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[Haunted]

Don't have much time, so just my initial impressions without having read the thread or any other explanations.

01. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, PC, NDS) ACTIVISION BLIZZARD ** - 8.4 Million

wow, that is impressive.

03. Just Dance 2 (Wii) UBISOFT
04. Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP) ELECTRONIC ARTS

Woah. Didn't expect that even with the small Madden decline in recent years.

06. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) NINTENDO - 430.5K

yay! I was afraid it was gonna underperform like Other M.

07. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (PS3, 360, Wii, PC) ELECTRONIC ARTS
08. Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) SONY** - 400K

WOAH WHAT THE FUCK

Hardware:

Nintendo DS: 1.5 Million (-11.8%)
Xbox 360: 1.37 Million (+68%)
Wii: 1.27 Million (+0.8%)
PS3: 530k (-25%)

uh oh PS3. Impressive for 360.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

It definetly won't happen until E3 at the earliest. But it's clear that next year they will find a way to be at 199$ in time for next fall.

The issue though is Microsoft will immediately react to any price drop.

That's why I'm surprised MS don't cut their price right now. It's generally accepted MS could cut to at least $249 and remain profitable, and if they did, they'd put Sony a real tough spot. Would Sony cut the price and start losing money again, or would Sony hold and see the gap they've worked so hard to close probably start widening again?

The good thing for Sony though is that the longer MS don't cut the price, the more time they're giving Sony to keep working on cutting the manufacturing cost of the PS3.

Microsoft may have reacted already were it not for the very impressive US sales data over the last six months. Sure, they could drop the price further and increase their 'lead', but profit is everything.

As I stated above, Microsoft are in a great position to react to anything Sony does.

 

[Elios83]

The issue though is Microsoft will immediately react to any price drop.

And.....so? What's the issue?
Sony needs 199$ for themselves, to reach mass market and make PS3 reach its full commercial potential, both hardware and software wise.
And btw a PS3 at 199$ would gain MUCH MUCH more in sales than a Xbox360 at 150$, especially worldwide Sony could wipe out the remaining gap.

 

[Rad-]

MS hasn't done a real price drop in over 2 years. Pretty crazy how well they are doing considering this.

 

[Haunted]

Ok, couldn't resist skimming at least the first couple pages after seeing the GT5 chart position and numbers. :lol

Surprised no one has shopped NFS on the truck and GT5 on the car.

 

[Square Triangle]

As I stated above, Microsoft are in a great position to react to anything Sony does.

They reacted to free online play alright.

Surprised no one has shopped NFS on the truck and GT5 on the car.

4 Consoles- including one that double in sales over the PS3 >>Just the PS3.

Well then yeah, duh.

 

[DMeisterJ]

This thread is amazing. The key to an awesome NPD thread looks to be the PS3. Have it do bad and have a big game not under perform, and GAF devolves into 'bomba' hysterics. Next month shall be even more amazing with everyone waiting on the report of how well GT holds up. I hope someone makes a trailer like for NPD Nov 06.

 

[offshore]

As I stated above, Microsoft are in a great position to react to anything Sony does.

But like you said, Sony aren't going to do anything for months. It will likely be Sony who has to react to MS, not the other way around. If the 360 went to $249, it's still not the $199 sweet spot, so MS would still have that significant price point still to play.

Of course I take on that board MS are now making a good profit and are having banner sales even without a price cut, but for a company that makes over $12 billion profit every year regardless of what the Xbox division does, MS have a real chance to put Sony in a real tough spot, and help pull away from the PS3 again.

The longer MS don't move, the more time they're giving Sony to help cut the cost of the PS3 and to match them when they do.

 

[dolemite]

Driving in the blind spot of a large vehicle is dangerous.

 

[Square Triangle]

This thread is amazing. The key to an awesome NPD thread looks to be the PS3. Have it do bad and have a big game not under perform, and GAF devolves into 'bomba' hysterics. Next month shall be even more amazing with everyone waiting on the report of how well GT holds up. I hope someone makes a trailer like for NPD Nov 06.

It really is a fucking party every thread. I find it amusing how PS3 centric GAF is and when it's NPD time the doom and gloomers with their Xbox 360 boxers from Khols show up.

 

[FrankT]

That's why I'm surprised MS don't cut their price right now. It's generally accepted MS could cut to at least $249 and remain profitable, and if they did, they'd put Sony a real tough spot. Would Sony cut the price and start losing money again, or would Sony hold and see the gap they've worked so hard to close probably start widening again?

The good thing for Sony though is that the longer MS don't cut the price, the more time they're giving Sony to keep working on cutting the manufacturing cost of the PS3.

Why cut the price now when it is at the same price from over 2 years now and selling more kit than ever before. SW isn't really an issue at this point so why not make as much as you can now. Save the price cut for when they need it. Sony had a nice boost last time with the cut and slim so I'm fairly sure MS will cut in or around the next Sony cut. Likely both next fall.

Working off the numbers from last month so far;

LTD
DS 44.7M
Wii 31.77M
360 23.53M
PS3 14.25M

YTD
DS 6M
Wii 4.66M
360 4.9M
PS3 3.12M

Chance for 360 to reach 7 million this year. I believe that would beat out the 2nd best year of PS2 iirc.

 

[Souldriver]

This thread is amazing. The key to an awesome NPD thread looks to be the PS3. Have it do bad and have a big game not under perform, and GAF devolves into 'bomba' hysterics. Next month shall be even more amazing with everyone waiting on the report of how well GT holds up. I hope someone makes a trailer like for NPD Nov 06.

No, the magic ingredients are unexpected numbers with large discrepancies between the 3 big companies.

 

[Haunted]

No, the magic ingredients are unexpected numbers with large discrepancies between the 3 big companies.

NO NO IT'S JUST THE PS3 HATERS

 

[Souldriver]

NO NO IT'S JUST THE PS3 HATERS

I was trying to avoid pointing that out and just play nice.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

4 Consoles- including one that double in sales over the PS3 >>Just the PS3.

Well then yeah, duh.

Maybe put Fable III on it with like clockwork wheels and like one of the car dealership window receipts that say OCTOBER 2010?

;D

But like you said, Sony aren't going to do anything for months. It will likely be Sony who has to react to MS, not the other way around. If the 360 went to $249, it's still not the $199 sweet spot, so MS would still have that significant price point still to play.

Of course I take on that board MS are now making a good profit and are having banner sales even without a price cut, but for a company that makes over $12 billion profit every year regardless of what the Xbox division does, MS have a real chance to put Sony in a real tough spot, and help pull away from the PS3 again.

The longer MS don't move, the more time they're giving Sony to help cut the cost of the PS3 and to match them when they do.

The arcade would, at that point, lower to $149. Presumably.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

They reacted to free online play alright.

Wide would they irradiate Xbox Live Gold when it clearly brings them a lot of revenue? Playstation Plus suggests Sony think along the same lines.

I do agree though that online play should be free.

 

[manueldelalas]

I don't think MSFT will lower the price of the Xbox 360 any time soon. The problem they are facing now is restocking the thing to be available for Christmass, and I think we could see some shortages on MSFTs side.

Even if Sony lowered the price of the PS3, I don't think they would lower the price of the Xbox, unless the result of said price-cut would be people buying a lot more PS3s and a lot less Xboxes.

But that last case would be very strange. The Kinect, like it or not (I know I don't), is generating a lot of buzz, and it is sold out in a lot of places, the Xbox is one of the most desired items of the moment, while Move is just underperforming and certainly not doing anything for the PS3.

Also I don't think next years line up will change things either. Most of the people that will buy LBP2, Uncharted 3 and Killzone 3 will be the same people that bought LBP, Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2, I don't see any of those games as system sellers. The Last Guardian, even though it may be an incredible game, it certainly won't be a system seller game, because it is aimed at a small niche market.

So no, I am not seeing a 360 price cut anywhere in the near future, I'm not seeing the PS3 selling better (year of the PS3 or whatever, that ship sailed a long time ago)., I'm expecting Sony to tell us in December how much better they did compared to November, and I don't know what the hell the PR department will say in January (only ideas I have are: "We sold a lot more PS3s here than in Japan", "numbers are better than the same period in 2008", or talk about how the Sony family sold more than the Xbox family).

 

[DMeisterJ]

NO NO IT'S JUST THE PS3 HATERS

+ The PS3 defenders

 

[Haunted]

Don't worry, GT5 is totally baller in Europe, we'll pick up the slack for the US of fail.

+ The PS3 defenders

*high fives*

 

[BowieZ]

More like a cut-down, kid/novice-friendly drawing tablet. It will obviously have limited application, but it's a neat peripheral for certain things and I believe it was rumoured that Nintendo were developing something for it as well as THQ.

Wii Draw too obvious?

 

[Cosmonaut X]

Wii Draw too obvious?

That or Wii Paint

 

[modulaire]

Always surprising how much more success the PS3 has in the rest of the world.

 

[GCX]

I like the fact that a Retro Studios game is selling really well.

They deserve it.

 

[Maleficence]

Wide would they irradiate Xbox Live Gold when it clearly brings them a lot of revenue? Playstation Plus suggests Sony think along the same lines.

I do agree though that online play should be free.

No it doesn't, they're completely different services.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

No it doesn't, they're completely different services.

They both exist for revenue, they are the same in that regard.

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

No it doesn't, they're completely different services.

"Revenue generated from a console-based online service" is a pretty "[similar] line," semantically speaking.

 

[Maleficence]

They both exist for revenue, they are the same in that regard.

:lol

Of course they exist for revenue, that's the most redundant point you could think of beyond "they're both services".

 

[jett]

I just realized GT5 sold more in Japan than in America.

In freaking Japan.

 

[szaromir]

The issue though is Microsoft will immediately react to any price drop.

Microsoft may have reacted already were it not for the very impressive US sales data over the last six months. Sure, they could drop the price further and increase their 'lead', but profit is everything.

Yes, none of the big three are willing to sacrifice profitability for marketshare at the moment. They all have gained critical userbases that 3rd party can address, so they are in no rush to give away $50 to every new console purchaser. MS isn't doing so hot in Europe, but the prices of 360 hardware were effectively raised. Subsidizing hardware in today's environment is suicidal as it takes aways the possibility to react to market changes.

Although, in a way, it might be funny if in the US Sony is forced to price drop "best velue it only does everything!!!" PS3 below 360 with HDD.

 

[Zoe]

I just realized GT5 sold more in Japan than in America.

In freaking Japan.

So did GT4, at least in the first two weeks.

 

[Fio]

When a ugly game designed after circa 2000 FPS mechanics manages to sell almost 9 million copies in a month we realize in what a pathetic state of affairs this industry is in.

*sigh*

 

[Aika'svyse]

If I were MS i'd just hold strong, they are headed toward being totally profitable with 360. Which is something people thought would never happen. I believe they are capturing mindshare for next gen with things like Kinect. I actually think to say they were profitable would be a great tag at the end of the gen.

On the Sony side, they lost alot this gen in comparisons to the other gens, but what impresses me is they just keep fighting back. They started with a terrible price tag in consumers eyes, even if felt fair to people in the know. They also got a late start compared to MS. I never feel they are counted out. If you think GT5 is the last big game for this gen you're wrong.

My brother was telling me Nintendo should have done this and Nintendo should have done that, but i was just like dude Nintendo is at what almost 80 mil worldwide. I'm not going to say they should have launched with HD or whatever they are looking down on everyone.

 

[farnham]

THQ make Darksiders uDraw plz!!

 

[Shurs]

When a ugly game designed after circa 2000 FPS mechanics manages to sell almost 9 million copies in a month we realize in what a pathetic state of affairs this industry is in.

*sigh*

60.

 

[Shurs]

Erm...Sony?

I don't think Sony want it to go down in history that they finished in last place. Nor will Sony want MS gloating that the 360 managed to finish ahead of the PS3, especially when the outcome was meant to be vastly different...

It's not last generation.

Even if it finishes third worldwide, the PS3 will have sold more units than Xbox and Gamecube combined. You can probably throw Dreamcast in there as well, actually.

If companies cared about NPD numbers as much as the people on this board we'd see a lot more games released at the beginning of the month.

 

[Wazzim]

PS3 sales look terrible compared to the other consoles, and GT5 just 400k? :/
360 is 68% up which is nice.

 

[Clear]

I just realized GT5 sold more in Japan than in America.

In freaking Japan.

In Japan Monster Hunter shifted how many units on what is considered to be a "dead" platform?

Its been a long time since we've seen this level of disparity in popular tastes -both hardware and software- across the globe,

 

[REMEMBER CITADEL]

But like you said, Sony aren't going to do anything for months. It will likely be Sony who has to react to MS, not the other way around. If the 360 went to $249, it's still not the $199 sweet spot, so MS would still have that significant price point still to play.

Of course I take on that board MS are now making a good profit and are having banner sales even without a price cut, but for a company that makes over $12 billion profit every year regardless of what the Xbox division does, MS have a real chance to put Sony in a real tough spot, and help pull away from the PS3 again.

The longer MS don't move, the more time they're giving Sony to help cut the cost of the PS3 and to match them when they do.

Microsoft doesn't really have to rush things as far as competition from Sony is concerned, they are enjoying the profits knowing that the matter of the 2nd spot is rather insignificant at this point. Instead, I believe they are in it to win. Win win, not 2nd spot win. Of course, that's extremely unlikely to happen, but I believe they will keep on trying to take on Nintendo, not Sony.

They really are in a great position. With Kinect seemingly gaining ground, a $50 price drop on their part could theoretically be just as productive as a $100 drop from Sony. I mean, just look at the surge the redesign has produced, with no price drop and no Kinect. Some people still seem to think that PS3 is a more desirable platform, only being held back by its price point. I'm not so sure.

And another interesting thing is, having positioned Kinect as an integral, maybe even the most important hardware part of the platform going forward, Microsoft can drop the price in two different ways. They can cut the price of the base hardware and they can cut the price of Kinect. With Move controllers already going for $50 a pop, Sony has a lot less maneuvering space in that regard.

 

[gregor7777]

It really is a fucking party every thread. I find it amusing how PS3 centric GAF is and when it's NPD time the doom and gloomers with their Xbox 360 boxers from Khols show up.

More passive aggressiveness* please. This is good, but you're so close to gold. Reach for the stars.

*may not be a word

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

If companies cared about NPD numbers as much as the people on this board we'd see a lot more games released at the beginning of the month.

Pretty sure that as cuckoo for cocoa puffs as GAF might get about NPD, the companies and the employees that end up getting ditched because of them care wayyyyy more about software and hardware sales numbers.

Like by a significant margin.

 

[slaughterking]

Ok, couldn't resist skimming at least the first couple pages after seeing the GT5 chart position and numbers. :lol

Yeah, I just did the same, but I think farnham steals the show there. His breakdowns are almost a little concerning. :lol

 

[Shurs]

Pretty sure that as cuckoo for cocoa puffs as GAF might get about NPD, the companies and the employees that end up getting ditched because of them, care wayyyyy more about software and hardware sales numbers.

Like by a significant margin.

Of course companies care about software sales. I'm not saying they don't. What I'm saying is that while there is probably some pride involved in NPD rankings, ultimately it's total sales that matter, not where a game ranks on the NPD chart its opening month.

Sony seems to think that games like Uncharted and Little Big Planet are successful, yet their NPD numbers were certainly not astounding.

People doom and glooming the Gran Turismo numbers are seemingly ignoring that the game will sell well in America after its initial 4 days of sales.

 

[big_z]

I don't think MSFT will lower the price of the Xbox 360 any time soon. The problem they are facing now is restocking the thing to be available for Christmass, and I think we could see some shortages on MSFTs side.

But that last case would be very strange. The Kinect, like it or not (I know I don't), is generating a lot of buzz, and it is sold out in a lot of places, the Xbox is one of the most desired items of the moment, while Move is just underperforming and certainly not doing anything for the PS3.

word on the street is microsoft is holding a ton of stock back for the christmas rush. they're trying to artificially increase demand for kinect. hard to say if it's working, it doesnt seem the buzz for the item is all that great or at least not on the level of must have item. it'll still sell well thanks to the bombardment of advertisements... cant go 10 minutes on tv without seeing just dance ads.

i agree price wont drop for a while yet.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Those Media Create threads are interesting because of some games appearing first there, but yeah Japan is not the 2nd biggest market anymore.

The UK has declined a ton in the last two years so Japan may have retaken the #2 spot.

 

[szaromir]

If I were MS i'd just hold strong, they are headed toward being totally profitable with 360. Which is something people thought would never happen. I believe they are capturing mindshare for next gen with things like Kinect. I actually think to say they were profitable would be a great tag at the end of the gen.

They most lokiely already are. The division is $1.5B in the red since 360 launched, however they released several versions of Zune and the phone Kin, all of which severely underperformed. With this in mind, I'd expect entire X360 venture to be profitable at this point.

 

[hatchx]

I like the fact that a Retro Studios game is selling really well.

They deserve it.

Correct me if I'm wrong,


Didn't Metroid Prime release Nov. 18th and still sell 700k in it's opening month?

Didn't Metroid Prime 3 release August 27th and STILL manage around 500k in it's opening month?


I know DKCR will have better legs, and I guess we'll see about December, but the game is hardly their best opening-month seller. I'd say for such a big franchise smack in the middle of November, it could have and should ranked in a bit more.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

MP3's opening month was 218k:


http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/NPD_August_2007

 

[FrankT]

word on the street is microsoft is holding a ton of stock back for the christmas rush. they're trying to artificially increase demand for kinect. hard to say if it's working, it doesnt seem the buzz for the item is all that great or at least not on the level of must have item. it'll still sell well thanks to the bombardment of advertisements... cant go 10 minutes on tv without seeing just dance ads.

i agree price wont drop for a while yet.

Right 2.5 million in homes in 25 days and they want to hold back stock. Yea....

Not a marketing strategy, we are told

Sources from the retail sector are telling us that they are not only running short of 250GB Xbox 360 consoles, but inventory levels of Kinect are not where they would like them to be; which is causing some stores to be out of stock again. Apparently, this is not just a North American issue, with retail sources in the U.K. chiming in to us that they are likewise experiencing some difficulty maintaining enough stock of Kinect units.

While a number of analysts have suggested that Microsoft is limiting the numbers of Kinect being shipping in an effort to keep demand high, sources tell us that this apparently is not the case. Microsoft has never had a history of using these kinds of marketing tactics in the past, and it is doubtful that they would resort to this in order to drive higher sales.

Actually, the whispers of those claiming to be in the know admit that it seems to have more to do with manufacturing and parts than with anything else. These reliable sources tell us that they are ramping up production of Kinect, but a number of factors (including a wait for some key parts to be delivered) have slowed down the build process to less than optimal; but it is expected Microsoft is working with manufacturing partners to churn out as many Kinect devices as they can to meet demand.

It seems that the only place that it is really easy to get Kinect is in Japan where the add-on has had a slow start; but this is nothing new to Microsoft and its attempts to reach the Japanese market. It seems in other regions that it is hit or miss, depending on the retailer and location. It does seem that at least in the U.S. availability isn’t impossible, with a number of retailers telling us that they have some units in stock today; but they admitted to us they have not a clue if they will be getting any more before the Christmas holiday.

http://fudzilla.com/games/item/21102-kinect-shortages-still-reported

According to one guy in retail here a big shipment is expected right before Christmas.

 

[REMEMBER CITADEL]

they're trying to artificially increase demand for kinect. hard to say if it's working, it doesnt seem the buzz for the item is all that great or at least not on the level of must have item.

Wat. It sold 2.5 million units in less than a month. Sold. If that doesn't translate as buzz to you, I don't know what might.

 

[Chris1964]

The UK has declined a ton in the last two years so Japan may have retaken the #2 spot.

Was there a year UK was #2?