Microsoft says it will take PS3 sales away at Christmas

Just when you thought that the war of the words was over between Microsoft and Sony, Microsoft has decided to lob a few more grenades to make sure that the tension doesn't die.

Dan Cornelius, marketing manager for Microsoft UK, says that the recent price drops for the Xbox 360 machines will take even more market share away from Sony during the upcoming Christmas season.

[bung tickler]

everyone loves a good cat fight.

[ISay]

microsoft is allready working on their next console itll take 3-5 years to be out, sony's console is future proffed 10 years out(just over 9 years left)sony is in it for the long hall, i own both systems ps3 is on track at twice the price of a low end xbox 360 the ps3 is staying very competive. so we should sto with these little battles and focus on whats going to give us the longest return for our money.

[SlappyMcTaint]

And Sony will be tea-bagging Micro$haft by mid 2008 -so of course M$ has to talk all their sh!te now, while they're still ahead.

Gaming was never even close to how dirty and fanboyish it is now until M$ got involved.

[brianpk80]

If the PS3 is still Sony's prime offering from now until 2016, wouldn't it pale behind whatever Nintendo or Microsoft throws out there in the meantime?

[The Brave 1]

What is bubble?

[SlappyMcTaint]

M$'s deeeep pockets will enable them to release the xbox 720 or whatever they think sounds cool and bigger than Sony, in probably another 4-5 years -maybe less. As soon as the PS3's momentum begins, M$ will dump the 360 and rush out the 720, which will probably have double the processors and triple the RAM, but still be PC-based, instead of pushing the envelope and truly being innovative.

[brianpk80]

Fair point. One thing that annoyed me about the Xbox 360 is that it cut short the original Xbox's lifespan prematurely. I didn't get an Xbox until Xmas 2004 and within months it was obsolete. I bought an Xbox as a gift for someone in early 2005 and a right afterwards, it was forgotten in favor of the 360 advent. I hope to not see another Xbox product until 2012. If my PS2 is still going strong until 2007, I don't see why it's unreasonable to get more than 5 years out of the 360.

[SlappyMcTaint]

Very true. bubble for you

[23478ueyur_938223]

I agree that the Premium/Elite and 60Gb/80Gb models will battle, but I don't think the Core will take much steam away from potential PS3 owners, but rather potential Wii owners.

And of course the battle of words will continue, it doesn't end.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

its a game in itself and its too much fun

[Bloodmask]

With the premium 360 coming in at just $350 for everything you need for a total HD gaming experience.

And the PS3 starting at $500 or maybe even $600 if all the 60 gig models are sold out by then. You are talking a $150 to potentially $250 price difference bw the PS3 and the 360. With the cheapest 360 starting at just $280 for the Arcade model.

Not to mention the 360 has a far larger and more diverse games catalogue out right now and by Christmas it will only be larger. The average Joe doesn't care about Bluray, WiFi, Card Readers...etc..They care about price and games.

Price is very important just look at the Wii in retrospect.

[schabeugen04]

well said u actually have some good point bubbles for u. it good to see u not blatantly rip into sony but give something with thought i applaud u. here i was thanking you were a 360 fanboy when really you are just pro 360 nuthin wrong with that

[DJ]

Sony actually has a more diverse lineup, as well as a larger lineup of high-quality platform exclusive titles. And with PS3 sales having a significant effect on Blu-ray Movie dominance, I think it's safe to say that a large amount of potential PS3 owners are fully aware of what the PS3 runs off of. In fact, it's unavoidable. Nearly every PS3 dev is yelling about how beneficial the format has been for their games.

[ISay]

of course people are going to buy the cheapest **** out their but the ps2 had the same problems when it came out and its important to educate people so they make good purcases 1. blu ray movies dont look that much better than dvds, but thats not why sony put it in its their for the games thier are already games pussing 25 Gigs and thats 1st gen ps3 what do ya thinks gonna happen in 2 years 2. wifi inclusion: in the states ill give you thatnot every body needs it , but around the world thats standard remember that ps3 is a globel consumer product

[DrWan]

How much will it cost you to go online for 4 years with the xbox. you need to take things into account buddy, and every PS3 is equip with HDD and bluRay (this will definately be use during the holidays during family gathering).

[ip-student]

Now that MS has allowed games to require the HDD, the advantage of the Bluray is gone (this doesn't lock anyone out - it just requires the core owners to get with it). You can create procedurally (the XBOX 360 has this nice hardware feature that helps in that regard) and the size of the optical storage is irrelevant (hence the bluray advantage becomes merely a stone around Sony's neck). $350 for a premium with HDD and HDMI is a pretty great deal (I wish I had HDMI but then I would have to get a new receiver so I guess it is not a big deal...).

Anyway - with the new falcons I think the hardware will be close to perfected (my three month after launch unit is working well but who knows for how long - being an earlier adaptor always sucks). MS can probably sell a premium version for $300 and still make a small profit. I just don't see Sony ever closing the gap. I think the PS2 is going to die after 2007 and I don't think the PS3 is going to carry the load in 2008 because it will still be too expensive. So the title has officialy passed to Nintendo and MS - will the Wii be able to extend into 2008 or will it fade? If the Wii does not fade I will be amazed but time will tell.

[Primetimebt]

I guess M$ forgot to tell you the only have 13.5gb of storage so how many games, plus all your saves is it going to take to fill it up? Blu Ray will alway have it's advantage over M$ required of HDD.

[power of Green]

LOL One of my buddies dad Just picked Up the Core for $270 and Madden, he doesn't play games but was over at a get together and had to have the game. lol

[TeCh77]

Oh joy, another EA sucker is born.

[Numark]

it doesnt mean the 360 is the better system, but i do think its true. It is the cheaper console with more quality games coming this year. It is just how it is. And guess what, the wii will sell the most.

Sales dont determine how good you console is, or else we would all be playing the Wii....

[junk56]

even if the 360 gets a lot of base this christmas ps3 will catch up by next year.

but sony seriously needs to play their cards right with the pricing and games. the price is way too high and they should focus on dropping it down to at least 399 by next year. If the Ps3 and 360 were at the same price, there would be no next gen war. it was sony's fault they came in so late this time around.

[Daishi]

I just dont see how you can say that they will catch up by next year. With the delay on Grand Theft Auto 4, MS paved the way for all those people who were going to pick up that and a PS3, to pick up Halo 3 and a 360. Now when GTA4 comes out those people will pick up it for their 360. On top of tha people will be looking at getting a second console and most salesmen will push towards used product (yes I used to work in the Biz). The two consoles that wll have the most used product will be the 360 and Wii, thus the salesperson will push towards what he canmake the most profit off of. The strong titles for the PS3 will nake make a significant difference until 2009 at the earliest. By then we will definately have a $400 PS3, and that's when the real war begins my friends...

[KeMoBLUE]

i seriously doubt the will take away any sales with the ps3's strong holiday line-up. which includes UT3, HAZE time crisis and many others. Halo doesn;t count considering it comes out in september. but the ps3's holiday line-up is a bit stronger the only 360 game i can think of is mass effect.

[bung tickler]

lol, oh man that was funny! you should do stand up.

[Numark]

you are very funny.

[Fighter]

The Wii will destroy both the PS3 and the 360. I'm sure the Wii will get a slight price drop and people will buy Buy BUY!!!

[bung tickler]

why would the wii get a price drop when they still sell instantly when they hit store shelves? its not like they need to do anything.

[ip-student]

I don't get the love the mass market has for the Wii but if you are selling all you can make a price drop is just stupid. Might as well laugh all the way to the bank.

[power of Green]

PS2 was the casual default console last generation the 360 takes that role this year MS wouldn't be boasting the Core if they didn't think it could sell or can't see that its selling.

Also non-gamers do know the 360's at $270 I just got through talking to a non gamer telling me; of all people" the 360's $270 and he will be picking one up with Madden(many people are not seeing the HDD as needed for the few games they buy the console for, Sorry.

EDIT:

People know the 360's hardware is high tech its a deal none the less. You say they'll pick up the Wii over 360 anytime which could be the case for people that no nothing of what they wan't out of the console etc but you did bring up the Wii when this is about the 360/PS3 so you admit problems for Sony by default with that reply.

[Fighter]

We all know how rich M$ is and how much money they freely waste. Why couldn't they make the core the same price as the Wii? Sure, the core is only $20 more than the Wii but that is not what consumers will fall for. They will pick the Wii over the 360 core anytime. M$ made a bad decision there.

[Kaze88]

Yeh wii is selling good due to its low price. But still quite large amount of wii owners are casual gamers, or wii is 2nd console on the house with ps3/x0.
xbox360 really has some exclusives that has/will get good reviews and they will sell xbox360 consoles too but it wont be Core model. Over half of x0 games require harddrive to get full advantage of the games, i mean downloadable maps,updates,gamemodes,little arcade games on live.

Ps3 hasnt had load of games untill this holiday season and many ppl talk about that they got the money, they just need games to have the courage to buy it. There has been rumours about bundle package (60gig ps3, 2 sixaxis controllers, formula one, heavenly sword) and its 50dollars cheaper than the starter package here in europe.
As said ps3 has timed exclusives(haze,ut3), sony exclusives(heavenly sword,uncharted,folklore,lair) and really good multiplatform games(cod4,assassins creed,stranglehold and many more) coming, so ps3 will sell more than now and i dont think that x0 "conquer" the holiday season. it will be a tie with ps3 and x0, in my opinion.

[VendettaWFT]

Dude seriously, WTF do you have to have to say sorry for. Unless your a representative of Microsoft, none of these people need to recieve an apology from you...except for the people who's 360's died.

[Frances-the-Mute]

its anyones battle, its unpredictable, people spend like crazy...utter chaos

[ktchong]

Why do you guys keep comparing the console models between 360 and PS3?! It's the GAMES that will determine the outcome of the battle.

You guys have been here. You guys have been reading all the previews and reviews of all the new and upcoming "AAA" titles. Looking at all the review scores that have been coming lately, it should be pretty obvious that 360 will dominate this Christmas.

Halo 3 vs. Heavenly Sword - which one will win?
Mass Effect vs. Lair - which one will win?
BioShock vs. Warhawk - which one will win?

Back at E3, we did not know whether 360 or PS3 will deliver better "AAA" titles for this Christmas. By now, however, we already have a pretty good idea of what are coming out from both sides, and which side is getting games that are actually better than the other side's.

When the consumers shop for a console this Christmas, they will be looking at all the review scores to compare the different exclusive titles on 360 and PS3. They're not gonna have a 360 or PS3 to "try the demo for themselves" and decide what games they like better. They will be looking at the scores gotten by Gears of War, Heavenly Sword, BioShock, Lair, Mass Effect, Warhawk, and Halo 3, and Ace Combat 6. When they compare the game scores, which console do you think will end up winning their business?

It's the GAMES. 360 is gonna kill PS3 this Christmas because of the GAMES.

Sony is in big trouble this Christmas because its so-called "AAA" titles have failed to deliver, one after another.

[DethWish]

I know my relatives isn't looking at review scores when they buy a console :P

[Kaze88]

"Halo 3 vs. Heavenly Sword - which one will win?
Mass Effect vs. Lair - which one will win?
BioShock vs. Warhawk - which one will win? "

Why compare them like this? Their totally different gengre games O.o
Halo3 is fps and Heavenly sword hack and slash...
Maybe like Halo3 vs Haze (timed exclusive)
Mass Effect vs Folklore (its just closest to rgp on ps3 this holiday)
Bioshock vs (i really dont know what to put this but why did you compare net 3rdps game to an fps+rgp game?)
Yes Lair has had about 50% average reviews but Heavenly sword and warhawk has had like 90% of 9/10 reviews. Just like Bioshock and mass effect.
Dont forget those good multiplatform games!
There still are millions and millions of ps2 owners that are looking the sequel that they are waiting or just some other ps3 exclusives. Biggest downside on ps3 now is that it hasnt got loads of games, but after this holiday season that prob has been fixed.

[MarioFromTexas]

You keep bringing Halo and Bioshock, but when has Halo had an impact on PS sales. I mean PS2 is still outselling the 360 after 2 years, what more proof do you need that 360 will never dominate. How many xbox1 is Halo1 and Halo2 selling each month...NONE. and yet this is supposed to be the game that xbots brag about, but yet PS2 is selling over 200,000 units every month and I don't recall a title like Halo on it. FPS are big on PC and as long as every AAA on 360 comes to the PC, why would someone with a decent PC buy a 360 when you can get a graphic card for $150 that can run bioshock on max settings(ask any PC guy). PS3 would be more logic to get the best of both worlds PC/PS3

[tfur]

Microsoft = evil grinch

[Jen5en]

Well that depends if Microsoft gets rid of all the faulty consoles, if they don't, I doubt there'll be a significant move in consoles. Microsoft lost a load of PR with RRoD issues and disc scratching, and if they still persist in the holidays, the 360 will become less of a priority on the kiddies wishlists I believe. Also bear in mind that we will have 3 other heavy weights out for PS3 by Fall: Lair, Uncharted and Ratchet. HS already got butchered so that doesn't count. Lair may suffer the same fate, but I still think it will have such a wide appeal that many will pick it up regardless.

I still have no doubt that the 360 will sell more, but this smells like typical Microsoft pride... there's no certainty - we may even see an explosion in PS3 sales this holiday if people deem it the right time to jump from PS2 to PS3.

For ONCE I'm waiting for Christmas. :D

[Adamalicious]

I think a lot of folks underestimate brand loyalty. When I was a Walmart for the PS3 launch there was this like 10 or 11 year old kid waiting all day with those of us who managed to get a spot. Anway - he was so Playstation loyal just because he loved his PS2. He was all "don't want a Wii, don't want a 360 - only PS3". He didn't even know what games were out at launch or if there was even one he wanted. He just new he had to have a PS3. His mom didn't know anything either - only that he just wanted a PS3 and nothing else.

My point here is that I think people are underestimating what one might call "The Sony Factor". A TON of people got PS2s and I think they're just waiting for that game franchise they love to release a game or for the price to get where they can afford it - just look at what the first drop did to sales, pretty much doubled since right?

There are a lot of one console homes out there and for the time being most of them are still PS2s.

bit of a ramble there... :)

[ktchong]

You know a Sony exec had said that even if Sony released PS3 with no game, it would still sell 5 million units.

...

Well? Has PS3 sold 5 million units yet?

Sony has clearly overestimated its brand loyalty.

[bung tickler]

all the systems have been out long enough now that all the fanboys of each side have gotten thier systems... nows its a battle for the regular gamers, hardcore our otherwise... its about games and $$$ not namebrand anymore. i mean dont you think its a little odd how the system with the lowest price and the system with the most games are the systems with the most sales... and whos in last? the one with few good games and the highest price... hmm strange huh?

[Fighter]

The PS3 is an expensive console and that's not breaking news to us all. maybe, just maybe those loyal Sony fans are saving their hard earned cash for this holiday season so they could finally buy a PS3.

[Sovannah Phum]

however the same goes for microsoft, that's the whole reason they keep advertising and everyone has a microsoft os on their cpu. brand naming is everything for the blind.

[strongbad1441]

if you're right, that's still only a userbase of 24 million, compared to ps2's 118 million

[Sovannah Phum]

hey strongbad i'm not saying playstation brand isn't as popular as microsoft, i'm saying that microsoft has a foot hold as much as sony. that's how they even got started in the console gaming business because people are familiar with the brand as much as sony.

anyone's grandma knows sony and microsoft brand name. that says a lot.

[snoopgg]

Who cares if Micrsoft sells more consoles, I just want them to start selling consoles that don't crap out on you. I just bought a elite and have my fingers crossed that it don't crap out on me like my last 360 did. I mean christ, Gates is spending more money repairing these damn things then anything else. He is lucky he makes money on his other endeavors, cause he surely isn't making any on the 360. This is the truth people. Come on Gates enough with the 3 year red ring club, just produce a console that will last/////

[duarteq]

and by the way, can you also make good steer wheels ? i know, that ones that don't broke and don't spit real smoke ? Can you Mr Gates ? Can you ? lol

[sak500]

I bought my 2nd 360 in may 06 and touch wood its working fine. First one was replaced and is still in packing. You keep waiting while we enjoy playing games.

[power of Green]

Why do Sony fans say that PS3 will catch up by next year?, it would take a year with MS not selling any 360's period to catch up, I mean not one 360.

LOL 8 Million PS3's in a few months while MS's selling 360's and Nintendo selling Wii's(lets assume most house hold buying consoles as gifts buy more than one console with the gaming market having unlimited number of consumers ).

[bung tickler]

fanboys = trolls, trolls have small brains, small brain = bad math skills...

...and im out of bubbles. good day to you all.

[Fighter]

This year the PS3 had only a few games worth mentioning while the 360 had tons. The Wii had a few games that were alright but Wii Sports gave consumers the wrong impression. Wii sports was so damn good that consumers thought every Wii title would play and use the wii mote as smoothly as wii sports did. I'm sure there were a lot of pissed wii fans who picked up games and found out that the wii mote works like sh*t or does not use the waggle at all.

Next year the PS3 has so many blockbusters and could definitely sell like hot cakes just like how movie theaters make the most money in the summer, true?

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

MS says lots of thing... Like we don't need HDMI and hard disk drive isn't needed to play, lol...

[power of Green]

It goes all the way back to Sony making fun of console online gaming to the recent new rumble game pads and NPD numbers. If you add up the comments on both side you'll find Sony's still in the lead.

[gEnKiE]

thats funny and its so true. Its funny how everybody sees it as sony stealing everybodys ideas when really its everybody learning from everybody else. Sony knows what tech is going to be the future and they have proving it many times so of course competitors are going to follow..except for the wii, but thats a whole nother debate...

[sak500]

@Bishop: And sony said that ps3 will have 2 HDMI connections and gaming at 120fps, rumble old gen, $hitaxis all the way. And btw how many games out of 100+ require HDD to work? Probably same as the number of AAA games out for ps3.

[Geewhizz]

i think ms seems too preocupied with sony. They should just deal with their own agenda instead of taking swipes at sony.

[Funky Town_TX]

they should. Focus on making the 360 better and good things will happen for M$. Stop talking about Sony. If you are they best then you don't need to talk about the rest. It's kinda like Michael Jordan talking about John Starks or something.

[gEnKiE]

Probaly, but who cares? I know i dont. They wont get a sale from me because i dont want the pos. I have my ps3 and wii and im happy with them. Dont need a 360....

[ER1X]

Hit the jump for a video of this interview...

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

[Bloodmask]

I like that avatar. Mike Tysons punchout was a classic.

[ER1X]

Yes, yes it was. :-)

[Texas GMR]

...Halo 3 only on the XBOX 360. It will be the most talked about game by the media this whole year. That in itself will sell alot of consoles. IMO

[Fighter]

We will have to wait and see if Halo 3 actually lives up to the hype from everyone rather than just the 360 supporters.

It's almost like me saying that next year Sony will be the most talked about because of games like MGS4, little Big Planet and Killzone 2, which, IMO, will garner a lot of attention, especially Little Big Planet.

Another argument could be "Super Mario Galaxy only on the Nintendo Wii" which overshadows anything on the xbox 360 or the PS3 for this year alone.

[Geewhizz]

in your opinion. Dont forget there will also be a lot of people who DONT like or want to play halo3.

[WilliamRLBaker]

Between Wii and 360....yes ps3 will have sales taken away.

[tfur]

The interesting thing is that the PS3 is selling at the same rate as the 360 was in its life cycle. If you go to vgchartz, (world->compare consoles) and correlate the console graphs by launch time, the PS3 is selling at the same rate the 360 was. But, during this time, the 360 had no competition in the "next gen" sales. The PS3 has sold almost 5 million, with just a few games, and WHILE competing with Wii and 360...

I think Sony knows exactly what they are doing. Look at the global sales rate (world->hardware), and what the running order is... Not the total, the rate...

interesting...

[WilliamRLBaker]

works but only if the ps3 has no competitors, sales rate means nothing compared to total sales, Because the 360 has a years head start, And because wii has sheer force of sales, the ps3 cannot hope to catch up any time soon unless 360 really dips in sales for like 6 months or so straight, The will keep outselling the ps3 world wide, and the ps3 wont be able to gain ground on either system.

[DethWish]

William, if you took a look at the rates, you actually saw PS3 outselling 360 with like.... 600,000 units for the 6 months before March 2007.
600,000 isn't many, I know, and it will probably take years to catch up with that speed.

360 is only outselling PS3 in your dreams though :P

[SabreMan]

As the market stands atm the Wii doesn't need a prise cut and will clean up this Xmas and dominate the sales chart.
Even tho the ps3 is selling consistently it will need a price cut to convince potential buyers to actually take the plunge, i live in England and the new bundle is selling well, however it's still to much for your average gamer.
By christmas Sony will be in a much better position game wise with many highly anticipated games actually on the shelves but a price cut is essential and i am sure it will happen.
Microsoft don't really need to do anything as the 360 is a good console with good software and a little gem called Halo3, which is a system seller and i expect to be bundled with the 360 as a Christmas bundle with maybe Forza2 or Bioshock.
Sony will have to pull out all the stops to counter such a bundle but by then many of the highly anticipated titles will be on the shelves so that along with the inevitable pricecut should see a very interesting period sales wise

gamers will have one of the best Christmases ever with three superb consoles all with good valid reasons to own each and every one of them.
All three consoles will do well and that can only be a good thing for gamers in general whichever console they choose