Analysis: Xbox 360 or PS3: Which performed better in 2010?

Gameesmint: Gamersmint takes a look back at the year gone by and compares various aspects of both the Xbox 360 and PS3 during this year and tries to find out which performed better overall:

[EasilyTheBest]

PS3 1st half of the year.

Xbox 360 2nd half of the year.

Simple

[cyborg]

Both reach and Kinect and Black Ops have made the holidays dominated by Xbox 360

[Biggest]

Is that how the sales talk has evolved? It's all about general sales until they change. Then it's about lifetime sales until they change. Now it's about half year sales and quarter sales. . . And only in the US mind you. What's next? Local sales per selected sales outlets? How about we pick a sales point to fight over and keep it that way. The PS3 has higher overall sales this year. The PS3 has higher overall sales per year in existence. The 360 has higher overall sales from 2005-2010.

[RedRedSuitSDF]

@Cyborg Agreed...and it's easy to see that. Anyone who disagrees, is in fanboy denial.

[HarryMonogenis]

It's going to get hot in here in a minute.

[fr0sty]

this article failed when it hit the sales... it completely left europe out of the equation (where ps3 has steadily outsold 360 most of the year), didn't mention total sales for the year (or even try to estimate), didn't calculate who was ahead for the year, and didn't even quote the right month when they mentioned the black friday sales from last month (they said it was december sales).

[morganfell]

Agreed. I was just getting ready to post the same thing. I bookmarked the article for the time when the official numbers are released around April it will be one more site that has to pull a vgchartz and say, "oh, we made an error in our estimates."

[Clarence]

You are correct sir. In fact the PS3 has sold more than the 360 worldwide in 2010. The 360 has sold around 10m while the PS3 in close to 12m. Sony projects PS3 sales to reach 15m by the end of the fiscal year. Which is in March. When the actual numbers come out, the PS3 will most likely be past the 360 in console sales

[Terror_B]

"When the actual numbers come out, the PS3 will most likely be past the 360 in console sales"

Been hearing that for 4 years now.

[ico92]

its funny because even after The 360S even after Halo Reach, even after Kinect you would expect the 360 to be destroying the ps3 now , like the fanboys predicted even after all that it hasn't amounted to shit,

[RageAgainstTheMShine]

at least the PS3 is doing very well in the US and does not tank like the 360 does in Japan : )

because if you compare the budget both manufacturers spend on advertising and stealing ...I mean licensing games we know who is the biggest looser & who outspends who

and we know who drives more hardware out of piracy demands with no return in software sales

in the end its who earns legitimate success in terms of goals/objectives not just revenue

[JRobes]

@ico92

i'm pretty sure the ps3 had a hardware refresh too and that the ps3 fanboys were saying all along how much kinect would fail... If thats the case, the PSMove failed WAY harder after looking at sales. I still say the xbox is doing great considering it is a whole year older than the ps3. I fully expected to have the next generation of console by now but both microsoft and sony have done a great job extending the life of their respective consoles.

EDIT*
Also, when did any xbox fanboys ever say the xbox would be destroying the ps3 after the kinect launch? as i remember the flame wars, a lot of the xbox loyalists even bashed the kinect. I know i wont be picking one up until Steel Battalion...

[RedRedSuitSDF]

It's because USA is the most important place in the world when it comes to game sales.

[fr0sty]

The US is only ahead in overall sales over Europe and other territories by a small margin. sales last week in europe vs. USA were within 100-150k consoles for each console out there, except for Xbox 360 which did much worse in Europe than it did in the US (almost 400k less).

[rrw]

i am just wondering what MS have in there sleeves in 2011 consider they already announced slimmer xbox and new hardware. it seem MS last ace card is simply another halo game.

while sony have open to have chance to announced cheaper model (less hardrive memory). not to mention they need to add google tv attached to PS3. so along with better exclusives than xbox sony basically have more better future.

For 2012, sony probably focused on PSP2 than ps3. that why they want to make big push on 2011 for ps3

@EasilyTheBest

Well console is not as easy to slim down as mobile phone. even they did they will be barely the difference and very not cost effective if they keep releasing new edition.

[EasilyTheBest]

How about a new even slimmer 360 that they give away free as long as you take out a Live sub.
A little like how mobile phones are sold.
Now that would be an announcement.

You never know with MS.

[InTheKnow]

What M$ has up their sleeve???...is a console that is far more profitable than PS3. A return to PC gaming with some huge announcements in 2011. A launch of the windows 7 gaming and phone platform. Kinect is selling really well and has a stellar line up for 2011. Lets not forget the consistent rumor of a new machine in holiday 2012...plus...all the new tablets coming to the market in 2011 including one from M$ that will be a gaming platform as well with xbox connectivity. How much money do you think M$ made on XBL this year alone?

Sony's may appear to have a larger volume of exclusives for 2011 but it has come at the very costly expense of a terrible 2010 and a good old fashion beat down during the holidays. Multi-plats consistently sell far more on 360 than PS3 and 2011 has a plethora of third party games that no doubt will look, sell, and play better on 360...just like in 2010, 2009,2008,2007,2006.

The North American market place is by far the most lucrative market place in the world...everybody knows that. Is the rest of the world important, maybe even critical???...of course, but companies know where the money's at. This may change in the future ( 50 years or so when China and Brazil take over ) but right that's the way it is.

The PS3 camp has said the same thing every year and every year M$ stays ahead of the mighty " we sold 100++ million PS2's " Sony. Everybody laughed at M$...nobody is laughing now 5+ years later.

BTW...E3 will have many surprises for everyone. ;D

[rrw]

Let see,

Xbox 40 million in 5 years.
ps3 40 million in 4 years.
the gap is getting closer as the year march on.

this indicate that PS3 will catch the addition year of sales that MS have. do the Sony strategy is been proven work

both MS and Sony will NOT releasing new console on 2012 because people dont need better console for now and console is still expansive. not to mention MS himself said that kinect will make xbox live 5 years longer.

well that is correct that America is the biggest market. BUT if you combine world game market is about less than halves, also worth noting that America market is now stagnant while developing country like brazil will expand their market. so by putting investment on this area, it will gurantee that sony market will developing much faster than MS in which will surpassing america market

[homer]

@InTheKnow
Last time I checked, PS3 had more quality exclusives than the 360 and have outsold the 360 this year WW.

[wdeath]

Although the Xbox 360 has sold more units this year, it's more because of MS wise marketing power rather than the content released for it, I mean the PS3 has had a lot more quality content released for it this year and it shows and it's being considered a slow year in terms of exclusives for it.

[DavidBanner]

yep wise marketing power $500million in marketing to sell 200 units @ $1

Microsoft all the way

[ironmonkey]

YEA YOUR RIGHT WISE MARKETING AND THROWING ALOT OF MONEY OUT THE WINDOWS RATHER THAN SPENDING THAT TON OF MONEY ON A TON OF GAMES AND POSSIBLY MAKING A TON TON MORE MONEY. IF YOUR GONNA SPEND 500MIL ON ADS AND SHIT, YOU SHOULD BE SELLING WAY MORE AND YOU SHOULD BE WAY PAST PS3 BY 15-20MIL. BERELY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.

[psb]

The PS3 has had more success in terms of exclusives for sure. GoW3, HR, GT5 have all sold in millions compared to MS's only exclusive which is Reach

[gdogg979]

really???

so what about mass effect 2,metro 2033,alan wake,crackdown 2,splinter cell and fable 3...because when i last looked im pretty sure you can't play any of them on the ps3 as it stands??

whats with the bias,both consoles had a great year with exclusives.simple as.

though going into 2011 sony definitely has more exclusives announced and microsoft is going to have to pull a big one out their ass to top them this year (exclusives wise anyway)

oh and if your going on sales...fair enough some didnt do great but splinter cell and fable are into the millions.

[digitalivan]

Mass Effect 2 is coming to ps3. Alan Wake and Crackdown were shity games, and you can play the other games on the PC (since almost all console owners have decent pc's) and even they weren't AAA material.
Xbox exclusives suck and the good ones are relased once a year. /thread

[punisher99]

"so what about mass effect 2,metro 2033,alan wake,crackdown 2,splinter cell and fable 3...because when i last looked im pretty sure you can't play any of them on the ps3 as it stands??"

The problem is that Mass Effect 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction are not xbox 360 exclusives. The article is talking about "exclusives".

[Biggest]

Alan Wake and Crackdown 2 are 360 exclusives. Alan Wake is the only worthwhile exclusive he mentioned. Crackdown 2 would have been worthwhile if it were priced at $15.

I find it crazy that some people have to fabricate "facts" to appear fair and balanced. Sometimes, one thing is better than the other. The 360 may be great for some things, but the exclusive game line-up isn't one of those things.

[homer]

Really?????
Do you know what Metro 2033, Fable 3, Splinter Cell, and Mass Effect 2 have in common though? They are multiplats. So, actually, you are dead wrong.

[CaptainPunch]

I think the PS3 had a better year than the 360, and it looks like it will be the same in 2011.

[The Creep]

do you play super street fighter 4?

[CaptainPunch]

Yeah big fan of the series, haven't played it in awhile though.

[shutupandplay]

In terms of sales, the 360 is absolutely crushing the PS3! In terms of games I would give it to the 360 as well.

[RIP_Weazel]

"Give it" in a sexual sense?!
Whatever floats your boat mate, but watch out during a prolonged 'session'.
I heard that they get hot..
(Tsk - I just play games!)

[punisher99]

I guess you believe that only the U.S.A exist and that gaming doesnt ever happen no where but in the U.S.

[Terror_B]

Totally agree, the 360 games are better, much better, thats why they sell more.

Quality sells.

[RIP_Weazel]

Slow clap Terror_B.
You playing sales? Let me introduce you to the undisputed champions:

The 20 best-selling console/handheld games, not originally bundled with a console/handheld system.

Wii Play (Wii – 27.38 million, Wii remote bundled with all copies)[68]
New Super Mario Bros. (DS – 24.13 million)[68]
Mario Kart Wii (Wii – 24.01 million)[67]
Nintendogs (DS – 23.26 million, all five versions combined)[68]
Wii Fit (Wii – 22.61 million)[68]
Wii Sports Resort (Wii – 20.94 million)[67]
Pokémon Red and Blue (Game Boy – 20.68 million approximately: 10.23 million in Japan,[47] 9.85 million in US)[19]
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! (DS – 18.72 million)[68]
Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES – 18 million)[100]
Mario Kart DS (DS – 17.90 million)[68]
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (DS – 17.39 million)[79]
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2 - 17.33 million)[107]
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii – 16.73 million)[67]
Wii Fit Plus (Wii – 15.22 million)[67]
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (PS2 – 14.89 million shipped)[96]
Pokémon Gold and Silver (Game Boy Color – 14.51 million approximately: 7.6 million in US,[19] 6.91 million in Japan)[47]
Super Mario Land (Game Boy – 14 million)[100]
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! (DS – 13.71 million)[69]
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (GBA – 13 million)[78]
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen (GBA – 11.82 million

Quality? In some cases, but painfully obviously, not in all.
It just boils down to mass market acceptance and how 'casual' your games are pal.

[Angels3785]

You are one of the most ignorant people on N4G.

[Angels3785]

What world are you living in? When was the Last time a 360 game won GOTY? Your probably one of those people who also think 360 has better graphics than ps3. So I ask when was the last time a 360 game won best graphics on ANY site? Uncharted 2 one of the most decorated games in history is not on the 360. Dont believe me?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[blackburn5]

PS3 is definately doing well worldwide. People try to make it seem that it is doing bad by concentrating on NA sales only for the PS3 and 360 but the PS3 is doing fine many other countries.

[Droid Control]

I'd say the PS3.

Heavy Rain did it for me. Tired of halo.

[Quagland]

The PS3 has sold more than the 360 this year. He could have very easily checked the fiscal numbers. Or even VGchartz (12 million > 11.1 million).

[R_aVe_N]

It is pretty close once you actually look at sales, but if you add in content such as games I would say the PS3 has done better overall this year.

[Mista T]

PS3 dominated the first half, but the 2nd half goes to the xbox

[gon-freaks]

no sir, gran turismo 5 destroy all in 2nd half..

[TheTruth89]

In term of quality games.
Which performed better in 2008? PS3
2009? PS3
2010? Both
2011.... Little Big Planet 2
Agent
D.C Universe
Motorstorm 3
Resistance 3
Killzone 3
Infamous 2
Socom 4
Yakuza 4
The Agency
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Sorcery
Twisted Metal
The Last Guardian

i have to say something else?

[SnakeMustDie]

Uncharted 3?

[punisher99]

Uncharted 3 is gonna own the entire year next year. It doesnt even matter when it comes out. This game along with The Elder Scrolls IV is gonna be the best year for gaming period.

[TheTruth89]

Damn, i forgot the most important X°D

[schlanz]

Exclusives are all that should matter to gamers. **** the sales pissing contest. I could care less about which unit sells more, and so should every other gamer out there.

[artynerd]

^^ I wish I could hit the Agree button 100x.

[Redgehammer]

Even identical twins have different viewpoints and opinions.

[zimain]

Actually if your a true gamer then exclusives are bad aren't they!? your forced to own 3 consoles to play 3 diff games? surely if you're a gamer that cares about content over fanboyism then you would only want to own 1 system!? and it be your preferred system and not some $$$ driven executives choice simply because they have promised to subsidise a developer the money they would get if they went multiplat.

If your a "True" gamer then you should be angry that their are exclusives, they're nothing more than a marketing tool, Sony didnt set up all the 1st parties to give you "better" games it did them so people would say "O yea but the ps3 has more exclusives" pffft mindless bots

[schlanz]

Sure, it would be nice if exclusives didn't exist and there was only one system to choose from. But that isn't the way the business works and exclusives are here to stay like they always have. Most gamers don't have budgets for three systems so the most important criteria should usually come down to the lowest common denominator: which system offers the most compelling game library? At this point, and especially at the end of next year, that ought to be a no-brainer.

[zimain]

LOL do you own a ps3 by any chance? lol your reply is so much fail

[Ronster316]

Retail games...... i would call it a tie.

PSN/XBLA games...... with Super Meat Boy, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Limbo (Independant GOTY at the VGA's) Dead Rising: Case Zero & soon (29th December) Dead Rising: Case West i have to say it's 360's year downloadable wise.

[Redgehammer]

My 360 always performs well.

[bennyace]

Those are easy to find here you go.

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

And I'm sure there are plenty more... It doesn't prove anything.

[bennyace]

Yeah! My 40 gig still works great. I only wish it had the backward compatibility. It's not so bad 1st Wii, 1st PS3 and 2nd Xbox 360.

[Arup02]

PC
Case Closed.

[emil1]

"Overall, it clearly seems that the Xbox 360 has moved more units in 2010 when compared to the PS3..."

According to Sony, they have sold 3.5 million consoles through September ’10s second quarter–which brings its total units sold through 2010 to roughly 8 million. In comparison, Microsoft has sold roughly 5.5 million consoles in 2010, a number which is staggeringly lower than Sony’s http://www.playstationunive...

in third quarter ps3 outsold x360 by 700k despite x360 having slim effect and halo reach. http://www.gamespot.com/pag...

ps3 42 million sold in 4 years=10.5 million per year
x360 45 million sold in 5 years=9 million per year

[RedRedSuitSDF]

This guy is some kind of Sony bot. He has sent me the exact same pm, 2 times in a row, on different weeks.

Wild!

[Gam3s4lif3]

yup same.
Just say that he is a hardcore sony fanboy. Who has to send copied and pasted messages to ppl who disagree with him.

[divideby0]

I bought 3 games for my 360 this year..passed on Fable and I didnt get past March without buying 3 games for my PS3.
I still didnt buy GT yet...xmas gift

[DavidBanner]

What is the big picture …..this is it PR and smoke and mirrors to make the consumer/Public believe what’s not true true and what true not true .When you do the math you realize that in the long run someone is coming out rosy .And it’s the company that spends less on cost…we become so proud at spending $500M on marketing just to sell 2.5 million units that it blinds us to the fact about the returns (maybe we cant multiply).
In the end it’s the company that spend less to gain more that win the day and so far we are not doing a good job with the MS$$$.

[gdogg979]

Yea exclusives between xbox and playstation ...this has nothing to do with pc.

so all the games i stated bar ME2 were correct and them being shitty is an opinion.they were still games you couldnt play on the playstation.

I could just come out and say all the games u stated were shitty also.

and ME2 is coming out next month..so was esentially an exclusive on xbox for 2010.

[olLANDSHARKlo]

Man why did you have to post this, the PS3 fanboys aren't never gonna get to play games, they will be on here all day telling everyone that the PS3 is better than the 360, instead of being a gamer and buying both consoles.

[Masterchef2007]

i have a ton of PS3 games to complete. But i spend most of my time on N4G. Kinda strange isnt it. The games i have for the PS3 are incredible. Like Unchated, Uncharted 2, Demon Souls, Super Street Fighter 4, God of War 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, Resonance of Fate, Killzone 2, Warhawk, Racthett and Clank Tools of Destruction and Resistance Fall of Man. I got my PS3 about 2 months ago now at least you know where my 360 and all its games went. One non stop trip to game thats where. Dont believe me i have a pic of my 360 collection and DS collection that i sold to get my PS3.

[Masterchef2007]

both did well this year. But in terms of games the PS3 was better (for me) this year

[jessupj]

Title should read "in America". Why do they always ALWAYS talk like it's the world when their data is only from the USA?

[Spenok]

They didnt really pick a winner. I understand them trying to be all subjective and all, but when there can only be one (as famously quoted by Highlander himself) there has to be a choice. It 'Kind of' seemed like overall they were on the PS3 side but im just not to sure.