Ramblings from the Marginalized

Looking at the graph of sales from each consoles launch. The ps3 has a very respectable curve compared to the xbox360. Consider the fact that the xbox360 had no other competition in this latest generation of consoles when it was launched. Its sales curve is very similar to that of the PS3. While the PS3 had 2 other consoles to compete with one of which has sold unbelievably well. So realistically it looks like ps3 will be in the same if not better position in the same time line.

Good graph! However, I think the 360 is falling short of the PS2, as this graph shows:

http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunch.php?cons1=PS2&reg1=All&cons2=PS3&reg2=All&cons3=X360&reg3=All&weeks=132

And I can’t find a good chart to show, but it looks like the 360 sold about as many in it’s second year as it did in its first. And I’d think that you’d want to sell more. So seems like it has stalled a bit?

Just some thoughts,

Finally…someone makes a post like this one! All I read is about how the PS3 failed in console sales and number of games when compared to the 360…though when you look at both consoles FIRST years…they are very similar. This post, while using the somewhat controversial VGChartz.com data, points out that console sales are almost identical, and as the above poster mentioned…the PS3 actually had competition. Now note that in its first year, the 360 had largely bad PS2 ports just like the PS3 has had bad 360 ports…devs simply develop for the console that is best distributed first and then ports to other systems. And at the end of the 360s first year, there were some good games finally coming out, just like we’ve seen over the past few months with the PS3. Just keep in mind that even though M$ was first to market this generation with a horribly engineered machine, you still need to compare apples to apples….

The reason behind the Ps3 dropping BC may be to encourage PS3 owners to buy PS3 games. The software attach rate is awful for the PS3 right now, which is a big problem.

VGChartz can be a bit on the inaccurate side. For instance, they still have not updated their data on the latest Xbox sales, so your analysis may be built on faulty data.

Time-shifting those sales curves serves no real purpose…other than to make PS3 fan-boys feel better about waiting an extra year to get in on the next generation of gaming.

If you take the PS3 curve, and instead of timeshifting in backward in time, you numerically shift it upward in total sales, you will see that the PS3 and Xbox 360 sales curves are absolutely identical. Right down to every little blip and slope. What does this tell you? At best PS3 and Xbox 360 have been selling esentially 1-to-1 since the release of the PS3. Microsoft had 10 million units in the field by that point in time.

In order for Sony to surpass the Xbox 360 it actually needs to start outselling the Xbox 360 on a consistent month-to-month basis. The Wii has done that handily, not the PS3. If anything, the PS3 is about to enter is’t “post-early-adopter” flattening of sales period. Where Sony will either need to cut prices (leading to more losses) or enhance their “perceived value” in the minds of consumers. An increase in BluRay momentum will help here, but only slightly. Instead, Sony needs a MASSIVE infusion of AAA titles just to stay “even”.

I have many gamer buddies, some with each system. The Xbox 360 guys are actually frustrated because they can’t possibly play all of the games that are available for their 360’s that they want to play. The PS3 guys, on the other hand, enjoy their machines plenty….but are always “longing” for a future title release because they are getting bored of the few games that they have and enjoy.

Let’s check back on these graphs in 6 months shall we?

-D-

[...] putting it in the neighborhood of 17 million). The PS3 is sitting at 8.92 million units sold. PS3 begins to overtake Xbox360 in sales since launch : TechVat __________________ Personal opinions are endorsed by Lurking [...]

Wow, some good news for the PS3 fanboys. Too bad there aren’t any good games to play on the PS3. And the cross platform games, it seems like the 360 version was way better then the PS3 version. (except CoD4 which was identical).

Where is this super duper system? How come all the games run slower and sometimes takes 2 or 3 times as long to load?

And before you open your pie hole, I have all 3 systems. I’ll buy a 360 version of the game before i buy a PS3 version because performance is sometimes better and with Live, I have a better online experiance.

Hey Ruddiger

I get a kick out of how you call David a fanboy when it is painfully obvious that you are one yourself. His point was simply that for the PS3 to take over the 360 in TOTAL console sales they will need to start outselling the 360 on a much larger scale than they are now. Nowhere in his post does he deny that the reason the 360 has more units out is because it has been out longer that is common sense what he is stating is that with 360’s big lead sony needs to outsell by a big margin not by such a small margin if they hope to catch up.

His comment on how the ps3 also has a bad attach rate is true and while stating that his buddies like the 360 more than ps3 has no real meaning unless you have been living in a cave you have no excuse to realize how few AAA game’s sony machine has out right now. Microsoft is laying a whooping on sony and nintendo when it come’s to software and if you watched the CES keynote last night you would have proof(over 1 billion more dollars software sold than nintendo)

Unless the Ps3 starts doubling the 360 sales it wont catch up with microsoft because of the headstart.

What a lot of people fail to realize is the shortages.When the Ps3 was first released there was a shortage for a month or two when the 360 was released there was a shortage for almost a freaking year, if M$ kept up demand those charts would be different.

People also tend to forget that console makers sell consoles at a loss and make up profits in software sales and guess who is whooping the other two consoles in that department. The figures went out last night at the CES keynote and Microsoft sold over 1 billion dollars more than the #2 console being the Nintendo Wii!

I have all 3 systems. And yes ps3 had a slow start but to say that there are no good games is just plain ignorant. They have resistance, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, ridge racer, Uncharted, and assassins creed. All of those games except one are ps3 exclusives… Yes playing online is better and more fun on the xbox 360. But that all might change with the ps3 home. Sony is being more innovative and taking more risk. And because they are doign that, they are being scrutinzed.. sure halo and gears of war, are great games. some of the best, but sony is coming along also with some great games. Not to mention their lineup for the coming year. Gran tursimo, Metal Gear 4, Killzone 2, Tekken and the sequels to the above mentioned games. The ps3 is a system that really cant be beat. $500 and you get Wireless built in and a blue ray player. Not to mention it plays most if not all ps2 and ps1 games. Microsoft fanboys can’t comprehend this sophisticated power so they have to resort to talking smack about it. which is sad. Xbox also has the wretched 3 red rings of death. I’ve had to exchange my 360 3 times. 2 times because of the red rings. and 1 time because the power button didnt work. And longer load times on the ps3? please say specifically what games you are talking about because i find little to no load times on the ps3 and are quite shorter than the ones on the 360.. Like i said, i have all 3 systems and try to be unbiased to all of them but you gotta give props where they are do, and sony is finally coming along. Microsoft cant handle that…. Also they are losing their hd dvd support…looks like blue ray is better ;)

[...] PS3 begins to overtake Xbox360 in sales since launch : TechVat digg_url = ‘http://www.lazygamer.co.za/xbox-360/ps3-begins-to-overtake-xbox360-in-sales-since-launch/’; digg_title = ‘PS3 begins to overtake Xbox360 in sales since launch’; digg_skin = ‘compact’; (No Ratings Yet)  Loading … [...]

jebus, PS3 fanboys sure are a defensive lot.

360 sold more units in 07 than PS3 even when the whole PROD thing became public. Nuff said.

[...] the graph above a nod for putting the holiday in perspective in terms of units sold, taken from Techvat, taken from VG Chartz. The PS3 and the 360 are in competition — we can’t deny that. [...]

hd-dvd = lost!! 3shitty = losing

And I totally agree with you ‘Spunkee’, except for what u said about Gears and Galo. They’re good games, but NOT some of the best, not even close mate. I’d still rather play Max Payne than Galo. But yeah the amount of TOP CLASS exclusives we’re gonna get is just staggering. MGS4, KillZone2, LBP, Drake pt2, Resistance pt2, Tekken, The Agency, LA Noire (and rockstar is making an exclusive franchise for the PS3 as well), HAZE. There are gonna be SO many games to choose from.

I agree with most of the people comments. I am a proud owner of the PS3. The hogwash about the PS3 not having any good games is not true. I will admit that at the beginning the developers were having a hard time with the PS3. I think the PS3 will pass the 360 in sales, but it will take a while since the 360 had a year head start. There is so much that you can do on a PS3 that the 360 fans do not know about. I know a lot of people who plan on buying a PS3 but wanted to wait until the format war was decided. Sony has a huge advantage over the 360. Sony fans are a lot more loyal than the 360 fans. A lot of the Sony fans will not buy the 360 no matter what. A lot of the people that have the 360 are more likely to buy the PS3. If no one believes me then just look at the Japanese sales. I would rather pay the one time fee of 500 dollars for the PS3 and have online play for free forever than buy the 360 and have to pay a monthly online fee. The PS3 online might not be up to par with the 360, but Sony has already and will continue to improve it. If you have a 360 for just 3 years and pay for live then that adds up over time.

WOW…..nice spin on that chart.

Is your middle name “The Amazing Kreskan”.

Total BS damage control from another Sony fanboy(you claim to be an Nintendo fanboy…I have serious reservations of such).

Sony has had 2 or 3 months where there sales numbers exceeded those of the 360…that’s not the way to catch up to the decided lead advantage Microsoft currently owns.

I have both a PS3 and a 360, both are great machines…the 360 just has WAY more great games to play…PS3 will have there games, I’m not concerned with that…but you should twist the numbers to make Sony look better…no matter how badly they need the it.

There’s just way too much PS3 and 360 fanboy chat on here! All really worried their console of choice claiming second place behind Nintendo.

I think it’s pretty public knowledge that PS3 & 360 sales are about 1 to 1 now. Lets just assume that this sales ratio stays the same and Sony and Microsoft continue to cancel each other out…

…The PS3 does not catch up with 360. However the 10m gap would also stay about the same. In a few years time the 360 may have sold 60m units and the PS3 50m units. The 360 remains in second place, but the market shares of the two machines would have narrowed because a 10 million gap is a smaller percentage of the total number of sales…

This is is obviously hyperthetical. My point is that arguing about the 10m sales gap or whether one console will finally overtake the other is pretty pointless unless one starts to far outsell the other – which at the moment is simply not the case and looks pretty unlikely in the future.

If both consoles continue to cancel out each others then there’s no big deal. Both systems will be successful in their own right, whichever ends up in last place. The competition between Sony and Microsoft will push both corporations to secure decent exclusive content for their consoles and improve the quality and value of their services. As the install base of both machines increase 3rd parties will not get away with poor ports to either machines (I’m looking at you Valve/EA). In the end, gamers will be the winner of the console war.

I think your assessment is right – on a global base, because Xbox 360 doesn’t sell (well) in Japan and in Europe PS3 does better now.

But in North America Xbox 360 is leading.

Wow, I try to make an objective (an platform independent) comment and get personally attacked. This forum should have age verification (and maturity verification) before allowing posts.

My original comment NEVER said, “PS3 ain’t got no good games”. The PS3 has some wonderful games. In addition, I for one, am anxious to see LBP arrive for the PS3, it looks like a blast!

However, EVERY game gets stale! No matter how good it is! My comments regarding all of the 360 and PS3 owners that I know (even though it was ridiculed by an obvious fanboy) was simply a relation of my personal experience that every 360 owner I know has a backlogged list of 360 games sitting on their shelf that they can’t even get to yet. While, by contrast, every PS3 owner I know constantly expresses a desire for something new because the software supply just isn’t keeping up with their gaming appetite.

For those of you that are slow on the realities of business, when customers have a NEED you can’t or won’t fill….they become disatified with your product and become more likely to go someplace else.

The software attach rate (which nobody can argue with) reinforces my comment. I’m not knocking PS3, I am just trying inject some market reality into this discussion. There is such a thing as “opportunity cost”….and Sony is getting killed by this BIG TIME right now!

Accept it, then help to change it if you don’t like the result. Don’t act three and just insult someone as a response.

-D-

[...] pay off? Who knows but Sony is clearly basing the future on their past experience with the PS2 source [...]

Let me express my opinion. I’ve had A Xbox360 since launch, and a PS3 since last november. I find myself honestly using my ps3 more and more everyday and here’s why:

1) Games – Yeah I said it games. PS3 has had a nice winter. There are more titles on the PS3 that I as a 27 year old (20 year gaming veteran) want to play than on the 360.

2) Online – Yeah I said it…ONLINE. People talk about xbox live structure and how it is superior to the PS3 and blah blah blah. Noone ever talks about reliability, I’ve been a XBL gold member for 2 years, and I like live, but you cant argue with the fact that LAG WILL RUIN THE EXPERIENCE for most online games, especially the popular ones. Sometimes you cant even connect (been happening alot lately google it if you think I’m kidding). I was at the point where I would have to disconnect every other computer in my house from the internet in order to play some games. But have any of you seen any issues with PS3 games like Warhawk and Resistance with lets be frank here, 16-32 players (a ridiculously large # of people for a console) in the same game with no issues, a feat which has not been seen on a MS platform.

3) Hardware/Media – PS3 is superior hardware in every category. And the multimedia functionality is extremely impressive and constantly expanding.

4) 3rd XBOX – Yup first and 2nd one died (actually happened to 2 of my friends as well), as they are known to do. Additionally, MS had really awful repair service before they made it public that they were having hardware issues. And I’m just afraid that its gonna happen again.

TO EVERYONE SAYING PS3 HAS NO GAMES…TELL ME… WHAT DOES 360 HAVE ON THE HORIZON NOW THAT HALO’s FINALLY COME AND GONE. I have heard nothing for your system since. Not a damn thing. What makes your system so much better in terms of games??? 1 million identicle shooters with COD4 being the only one that stands out?? greeeaaaaaat your system DOES have SO many more great games (sarcasm).

My point is, 360 only seems to have shooters. Realistic ones, crappy alien kiddy ones (halo), shitty 3rd person ones. Like thats really all there is. Aside from shooters, you have sports games which are available on every other system including my cellphone. So really… what the hell could you possible have in the game department that can make you say “we have all the games, ps3 has none”. And dont say Halo or Gears as they both suck shit (and im not just hating..i really think both those games are garbage..worthy of wii)

I beg to differ, you clearly did NOT understand my comment.

Xbox 360 owners don’t have games sitting on their shelves that they bought 2 years ago. They have games sitting on their shelves that they bought recently. Most gamers buy a game, play the heck out of it for a few weeks, then place it aside to play something new. Old games generally only get played if they are truly compelling titles (which are rare) OR if there is nothing else to play. 360 owners tend to be the former, PS3 owners tend to be the latter.

If you think my sample size is too small, then read more forums. If I had a dollar for every PS3 fanboy response that had “just wait for the release of ….” in it I would own Microsoft by now.

Regarding your “apples to apples” comment…I have started several businesses in my lifetime….the competitive landscape, market conditions, and customer requirements are different from one day to the next. Saying that PS3 sales today should be compared to Xbox sales of a year ago (in order to “be fair”) is like comparing my bank balance of today with the bank balance of the average American in 1920.

The only fact that matters is CURRENT month to month sales. Wii is kicking everyone’s butt and continues to do so on consistent basis. PS3 floats up and down on a monthly basis but it has not broken ahead of Xbox in any meaningful way.

I do not see how that will change without an increase in comparable software and services to support their platform.

-D-

I own a Wii and a PS3 , by far the Wii is the best system as far as it being fun to have around a big group of people( basically on a Friday night drinking) However the arguments between 360 and PS3 are ridiculous, sure your gonna have 360 fanboys talking crap about PS3 and PS3 fanboys doing the same. Fact of the matter is, 360 has more titles to choose from because it has been around longer by one year. I’ve heard so many people talk about the PS3 being to much money, look people the PS3 is really not much more then the price of the 360. The PS3 has alot more to offer you technology wise then the 360 will ever offer, if you want HD you have to spend 199.00 on the 360 if you want this or that you have to buy it extra, the PS3 has SD card slots USB2.0 slots up the ass, BLU-RAY , which also so plays DVDS and CD’s Divx (which I think 360 also has. The DIVX part). My opinion is that I’m not hating on the 360, but hold up peeps, the technology in the PS3 is by far superb to the 360, from the processors in it , to the hardware that already comes with the PS3, to the free online gaming, and don’t argue with me about “oh XBOX LIVE is so much better network” Shit please give me a break you think that the demographic of gamers is just 18yrs of age to 32? ROFLMAO CAKES BITCH. 60% of owners of consoles are friggin children under the age of 12 who don’t give a rats ass about if there connected to online gaming. And who don’t even know what it is. Period end of discussion. IF you pay for the internet then why in the hell should you pay for XBOX LIVE. I don’t have to pay to play on Quake 4 servers on my PC do I? , no because I already am paying for the ISP. WAKE UP PEEPS, it’s like paying for cable television twice just cause they say it is better for you TV if you pay for it twice.

as more and more ps3 games are made, 360 sales will decline and ps3 sales will increase. so then that is where the ps3 will make up the 8-10 million deficit. they will no longer be 1-1. the wii is great and will continue to sell well. it is not in competition with the ps3 and 360. it has its own niche. the ps3 has superior hardware and developers had a tough time since programming was so advanced (360 developers were fine-what’s that say about their technology?) ‘08 will see amazing ps3 games which will sell more consoles. the 360 will continue to sell just because they have had an extra year to make games. as the price gap narrows you will see more people choosing the better console that will last the longest and give you the biggest bang for the buck. the endless updates, superior hardware, titles in development, free online, multimedia support, blu-ray, etc. all these reasons show that ps3 will outlast and outsell the 360. gaming is fun and that’s why we buy these consoles. i want the best everything. best tv, car, pc, etc. the 360 is not the best and just b/c it is selling well doesn’t mean it is the best system. i know deep down that the ps3 will catch up and be on my tv stand in 10 years and that 360s will be obsolete by then. all hail the ps3–victor of the next gen war.

[...] for England. N4G.com : Worldwide Chartz for Week Ending Jan 5th, 2008 (Not including Japan yet) PS3 begins to overtake Xbox360 in sales since launch : TechVat The Bitbag

PS3 has been outselling the x360 world wide for quite some time now.

The Xbox 360 still seems to have more of the biggest games (Halo, Left 4 Dead, etc.) than PS3. It will be interesting to see if the PS3 catches up.