! Please let me have your babies!!!
Or at least that's how I see it.

[insomnium2]

@ndivhu

I guess you really loved this site in 2006-2008. To play the ignorance-card after that is laughable. Sony camp hates everything that isn't Sony? Yeah right... Hypocrite much?

[NeverEnding1989]

Haha there's some great fanboy tears here.

Thanks for the laugh Catapus and christianart

[Catoplepas]

No tears here. Just the truth.

I'm acually quite happy secure in the knowledge that my console of choice hasn't sold out it's userbase, and continues to pump out the best games this generation.

How are you feeling though? Enjoying your truly incredible Kinect titles no doubt. Have fun with that. *laughs*

[CGI-Quality]

What exactly are Sony missing out on, Chunky? If they are providing gamers new experiences (and finding new buyers in the process), I don't see how they are in a "terrible" position.

What's terrible is so-called gamers who care more about what company "x" sells vs the games they get to play.

[Straightupbeastly]

We all want Sony to bounce back, but they're so stupid lately it's hard to root for them.

[Catoplepas]

Who are you trying to fool?

[IQUITN4G]

I know it's the big joke around here for some but 360 has a big hitter this chistmas in Halo4 and I can't see Allstars or whatever Sony has lined up causing any sort of competition against this. Does Sony honestly have any sort of real ammo accept for minority Sony fans boasting a list of exclusives - for which Sony can't maintain forever if they don't start selling more-. Last of us looks great but that's not this christmas either

I'm not sure Sony knows what it's doing to be fair

[moparful99]

But just like 6 years ago the "halo" audience is saturated.. Reach didn't sell massively more then 3 meaning everybody that plays it has a 360 vis a vi means that there likely won't be many console sales due to halo 4

[aquamala]

Really bad year for Sony exclusives, prob the worst in a long time.

[ZoyosJD]

Twisted Metal, Starhawk, Tales of grace f, and Dust 514, with many heavy hitters and niche exclusives just outside the years end.

Oh well...its not like the world is going to end.

[ElementX]

To be honest I've forgotten all about those titles

[ZoyosJD]

@ elementX

For shame, just because the titles are niche doesn't mean they should be forgotten. Some people like diversity.

Must I remind you that there is still LBPK and PSASBR left to be released this year too.

[Marquis_de_Sade]

Perhaps the problem doesn't lie with ElementX forgetting and more to do with either a lack of advertising by Sony or simply the releases for this year not living up to those of previous years. Good games stick in the mind, niche or not.

[ShaunCameron]

It's not that their recent exclusives were bad. It's just that not many people cared enough to buy it.

[AD705]

So name one 360 exclusives thats sold better then the ps3 games so far this year?

[P_Bomb]

Hmm. A lot of 'net journo's (last week's erroneous ME3 timed exclusive headline comes to mind) still don't do basic 101 stuff like reading their own sources.

Article makes mention of the Kevin Butler/ Wii lawsuit as a negative saying it "doesn't seem to hold any water"...but that line is also a hotlink which leads to another article on the *same site* that specifically mentions how the lawsuit HAS merit. Gengame.net just discredited a point in their own article by linking to another of their own articles.

The hotlink "doesn't hold any water" links to:

"...they might actually have a case here. And it’s actually the gaming community’s fault that this is the case. Had Mr. Lambert’s presence in the commercial gone unnoticed, it would have been unremarkable. But the fact that it was specifically said that “Kevin Butler appears in a Wii commercial” associates the commercial with Sony’s fictional character, whether that association was intentional or not. That’s what’s at the heart of the Lanham Act’s protection against trademark dilution."
http://gengame.net/2012/10/...

Cheers to Alex Plant who actually did his homework, Jeers to Ben Lamoreux who didn't read his own source before linking it as "proof".

@Aquamela
Depends what you like. I bought and enjoyed Twisted Metal, Starhawk and Journey. Platinumed Sorcery, will be getting PS All Stars (a genre I usually have no interest in), and LBP Karting as well. On the 360 side I got Trials Evolution, Deadlight, and will be getting Forza Horizons next week and probably Mark of the Ninja after that. I'm not disappointed.

[legendoflex]

To be fair, even my comments about what I think Sony's case might be were just a layman's speculation. Since obviously the Bridgestone commercial isn't intentionally using the Kevin Butler character, I can't see any other reason why Sony would take action unless they're simply moving to protect their copyright in the general sense (this helps you in future cases where actual infringement might exist). It could be that Sony just feels like engaging in some legal trolling. I have no idea.

[telekineticmantis]

for Sony. They focused on Casual(which they've never been successful at) but they're not advertising it. Where are the Wonderbook commercials. They're gonna wait till a week before it comes out to advertise, not smart.
Then they neglected/or didn't finish developing any big Hardcore games.

Here's what they should do, launch one game for Gaikai on PS3= Planetside 2.

[StreetsofRage]

The xbox 360 outsold the ps3 in worldwide sales in 2011 and if somebody provides a legit link to prove otherwise, the 360 is still outselling the ps3 wolrdwide.

The ps3 had a horrible year with nothing released except for a couple of average exclusives. The momentum is all on the 360's side heading toward the big holiday sales.

[chrisarsenalsavart]

A financial year start in march, therefore, ps3 has sold more than x360 worldwide in 2011 and have done so since 2009.
Unless you can prove otherwise STREETSOFRAGAAAGE.
If 360 was selling more than ps3 on a yearly basis, and with 8 millions units ahead prior to ps3 launch, they should be well ahead by now.
don,t you think.
360 are still ahead on lifetime sales but by just 1.7 millions but for how long?

Sony the king of comebacks.

[GenericNameHere]

Sorry to curse, but WHY IN THE FLYING FUCK DO YOU CARE ABOUT SALES??!!

We are not in the gaming industry. We are just a bunch of people on the Internet who knows next to nothing about what's going on at Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Just because these people have a website, they immediately think they fucking know everything going on in the industry. Just play your goddamn games, for crying out loud. If you want Sony to go bankrupt and die out, that's fine by me. But when it's just Microsoft and Nintendo going all out, and you miss the games Sony used to make, that's your own problem too. Also, I hope you get fired and become homeless due to it too, as millions of people will lose their jobs due to your own retardation and your "knowledge" of everything.

[telekineticmantis]

they didn't even try. Meanwhile I still paid for Live, and had/have to wait for November to get my moneys worth.

[dafegamer]

there you go:

http://gamer.blorge.com/201...

cheers :P

[Zechs34]

Streets, if you are going to troll, at least make up some fake links to try and back up what youre saying. You are sadly mistaken, and as Chris stated, the 8 Million gap back in November 06 is now at below 2 Million. That shows true year over year growth.

You are bashing Sony's exclusives as the cause for your so called horrible year. That makes no sense because up until... Uh, Tuesday, I believe, the first great exclusive for 360 comes out in Forza and then they go out with a bang with Halo 4. Average exclusives would have hurt the 360 as well.

Anyways, it sure is bound to be interesting for the sale trolls.

[cyclonus007]

If the console sales gap between 360 & PS3 is closing (which it is and has been for years), then the PS3 must obviously be outselling the 360 worldwide.

On the software side, momentum might be on MS side but don't forget Halo 4 is battling Black Ops 2 (which will outsell it easily). From the hardware side, MS's 7 year old (!) Xbox is competing with a brand new Nintendo console.

This holiday will be Nintendo vs Microsoft, with Sony watching them fight it out from the sidelines. But with their console redesign & new holiday bundles, I wouldn't count them out this holiday.

[StreetsofRage]

My link... this was also discussed during this years e3.

http://www.geekwire.com/201...

[GenericNameHere]

First time since 2006??!! Ohhh noez!! The Wii U and PS3 are teh doomzed!!!!!

Oh, and it said 66 Mil for Xbox 360, 62 Mil for PS3... There goes the wife's credibility.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

"Sony will not be dropping the price of older PS3 models, and they will not be releasing the 12GB SuperSlim model in the United States."

Whoa that last part I didn't know about. Could Sony be possibly slowly abandoning there once dominated market the U.S? MS nearly pulled out in Japan because the Xbox is a complete flop over there.

Not saying the PS3 is a flop in U.S but I do find it particularly suspicious that the Super Slim is getting major hype over in Japan, promotions have already started in Europe. But what about U.S? I see nothing just Xbox promos.

It's either A) Sony's primary country's have change or B) they're slowly pulling out of the U.S. and are gonna start focusing on countries, that buy there system. Similar to what MS has done in Japan.

[GenericNameHere]

"Xbox" has never been popular, nor a household name, in Japan. And despite trying to appeal to them in the beginning of this gen by buying out JRPG devs and making exclusive games for the Xbox 360, the Japanese market just didn't buy them. Thus, Microsoft is now pulling out from Japan.
Playstation, on the other hand, has been very popular, sold extremely well, and even became just as much a household name as Nintendo, in every country where Playstation is sold. Just because they made a mistake this gen, doesn't mean they'll pull out from America. That's just a stupid fanboy's demented dream. GameCube and Xbox sold EXTREMELY POORLY compared to the PS2, but we didn't see Nintendo or Microsoft pull out from the US, now did we?

[PhoenixRising37]

Well, this is because all of their big games come out in Q1 2013. it's very tough to compete with the November rush so it makes more sense to dominate in another time of the year. I'm buying every sony exclusive when they come out.

[Yangus]

Halo 4&Black Ops 2.
This games winning 2012 holidays and WiiU coming!
(BO2 multi true,but 360 version sell more.Look MW2-MW3)

Ps3 exklusive not match CoD and Halo.

Sony not risk,delayed AAA games 2013.The Last of Us and God of War.

[PhoenixRising37]

I have absolutely no idea what you are trying to tell us.

[JayD-1K]

especially since BO2 comes out for the PS3 as well!

[NoTheMama]

These holidays, (the way I see it anyway) has Microsoft & Nintendo bringing out big guns in Halo 4 & New Super Mario Bros U (and the wii u itself) while Sony's big hit this xmas looks to be...............and there's your problem!

[jakmckratos]

Xbox has nothing but Halo 4 this year. Wii U will be celebrated for about a week before people get mored of Zombi U and nintendo land (as all consoles usually falter after the first few weeks of launch). Sony really has Playstation All Stars and the downloadable Ratchet game to keep me interested though..they really messed up delaying Sly Cooper and missing a Holiday release of No No Kuni and Last of Us. 2013 sure looks nice from here...

[givemeshelter]

It's going to be a tough holiday season for Sony. WiiU and Halo 4 will create the most buzz for these consoles this holiday season

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

Sony has more countries they are doing fine in and those countries will help carry them through this so called rough holiday against the 360!

It's better to do GREAT across the map rather than AMAZING in 1 spec of it!

[GraveLord]

"In wake of the news that all Xbox 360 models are receiving a $50 price cut, Sony is losing ground. Consumers can now get an Xbox 360 for the stunningly low price of $150,"

NOPE. Only the Kinect and holiday bundles received price cuts. The cheapest Xbox 360 is still $199.(the 4gig with no Kinect).

About Sony placing in 3rd for the holidays, they always have, its nothing new.

[AlucardFury]

Putting this article in this site is asking for trouble....

[insomnium2]

More like hits.

[ajax17]

Oh, what a surprise another Sony is failing opinion piece. NEXT!

[shivvy24]

How bout a fucking article on Sony Releasing Shitloads of new IPs , Microsoft - 0 !

[ShaunCameron]

Yeah. ****loads of new IP's that even PS3 fanboys don't care about. No wonder why they're losing money. It's being wasted on making games for an audience that barely exist.

@ yeah0kchief

PSASBR ain't gonna do jack ****.

[AD705]

who cares about the sales? the point is that sony has given us many games this year while ms has done nothing so far this year except 2 lame kinect games that failed horribly.

other than halo 4 what is there?

[DiRtY]

New IPs this year like what exactly? PSABR, obvious Nintendo rip-off. Do not even try to deny it.

Dust 514, which is a PC / PS3 crossover title and not a Sony game.

and yeah, that is it. Maybe Starhawk (could be a successor to Warhawk though). But it sold so poorly, there won't be a Starhawk 2, you can count on that.

Why do you think new IPs are better for gamers than established ones? I would be pissed if 343 starts to focus on a new franchise instead of continuing Halo.

Sony creates new IPs with a trial and error method. Starhawk - failed. Next one.
Twisted Metal - failed. Next one.
MAG - failed. Next one.
Uncharted - success. Milking. 4 games in 5 years.

If you like one of those games that failed, you won't see a part 2. I don't think that is good for gamers. As long as the quality is on top, publishers should feel free to milk a franchise (Halo, Uncharted, Gears, God of War).

[ThatsGaming]

Wow. Lots of comments...

But really, who cares? This gen is in its twilight.

It doesn't matter what happens this year. The gen is pretty much over and next year there will be new consoles.

The world needs to move on.

[Darth Stewie]

It's funny how the industry is writing more about Sony is doomed instead of the launch of the first new console since 2006.

[DivineAssault]

theres going to be a lot of multiplats on there to keep ppls thirst quenched until march rolls around & exclusive after exclusive after exclusive gets pumped out.. GOW, Last of Us, Ni No Kuni, Tales of Xillia, etc.. ill wait happily while playing all the incoming vita games

[etowntwo]

If anyone bothered reading the article, it just makes sense.

Nintendo has the most buzz going into the holidays with two new Mario's and of course, WiiU.

Ms has Halo and Forza alongside Kinect for the casuals, and now the price drop.

Sony? No good exclusives coming out, Move is dead, and the the super slim which looks to be the cheapest looking PS3 so far, isn't coming with a price cut. The one thing that definitely would have helped Sony is releasing that 12gig super slim at $199.

[tweet75]

who cares if sony comes in last in the race they still wll make millions

[totallysane]

"Sony Is Losing Ground Heading Into The Holidays" psh not a chance

[sdplisken]

i give thanks every day that my system (ps3) dosnt have the same 2 space marine shooters spammed every other year making up basically the entire library of the console

bless sony for making new ips, reliable hardware, the hd standard format, free ad-less online, and not selling out to the casual gamer

its been a great year with twisted metal, journey, starhawk and soon lbp karting

bring on The last of us, gow:ascension, beyond: two souls,
the last guardian, sly 4, ps allstars, and dust 514!

[monkeyboy420]

wow, another doom and gloom article on sony. i predict we will see another 4 more of these articles linked here in the next 4 days.

as for the article, again remind me how many of the other consoles have a bluray drive builtin? hdmi control? ability to play back nearly any media file saved to a flash drive or on the internal hdd? that'd be a ps3. hate how 360 is streaming only for video and you can only load music to it if you only have the music in oldschool cd format (ie audio cd, 15-20 tracks max).

you know what? i'm writing a blog post this week on why i think sony is doing just fine in the gaming world and everyone else is still catching up.

[Cam977]

Why do people submit this crap!?

[Platinum_k]

What the hell is the article saying about Sony being "doomed" now? I lost count after reading about a dozen of these articles this coming Holiday.

Cheese and Rice guys! Stop with this article. They aare all the same Flamebait.

[ziggurcat]

it couldn't be a weekend at N4G without a sony DOOOOOOOM article....

[paddystan]

Sony cares about their core and customers way more than the others. Just think how much stuff you get from PS Plus and the crossbuy feature.

[saimcheeda]

But sonys the only one without a trump card, nintendo has the wiiu, ms has price drop, halo and cod to some extent.

[profgerbik]

Think about what you are saying. Nintendo always releases their consoles in gaps like that because that is the best way to sell them.

Do you honestly think they will sell that many Wii U's when the 720 or PS4 are sitting on the shelves next to it? Of course not that is common sense they won't even they know that as to why they release their consoles before the new ones come out.

Sony doesn't need to push out some rushed product to prove a point to anyone. They never have. Sadly I feel that is all the Wii U is, yea it is great Nintendo is using better hardware but all it is trying to do is prove a point that won't last once the PS4 and 720 come out.

The Wii U is still last generation so to say it is a trump card to me is a big understatement. I don't know how people are so easily brain washed into thinking it is a next gen console when it uses practically close to 7 year old hardware.

Sony has a trump card way better than anything else that Nintendo offers or Microsoft. It is called Playstation Plus, free games and discounts on games you want and much more.. How is that not better than any service both those companies offer?

What do you get with your Microsoft subscription? Ads, nothing free and more subscription based apps like music streaming.

Wow sounds lovely when Playstation Network is completely free, has no ads and I can stream music without a subscription for free also which Microsoft will also charge you to do, then if i want to pay for a subscription from Playstation I get tons of other free goodies every single month.

Not only that but you purchase one subscription, it works for both your PS3 and Vita.

Playstation knows how to please consumers, Nintendo and Microsoft only know how to make money off them. That is the big difference between them all.

Maybe Sony does lose money, maybe they aren't selling things as much as they want but does that mean they are bad or have horrible products? Of course not, it's more like people just don't know any better.

Just like nearly 90% of the population thinks iphones are the best or all these idiotic tweens listening to and supporting these horrible artists like 2 chainz and Justin Bieber.

[TheLastGuardian]

Q4 2012 PlayStation Exclusives:

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
LittleBigPlanet Karting
Sports Champions 2
Wonderbook
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault
The Unfinished Swan
When Vikings Attack
Killzone Trilogy
Resistance Trilogy
Okami HD
Portal 2 In Motion
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita
Dokuro
Persona 4 Golden
Ragnarok Odyssey
Silent Hill: Book of Memories
CoD Black Ops: Declassified
Assassin's Creed III: Liberation

That's better than all the 360, Wii and 3DS exclusives this season combined. The competition just can't match the level of quality and quantity in exclusive games that the PlayStation brand provides. All I need is my PS3 and PS Vita. Next year is going to be incredible for PlayStation gamers.

[profgerbik]

I know you don't have to tell me, these articles are really stupid already.

I thought n4g had moderators to keep this place clean of nonsense articles such as these.

[profgerbik]

These fucking Sony articles are getting really old on n4g, yea I know it practically just grabs articles from all over the place but god damn..

Everytime I come on this site, there is a Sony hate article on the front page, literally almost every freaking time I am here.

If anyone seriously thinks Microsoft is doing good right now they literally are just being completely dumb.

Even though I am not a huge fan of Nintendo, I know the only two companies that will reasonably last through time are Sony and Nintendo.

Microsoft is screwing up about everything they have. Subscription this, subscription that. No one wants that crap anymore.

The 360 hasn't had any exclusives either in fucking forever.. because of how poorly the 360's life span has drawn out. I am seriously not even interested in the 720 no matter how awesome it could be.

Same shit will probably happen with that, plus I don't trust a company who infringes on their own contracts. They might have to stop selling 360's because of that.

Which would explain why they aren't bothering reviving the system further. I really don't like companies who just go through consoles or hardware and just let it die off so quickly.

That is why I prefer Sony because they don't just let something die simply because they released something else. I mean hell even the PSP still has games being made for it.

Sony ain't going anywhere get used to it, just like I have to get used to Nintendo probably never going anywhere.

It also stupid people say they have nothing? Does the Vita not exist? Does all the awesome games coming out for it this month and even next month before christmas not exist also?

You people keep saying Sony has nothing for christmas, it pretty obvious you haven't been checking into the Vita, it is actually picking up now and has some very quality games coming out very soon.

Plenty for the Holidays, so much so I can't even afford all the games for Christmas that will be coming out for it.

[chukamachine]

Sony has a massive lead going into christmas.

While MS will surely do well in usa.

They will be destroyed in Japan and europe.

[SOULJER]

SO WHAT. This site needs hits. I don't care if this article suks, or if you heard all this sht before. The hell with it. Their DOOM. DEAD. DONE. OVER. FINISH. F-IT I NEED FREAKING HITS.

[OmniSlashPT]

The Xbox only has the rehashed Halo 4 and Forza Horizon for this Holiday (along with BLOPS2 which is like their most precious 'exclusive'). They've had no exclusives this year, AT ALL. The PS3 has been low on exclusives (compared to last couple of yeas), but it still has some (it had Starhawk, Twisted Metal, now LBP Karting, PASBR). Just not AAA titles, more niche titles.

But what about next year? GoW and Beyond droping right in the beginning of the year? TLOU coming as well? What about MS, what about them? The PS3 still has a future in 2013, but the Xbox360 seems pretty much dead (even with that once again rehashed Gears Judgment). So people prefer Gears, Halo and Forza once a year instead of a bunch of original and unique titles? No wonder gaming has been in a downhill for this past generation.

[shenpo_shin]

since when call of noobies was their precious "exclusive" ?

they spend MILLIONS for call of noobies adds and time exclusives stuffs for no reason since call of noobies ps3 version sell as much as 360 version

for the rest yea..m$ rehash the same franchise for 6-7 years while sony keeps pushing with new IP'S,indie studios,and focus more on their hardcore fans while m$ try too much to become Wii number 2

[ipe]

Lol only reason ms "won" in their fy 2012 by 800k is overshiping by 2m+. Every1 realised this from Gaf and on. Check numbers for this year official sony and nintendo nr. By june ps3 was at 3.5/4 and 360 about 2. I d not be surprisef with same tactics.
Sony cares now about profits not market share. They re going to sell 13 million or so either way its better to do it with bigger profit margin.

[shenpo_shin]

microsoft making good moves ?
lulz

another wannabe journalist trying to create another doom and gloom article...get lost kid

[elm]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ another Sony doom and gloom article.
Can't these guys, who by the way call themselves game journalists think of anything else to write besides predicting the end of Sony?

Come on use your imagination, try something like, I don't know! writing something original and informative for the video game fan for a change.

You know like you used to be fore the onset of user generated sensationalist blogs.

[OldSnakePS3]

if sony leaves the gaming industry, i leave with them
they by far are the ONLY company that cares about the core gamer

sadly these days it seems its all about call o dooty and casual shovelware

[sandman224]

Lets face it. Microsoft makes better exclusives than Sony. Sony makes more exclusives than Microsoft. They both have there pros and cons. They have to be different in order to exist as competition amongst each other. Get the console you like and don't tell anyone why yours is better. Tell them what games your enjoying. Game on gamers!

[Clarence]

More hate articles I see. The PS3 has been outselling both the wii and 360 WW this year. The same people didn't think the new slim would sell, but its doing great.

[EffectO]

Denial is very strong here...

But who cares next gen is coming very very soon...

[Vickistheman]

Isn't Sony outselling MS worldwide by a big margin?

Oh well, it wouldn't be n4g without the sony doom articles.

[gdguide]

Actually, I'm more interested in MS numbers this year. Last year, the only thing that really pushed them forward was an insane hype for Kinect. People now have seen Kinect for what it is, and there is very little hype for it. I'm not sure yet another Halo can match the buzz Kinect had last season. It's just not going to be there. MS have released multiple Halos by now. That's not to say Halo 4 won't be a bigger draw than Sony offerings. But MS spent $500M in ads last year and everyone was talking the 360. This year I hear next to nothing from the media.

[rataranian]

And seeing how I own all systems this means what to me exactly again?

[Phantom68]

Kinect bundled with a 360 makes the purchase appealing? Seriously??

[XeNoStRatoS]

Haven't read the article due to the ridiculous headline. Just want to add my cents from an European standpoint. PS3 losing ground? Not over here! Take a look at sales and open your eyes. For me as PS2/3 only player/owner who has to attend work every day its nearly relaxing that I can finally go back to finish some older titles and am not forced to buy several games at once without the possibility to finish them. We Sony customers know what we got and I really have to laugh about the B.S. story of doom and "losing ground".

[AD705]

The ps3 has been outselling the 360 ever since 2009, so far this year the ps3 has outsold the 360. So why do we always get these sony is doomed articles when it's been doing much better than its competition in recent years?

Halo 4 is the only thing they have this year and that comes out in november. You literally have to wait almost a year to get something worthwhile to play. lets not kid ourselves here kinect is a joke! Fable the journey did nothing to bolster its sales and so far every kinect game has been a major joke mainly due to the fact that other than dance central no other game is worth playing because the games are so unresponsive.

i remember when MS actually cared about gaming. Now it's just dumb unresponsive kinect games, rehashes of the same 2 franchises and dumb features of things I already have on my PC.

wheres crimson skies, brute force, sudeki, gun valkyrie, jade empire and so many other games from the original xbox that have yet to make an appearance this gen?

[gamer561]

The Sony Vita was a mistake in a time when handheld gaming is ruled by apple.

Sony is in trouble because of their other failing businesses(computers and tvs etc.)

Their ps3 and exclusive titles are the only successful ip's that they have going for them.

To me, the Xbox is really a HaloBox, and I apologize for offending anyone, but its the truth. I'm going to get a used one from Craigslist, a new controller, a year membership, and Halo 4. that should be: 99 + 60 +60 +30= $250.00. Now that I think about it, maybe its not worth it?