PS3 "Strong Contender" To Overtake Xbox 360 [Slashdot]

[DP ServBot]

donniebaseball23 writes "Xbox 360 has been having an incredible year so far in 2011, but on a global scale Sony's PS3 is still gaining ground. In fact, this year PS3 has outpaced Xbox 360 by 10% worldwide, analysts have pointed out. While the Wii has clearly won the race for this console generation, the battle for second place is neck and neck, and PS3 has a good shot of overtaking Xbox 360. 'As for second place, as far as the hardcore market is concerned, I'd say PS3 is a strong contender for that position,' commented M2 Research analyst Billy Pidgeon."http://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png (http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fgames.slashdot.org%2Fsto ry%2F11%2F07%2F26%2F2122259%2FPS3-Strong-Contender-To-Overtake-Xbox-360%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfaceboo k) http://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png (http://twitter.com/home?status=PS3+%22Strong+Contender%22+To+Overtake +Xbox+360%3A+http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FpGrJI4)

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[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

PS3 has a lineup of games just as good as the 360, and similar graphics now as programmers learn to get more out of the Cell processor. It's online is poorly done, but it has a wide variety of JRPGs compared to the 360.

The price is what killed it early on. With that reduced, more ground will be gained. It's just like the Sega Saturn would have done if it hadn't had Bernie Stolar screwing it up.

[kedawa]

I was under the impression that Wii sales had pretty much stalled. Were they that far ahead that PS3 and 360 can only fight it out for second place?

[Leo_A]

It's been obvious for a couple of years now that the PS3 has been steadily closing the gap in worldwide sales to the Xbox 360 and would eventually surpass it. Must be a slow news day.


I was under the impression that Wii sales had pretty much stalled. Were they that far ahead that PS3 and 360 can only fight it out for second place?

There are approximately 90 million Nintendo Wii's out there. And it's still selling in decent numbers, despite being far down from previous years. So it shouldn't have trouble surpassing the 100 million mark given another Christmas season ahead of it (which has always been when the system saw the majority of its sales), likely over a full year left ahead of it as Nintendo's premier home console, and perhaps some market life left in it afterwards as Nintendo's budget platform if it still has any steam left in it by then.

The Xbox 360 is somewhere around the 55 million mark and the Playstation 3 is just past the 50 million mark. So even if the Wii was discontinued tomorrow, I don't think anyone expects either one to reach the Wii.

[kedawa]

I'm surprised I don't see more Wii consoles at yard sales, since there are so many out there. Of the dozen or so people I know who own one, only one actually uses his regularly. The rest just dust it off when the big releases hit, and those are few and far between these days.

[wingzrow]

It's online is poorly done

It's FREE and i'm not constantly being not bombarded with ads telling me to buy from netflix or to get a kinect.

Thanks but ile stick with the way PS3 does online.

[Bojay1997]

I'm not sure how this is "news". As of late last year, at least a couple of analysts were already claiming that the active install base of PS3 vs. Xbox360 was about a million more worldwide on the PS3. Having said that, those numbers are heavily dominated by Japan and Europe as the PS3 is well behind the 360 in the US numbers. I believe the most recent active install base numbers at the end of 2010 were around 16 million for the PS3 in the US and over 25 million for the 360. In addition, monthly sales in the US have been showing the 360 leading the PS3 pretty much all of 2011 in the US. It has definitely been a very interesting generation and I am curious to see what happens in the next go round.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

It's online is poorly done...

Could you elaborate on that statement?

I'm interested to know what about the PSN online experience is "poorly done" in comparison to the 360 or the Wii.

[otoko]

In addition, monthly sales in the US have been showing the 360 leading the PS3 pretty much all of 2011 in the US.

How many of those are RROD buy's though? I've known several people who have bought more than one 360 due to the system flat out dieing on them.


It's online is poorly done

I'm curious what you mean by this as well

[kedawa]

Not as good as XBL is the same sucking when it comes to gamers. There is no middle ground, there are no shades of gray.

[kupomogli]

How many of those are RROD buy's though? I've known several people who have bought more than one 360 due to the system flat out dieing on them.

Or how many of those were 360 Slims purchased from people who already own an original 360 and wanted to upgrade.


PS3 online sucks

Mortal Kombat is mostly unplayable on PS3 and 360, Tekken 6 is mostly unplayable on PS3 and 360, Street Fighter 4 99% of the time has no(noticeable) lag on PS3 and 360, etc, etc, etc.

The difference is, is that PS3 owners pay $0 to have shitty Mortal Kombat and Tekken 6 matches while 360 owners pay $50 a year unless they get a special. Point is. A shitty game experience online is still shitty regardless what system you're playing on, where a good game experience is good regardless what system you're playing on.

The only time the 360 online was better than the PS3 online was when the PS3 was offline for a full month.

[heybtbm]

Negativity, negativity, blah blah blah

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9371/interdasting.jpg

[Rickstilwell1]

Not as good as XBL is the same sucking when it comes to gamers. There is no middle ground, there are no shades of gray.

There is a middle ground if you factor in all the gamers who don't even give a crap about online gaming period.

[Berserker]

A few months ago I read a great article (http://insertcredit.com/2011/06/20/the-playstation-3-is-hitting-all-kinds-of-strides/) by our own Mr. Frank Cifaldi that immediately sprang to mind here.

[Bojay1997]

A few months ago I read a great article (http://insertcredit.com/2011/06/20/the-playstation-3-is-hitting-all-kinds-of-strides/) by our own Mr. Frank Cifaldi that immediately sprang to mind here.

That's actually a very funny reality check. The truth is, regardless of who comes in second and third, both Sony and MS have lost a ton of money this generation and both have made significant mistakes. I personally like my 360 and my PS3 and my Wii for that matter, but I'm also looking forward to the next generation which will hopefully be more trouble free (I never had a RROD or YROD, but I have tons of friends who had problems with both their PS3 and 360), less expensive for gamers on the hardware side (I paid $600 for my first PS3) and chock full of great games early on rather than a couple years in (all three of my current gen consoles sat idle for a long time after launch).

[Rickstilwell1]

That's actually a very funny reality check. The truth is, regardless of who comes in second and third, both Sony and MS have lost a ton of money this generation and both have made significant mistakes. I personally like my 360 and my PS3 and my Wii for that matter, but I'm also looking forward to the next generation which will hopefully be more trouble free (I never had a RROD or YROD, but I have tons of friends who had problems with both their PS3 and 360), less expensive for gamers on the hardware side (I paid $600 for my first PS3) and chock full of great games early on rather than a couple years in (all three of my current gen consoles sat idle for a long time after launch).

I know exactly what you mean. I do things slightly differently but pretty close - I buy all the systems when they are fairly new and have at least 1 game I want just to have the "now machines" but then I don't really go crazy about collecting them until they've been out for a while. I just concentrate so much more on classic gaming.

Last gen this is what I did:

Nintendo DS: Unsatisfied with my regular Game Boy Advance because of its dark screen and not caring much for GBA SP at the time due to having Game Boy Player and the SP not having a headphone jack, I decided the best thing to do was get a DS just to play my GBA games. I knew Final Fantasy III was being remade for the DS so I was encouraged to buy it. I don't remember what I actually purchased for the DS first. Could have been Sonic Rush, Final Fantasy III or New Super Mario Bros.

PS3: I bought my PS3 as a memory card storage device for PS1 and PS2 games first. I didn't get any actual PS3 games till Sonic The Hedgehog (2006) went down in price to $15 or $20 (I forget).

Wii: After that I got a Wii just to check out the Virtual Console. I eventually did pick up Super Mario Galaxy but I still haven't played it much yet. The only Wii game I beat was New Super Mario Bros. Wii when my uncle let me borrow it.

PSP: Next, I finally got my PSP-2000. Already having the PS3 and being able to download games from PSN, my first game was the rhythm game Beats. It was so fun and I always took it with me on the bus to play Extreme mode with already fast punk rock. People used to look at how fast my thumbs were moving and were like "whoa he's really into it." My first UMD was X-Men Legends II

Xbox 360: The last one from this past generation I got was the Xbox 360. I got it just to have it and it came with Grand Theft Auto IV and the employees also gave me the Marvel Ultimate Alliance / Forza 2 Motorsport combo pack. I had less interest in this system so it's been my least played. I'm not really fond of the idea of paying for online gaming which I don' even do for free on the PS3, and I'm not a shooter fan. I will pretty much only play 007 themed FPS games and the last one I really liked was Agent Under Fire. I gotta try that new Goldeneye.

for all of the above, I still only have about 10 games on each system.

Now for this new upstarting generation:

Nintendo 3DS: I got it because I hadn't had a new system in a long time and was itching for something new. Bust-A-Move Universe and Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D convinced me that there were at least a couple series I already like available for the system. I kind of like how spaced apart the good games are with their release dates because I can't afford them all at once anyway. I want quality games, not rushed games.

[kedawa]

I didn't buy a 360 until they were on sale for $99, and I plan to do that for all systems from now on. The days of blowing a month's rent on a game system are over for me.

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

360 online is centralized, and done in an organized fashion. There is a Gamerscore system and a wide variety of gamers. And it's more reliable. Remember when the PS3's online "framework" failed for a while in April-May 2011?

[kupomogli]

Remember when the PS3's online "framework" failed for a while in April-May 2011?

You mean failed as in "got hacked?" There's two threads on it if you look back a few pages. Sony could have brought it back online, but they were keeping it offline to fix their infrastructure and make sure security was in check.

Again. That's the only time the 360 online is better than the PS3 online. When the PS3 was down for that month, then yes, the 360 online was better, because PS3 owners weren't even able to get online. All multiplatform online games for the PS3 run just as well as their 360 counterparts.

One thing is possible that started this "360 has better online." Most PS3s are wireless ready, while almost all 360s aren't. Most gamers who own a PS3 and 360 might run PS3 wireless and 360 wired and assume that the 360 just has better online because you're getting a worse connection while running wireless. Another thing is the thought that. "I'm paying $50 a year for this, it must be better."

[Bojay1997]

You mean failed as in "got hacked?" There's two threads on it if you look back a few pages. Sony could have brought it back online, but they were keeping it offline to fix their infrastructure and make sure security was in check.

Again. That's the only time the 360 online is better than the PS3 online. When the PS3 was down for that month, then yes, the 360 online was better, because PS3 owners weren't even able to get online. All multiplatform online games for the PS3 run just as well as their 360 counterparts.

One thing is possible that started this "360 has better online." Most PS3s are wireless ready, while almost all 360s aren't. Most gamers who own a PS3 and 360 might run PS3 wireless and 360 wired and assume that the 360 just has better online because you're getting a worse connection while running wireless. Another thing is the thought that. "I'm paying $50 a year for this, it must be better."

In fairness, they had multiple security flaws which allowed hackers to infiltrate the infrastructure and in Japan at least, they were not legally permitted to bring PSN back immediately whether they wanted to or not. Of course, lots of institutions are susceptible to hacking and I can't say that Live hasn't ever been hacked or couldn't suffer a similar outage. Also, please keep in mind that there was no real low cost option for PS3 on launch and not until quite a while after, so Sony essentially limited those of us who are early adopters to paying full price for the then unproven format of Blu Ray and forcing us to pay for wireless whether we had a router that worked with it or not.

I personally really like PSN now, but it took several years to just catch up with Xbox Live with features like trophies, etc...Frankly, owning and using both, I prefer Live for many new release games simply because the lobbying and matching system seems to work more smoothly (I feel like I actually get matched with players at a similar skill level), download speeds of games and DLC I purchase are much faster and frankly, I have less issues with glitches and crashes during gameplay. Of course, speed and glitchiness could be related to individual Internet connections, although I have quite a few friends around the country who also have both and have experienced similar issues on multiple Internet providers.

Ultimately, the 360 and PS3 are pretty evenly matched nowadays and this holiday will bring a number of great exclusives on both platforms and if you can afford both, there really is no reason not to own both.

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

I own both and I must say I am a bit more of a fan of the 360. However the PS3 will do for when my 360 is being played by my 43 year old, shooter-fan dad, or when the title is a PS3 exclusive. Although someone else could be a bit more a fan of the PS3... and it work the opposite way. I could see that being very foreseeable. I guess it's a matter of preference now that the PS3's price has cooled off, making it almost as affordable as the 360.

Plus the PS3 can play PS1 and PS2 games, well mine can anyway (: No more memory cards to screw around with!

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

There are approximately 90 million Nintendo Wii's out there. And it's still selling in decent numbers, despite being far down from previous years. So it shouldn't have trouble surpassing the 100 million mark given another Christmas season ahead of it (which has always been when the system saw the majority of its sales), likely over a full year left ahead of it as Nintendo's premier home console, and perhaps some market life left in it afterwards as Nintendo's budget platform if it still has any steam left in it by then.

The Xbox 360 is somewhere around the 55 million mark and the Playstation 3 is just past the 50 million mark. So even if the Wii was discontinued tomorrow, I don't think anyone expects either one to reach the Wii.

PS3 has plenty of life left, I expect it will reach 100+ million, especially now that prices are coming down and sales are increasing (with 50 million already sold, they only have 40 mill to go to get to the Wii), as well as the fact that Sony will likely keep it as the "budget" platform until the PS5 is almost ready. Look at the PS2 now; practically dead, pretty much a classic system now. Yet it's still in production, selling millions each year. It begs the question: Who's buying an 11 year old console new?

360 will continue to sell, and it has the RROD buys to "help" it along. I'd say it'll hit 75 million, before Microsoft will likely abruptly pull the plug on production.

Nintendo's not going to discontinue the Wii tomorrow, but if it did, the PS3 would emerge as the generation winner more than likely. Just like the Sega Genesis... it was winning, until a resurgent SNES knocked it out with DKC and the company f***ed up so bad they had to cut the generation short... yeah, Nintendo's not going to do that.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Second place - AKA: King of the Losers

They each flubbed many things exceptionally well. Gonna be a photo finish! LOL

Meanwhile, the winner of the last heat is about ready to ship their pony off to the glue factory. Mashing it flat will make it easier to ship flat rate priority.
:deadhorse:

[Dobie]

I still find it amazing that in terms of raw numbers, both 360 and PS3 are about to surpass the NES in number of units sold. When they do, they will be the 4th and 5th best selling consoles of all time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_game_consoles

[Peonpiate]

Both consoles have been out for nearly 6 years now, that is a generation by itself...The Wii clearly won this round and between the 360 and PS3 Id just call it a tie for 2nd place. Its not like they were neck and neck in sales when both machines were in their prime. By now the market should be gearing up for PS4 and the new Xbox.

The low sales [compared to PS2] comes down to this imo - Pricing. And games. The PS3 especially was ridiculously expensive at launch, almost as high as the 3D0 was way back in the 90s. The 360 was more affordable and similar in overall power so thats why it sold more. Not everyone can afford to spend 500$+ on a console these days.

As far as games go, this is just me but neither of the 3 consoles [Wii,360,PS3] convinced me to buy one. I do have a 360 that I received as a gift a few years back but I never used it. My point is that the game quality is not what it used to be, the PS2 had some great games that were truely unique soon after that console was released. GTA3 especially, was a awesome game that was different from other games and was reason enough to by a PS2 for by itself.

I believe that the Wii was a success this generation due to price and [believe it or not] offering a slightly different gameplay experience...Sure its more of a kiddy system, but its controller added a new element of gameplay to certain games. That in itself was good enough to convince the masses to buy it for the novelty factor.

And just to add, most of the old killer app series of the past suck now. The Final fantasy series used to be a "system buyer" game for me. But that series has been destroyed since FF12 came out, and 13 is even worse. Had that series and a few other series not been destroyed, im sure 360 and PS3 would have both sold a few million more units by now.

[Jaruff]

I'm surprised I don't see more Wii consoles at yard sales, since there are so many out there. Of the dozen or so people I know who own one, only one actually uses his regularly. The rest just dust it off when the big releases hit, and those are few and far between these days.

Same. I've seen them at Pawn Shops for as low as $75 but I don't care enough to buy one.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm still waiting for clarification from WelcomeToTheNextLevel as to what exactly "It's online is poorly done" means.

[Bojay1997]

I'm still waiting for clarification from WelcomeToTheNextLevel as to what exactly "It's online is poorly done" means.

I own and use both and I disagree that the PS3 online is "poorly done". Having said that, I think Live is worth paying $60 (actually I have yet to pay $60 for any year of service with most years being around $35 or so with various sales and deals) for based on a few advantages. First, as I noted earlier, matching and particularly skill evaluation on Live seems far more accurate than on PSN. It means I waste less time getting placed into games with people who are significantly better than I am. Second, for whatever reason, it just takes less time to download large files from Live than it does PSN. It's possibly because there are less dedicated servers for content, but it's not just where I live in Los Angeles, but also around the country based on what I understand from my friends who also own both. Third, the interface is actually better integrated IMHO. It's very easy to chat with and add friends and get into games with them on the fly. PSN is just not as slick in that respect, possibly because it wasn't something that it launched with and was only added later on, just like trophies.

Yes, PSN is free (well, unless you paid $600 for a PS3 at launch like I did in which case, I think I probably paid a pretty hefty premium to get that "free" service), but in my opinion, Live is worth the money, especially as it is almost always on-sale at below MSRP and literally millions of people are on it. Like I said, limiting yourself to either the 360 or the PS3 seems foolish if you can afford both as even the downloadable exclusives on both are pretty awesome, so you're really missing out.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I own and use both and I disagree that the PS3 online is "poorly done". Having said that, I think Live is worth paying $60 (actually I have yet to pay $60 for any year of service with most years being around $35 or so with various sales and deals) for based on a few advantages. First, as I noted earlier, matching and particularly skill evaluation on Live seems far more accurate than on PSN. It means I waste less time getting placed into games with people who are significantly better than I am. Second, for whatever reason, it just takes less time to download large files from Live than it does PSN. It's possibly because there are less dedicated servers for content, but it's not just where I live in Los Angeles, but also around the country based on what I understand from my friends who also own both. Third, the interface is actually better integrated IMHO. It's very easy to chat with and add friends and get into games with them on the fly. PSN is just not as slick in that respect, possibly because it wasn't something that it launched with and was only added later on, just like trophies.

Yes, PSN is free (well, unless you paid $600 for a PS3 at launch like I did in which case, I think I probably paid a pretty hefty premium to get that "free" service), but in my opinion, Live is worth the money, especially as it is almost always on-sale at below MSRP and literally millions of people are on it. Like I said, limiting yourself to either the 360 or the PS3 seems foolish if you can afford both as even the downloadable exclusives on both are pretty awesome, so you're really missing out.

Fair points all around.

I think Live is a great, fast and stable service I've been a member since day one on XBOX with no lapses and I expect to remain one through whatever iterations the service has. BUT where PSN does have some differences/shortcomings/limitations, it also has some interesting things that XBL doesn't offer:

- A web browser (which isn't the best in terms of modern site coding functionality/compatibility, but it serves for doing most things that you'd want it to while you happen to be using your PS3)

- Playstation Home (the service takes a TON of shit but it has grown into a very large and robust social platform)

- The ability to make purchases above $5 in exact amounts (I'll forever despise Microsoft and Nintendo's arbitrary required point bundle purchases)

- PLUS, for roughly the same yearly price as XBL you get access to weekly free software, free add-on content, beta game access and huge discounts on software and add-ons. There are tons of games that I really enjoy that I would have never even considered playing or buying if I hadn't gotten them for free, and I've come close to filling all 16 gigs of space on my PSP Go with the free weekly content. Based on my satisfaction with PLUS, if Microsoft rolled out a similar program I'd jump on it in a heartbeat.

But, all that aside I'd really like to know what the author of the statement thinks is so terrible about PSN.

[The 1 2 P]

For the past three years I've heard two things about the PS3: that A) 20xx is the year of the PS3(been going on since 2008) and B) the PS3 is going to take second place this year(also been going on since 2008 thanks to MGS4). And of course everyone was so sure that the PS3 would dominate this year because of all of their exclusives in 2011. But that hasn't happened either.

I'm kind of surprised that the PS3 hasn't caught up to the 360 in the last three years. While some like to point out that the 360 had a year head start, they need to keep in mind that the PS3 sells in three regions while the Japanese pretty much ignore the 360. Case in point, the 360 sold more systems in the US last November(a single month) than they did for the entire year in Japan. Actually, they probably sold more that month(in the US) than they have the last three years in Japan.

So yeah, if my system was selling well in the US, Europe and Japan, I would expect it to sell better than my rivals system that was only selling well in the US and Europe. The fact that they still haven't caught up just shows how well the 360 is doing here in the US(where the 360 is ahead of the PS3 by something like 8-11 million units). But in Japan the 360 hasn't even sold 2 million (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars) units in 6 years. I've always knew they were biased against US systems but their hate for Microsoft's systems is on another level, despite how Microsoft caters to them over there with 2D bullet hell shooters, date sims and exclusive rpgs.

Like Bojay I also have all three systems, but my Wii is nothing more than a dust collector. I finally started getting into my PS3 exclusives but my online preference will always be for XBL since it's been working well enough since the last gen and only keeps getting better. The PS3 should eventually take second in world wide sales but now they have finally had a small taste of defeat since theres no way they will come out of last in the US. But that will keep them humble so that they price their next system more competitively from the start.

Besides, the real winners are gamers since we got to enjoy this gen for longer than the usual 5 year life cycle. Theres really no reason for either the PS3 or 360 to be replaced for atleast another couple of years. The games are still coming, the graphics have held up well and the online communities continue to thrive.....well, some of them do.

[DigitalSpace]

donniebaseball23

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2554/skipbaseball.jpg

[Zing]

After five years, the PS3 might finally reach the coveted second slot (out of three). Bravo. :roll:

[Gamevet]

It's been obvious for a couple of years now that the PS3 has been steadily closing the gap in worldwide sales to the Xbox 360 and would eventually surpass it. Must be a slow news day.



There are approximately 90 million Nintendo Wii's out there. And it's still selling in decent numbers, despite being far down from previous years. So it shouldn't have trouble surpassing the 100 million mark given another Christmas season ahead of it (which has always been when the system saw the majority of its sales), likely over a full year left ahead of it as Nintendo's premier home console, and perhaps some market life left in it afterwards as Nintendo's budget platform if it still has any steam left in it by then.

The Xbox 360 is somewhere around the 55 million mark and the Playstation 3 is just past the 50 million mark. So even if the Wii was discontinued tomorrow, I don't think anyone expects either one to reach the Wii.

The Wii has sold 87.4 million so far. What's amazing is that the PSP has sold more units than the 360 and PS3.

http://www.vgchartz.com/

Wii = 87.4 M
360 = 55.2 M
PS3 = 51.8 M
DS = 147.7 M
PSP = 69.1 M


PS3 has a lineup of games just as good as the 360, and similar graphics now as programmers learn to get more out of the Cell processor. It's online is poorly done, but it has a wide variety of JRPGs compared to the 360.


Sony's 1st and 2nd party titles show what the system is truly capable of. Uncharted 2 is the best looking game of this generation and Uncharted 3 will probably surpass it.

I believe the 360 has a better selection of JRPGs, with titles like Infinite Undiscovery, Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, The Last Remnant and Culdcept Saga. The PS3 does have the exclusive Demon's Souls and its upcoming sequal, plus Valkyria Chronicles, but I'd still give the edge to the 360.

[swlovinist]

I know that both the Xbox and PS3 want to extend their consoles life above and beyond the "5 year mark". Both companies need to realize that in this terrible economy there will need to be a system price drop this holiday for people to care. Both companies have their strengths, but I have to give the nod to Xbox live...which does have a better interface and a couple of exclusive games that I am preferring.

That being said I know that the PS3 has more exclusives coming out, but just only a few that I actually care about. I may give Resistance 3 a whirl. I feel that this generations consoles are going to take a back seat to portables this year.

[Robocop2]

Really the only reason I see to own one over the other these days is exclusives. Either that or depending on the multi platform release the occasional console exclusive features (additional content, DLC, etc). I do think that overall LIVE is more streamlined than PSN but I have considerably more experience with LIVE than PSN so its possible that I'm just more comfortable with the experience. I can say that downloads seem considerably quicker over LIVE to me so that is a factor. I don't really play much online so really other than the marketplace I've little care or concern on that front.

Looking at my library; the 360 wins hands down as the ratio is probably close to 5:1 vs my PS3 collection excluding PS1/2 games that is. Really I view my PS3 as more of a blu ray player that can play PlayStation games.

[Leo_A]

The Wii has sold 87.4 million so far.

Considering that the confirmed amount was already 87.57 million back in June, I'd say that stating it's approximately 90 million units sold is more accurate. It's probably in the 88 million range right now and approaching 89 million.


I feel that this generations consoles are going to take a back seat to portables this year.

With the DS and PSP being on life support, the NGP delayed to next year for most of the world, and the 3DS sales being slow, I really doubt that will be the case for most individuals.

[Gamevet]

Considering that the confirmed amount was already 87.57 million back in June, I'd say that stating it's approximately 90 million units sold is more accurate. It's probably in the 88 million range right now.


Those numbers were from August 6th, Wii didn't sell half a million units since then. In Japan, the Wii has only managed to sell 370,000 units for the year, so it's not like the system is carrying a lot of momentum worldwide.

http://www.the-magicbox.com/1108/game110804a.shtml


The Wii will hit 90 million by late fall for sure, but the sales numbers for the console are nearing saturation for North America and drastically fading in Japan.

[Darko]

Everyone here seems to forget that there are plenty of PS3s that serve as nothing more than blu-ray players. I know at least 5 people who have them just because, up until about a year or so ago, it was the best Blu-ray player on the market. I'm a Live person myself simply because that's what all my friends are on. I don't really have a problem with PSN, but I've seen no reason to use it that often. It's cool that it's free but I don't think anyone who's already paying for XBL would have a solid reason for leaving it (as long as money isn't an issue).

[MarioMania]

Did the Blu-Ray Players go down in price yet??

[Gamevet]

Everyone here seems to forget that there are plenty of PS3s that serve as nothing more than blu-ray players. I know at least 5 people who have them just because, up until about a year or so ago, it was the best Blu-ray player on the market. I'm a Live person myself simply because that's what all my friends are on. I don't really have a problem with PSN, but I've seen no reason to use it that often. It's cool that it's free but I don't think anyone who's already paying for XBL would have a solid reason for leaving it (as long as money isn't an issue).

I have both consoles and my PS3 gets just as much play as my (2) 360s. Yeah, the 360 was the dominant console for online play for me, but in the last year online play has sort of taken a back seat for me; I'm burned out on Call of Duty and beyond Pinball FX2, I haven't used the online service much lately. I plan on using LIVE more, once Battlefield 3 arrives, but the next Call of Duty is a no-go.

Everyone at my office that owns a 360, plays Call of Duty: Black Ops (and Modern Warfare before that), but they really don't play much else. My coworkers that own a PS3, play NHL hockey, Dirt 3 and Black ops. I haven't heard much about using it as a Blu-Ray player from them, except for early on when they bought the console.

Yeah, I used my PS3 primarily as a Blu-Ray player during the first year I had the console, but it has seen a ton more gameplay in the past 3 years. Blu-Ray players are dirt cheap now and even I bought a stand alone player last Christmas, because of how inexpensive they are. I doubt people are currently buying PS3s for movies only, when a decent BR player can be had for under $150.

[Leo_A]

Those numbers were from August 6th, Wii didn't sell half a million units since then. In Japan, the Wii has only managed to sell 370,000 units for the year, so it's not like the system is carrying a lot of momentum worldwide.

http://www.the-magicbox.com/1108/game110804a.shtml


The number I said is an official Nintendo figure for sales of the Nintendo Wii up to June.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1106.pdf

So they're certainly not below that point now in August, no matter how far down sales are this year for the console. So it seemed right to say approximately 90 milliom. And according to your own link, they've sold over 390,000 units this year in Japan. ;)

They appear to be just about there, and will safely reach that point beyond a shadow of a doubt come late next month or October (According to a NPD chart I'm looking at, they sold somewhere around 250,000 units in the US in June alone). So even at this vastly slowed rate of sales, it's still racking in enough to close such a small gap pretty quickly.

http://gamerinvestments.com/video-game-stocks/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/npd-monthly-sales-06-2011.jpg

[Gamevet]

The number I said is an official Nintendo figure for sales of the Nintendo Wii up to June.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1106.pdf

So they're certainly not below that point now in August, no matter how far down sales are this year for the console. So it seemed right to say approximately 90 milliom. And according to your own link, they've sold over 390,000 units this year in Japan. ;)

Okay, it's still not an impressive number.


They appear to be just about there, and will safely reach that point beyond a shadow of a doubt come late next month or October (According to a NPD chart I'm looking at, they sold somewhere around 250,000 units in the US in June alone). So even at this vastly slowed rate of sales, it's still racking in enough to close such a small gap pretty quickly.

http://gamerinvestments.com/video-game-stocks/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/npd-monthly-sales-06-2011.jpg

According to the chart you've listed, since the fiscal year starting in April of 2011, the Wii has managed to sell 1.5 million units. If that chart was up to June of 2011, that would mean that the Wii would not hit 90 million until late November. It should also be noted that the large amount of sales for June, probably had a lot to do with the price drop. The PS3 received a huge spike in sales when that system dropped in price as well, but sales evened out after that. Still, if you look at the previous year, the Wii averaged 1.25 million units per month. At the current rate of sales, the Wii would be lucky to sell 6 million units by the end of the fiscal year.

[duffmanth]

The 360 sales numbers are very flawed because you have to consider how many of those units were bought as replacement units for crapped out 360's. I think the PS3 will surpass the 360, if it hasn't already, globally. The 360 only sells well in North America and is modestly successful in Europe, as where the PS3 sells much better globally. The Wii is pretty much untouchable for now, but it'll probably be discontinued in the next year and the PS3 will be around for many years to come, so the PS3 could end up selling the most of the 3 consoles eventually?

[Zing]

The 360 sales numbers are very flawed because you have to consider how many of those units were bought as replacement units for crapped out 360's.

It depends on what you are trying to measure. Are you trying to measure the current installed base or just the desirability of the console? Because hundreds of thousands of sales from people desperate to replace their broken console says quite a bit about its desirability.

[kupomogli]

It depends on what you are trying to measure. Are you trying to measure the current installed base or just the desirability of the console? Because hundreds of thousands of sales from people desperate to replace their broken console says quite a bit about its desirability.

If you have atleast 10 games you really like on a system and it happens to die on you, wouldn't you do the same? Or let's say you play online and your friends all played online on the 360. You're going to get a 360 so you can still play with them.

The only chance that let's say a group of friends that play online together would buy a PS3 over 360, is if all their 360s happen to die at the same time and none of them could get it fixed by Microsoft at no charge, and all happened to use was Gamefly or just played one game together. That's where either console hooks you to stay loyal to that console, especially if you play online. You have friends or people you know you're used to play with on that console. Switching to the other, you might know people who own the other, but you haven't played with them.

[Diatribal Deity]

It is quite interesting how the dynamic of the console wars can be altered due to what amounts to a popular gimmick, an online hook and ultimately a more digestible price point. With the momentum Sony had from the PS1 and PS2 it was almost unfamothable to think they could fall to third place with the PS3 once all had hit their stride.

Regardless, I applaud all for their innovation and attempts to please us and expand their user base and look forward to whatever is to come...

[Patney]

To be honest PS3 would be the console of choice these days. Multiplat games are rarely inferior on one specific console anymore and to me PS3 gets the most interesting exclusives (Who cares about Fable and Halo). The only reason I keep my 360 is for Bayonetta (which sadly got a terrible PS3 port) and Deadly Premonition.

Also, hi :)

[substantial_snake]

To be honest PS3 would be the console of choice these days. Multiplat games are rarely inferior on one specific console anymore and to me PS3 gets the most interesting exclusives (Who cares about Fable and Halo). The only reason I keep my 360 is for Bayonetta (which sadly got a terrible PS3 port) and Deadly Premonition.

Also, hi :)

Pretty much this, the large number and variety of Playstation exclusives now makes this the console I recommend to people.

However earlier in this console generation it was the opposite. I remember before I had picked up a PS3 that I seriously considered going with the 360 instead. Earlier on many of the games I cared about were becoming Xbox only games or were timed exclusives with the PS3 receiving an inferior port. The only things that eventually persuaded me to pick up a PS3 were that I wanted to play with my friends, a few of the few exclusives (MGS4, Grand Turismo, and exclusive at the time Final Fantasy XIII), and the free online play (coming from PC online, the live P2P concept is just ridiculous).

I really feel like sony dropped the ball hard early this console generation. Starting with the high price, bad early marketing, failure to secure exclusives, neglect of the PSP for months at a time, etc. I loved the Playstation and the Playstation 2 for all the hours of entertainment and good times they gave me. I don't know weather it was overconfidence or what but Sony just screwed up bad early on, which is why they are still in third place now.

And welcome to the forum. :)

[Leo_A]

Okay, it's still not an impressive number.

I never argued it was, I was just defending my figure I provided of approximately 90 million units sold.


According to the chart you've listed, since the fiscal year starting in April of 2011, the Wii has managed to sell 1.5 million units. If that chart was up to June of 2011, that would mean that the Wii would not hit 90 million until late November. .

Those are just US sales (Check the title of the chart). When we're talking about things like 90 million units sold, we're discussing worldwide sales numbers. The chart was just something I stumbled across that I felt provided evidence to show that it's still racking up large enough numbers to still be adding on a million in unit sales fairly regularly.


Still, if you look at the previous year, the Wii averaged 1.25 million units per month. At the current rate of sales, the Wii would be lucky to sell 6 million units by the end of the fiscal year.

If you look a that chart, the US numbers at least are still somewhat similar to 2010's numbers (And 2009's). They're certainly down, but the red line still seems to hover fairly close to the 250,000 mark outside of the Christmas shopping season. The US drop in Wii system sales doesn't seem to have been quite as severe as in some other territories like Japan.

[Gamevet]

Those are just US sales (Check the title of the chart). When we're talking about things like 90 million units sold, we're discussing worldwide sales numbers. The chart was just something I stumbled across that I felt provided evidence to show that it's still racking up large enough numbers to still be adding on a million in unit sales fairly regularly.

The PDF chart you've linked, shows the Americas, Japan and other regions. It's worldwide sales numbers = 72 million plus sold, ending in June of 2011. It also shows that sales numbers for this fiscal year (April - June) were 1.34 million worldwide.

Japan = 6.146 million
Americas = 40.294 Million
Other = 20.514 Million




If you look a that chart, the US numbers at least are still somewhat similar to 2010's numbers (And 2009's). They're certainly down, but the red line still seems to hover fairly close to the 250,000 mark outside of the Christmas shopping season. The US drop in Wii system sales doesn't seem to have been quite as severe as in some other territories like Japan.

I did bring up the point that in the previous fiscal year, that the Wii had sold 1.25 million per month. The sales of the console are down (from 2010) by over 60% in North America, and down by a much larger margin in Japan. The Wii's sales numbers have been shrinking since 2009. It'll definitly hit 90 million, but getting to 100 million might not happen by the time the Wii U hits.

Here's an article from November of 2009

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aaK5EVaSmERU



Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Nintendo Co.’s Wii console sales fell for the eighth straight month in the U.S., as a 20 percent price reduction failed to lift purchases of the world’s leading video-game platform.

Sales of Kyoto-based Nintendo’s Wii fell 37 percent to 506,900, those of Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 rose 70 percent to 320,600, while they dropped 33 percent to 250,000 for Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360, researcher NPD Group Inc. said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. Industry hardware, software and accessory revenue in the world’s largest video-game market fell 19 percent to $1.07 billion last month.

Video-game industry sales have dropped in seven of the past eight months and are down 13 percent this year through October, NPD said. Nintendo cut the Wii price by $50, to $200 on Sept. 27, to boost sales of the console, which has a 48 percent market share in the U.S.

“Investors are getting used to looking at weak numbers for the Wii,” Yusuke Tsunoda, an analyst at Tokai Tokyo Securities Co., said by phone today. “The Wii’s period of expansion is over and investors’ attention has turned to Nintendo’s new hardware strategy.”

[duffmanth]

It depends on what you are trying to measure. Are you trying to measure the current installed base or just the desirability of the console? Because hundreds of thousands of sales from people desperate to replace their broken console says quite a bit about its desirability.

Whether people bought their replacement 360 out of "desirability" or not doesn't change the fact that many people probably purchased 2-3 or more 360's to either replace crapped out units or to upgrade to the slim model. i would be willing to bet that of those 55 million 360's sold, several million of them have to be replacements.

[Bojay1997]

Whether people bought their replacement 360 out of "desirability" or not doesn't change the fact that many people probably purchased 2-3 or more 360's to either replace crapped out units or to upgrade to the slim model. i would be willing to bet that of those 55 million 360's sold, several million of them have to be replacements.

Even assuming that's true, the 360 has sold 10 million more units in the US than the PS3. Not exactly that close here in the US.

[duffmanth]

Even assuming that's true, the 360 has sold 10 million more units in the US than the PS3. Not exactly that close here in the US.

Yeah and who knows how many of those 10 million units are replacements? All I'm trying to say is that those 360 sales figures are flawed because so many people went out and bought 2, 3, 4 or how ever many units to replace crapped out units. Almost everyone I know that has a 360 had their original fixed under warranty, then had to replace it at least once with a new unit once the original was past warranty.

[Bojay1997]

Yeah and who knows how many of those 10 million units are replacements? All I'm trying to say is that those 360 sales figures are flawed because so many people went out and bought 2, 3, 4 or how ever many units to replace crapped out units. Almost everyone I know that has a 360 had their original fixed under warranty, then had to replace it at least once with a new unit once the original was past warranty.

Look, if you're gonna make an argument, at least have the courtesy to stick to what you claimed earlier. You estimated several million of the Xbox 360s sold were replacements. That sounds reasonable to me. It's not, however, 10 million which is how many more 360s have been sold than PS3s in the US (roughly 15 million versus 25 million units). There is no doubt the 360 has outsold the PS3 in the US and continues to do so. In Europe and Japan that's clearly not the case. Regardless, as multiple posters have pointed out, neither the 360 nor the PS3 has sold anywhere near the Wii and the battle for second and third place is a fun discussion, but doesn't change the fact that both lost massive amounts of money and still didn't compete with what was essentially outdated hardware to begin with. Will the PS3 be sold longer than the 360? Probably, but Sony doesn't exactly make tons of money on the PS2 despite the fact that it is still available at retail, still sells a healthy number of units and new sports and kids games occasionally are still released.

[stargate]

I love my PS3 and have had no issues with my online experience. Granted, I may not do a TON of online gaming, but I play Need for Speed online quite often, stream Netflix constantly, and even use Qriocity daily. Throw in the blu-ray player which I literally use every night and I am a very happy customer. It is literally the only time I have even been 100% happy with a console. I love it.

[Patney]

Well, game patches and system updates tends to download extreeemely slow on the PS3 while on the 360 you barely get to look at the progress bar before it's finished.

[Leo_A]

The PDF chart you've linked, shows the Americas, Japan and other regions. It's worldwide sales numbers = 72 million plus sold, ending in June of 2011. It also shows that sales numbers for this fiscal year (April - June) were 1.34 million worldwide.

Thanks for clarifying

I was just confused since you said chart and were quoting the section where I linked you to the chart that was showing US console sales (Not that PDF table of all-time Nintendo sales to date). So I thought you were misinterpreting it.

Still, that's 1.34 million in three months. So it means they've probably logged about another million in worldwide sales just since that last Nintendo sales figure of 1st quarter sales was released several months ago. They're certainly pretty close to 89 million now and I bet will surpass that by the time this quarter has ended in September.


The sales of the console are down (from 2010) by over 60% in North America, and down by a much larger margin in Japan. The Wii's sales numbers have been shrinking since 2009. It'll definitly hit 90 million, but getting to 100 million might not happen by the time the Wii U hits.

It sure doesn't visually look like sales of the hardware are down 60% in North America from last year.

http://gamerinvestments.com/video-game-stocks/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/npd-monthly-sales-06-2011.jpg

I'm pretty sure we'll hit 90 million even before the bulk of holiday shopping takes place. I wouldn't be surprised to see it sell over 5 million units during the Christmas season in just the US alone.

So I suspect it won't have much trouble surpassing 100 million before the WiiU launches somewhere around September/October of next year. Will be interesting to see how it does this Christmas with a replacement already announced for next year, the long decline it's been in, and the less than impressive software lineup. With the price drop, Zelda, and their budget rerelease program though, I think they have a fighting chance to get one last solid Christmas out of it.

[Leo_A]

Whether people bought their replacement 360 out of "desirability" or not doesn't change the fact that many people probably purchased 2-3 or more 360's to either replace crapped out units or to upgrade to the slim model. i would be willing to bet that of those 55 million 360's sold, several million of them have to be replacements.

I think the average person usually went through MS's support to get repairs done, especially with the three year warranty extension for common hardware failures.

[Patney]

A friend of mine went and bought a new 360 after his first finally broke down. He couldn't bother waiting weeks for the repair.

[Sunnyvale]

IMHO, it all comes down to iconic characters. Wii has it in spades, Xbox has Halo at least and Playastation has... Crash Bandicoot? People buy systems to play specific games (present company excluded, of course). Look at the secondary market for PS2 compared to original Xbox games. And then compare that to the Gamecube games. Gamecubes were a joke, but if you want all the Zeldas...

[Rickstilwell1]

I'm also kind of curious how many extra 360's and PS3's sold just because of their slim forms. Most game system collectors buy one of every major make of a product; i.e. NES front and top loader; Genesis Nomad, 1, 2 & 3 etc.

The 360 and PS3 both have two major forms - large and small. I really like how the slims look but haven't gotten either yet because I'm going to wait till I move soon and get a new job. Then I'll be playing a new game I'll call "Collector's Catch-up" where you start collecting like mad because you haven't gotten to for a long time.

[Bojay1997]

I'm also kind of curious how many extra 360's and PS3's sold just because of their slim forms. Most game system collectors buy one of every major make of a product; i.e. NES front and top loader; Genesis Nomad, 1, 2 & 3 etc.

The 360 and PS3 both have two major forms - large and small. I really like how the slims look but haven't gotten either yet because I'm going to wait till I move soon and get a new job. Then I'll be playing a new game I'll call "Collector's Catch-up" where you start collecting like mad because you haven't gotten to for a long time.

I would say I fit into this camp. I bought launch PS3 and 360 units and neither ever broke down, but I upgraded to the slims on both just because I liked the new designs and got them cheap last Christmas. Several friends I know did the same, although I suspect people were more likely to upgrade their 360s simply because the slim is such a big improvement (wi-fi, much quieter, much bigger hard drive, etc...) while the PS3 slim could actually be a downgrade if you had a launch PS3 with the backwards compatibility.

[duffmanth]

Look, if you're gonna make an argument, at least have the courtesy to stick to what you claimed earlier. You estimated several million of the Xbox 360s sold were replacements. That sounds reasonable to me. It's not, however, 10 million which is how many more 360s have been sold than PS3s in the US (roughly 15 million versus 25 million units). There is no doubt the 360 has outsold the PS3 in the US and continues to do so. In Europe and Japan that's clearly not the case. Regardless, as multiple posters have pointed out, neither the 360 nor the PS3 has sold anywhere near the Wii and the battle for second and third place is a fun discussion, but doesn't change the fact that both lost massive amounts of money and still didn't compete with what was essentially outdated hardware to begin with. Will the PS3 be sold longer than the 360? Probably, but Sony doesn't exactly make tons of money on the PS2 despite the fact that it is still available at retail, still sells a healthy number of units and new sports and kids games occasionally are still released.

I never said it was *10 million* that were sold as replacements in the US, I said *who knows how many OF those 10 million* are replacements.

[Bojay1997]

I never said it was *10 million* that were sold as replacements in the US, I said *who knows how many OF those 10 million* are replacements.

Yes and earlier you said "i would be willing to bet that of those 55 million 360's sold, several million of them have to be replacements." That's still nowhere close to 10 million.

[kupomogli]

Yes and earlier you said "i would be willing to bet that of those 55 million 360's sold, several million of them have to be replacements." That's still nowhere close to 10 million.

It doesn't have to be close to 10 million. Like he said, and you quoted, "Yeah and who knows how many of those 10 million units are replacements?." It could be only one million, five million, nine million, it could even be one, but it's a potential amount of units that could have been bought for failed 360s. Not all 10 million extra or even close being purchases from failed 360s.

The thing is is that we don't know how many people bought a 360 again because their unit died. We don't know how many people bought a Slim because it being such a major upgrade in comparison to the original in terms of build quality. One thing we do know is that sales of aren't too much higher than the PS3 counterparts any longer. Sure, the PS3 sales are usually lower than those on the 360, and that's more than likely because even some PS3 owners only purchase exclusives for the systems and collect for the 360 instead. The gap in software sales is closing, and sometimes much larger on the PS3.

[Bojay1997]

It doesn't have to be close to 10 million. Like he said, and you quoted, "Yeah and who knows how many of those 10 million units are replacements?." It could be only one million, five million, nine million, it could even be one, but it's a potential amount of units that could have been bought for failed 360s. Not all 10 million extra or even close being purchases from failed 360s.

The thing is is that we don't know how many people bought a 360 again because their unit died. We don't know how many people bought a Slim because it being such a major upgrade in comparison to the original in terms of build quality. One thing we do know is that sales of aren't too much higher than the PS3 counterparts any longer. Sure, the PS3 sales are usually lower than those on the 360, and that's more than likely because even some PS3 owners only purchase exclusives for the systems and collect for the 360 instead. The gap in software sales is closing, and sometimes much larger on the PS3.

I quoted him exactly when he said "i would be willing to bet that of those 55 million 360's sold, several million of them have to be replacements." To then turn around and make it seem as though it's more than that is the epitome of inconsistency in argument. You're right, nobody knows for sure how many were bought as replacements or second systems, just like nobody knows how many PS3 slims were bought as replacements or second systems just like nobody knows how many Wiis were bought as replacements or second systems. It doesn't change the fact that the 360 has outsold the PS3 consistently in the US and the PS3 has outsold the 360 in Japan and Europe. It also doesn't change the fact that both the PS3 and the 360 were destroyed by a technically much weaker system which actually generated profits on both the hardware and software side for Nintendo from the beginning while both Microsoft and Sony lost tons of money up until very recently.

All of the three systems have their issues and this whole argument that someday the PS3 may overtake the 360 for distant second is a really pittiful reach for straws. Who cares at this point? It doesn't benefit us as gamers. It's not gonna mean better games or more niche releases. It just means Sony might make a little more money and Microsoft might make a little less.

[Gamevet]

It sure doesn't visually look like sales of the hardware are down 60% in North America from last year.

http://gamerinvestments.com/video-game-stocks/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/npd-monthly-sales-06-2011.jpg

Yes it does. January to now, the chart clearly shows the Wii having sales below the other 2 with an occasional spike where it squeeks by the PS3. The VG charts link I posted showed the Wii sales for the week being 3rd behind the 360 and PS3, and just barely better than the PSP.


I'm pretty sure we'll hit 90 million even before the bulk of holiday shopping takes place. I wouldn't be surprised to see it sell over 5 million units during the Christmas season in just the US alone.

So I suspect it won't have much trouble surpassing 100 million before the WiiU launches somewhere around September/October of next year. Will be interesting to see how it does this Christmas with a replacement already announced for next year, the long decline it's been in, and the less than impressive software lineup. With the price drop, Zelda, and their budget rerelease program though, I think they have a fighting chance to get one last solid Christmas out of it.

If the Wii sells 5 million units this holiday season, then there are a lot of fools that were late to the party.

I don't see the Wii having another succesful holiday season, especially when the lineups for the 360 and PS3 are going to be pretty big, with games like Uncharted 3, Battlefield 3, Gears of War 3, Skyrim, Batman; AC and another MW3. The gimmick of the Wii has pretty much subsided, and Nintendo's money and software are now dedicated to the 3DS. Skyward Sword will be the Wii's last big title.

[Cryomancer]

Didn't read this whole thread so sorry if it's already been said, but...

Wouldn't the PS3 automatically be a "strong contender" for this, as it's a three man race? Everyone is already a strong contender, there isn't exactly 17 other people to contend with! And if this is assuming Wii as number one, then it's a one and one race for second place, making it even smaller of a race.

[Sothy]

If wii has already won then i assume ps3 is a strong 2nd.... in a race of which system is likely gathering dust in someones closet.

[kupomogli]

Wouldn't the PS3 automatically be a "strong contender" for this, as it's a three man race? Everyone is already a strong contender, there isn't exactly 17 other people to contend with! And if this is assuming Wii as number one, then it's a one and one race for second place, making it even smaller of a race.

Thread title should probably be changed. PS3 "Only Contender" To Overtake Xbox 360 [Slashdot and their crappy news stories.]

[otaku]

I could see this happening 360 needs more exclusives (particulary on the kinect which is its biggest asset at this point besides live)

that said for now I'm pc gaming since I have no consoles till I get back on my feet financially (?) and to start with I will likely go for a wii because of the ease of entry cost wise (free net for some games) and cheap console cost with reliability wiis are going for like 80 bucks around here :)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Sony just announced that the 160G PS3 is now $250 USD MSRP at retail. (See article for other models/regions pricing.)

So. Yeah.

Not that I'm personally wrapped up in what console is in what place in the "console race" ... that should help things along a bit.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/08/16/live-from-gamescom-playstation-3-now-249/

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/08/sony-announces-ps3-price-cut-in-all-territories-on-both-ps3-models.ars

[GameNinja]

IMHO, it all comes down to iconic characters. Wii has it in spades, Xbox has Halo at least and Playastation has... Crash Bandicoot? People buy systems to play specific games (present company excluded, of course). Look at the secondary market for PS2 compared to original Xbox games. And then compare that to the Gamecube games. Gamecubes were a joke, but if you want all the Zeldas...

This. I personally am thinking of buying a Wii on the cheap this holiday season pretty much for Zelda alone.

[Leo_A]

Yes it does. January to now, the chart clearly shows the Wii having sales below the other 2 with an occasional spike where it squeeks by the PS3. The VG charts link I posted showed the Wii sales for the week being 3rd behind the 360 and PS3, and just barely better than the PSP.

I don't know what you're talking about since I was never talking about any other platform. You said that "the sales of the console [Wii] are down (from 2010) by over 60% in North America". That's all I was talking about.

That chart doesn't show that at all and it has nothing to do with any other platform since we were just talking about Wii sales this year compared with Wii sales last year.

[Gamevet]

I don't know what you're talking about since I was never talking about any other platform. You said that "the sales of the console [Wii] are down (from 2010) by over 60% in North America".

That chart doesn't show that at all and it has nothing to do with any other platform since we were just talking about Wii sales this year compared with Wii sales last year.

Just look at the sales of March, April and May of 2010 and 2011.

You don't even have to look at the vague chart, when the PDF chart you linked here (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e1106.pdf) shows a huge difference in sales from 2010 to 2011. Just look at April - June of 2011, where the Wii managed to only sell 1.34 million units. Multiply that by 4, and you have a huge difference between 2010 and 2011 of about 12 million units. Even if the Wii somehow managed to sell 6 million units between November and December, it would still be behind 2010 by 6 million units.

And yes, the comparison of sales numbers between the Wii, PS3 and 360 is important here, because while the 360 and PS3 continue to post steady numbers, the Wii does not, even though it costs a lot less.