This is around what I'm thinking. A lot of people are saying MS can make a comeback but there doesn't seem to be a lot of avenues to do it. Its only a big seller in two countries versus Sony being worldwide. No way they can afford to money hat being outsold 2 to 1 so third party advantage is out. And their first party isnt going to save them either. While they may be fun games, I doubt black tusk gears reboot and 343 Halo are gonna do anything to turn the tables. Aside from those, MS first party isnt that fearsome. Then to top things off, the PS4 will always be significantly more powerful and cheaper. Good luck with that comeback. Its not impossible but it seems pretty unlikely.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
NPD Sales Results for March 2014 [Up4: FFX/X-2 HD]
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
This is around what I'm thinking. A lot of people are saying MS can make a comeback but there doesn't seem to be a lot of avenues to do it. Its only a big seller in two countries versus Sony being worldwide. No way they can afford to money hat being outsold 2 to 1 so third party advantage is out. And their first party isnt going to save them either. While they may be fun games, I doubt black tusk gears reboot and 343 Halo are gonna do anything to turn the tables. Aside from those, MS first party isnt that fearsome. Then to top things off, the PS4 will always be significantly more powerful and cheaper. Good luck with that comeback. Its not impossible but it seems pretty unlikely.
astrogamer
Member
Software
FFXHD -4:1 PS3/Vita
Yoshi's New Island <160k
Dark Souls 2<350k PS3 ~51%
MGSV: GZ =278k, PS4 ~ 54%, XBO ~ 20% (both combined 204k), PS3 ~ 19%
South Park: SoT< 440k, 360 55%
TitanFall> 1 million
Infamous: Second Son> 500k
outunderthestars
Banned
Okay Wii U is still doing bad, but jesus those god damn Vita numbers are just fucking painful.
I DO WANT to see a one console generation like PS1/PS2, that would save the developers a lot of developing costs.
1st Course
Member
The PSP is still good for running homebrew apps.
PanicFreak
Member
I don't see that happening. I think Microsoft will stick to what has worked in the past (i.e., previewing 2014 games and teasing 2015 games). I do think they should consider buying more companies though. Maybe not more but they should have been strategic about developers during last gen. They should have probably bought Red Lynx and they should have looked into purchasing BioWare.
Lesson learned? Maybe.
I don't think so. I think we're looking at a perminent price cut to $450, with probably two pack-in games. If they keep the Kinect, that would be a good value proposition. If they continue to get killed by Sony, maybe they look into dropping to $400 or dropping the Kinect this holiday season, though I don't think that they will drop the Kinect in a year.
I can't remember the last time I saw a retail PC game being sold so that has to be some sort of clue as to the ratio as reported by NPD.
Jaded Alyx
Member
Is this going to be the biggest NPD thread on GAF ever ? ＼(◎o◎／
I highly doubt it.
outunderthestars
Banned
sörine;108602091 said:
I am calling it now: Tomodachi won't break 100,000 ltd in the states. Nobody is going to pay $40 to play with mii's.
it's the most painful number of the month for me. Greatest gaming dedicated hardware of all time, going out into the night silently
I wonder how much longer this will last on shelves.
This is a pretty steep decline from last year. Things are still not looking good overall.
Well, I guess 3K up from last year is technically an increase but uh...
A younger part of me dreams of a scenario where Nintendo...
That said, the older part of me sees constantly falling Wii U sales numbers and a barren release schedule that's only getting worse. It's like the bad future from Fringe. Walter Bishop, please help.
- Makes some major internal changes and accepts that the DS and Wii were unprecedented hits that can't be replicated
- Relegates the Wii U to GBA-after-DS status
- Quickly designs and launches a console that comes out mid-gen at a competitive price
- Manages to make something that's similar to the PS4 and Xbone in specs and architecture, isn't laughably behind in any particular area, and still has some unique elements that make it feel like a Nintendo product
- Actually succeeds in un-burning some bridges with third parties and getting major games on the damn thing
- Finds some modicum of success in this dangerous market
That said, the older part of me sees constantly falling Wii U sales numbers and a barren release schedule that's only getting worse. It's like the bad future from Fringe. Walter Bishop, please help.
akilshohen
Member
Ok. I'm confused, how is this month bad for MS only when TF was #1 in sales on the chart?
Sweeney Tom
Banned
MS would need Japan to pull a PS3. That isn't happening for many years if ever.
Jaded Alyx
Member
Because it wasn't enough to cause their console to outsell the PS4?
While I doubt it would have been much better otherwise, it should be noted that retail is very, very, very constrained on Vitas right now, due to the transition from the 1000 model to the 2000 that's hitting at the beginning of May. Whatever 1000s are out there right now is all that Sony has left, as they haven't shipped a damn thing.
If it's as bad as it looks, I expect the April numbers to dip even further for the Vita.
If it's as bad as it looks, I expect the April numbers to dip even further for the Vita.
Because it was their "big huge megaton system seller" that was supposed to turn things around and even the sales race with Sony, and yet PS4 still outsold it even with the Titanfall bundles and vouchers and discounts, not to mention the gigantic ad campaign depicting it as a system seller.
Because what followed was a cocky Sony telling fans "you will want to get 2 jobs to buy this $600 PS3"
TF is good news for EA, not MS. also I bet you EA and Respawn is boiling inside seeing PS4 success.
outunderthestars
Banned
Because they spent millions of dollars promoting the game, marketed the hell out of it with bundles, limited edition controllers, etc. This was their big game for the season and it failed to really move hardware.
Jaded Alyx
Member
You seem pretty certain about that...
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
Please. <400k more units is not "boiling".
DarkLordMalik
Member
I understand that the WW numbers were strong, but Sony's first party efforts also played their part. A big reason why people were buying their console was a combination of price drop + exclusives + bluray capabilities. PS3 was a cheap bluray player during its initial launch year, and it was pretty decent as well. Multiplatform games were generally worse on the PS3 so i don't see them as a reason to get the console. I tend to think that exclusives moved PS3s for Sony.
The question is, can Microsoft do something similar? Can they create their own first party studios and release exclusives for their system, that end up selling the hardware? Before people talk about TitanFall not moving enough hardware, let me point out that it was not an exclusive per se(PC and 360), and many might have brought Xbox One already to play it. So it didn't really move significant amount of units than say, Metal Gear Solid 4 for PS3.
IMO, it is stupid to determine the success of an exclusive on the basis of it moving hardware. People don't buy a brand new hardware for a exclusive release in that month. They buy hardware months before the release of the exclusive, if they really want it. People might have already brought PS4 in anticipation of Uncharted, The Last of Us and potentially more PS4 exclusives in the future. It is not like they will be waiting for the particular month when it gets released.
Must hurt to be multi-platform but not on the most popular next gen console.
B For Bendetta
Member
Is 60k a huge difference in hardware sales? It seems like a drop in the bucket, but it's been a couple years since I've looked at sales figures. Everyone is acting like Xbone is done for
What's a PSP cost these days anyway? The only homebrew stuff I've heard about is taking tripping out of brawl and making Pokemon trainer's pokemon individually playable and taking out the shake to roll in Donkey Kong Returns. What else do people use it for?
You are correct. I do hope that Xbox One is atleast a success for them. I don't want to see another 1 console domination generation like during PS2. Competition is good for everyone
Seriously? This BS again? Someone please help me find that post by Y2kev...
shinra-bansho
Member
2013 was up on 2012 because of 1) the release of a budget SKU and 2) the release of Pokemon, Nintendo's strongest handheld franchise.
The equivalent PSP year was when it reached its zenith in terms of TTM sales, the sales in the year were 3.8M i.e. roughly the same as 3DS sales last year which it's down significantly. The PSP was behind, launch aligned by 1.1M three months ago i.e. ~400K of that advantage to the 3DS dissipated in 13 weeks.
If there's to be a 3DS resurgence... what exactly is going to cause it?
The equivalent PSP year was when it reached its zenith in terms of TTM sales, the sales in the year were 3.8M i.e. roughly the same as 3DS sales last year which it's down significantly. The PSP was behind, launch aligned by 1.1M three months ago i.e. ~400K of that advantage to the 3DS dissipated in 13 weeks.
If there's to be a 3DS resurgence... what exactly is going to cause it?
They said it hit that number 9 days after launch, so around March 30th. I wonder what it's at now.
You think the PS4 is outselling the X1 based on hype alone? It couldn't have something to do with the negativity surrounding Microsoft's May reveal, the abysmal E3 showing from MS, the more resounding "gamer first" message Sony has been on point with, the flip flopping in MS strategy, the lower price of the PS4, the forced kinect SKU that made the X1 more expensive, the weaker X1 hardware, the more available as well as announced games for PS4, the better multiplats, etc....
No? Just hype?
Its not 400k units, its 2.5 MILLION
Infinite Xero
Member
New Sony is cool though. They're all humble and listening to gamers now. They learned their lesson and have been rewarded for via PS4 sales. I don't think they will change their ways anytime soon considering Kaz's leadership of Sony and the uncertain fate of console gaming.
doesnt ninty own parts of monolith soft? or they totally own them not sure
but you can expect X on wii u
It's big when you think about how hyped up the Titanfall launch was. A lot of people (including myself) expected Xbox One to outsell the PS4 in last month. If it can't even do it in March, it definitely won't for a long time.
We'd better get it, one way or another.
They're first party.
They own 96% of Monolith Soft. I don't think there's any ambiguity.
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
60k difference for one month is nothing. It's when there's a consistent 100k+ difference people should take notice.
People acting like Xbone is done for are fools and probably fanboys.
astrogamer
Member
It's more the widening gap between the systems. The gap is already approaching 3 million. The PS4 could be double the XB1 before the year's end
vinnygambini
Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
ElectricKaibutsu
Member
I don't think they could launch mid gen. Even if they matched the specs of the PS4 and got the same multiplats, people already own PS4s so why buy another similar system?
I have no idea what they can do. Hopefully they're smarter than me.
maybe they just got a gamecube
it's the only platform up yoy in 2014!
People that may not have a lot of money and want a mobile game device for their kids knowing it'll just ge trashed soonor or later? I mean i can of some PSP's at a killer discount at some stores that still have them laying around
ambientmystic
Member
One could argue that the massive rise in US XBO sales (almost 2x) when comparing January 2014 (~140k) to February 2014 (~260k) could be folk prepping themselves to get TitanFall when it comes out later on, thus causing the so called "system-selling" impact of the game to be greatly diminished in the month where it mattered the most.
That trend was also what confidently led many gaffers (myself included) to believe that the XBO was staging a continued comeback for this month, for if that trend continued it should've surpassed the PS4's monthly sales, without a doubt.
3rdamention
Member
I did want to share a congrats to Sony, Microsoft, Respawn, and Sucker Punch. The sales were obviously strong for all 4, even if they may not be what some would have hoped.
I think that Microsoft is now faced with a big decision. The price drops/game pack in part time "promotion" as Major Nelson referred to it, is going to have to be more aggressive, and become an official price drop. The price of the system, coupled with the power of the hardware, are two obstacles Microsoft is going to have to attempt to overcome. Since they cannot rebuild the hardware to eliminate the power discrepancy, that leaves us with price. I wonder what Sony's counter move will be if Microsoft does try to be more aggressive with price, pack ins, or both.
* I could see a situation where Microsoft eats a loss, sells the Xbox One for $399, and announces it at E3. But Sony could quickly counter, and drop the PS4 to $350, touché.
* Or, Microsoft could remove Kinect, sell the Xbox One for $399, but Sony could consider keeping the PS4 priced at $399, but including the PlaystationEye camera. That would be both ironic, and clever.
* Finally, Microsoft simply drops the price of the Xbox One to between $400 to $450 with Kinect, continues to pack in Titanfall or a different game, and Sony stands also packs in a game (Killzone or Knack) staying at $400, and hopes that exclusive Destiny and Watch Dogs Marketing, The Order, The Last Of Us ReRelease, and maybe a late 2014 Uncharted 4 is enough to get them through 2014 without dropping the price.
I feel one of these scenarios is going to happen. It isn't simply going to be Microsoft making really aggressive moves and Sony doing absolutely nothing.
I think that Microsoft is now faced with a big decision. The price drops/game pack in part time "promotion" as Major Nelson referred to it, is going to have to be more aggressive, and become an official price drop. The price of the system, coupled with the power of the hardware, are two obstacles Microsoft is going to have to attempt to overcome. Since they cannot rebuild the hardware to eliminate the power discrepancy, that leaves us with price. I wonder what Sony's counter move will be if Microsoft does try to be more aggressive with price, pack ins, or both.
* I could see a situation where Microsoft eats a loss, sells the Xbox One for $399, and announces it at E3. But Sony could quickly counter, and drop the PS4 to $350, touché.
* Or, Microsoft could remove Kinect, sell the Xbox One for $399, but Sony could consider keeping the PS4 priced at $399, but including the PlaystationEye camera. That would be both ironic, and clever.
* Finally, Microsoft simply drops the price of the Xbox One to between $400 to $450 with Kinect, continues to pack in Titanfall or a different game, and Sony stands also packs in a game (Killzone or Knack) staying at $400, and hopes that exclusive Destiny and Watch Dogs Marketing, The Order, The Last Of Us ReRelease, and maybe a late 2014 Uncharted 4 is enough to get them through 2014 without dropping the price.
I feel one of these scenarios is going to happen. It isn't simply going to be Microsoft making really aggressive moves and Sony doing absolutely nothing.
PanicFreak
Member
They have a USA.
If the trend continues WW that will have happened by E3.