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[hyp]

i blame iphone gaming. :lol

 

[TheKingsCrown]

oh come on guys, the Wii is clearly declining its monthly sales. this isn't unexpected though! the thing was selling RIDICULOUSLY high levels because supply hadn't met demand. the question is, is it stabilizing?

 

[markatisu]

oh come on guys, the Wii is clearly declining its monthly sales. this isn't unexpected though! the thing was selling RIDICULOUSLY high levels because supply hadn't met demand. the question is, is it stabilizing?

I think it is, it seems to be following similar trends of the 360 (200-300k range)

I am just tickled by the amount of GAF who thinks the Wii should still be selling its heavenly levels 3+ years after launch with no price drop, hardware revision or new bundle and thinks the past performance was a "normal" thing.

 

[AceBandage]

I think it is, it seems to be following similar trends of the 360 (200-300k range)

I am just tickled by the amount of GAF who thinks the Wii should still be selling its heavenly levels 3+ years after launch with no price drop, hardware revision or new bundle and thinks the past performance was a "normal" thing.

They did the same thing when DS sales dropped before the Lite was launched.

 

[poppabk]

On the other hand they're about to WILDLY miss their expectations which is going to cause a beating on their already pisstanked stock.

Running a company isn't about pleasing internet fans or pulling a quick one on the competition, it's about good business, and Nintendo absolutely needs to start magically selling more Wiis ASAP.

So you are saying that they could sell them at $50 and exceed their expectation and all the investors would celebrate? You are right it is not about winning a competition or pleasing internet fans it is about making money. The question is - do the increased sales from a price drop make up for the loss in profit on each unit. Ie if they are making $150 currently and drop the price $50 then they are going have to increase from 250k to 375k consistently for it make it worthwhile.

 

[Stoney Mason]

Great post. Puts things in perspective.

PS2 24,112,000 (45-month mark) (June 2004)
PS2 18,080,000 (33-month mark) (June 2003)

Xbox - 9,361,402 (33-month mark) (July 2004)
Xbox - 12,500,000 (45-month mark) (July 2005)

GCN - 7,673,241 (33-month mark) (July 2004)
GCN - 11,122,000 (45-month mark) (July 2005)

360 15,683,786 (45 months) (July 2009)
360 10,749,000 (33 months) (July 2008)

PS3 8,035,896 (33 months) (July 2009)

Wii 20,817,781 (33 months) (July 2009)

Good statistics and numbers generally do.

 

[markatisu]

On the other hand they're about to WILDLY miss their expectations which is going to cause a beating on their already pisstanked stock.

Running a company isn't about pleasing internet fans or pulling a quick one on the competition, it's about good business, and Nintendo absolutely needs to start magically selling more Wiis ASAP.

Makes you wonder if they have something in store we do not know about, they have had more than enough chances in the last 90 days to revise their expectations and have refused to do so.

For a company that makes as much as they do and are conservative in their releases and estimates throughout their history, it just seems odd to not have changed it down.

 

[Kilrogg]

On the other hand they're about to WILDLY miss their expectations which is going to cause a beating on their already pisstanked stock.

Running a company isn't about pleasing internet fans or pulling a quick one on the competition, it's about good business, and Nintendo absolutely needs to start magically selling more Wiis ASAP.

Well, Iwata thinks WSR, Wii Fit Plus and NSMB Wii will do just that. We'll see if he's right.

 

[Version 3.0]

So you are saying that they could sell them at $50 and exceed their expectation and all the investors would celebrate? You are right it is not about winning a competition or pleasing internet fans it is about making money. The question is - do the increased sales from a price drop make up for the loss in profit on each unit. Ie if they are making $150 currently and drop the price $50 then they are going have to increase from 250k to 375k consistently for it make it worthwhile.

That's an oversimplification. You're only taking into account the profit on the hardware itself. How many games do they sell per console sold? How many 1st-party games? How many Wii Remotes and Nunchucks? How many balance boards? How many VC games?

Obviously Nintendo doesn't need to drop the price of the Wii, but I do think it's in their best interest. They feel differently, or at least they've said so.

 

[HiResDes]

Well, Iwata thinks WSR, Wii Fit Plus and NSMB Wii will do just that. We'll see if he's right.

I remember a time when having too many accessories and system addons was a bad thing.

 

[Sonos]

I remember a time when having too many accessories and system addons was a bad thing.

My closet full of plastic bullshit still does.

 

[the thoroughbred]

I remember a time when having too many accessories and system addons was a bad thing.

That was before the wireless age.

 

[Kilrogg]

I remember a time when having too many accessories and system addons was a bad thing.

Hmm... I'll give you the MotionPlus, though it's rather small, but Wii Fit Plus doesn't require more hardware than Wii Fit, and NSMB Wii is played with the standard Wiimote.

All it takes is a good strategy that matches the wants of the market. Easier said than done, obviously, which is why there was this perception that peripherals were a bad thing that would doom the games at retail. The worst offenders always seem to come from SEGA though. They were just insanely poor at selling additional hardware.

 

[Stumpokapow]

So you are saying that they could sell them at $50 and exceed their expectation and all the investors would celebrate? You are right it is not about winning a competition or pleasing internet fans it is about making money.

Err, no I wouldn't say that because that'd be a truly obtuse way to interpret what I'm saying.

The question is - do the increased sales from a price drop make up for the loss in profit on each unit. Ie if they are making $150 currently and drop the price $50 then they are going have to increase from 250k to 375k consistently for it make it worthwhile.

This is actually not the only question, because any "lost profit" from lowering their hardware margin is going to be dilluted by additional software and reported as part of an overall balance sheet, so it's not clear that making less profit on hardware will necessarily mean less overall profit.

But, moreover, even if you assume they do make less overall profit, I think the impact of their profit dropping on their share price would be substantially less than the impact of wildly missing their projections... especially since Nintendo has ALWAYS been overly conservative with their projections and repeatedly upwardly revised them, a practice that's come under some criticism and has likely even been built in to investors expectations.

I think for Nintendo, they need to get the job done. I don't think it matters if they are 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, outselling their competitors by a little or a lot--I think it matters if they meet expectations, which they're not going to do.

Well, Iwata thinks WSR, Wii Fit Plus and NSMB Wii will do just that. We'll see if he's right.

And that's totally fair to think, but I wouldn't want people to swallow bullshit about "oh it's a recession! oh software mysteriously underperformed!" if they don't get the job done. Nintendo is purposefully taking what is considered to be a powerful tool off the table, and maybe they'll be vindicated but if they aren't they ought to be blamed.

 

[poppabk]

That's an oversimplification. You're only taking into account the profit on the hardware itself. How many games do they sell per console sold? How many 1st-party games? How many Wii Remotes and Nunchucks? How many balance boards? How many VC games?

Obviously Nintendo doesn't need to drop the price of the Wii, but I do think it's in their best interest. They feel differently, or at least they've said so.

Right and there are costs with the extra factories they opened back when everyone was saying that Nintendo were being too conservative. I'm saying that making money is the most important thing and selling more consoles at a lower price isn't necessarily the way to go.

 

[Kilrogg]

And that's totally fair to think, but I wouldn't want people to swallow bullshit about "oh it's a recession! oh software mysteriously underperformed!" if they don't get the job done. Nintendo is purposefully taking what is considered to be a powerful tool off the table, and maybe they'll be vindicated but if they aren't they ought to be blamed.

I wouldn't want people to swallow that bullshit either. But I know that if those 3 games don't spur sales, I won't be blaming the economy (hate that argument), nor will I say that Nintendo should have cut the price. All I'll say is that, in true Animal Crossing/Wii Music fashion, the games weren't as good for the consumers as Nintendo thought they would be.

Has Nintendo had a history of not meeting their expectations and just going "shucks, that's too bad"? Because Iwata really sounds adamant that he doesn't want to cut the price for as long as possible. You know he will eventually, obviously. It's not like he's saying "no price cut EVAR". Even if WSR, WFP and NSMB should fail to drive sales significantly, I can't see him cutting the price before the end of 2010, even with shareholders complaining about it.

 

[beje]

with more and more HDTVs at home, its no wonder the wii is on its way down.

With the ammount of people connecting HD-capable sources with composite cables, I doubt that has something to do.

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Just out of interest, do we have a note anywhere of DS forecasts pre-DSLite or pre-DSi announcement/release?

I'm curious as to why Nintendo are sticking to such a high forecast rather than revising downward given the current state of play in most (all?) major markets. Either they've got absolute faith in WSR/Wii Fit Plus/ NSMBWii to shift a huge amount of hardware, or they've got something else up their sleeve & I'm wondering if it might be a DS-to-DSLite style hardware revision for the console.

Of course, it could just be that they're being typically Nintendo about the whole thing and are heading toward a big let-down for their shareholders!

 

[plagiarize]

I think Wollan drew this after E3 '06 to show his personal feelings about the consoles - PS3 would be the obvious winner, 360 was just barely able to compete with PS3 graphically at the time, but didn't have long-term potential, while Wii was supposed to be a total piece of crap and loose even before the generation started..

i've never understood how anyone could have gotten that out of E3 06. E3 06 is when everyone realised that the Wii was going to be huge.

 

[poppabk]

But, moreover, even if you assume they do make less overall profit, I think the impact of their profit dropping on their share price would be substantially less than the impact of wildly missing their projections... especially since Nintendo has ALWAYS been overly conservative with their projections and repeatedly upwardly revised them, a practice that's come under some criticism and has likely even been built in to investors expectations.

But won't investors know by now that Nintendo is unlikely to meet those expectations anyway. Surely the reason their share price has not recovered along with the rest of the market is because investors are tracking sales throughout the year and know that there projections are unlikely to be met.

 

[AwRy108]

PS2 24,112,000 (45-month mark) (June 2004)
PS2 18,080,000 (33-month mark) (June 2003)

Xbox - 9,361,402 (33-month mark) (July 2004)
Xbox - 12,500,000 (45-month mark) (July 2005)

GCN - 7,673,241 (33-month mark) (July 2004)
GCN - 11,122,000 (45-month mark) (July 2005)

360 15,683,786 (45 months) (July 2009)
360 10,749,000 (33 months) (July 2008)

PS3 8,035,896 (33 months) (July 2009)

Wii 20,817,781 (33 months) (July 2009)

So, wait, let me get this straight--the PS3 has sold almost as much as the 360 over the same number of months despite:
1) the significantly higher price point
2) 2 significantly cheaper competitors over its entire life cycle
3) a larger percentage of its life cycle occurring during a Global recession

...so, um, I'm stumped: why is the media screaming "doom and gloom!" about the PS3? I'd say that the forthcoming price cut has the potential to do wonders for the console.

Sure, I understand the complaints from a business perspective (the PS3 obviously isn't selling like the PS2); but from a gamer's viewpoint, haven't we passed the point of being concerned about the brand diminishing?

 

[AceBandage]

Just out of interest, do we have a note anywhere of DS forecasts pre-DSLite or pre-DSi announcement/release?

I'm curious as to why Nintendo are sticking to such a high forecast rather than revising downward given the current state of play in most (all?) major markets. Either they've got absolute faith in WSR/Wii Fit Plus/ NSMBWii to shift a huge amount of hardware, or they've got something else up their sleeve & I'm wondering if it might be a DS-to-DSLite style hardware revision for the console.

Of course, it could just be that they're being typically Nintendo about the whole thing and are heading toward a big let-down for their shareholders!

I think Nintendo will hit us with something in October, that'll surprise quite a few people.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

Nothing too surprising anbout these numbers. Glad to see the 360 pushing the HD front as it has. Next year comes a new PC so a lot of my purchases will likely be on that.

 

[Reno7728]

I think Nintendo will hit us with something in October, that'll surprise quite a few people.

Am I crazy or do Nintendo have a conference (maybe it's spaceworld) in October or maybe sooner?

 

[AceBandage]

Am I crazy or do Nintendo have a conference (maybe it's spaceworld) in October or maybe sooner?

They have an October conference.
That's where stuff like Punch Out, MH3, Sin and Punishment 2, their entire WiiWare system and a boat load of others have been announced.

 

[Zihark]

Am I crazy or do Nintendo have a conference (maybe it's spaceworld) in October or maybe sooner?

Yeah, NCL has their annual October conference, NOA has a lame follow-up conference a day later.

 

[Stoney Mason]

So, wait, let me get this straight--the PS3 has sold almost as much as the 360 over the same number of months despite:
1) the significantly higher price point
2) 2 significantly cheaper competitors over its entire life cycle
3) a larger percentage of its life cycle occurring during a Global recession

...so, um, I'm stumped: why is the media screaming "doom and gloom!" about the PS3? I'd say that the forthcoming price cut has the potential to do wonders for the console.

Sure, I understand the complaints from a business perspective (the PS3 obviously isn't selling like the PS2); but from a gamer's viewpoint, haven't we passed the point of being concerned about the brand diminishing?

This post is so much bullshit. The "media" isn't screaming "doom and gloom". What they do say is Sony is losing a lot of money. They are performing way under projections and expectations they themselves set along with most of the industry for the PS3 when this gen began or even in the case of Sony the sales projections they set for this year.

Nobody with a brain says the PS3 is going to disappear. What they do say is selling the machine at $599 was a mistake that cost Sony the marketshare it said it was going to achieve for this gen.

 

[tenten]

So, wait, let me get this straight--the PS3 has sold almost as much as the 360 over the same number of months despite:
1) the significantly higher price point
2) 2 significantly cheaper competitors over its entire life cycle
3) a larger percentage of its life cycle occurring during a Global recession

...so, um, I'm stumped: why is the media screaming "doom and gloom!" about the PS3? I'd say that the forthcoming price cut has the potential to do wonders for the console.

Sure, I understand the complaints from a business perspective (the PS3 obviously isn't selling like the PS2); but from a gamer's viewpoint, haven't we passed the point of being concerned about the brand diminishing?

Get it straight, the ps3 is doing worse than the original xbox. more aligned launch crap huh
and yes, the brand is diminishing here in america if you just look at all the npds, ps2, psp, ps3 is always at the bottom.

Good try on the spin though it's more or less the same crap

 

[Haunted]

So, wait, let me get this straight--the PS3 has sold almost as much as the 360 over the same number of months despite:
1) the significantly higher price point
2) 2 significantly cheaper competitors over its entire life cycle
3) a larger percentage of its life cycle occurring during a Global recession

...so, um, I'm stumped: why is the media screaming "doom and gloom!" about the PS3? I'd say that the forthcoming price cut has the potential to do wonders for the console.

Sure, I understand the complaints from a business perspective (the PS3 obviously isn't selling like the PS2); but from a gamer's viewpoint, haven't we passed the point of being concerned about the brand diminishing?

Well, all the things you listed are good reasons for why the PS3 has performed as badly as it did.

Doesn't change the fact that it only has roughly half the userbase the 360 has (8 vs 15,6), or that its software sales lag significantly behind both the Wii or the 360.

The PS3 cost Sony all the profits the PS1 and PS2 have made, in just one year. And it's cost them a lot of money every quarter since then.


And this (alleged) "doom and gloom" doesn't mean that Sony will discontinue the PS3 and bow out of the console race. It means that Sony won't make the losses the PS3 has inflicted on them back for a good long while, it means that Sony will conclude this generation being in third place, it means that Sony will have lost a lot of marketshare and third party goodwill (= less exclusives), and it means that Sony is most likely to start the next generation earlier than they've originally planned (meaning that the PS3 will have even less time to make some of the losses back).

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Am I crazy or do Nintendo have a conference (maybe it's spaceworld) in October or maybe sooner?

For the past couple of years, they have held an October conference in Japan that typically comes loaded with announcements that cover the next 6-9 months, for example:

October 2008 Conference

Nintendo DSi + software announced
Another Code R announced
Sengoku Musou 3 announced
Sin and Punishment 2 announced
Punch-Out!! announced
New Play Control releases announced

etc.

October 2007 Conference

WiiWare announced
Sonic in Brawl announced
Monster Hunter Tri announced
Info on MK Wii / Wii Fit and dates

etc.

If there is going to be a Wii hardware revision, new bundle or price drop I'd expect it to be announced by NCL at the October conference this year, with a follow-up from NoA/NoE pinpointing US/European specifics shortly afterward.

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

So, wait, let me get this straight--the PS3 has sold almost as much as the 360 over the same number of months despite:
1) the significantly higher price point
2) 2 significantly cheaper competitors over its entire life cycle
3) a larger percentage of its life cycle occurring during a Global recession

...so, um, I'm stumped: why is the media screaming "doom and gloom!" about the PS3? I'd say that the forthcoming price cut has the potential to do wonders for the console.

Sure, I understand the complaints from a business perspective (the PS3 obviously isn't selling like the PS2); but from a gamer's viewpoint, haven't we passed the point of being concerned about the brand diminishing?

You've almost got it straight. You're just missing the little bit where the PS3 has wiped out almost every penny Sony has ever made in the games business and that they went from incontestable leader to market near-irrelevance faster than you can say "SEGA".

Maybe with those little bits of info you can get your head out of la-la land.

 

[Stumpokapow]

But won't investors know by now that Nintendo is unlikely to meet those expectations anyway. Surely the reason their share price has not recovered along with the rest of the market is because investors are tracking sales throughout the year and know that there projections are unlikely to be met.

Well, you can keep playing that horse-race when trying to discuss stock behaviour. Are investors responding to news, anticipating news, or anticipating anticipating news? Is the most important thing profit, growth in profit, or expectations?

I know I'm not qualified by half to separate all the factors, but I certainly know two things:
1) Nintendo is going to make an enormous amount of profit, regardless of how things unfold
2) Nintendo is on track to wildly miss expectations barring a change in sales (whether spurred by software, price cuts, hardware, or fortune)
3) Theoretically if both of these things happen it will depress stock price, whether in response to the announcement or in anticipation thereof. A company saying "Look how much money we made" will be met with deaf ears if they aren't meeting expectations, even if they're right.

 

[Castle Doctrine]

So, wait, let me get this straight--the PS3 has sold almost as much as the 360 over the same number of months despite:
1) the significantly higher price point
2) 2 significantly cheaper competitors over its entire life cycle
3) a larger percentage of its life cycle occurring during a Global recession

...so, um, I'm stumped: why is the media screaming "doom and gloom!" about the PS3? I'd say that the forthcoming price cut has the potential to do wonders for the console.

Sure, I understand the complaints from a business perspective (the PS3 obviously isn't selling like the PS2); but from a gamer's viewpoint, haven't we passed the point of being concerned about the brand diminishing?

This is true. People act like Sony sells 5 consoles a month. I've said a few times, the fact that they've sold 8 mil in America and 22 mil+ worldwide is pretty remarkable considering the outlandish price. Perhaps it shows how strong the Playstation brand is.

However, what good is it if you're not profitable. They been losing boatloads of money since the launch of the PS3. So they've said a few times recently their main concern is not winning the numbers race (they have no choice), but to become profitable. That's where the supposed Slim comes in. But then how much profit can you make if you have to sell it at 299?

They need to start selling games. We'll see how their upcoming games do. Sony would be thrilled if their game division broke even I'm sure. They'll keep coasting along this gen, selling units. It's not like they're getting out the gaming business. Then again, if their games keep under performing who knows...

 

[phisheep]

But won't investors know by now that Nintendo is unlikely to meet those expectations anyway. Surely the reason their share price has not recovered along with the rest of the market is because investors are tracking sales throughout the year and know that there projections are unlikely to be met.

Well, sort of. But investors are being briefed by analysts, and analysts are all shouting that the bubble's burst or something like that.

On the other hand, Nintendo are usually very quick to post changed targets when they are not going to meet them - even by quite a small amount. The fact that they haven't done so suggests to me that there is something we don't know about yet.

 

[phisheep]

...so, um, I'm stumped: why is the media screaming "doom and gloom!" about the PS3? I'd say that the forthcoming price cut has the potential to do wonders for the console.

The media seems to have collectively forgotten about the year's head start. Microsoft won't remind them because it brings back memories of early-but-unreliable, and Sony won't remind them because it brings back memories of late-and-expensive.

Plus, it is mostly American media using American headline numbers and forgetting about the rest of the world where Sony's figures look better.

 

[Sonos]

The media seems to have collectively forgotten about the year's head start. Microsoft won't remind them because it brings back memories of early-but-unreliable, and Sony won't remind them because it brings back memories of late-and-expensive.

Plus, it is mostly American media using American headline numbers and forgetting about the rest of the world where Sony's figures look better.

american media conspiracies.

Perhaps they collectively forgot about a year's head start because if you look at the history of video gaming a year's head start rarely means anything.

For an example see: Sega Dreamcast ----------> PS2 Launch 1 year later

 

[909er]

The media seems to have collectively forgotten about the year's head start. Microsoft won't remind them because it brings back memories of early-but-unreliable, and Sony won't remind them because it brings back memories of late-and-expensive.

Plus, it is mostly American media using American headline numbers and forgetting about the rest of the world where Sony's figures look better.

NPD sales results don't cover the rest of the world.

 

[sullytao]

Home console hardware pretty poor all round. I was very surprised at WII numbers given that I knew Sports Resort would do well.

 

[tenten]

Any thing can be remarkable/terrible given the right spin.
example:

It is remarkable that the ps3 sells despite:
1) the significantly higher price point
2) 2 significantly cheaper competitors over its entire life cycle
3) a larger percentage of its life cycle occurring during a Global recession

counter spin:
The defending champ (ps3 after ps2) is doing worse than the rookie (xbox) of last gen in the US.

I think the ps3 is in the exact same position as the xbox last gen. Again facing the dreadful problem of profitibility vs market share.

 

[soldat7]

with more and more HDTVs at home, its no wonder the wii is on its way down.

With the ammount of people connecting HD-capable sources with composite cables, I doubt that has something to do.

62 inch TV + PS3 + composite cables. I actually saw this at someone's home the other day. I wanted to cry.

Edit: Oh yeah. Their TV was set to panoramic. I actually wanted to scream.

 

[Loudninja]

I like to know the InFamous numbers

 

[clashfan]

Well, all the things you listed are good reasons for why the PS3 has performed as badly as it did.

Doesn't change the fact that it only has roughly half the userbase the 360 has (8 vs 15,6), or that its software sales lag significantly behind both the Wii or the 360.

The PS3 cost Sony all the profits the PS1 and PS2 have made, in just one year. And it's cost them a lot of money every quarter since then.


And this (alleged) "doom and gloom" doesn't mean that Sony will discontinue the PS3 and bow out of the console race...

I feel if the economy stalls then Sony may consider selling off its console business and cut it's loses. But if the economy keeps stalling, I don't know who would be willing to buy Sony's console business. Things are not looking good for Sony.

 

[poppabk]

with more and more HDTVs at home, its no wonder the wii is on its way down.

Except that HD consoles are not on the way up.

 

[kame-sennin]

Can we please avoid any nonsense analogies with the 1983 crash. The industry is so different now than then, its apples to oranges.

I think we are in the demographic that often fails to realize that gaming is a much broader business than we participate in. Sure, HD home consoles have had struggles, but so what? It is an important area of gaming that will course-correct over time. Just because devs went overboard with their budgets the last few years leading to delays and some poor product, there is no reason to overdramatize the situation. The gaming industry is overall in a good place long-term, because there are so many revenue streams for companies. Lest we forget, in a major recession almost all businesses lose money. There is nothing particularly odd about whats happening in the gaming industry right now, it is weathering the storm like other industries.

 

[elrechazado]

i've never understood how anyone could have gotten that out of E3 06. E3 06 is when everyone realised that the Wii was going to be huge.

It's like we got to see deep within the mind of pure blind corporate reverence. A startling insight on how sony fans viewed and probably still view the world.

 

[elrechazado]

The media seems to have collectively forgotten about the year's head start. Microsoft won't remind them because it brings back memories of early-but-unreliable, and Sony won't remind them because it brings back memories of late-and-expensive.

Plus, it is mostly American media using American headline numbers and forgetting about the rest of the world where Sony's figures look better.

What does the xbox head start have to do with the ps3 selling like shit compared to itself last year?

lolspiracies!

 

[Castle Doctrine]

It's like we got to see deep within the mind of pure blind corporate reverence. A startling insight on how sony fans viewed and probably still view the world.

Your comments are getting ridiculous.

 

[lowlylowlycook]

The PS3 cost Sony all the profits the PS1 and PS2 have made, in just one year. And it's cost them a lot of money every quarter since then.

The PS3 is a financial disaster but it isn't that bad. Since launch, the Sony games division has lost all the money that it made in the PS2 era and only some of the money from the PS1 era.

 

[elrechazado]

Your comments are getting ridiculous.

I think you need to look at the picture again.

 

[tenten]

PS2 24,112,000 (45-month mark) (June 2004)
PS2 18,080,000 (33-month mark) (June 2003)

Xbox - 9,361,402 (33-month mark) (July 2004)
Xbox - 12,500,000 (45-month mark) (July 2005)

GCN - 7,673,241 (33-month mark) (July 2004)
GCN - 11,122,000 (45-month mark) (July 2005)

360 15,683,786 (45 months) (July 2009)
360 10,749,000 (33 months) (July 2008)

PS3 8,035,896 (33 months) (July 2009)

Wii 20,817,781 (33 months) (July 2009)

Putting another spin into these data:

PS2, first 33 month = 18,080k /33 = 547 k/ month
month 34 to 45 = (24,112 - 18,080) / 12 = 502 k/month

xbox, first 33 month = 9,361k/33 = 283k/month
33 to 45th month = (12500-9361)k/12 = 261k/month

not bother to do the gc, but it's a similar story

but look at the 360!
first 33 month 10749k/33 = 325k /month
last year(33 to 45th) (15683-10749)k/12 = 411k/month

So here in America, the 360's sales is on an upward trend even after 3 years. where as the the xbox, gc and even the great ps2 has seen a sales decline.

If someone has the data for ps3/wii last year vs first xx monthes, we can look at it as well.

Please point out any math mistake