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NPD Sales Results for March 2014 [Up4: FFX/X-2 HD]

TomShoe

Banned
Why do Americans hate handhelds so much?

Why pay $200 to play Bravely Default/Mario Kart on the road when you can play Angry Birds for free? That, and the Car culture of the US. Hardly anyone uses public transportation, unlike the Japanese. That means there's not a lot of "on the go" game time, which is what handhelds were meant for.
 
Poor Vita, I wish it was doing better but alas, it suffers from poor branding and overly expensive hardware and memory cards. It could be saved, but I don't think Sony can get the price low enough to gain real momentum.
 

BigDug13

Member
Last Gen Sony's strategy was the exact opposite. They rarely had the multiplatform advantage. They instead pushed their awesome first party games hard.

What are you talking about? All those multiplatform games still released on the system. Just because they performed technically worse doesn't negate their existence. With that logic the XBO has no games because they don't have any multiplatform advantage.

I'm not talking about games that perform technically better or worse. I'm saying a library of great games overcomes not having that iconic Halo or Mario game. Uncharted is probably as close as they got but I'm not sure it ever pulled Halo or Mario numbers (latest Wii-U Mario numbers not withstanding).
 

TomShoe

Banned
This. It has hurt sony, though, not having that iconic IP of their own that helps when other things fail. See Mario or Halo.

What if your Mario fails? What if your Halo fails? What then?

It's called diversification of assets. If one fails, it won't hurt as much because you have your eggs spread over several baskets instead of one.
 
no one considers their sale to a retailer a profit, especially if their units are not moving.

you keep on harping about the sale to a retailer. everything is relative. demand dictates the profit. yes, xbone is sold to a retailer. meanwhile, ps4 is sold to a retailer at twice the rate. it's the rate at which they get sold, not the sale itself.

again, no one values their sales to retailers as it's usual business. that's not considered a profit-making move.

that is why people are quick to dismiss sold-in to retailers. why? because you are going to sell to retailers no matter what. no shit. a business not making a sale to a retailer is nonexistent.

Microsoft considers those sales to the retailer as revenue. Microsoft gets that money immediately, not when the retailer sells the goods. This is known. I don't know how I can explain this any better to you.

You are NOT going to sell to retailers no matter what. Where in the heck are you getting this idea? If that's the case why are Vita and Wii U numbers so poor? Retailers are just going to buy stock regardless, right? No, wrong! Retailers buy stock from the manufacturer when they sell through their stock. Higher demand means a quicker resale. But the fact remains that Microsoft has sold 5M to retailers and they have the money to prove it. Obviously they want those units to sell through to consumers so they can sell more to the retailers, but the 5M is not inconsequential.
 

Squalor

Junior Member
The two of you were so right about the Xbox One's outselling the PlayStation 4 . . .

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=104388192&postcount=2865

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=104382561&postcount=2835

leo.png
 
I wonder if MS will ever make money on a console. Seems like they are in a big hole right now with the XB1 and will have to cut price and spend more in the future.

Nadella should just cut the entire branch.

As some have said, this gen is also a battle for subscriptions for online services.

Last gen MS had it locked down with people paying up for XBL Gold/silver subs for almost the entire lifecycle of the systems.

Looks like they will be losing a LOT of revenue from subs this gen compared to last.
 

BigDug13

Member
Microsoft considers those sales to the retailer as revenue. Microsoft gets that money immediately, not when the retailer sells the goods. This is known. I don't know how I can explain this any better to you.

You are NOT going to sell to retailers no matter what. Where in the heck are you getting this idea? If that's the case why are Vita and Wii U numbers so poor? Retailers are just going to buy stock regardless, right? No, wrong! Retailers buy stock from the manufacturer when they sell through their stock. Higher demand means a quicker resale. But the fact remains that Microsoft has sold 5M to retailers and they have the money to prove it. Obviously they want those units to sell through to consumers so they can sell more to the retailers, but the 5M is not inconsequential.

There's a stream of revenue from selling to retailers. But that stream stops if there is a dam in the way and that dam is lack of consumers. So now that stream is backed up and sitting on retailer shelves and on pallets in the middle of showrooms.

Yes, technically MS made profit in the short-term, but forced storage of surplus supply from already negotiated manufacture contracts is going to eat into that a bit. And the slowed revenue of stores significantly reducing their reorders is going to hurt.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
10k Vitas in the whole of the US, fuck. It is well and truly dead, the strategy of late ports, indies and a few JP titles isn't doing anything. Sony should just double down on the PS4 and leave it as a companion device. Such a shame, but the market has moved on.

Sony had an actual strategy with Vita?

That's news to me.
 
it still boggles my mind as to why xbone felt the need to have that tv pass through. in an age of netflix, no less. tv stations left and right are cutting jobs. tvs are coming with built-in apps.

then there's this supposed fortaleza ar google glass which works with kinect. why not vr? i don't get it.

Because it was designed with a backwards-thinking mindset while the PS4 was designed forward-thinking.

This isn't some petty dig at the Xbox, think about it. The lightbar on the DS4, the camera having a 240fps option, the extra port on the controller, etc; all based on decisions made in anticipation of the advent of VR and the implementation of Sony's specific tech. Very, very forward thinking. Especially since these ideas were put into motion many years ago, before the rise of Oculus.

Whereas MS chose to use cable connectivity as a major selling point when subscriptions are plummeting all across the US, and they chose to pursue AR (based on the leaked documents) even though that trend, in its current state, has completely lost the attention of the mainstream.

These aren't things that XB1 can't recover from but they are definitely part of why Microsoft has been playing catch up from launch.
 

Gestault

Member
This is .... my price point.

When you say "I think we'll see the official price drop," it makes it sound like something other than what you'd personally be willing to purchase it at. From our (admittedly fuzzy) understanding of the manufacturing/distribution costs, the number you're talking about is below the cost of the hardware.

As was said before, that's a bit "optimistic" on your part.
 
There's a stream of revenue from selling to retailers. But that stream stops if there is a dam in the way and that dam is lack of consumers. So now that stream is backed up and sitting on retailer shelves and on pallets in the middle of showrooms.

Yes, technically MS made profit in the short-term, but forced storage of surplus supply from already negotiated manufacture contracts is going to eat into that a bit. And the slowed revenue of stores significantly reducing their reorders is going to hurt.

I agree completely.

So which is it GAF=USA or World=USA ?

Isn't the US the largest market? How are the sales across Europe? Significantly better?
 

FireCloud

Member
Buttons are great, $40 games are not.

Don't have a problem with $40 games. I'd much prefer a $40 Gravity Rush or Killzone: Mercenaries game to a $0.99 game on iOS or Android. 40x more? Yes. I rarely game on my smartphone. That is not the experience I have grown accustomed to.

That said. I realize that I don't represent the majority of consumers and believe your point is valid.

Thank goodness that the current PS4 and XB1 sales indicate that gaming isn't stagnating on the whole. It'd be hard for me to give it up.
 

darkside31337

Tomodachi wa Mahou
Lol at Vita selling 10K. You think with all the Vita threads praising it on here it would be selling a lot better.

Or you know the people who have already bought the machine love it?

I think its the best system on the market today but I realize its completely fucked. Always has been, it never really had a chance and SCEA has gone out of their way to ensure it would fail at every single opportunity.
 

Salex_

Member
This. It has hurt sony, though, not having that iconic IP of their own that helps when other things fail. See Mario or Halo.

...what? Did Mario help the Gamecube or Wii U? How did Halo help the OG Xbox and why didn't it stop the PS3 from outselling the 360 worldwide?

Is this not iconic enough?


In addition to a bunch of IPs that sells 5m+ (LBP, Uncharted, GoW, TLOU)? Sometimes I just don't understand the thought process of the "systems seller" logic. It's as if people are acting like some of these IPs carry a bigger influence on hardware sales then they really do. A single game is not going to do anything.
 

ironcreed

Banned
Can you break down for me how much it would cost to port XV to the One versus how much revenue 400,000 copies would generate. And then can you give me your projections for what it would take to develop a brand new 3DS game or XII HD and explain why both a XII HD port AND a XV Xbox One port couldn't be done? To be perfectly clear here, my angle here is not that I think an Xbox One port is assured and is definitely the perfect business call. However, I will state plainly that I think your motivation here has less to do with your understanding of the logistics involved with the tradeoffs of Square Enix making these kinds of decisions and more with your affinity for Sony hardware. Now that I've laid that out, I'll conclude by stating that I'm not actually terribly interested in your estimates.

Lawds.

tumblr_me9t5x2pI11qjt9wt.gif
 

spekkeh

Banned
And they were come unto a time called March NPD, that is to say, The time of a final judgement, he gave gamers a shooter to play, mixed with mechs: and when they had tasted it, they would not buy. And when they had crucified him, Sony, Amazon and Valve parted his IP among them, casting lots; and they sat and watched him there. And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS XBOX® ONE™ THE ALL-IN-ONE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM. Then are there crucified with him two robbers, EA on the right hand and Zynga on the left. And they that passed by railed on him, waggling their arms in front of his camera, and saying, Thou that createth DirectX, save thyself: if thou are the Son of Microsoft, buy your way down from the cross. He bought exclusive games; his own success he cannot buy. He is the King of the Living Room, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.

Now from the sixth hour there was silence from the XBOX division. And about the ninth hour The One cried with a loud voice, saying USA, USA why hast thou forsaken me? And the One cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the Gaming Age Forums were rent in two from the top top the bottom; and the ban hammer did fall and many avatars of the followers that had believed in him were forcibly exchanged.

shocked-will-smith.gif
 

xaosslug

Member
Can you break down for me how much it would cost to port XV to the One versus how much revenue 400,000 copies would generate. And then can you give me your projections for what it would take to develop a brand new 3DS game or XII HD and explain why both a XII HD port AND a XV Xbox One port couldn't be done? To be perfectly clear here, my angle here is not that I think an Xbox One port is assured and is definitely the perfect business call. However, I will state plainly that I think your motivation here has less to do with your understanding of the logistics involved with the tradeoffs of Square Enix making these kinds of decisions and more with your affinity for Sony hardware. Now that I've laid that out, I'll conclude by stating that I'm not actually terribly interested in your estimates.

mess.

are you saying zomg is so big a fanboi that his judgment is clouded? Ouch. I know he's more partial to Sony/PS but I've never seen that influence his opinion. He's always been fairly 'all business', even to the point where he goes in on Sony and THEIR business decisions.
 

Gestault

Member
And they were come unto a time called March NPD, that is to say, The time of a final judgement, he gave gamers a shooter to play, mixed with mechs: and when they had tasted it, they would not buy. And when they had crucified him, Sony, Amazon and Valve parted his IP among them, casting lots; and they sat and watched him there. And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS XBOX® ONE™ THE ALL-IN-ONE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM. Then are there crucified with him two robbers, EA on the right hand and Zynga on the left. And they that passed by railed on him, waggling their arms in front of his camera, and saying, Thou that createth DirectX, save thyself: if thou are the Son of Microsoft, buy your way down from the cross. He bought exclusive games; his own success he cannot buy. He is the King of the Living Room, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.

Now from the sixth hour there was silence from the XBOX division. And about the ninth hour The One cried with a loud voice, saying USA, USA why hast thou forsaken me? And the One cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the Gaming Age Forums were rent in two from the top top the bottom; and the ban hammer did fall and many avatars of the followers that had believed in him were forcibly exchanged.

Ok, that was really well appropriated.
 

Shig

Strap on your hooker ...
They're still making PSP-3000s (newest revision), PSP GOs (lol), and PSP-E100s (The cheap ones with no Wifi).
NPD covers US sales. The Go definitely ceased distribution here many moons ago, and the Street was never released here at all.

3000 may still be in distribution, but I certainly haven't seen a single one at any major retailers outside of Gamestop and Amazon for a good 2 years. And of those two, most Gamestops have jettisoned their PSP sections entirely.
 

Duxxy3

Member
Do you even own a Vita?

Literally one of the best impulse buy platforms

No, I sold it in November after I stopped using it for three straight months. My 2DS collects enough dust for two systems. I have limited funds, so what I have goes to the best value - that tends to be PC, and occasionally a console game.
 

Road

Member
Usual comparison I do every year:

Code:
HARDWARE JAN-FEB-MAR 2014:

             US+JP         US         JP
PS4       1,417,000    910,000    507,000
3DS         954,000    406,000    548,000
XBO         710,000    710,000
PSV         401,000     50,000    351,000
PS3         392,000    224,000    169,000
WII U       322,000    202,000    121,000
360         277,000    274,000      3,000


US: NPD (91 days - 01/05~04/05)
JP: Media Create (91 days - 01/06~04/06)

Europe: ??????????
 
And they were come unto a time called March NPD, that is to say, The time of a final judgement, he gave gamers a shooter to play, mixed with mechs: and when they had tasted it, they would not buy. And when they had crucified him, Sony, Amazon and Valve parted his IP among them, casting lots; and they sat and watched him there. And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS XBOX® ONE™ THE ALL-IN-ONE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM. Then are there crucified with him two robbers, EA on the right hand and Zynga on the left. And they that passed by railed on him, waggling their arms in front of his camera, and saying, Thou that createth DirectX, save thyself: if thou are the Son of Microsoft, buy your way down from the cross. He bought exclusive games; his own success he cannot buy. He is the King of the Living Room, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.

Now from the sixth hour there was silence from the XBOX division. And about the ninth hour The One cried with a loud voice, saying USA, USA why hast thou forsaken me? And the One cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the Gaming Age Forums were rent in two from the top top the bottom; and the ban hammer did fall and many avatars of the followers that had believed in him were forcibly exchanged.


d97a02d900128c26af68ba1d749aab525a272d019ad13ee088097fc5fce87511.jpg


Oh God....my life is forfeit.
 
This isn't some petty dig at the Xbox, think about it. The lightbar on the DS4, the camera having a 240fps option, the extra port on the controller, etc; all based on decisions made in anticipation of the advent of VR and the implementation of Sony's specific tech. Very, very forward thinking. Especially since these ideas were put into motion many years ago, before the rise of Oculus.
What's this all about?
 
Titanfall sold 1 million (inc bundles)... godamn that is good, why won't MS say?

Again, it isn't MS's place to do that. It's developed by Respawn and published by EA. EA has the say in what numbers they publish. It's the same reason you won't see MS tote any specific sale number of ANY third party game, it isn't their place to do that.
 
Usual comparison I do every year:

Code:
HARDWARE JAN-FEB-MAR 2014:

             US+JP         US         JP
PS4       1,417,000    910,000    507,000
3DS         954,000    406,000    548,000
XBO         710,000    710,000
PSV         401,000     50,000    351,000
PS3         392,000    224,000    169,000
WII U       322,000    202,000    121,000
360         277,000    274,000      3,000


US: NPD (91 days - 01/05~04/05)
JP: Media Create (91 days - 01/06~04/06)

Europe: ??????????

You have the one for last year?
 
And they were come unto a time called March NPD, that is to say, The time of a final judgement, he gave gamers a shooter to play, mixed with mechs: and when they had tasted it, they would not buy. And when they had crucified him, Sony, Amazon and Valve parted his IP among them, casting lots; and they sat and watched him there. And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS XBOX® ONE™ THE ALL-IN-ONE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM. Then are there crucified with him two robbers, EA on the right hand and Zynga on the left. And they that passed by railed on him, waggling their arms in front of his camera, and saying, Thou that createth DirectX, save thyself: if thou are the Son of Microsoft, buy your way down from the cross. He bought exclusive games; his own success he cannot buy. He is the King of the Living Room, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.

Now from the sixth hour there was silence from the XBOX division. And about the ninth hour The One cried with a loud voice, saying USA, USA why hast thou forsaken me? And the One cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the Gaming Age Forums were rent in two from the top top the bottom; and the ban hammer did fall and many avatars of the followers that had believed in him were forcibly exchanged.
tumblr_m41h294JZ11r3gh8ro1_500.gif
 
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