XBOX 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii: Game On!

[Astrakan]

December NPD stats:

Hardware
Nintendo DS -- 2,470,000
Wii -- 1,350,000
Xbox 360 -- 1,260,000
PlayStation 2 -- 1,100,000
PlayStation Portable -- 1,060,000
PlayStation 3 -- 796,600

Games
Software:
1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) -- 1,470,000
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) -- 1,400,000
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PlayStation 2) -- 1,250,000
4. Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) -- 1,080,000
5. Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360) -- 893,700
6. Halo 3 (Xbox 360) -- 742,700
7. Brain Age 2 (Nintendo DS) -- 659,500
8. Madden NFL 08 (PlayStation 2) -- 655,200
9. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360) -- 624,600
10. Mario and Sonic: Olympic Games (Wii) -- 613,000

Source: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229157

[Astrakan]

The DS is a monster. The Wii would probably have done better had there not been shortages.

What's really surprising is that there isn't a single PS3 game in the top 10...

Does anyone know the current game attach-rates?

KM

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

Does anyone know the current game attach-rates?

I did some quickie Googling but can't really come up with recent numbers for all three.

According to a recent article at TeamXbox.com the current 360 attach rate is 7.00, but I can't find anything current on the other two.

According to an October article at Joystiq.com the Wii and PS3 attach rates are 3.44 and 3.58 respectively, but that was in October and Christmas sales could've done lots to change that. According to the same article the 360 attach rate back then was 6.58.

I'd be interested to see current numbers on all three.

The TeamXbox article has some additional analysis which is sort of interesting, but since it's an Xbox fan-site the information is mostly concerning the 360.

Sources:
http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/15489/...eads-Industry/
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/31/36...rail-with-sim/

KM

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

December NDP stats:

In summary, Microsoft and Nintendo both were big winners - Nintendo edged out MS in hardware sales, but MS won by quite a bit on the game sales. And Sony lost in all categories, with especially poor software sales. In short, exactly what I expected

[Iguana Man]

And the next battle continues! God bless you Ruined. Hehehe!

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by Ruined

but MS won by quite a bit on the game sales.

You're not kidding. Read the TeamXbox.com article I linked to in my attach rates post above.

KM

[MooglePorn]

Worlwide stats on Koataku showed the 360 really had no sales lead this Xmas at all... as a matter of fact, I think it was in 3rd.

I'm too lazy to go look it up though. Someone can prove me wrong if they desire.

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Worlwide stats on Koataku showed the 360 really had no sales lead this Xmas at all... as a matter of fact, I think it was in 3rd.

I'm too lazy to go look it up though. Someone can prove me wrong if they desire.

I know this is gonna sound like sour grapes, but oh well:

I don't really care about worldwide stats.

The only reason I care about stats at all is because sales figures are likely to impact the decisions of game developers and publishers.

The vast majority of games I enjoy are from North America, and the 360 being slaughtered in Japan won't really have an impact on the kinds of games North American devs make for the North American market.

KM

[MooglePorn]

I kind of agree, but the worldwide market impacts a lot... Even if you preffer NA games, and so do I, the 360 getting slaughtered elsewhere allows for things like MGS4 exclusivity and such...

I mean, I'm sure you play SOMETHING from Japan, or Europe... where the PS3 is also doing much, much better.

Anyway, I agree with the sentiment... I was just pointing out the PS3 is far from a failure... it sells decent numbers here, it's no dreamcast, and it sells very well in other regions and in the world as a whole is easily #2. I just think it deserves being pointed out when looking at numbers.

[Jast3r Rogu3]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

I kind of agree, but the worldwide market impacts a lot... Even if you preffer NA games, and so do I, the 360 getting slaughtered elsewhere allows for things like MGS4 exclusivity and such...

I mean, I'm sure you play SOMETHING from Japan, or Europe... where the PS3 is also doing much, much better.

Anyway, I agree with the sentiment... I was just pointing out the PS3 is far from a failure... it sells decent numbers here, it's no dreamcast, and it sells very well in other regions and in the world as a whole is easily #2. I just think it deserves being pointed out when looking at numbers.

True that, PS3 strongest market world wide is Europe then in comes Japan and the weakest market for the PS3 right now is the USA.

the x360 is the other way around, USA is the strongest market for them then it comes Europe then Japan where people can easily call it dead over there.

people who wants to show PS3 is doing bad or what ever only show USA number beacuase they know thats PS3s weakest market today, world wide the sales would be in big favor of PS3. the big picture.

[Iguana Man]

Will the PS3 have decent #'s for movie attach rates anytime soon? Seriously, has everyone forgotten the attach rates for this HD DVD player? WTF? This unit is sitting around not being sold and suddenly it's the bomb?

For what? Blu Ray? Blu Movies being sold? What?

Games? What?

It's BR internals are giving me a headache. It's gotta stop people! WAKE UP!

(this should get a response! Weeeeeeee!)

[umainebearman]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Will the PS3 have decent #'s for movie attach rates anytime soon? Seriously, has everyone forgotten the attach rates for this HD DVD player? WTF? This unit is sitting around not being sold and suddenly it's the bomb?

For what? Blu Ray? Blu Movies being sold? What?

Games? What?

It's BR internals are giving me a headache. It's gotta stop people! WAKE UP!

(this should get a response! Weeeeeeee!)

Its definitely not the games. Whats it got like 3 or 4 good high profile games. Its gotta be the Blu ray.

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

I mean, I'm sure you play SOMETHING from Japan, or Europe...

Maybe... these are the (non-arcade) titles I own for the 360:

Oblivion
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Call of Duty 2
Gears of War
Mass Effect
Forza 2
Call of Duty 4
G.R.A.W.
Crackdown
Fight Night 3
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
The Orange Box
Halo 3
Top Spin 2
Hitman: Blood Money
NHL 07
Marvel Ultimate Alliance

I don't think there's any Japanese games in that mix. Are there any European ones? Even if there are, European and NA games are pretty interchangeable in terms of style, so I'm sure European devs pay attention to NA sales figures.

That aside, I hear what you're saying in terms of being "fair" when reporting numbers. I'm sure international sales figures have some impact on what is being made, but even then I think it's probably negligble in terms of my preferences.

Hell, even with a mega-hit like MGS I personally couldn't care less if I ever get to play it. I never cared for the series (to be fair, I only played the first one on PS1) and much prefer my stealth gameplay to come from the Splinter Cell or Hitman franchises.

KM

[Ruined]

You have a good point astrakan... I find myself preferring NA/European titles much more than Japanese titles too. In fact, at this point I think I will sell my PS2 and all of its games because the two Japanese titles I really wanted for it (Rez, VF) are now on XBOX.

IMO, Nintendo and SEGA were the true Japanese innovators - Nintendo still is, aside from VF5 and VT3 SEGA has been poor lately. Konami, Namco, Sony, Square have been churning out the same old shit for the past 10 years - the first three often trying to mimick Western style. Capcom has been hit or miss, but at least they have evolved their RE game into a new game & engine. The little Japanese studios seem to have flocked to 360 Live Arcade already... And I was actually looking for reasons to buy the PS3 when I got the BD30 - the only one I could find is LittleBigPlanet. The rest was the same old crap I played on PS2, with nothing exciting looking in store. So if I wanted more Japanese titles I'd probably buy a Wii at this point, not a PS3.

[Astrakan]

January NPD stats:

Hardware
Nintendo Wii - 274,000
Playstation 3 - 269,000
Nintendo DS - 251,000
Xbox 360 - 230,000
Playstation Portable - 230,000

Software
1) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) 330,900
2) Wii Play (Wii) 298,100
3) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) 239,600
4) Rock Band (Xbox 360) 183,800
5) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360) 182,700
6) Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) 172,000
7) Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360) 144,100
8) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3) 140,000
9) Mario Party DS (DS) 138,500
10) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) 133,000

Source: http://www.thesimexchange.com/blogpost.php?post_id=474

[Astrakan]

The Wii and the DS continues to be monster sellers. The PS3 sold more than than the 360. Is this a first?

CoD4 also continues to kick all kinds of ass. I thought the sales would've petered out by now...

KM

[littlebib]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

The Wii and the DS continues to be monster sellers. The PS3 sold more than than the 360. Is this a first?

Since there's only one PS3 software title in the top 10, I wonder if the jump in hardware is related to all the Blu-Ray victories in January? Could this just be people buying the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player?

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by littlebib

Since there's only one PS3 software title in the top 10, I wonder if the jump in hardware is related to all the Blu-Ray victories in January? Could this just be people buying the PS3 as a Blu-Ray player?

Makes sense, if people were buying it as a game machine they would likely actually buy a game to play on it

[Astrakan]

Seeing how the next round of stats is just around the corner, this is more for posterity's sake than anything else...

NPD stats for February 2008
Nintendo DS - 587,600
Nintendo Wii – 432,000
PS2 – 351,800
PS3 – 280,800
Xbox 360 – 254,600
PSP – 243,000

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Xbox 360 – 296,200*
Devil May Cry 4 - Xbox 360 – 295,200*
Wii Play w/remote - Wii – 289,700
Devil May Cry 4 - PS3 – 233,500*
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Wii – 222,900*
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games - DS – 205,600
Lost Odyssey - Xbox 360 – 203,600
Turok - Xbox 360 – 197,700
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - PS2 – 183,800
Rock Band - Xbox 360 – 161,800

Which means the PS3 outsold the 360 for the second month in a row. But the PS2 and the Wii kicked both their asses.

For software the 360 took the top spot with 5 titles, followed by the Wii with 2, and a tie between the PS3, PS2 and the DS with 1 each.

Source: February 2008 NPD: Xbox 360 Leads Software Sales but... - Xbox

KM

[Astrakan]

I'm just blown away by CoD4's continued success...

KM

[Astrakan]

Well, it's been 4.5 months since I last did a gamerankings.com comparison of each console's library of games.

Here it is again, with the old figure in brackets.

Games scoring 90 or better
PS3: 3 (2)
Wii: 4 (4)
Xbox: 10 (11)

Games scoring 80 or better
PS3: 33 (24)
Wii: 13 (10)
Xbox: 67 (66)

Some notable changes over the last four and a half months:

- The Xbox actually lost a game in the 90+ category. I'm guessing a title must've been really close to the bottom last time I did it, and have since received some lower scored reviews to pull it down into the 80's.

- The Wii also hasn't seen any improvements in its 90+ library, and only 3 more titles in it's 80+ library.

- The big winner is the PS3 which is the only console that saw a new 90+ game during the time period, and a whopping 9 new 80+ titles.

Note: Xbox Live Arcade, Virtual Console or expansion packs are not included in these stats.

Source: Game Rankings - Rankings - Video Game Reviews, Release Dates, Cheat Codes

KM

[MooglePorn]

Good to see the PS3 putting up a fight...

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Good to see the PS3 putting up a fight...finally

Fixed and

[Astrakan]

NPD for March 2008 is out:

HARDWARE
Wii 721K
Nintendo DS 698K
PlayStation Portable 297K
Xbox 360 262K
PlayStation 3 257K
PlayStation 2 216K

SOFTWARE
WII SUPER SMASH BROS: BRAWL NINTENDO OF AMERICA 2.7M
360 TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS 2 UBISOFT 752.3K
360 ARMY OF TWO ELECTRONIC ARTS 606.1K
WII PLAY W/ REMOTE NINTENDO OF AMERICA 409.8K
PSP GOD OF WAR: CHAINS OF OLYMPUS SONY 340.5K
PSP CRISIS CORE: FINAL FANTASY VII SQUARE ENIX 301.6K
WII GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK ACTIVISION 264.1K
360 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 2K8 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE 237.1K
360 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION 237K
PS3 ARMY OF TWO ELECTRONIC ARTS 224.9K

Source: NPD: March a $1.7B Month For Videogames | Game | Life from Wired.com

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Fucking Wii... seriously.

I'm quoting this because it's my sentiment too.

2.7 MILLION Smash Brothers? 700,000 new Wii owners? Christ, these almost look like December figures to me, not March.

I'm one of those people who figured the Wii hype would die down before long and that it would slowly but surely sink down to last place again. But it's been 15 months since its launch and the damned thing is still hard to find in stores.

Hats off to Nintendo, even if I'm not too keen on how this might impact future gens.

Other random thoughts...

- The PS3 didn't manage to pull a three-in-a-row as the 360 squeaked by it this time around with a few thousand units.
- CoD4 keeps on selling.
- I wonder what impact it has on devs and publishers when the only PS3 game to make the top 10 sold 2.7 times as good on the 360.
- I wonder what impact it has on devs and publishers when ONE Wii game sold more copies than all the 360, PS3 & PSP games in the top 10 combined.

KM

[umainebearman]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

- I wonder what impact it has on devs and publishers when ONE Wii game sold more copies than all the 360, PS3 & PSP games in the top 10 combined.

KM

None when that game is a wii exclusive and no one with a next gen (wii isn't next gen) console really cares about it. People who bought the wii bought it for 2 things, anything Mario and the Metroid game. Most people that wanted super smash bros:brawl got it in the first week or 2 of release and that is gonna be the extent of it. Where as call of Duty has multi platform success and great word of mouth. THATS what developers shoot for no a one shot and done burst of sales like SSB:B.

[MooglePorn]

I don't even know what to say to the Wii's success anymore... I get that Nintendo writes its own ticket with nostalgia... Metroid Prime 3 is not a 9+ game, but it gets treated as such because it's Metroid... I get that... but all these sales of consoles show something else is at play, something the Gamecube did not have. Is it solely casual gamers? Is it just because it's a hot item? Is it because you can be "next gen" for cheaper? I dunno.

I sold my Wii months ago and don't miss it at all. It's just not for me. I get why the Xbox is popular, it's PC games without the hassles of PC gaming. I get why Playstation is popular, it's got games from all genres, countries and styles mashed up into one console. The Wii? I would get it as a kid's machine and a nostalgia trip for those of us born with a NES, but the leader of the console race?

Baffling.

Plus the motion controls suck balls.

[littlebib]

Originally Posted by Astrakan

- I wonder what impact it has on devs and publishers when the only PS3 game to make the top 10 sold 2.7 times as good on the 360.

To me, this just screams that people aren't buying the PS3 to play games. I guess Sony was right, the PS3 is not a game console.

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

all these sales of consoles show something else is at play, something the Gamecube did not have. Is it solely casual gamers? Is it just because it's a hot item? Is it because you can be "next gen" for cheaper? I dunno.

I'm thinking the answer lies in your first two questions.

The below story is only anecdotal, but I'm betting similar experiences are being had by many people across North America:

My wife works for a large consumer goods company and last summer they installed Wiis in the breakroom of each floor of the office building she works in.

She's saying it's in use all the time, some people even attend conference calls using wireless headsets while playing Wii sports. Last week her department had a Wii golf tournament.

It's her experience with the Wii at work that prompted her to buy one for home, and I'm betting the same is true for many others in her company.

Somehow the Wii has managed to find its way into the hearts and minds of the non-gamer, and that coupled by the hype (which is, incredibly, still going strong) I think makes the Wii the tour-de-force it is.

I'm not a fan of the Wii and its gameplay, so I can only hope that the Wii's low attach rate, coupled with Sony and MS being after the living room in its entirety, means the Wii's success won't seriously impact their strategies.

KM

[billnye97]

I seriously don't get how the Wii can still be sold out everywhere I go? I look just for the novelty factor of it. Is Nintendo creating a big chunk of this demand by not producing as many consoles as it could (i.e. the hype machine keeps churning) and if not when will the demand die down?

[Jast3r Rogu3]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

I don't even know what to say to the Wii's success anymore... I get that Nintendo writes its own ticket with nostalgia... Metroid Prime 3 is not a 9+ game, but it gets treated as such because it's Metroid... I get that... but all these sales of consoles show something else is at play, something the Gamecube did not have. Is it solely casual gamers? Is it just because it's a hot item? Is it because you can be "next gen" for cheaper? I dunno.

I sold my Wii months ago and don't miss it at all. It's just not for me. I get why the Xbox is popular, it's PC games without the hassles of PC gaming. I get why Playstation is popular, it's got games from all genres, countries and styles mashed up into one console. The Wii? I would get it as a kid's machine and a nostalgia trip for those of us born with a NES, but the leader of the console race?

Baffling.

Plus the motion controls suck balls.

You are right about many things, for instance nintendo always have that nostalgia factor, very true, in my book mario galaxy and smash bros are mediocre games at best, both more then anything are just a nostalgia fest.
take the nostalgia out and you have a 6/10 game.

i owned a wii for 8 months now (bought it for cheap from a guy that was dead bored with it) and i still havent bought a single game yet.

the big picture when it comes to sales figures the price of each item.

the wii is 250$ right now, it was competiting with a 600$ and 400$ the 1st year or so, we all know the games on the wii are crap, the system isnt selling beacuase of games thats for sure.

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by Jast3r Rogu3

we all know the games on the wii are crap, the system isnt selling beacuase of games thats for sure.

Wow. So how do you explain the console selling like hot cakes?

Does it play music in 9.23 surround? Does it upconvert to 1billionP?

Splain yourself son!

[Derb]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Wow. So how do you explain the console selling like hot cakes?

Cult status

[umainebearman]

Originally Posted by Iguana Man

Wow. So how do you explain the console selling like hot cakes?

Does it play music in 9.23 surround? Does it upconvert to 1billionP?

Splain yourself son!

Fanboys don't have explanations for the spew that comes out of there mouths.

But it doesn't play music in 9.23 surround, thats a rumor it's only 8.63 surround.

[Mr. Furious]

I got a chance to play with a friend's Wii (not as sick as it sounds) last weekend. I was struck how poor the graphics looked and how much it paled in comparison to the PS3/Xbox. I thought I'd try playing a few different games, but for the most part they were totally forgettable. Count me in the group of people who just doesn't get the craze. This is coming from a guy who owned an NES, SNES, N64, and GC. I haven't bought a Wii and at this point have no intention to.

[Mr. Furious]

Just an addendum:

I saw this today:

Wii Fit, an exercise game due next month, is expected to receive more marketing dollars than any game in Nintendo’s history, Mr. Pachter said — and the money will not be spent wooing young men. “Wii Fit is just not aimed at hard-core gamers,” Mr. Pachter said. “It’s definitely aimed at the Oprah crowd. I bet they sell a million units a week for every pound that Oprah says she lost on it.”

Kill me now.

[Wilson]

Originally Posted by Mr. Furious

Just an addendum:
I saw this today:

I think it's great, this thing will sell millions.

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by Mr. Furious

Just an addendum:

I saw this today:



Kill me now.

This really isn't any different than the reports earlier that the Wii hit retirement homes so older folks could get in some bowling and golf.

I now think I understand where these sales are going, and it aint' the normal kid crowd.

[Astrakan]

NPD for April 2008 is out:

HARDWARE
Wii: 714.2K
Nintendo DS: 414.8K
PSP: 192.7K
Xbox 360: 188.0K
PlayStation 3: 187.1K
PlayStation 2: 124.4K

SOFTWARE
360 - GTA IV: 1.85m
Wii - Mario Kart w/ wheel: 1.12m
PS3 - GTA IV: 1.00m
Wii - Play: 360K
Wii - Super Smash Bros. Brawl: 326K
PS3 - Gran Turismo 5: Prologue: 224K
DS- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness: 202K
DS- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time: 202K
Wii - Guitar Hero III: 152K
360 - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare: 141K

[Astrakan]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

Fucking Wii... seriously.

Other random thoughts...

- Amazingly, CoD4 keeps on selling extremely well for a six mont old game.
- While the GTA numbers seem low, keep in mind that it was released two days before the end of the month.
- While the Wii is kicking ass, both the 360 and PS3 are in a bit of a slump.
- I wish they didn't include Wii Play on the top 10. The only reason it's selling so well is because it comes with a Wii controller.

KM