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[Kleegamefan]

Holyshit.....one console future already a reality in Europe!!!


Seriously, though, I thought things were more balanced than that in EU but as it the case in Japan, Sony is steamrolling everyone by a wide margin....

Looking at these numbers, I think its safe to say Sony will just waltz right in and retain their #1 market share status in both Japan and Europe.....so that just leaves North America as the next big gaming market and I think Sony has the best chance to clean house here with the PS3 too....

No #1 gaming marketshare for you next gen Microsoft :lol

Now if they give the Japs/EU consumers some confidence they will be here for the long term with X360 they could do some REAL damage with Xbox 3 in 5 years......perhaps even beat Sony for the #1 spot???

NAAAAAAH!!!

 

[sonycowboy]

A few updates as of May 2005, from Screen Digest:

Hardware numbers discussion
-------------------------------------
PS2 up 35% vs 2004
Xbox down 2% vs 2004
GCN down 11% vs 2004
Overall consoles up 21% vs 2004

Installed bases
--------------------------------------
PS2 25.7M
Xbox 5.4M
GCN 4.0M
GBA 15.9M

 

[mckmas8808]

A few updates as of May 2005, from Screen Digest:

Hardware numbers discussion
-------------------------------------
PS2 up 35% vs 2004
Xbox down 2% vs 2004
GCN down 11% vs 2004
Overall consoles up 21% vs 2004

Installed bases
--------------------------------------
PS2 25.7M
Xbox 5.4M
GCN 4.0M
GBA 15.9M

Oh-uh. PS2 up 35% while both Xbox and GC were down. Sony is looking to kill this year. And to add they are releasing their first handheld, which is already starting to take away from Nintendo's biggest money maker.

Did people back in 1995 think that it was stupid to believe that a electronics company like Sony to dominate the videogame industry?

 

[Baron Aloha]

Did people back in 1995 think that it was stupid to believe that a electronics company like Sony to dominate the videogame industry?

Some people did. I was not one of them.

I played Ridge Racer, Jumping Flash and Tekken on an import system and I knew the Playstation was going to be huge. I bought my PSOne on 9/9/95 at 6am. That was the first time I had ever bought a system at launch. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Zer0]

You're delusional if you think it's a purely Sony thing - and I'd say there's a strong case for saying they're not the worst offenders by a long way. PSX was actually one of the better-priced consoles in its mid to late life - don't forget that it wasn't that long ago that £1 = $1 was pretty much an industry standard for console pricing. These days that doesn't tend to last much past launch.

If you want screwed with release dates, look at Nintendo games. If you want raping with ludicrous hardware prices, try XBox at launch. If you want fuckery with 50Hz and black bars then blame Square and Capcom (though Sony should have slapped them into order in the same way Sega did). Not that Sony doesn't do the same things, just that they're not the only ones.

at least sony bring us japanese rpgs localized,put a platinium seriesand a lot of things,when the snes times europe got raped really really bad

 

[radioheadrule83]

Screen Digest are sometimes used by the UK DTI (department of trade and industry) when they look into films and video games... I suspect the UK has a domineering influence over these numbers, although that would perhaps be right given we are the bigger European market.

PS2 is a monster.
1.4 million between GC and Xbox is better than I expected for GC to be honest. In the UK at least you really get a sense for how well viewed the Xbox is in comparison.
DS is at 0.6m+ now too surely. The initial numbers in the thread are older than sonycowboy's.

 

[Borys]

You know with a very strong and aggresive marketing Sony should maintain this huge marketsharte with PS3 (70-75%) here, but Sony's marketing is kinda... lacking lately? MS sure knows how to put up a PR fight.

 

[sonycowboy]

You know with a very strong and aggresive marketing Sony should maintain this huge marketsharte with PS3 (70-75%) here, but Sony's marketing is kinda... lacking lately? MS sure knows how to put up a PR fight.

The calm before the storm. Chris Deering has put out a edict that Sony Europe ain't talking PS3 until next year. By many estimates, Europe is only halway through it's PS2 cycle.

Also, worldwide, the PS2 is having it's best year ever, based on incredibly strong US & European sales and price drops in both regions are expected this year.

It's incredibly bizarre;

The PS2 is @91M shipments
Xbox is @ 21.9, GC is @18.7 (?)

But, the PS2 is expected to sell another 30M units minimum and Xbox & GC aren't expected to sell more than additional 3-5M units each. Are people underselling where the Xbox & GC will end up? Certainly the latest shipments show a dramatic slowdown in shipment/sales for the 2.

Since 12/31/2004:

PS2 = +10M units
Xbox = +2M units
GC < 2M units

 

[Tempy]

I've always felt that console success hinges on the software, not the hardware. Which is why PS2 won, despite the XBOX and arguably the GC having superior hardware. The way I perceive the market in Europe:
* PS2 had the most varied and unique games out there. The sheer volume of titles guaranteed that there's something for any type of gamer.
* GC did better than XBOX at first because GC had well-established Nintendo franchises, while XBOX seemed to be all PC-ports, sports, fps and racing games.
* Eventually XBOX took over GC's position because XBOX got the big stuff (Halo, GTA) while the GC's library lacked top titles. I have way more GC games than XBOX games, but I know it's almost impossible to sell my friends on the virtues of Pikmin 2 and Super Monkey Ball when they're more interested in driving over people in GTA I don't blame them. It *is* fun to drive over people. I just have a wider taste in games than they do though, but I don't pretend to be in the majority.
* I've always had the impression that the average European gamer was a testosteron-laden male who liked racing and shooting stuff which was abundant on the XBOX, as opposed to Nintendo's more "wholesome" gaming.
* Almost everybody I know with an XBOX has it modded. Would be interesting to see actual sell-through software figures and tie-in ratios. Europe is a pirate haven. Blame it on culture? upbringing? Or stupid high prices? I don't know.