Why Is The Xbox 360 So Popular In The U.S.?

Don Reisinger:

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a sales juggernaut in the U.S. In fact, according to the latest data from NPD, the Xbox 360 led all consoles in sales for 24 months in a row. The console even was able to beat out the Nintendo Wii U in December – a surprising feat considering that console just went on sale in November and the Xbox 360 has been available for seven years.

The Xbox 360’s staying power in the U.S. is nothing short of astounding. In December, alone, Microsoft sold 1.4 million consoles in the U.S., indicating gamers see no reason to hold off on buying the device until the Xbox 720 launches later this year. Better yet for Microsoft, many of those folks sign up for Xbox Live, providing the software giant with a steady stream of revenue over the course of its lifecycle.

All of that success, however, has me thinking: why is the Xbox 360 – a console that, at launch, some thought would be trounced by the PlayStation 3 – so popular in the U.S.?

[Rainstorm81]

Because its made in America....and most nations Support their brands

[Abash]

Because you could get one for $200 since as early as 2008 and it is by far the most advertised console.

[xPhearR3dx]

This. Everyone knows MS pumps out advertisements. I rarely watch TV, but I can't remember the last time I saw a PS3 ad. However, every time I do watch TV, I see at least one 360 advertisement. Even on Youtube, I see 360 ads all the time, never a PS3 one. When millions of people are seeing the 360 shoved in their face compared to the PS3, it makes sense they would go buy it over a PS3. At least in America. Not sure how the advertising is in other countries.

[FriedGoat]

Microsoft can throw money at anything to get it to succeed and never run out. Just look at the friggin horrible metro on windows 8, they'll throw money at that until everyone thinks its ok to make desktop a SECONDARY feature.

[kane_1371]

in Eu Sony has finally begun advertising the Playstation brand, and i'm happy that they finally are doing it.
I hope they keep this attitude in the coming years.

[nukeitall]

So MS shouldn't spend money on marketing going against a company that has dominated the console gaming industry for over a decade?

Of course MS has to spend gobs and gobs of money.

It's quick to point out MS marketing, but what about the strong brand name Sony came out of at PS3's launch?

Still to this day, MS hardware is hardly a brand at all except for the Xbox 360.

I also want to point out that USA is the least national consumers. They are the most swayed by price and value of almost any nation by far. It is a highly capitalistic society.

There is a reason why Toyota is number one and Honda is number two, while Subaru is number three of cars sold in the US. If US was strongly national, they would have bought Fords, Dodges, GMC and so on.

[PS3Freak]

I think that releasing a year early really helped.

It got the 360 the image of the "hot new thing" and we all know how people love to follow trends.

[CommonSenseGamer]

@Fried goat:

Rubbish, otherwise Zune would still be with us. Furthermore, tablet manufacturers are already dropping planned support for Windows RT on upcoming devices.

[MurDocINC]

Simple, it released early, it was cheaper and had more games in early years.
My reasons it has better UI and controller.

[darthv72]

Have you ever used a Zune? if you had you would know it actually is a very nice portable media player. It failed to catch on because it was released too late in the craze.

Media players from the likes of sony, Creative, Archos all suffered the same fate when compared to the likes of the ipod domination. Zune didnt have a chance but it didnt mean it was a crap product.

Windows RT...I didnt know it was failing. I can see how it isnt price competitive with the droid OS because google is whoring that out like crazy. You can get really cheap android tablets from Memorex and so many off brand companies. I dont know to look at that as a good thing or bad thing.

Apple is the only ones to use their IOS on their devices. MS designed RT to compete with both droid and IOS but they need to be more cost competitive to be adopted by off brand companies like droid.

[kikizoo]

advertisement, price, biased medias, 1 years to trap people and friends to xbl, magic firmware=free games since 2007.

[TheGamerDood]

I'd really like to know this too. They haven't pumped out an original AAA title in couple of years(!) and they're ending off this gen with more Gears and Halo DLC. Not hate these games but that's just nuts to drop $200(on 4GB ver no less) on last gen hardware when next-gen is only a few months away.

[pixelsword]

My goodness,

Now since the 360 was overtaken by the PS3, we're going to see a bunch of articles like this now, huh...

[UnholyLight]

Not sure what you're talking about but only just since the kinect came out alongside the new console has it been $200 in Canada anyways. It has NEVER been that cheap way back in 2008

[DOMination-]

Sony have spent loads in Europe on advertising. They are the main sponsors of Champions League football with two adverts at the beginning and end of each ad break.

[Gamer1982]

MS pumped out a TON of advertising in Japan too at one time and it was cheaper than PS3 there aswell yet it still got beat by ps3 those weeks 10/1 advertising sure helps a lot I dont disagree with that point but Americans have a form of loyalty to American products. If it was as simple as advertising they would have conquered the world.

People think it could be releasing early but it came out even earlier in Europe, it had a year and a HALF in Europe before PS3 thanks to bluray shortages and PS3 still beat it.

[mattdillahunty]

i think there are multiple reasons why the 360 is popular in America. for the record, i'll mostly be comparing the 360 to the PS3 in this post, since the Wii tends to target a different demographic in its marketing, style, and library.

1. the 360 was the first console of this generation, and thus had a bigger time to build a fan base. so when somebody goes into Gamestop or Walmart and is thinking about buying a console, there's a good chance that many of their friends already have 360s. and many people make the choice on their console based on how many friends they can play with, which friends will get it in the future, etc. it's kind of a networking thing, and when there are (or were) more people that have one console, it's kind of a trickle down effect.

2. this kind of piggybacks off the friend aspect from the previous point. this generation has been one built around online, communication, and the social experience of gaming. even if it's a social experience through their online service. needless to say, as far as home consoles go (which means i won't include the amazing Steam), Xbox Live has provided the best online experience and social aspect for gamers. it is so much easier and more fun to get a group of people together to socialize, play games, or just meet up on XBL. i think this is especially important for a country like America.

3. marketing. not much else to say here. Microsoft knows how to market the Xbox, and they've done a fantastic job of it.

4. first person shooters. i'm not going to stress this point, because i think it's been overdone that "hurr durr people just want a 360 to play shooters." but to SOME degree it's true, the 360 is unquestionably the go-to home console for first person shooters, and Gears as well, even though it's a 3PS.

5. the PS3 had a rough start. from the pricing to the lack of rumble to the poor library for the first year and a half to many shoddy ports to bad marketing.....even though the PS3 has been kicking serious ass for years now, it definitely got off to a bad start, which made the 360 a much easier choice for the go-to console of a hardcore gamer.

also, let's not forget that while (imo) the PS3 has the much better exclusive library, the 360 does DOES have all the amazing multi-platform titles that have been released this generation. sure, it may lack in constant AAA exclusives, but that doesn't mean its library sucks.

[DA_SHREDDER]

It's by far the only machine thats sole purpose is to over charge to play online and play mostly 3rd party games that are also on the competitors machines that have no online charge. This just proves that Americans as a whole are a bunch of morons.

[ShinMaster]

- It's Amurican!

- Tons of marketing behind it.

- A fad that caught on for no reason other than Gears of War and Halo.

[ChrisW]

@xPhearR3dx,

In Japan, you'll see as many if not more 360 commercials than Sony (PS3 and Vita combined) commercials... And these are mostly only shown during cartoons that games are based off of.

Whereas, Nintendo commercials are about triple of both MS and Sony... And you are likely to even see them during the evening news.

[MikeMyers]

"Because its made in America....and most nations Support their brands "

Really? Is that why the PS2 had way more market share than the Xbox? Is that why Honda and Toyota do so poorly in the U.S.? How well does Ford and Chevy do in Japan? How many Xbox 360's have sold in Japan? Now ask yourself this, what is the ratio of Wii's and PS3's of the overall console base in Japan compared to the U.S.? Now ask yourself this, what is the ratio of Xbox 360's sold in Japan and compare that ratio to how well the Xbox 360 does in the U.S. You will soon see a huge discrepancy in what you just said. The U,S. supported the Wii just like Japan did. Seems to me Japan never wanted to support the Xbox 360, even when Microsoft tried to secure Japanese support from Square-Enix and exclusive titles like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.

As the world was shifting to the iPod as a portable music player it was Japan that was still supporting Sony's MP3 player more so than any other country. The Sony Walkman also did extremely well in the U.S.

[EVILDEAD360]

Let's keep it 100% real. I'm talking s a gamer who has owned every major system for the last 3 generations.

This is not a knock against Sony or Nintendo.

Most of the people who hate the 360 won't come to grips as to the REAL reasons why the 360 is popular here in the US.

In fact, most of the 360s hate on the internet comes from the perspective of people who don't live in the US.

If your talking STRICTLY America there are many reason why the 360 is dominating america, but there a some major ones that you can point to.

The #1 reason Xbox is huge the U.S. is Xbox Live. I could go on and on why it has been so advantagous for Micrsoft, but Live is what Micrsoft got right and it payed off huge this gen and will be a huge reason the 720 will have a great early run next gen.

The #2 reason is Micrsoft has the biggest hardcore exclusives this gen by far in the US.

Last gen the PS2 dominated the world, but the truth is in the US it came down to two exclusive series Grand Theft Auto & Madden.

Fast forward to this gen and as big as those games are in the states, both are multiplat and do well console wide.

But,if you go are asking what is popular in the US. Then nothing on the PS3 can come close to the impact of Halo and Gear.

In fact, US alone 4 Halo games, 3 Gears games, and Fable 3 all outsold every PS3 exclusive out there.

Gran Turismo is a beast worldwide but it was Forza 3 that outsold Gran Turismo in the US.

Call of Duty rules the PS3 sales charts game wide, but it is a fact that in the US the COD fanbase is dominates the PS3 by upwards of 3-4 million.

So again Xbox Live plays a huge factor with COD as when it comes to the most popular game in the universe and i's fanbase migrating to the next gen.

This goes for huge multiplats like Skyrim (that had the best version) and Battlefield 3.

Again we are talking popularity, which means sales, which means what are gamers actually playing daily.

We see all the fankid/troll comments that show people need to bash the entire country just for their console of preference. But, you notice they never say where they are from when they do.

The Wii dominated this gen, but the fact is in the US the 360 is actually only a couple a million behind the Wii in overall sales.

All console manufacturers advertise and Sony had a huge ad campaign leter in the gen. But, it's clear that Micrsoft supported it's biiger games and Kinect as they should have.

When you have an online service that more gamers prefer to play on and you have 2 exclusives that as so big that gamers in the US line up on the thousands in the freezing cold just to play at midnight, then you are doing something right in that region.

Will it play out that way next gen is anybodys guess, but Micrsoft in the drivers seat in the US at the moment.

Evil

[MikeMyers]

As Logic and dedicatedtogamers have alluded to it is the social aspect Microsoft got right. Xbox Live got people into the social realm of gaming on consoles. It was also wise of them to include a headset with each system. I imagine social gaming with voice chat is way more popular in the U.S. than it is in Japan and the best support for Xbox Live and other applications stems from the U.S. territory.

Microsoft also aligned itself with the bigger franchises more like Call Of Duty. In fact watching ads almost made it seem like they were exclusive to the Xbox 360. They know how to market things like Kinect and put money behind well known games like Grand Theft Auto. I personally think Kinect failed to materialize into what was advertised but they pushed it to success with huge campaigns.

What I do find interesting in the forums is just how much Microsoft is resented. People may comment about Nintendo and Sony and what they do wrong but there seems to be actual hatred towards Microsoft more so than the others.

[insomnium2]

@nuke

"... USA is the least national consumers. They are the most swayed by price and value of almost any nation by far"

So then PS3 should absolutely be the top selling console by far.

Making it seem that monetary value is all people in USA think about is lying. The numbers prove that without a doubt.

[sikbeta]

X360 is not made in America, isn't it? :P

O-T

XBOX LIVE + Afordable Price + Advertising = WIN

[Boody-Bandit]

Marketing.
End statement.
I'm not being smug. MS obliterates Sony and Nintendo when it comes to marketing. They are a marketing machine and always have been as a company. Just look at the video included. It's a knock at MS (from Apple) but it couldn't be more accurate and one of the biggest reasons MS has been so successful. People can say or think what they want but investing a TON of money into advertising "usually" pays off 10 fold.

[dedicatedtogamers]

Social media features are also very popular in the US, and that plays a big role in the 360's success, since it is the best "social media" console on the market. A lot of people are buying it as a Netflix+Facebook+Twitter machine with the occasional dance Kinect game thrown in. This is evident when you look at the diminishing sales of 360 exclusive franchises.

[kane_1371]

people can't be that stupid, you don't buy a damn console for Netflix and Facebook, you buy it to game on.

[dedicatedtogamers]

@ kane_1371

But that's what people said about the PS3, wasn't it? "I don't buy my consoles to play Blu Ray".

Nowadays it's all "so what if I only have two exclusives? I use my 360 all the time for Facebook and to watch Netflix!"

[Gazondaily]

What are you on about? Facebook flopped on the 360.

Maybe....people like the games on it?? I mean you can't get Halo, Forza, Gears of War, Left for Dead, and other titles on other consoles?

[mwjw696]

Yes this is why Halo is the 3rd best selling in the world right now. Its right behind BLOPS 2. The 360 ver is also 3mil ahead of PS3.

The 360 was only sold as a gaming machine for many years, it is just in the last year it has became a media/casual machine.

PS3 was a cheaper ($600 still not cheap to me) blue-ray player for many years, and thats what some people bought it for.

[Gamer1982]

Social media is huge worldwide its just as bit in EU as US. People should compare EU to US rather than Japan..

[morkendo23]

haaaaaa, REALLY!! I Live In AMERRRICA

i supported SONY!!!!! SINCE ps1,ps2

PS3 all the way.

[portal_2]

2 reasons:

1.
MS started this gen a year early, Sony weren't ready for next gen. This 1 year difference allowed MS to gain considerable ground in the US.

2.
Money.

[MasterCornholio]

I would argue that Sony was more ready than Microsoft due to the fewer issues that their consoles had at launch. But this is just my opinion.

[portal_2]

Hmm, your opinion clarifies my point :)

Yes, Sony were ready - a year after the Xb launched. They weren't ready to launch the PS3 when MS launched Xb.

[Christopher]

1. It's not made in America. The software is, but even then a lot of the employees of Microsoft are imported.

2. It's big in the U.S. because of marketing. Plain and simple. Microsoft is one of the biggest advertisers in the U.S. in all medias. You'll hear radio stations talk about how they're are going to use Bing to look up who just got married. You'll see TV Shows with Microsoft phones and tablets in them (even the day that they released the Surface RT tablet, it was in a Hawaii 5-0 episode). You'll see them in every major magazine. You'll see their commercials. They are one of the key advertisers on Hulu. They are the key advertisers on GT, CNET, Wired, and many other technology/gaming related sites.

And along with all that advertising comes the people who will want to keep them coming back and happy. They want Microsoft ad money. So, while Microsoft doesn't force anyone to be nice, the people take it on themselves to do what it takes to keep them happy by not hanging on the stories that may put them in a bad light (which means they hang on the stories that put others in bad light). It's a natural cycle for them, not one forced by Microsoft, as they want to protect their bottom line by being nice to those who give them money.

So, marketing is why Microsoft has done as well as it has in the U.S.

[Gazondaily]

3. The Games?

[Christopher]

@Septic: Marketing.

Halo and Gears have more money in their marketing than any other first-party titles in the history of consoles. Heck, they put $500 million into Kinect alone for 3 months. That's more than what Sony used to market all of their first-party games over 3 years.

Call of Duty is marketed (and bought by Microsoft) to high heaven.

Marketing is key here. Sure, they have good games, but so does everyone else.

Note, I'm not saying Microsoft products aren't worth buying, but why they are dominant in the U.S. is primarily due to their marketing. They could still be successful, but not as dominant as they are if they marketed at the same level as Sony or Nintendo.

[UnholyLight]

I have noticed also, in almost every tv show or movie when someone is playing a video game or something and the perspective is from the tv or whatever, that the person is ALWAYS holding an Xbox 360 controller. Smart placement I guess

[Imalwaysright]

The 360 may be manufactared in other countries but it still is a north american brand.

[Rainstorm81]

Most of you must be blind, yes the MS adverting machine is very strong but let's looks at the original Xbox......out around 25mil in sales 15mil was in America alone....YES A WHOPPING 60% of total hardware sales in one country.

Microsoft being a known US brand leads to their console being supported heavily in the US....same thing with Apple.....It's not about quality as much as its about popularity and brand recognition that makes this sell great here in the US

Edit: Also at the moment over half of all total 360 sold are in the US.........exactly like last gen.

[NirvanaInChains]

Not true, Unfortunately auto sales say different. Also with samsung dominating phone sales that says different as well. I always do my part and try to stay with USA brands but alot of people don't. I bet 9/10 xbox owners did NOT buy there system over another just because its a american brand and i bet majority of xbox owners hardly care about that anyways because most people under 20 cant comprehend/don't care why its important to buy your own country's brands of products. Adories comment sums up the real reasoning.

[Christopher]

That's because marketing was focused in those regions. Not because they are made there. People market heavily here because people from the U.S. buy more technology and games than any other region.

I agree with NirvanalnChains above in saying that 9/10 xbox owners did not buy because it was an American brand. I'd actually go so far to say that those who did buy because it's American measure fewer than 1% of Xbox owners in the United States.

[adorie]

massive advertising budgets, a trove of partnerships, timed/exclusive deals, brand recognition, tapped the shooter market, Call of Duty, Xbox Live, previous install base.

I think that about sums it up.

[Kran]

Justin Biebers canadian... I'm sure a lot of canadians actually want to punch his face :/ so yeah. Your theory is kinda wrong.

[KingKevo]

There are other reasons like marketing and so on as well, but that's what it comes down to imho as well. People in the US just prefer Microsoft over another foreign console manufacturer. It might not be the reason that they would give if you ask them and a lot may not even be aware of it really, but I think Microsoft did a good job establishing everything they produce as a first choice for consumers in the US in general.

[aquamala]

it's popular... because it's popular. most people want to play with their friends, and if you're in US you're most likely have more friends that have a 360 than a PS3. I say it's because of the one year head start.

[Tito08]

Not really since most of my friends have PS3s,only around 5 of them have 360s!!!

[user3915800]

Cause its made in China lol... I think its due to the online service, better game from third parties friends hype of the system, controller and a mixed of first party games. Well, Im just guessing, does not matter to me, but I enjoy Xbox 360 the most this gen. I hope Sony reels me bak in with PS4, just like the WII, I only used them for first party games and PS3 for blu ray movies. They all have their positives, although I was dissapointed with the WII and now the WII-U. WII-u pad its too big for a6 years old that constantly drops it lol...

[Rainstorm81]

Very true so is most things "made in America "

[Bathyj]

and because they saw it on tv

[3-4-5]

Games....

Cod, Halo, Almost all multiplatform games are better on Xbox, Borderlands, GTA is now playable on xbox instead of Sony exclusive.

All that + about 100 other reasons.

[jessupj]

Nope,

PS3 are where the games are at.

[JamieL]

@ jessupj
Actually "Nope", to you. The "Games" are on 360, PS3, Wii, WiiU, Vita, PSP, DS, 3DS, PC, Phones, the list can go on and on. The PS3 does have an AMAZING library, no doubt, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion on what games they like. The PS3 isn't even close to being the only place for games. There are amazing games on all these device's, and the only thing to cause you to miss out on any of them is this kind of laughably bias certainty that the console(s) you don’t own, “suck”.
Grow up.

[princejb134]

3 words
Word to mouth

Consumers trust their friends more than advertisement
When one friend has one they talk to their friends to also get one and so on and so on

[KwietStorm_BLM]

Honda Civics sell like crack in the 80s IN THE USA. Samsung Galaxy models sell millions IN THE USA. The first Xbox sold squat anywhere. Why do people keep falling back on the nationalistic crap? Putting aside everything that just makes the 360 a good system, Americans buy what's "cool." You cannot underestimate the importance of their solo time on the market from 2005-2006. It granted them the opportunity to get that mindshare going, and when people here see something popular on the shelf, they buy it too. It didn't even matter that they spent countless hours on a PS2. Its what's "it" right now. I don't even have to say anything about Microsoft's advertising dollars. They'll throw money from the bottomless well at every product even if it ISN'T selling (Windows Phone, Windows 8). Look the disparity with Apple and Android. Android dominates globally, but is neck and neck with the iPhone in the US, for the same reasons I stated about the box.

[Imalwaysright]

You must be dreaming if you dont think that many consumers tend to have a preference towards products made in their own country.

[Imalwaysright]

@ people that disagree without even replying. Its called consumer ethnocentrism. Look it up.

[Mounce]

I agree with Rainstorm....

It's same with any area....Japan loves Japanese-made things and Japanese companies more than they would an American one or North American. Not in a racist manner....but bias happens.

America are also, very high in 'patriotism' so why not make it easy and say HURRRR. 'MURRICA!!!

[showtimefolks]

1.advertisement more than sony or nintendo

2.its a product of an american company so american will support it like japan supports sony and nintendo more than ms

3.came out before wii and ps3 and has been as low as $200 since 2008.

here is a counter question why doesn't xbox360 sell as well world wide? so these kind of articles aren't need IMO.

ps3,xbox360 and wii were all successful so its better to have 3 successful consoles than one. competition means we get better hardware/software support

enjoy gaming

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

I never got how less games and less variety is more for xbox fans. ni no kuni will be aswome as well as last of us , puppeteer and beyond! Gears:Spin off seems to be enough for ps3 haters.

honest I think casual gamers are the ones buying xbox now. Kinect is going hard and MS has no new AAA games since alan wake.

[JamieL]

Kind of like how the Sony Smash Bros was just fine for the PS3 crowd last year? We forget so soon how sorry last year was for Sony's to many to count exclusives. I hate double standards so much.

[Just_The_Truth]

If only people were so patriotic.....the truth is it was cheaper, it was an underdog and it realized a year before anything else.

[1Victor]

@Rainstorm81 Not even close here in the U.S we love the media and if you promote bacon water as healthy like MS do we'll be drinking bacon grease 24/7.

[otherZinc]

Halo
Gears Of War
Fable
Kinect
XBOX Live: Live is a unified system that works without a day 1 patch.

[Oh_Yeah]

Bigger controller for people with bigger hands, it's cheaper (the base price is but people don't take account in the long run its more expensive), faster download speeds with wireless N, no mandatory installs for the impatient or small hard drive users, it was released first most people bought it first and just stuck to it because of friends or not caring what the other console offered,then there's the motion gaming, Halo, it's made by an American company ... There's all the reasons I could think of...eh none of them are really that good a reason imo to pick it over ps3 but whatev.

[kenshiro100]

It's popular because of Halo, Gears of War and the price.

And advertising. I can't buy a bag of Doritos before I see a Halo advertising.

[CommonSense]

This is such a lame comment.

If this were true, Honda and Toyota wouldn't be kicking Chevy and Chrysler's asses.

[ALLWRONG]

Because Americans like it and Americans buy what they like.

[AD705]

"Because its made in America....and most nations Support their brands"

If that is true then could you explain to me how the most sold console in Americas history is the ps2? The most sold console in america in this current generation is the wii, and ps3s sell more in america than any other territory?

[CalvinKlein]

really, Americans buy anything from anywherer, only Japan is like that.

US+ Canada buys almost as many PS3s as all of Europe, with about a third of the population. USA+Canada buys more videogames thaen anywhere.

I promise you that sucess of xbox 1 and 360 in the usa has largley been because of its ease of use when playing online. PS3 fanboys dont know about xbox but thats ok, it is much more user friendly then other systems and the best platform to play with friends. VIta cross game chat is not even close to the same thing when you cant access the app without disconnecting from your multiplayer games. On xbox you can create, add or leave your party while in the middle of a multiplayer game. On vita if you try and go to the app while playing a game then you will be disconnected from the online game as soon as you go into the vitas OS. Try it if you dont beleive me, but if thats the case you probably dont have a vita or xbox anyways.

[THC CELL]

Ps3 from Japan I'm not

[Parapraxis]

Are you sure? Your English makes me think otherwise.

[Hellsvacancy]

Im not from Japan but own a PS3, dont be so shallow

[kayoss]

Xbox is an American brand but made in China. I guess you're part Chinese then???

[Godmars290]

People bought into the marketing. Also seemed like much of gaming journalism was more in favor of it. Promoted it over other brands.

[GalacticEmpire]

Exactly.

-Price (much cheaper before adding HDD, controller battieres etc)

-Better marketing
You can't fault MS here, right from the off they targeted core gamers with an onslaught of marketing. They even crashed the PS3 launch party with a barge, remember that?

-Early release
Gamers are a famously impatient bunch, they just couldn't wait to 'jump in'.

[Godmars290]

Except that's the thing; it *wasn't* cheaper.

I never understood why when the 360 Arcade SKU was put in front of someone they thought of it as "cheaper" when you then had to buy a specific type of HHD which was well above the average market price.

[B1663r]

The xbox success is only confusing if you subscribe to PS3 groupthink.

[GalacticEmpire]

@Godmars

I know that, you know that, but sadly Joe Public is ignorant of such things.

[rainslacker]

It's a psychological thing. For the most part consumers don't really inform themselves as far as they should on the price of what they're buying. Initial price is more important than actual ownership costs. Also something like the HDD is considered optional for the most part, and early in this generation people may not have seen the importance of it. Value can also be subjective, as if the system had games they wanted to play over the competition(Halo, Gears), then the lower price tag just makes it more appealing, thus worth the price, regardless of "hidden" costs.

[CommonSense]

Cuz of the earlier release?

Geeze...another lame comment. Common sense people. If this logic held true, Dreamcast would have slaughtered PS2. And, Wii U already won the next generation.

[Bigpappy]

There are many factors outside of marketing, which is a very, very small part. The facts are: 1) Micro Soft is a trusted brand with deep pockets; 2) M$ was strong out the gate with online, and had the games that attracted large groups of online players; 3) The cross game and party chat, that you guys prefer to down play, is a huge selling point for the 360 in the US; 4) Many here in the US actually make more money, so the $50-$60 XBL fee is a non issue for most of us. 5) Kinect caught on with a lot of kids and parents here, who have the room needed to properly us it in it's present state. The hold idea of keeping the kids and moms active is appealing in this fat country; 2.b)Since multiplayer games were a big seller for US gamers, having the same console as your friends was another strong, deciding factor.

The 360 did not only sell will in the Americas, by the way. It did very well in some areas of Europe. In fact, it out sold the PS3 hugely in the U.K.

If it were just marketing, Japan would be the most successful market for the 360. That is where M$ marketed more than any other territory. If M$ got even a little traction there, 360 would have been the overall dominant console this gen.

[Godmars290]

1) MS has deep pockets at least. Things like IE are hardly considered a "trusted" brand, rather its just there until someone figures out and tries another browser.

3) I personally don't play down MP - I just don't like it. Prefer SP, which basically means I've been SOL this gen more and more as MP takes over.

4) This is just proof of the BS hypocrisy of paying for XBL while calling the PS3 "expensive."

5) Not seeing how Kinect's targeted advertising towards kids and parents, games which sold on brand name power like Star Wars and Sesame St., isn't the same as marketing.

2.B) Likewise exploiting the "me-tooism" of MP represents marketing.

And Japan is a likewise pointless point. The 360 suffered from the Xbox1's original stigma, as well as from its own with the RROD, which wasn't addressed as quickly as it was in West.

[guitarded77]

I completely agree that it was heavily promoted over the PS3 by just about every gaming site, and not even on a marketing level. One can go watch/read old reviews, previews, etc on IGN and G4TV, and clearly see the bias toward the system. In a PS3 exclusive review, preview they would constantly refer to XBOX titles as the standard they were basing their opinion of the PS3 game on. In XBOX reviews, you would never hear such things.

All that said, I don't know how much it affected popularity. I think marketing, and hitting the market first had a lot to do with it. I own multiple consoles of each, but all of my friends bought an XBOX first and I bought a PS3 first. My friends gave me so much crap saying stuff like "There are no games on PS3", "It's a waste of money" and "The online sucks". A lot of my friends bought XBOX's because their friends had XBOX's. But even with the hate my friends had, I invited them over to try it out. Once they tried the PS3 2-3 years into its life cycle, they ended up buying one, and one of my friends completely migrated to the PS3 from XBOX, and he was the biggest detractor.

But the real question is why did I buy XBOX's after already owning a PS3? Initially I bought it because I wanted to play Gears of War and Mass Effect, but now I use it more for XBOX Live Arcade games, CoD and Forza. CoD really is better played on XBOX, and that is a huge reason for its success. Many people identify CoD with XBOX, and that helps push consoles.

I really don't care which is more popular, as long as they both sell well enough to keep support for games I'm happy.

[Anon1974]

I agree. Microsoft knows their market and it's all about advertising. On top of that, with the 360's dominance in the US it's not surprising that the games media, largely US based, will cater to that audience.

On that note, has anyone else noticed recently an influx of articles (I almost said ads) reminding us just how well the 360 is doing in the US? GameindustryBiz, Gamasutra, among others are suddenly running articles about how the 360 "won" this generation based on US sales. I see over 20 articles in the past 2 days on Google news trying to convince us that even though the 360 has been outsold by everyone despite it's head start that we should ignore what's been going on these past 6 years and crown the 360 the champ.

What gives? It's as if the news of the PS3 overtaking the 360 is prompting some type of damage control to divert attention away from it's 3rd place status, but to what end? Why would be the purpose? Although certain sites have displayed a bias in the past I don't buy into some pro-Microsoft conspiracy or any such nonsense, yet this recent trend is curious. You gotta wonder what's with the sudden spin?

[DivineAssault]

shooters n casual games are very popular in the US.. 360 gets a great deal of multiplats but i dont care for it.. Sony is my preferred console due to its value & selection of exclusives

[ShaunCameron]

You forgot to mention (Western) RPG's.

[The Meerkat]

Halo, Gears and the controller do it for me.

[Riderz1337]

Because PEW PEW PEW!

(FPS games)

[Cocozero]

The same reason why the PS3 and Wii are more popular in Japan

[Kran]

Why do people buy cars even though it's going to cost them money every month, where they'll waste even more money driving to places that might even cost them more money?

....

Because they want to perhaps?

No one can determine why something is so popular in one place and not else where. It's just life. If it's popular in one country and not another, fantastic. It just doesn't really matter.

All this love/hate PS3 and 360 folk have... pointless.

[mcstorm]

That is well said. I find the tech world a very messy place. We have so of the best hardware and software the world has ever seen and one big plus is the choice we have. I have found my self falling for the MS eco system over the past few years as I have a Surface, 360, Lumia 900, WHS2011, Zune/Xbox music pass, Outlook/live account and a Windows 8 work laptop as it works better for me than anything Apple or Google offer but I never tell anyone they are wrong when they go down someone else's eco system as none of them are perfect but none of them offer everything for everyone as we are all different.

I also Own a PS3 and a WiiU as I am a big gamer and I also Own Kinect and Move. I also still own a Dreamcast, Gamecube and an Amiga 32 and still get as much fun out of them as I did the day I got them.

[Ryo-Hazuki]

It has a cheaper price tag and they have a bigger profit margin per console (cheaper to manufacture) which they can push a lot of deals at retailers.

[hennessey86]

Childish answers, my opinion is that its mostly down to price. There is a recession going on after all, I don't buy into all the casual game BS. The 360 has plenty of variety (not as much as the PS3) but still a decent amount of games to be played. While the 360 does outsell the PS3 in America, its not by a huge amount considering the size of the market in America. Japan just plain refuses to support anything that's not Japanese when it comes to consoles.

[Rainstorm81]

Price? How does Xbox Live and accessories factor in?

[ichdich]

why not?

[Kurt Russell]

My thought exactly... "because it's fun to play".

[AllroundGamer]

because Honey Boo Boo :D

[FarCryLover182]

Honey Boo Boo chilllllld.

[punisher99]

Because the 360 was the first console to the market this gen and was sold at a fair price. It had a whole year to showcase HD graphics vs. the PS3. And there was that myth that both consoles were the same but the PS3 was just a higher priced console. People here in the states, just got used to the 360. And then there is these little tricks that MS constantly did, such as advertising multiplatform games as if they are 360 exclusives. Over these past few years, there were always TV commercials with big name multiplatform games, and at the end of the commercial, the xbox logo would somehow sneak in. Next gen is gonna be very interesting because both consoles will be released very close to one another, and there is a new competitor in Valve.

[PimpDaddy]

The 360 launched a year earlier than the PS3 and Wii.

The 360 has always had a competitive price since it launched.

The 360 controller is preferred for shooters and racing.

XBL and the GUI interface are more attractive and easier to use.

The 360 exclusives are marketed better and are more desirable to users in the US.

[Amiroo]

"The 360 launched a year earlier than the PS3 and Wii. "
ok but 360 sells up in last 2 years not at the launch and i guess that nothing to do with earlier launch

[PimpDaddy]

Again. The 360 established itself in the US before the PS3 or Wii. That was the biggest reason I got a 360 4 months after it launched instead of waiting for the PS3.

It's because of the reasons I listed that the 360 became so popular in the US. And the reason the 360 continues to lead every month in US sales for home consoles.

The controller, XBL, and Halo/Gears are the reasons I prefer my 360 to my PS3. But I'm not blinded by some loyalty to any particular company to try and deny that if Sony had launched the PS3 at the same time and similar price that the 360 would have gained the advantage they did in the US.

The 360's success is as much about what Microsoft did right as what Sony did wrong this generation.

[JamieL]

@PimpDaddy
I did the same thing. I was waiting for the PS3. The thing that convinced me to try the 360 was $599.00 USD. Sony's arrogant attitude is what pushed me towards that side. I never paid the Xbox much attention, and had no plan to get a 360 until that pitiful E3. That being said, Sony did learn from their mistake and got back to doing what us gamers love. I just hope it works out for them. Gaming wouldn't be what it is today without Sony's industry leading changes. I would be very sad to ever see them exit this biz. I'm am glad MS was there to make Sony refocus on what made them great as well.
To be honest I hope that MS takes a page out of Sony's games diversity book this coming gen.

[Picture_Dancer]

"XBL and the GUI interface are more attractive and easier to use."

Are you serious? So why M$ changed GUI several times and still it isn't perfect.

[PimpDaddy]

Who said anything about perfect? The 360 GUI interface is constantly evolving and improving. What has their competition done during the same time period?

Out of everything in my original comment you decided to take offense to me saying that owners of the 360 prefer XBL and GUI interface. Then said nothing of value to dispute my opinion.

[ALLWRONG]

Any they made it better every time while adding new features.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

$99 upfront and $15 a month makes it feel very affordable.

[Godz Kastro]

Xbox live and community are big part of this and that will carry them into next gen. I know 3rd spin around the corner can be tough. However all previous consoles with 3rd gen woes never had a strong online component like Xbox Live. Its almost guaranteed to sell to the 40 million live subscribers.

[KrisButtar]

I liked the article, enjoyed reading it. My friends and all all got 360s and yes played call of duty, I've own a ps3 since launch as well, my friends still thought the ps3 was over 500bucks last year, I corrected them, now we play black ops on the ps3 and halo 4 on the 360. To be honest there is not a lot of choices out there if you have 7 or 8 friends over and all wanna game. Also sometimes we hook the Wii back up and play 4 player split screen and take turns. I am only speaking of my friends but maybe others still think the ps3 is at a high price.

[MarcoGT]

To get the same from xbox you need to pay more, I don't see why people think it's cheaper anymore, once you buy xbox you still need to pay online every month, I bought a 500 gb ps3 for 200 pounds but I see a 250 gb xbox for 189 but then you have to buy online every year so ps3 is actually cheaper but then again it's cheaper anyway if you had an xbox since launch how much money would have been spent online? fucking ridiculous but people like bitesize amounts of money so they just take it

[NoFanboyRequired]

Er muh gerddd! Live is so expensives! Bfifbfiehf... you act as if live costs hundreds a year. Its only the price of a game a year. Is that too much for you??? Man, if you were smart, you can get it for half that price if you look online.

Dont even see why you're complaining anyways, when you probably dont even own a 360.

[MarcoGT]

I thought about it but I never bothered in the end now it's too late imo for me but you bet your ass I'll be buying both consoles from sony and microsoft when they come.

[NoFanboyRequired]

At least you were honest. :)

Yeah I'll most likely get them both too. Been missing out on way too many games this generation. Particularly the ps3 exclusives.

Ill probably just pick up a ps3 sometime after the next gen starts, unless of course the next PS has backwards compatibility.

[Belking]

Why is the 360 so popular in the US?

Better and more marketing
Huge library of great games
Great online service with good features(affordable too)
It appeals to ALL gamers
Great Price
Great controller
Demos for all games on XBLA
H A L O
Kinect(appeals to more casuals than move)

Microsoft has done a excellent job marketing their console this generation. The xbox360 does have incredible staying power when you look at the sales the past two months. It's a huge accomplishment to beat veterans sony and Nintendo in the largest market out there. The xbox has been the No.1 console the past two years for good reasons. Say what you want but those accomplishments are impressive for a company like MS, which plenty of people wrote off at the start of this generation. Not only are the1 no.1 in the US but the xbox brand name has grown all over the world and that is even better for business. I know people will hate on the comment I just made with disagrees, but you can't dispute the facts.

[NoFanboyRequired]

Here come the disagrees. I like both consoles, but i favor the 360 more.

Most of my friends use it and play the exact same games i do.

I think that reason right there is soley why the 360 is dominating the US market. Everyone and their friends own one, which makes more of their friends jump in. Also, a lot of americans prefer american products. (even though its made in china. Lol)

LIVE most likely plays a huge role in it also. With features no other online service (for now) has.

[Godz Kastro]

Bubble for you... Well said, I dont understand the disagrees as you have all facts and a list of great features...

[Gimmemorebubblez]

Did u know Sony employs just as much if not more people in the USA than Microsoft.

[Belking]

"Did u know Sony employs just as much if not more people in the USA than Microsoft."

But fanboys only care about THE WORLD...lol

It doesn't matter. They should employ more because they have a hand in more areas than MS, but they don't make money and profits the way MS and smaller corps do. Sony has been operating in the red for years now and while ps4 will be awesome it will put them even deeper in the hole. There is no way around it. This business is basically about making money no matter how you look at it and I don't think anyone would trade places with sony right now. It will take years for them to become profitable(as a whole) again but PS4 could be the start they need.

[YodaCracker]

It does amaze me how well the Xbox 360 continues to sell over 7 years into its lifecycle. According to NPD, in December the 360 sold more than DOUBLE that of the second place console (Wii U or PS3?) with 1.4 million units. That is incredible. This gen has been a massive success for the Xbox brand, tripling sales of the previous console and gaining so much market share. Now the name "Xbox" has become synonymous with gaming just as "PlayStation" once was. Microsoft definitely has the most momentum going into next gen. The ball is in their court, so let's see what they do with it!

[Kakashi Hatake]

"ONCE" was? Don't see how PS is any less relevant than XB considering they sold the same amount. You XB fans act like PS3 sold 40 mil consoles or something lol.

[tubers]

Wasn't the PS2 the dominant last gen?

The MS console market share today is much more favorable than it was last gen.. I daresay around half the current console core market.

[cee773]

Well you could get one for as low as $100 down or buy a arcade model out for $150 hell that's the cheapest console around so of course it will sell like crazy

[punisher99]

To everyone thats saying that the 360 has a better controller, better marketing, better online, and a cheaper price. My question is to anyone that wants to answer. Why is it that the PS3 outsells the 360 in Europe? +bubbles to anyone that answers

[00001]

easy answer to that question, how big is Europe exactly? how many countries are in the European union, how big are those countries economy compared to not only the U.S. as a whole but individual states like Texas, California, and NYC,NY, all of which have country sized economies driving the U.S., add the fact that Microsoft has not been challenged by language barriers for games and apps in the U.S., but have been challenged by the diversity of languages spoken in Europe. there's way too much translating and legal barriers when it comes to offering certain apps or games that Microsoft probably just doesn't bother to pursue due to time and resources. How many different languages are spoken in countries in Europe versus the standard of just English and Spanish in America, its not hard to understand why Microsoft hasn't made the same dent it has in the U.S., too many language barriers, too much diversity between the countries of Europe in terms of what to specify in offering the consumers of all of these diverse countries. the U.S. on the other hand is much more homogeneous in how its citizens make purchases, add on the easy communication from Microsoft to its consumers and the fact that many apps and games studios are based in the U.S., all these things factor in to why the U.S. is a much easier market for Microsoft to cater to. (bubble me my man)

[punisher99]

+bubbles Okay, those are interesting points. It just really makes you think about the different circumstances in different countries.

[00001]

hey thanks :D but yeah i have always felt since Microsoft is the newcomer, Sony has just been the default console for many on u.s. gamers due to the accessibility, name recognition, and diversity of games. not too mention the fact that sony was beaten to the u.s. market by two console companies, nintendo's wii and microsoft's xbox360. so im sure many people either bought those two or chose between the wii or 360 and or couldnt afford the ps3 at launch. so after many price cuts and years later, maybe some people are going back and now purchasing the playstation 3 adding to the reason in its recent catch up in u.s. sales.

[00001]

microsoft has built a really well rounded console. great exclusives, even though they have dwindle in number as the years progress. xbox live is a great service with a lot to offer users with solid online matchmaking setups, apps, and features to play or communicate with friends and other devices. and lastly how the system is set up price wise and accessory wise. the console is offered at a reasonable price, comes with a headset, controller, and usually a decent game and month free trail for xbox live. not too mention many U.S. gamers adopted the system early on meaning their mates would buy a xbox360 as well so they could game together. then add the fact forza, gears of war, halo, and call of duty are very U.S. popular titles that sell extremely well on the console. those are the big reasons the xbox360 is a success in the U.S.

why sony is playing such catch up even though the ps3 is a great system, is due to launching a year late, the ludicrousness of the launching price point of $500 and $600. add in that many announced exclusives at E3 2005 for ps3 never arrived in the launch window of the console but rather in 2007 and later. and lastly the piss-poor marketing sony has done, and the fact sony has been struggling as a company in different departments whether that is the handheld, tv, and other tech. the company has had to focus on all of its investments and not zero in on just the ps3. this all has resulted in sony's ps3 playing catch up this generation in the U.S.

[SDF Repellent]

The fact is the X360 is a better system with a better online ecosystem, similar to iTunes from apple, than the competition.

[Axe99]

X360's online ecosystem is behind Sony's - there are more full games for download on the PSN, usually at cheaper prices. More sales, a greater range of moves on the PSN store, and a good range of online services. You don't have parties and online chat, but at $50/year that's a pretty pricey inclusion. When I recently got my 360 I was planning to go all digital with the games, expecting that it would be similar to what Sony's got on the PSN, and was surprised to see MS (who are apparently a software company, but you wouldn't know it!) lagging a good year or two behind.

[WetN00dle69]

Sure it is buddy. At least with Live you dont have to suffer downtime nor constant patching. So yeah its PSN who is behind 2 years.

[Axe99]

@ Wetnoodle - I'm talking about the stores - range of games and prices here. The PSN's streets ahead of XBL on a range of fronts. Buying digital games on the PSN is often a sensible and cost-effective thing to do - buying digital games on XBL that you can get at retail is economic insanity.

Although if you're on PS+ you also don't have to worry about constant patching, and while PSN has had a couple more weeks of it, both XBL and PSN have had significant outages over their lifetimes.

[kenshiro100]

...What the heck is an online ecosystem?

[Axe99]

The online marketplace - the flow of resources and the like. For Playstation, the PSN, Music Unlimited, Video unlimited and the like. For Xbox, it's XBLA, Games on Demand, the Xbox Music and Movie stores. Oddly enough, Xbox's stores run two currencies - some are in 'points', some are in local currency. A good start for them would be to have them all in the same damn currency!

[iNathan]

just wait until 720 that will smash the competiton like never before.

[ItsTrue]

Maybe we should just wait and find out first before making such big assumptions.

[tubers]

TBH, I think it's more possible than anyone here would like to admit. I bet they're cooking up some Windows 8 integration with it.

[th3n00bg4m3r]

1, Because Microsoft is an american company.
2, And, Microsoft gives exclusive products to North-American gamers.

[Nerdmaster]

I still can't believe Xbox 360 sold so well after the 3RL fiasco. They fixed it after a long time, but they refused to admit in the beginning that the problem was real, one third of the consoles were breaking down... Microsoft basically showed that they really didn't care about its consumers. And I don't understand why people supported them.

[KevPC]

me too.. i just don't get it... Microsoft rushed their product and it had such a huge failure rate. And as the years passed by all they really did with their console is add the stuff that ps3 originally came out with. I guess most Americans are just blind or something, ps3 offers more games and online is free.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Luckily not all of U.S doesn't think like you do holy sh#%^t

@Kev probably had one of the dumbest comment of the day.

Instead of bashing the U.S how bout the Xbox just resonates with people in the U.S? Or more importantly its Preference, something people will never understand. People prefer PlayStation in Europe, prefer Nintendo in Japan and prefer Xbox in U.S

I think that makes more sense instead talkin crap about the consumers in the U.S region.

[giovonni]

KevPC, it's not about having more games its about games that appeal. Just because the ps3 may have more game studios doesn't mean, people will automatically jump to it. Each console has its share of games that appeal, I'm a gears of war, halo, and favor the xbox 360 controller. however, I also play games like god of war, Drake, and little big planet. I'm curious to know, what did microsoft add to its system that ps3 originally add?

[giovonni]

KevPC, my bad i phrased the question incorrectly. My point of what I was trying say. There was nothing spectacular outside of maybe Blu Ray at that time xbox needed. PS3 was ahead as far as hardware, but that doesn't win the race. Take the original xbox most sophisticated machine, but wasn't no where near the ps2. However, I do feel you on a few things about the xbox.

[WetN00dle69]

I support them to the fullest cause so far XBL does the trick for me. No downtime, lag or stupid constant patching. Ohh and cause to me at least most Multiplats are better on the 360. And dont forget about the Controller. It doesnt feel flimsy and its the best game pad for FPS.

[giovonni]

Sorry, I have to disagree with you to a certain point, if MS didn't care about the customer they wouldn't have fixed and extended the warranty of the console. They just would have said "oh well, buy a new one. once the warranty was up."

Now, in normal cases, this problem should have killed the 360, but the 360 at that time had the most sophisticated online experience, cross chat, and games that appealed to the west. On top of that, the 360 controller was the ideal controller to use for first person shooters; it's comfortable and suited the hands. Also, during this time there was no bio shock, Mass Effect, Gears, Grand Theft Auto dlc experience for the ps3.

Bottle that with the slow start of the ps3 , ( the sony loyalist can disagree) but the PS3 had a very slow start little to no marketing push, and a very high price point. The media's take on the difficulty to program on the ps3 didn't help either. We have to give ms their credit, because they increased shares for the xbox brand, and did it when everyone thought the system was going to go the way of the dream cast. Lets see what the 720 will do, because the 360 was successful

[KevPC]

to answer your above question...i'm pretty sure xbox was not wifi ready.

heres a popular video showing the differences back in the day.

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

[Nerdmaster]

If they cared, they would have made sure the product they were selling had high quality before it hit shelves. The first Xbox 360 model was a mess, and everybody who understood a little about electronics could see that. It was obviously a rushed product.

They tried to deny the existence of the problem as much as they could. They only decided to extend the warranty of the console when it became impossible to hide it. And even then, it's not rare to find people who sent their 360's over and over to get them fixed. The extended warranty wasn't about them caring about the consumers, it was about them knowing they couldn't fix their consoles well enough to make it last.

[Jakens]

@ Nerd and Kev

You were not here in 2006, were you?

[InTheLab]

Everyone you know has one so you had to get it. There's no particular game out there on XBox that made me want one. My former employer actually talked me into it...

[ShaunCameron]

Same here. I ended up getting the XBox 360 because I was highly interested in playing Bully: Scholarship Edition and gave up on trying to find the Wii version. Plus I wanted to give HD gaming a chance. Originally I wanted a PS3 due to my familiarity with some of the PS's old IP's though I never actually played those games during its glory years.

<There's no particular game out there on XBox that made me want one.>

[memots]

Its the type of crowd it attract.

[jacksons98]

For the same reason Walmart and McDonalds are. You aren't getting the best experience or the best hamburger. You are getting cheap and 360 is cheaper in the short term than PS3. It's the same reason why in the US you pay so much for your cell plan and so little for the phone.

[memots]

Funny you mention the Walmart people.

[memots]

Not spam , Just lol

http://themetapicture.com/f...

[Nes_Daze]

Americans love their overrated shooters, just look at Call of Duty sales. Not to mention marketing, quality barely has anything to do in this.

[MadMen]

In America we pick winners = Xbox

[jacksons98]

I think there are two theories. Sony believes games sell systems. Microsoft believes marketing sells systems. In America marketing wins.

[patterson]

so true, unfortunately

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Why is the ps3 popular in Japan?

[jakmckratos]

Because my country is full of IDIOTS

[SITH]

You can switch countries to a non-idiot majority anytime.

[Peka_Fais]

Americans so unpatriotic

[talisker]

I don't live in the US so can't answer this question but I can say why Playstation is the leading brand in Europe.

1. Recognition - in many EU countries console = Playstation. Some people don't even know that Xbox exists. The awareness has risen a bit with Kinect but still it's Playstation that we see ads for. Yes, even COD is advertised with PS3 logo. I live in a country where most people play PC but when I saw PS1, I wanted it immediately. Then I had PS2, PSP, now PS3. I saw the original Xbox for the first time two years ago because nobody I know had one. If any of my frieds buys a console, it's PS3 because everybody has one. I maybe know 2 or 3 people who have X360 and it's sadly because you can steal games for it. When I had a 360, I had a friends list with no names in it, at all! My PSN friends list is about 50 people, I guess.

2. Quality - Sony is considered a company which simply delivers. Sony TV are popular and sell really well, even though they're pricey. Same for cameras and audio equipment. My family had a Sony TV for over 20 years. It broke twice, very minor repairs. Would I buy any other brand? Never. On the other hand, people don't like Microsoft. Because of Windows and Office freezing and ruining their work. It doesn't matter if they're right or wrong with it. Microsoft isn't a good and reliable company. Especially since Windows ME and Vista.

3. Support. As somebody pointed out above, MS focuses on English speaking markets. If you buy X360 with Kinect here, you just get subtitles. Imagine a 4-year-old being told in English to do this or that in Kinectimals (I saw it demoed). Imagine any game in English for children who can't read yet and don't know the language. It's simply useless. On the other hand, every Sony game is localized in a professional way, with known actors, boxes, manuals, everything. What would you choose as a customer?

Same goes for XBL vs PSN. PSN is free and offers some streaming apps. XBL is paid and offers just the ability to play games, nothing more. No streaming media, no indie games, a very poor Games on Demand catalogue with ridiculous prices... And it's been just 2 years since they officially introduced the service. Before that, you couldn't even buy a game with your CC due to invalid address. People had to lie they lived in UK to register their accounts.

I guess that with the new direction Microsoft is heading for, that is a console more for media and entertainment than games, they will lose even more ground in ENEA and other parts of the world. PCs and Sony consoles will rule Europe next gen again.

[testerg35]

"Yes, even COD is advertised with PS3 logo." - Thank you.. PS3 fans make this sound bad when MS does it in the US for the 360.

[Clarence]

1.its America
2.1yr headstart as the first next gen console
3.RROD
4.Advertising
5.cheaper

[Tei777]

-Its cheaper than PS3,
-Most casual gamers only care about COD+MAdden/Fifa+ AC
- most people either 1: don't care about bluray
2: Don't acknowledge that the ps3 is a functioning Blu-ray player
- Microsotf has the more popular exclusives. Halo+ Gears alone >>> Killzone+Uncharted+ Infamous+ resistance (in terms of popularity)
-Micosoft has the better USP. Kinect is far more marketable than PS move.
- Microsoft spends a tons of money advertising 3rd party titles like their exclusive to the console.

But I actually think the PS3 is definitely better value for money, but thats just me.

[SnakeCQC]

same reason why apple is so popular there

[wages of sin]

I can only speak for myself but as an American I prefer the 360 for several reasons.

1) XBL is better than PSN (or whatever it’s called now) in every way. Paying $50’s once a year is pocket change here in California. Not only that but feature quality isn’t the same as feature parity.

2) The games are better imo. When I had my PS3 I supported it vehemently but truth be told their games are mostly sub-par when compared to others in the same genre. PS3 has a lot of games that I don’t want to play and find overrated for the most part.

3) Sony gamers. I love playing and talking games but you can’t do that with many/most ps3 fans because all they want to do is argue. It’s a constant pissing contest that I’m too old to care about. For all the talk about how great it is you’d think they’d actually support it by buying games but instead their online in forums talking shit.

There are other reasons but I’ve given you enough to go on. It’s my money and until I have a good reason to add Sony back into my game room I’ll continue to game mostly on my 360 and Wii U.

[SnakeCQC]

well im from britain were we are more sensible about out money. I have a pc ps3 and a 360 the only reason people buy xbl is because ms have held mp hostage for all their customers and you can come up with any bs excuse for them but you're no better off being their pr. Online on ps3 and pc is free on both and better. Features like receiving demos a week early are poinless and transparent petty tactics. The Ps3 has the best exclusives of any console bar none and the online community is sooo much better than the whining 360 kind. It also has a higher level of convergence meaning you get what you pay for(the initial price tag was worth it against high def players at the time) The pc is always going to be a graphical powerhouse but what about the 360? the only game worth buying it for is the halo franchise(one of my favorite sci fi shooters)

[phatfreddy1978]

quantity over quality

[Tornadobounce]

Global warming.

[rapidturtle]

I own a PS3 and a 360. I really see no reason to own a 360 over a PS3, other than Halo. I think all of the other multiplayer games are the same on both consoles. PSN has got much better over the life of the PS3, and I see no reason to pay for Live anymore. Once my year subscription runs out, I will not give MS another penny to play online, when the other consoles do it for free.

[NobleTeam360]

Lol the 360 hasn't been 200 since 2008. It was 399/299 in 08

[Father Murder X]

My question is what has changed going into the next gen. Again M$ is still the company with all the money. If the systems are launching closer together then they are going to blow them out of the water with the tech in the 720 because they would financially be able to take a bigger loss on each system sold. Remember they got steady revenue coming in from Xbox live. Sony will have to charge for PSN next gen. M$ is making money hand over fists with XBL.

[patterson]

Why is XBOX 360 more popular in Murrica?

Just watch the movie "Idiocracy" and all your questions will be answered.

[MRMagoo123]

Hey everyone the ps3 outsold the 360 world wide with a year and a half behind in sales we better hurry up and make articles and opinion pieces about how the 360 is number one in the US cos it matters somehow lmao /s

[sdplisken]

Why is the PS3 so popular EVERYWHERE else in the world?

[Mac420]

Xbox is more like a social token. Like COD, know multiple people that have both consoles when I had both of mine an they would never get on PS3 mainly because there friends play on 360 . An the article stating games help push consoles. That only applies for Sony because in the MS camp all they have is Halo, Majority of the most played titles on Live are Mutliplatform games anyways. Said about more then half of the 360 owners buy COD an COD only year in year out an no nothing else.

[dubt72]

It's simple: xbox rules.

[Rageanitus]

ADVERTISING!!

Alot of ppl really think many of the multiplatform games are only found on Xbox!

[mayberry]

people who frequent gaming forums generally fall into the 'hardcore' gamer catagory, so im assuming this is the n4g demographic (myself included). Its also my understanding that we make up a significantly small portion of 360/ps3 buyers. So I would assume that a much larger portion of adopters are adults, i.e. 'parents' buying for children. And in MY experience, ( I have a 10 year old boy ), 90%+ of his friends have 360's exclusively, the flip to that is 90%+ of my adult friends have PS3's. ...am I off about this direction of thinking? Why the U.S. buys their kids a ton of 360's is the REAL question, IMHO.

[ACEMANWISE]

It has been popular because it came first to the market. Unlike previous console generations, this generation is rooted deeply with social ties. By being first the Xbox 360 created an exclusive foundation of social groups and user accounts.

On the social level each game and system is sold under the pretense of "who" has it. It doesn't necessarily sell for it's quality as a game if 7 of their friends don't own it. People will buy games and products in order to be accepted, be popular, or be involved. They will refuse to play certain games, due to the public atmosphere, in order to avoid humiliation, alienation, or abandonment.

On the individual level each game and system ties the user to an account. The longer the account is established by the gamer, the harder it will be for the gamer to dump his investment. This is true moreso on the digital and DLC level, where the gamer can't interchange his investment. Thus he is stuck with his commitment in hopes that next gen his purchases will continue on.

This is why Sony and their high quality/high quantity selection of video games are being ignored by the masses this generation. Being a 30+ year gaming vet, I find it sad that gaming has come to this. But this theory explains why some junk games sell tens of millions while others sell less than a million. Gaming has become a fashion statement with addictive properties. It is driven by emotions that have nothing to do with the love for games...just for the people that play them.

[PS4isKing_82]

Call of duty. Halo. Gears of war. Cheap price. Heavily advertised.

[Flewid638]

The rest of the world has better taste than we do. :-(

[Funky_Homosapien]

Because its ameri-CAN not ameri-CANT

[Rhythmattic]

Up to the 360's release, everyone was hungry for the next leap....
Its "next gen graphics" , "Online" competition was zero which pretty much soaked up the hard core gamers market.

People Invested in games and the community...

A classic example of "The Snow Ball Effect"

As for launch strategies In hindsight, Sony arrogantly relied on their pedigree and MS relied on getting to market first..

FWIW , the last console I owned before my PS3 and 360 was a megadrive... (PC between)

[black911]

Explain to me how much more popular it is than the PS3 in US?

1.3rd party games only sell slighty better on 360 some sell better on PS3. And that has alot to do with PS3 having more exclusives/variety than 360 for gamers to choose.

2. SKU the xbox has had 3 differnt SKU and most 360 consumers buy a new each time they are released unlike ps3 gamers. Like myself who still have there original Phat PS3.

3. The #1 reason which goes along with number #2 the RROD. The average 360 gamer has purchased more than 2 or 3 consoles retail. Just imagine if the PS3 YLOD was as massive as the RROD.

[Rhythmattic]

"Just imagine if the PS3 YLOD was as massive as the RROD"

Sony would of gone under me-thinks... Sony dont have the continuing flow of the software dollar such as MS from their OS or Office suite...

R&D needs to be done for Hardware and software.. However, I'm guessing a software company makes a hell of a mark up....

[Bladesfist]

Purchased? Microsoft fixes them for free in Europe?

[Rhythmattic]

I had 2 friends that bought a launch 360 console which both failed (not at the same time of course)

They couldn't wait for the minimum 2 week turnaround time for a replacement so purchased new units, which of course both failed eventually..

At least the 2nd time around they had a spare ..

[Rhythmattic]

People disagreeing with Fact..

Both fanboy sides make for easy work.......

[urwifeminder]

Its good.

[DJStotty]

Back to the boring old debate of which one is better. "sigh"

Me personally i am not bothered whether my xbox is better than a ps3, wii, or mega drive.

I like the games that are released on xbox therefore i buy and play it. I dont know how good/bad the ps3 is as i havent played one before so i wont waste my time with a debate.

At the end of the day corporations are all about profit. Whichever one sells the most might stake that they are the "generation winners!!! yyyaaaayyy" but at the end of the day the real winners are the ones with the overall profit margin.

that company in my eyes is nintendo with the wii this gen. (not the wii u)

Xbox may be close with profit from xbox live subs but i think (dont quote me as im not sure) nintendo made a profit from day 1.

At the end of the day people its about the games!!! if you like ps3 games buy a ps3, if u like xbox buy an xbox.

#argumentender

[busytoad]

Ad's and cheap, also they fool parents and kids by the price,sure its super cheap in the local ad but did you look at the harddrive space lol?? 4gb hd and most parents n kids dont know what that means lmfao.

[EffectO]

Reads like some Sony hardcore fan trying to be smart.I like how he squeezed in IDC analyst firm stuff inside,lol.

"Microsoft isn’t trying to take on Nintendo’s more casual gamers."

hahaha

No words.

[GusBricker]

...because the 360 IS a damn good console.

[MrAnderson]

1. it's cheap
2. it's american

[Mister_G]

You see the 360 in a lot of TV shows too.... South Park springs to mind.

[cleverusername]

Why is anal bleaching so popular too?

[Xbob42]

"indicating gamers see no reason to hold off on buying the device until the Xbox 720 launches later this year."

I know that the announcement and subsequent launch of Microsoft's next system is likely this year... but can we please stop saying things like this as though it's already confirmed and factual? It's a little irritating, honestly.

[nosferatuzodd]

wow this article was at the bottom,now its at the top guess Microsoft is pumping money in n4g to keep it at the top has well...

[Kos-Mos]

"Because I like them guns. It`s my law and protection. I like to protect myself. It`s so cooool. I like them guns."

[memphis2]

because it's american made.

[lema008]

Another way to look at "WHY" is because of a couple reasons. Remember, when sony & nintendo controled the gaming console market. There new consoles would always come out first in Japan and we in the USA( the biggest gaming market) had to wait for almost a year before it came over here and the same goes for the big titles they had. They had an explaination to the effect- that they had to test it out in Japan first or the translation was time comsuming for the titles, so there was a delay, etc.:)) WELL MICROSOFT CHANGE ALL OF THAT WTH THE XBOX!!!!

P.S. I've owned Sony and Nintendo systems, they are great companies.

[ZBlacktt]

Why is the PS3 so popular in Japan? With the story we just seen a week ago on here about Sony shipping more consoles then MS. I would think that the Xbox only seems to be more popular here and not anywhere else in the world.

[mayberry]

One could also say, why does the camry sell more year over year than the Ferrari Italia? Maybe Ferrari really should go back to the drawing board and re-focus on what a high selling car should be!/s