PS3 at 24 million units sold, PSP 57 million

[duffmanth]

For those of you who are curious about the latest PS3 and PSP sales figures since they both launched, here's the article:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6214693.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;1

The fact that the PS3 has already matched the Game Cube's total sales in only a little over two and a half years is pretty impressive considering its hefty price.

[Sonicwolf]

For those of you who are curious about the latest PS3 and PSP sales figures since they both launched, here's the article:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6214693.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;1

The fact that the PS3 has already matched the Game Cube's total sales in only a little over two and a half years is pretty impressive considering its hefty price.

Yes, the GameCube was pretty pitiful. IMO, definately the worst Nintendo home console. It just lacked the large third party game base, major mature titles and other features which were availiable on other consoles such as DVD playback.

[Kid Ice]

It just lacked the large third party game base, major mature titles and other features which were availiable on other consoles such as DVD playback.

Which is the same reason the Wii is in third place.

(waamp waamp waamp waaaaaammmmpppppp)

[BetaWolf47]

Gamecube was awesome. If TG16, Neo-Geo, Sega Saturn, and PS3 have taught us anything, it's that sales =/= system quality,

[Sonicwolf]

Which is the same reason the Wii is in third place.

(waamp waamp waamp waaaaaammmmpppppp)

The GameCube didnt have a widely acclaimed control scheme. If the Wii didnt have the motion sensing, it would be pretty bad off.

[Cloud121]

Yes, the Super Famicom was pretty pitiful. IMO, definately the worst Nintendo home console.
Fixed.

Okay, I wouldn't say the SFC was pitiful, but with the exception of Super Metroid and Demon's Crest, the MegaDrive owned it in every way. Include the Mega CD and 32X, and it's not even close.

Super Famicom does not deserve all the heaping praise it gets. The GameCube is vastly underrated. I just pretend the Wii doesn't exist (Even though I stood in line on launch day, and dropped $600 for the console and most of the launch titles).

[duffmanth]

The only reasons why the Wii has been so successful is cuz it's far cheaper than the PS3 and 360, and because of the novelty of the motion sensing, which I think has pretty much run its course.

[Sonicwolf]

I find the Wii to be becoming a joke. It lacks a regular flow of killer titles.

[j_factor]

24 million is really nothing to sneeze at.

[duffmanth]

I've been saying the Wii is a joke for 2 years now.

[kupomogli]

I've been saying it was a joke since it was announced, but then once it was announced I was actually interested, until the system was pretty much like the Saturn at launch. NO GAMES.

Unlike the Saturn however, the Wii still has nothing to even define it as a good system now in which later on the Saturn actually started getting some really good games(most of them in Japan as the system was hardly big here in the states.) The Wii is one of the bigger console failures when it comes to games, yet it's in first place this generation. The Gamecube has more must own titles than the Wii and that's pretty sad(I would say the Sega CD or the 32X but the Wii doesn't have far to go before catching up with those.)

Goes to show you that even when Nintendo is raking in the cash, they might push one good first party game out a year with the rest seeming like borderline shovelware cash-in titles. I liked them better when they were a shitty company. Atleast they attempted to release more games to make their system look more worthwhile.

[Cobra Commander]

In other news:

PS3 at 24 million units sold, PSP 57 million

[Sonicwolf]

Sad how Shovelware seems to be winning the console wars.

[backguard]

I have a Wii and a PS3. My Wii sat idle for almost a year until I got a strange desire to play the new play control Pikmin (i.e. basically a gamecube game).

[kupomogli]

Sad how Shovelware seems to be winning the console wars.

You aimed that at my comment yet said a portion of what I said in different words. I was implying that the system is nothing but shovelware, including first party games aside a couple, yet it's still in first place.

Like someone said. Sales do not equal the better system. For how short lived the Dreamcast was, it was a better system in its life than the PS2 was in its early life. I like the PS2 better, but I do think the Dreamcast would have been the better system if it had more support from the consumer.

[Sonicwolf]

You aimed that at my comment yet said a portion of what I said in different words. I was implying that the system is nothing but shovelware, including first party games aside a couple, yet it's still in first place.

Like someone said. Sales do not equal the better system. For how short lived the Dreamcast was, it was a better system in its life than the PS2 was in its early life. I like the PS2 better, but I do think the Dreamcast would have been the better system if it had more support.

Funny how they expect that Brawl will sell the system into the next generation. LOL

[c0ldb33r]

Jesus Christ, for a thread about the PS3 and PSP sales figures, this thread has nothing to do with the PS3 and PSP sales figures!


The fact that the PS3 has already matched the Game Cube's total sales in only a little over two and a half years is pretty impressive considering its hefty price.
At first that seems good, but I doubt that Nintendo lost as much money per cube as Sony did/is per PS3. (I might be wrong on this, I have no idea, so if I am wrong, don't piss all over me!) In order for it to work out for Sony, it can't use the cube as it's benchmark.

[Sonicwolf]

The PSP sales figures are pretty impressive. No handheld has ever managed to get that far against Nintendo.

[Kid Ice]

If the Wii didnt have the motion sensing, it would be pretty bad off.

Just imagine where it would be if it had no controller at all. Or if it ran on gas instead of electricity. Or if all its software was embedded in pieces of meat.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Just imagine where it would be if it had no controller at all. Or if it ran on gas instead of electricity. Or if all its software was embedded in pieces of meat.

Mmmm ... burgerware.

[Sonicwolf]

Just imagine where it would be if it had no controller at all. Or if it ran on gas instead of electricity. Or if all its software was embedded in pieces of meat.

I dont know why you're being like that. I think I made a pretty valid point. The Wii is selling off interactivity more than the games themselves. I think the Wii is very lacking in really great games. Its biggest selling point is Wii Fit right now. Its kind of reminiscent of the GameCube in which it had some big games at first but Nintendo kind of let the major titles wane during its lifetime.

[Mimi Nakamura]

Fixed.Super Famicom does not deserve all the heaping praise it gets.

Agreed. The vast majority of games on the Super Famicom are shit. The Mega Drive had a much better library of quality games.

[Mimi Nakamura]

Just imagine where it would be if it had no controller at all. Or if it ran on gas instead of electricity. Or if all its software was embedded in pieces of meat.

HAHAHAHA!!!

[Sonicwolf]

Agreed. The vast majority of games on the Super Famicom are shit. The Mega Drive had a much better library of quality games.

A vast lot of the Super Famicom/SNES games were released across both platforms though...

The Phantasy Star and Sonic games kicked ass along with the Mario and Final Fantasy games. I think the SNES and the Genesis deserve pretty equal praise.

[Mimi Nakamura]

A vast lot of the Super Famicom/SNES games were released across both platforms though...

That's not actually true though, is it? Most Super Famicom games were exclusives, as were most Mega Drive games. Of the games that had bi-platform releases, only a few were any good

Sure, both had great games, but the Mega Drive seemed to have better quality control regarding games releases.

Then again, I like games that require raw skill, which means I don't care for RPGs, so I guess I'm ignoring quite a few of the titles that are considered to be "classics" for the Super Famicom. That, and also being a Sega fangirl, makes me a little partial towards the Mega Drive.

[Kid Ice]

I dont know why you're being like that. I think I made a pretty valid point. The Wii is selling off interactivity more than the games themselves. I think the Wii is very lacking in really great games. Its biggest selling point is Wii Fit right now. Its kind of reminiscent of the GameCube in which it had some big games at first but Nintendo kind of let the major titles wane during its lifetime.

Fascinating. I've never before heard this argument that the Wii-mote is a gimmick, that Nintendo doesn't have enough 3rd party support, too much shovelware, and they take too long between big franchise games. Please continue.

[Sonicwolf]

Nevermind then. Sorry I got into a bit of a tanget there.. Back to topic now. What effect the release of a PS3 slim with backwards compatability would have on system sales is what im trying to figure out. The Blu Ray advantage is slowly fading away and I dont know if the B/C thing is as important as it was 9 years ago.

[Cloud121]

That's not actually true though, is it? Most Super Famicom games were exclusives, as were most Mega Drive games. Of the games that had bi-platform releases, only a few were any good.

Sure, both had great games, but the Mega Drive seemed to have better quality control regarding games releases.

Then again, I like games that require raw skill, which means I don't care for RPGs, so I guess I'm ignoring quite a few of the titles that are considered to be "classics" for the Super Famicom. That, and also being a Sega fangirl, makes me a little partial towards the Mega Drive.

And if a game was multi-platform, more often than not, the MegaDrive version was superior. Even if you're going purely by exclusives, the MD wiped the floor with the SFC.

[Leo_A]

Fixed.

Okay, I wouldn't say the SFC was pitiful, but with the exception of Super Metroid and Demon's Crest, the MegaDrive owned it in every way. Include the Mega CD and 32X, and it's not even close.

Super Famicom does not deserve all the heaping praise it gets. The GameCube is vastly underrated. I just pretend the Wii doesn't exist (Even though I stood in line on launch day, and dropped $600 for the console and most of the launch titles).

Considering the Super Famicom easily outsold the MegaDrive in units sold, and that the MegaDrive wasn't even able to surpass the PC Engine, I have little doubt you're wrong. Worldwide, Nintendo's console also outsold Sega's. Clearly there are plenty of people that disagree with your assessment that manages to somehow dismiss the entire library of a console as only having two titles that aren't pitiful.

You just have to look at hardware prices for them today to see which has retained greater popularity, Sega's console is much cheaper than Nintendo's on the resell market despite there being 20 million more Super Nintendo/Super Famicom consoles produced.

You're acting like a fanboy, there's just as many great titles on the Super Nintendo as on the Genesis, and plenty of multiplatform titles are considered to be superior in their SuperNes versions.

Unless someone retains the habit of being a childish fanboy from their elementary school days, such as yourself, there's no way one can be unbiased and like one of the two consoles and not the other. They're very similar in terms of the gaming they provide and both offer different advantages and disadvantages that lead them to complementing each other nicely. It's an impossibility to love the library of one and not find countless examples of excellent titles on the other.

[Swamperon]

A topic about Sony's sales figures had descended into a Snes Vs Megadrive debate?!

Anyways... 24 million is good but nothing to woop about in comparison with Sony's last two consoles. And the 360 is around the 30 mil mark now I believe, so they've got quite a ways to go. PSP has definitely done the best against a Nintendo handheld but the DS has still outsold it 2-1.

Bash motion control all you want. It sells, and Microsoft and Sony have jumped on board. The next generation consoles will all have motion control incorporated in some format.

[c0ldb33r]

Considering the Super Famicom easily outsold the MegaDrive in units sold, and that the MegaDrive wasn't even able to surpass the PC Engine, I have little doubt you're wrong...
Listen dude, may I suggest...

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s182/c0ldb33r/dont-feed-troll.jpg

[Xtincthed]

The GameCube didnt have a widely acclaimed control scheme. If the Wii didnt have the motion sensing, it would be pretty bad off.

if the wii didn't have motion sensing.. they would have made it a next-gen console with good graphics.. no reason in releasing another gamecube :p (which it is + motion)

[TheDomesticInstitution]

...ThERE 1$ s0 mUcH g00d inFORMAt10n 1N th1$ THRED!

Bringing the A-game to the table again Duffmanth! Keep it up with the bait-a-rific threads!

[Mimi Nakamura]

Considering the Super Famicom easily outsold the MegaDrive in units sold, and that the MegaDrive wasn't even able to surpass the PC Engine....

I think you'll find that the Mega Drive outsold the PC Engine. In Europe, the Mega Drive was a huge success.

[smork]

That, and also being a Sega fangirl, makes me a little partial towards the Mega Drive.

I'm a bit of a Sega fanboy but I never cared for the Mega Drive/Genesis. I always preferred SNES/SFC - I'm a huge Saturn/DC fan. There's no real reason for it though, I suppose, other than I played the hell out of the SNES back in grad school.

Back ON topic, I'm somehow surprised the PS3 sales are that high. I know piles of people with a 360 and/or Wii but few with a PS3 (other than myself). I wouldn't have one myself if I didn't get it for $250.

[megasdkirby]

24 million is really nothing to sneeze at.


In other news:

PS3 at 24 million units sold, PSP 57 million

In my opinion, even though the PS3 is a fantastic console, the amount of PS3 consoles sold is very...disappointing, considering that it's backed up by the "Playstation" and "Sony" brands. And to compare it to the GameCube...wow. There is a difference when one says "The PS3 is on par with the PS2" than saying "The PS3 is on par with...the GameCube?" Not trying to bash the GameCube, as I loved this console more than the PS2. but I will be honest: to use it as a comparison is pretty unfortunate.

I agree that the PSP is doing very good, considering it's competing with Nintendo and it's DS. But the PS3, being in third place...just reminds me of what happened to Nintendo with the N64.

The fault here is Sony themselves, I believe.

[chrisbid]

sony's business model assumed they would be not only in first place, but with a > 50% market share. it is an all-around failure, and with the economy in shambles for the forseable future, sony will be extremely lucky to break even.

the good news is no more over-priced video game consoles, the current generation will stick around for quite awhile

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

sony's business model assumed they would be not only in first place, but with a > 50% market share. it is an all-around failure, and with the economy in shambles for the foreseeable future, Sony will be extremely lucky to break even.

I'm not sure where you're getting that figure, but I don't recall Sony (or any company currently in the console race) stating that they expect a 50+ percent lead in the market share at any point in time, especially with two other consoles in the race.

And as far as "breaking even", if the current reports of Sony reducing development costs on the PS3 by 70% are accurate ... if they can drop the cost of the console at retail by at least $100 the combination of the Pavlovian response/sales spike that a huge price drop tends to have in consumers along with the longer market lifespan that Sony expects the PS3 to have in the market (10+ years, which they have been on record with as a figure multiple times) I think that they actually do have a very good shot at breaking even in the short term and riding this console generation out over the course of 10 years to see an eventual shift in consistent sales position and picking up realistic profits in the long-term.

Being a loss leader may not have been their ideal plan out of the gate, but I think they've proven themselves at being a great company in terms of dealing with any adversity that the PS3 may have brought to the market. Yes, they've operated with a ton of egg on their face over the past few years, but they've managed to repair a few mistakes like vastly improving the PS3's firmware/XMB funcationality and smoothing things out with Immersion to get rumble back in their controllers. PS2 BC and restrictive price points are a final stumbling block ... once they can get those out of the way there's not much left on the table for people to cite as a reason not to pick up a PS3.

To call it a "total failure" right now is relatively short sided ... we've seen consoles actually "fail" at retail in our lifetime, and despite a frustrated consumer base, the PS3 isn't quite performing at market like the Jaguar or Saturn.

[chrisbid]

the ps2 had well over 50% of the total market share, sony expected to at least hold serve with their language and actions before the ps3 launch

and i use the term failure relative to a companys expectations, nobody at sega figured the saturn would run away with the 32bit market

[garagesaleking!!]

from what i have seen personally, people buy a ps3 just for the specs, when in reality many of the people buying ps3s are not even gamers, they just buy it and have it sit their and say, oh ya i own the most advanced and best technology filled game system. either that or they used to have a ps2 and figure hey ill get a ps3. The original xbox had a lot of haters and that scared them away from getting into 360.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

the ps2 had well over 50% of the total market share, sony expected to at least hold serve with their language and actions before the ps3 launch

and i use the term failure relative to a companys expectations, nobody at sega figured the saturn would run away with the 32bit market

Sony didn't have 50% of the market share right out of the gate with the PS1 or PS2, those achievements required specific variables that the Sony hasn't been able to coordinate with the PS3.

I think we'll see a pretty dynamic shift once they can knock the price down another $100 and/or get PS2 BC back into the unit.

I don't expect them to overtake the Wii or 360 in the US market in the short-term, but we'll probably see sales increase by several hundred percent and more devs come on board with 3rd party software at brick & mortar and via the PSN which will help the PS3 subsist in the long-term. And much like the PS1 and PS2, when Microsoft and Nintendo announce their next gen devices, we'll probably see another year or so of PS3 still picking up decent hardware sales before Sony follows suit.

If the goal is to get on track with a "profitable" console for the next 5-6 years it appears that they're on track.

Did they "fail" at achieving whatever marketplace "expectations" came with being console king in the last generation brought with them? Sure, that's a fair assessment ... but this generation is hardly over, Sony's still in for the long haul, and with a totally different management team in place for the Playstation brand no less.

If PSP has proven anything it's that they've learned how to quietly "subsist" alongside an industry juggernaut (DS) and make a profitable go of it.

I wouldn't call PS3 "failure" until Sony releases some type of press statement informing their loyal user-base that they're discontinuing the Playstation brand and going into 3rd party software development for Microsoft and Nintendo.

And really ... what developer doesn't at the very least have the intention of succeeding in the marketplace. I'm sure even Sega hoped that the Saturn would be the next big thing.

[kupomogli]

Think it's probably time to bring the Wii HD into the conversation. People already bought the Wii, most of these people will have the PS3 and/or the 360. Once the motion sensing comes out on Sony's and Microsoft's systems, the Wii will have nothing about it that is superior to the other systems as the only gimmick it has is being used by the other two.

This will be when Nintendo decides to bring out its next console which will probably be a failure. The way things are going I see the PS3 lasting atleast 10 years and if a non RRoD 360 comes out, same thing. However, how many people are going to go and buy the Wii HD with graphics that can be compared to systems like the PS3 and 360 at $400 because it's a new system, only to be pretty sure that when the next gen comes out, there will be another Nintendo system lined up alongside Sony's and Microsoft's systems? I say $400 because the Wii right now at $250 being nothing more than a Gamecube with a gimmick controller is quite a bit overpriced and has been ever since it was announced. You'll be able to get Sony and Microsoft's gimmicks and still play the same games, so why buy another system? The exclusives really won't cut it for how few Nintendo actually releases that are good.

Also. How many people other than completely die hard Nintendo fans or most casual gamers will buy the system after the complete failure of the Wii when it comes to both third party and first party support. Hopefully people realize that even Nintendo hasn't supported the Wii as much as Sony and Microsoft support their consoles. I'd like to see that shitty company go back to where they belong. Where handheld is the only device worth getting(well, they're already there, but some people don't realize it.)

[duffmanth]

The PSP sales figures are pretty impressive. No handheld has ever managed to get that far against Nintendo.

Yeah that's an impressive feat, but Sony will probably increase their PSP sales quite a bit with the PSPGo. People will bitch about the price, but it'll still sell good numbers I'm sure. Personally I think they should concentrate on releasing more AAA games for the current PSP and not worry about launching a new model, but I guess Sony feels they have to go after the ipod touch now?

[duffmanth]

Think it's probably time to bring the Wii HD into the conversation. People already bought the Wii, most of these people will have the PS3 and/or the 360. Once the motion sensing comes out on Sony's and Microsoft's systems, the Wii will have nothing about it that is superior to the other systems as the only gimmick it has is being used by the other two.

This will be when Nintendo decides to bring out its next console which will probably be a failure. The way things are going I see the PS3 lasting atleast 10 years and if a non RRoD 360 comes out, same thing. However, how many people are going to go and buy the Wii HD with graphics that can be compared to systems like the PS3 and 360 at $400 because it's a new system, only to be pretty sure that when the next gen comes out, there will be another Nintendo system lined up alongside Sony's and Microsoft's systems? I say $400 because the Wii right now at $250 being nothing more than a Gamecube with a gimmick controller is quite a bit overpriced and has been ever since it was announced. You'll be able to get Sony and Microsoft's gimmicks and still play the same games, so why buy another system? The exclusives really won't cut it for how few Nintendo actually releases that are good.

Also. How many people other than completely die hard Nintendo fans or most casual gamers will buy the system after the complete failure of the Wii when it comes to both third party and first party support. Hopefully people realize that even Nintendo hasn't supported the Wii as much as Sony and Microsoft support their consoles. I'd like to see that shitty company go back to where they belong. Where handheld is the only device worth getting(well, they're already there, but some people don't realize it.)

The bottom line is the Wii has been a novelty piece of shit since launch, and that novelty (mostly around the motion sensing) I think has run its course. The Wii's software lineup is complete shit aside from the usual great 1st party games. A cheap sticker price and useless peripherals don't always equal a great console experience, and I think a lot of people are starting to realize that.

I think what happened with the PS3 was Sony had the best intentions of putting out the most powerful and cutting edge console they could, but I think they got a little over ambitious with the PS3 and costs got somewhat out of control, and hopefully they've learned some lessons from that?! However, I still firmly believe the PS3's best days have yet to come. The PS3 game library is on par with the 360 and destroys the Wii's software lineup, it's a very reliable console, a price drop is right around the corner, and Sony has HUGE games coming in the next 6-10 months along with more kick ass titles going into greatest hits I'm sure.

I think there's going to be a major change in the balance of power in the console wars over the next 1-2 years because I think the Wii is already starting to burn out, the 360 will probably continue to sell steadily, but it doesn't have the amount of AAA coming that PS3 has coming. As far as I can see, the PS3 is the only system that has the legs and vast software lineup that will be around in 5 years, cuz the Wii sure won't be and MS will have probably long pulled the plug on the 360 by then.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Think it's probably time to bring the Wii HD into the conversation.

No, it isn't. Straw manning never makes for a good conversation. Jeez, Sony can't even capture 25% of the market of their own threads...

[Swamperon]

Another way of looking at it is, what if in say 3 years time Nintendo and Microsoft bring out "next-gen" consoles and Sony stays with the PS3? from the mass market point of view (who doesn't pay attention or care about the industry) they will see these consoles as new and therefore 'better' then the previous gen. Sony and PS3 could look like they're standing still and are outdated, possibly forcing Sony to release the PS4 early to stay with the competition. Just something to consider.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Jeez, Sony can't even capture 25% of the market of their own threads...

ROFL Forum quote of the year!

[FxMercenary]

The bottom line is the Wii has been a novelty piece of shit since launch, and that novelty (mostly around the motion sensing) I think has runs its course. The Wii's software lineup is complete shit aside from the usual great 1st party games. A cheap sticker price and useless peripherals don't always equal a great console experience, and I think a lot of people are starting to realize that.

I think what happened with the PS3 was Sony had the best intentions of putting out the most powerful and cutting edge console they could, but I think they got a little over ambitious with the PS3 and costs got somewhat out of control, and hopefully they've learned some lessons from that?! However, I still firmly believe the PS3's best days have yet to come. The PS3 game library is on par with the 360 and destroys the Wii's software lineup, it's a very reliable console, a price drop is right around the corner, and Sony has HUGE games coming in the next 6-10 months along with more kick ass titles going into greatest hits I'm sure.

I think there's going to be a major change in the balance of power in the console wars over the next 1-2 years because I think the Wii is already starting to burn out, the 360 will probably continue to sell steadily, but it doesn't have the amount of AAA coming that PS3 has coming. As far as I can see, the PS3 is the only system that has the legs and vast software lineup that will be around in 5 years, cuz the Wii sure won't be and MS will have probably long pulled the plug on the 360 by then.

You hit the nail on the head.

[garagesaleking!!]

And you drove it through the block of wood and out the other side.

[GrandAmChandler]

The bottom line is the Wii has been a novelty piece of shit since launch, and that novelty (mostly around the motion sensing) I think has run its course. The Wii's software lineup is complete shit aside from the usual great 1st party games. A cheap sticker price and useless peripherals don't always equal a great console experience, and I think a lot of people are starting to realize that.

I think what happened with the PS3 was Sony had the best intentions of putting out the most powerful and cutting edge console they could, but I think they got a little over ambitious with the PS3 and costs got somewhat out of control, and hopefully they've learned some lessons from that?! However, I still firmly believe the PS3's best days have yet to come. The PS3 game library is on par with the 360 and destroys the Wii's software lineup, it's a very reliable console, a price drop is right around the corner, and Sony has HUGE games coming in the next 6-10 months along with more kick ass titles going into greatest hits I'm sure.

I think there's going to be a major change in the balance of power in the console wars over the next 1-2 years because I think the Wii is already starting to burn out, the 360 will probably continue to sell steadily, but it doesn't have the amount of AAA coming that PS3 has coming. As far as I can see, the PS3 is the only system that has the legs and vast software lineup that will be around in 5 years, cuz the Wii sure won't be and MS will have probably long pulled the plug on the 360 by then.

You sir are smoking crack.

[phantomfriar]

I think there's going to be a major change in the balance of power in the console wars over the next 1-2 years because I think the Wii is already starting to burn out, the 360 will probably continue to sell steadily, but it doesn't have the amount of AAA coming that PS3 has coming. As far as I can see, the PS3 is the only system that has the legs and vast software lineup that will be around in 5 years, cuz the Wii sure won't be and MS will have probably long pulled the plug on the 360 by then.

My friend, I know the kool-aid can be strong, but objectively, nobody but Sony "fanboys" are going to have that kind of "glass-half-full" analysis based on the reality of the numbers. If you think the Wii is a "novelty" that is "already starting to burn out" (right -- just watch the sales numbers for "Wii Sports Resort"), and that in 5 years Sony is somehow going to have a free road to reclaiming its market share with a console that continues to languish against its competitors right now, I think you're way off-base. In 5 years Nintendo will have a "Wii HD" -- good luck trying to outsell that console with a PS3 that's been on the market for many years and has shown few signs of life compared to what Nintendo and MS have done. Also, the 360 is supposed to be around more than 5 years (didn't someone just come out and claim 2015 as the approximate start point of the next MS console?), it already has a deeper game lineup than the PS3 and costs less. I don't really have a horse in this race but Sony is up against it, no question, and they've dug themselves a hole that's going to take a long, long time -- and likely huge missteps by their competitors -- to get back to where they were positioned last-gen.

[kaedesdisciple]

The bottom line is the Wii has been a novelty piece of shit since launch, and that novelty (mostly around the motion sensing) I think has run its course. The Wii's software lineup is complete shit aside from the usual great 1st party games. A cheap sticker price and useless peripherals don't always equal a great console experience, and I think a lot of people are starting to realize that.

I think what happened with the PS3 was Sony had the best intentions of putting out the most powerful and cutting edge console they could, but I think they got a little over ambitious with the PS3 and costs got somewhat out of control, and hopefully they've learned some lessons from that?! However, I still firmly believe the PS3's best days have yet to come. The PS3 game library is on par with the 360 and destroys the Wii's software lineup, it's a very reliable console, a price drop is right around the corner, and Sony has HUGE games coming in the next 6-10 months along with more kick ass titles going into greatest hits I'm sure.

I think there's going to be a major change in the balance of power in the console wars over the next 1-2 years because I think the Wii is already starting to burn out, the 360 will probably continue to sell steadily, but it doesn't have the amount of AAA coming that PS3 has coming. As far as I can see, the PS3 is the only system that has the legs and vast software lineup that will be around in 5 years, cuz the Wii sure won't be and MS will have probably long pulled the plug on the 360 by then.

Way I see it, the "bottom line" is not usually 12 lines of one-sided, half-educated, social media-fed observation combined with wild, baseless speculation.

Nail on the head, not so much. You've done something more along the lines of smashing the piece of wood as loudly as you can to make everyone think you hit the nail.

[chrisbid]

the only time a console has ever made a comeback was the snes over the genesis. sega outsold nintendo in 91, 92, and 93. nintendo managed a comeback with aggressive pricing, a barrage of exclusive software, and missteps from sega. Even after the alleged 70% reduction in production cost of the PS3, i do not see a 70% price drop... nor a 50% drop to put them in line with the 360 and wii. the exclusives are coming in at a trickle. the missteps from MS and Nintendo are there to take advantage of, but sony will likely not take advantage of the openings

[duffmanth]

I'm not saying the Wii is tanking right now, or will in the near future, but it's starting to level off and really level off in Japan. Most of the people who are buying Wii Sports Resort are probably already existng Wii owners, and I doubt that game alone has resulted in a bunch of people going to buy a Wii solely for that game. Of course the 360 has a deeper game lineup and costs less, it's got a year head start on the PS3 and has sold more as a result.

All I'm saying about the Wii is that people are getting sick and tired of waiting around for good games to come out for it. I know several people who have turfed it, or don't even touch the thing anymore.

[BetaWolf47]

Man, who the heck cares about this crap? It's not going to make a big difference in a few years when we're buying everything for cheap?

[duffmanth]

More personal opinion than speculation. BTW I never claimed to be hitting the nail on the head!

[BetaWolf47]

If you're going to get every good game, Wii does actually have plenty to offer. When I see people discussing Wii, all they discuss is the shovelware and the Wii _____ series, turning a blind eye to everything else.

[tom]

I like the Magnavox Odyssey best.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

the only time a console has ever made a comeback was the snes over the genesis. sega outsold nintendo in 91, 92, and 93. nintendo managed a comeback with aggressive pricing, a barrage of exclusive software, and missteps from sega. Even after the alleged 70% reduction in production cost of the PS3, i do not see a 70% price drop... nor a 50% drop to put them in line with the 360 and wii. the exclusives are coming in at a trickle. the missteps from MS and Nintendo are there to take advantage of, but sony will likely not take advantage of the openings

I don't think that they'll overtake Nintendo or Microsoft in this generation in the US in terms of lifetime console sales.

While they're close to MS by a decent margin, and they may overtake them in the short term (month by month) once the gap in price difference between systems normalizes, they're too far in the hole since launch numerically to pull ahead. It'll be a shock to me if they overtake MS long-term and a downright impossibility for them to catch the Wii.

What I DO think that they're absolutely capable of doing is beginning to manufacture a profitable system and over the course of the next 6-7 years (or however long they keep the unit in the market) make up for the money that they've willingly lost in the early years of hardware sales.

Remember, Nintendo trailed in console hardware sales last gen, but avoided bleeding money in the manufacturing costs ... they wound up rather comfortable (healthy DS and GBA sales notwithstanding) despite coming out in last pace with units sold.

Microsoft are going to be in a hole financially from hardware sales this gen due to the reported billions already lost in extended warranty/repair/re-design/replacement programs.

Sony is very good at re-designing hardware to minimize cost - PS1, PS2, PS3, and PSP have all seen numerous hardware profiles specifically designed to lower the production cost of the unit, and Sony has generally done an excellent job of passing along those savings to consumers.

Again, I see no reason why a profitable PS3 in the market for the remainder of this console generation isn't possible. Sony is trailing but they're healthy enough to stick it out and make the best of it.

[BHvrd]

If you're going to get every good game, Wii does actually have plenty to offer. When I see people discussing Wii, all they discuss is the shovelware and the Wii _____ series, turning a blind eye to everything else.

I agree with this.

Coincidentally the same seems to happen to the PS3 and on a regular basis, but worse, people say the system has nothing good which is a load of crock.

The minute one system starts doing better than the other everyone jumps ship to the other console. It would really be best that all do well and we reap the benefits of competition.

I must admit though, I wouldn't mind seeing Microsoft go belly up as I think they have nothing good to offer the gaming community. A couple of years ago I would have been agreed with, but not really anymore.

Compare the free content you get with all systems and you will see why I don't care for Microsoft's stance of "charge for EVERYTHING, closed architecture".

[Ed Oscuro]

Calling the GameCube bad because it didn't have enough games doesn't fly by me. In the time I had mine (first picked it up when it was bundled with the GameBoy Player for a discount) I never had enough money to even buy all I wanted, so the lack of games is not a credible argument by me. The games I got simply weren't available on the other systems (at least not optimally - Resident Evil 4, REmake, and Zero were all either downgraded or no-shows on other systems). That said, I did feel that I didn't get much value out of it - nowadays I'd almost rather have a PS2 for the (much) larger library.

Fixed.

Okay, I wouldn't say the SFC was pitiful, but with the exception of Super Metroid and Demon's Crest, the MegaDrive owned it in every way. Include the Mega CD and 32X, and it's not even close.

Super Famicom does not deserve all the heaping praise it gets. The GameCube is vastly underrated. I just pretend the Wii doesn't exist (Even though I stood in line on launch day, and dropped $600 for the console and most of the launch titles).
hurdurrrrr Contra III, Super Castlevania IV, Ninja Warriors Again, Pocky & Rocky 1 & 2, R-Type III, yeah totally not worth it (and that's just non-Capcom, non-first party stuff that's been on my mind lately; with the GC I struggle to list more than that many good games for it period - basically the Zelda games, the Resident Evil games, and Metroid Prime 1 & 2)

[j_factor]

I'm not saying the Wii is tanking right now, or will in the near future, but it's starting to level off and really level off in Japan.

Have you really looked at Japanese sales numbers? They're just focused on portables. The Wii is still outselling PS3 and 360 in Japan.


If you're going to get every good game, Wii does actually have plenty to offer. When I see people discussing Wii, all they discuss is the shovelware and the Wii _____ series, turning a blind eye to everything else.

Agreed. I think there's a big "mindset problem", where people are convinced that there's nothing there without really looking at the games available. De Blob is a genuinely great game, and maybe it would've sold better if not for people's attitudes.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

... Agreed. I think there's a big "mindset problem", where people are convinced that there's nothing there without really looking at the games available. De Blob is a genuinely great game, and maybe it would've sold better if not for people's attitudes.

I agree as well, Wii has plenty of great stuff on it both DLC and at brick & mortar - despite the completely disproportionate amount of garbage shovelware. Certainly enough to classify it as a great system and one worth owning ...

... however the "mindset" that you're referring to I think happens, at least in part from the experience of trying to "shop" for software at retail.

Until retail outlets start sorting the software by shovelware / non shovelware categories (which isn't ever going to happen) it can be a massive fucking headache to sift through the trash to find 3rd party gems ... unless Wii users are ultra vigilant online news/reviews hounds like us, it might be impossible for them to know the difference in quality between a "No More Heroes" and a "Ninjabread Man" (or whatever two games of divergent quality you'd like to compare).

I personally spend countless hours online reading up on gaming news and more often than not I'm immediately turned off by the experience of even attempting to just browse the "new releases" for Wii at a Gamestop, Best Buy, or whatever retail outlet keeps deep stock on Wii software.

[duffmanth]

I know the Wii is still outselling the PS3 and 360 in Japan, the PS2 is probably still outselling the 360 over there to, all I'm saying is the Wii isn't selling what it was in Japan either because of market saturation or people are just getting tired of waiting for AAA games to come out for it, who knows?

[Ed Oscuro]

I guess what it comes down to is whether you're made of money and have lots of time to spend with any given system...the PS3 and 360 certainly have lots of faux-movie third person extravaganzas, but the Wii has:

- Madworld
- Contra ReBirth

Not so sure about Madworld but ReBirth almost makes the system a must-have in my view. That said I'd get a 360 or PS3 first because I like those kinds of games (that said their graphics are looking severely dated to me - PC foreva).

[Snapple]

There's a lot of fanboyism in this thread. I don't know how it got to SNES vs. MD then back to Wii is bad vs. Wii is awesome.

PS3 getting to 24 million is nice, but what's really nice for Sony is that the PS2 is that they're working on 150 million PS2s, and the console shows no signs of even getting outsold by the PS3 in a month anytime soon.

Before this console generation, Sony chased me off the bandwagon with their terrible price points and not seeming to care about innovation, while Nintendo gave us something cheap and innovative, and all about "It's about games, not graphics." So I got a Wii first. Wii isn't *all* shovelware, just mostly. Mario Galaxy is a superb game. Zack and Wiki is a great game. Most of the other games are eh... Granted I haven't yet played Mad World or a couple other high-profile Wii titles.

I did get a PS3 after they knocked $200 off the price, and for me it is a better system with better games. I still think Sony is way too prude with its prices and business model. The PSP Go for how much? When you can buy an original PSP for $100 less? Inexcusable. But "caring about the fans" aside, PS3 is a beautiful system. Uncharted and Valkyria Chronicles are probably my two favorite new franchises of the past five years.

[duffmanth]

There's a lot of fanboyism in this thread. I don't know how it got to SNES vs. MD then back to Wii is bad vs. Wii is awesome.

PS3 getting to 24 million is nice, but what's really nice for Sony is that the PS2 is that they're working on 150 million PS2s, and the console shows no signs of even getting outsold by the PS3 in a month anytime soon.

Before this console generation, Sony chased me off the bandwagon with their terrible price points and not seeming to care about innovation, while Nintendo gave us something cheap and innovative, and all about "It's about games, not graphics." So I got a Wii first. Wii isn't *all* shovelware, just mostly. Mario Galaxy is a superb game. Zack and Wiki is a great game. Most of the other games are eh... Granted I haven't yet played Mad World or a couple other high-profile Wii titles.

I did get a PS3 after they knocked $200 off the price, and for me it is a better system with better games. I still think Sony is way too prude with its prices and business model. The PSP Go for how much? When you can buy an original PSP for $100 less? Inexcusable. But "caring about the fans" aside, PS3 is a beautiful system. Uncharted and Valkyria Chronicles are probably my two favorite new franchises of the past five years.

I just wish the Nintendo of the mid eighties to the mid nineties existed today. That was the Nintendo that I and many others grew up with. No matter what your gaming tastes were, the NES and SNES had you covered. I know people are going to say that they had a strangle hold on licensing rights back then, and that's one reason why they had so many great games at the time, but they need to start getting back some of those core gamers that they've lost to Sony and MS. Starting with the N64, Nintendo has lost a lot of those fans to Sony, and has made no attempt to get them back. I will always have a soft spot for the Nintendo of old, but what they've turned into the last 10-15 years I just can't get into.

[Cloud121]

Considering the Super Famicom easily outsold the MegaDrive in units sold, and that the MegaDrive wasn't even able to surpass the PC Engine, I have little doubt you're wrong. Worldwide, Nintendo's console also outsold Sega's. Clearly there are plenty of people that disagree with your assessment that manages to somehow dismiss the entire library of a console as only having two titles that aren't pitiful.

You just have to look at hardware prices for them today to see which has retained greater popularity, Sega's console is much cheaper than Nintendo's on the resell market despite there being 20 million more Super Nintendo/Super Famicom consoles produced.

So you're basing it on sales? Sales don't constitute a better console, as the Wii has demonstrated (in my eyes), and as several others in this thread have stated.


There's no way one can be unbiased and like one of the two consoles and not the other. They're very similar in terms of the gaming they provide and both offer different advantages and disadvantages that lead them to complementing each other nicely. It's an impossibility to love the library of one and not find countless examples of excellent titles on the other.

I very much prefer my MegaDrive over my Super Famicom, but I don't necessarily hate the SFC. Demon's Crest, Super Metroid, Super Castlevania IV, Super Mario World, F-Zero. DKC series, Super Star Wars Trilogy, and Final Fantasy IV are all amazing games, but with the exception of Demon's Crest, and Super Metroid, none of those really truly WOWED me like several MegaDrive games have. Demon's Crest and Super Metroid are amazing, and breathtaking experiences that are EXCLUSIVE to the Super Famicom. Hell, Super Metroid is the single greatest game ever made. I never said I hate the Super Famicom or it's library. I just feel as though the MD's library was vastly superior, and when you factor in the Mega CD and 32X, it;s even better.

I personally prefer my multi-platform titles on my MegaDrive.

Yes, I am a Sega fanboy, I will admit. I just think the Super Famicom is Nintendo's "worst" console. I love my NES just as much as my Master System, my N64 just as much as my Saturn, and my GameCube just as much as my Dreamcast. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about the Super Famicom that doesn't appeal to me as much as the other Nintendo consoles. It's a great console, I just prefer my MD/MCD/32X much more. Maybe it's because my MegaDrive was my first console. Maybe it's because my Saturn that really turned me onto Sega back in 2000 (Was a Sony fanboy growing up), or the fact that the 32X is what got me into collecting. I don't know. Again, both consoles are great, I just prefer my Sega products.


with the GC I struggle to list more than that many good games for it period - basically the Zelda games, the Resident Evil games, and Metroid Prime 1 & 2)

P.N. 03 (My personal favorite game of all-time after Super Metroid), Rogue Squadron II, Rogue Squadron III, Star Fox Assault, Killer7, Wave Race Blue Storm, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Super Monkey Ball, Tales of Symphonia, Baten Kaitos, Baten Kaitos Origins, Odama, Eternal Darkness, Star Fox Adventures.

I'm not the biggest Super Famicom fan, but I LOVE my GameCube.

*GASP* I'm a Sega fanboy, but my two all-time favorite games are Nintendo exclusives?!

[Leo_A]

I think you'll find that the Mega Drive outsold the PC Engine. In Europe, the Mega Drive was a huge success.

He never said Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis, he explicity called Nintendo's 16 bit console the Super Famicom. So unless he's the type that views everything in videogaming that is different internationally than in Japan as automatically inferior (Including something like a console name) and uses a console name that isn't utilized in his region as a result, I made the only assumption I could that he was talking about the Japanese marketplace. The only region where those two console names were both utilized was there.

So the only logical thing I could assume was he was just talking about the Japanese marketplace, where the MegaDrive was a distant third in the market, millions behind the PC Engine.

[BetaWolf47]

I just wish the Nintendo of the mid eighties to the mid nineties existed today. That was the Nintendo that I and many others grew up with. No matter what your gaming tastes were, the NES and SNES had you covered. I know people are going to say that they had a strangle hold on licensing rights back then, and that's one reason why they had so many great games at the time, but they need to start getting back some of those core gamers that they've lost to Sony and MS. Starting with the N64, Nintendo has lost a lot of those fans to Sony, and has made no attempt to get them back. I will always have a soft spot for the Nintendo of old, but what they've turned into the last 10-15 years I just can't get into.

I've heard this nostalgia-blinded comment so many times and laughed every time. If Nintendo were the same today, here's how things would be:
-Companies would only be allowed to release 5 games a year
-Nintendo would still be stingy with licensing things
-Nintendo would only allow a certain amount of copies of a 3rd-party game to be manufactured
-Nintendo would have a monopoly on price points, meaning they could set their own games for $60 and 3rd-party games at $30
-We'd have considerably below standard hardware (NES was weaker than even average systems like SMS)

People are too apologetic of the cruel 80's Nintendo company. Their practices rivaled that of a corrupt monarch.

They let up with their cruelty with N64 and Gamecube and still continued to pump out core, non-casual titles, and like with Sega, the core gaming community abandoned them.

[Cobra Commander]

I don't know about this vs. that or apples vs. stepladders, but I'm kinda partial to video games. When I see a good game, I'll probably buy it. I could give a rats nutsack who makes it.
A good game is a good game is a good game.

[duffmanth]

I've heard this nostalgia-blinded comment so many times and laughed every time. If Nintendo were the same today, here's how things would be:
-Companies would only be allowed to release 5 games a year
-Nintendo would still be stingy with licensing things
-Nintendo would only allow a certain amount of copies of a 3rd-party game to be manufactured
-Nintendo would have a monopoly on price points, meaning they could set their own games for $60 and 3rd-party games at $30
-We'd have considerably below standard hardware (NES was weaker than even average systems like SMS)

People are too apologetic of the cruel 80's Nintendo company. Their practices rivaled that of a corrupt monarch.

They let up with their cruelty with N64 and Gamecube and still continued to pump out core, non-casual titles, and like with Sega, the core gaming community abandoned them.

Those things are all true, but it still doesn't change the fact that, for me at least, Nintendo just isn't the company they used to be, and that may be a bad or a good thing depending on how you look it?

True Nintendo had some very questionable business practices back then, but it still doesn't change the fact that they just don't have the same appeal for me that they used to.

[7th lutz]

The PSP go and the Psp is better position for overtaking the Nintendo DSi than the PS 3 is for overtaking the Wii.

The DSi for downloading software appears to very limited in genres and the quality varies. I don't own DSi for that reason besides wanting it to go down in price.

DSiware basically has Puzzle games, Simulation games, and application programs to download mostly at this time. The application downloads are a joke with the amount of clock and calculator programs to download for the most part based on reviews.

The DSi is doesn't have a lot 3rd party game releases for DSiware. Currently 22 out of 30 DSiware games or applications were published by Nintendo.

[smork]

all I'm saying is the Wii isn't selling what it was in Japan either because of market saturation or people are just getting tired of waiting for AAA games to come out for it, who knows?

Noticed there's a big fat recession going on? People aren't spending what they used to.

It's become much more of a portables market here anyway as everybody and their dog have a DS or PSP.

[Typhoon_Timmy]

These sales numbers do not truly reflect how many systems are in homes.

It does not reflect real sales.

It also does not reflect how many of the "sales" are due to people who had to return items, or buy it over again due to failure. I work in a game store and see how many people buy and re buy the same system because of poor quality consoles. XBOX 360 infamous RROD, dead pixels/ power problems/ etc. on PSP or the delicate PS2 Slim who likes to circle scratch games (Sometimes right out of the box). Don't forget the BlueRay Disc scratching the LASER in the PS3. There are many problems with many consoles... the Wii appears to be the one with the least problem, aside from the HD burning out in the first run of the systems.

However I understand why no company would want that information available.

These numbers are under too many variables to be very accurate.