U.S. hardware sales spin overshadowed by the real data

Matt Matthews, Gamasutra- "Microsoft may be riding high after record sales in 2011, and it may feel confident that 2012 "will be a bigger year," but the facts so far at retail in the U.S. are not on Microsoft's side. Xbox 360 hardware sales are down 24 percent so far this year compared to the same January-February period in 2011.

For its part, Sony is basking in the "overwhelming enthusiasm amongst gamers" that accompanied the U.S. launch of its new PlayStation Vita handheld system. However, I expect they are at least a little concerned that the initial couple weeks resulted in sales of just over 220,000 systems."

[MultiConsoleGamer]

"but the facts so far at retail in the U.S. are not on Microsoft's side."

Uh, they've been in first place for months. The swept the holiday season, and they have the most momentum going into 2012. (Unless you're talking about Japan, where its RIP Xbox 360.) They're even pulling ahead in Europe, which comes as a surprise even to me.

Also, one of these companies lost nearly 11 Billion Dollars US since 2009. Can you guess which one it is? See no matter how things look at retail, until you've offset those massive losses you've got nothing to crow about.

[GribbleGrunger]

er... so I agree that this article is stupid because MS are on top in America, but just where the hell are you getting the idea that MS are pulling away in Europe. they're not just losing in Europe but they've been getting trounced in Europe for over three years now. they're currently sitting at around 4 million behind in Europe, overtaken by the PS3 which released 18 months later than the 360. trounced is probably an understatement... but, like i said, this article is odd in light of the fact that in America the 360 still outsells the PS3 every week. of course, the PS3 outsells the 360 in every other region by a lot more than the 360 outsells the PS3 in America, which is why the PS3 outsells the 360 every week (until MS give their console away every Christmas) a good strategy in my opinion

[MultiConsoleGamer]

You better check your number because you're in for a big surprise.

And you're also wrong about "every othe region."

The times they are a changing.

[EVILDEAD360]

If gamasutra would have done at least 5 minutes of research they would realize WHY the 360 YOY sales are lower this year.

Last Feb was the first year Kinect was on sale. The 360 had an pretty decent January but the an anomally happened in Feb..

Feb 11 broke records as the biggest non-holiday selling month in the HISTORY of the 360.

Even without matching up to last years data, the 360 is still number one in NPD. Overall, Micrsoft alone came off a record breaking hoiliday and its sales are tapering off as the months go by.

But to pretend 400K month in the month of Feb is silliness. Especially when all consoles sold under those numbers in the region.

It'll be interesting to see next months number and ultimately the quarter, but this year will definately be heavily contested all the way around for all consoles.

Evil

[MrBeatdown]

@EVILDEAD

Defense! *clap* *clap* Defense!

It isn't "negative spin". It's only addressing Microsoft's assertion that 2012 will be a bigger year than 2011.

It's basic logic. If February 2011 "broke records as the biggest non-holiday selling month in the HISTORY or the 360," and they just came off a "record breaking holiday," and they don't have that same record breaking "anomaly" in 2012, that puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to topping 2011.

Logic FTW.

[humbleopinion]

@MrBeatdown
I am actually surprised by the Gamasutra analysis, and for different reasons than the anomaly Evildead mentioned.
This is because when MS announced that they believe 2012 can be a bigger year, I assume that they are talking about the whole ecosystem and not just console sales.
Just think about it: all those people who bought the console last year? They're part of the increased userbase now. Most of them will buy games, and others will subscribe to services such as Live Gold and Netflix.

This makes sense for most consoles, not just the Xbox: as time passes the userbase increases and more money is generated. The Wii might be an exception to that rule because the numbers show that it was more of a trendy thing to buy it and then many people just abandoned it, and it's going to be replaced soon.

The PS3 and Xbox however both have a very active user base and tons of expected titles in the coming year, from exclusives such as Halo 4 and The Last of Us, to juggernaut multiplatform games like GTA V. And both are still selling at a very high retail price, which is rather unusual for a 5-6 years old hardware. Just imagine how many units will fly of the shelves once MS or Sony put their consoles at a mass market price of 150$ or less...

[sikbeta]

@GribbleGrunger

MS is not losing is Europe, MS and Sony are close in sales + more X360s are sold in UK than PS3s, so it's not a big difference

Japan is where MS performes really bad, but home console is dying there, so there is no much to lose anyway, with the inclusion of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, home console sales are going to be worst, unless you're Nintendo :P

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I find it pretty funny that people are somehow finding this article "stupid" or whatever defensive word they want to use.

The article isn't attacking MS purely... being very honest its not "Attacking" any company but rather analyzing the industry over the past months compared to last year and other trends.

Yes, yes...MS was number one on the NPD charts again... but look at the real data for heaven sake. Being #1 on a list of hardware sold but being down 24% compared to what you did last year isn't exactly great news. Sure its nice you were #1 but your sales are declining. And its the same FOR EVERYONE...Sony and Nintendo...all 3 home consoles are seeing declining sales compared to last year for both Jan and Feb of 2012.

Its certainly great for MS and Sony being 1 & 2 in the hardware ranks...but getting excited over that is just a public PR thing. Its like trying to say "I am really happy I got promoted to Captain of the ship even though the ship has a huge hole in it and is starting to sink".

More than anything this article points towards something we all are understanding...current generation consoles have more or less run their course at and with out price cutting they will continue a downward numbers trend. New hardware will be coming.... this year and next we most likely will have all 3 companies either launching their new hardware (WiiU & the code named xbox Durrango) or announced it (PS4)

Edit: Yes MS may be trying to position this as the biggest year yet for Xbox in 2012...but again that is PR spin. I mean what else would you expect them to say after 2011 was the best year they ever had? They certainly arent gonna say "2011 was great, but lets be real 2012 wont measure up". And yes, it "could" happen that 2012 is bigger. Gamasutra even admits that, but after Jan & Feb were both down months it will take extrodinary effort to make that happen now.

[gamingdroid]

This is a natural decline in the industry due to saturation in the market.

MS is on top worldwide as of last count, and the data do suggest it getting worse and I expect it too for all three console manufacturers. However, MS still has at least one ace up it's sleeve that no one else has, and that is a price cut on both Kinect and Xbox 360s.

I think MS is best positioned right now.... and Nintendo has a huge opportunity as the market is ready for a new "next" generation console.

[zeeshan]

What the heck is he talking about? Vita's sales for 8 days are good especially considering the crappy economy!

[Montrealien]

It's articles like these that remind me how messed up some N4G users can be, and for a good laugh, I look up comments from 4 years ago.

I have said it 4 years ago, and I will say it again. The industry as a whole is doing amazing, and that is great for all of us. And to side on one of the console makers like they are a robot fighting in the sky, shows that you may infact have a brain tumor, it would be the only thing that could explain such a retarded emotional attachemt to a videogame console.

[andibandit]

@Zeeshan

Vita sales so far have been average, saying theyre good is just making a fool of yourself.

[GribbleGrunger]

show me these European numbers so i can be shocked. see you in 2013 with the PS3 lead

the lead the 360 has is less than 3 million now... gloating will always make you look silly in the end, especially when it's misinformed

oh, and the 360 has been fourth since the Vita released in Europe and America. it might manage third when the Vita loses some steam.

edit: show me these European numbers then...

[MultiConsoleGamer]

I definitely wouldn't gloat. I'm not sure how I feel about a MS dominated future.

[tiffac008]

I'd like to see this EU numbers that your claiming as well because from what I remember only the UK is EU country that is 360 dominated, the rest are PS3.

[dark-hollow]

Wait till 2010...I mean 2011...errr I mean 2012!!
No no seriously, 2015 is the year the ps3 gonna take the lead!!!

Rinse and repeat, every year.

[MaxXAttaxX]

You're missing the point.

PS3 is constantly selling more/faster than 360 overall.
360 had an 8 mil unit head start and the PS3 has cut it down to only 3.
Without that extra year, 360 would never even be "ahead" by such measly amount.

And "year of the PS3" refers to games. Successful for over 4 years in a row now.

[xPhearR3dx]

@NathanExplosion

I think you're missing his point. What you just stated, is the same comment we've been hearing year after year. Each and every one of those exact words is what has been said over, and over, and over again. When and if the PS3 finally passes the 360 in overall units sold. Then talk. Until then, you just sound like a broken record.

[Frankfurt]

"See you in 2013"... where the PS3 will lead THIS GEN, while WiiU and XBox 720 will be NEXT GEN.

[maniacmayhem]

***see you in 2013 with the PS3 lead***

I think even the most die hard Sony fans have given up repeating this statement every new year.

[Montrealien]

I could link you to comments that say the samr thing you are saying Nathan, from 2007! Bottom line, it means shit, as long as they are both selling well, thaqt is all that matters to all of us, as gamers.

[kaveti6616]

"gloating will always make you look silly in the end"

You keep adjusting the "end" so you look sillier.

I remember the adamant claim that PS3 would overtake 360 in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and now you're talking about 2013.

With each passing year, you (the fanboys who play this game) look sillier and sillier, and the hollow victory of being second while losing billions of dollars and large chunks of marketshare has become a pointless goal.

Apologies, but no matter what happens in 2013, a reflective examination of this generation is going to show that Microsoft's gaming division succeeded as a business, and Sony's gaming division faltered. And Nintendo, the unsung victor of this debacle, managed to handily defeat two gaming giants without resorting to mudslinging, timed exclusivity, spec-battles, etc.

It's over, dude. It's finished.

[MaxXAttaxX]

It doesn't matter how long people have been saying it. It remains true.

PS3 may not have passed 360 just yet, BUT that doesn't change the fact that it DOES sell more than 360, cutting down an 8 mil gap down to 2 or 3 mil.

* Logic dictates that if they both released at the same exact time, 360 would be behind PS3 by at least 5 mil.

[kaveti6616]

"Logic dictates that if they both released at the same exact time, 360 would be behind PS3 by at least 5 mil."

And by what logic do you think that matters?

It doesn't matter anymore that it launched a year early because the PS3 has had 6 years to surpass it and has failed to do so. In every single one of those 6 years, Sony fanboys who had no financial stake in the company still took it upon themselves to inform this small site that the PS3 was going to trounce the 360. And when it didn't happen in 2007, they said fine, 2008, and when it didn't happen in 2008, they said, "uh..okay, definitely in 2009" and when it didn't happen then, they continued to run their stupid, little mouths. They couldn't leave well enough alone.

It's now the year 2012, and you're STILL talking about this, as if it matters. You know how they say a broken clock is right twice a day? Well, it seems to me you guys are the broken clocks, and you're just waiting and waiting and waiting until your damn claims come true. Worse than Michael Pachter.

And so what's going to happen in 2013 (or 2014 or 2015) when the PS3 does finally achieve a higher sell count than 360?

Absolutely nothing. Get a life. Start celebrating your own accomplishments instead of some random corporation's.

[MaxXAttaxX]

All I'm saying is that it's doing better within the same time frame.
"Place" doesn't matter to me. Wii is in "1st" and that by no means makes it better than either HD console.

[MrBeatdown]

Wow. Someone completely missed the point.

That quote has NOTHING to do with MS's competitors so being in first is completely irrelevant here. The only thing the author was referring to in that quote was Microsoft's performance relative to their performance during the same time from last year.

Try reading that quote in context...

"Microsoft may be riding high after record sales in 2011, and it may feel confident that 2012 "will be a bigger year," but the facts so far at retail in the U.S. are not on Microsoft's side. Xbox 360 hardware sales are down 24 percent so far this year compared to the same January-February period in 2011."

Microsoft is saying 2012 will be bigger than 2011. But if they are selling three consoles now for every four they sold last year, that's not exactly what you'd call it good start for turning that claim into a reality.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Bubbles+ for understanding what the article really is about.

[banner]

Yea... Some ppl just get carried away..

On topic,
I think its just too early, we know they will (ms) drop the price.. We also know that halo 4 will be out, maybe gta v, you cant deny those 2 games push consoles... And with a price of $150! C'mon...

Imo the 360 has nothing left to prove, ms came in as the under dog with a shamefull lost last gen and look at them now 7 yrs later. Again, imo.... The 360 has already won this gen (hd) whether sony sells more over all this yr next yr or 5 yrs from now, sony no longer has that death lock it had just one gen ago...

[GraveLord]

PS3 still leading in Europe dude.
Try again.

[maniacmayhem]

Europe is not the world.

:-)

[adorie]

Neither is America. I tend to think Europe is bigger too. lol.

[EVILDEAD360]

@ Mr. Beatdown

Aww..Did I strike a nerve? Defense? Talk about classic Hypocrisy..shouldn't you be running around trolling Mass Effect 3 articles with spoilers from a game you never played?

On Topic..

Here's the bottomline..

In 2011 the 360 had a great Jan and record breaking Feb NPD. But then it normalized.

At the end of 2011, we all saw the record breaking holiday Micrsoft had.

Now for this year wht you are seeing is steady numbers for January and Feb, which although has Micrsoft leading NPD as they have for over a year, it still isn't the freak numbers of 2011.

But, what is crazy is that they are only trailing tht record breaking Feb by 100K.

If the article is simply to disprove Micrsoft statement that they hope to top 2011 then are we REALLY going to pretend that 100K in the 2nd month of the year is going to make THAT much of a difference.

This is EXACTLY the faulty logic people had last year when Sep 2011 NPD was as strong as the year prior (when Halo Reach was released). Certain people called doom and gloom from that point on, but boy did they eat crow when the year was over.

I've been saying it all along, if that's Micrsoft
s goal then that's cool, butthey have their work cut out for them if they are to achieve the same amount of success in 2012.

Evil

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

"Aww..Did I strike a nerve? Defense? Talk about classic Hypocrisy..shouldn't you be running around trolling Mass Effect 3 articles with spoilers from a game you never played?"

lmao... that is the type of response you get when someone is upset about getting owned...

[undisputed]

Seems like someone struck your nerves, otherwise you wouldn't need an essay to defend a piece of plastic.

[MrBeatdown]

@EVILDEAD

Seems I was the one to strike a nerve, otherwise you wouldn't be resorting to sad, nonsensical attempts to paint me as a troll. Once again, your wild imagination has gotten the better of you.

Where am I trolling by posting spoilers to games I never played? I posted two comments about Mass Effect 3, both of which anyone can see for themselves here...

http://n4g.com/news/947607/...
http://n4g.com/news/951298/...

Both were prior to the game releasing. Both articles dealt with the day 1 DLC and the outrage over the content it featured. Even then, I put a spoiler warning in one of them. And the other comment was in response to a comment that already spoiled the contents of the DLC, which was after the content was spoiled by the article.

And there was no trolling. And I made no assumptions or definitive statement about the content. I simply posed a question. A question that got me a combined 20 agrees and 3 disagrees across both articles.

It really is sad how far you'll go to warp the truth in your favor. Seems you have a very loose interpretation of trolling. Quite hypocritical from someone who throws around the term "fankid" quite frequently and claims to be above it all. Not to mention runs around accusing users, including me, of having multiple accounts with absolutely no basis for it. Can one get bubbled down for attempting to spread misinformation and slandering other users?

And facts are facts. The 360 didn't sell as much as it did during the same timeframe last year. That's not just February, which YOU specifically mentioned. It's January AND February the author was talking about. For someone who always has an arsenal of numbers at the ready should anyone dare speak ill of Microsoft, you should know that they sold 220,000 fewer consoles so far this year than last. That's over 100,000 less, not just in February, but each month. That makes it harder for Microsoft to achieve their goal, especially if that trend continues until they drop the price. It's as simple as that. It doesn't surprise me that you'd prefer to write it off as negative spin than just accept it for the very simple piece of common sense that it is.

[EVILDEAD360]

@ Mr Beatdown or anybody else..

See I simply posted a comment and you jumped in and came at me..I gave it back to you exactly the same way. If you can't take then don't dish it out.

See the hypocrisy from YOU and from this site in general is you keep blabbing this nonsense that I care if someone 'dares speak ill of Micrsoft.'

Your that's where YOU are delusional. This is N4G, speaking ill of Micrsoft is a minute by minute daily accepted consensus. The truth is what bothers people like you and others on this site is if you DON'T bash Micrsoft at every turn and DARE to say ANYTHING that isn't about negative about Microsft THAT is the problem.

But, stop pretending I told ONE Lie or distorted ONE fact. I could care less how many Mass Effect articles you were in, I only saw the one I was replying in and I have zero respect for people who literally went out of their way to drop spoilers DLC, ending or otherwise to subvert other peoples enjoyment of the game. If the article had spoilers then why not LEAVE it in the article and instead regurgitating it in the comments section.

On topic..

I'm not going to repeat what I wrote again because you literally couldnt prove ONE point wrong.

I NEVER concentrated ONLY on February when I talked about last year's numbers..Here are BOTH MY quotes from BOTH articles.

'Last Feb was the first year Kinect was on sale. The 360 had an pretty decent JANUARY but the an anomally happened in Feb.'

'In 2011 the 360 had a great JAN and record breaking Feb NPD. But then it normalized.'

Now how hard was that to read..For YOU it clearly must have been.

I simply used Feb as the example because it was a record breaking month no more no less.

So here are the FACTS as YOU see it..Micrsoft sold 200 thousand less in Jan and Feb NPD so it's 'that much harder for them to achieve their goal.

Here's another fact..how about you look back 2 months further and make the same claim.

In November 2011 the 360 sold over 300 thousand more than they did the year prior.

In December 2011 the 360 sold over 800 thousand more than the year prior.

Meaning in the last 2 months alone the 360 sold over a million more than they did the year prior.

So are you honestly going to claim that a measely 200K in the first 2 months of 2012 is REALLY so impossibly hard to overcome?

Logic say no..

Just like you claimed in your other comment

Logic FTW..follow your own advice

Evil

[MrBeatdown]

See, the difference is that I "came at you" using only what was in your comment. You didn't "give it back to me in exactly the same way". You took previous, completely unrelated comments, and completely misrepresented what I wrote, insinuating I was trolling and spoiling ME3. That's a far cry from me calling you out on your foolish comment. Unlike you, I didn't need to clarify when I was getting back "on topic", because I never went off topic to begin with.

It's funny you tell me to stop "pretending" you spread one lie or piece of misinformation. It's not pretending when the proof is posted in my comment that I wasn't trolling or spoiling anything without very obvious warnings. You're spreading BS, and it isn't the first time you've tried. Simple as that.

It's also funny listening to you continue to preach about spoilers, when I posted a very clear spoiler warning, in my comment responding to an article that contained spoilers. Take your ramblings about "no respect" and "subverting other people's enjoyment of the game" elsewhere because it sure doesn't apply to me. And hell, Bioware doesn't even consider it a spoiler. It's right there in the content description on Xbox Live and PSN. Unless you buy content from Live without reading the description, it's spoiled for everyone before they buy it. There's no way around it. But do keep making an issue out of nothing. It's funny watching you try to dig your way out of the hole you've made for yourself.

And "on topic"...

You're pointing out that you mentioned January. So? You also said...

"If the article is simply to disprove Micrsoft statement that they hope to top 2011 then are we REALLY going to pretend that 100K in the 2nd month of the year is going to make THAT much of a difference."

Nobody is pretending that the 100K in February is going to make that much of a difference. It's, LIKE I SAID, based on January AND February, and the indication of a trend of decline year over year that all systems are experiencing. It's funny you make it sound like I have a hard time reading your comments when it's you that seems to have a hard time reading your own.

And bringing up holiday 2011 serves what purpose? You think it's easy to top that when holiday 2012 rolls around? Sales have been down, not just for 360 but all systems year over year for the past two months. If that pattern continues, Microsoft not only has to do more than they did in 2011 to compensate for that decline, but go even above and beyond that to ensure it's a better year.

"So are you honestly going to claim that a measely 200K in the first 2 months of 2012 is REALLY so impossibly hard to overcome?"

Did I ever say the first two months of 2012 were hard to overcome? Nope. I just clarified the author's point since you couldn't figure it out yourself... Starting out slower makes it HARDER (note the "ER" at the end) than it would be if sales stayed consistent, which is basic, common sense any two first graders racing each other on the playground can understand. How hard it will actually be for MS to meet their goals remains to be seen.

Like I said... Logic (and reading comprehension) FTW.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

I'm enjoying this.

[BubloZX]

Gribble is right the 360 is behind the Ps3 by 4 million. I mean look at the charts. The 360 has more then 10 million more in sales in the US on the ps3. Yet the ps3 is only 3 million and closing behind worldwide. Seems like your in denial about how close they really are.

[Clarence]

M$ definitely doing well in NA but your wrong about Europe. The PS3 has caught and passed the 360. Without NA 360 would not be in the lead. The PS3 has caught mainly because it's outselling the 360 in most regions.

http://www.vg247.com/2011/1...
These numbers are from Oct 2011. It's now Mar 2012. The PS3 lead has increased since then.

[showtimefolks]

this just hasn't stopped with all these articles how about this every console is selling well what should matter to us are games and we all know who can and will deliver hardcore games and who will deliver casual titles

[BIGBOSS08]

"pulling ahead in europe"

i hate when people pull stuff out their ass. nintendo gave official europe sales for last year and it showed the ps3 ahead all year in europe apart from the last few weeks where the wii took off for the holidays. 360 wasnt even near ps3 or wii. microsoft are way behind nintendo and sony in europe so just stick to boasting about NPD.

[undisputed]

Hate to break it to ya but Microsoft is not in first place.

[Majin-vegeta]

"Sales of the PSP and PS2 are already insignificant, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them completely disappear this year.*

http://n4g.com/news/949885/...

Right....
http://youtu.be/37OWL7AzvHo

[GribbleGrunger]

yeah, i chuckled at the too.

[ZippyZapper]

fail

[Grimhammer00]

MS are heading for some harsher times. But really it pails to hardcore gamers desire for exclusives.

And though not really related...after WiiU goes through that period of omg new console....I expect it to fall behind MS.

[Lyle91]

Considering it will be more powerful and it should be priced nearly the same, I don't see how it would fall behind.

[shadow2797]

Easy, MS is going to drop the price of the 360 (and maybe Kinect). Thus 2012>2011. You've got to read between the lines.

[bunfighterii]

I'd say a lot of the decline at this point could be explained by market saturation.

[ironmonkey]

or maybe the lost of interest in xbox?. its been kinect all the way. ive forgotten everything else about it.

[ceedubya9]

Does that also mean that there has been a loss of interest in the other consoles as well? The 360 was still on top for that month.

[gypsygib]

time for next-gen, people are getting bored with current consoles.

[mayberry]

PS3 upcoming games for me are too many, and too exciting to want another console. I bought a $600+ launch 60g(still going strong, its on 6+ hrs a day!), Starhawk is amazing, Last of us looks amazing, dust 514 looks cool, the last guardian is a "must buy", gt6 in development for the ps3, killzone 4 in development for the ps3, indie games like "journy" etc... I really dont want a ps4 anytime soon friend! btw, I love my 360 too!

[BubloZX]

Uhh I need some proof gt6 and kz4 are in developement for ps3. I have yet to catch wind of that news.

[mayberry]

http://www.thebitbag.com/20...

http://gamingbolt.com/killz...

hopefully! and gt6, kazanori says:
http://www.thesixthaxis.com...

[johnhumane]

the reality is that the PS3 is consistantly OUTSELLING both the 360 and wii in worldwide numbers on a weekly basis lol...

microsofts attempts at skewing the current global trend by claiming "dominion" over one market is laughable

"Its wonderful that ur selling well in the US, now talk about how ur getting ur ass beat globally on a WEEKLY BASIS by your MAIN competitor"

i mean really.... come on, time to accept the fact that PS3 is #1 in sales.

: )

[cstyle]

xbox and the wii is still ahead in overall sales so you got your facts wrong. IF ps3 were constantly outselling it, then why is the xbox ahead worldwide? Even if ps3 passes it ms has nothing to be ashamed of. They have stolen a big chunk of the market share and sold 3 times what they did last gen. Sony has yet to match their last gen numbers.

[wenaldy]

Because it had 1 year start..

Hurr durr..

[ceedubya9]

wenaldy-

That one year start didn't stop the Wii from overtaking the 360's lead. Many thought that the PS3 wouldn't have overtaken just as quickly, but it did not. As powerful as the Playstation brand used to be, I doubt anyone really expected the PS3 to still be behind the other two consoles in overall sales at this point.

[johnhumane]

the amount of disagrees ur comment has gotten pretty much sums up ur logic, kid

ur comment made u look a fool, any ADULTS wanna try lol?

[DebateMaster]

@johnhumane Yeah and being $100 more expensive than the 360 had nothing to do with it right?

[Morgue]

This is the same story every month for the last 3 years and you guys bite it hook, line and sinker.

[thawind]

same old sh** just a different day.

[monkey nuts]

SSDD. Easier to remember. mista gwey?

[sly-Famous]

Please keep in mind, USA! NOT WORLD! but then again some Americans will think this the world charts just like their World Series thats only in America. ;)

[cstyle]

USA may not be the world but when it comes to the gaming industry but it is the most important market of all. The US buys more consoles and games than any other country.

[ceedubya9]

dude, I think that everyone here already knows that the USA does not equal the world, and doesn't need a reminder. It is an important market, just like all of the others. Nothing wrong with people talking about US sales in a thread about NPD numbers.

[ceedubya9]

that previous message was for sly, by the way.

[Patriots_Pride]

Ok....I wonder what the NPD stands for -_-

[akaFullMetal]

Sad that all the consoles are down, especially the wii, that means we need some price cuts and some new consoles to be showing up.

[theeg]

the consoles have both overstayed their welcome, people have moved on to pc, where you can actually use you 1080p tv at 60 frames

instead of sub-hd and jaggies and 15-25 frames

about 10 of the "hardcore" xboxers and ps3 guys at my work out of about 20 have shifted almost exclusively to pc in the last 18 months

people are sick of every game looking like a low res unreal 3 engine or some crappy varient

console games look last gen, i popped uncharted 3 in again a month or two ago just to see if maybe i was crazy, people seemed to think it looked so great, but no, after gaming 95% on pc for the last few years, it looked AWFUL, no other way to describe it.

it looked last gen, everything on ps3/360 looks last gen if you game on pc.

make new consoles, by you (ms and sony) trying to ride this gen out for way too long you are letting pc take an even BIGGER marketshare

PC already controls over 50% of all game revenue (adding in mmos and f2p like league of legends, pc is KILLING everyone), wii has 25%, all ps3 and 360 have left is a shrinking 25% to fight to the death over

[Parapraxis]

Nope.

[monkey nuts]

Ofcourse your right! The 20 people at you place of work are in fact a true representation of the millions of other gamers around the world. You clearly put thought into your comment. Good for you!

[honkyjesus]

E3 2012 - Xbox Next unveiling.

Don't believe that Pachter guy on anything, there is no way MS is not going to ship it by the end of next year. I expect it a bit sooner.

[Krakn3Dfx]

They may announce something, they're not going to ship this year, especially with an Xbox 360 Halo 4 in the 4th quarter, they're not going to overshadow their existing big money franchise with a new console release, assuming that the hardware is ready, and that there are any games for it anywhere close to ready to ship.

I could potentially see a 3rd/4th quarter 2013 XBox 720 release, but not before then.

[honkyjesus]

I said unveiling this year, shipping by the end of next year.

[OooHJohnny]

Where can I bet on next month sales? A little less conversation, a little more action... 'understand what I mean?

[Krakn3Dfx]

I'd like to see the Vita do better. Blows me away that the new $500 (base price) iPad will sell millions launch day to people KNOWING they'll just have to buy a new one next year to keep up, and yet you still have people bitching that the $250 price tag on the Vita, which will be supported for 6-10 ideally, is too much.

All 3 current home consoles should be on the decline at this point, the technology is horribly old, and wasn't even that great when it launched,which is why I have gone back to the PC for my "big screen" gaming fix for the time being.

[Derpy]

I agree about price cuts being needed to move sales. At this particular time I think lower prices are what is needed rather than newer consoles to get sales back up. Despite certain sections of the media trying to say otherwise, we are still in a terrible recession that has yet to really improve for the average person. Right now many gamers are really forced to choose where their limited resources are going to to go. Until the economy really starts to pick up or prices drop I can't really see anything but a continual decline in sales.

[lionelglitchy]

i thought you had to go to collage to be a qualified sales data analyst but it seems you just need to own either console a,console b or console c to be an expert.imo sales have slowed down because everyone is waiting to see what nintendo's new console is going to be like.it could be a game changer,who really knows what nintendo will come out with.with all their innovations they have intoduced over the last few years all we really know is that they are as mad as a bag of cats so they could shock everyone with a fuck off powerful system and a massive launch of games and destroy the opposition

[etownthree]

Great to see Xbox 360 doing so good this gen.

I expect E3 will blown us away with more Halo 4 and a much overdue damn price cut already...... and a few other surprises as well. Thus giving the 360 another huge boost to take 2012.

[OmniSlashPT]

MS wins in the US, Sony wins in Europe and Japan, both win in the UK and Nintendo wins everywhere. No surprise here. What's next, random JRPG's sell more than CoD in Japan? lol common sense people, use it.

[danthebios]

Why xbox360 always sell in america,its simple,its american made so of course they will buy it and they want to play online with their friends but for world wide Playstation is the better choice.