backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 69 comment(s) - last by peternelson.. on Jan 14 at 3:40 PM
NPD Group reports the sales figures from the $12.5 billion U.S. video game industry

The official numbers from NPD Group are in, and the undeniable champion of all video game console sales in December is none other than the Nintendo DS. But of course, that’s a handheld and those always sell very well. So among all the play-at-home systems, the leader of them all is PlayStation 2.

Those expecting the current generation systems to top sales charts may be surprised to see Sony’s previous generation machine lead the pack. Apparently, the strong performance of the PS2 surprised NPD’s own analysts. “I literally said 'Oh My God' out loud when I saw the December PS2 numbers,” said Anita Frazier, NPD analyst, to GameDaily. “For that platform to have sold as many units as it did in December up against two new systems in the market was amazing, regardless of the price point.”

One of the “big three” showed up in third spot, and that would be the Xbox 360 cracking past the million mark with 1.1 million sold. The U.S. sales are as follows:

Console

December sales

Total sales to date

Nintendo DS

1.6 million

9.2 million

PlayStation 2

1.4 million

37.1 million

Xbox 360

1.1 million

4.5 million

PSP

953,200

6.7 million

Game Boy Advance

850,700

35.1 million

Wii

604,200

1.1 million

PlayStation 3

490,700

687,300

 “The race is really just beginning. We won't see this play out clearly until we're well into 2007,” said Frazier to GameDaily. “That said, the lead that Microsoft had in establishing the 360 for this generation of systems cannot be discounted. Since Sony and Microsoft are similarly positioning their two systems in terms of the device being more than just a video game machine, the 360 lead is more impactful to Sony than it is to Nintendo whose strategy has been different all along.”

The market leader for its generation seems to be pretty happy with its new found success. “We demonstrated our ability to turn our thought leadership into market leadership,” said Peter Moore, Corporate VP at Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division. “Now in 2007, our challenge is to use our position as market leader to continue pushing the innovation envelope and connecting consumers ever more tightly to their games, their friends and their lifestyle.”

Nintendo, on the other hand, couldn’t have asked for a better holiday season. “Millions of players, both hard-core and brand-new, are already enjoying the unique entertainment provided by Wii, but demand for the system remains incredibly high,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “So our work is just beginning. We're dedicating ourselves to maximizing both manufacturing and distribution full bore throughout 2007, to make sure everyone who wants to experience the future of video gaming can do so just as soon as possible.”

Despite being bested by its current generation competitors, Sony remains confident in its newest offerings. “If there was ever any doubt about the power of the PlayStation brand in the US, the December NPD data should quickly quell it,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America. “Not only did consumers drive records for PlayStation 3, they also validated the excellent value represented by PlayStation 2 and the entertainment versatility of PSP. These sales figures bode very well for the company heading into 2007.”

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
Well well well...
By jtyson on 1/12/2007 9:37:50 AM , Rating: 4
I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for this. I know it's going to get d-rated as soon as I post it, and while it will probably make some of you laugh, there will definitely be those of you who are angered by it. But I cannot, in good conscience, pass up this opportunity to just point out a few things.

The first thing I would point out is that, of the seven consoles listed on that diagram, three of them are made by Nintendo, three of them are made by Sony, and only one is made by Microsoft. Just thought I'd point that out.

More glaring, and probably recognized by everyone who even glanced at the chart, is the fact that the PlayStation 2 (which is, to date, the highest selling gaming console of all time) is still outselling all other gaming consoles, except the DS. Which means that, even though Sony has introduced the PS2's successor to the market, and Nintendo and Microsoft have made similar attempts at their next-gen consoles, the PS2 is selling more than any of them. Even the Xbox 360, which has been on the market for over a year and is, to my knowledge, superior to the PS2 in every technical aspect. When a person walks into a store to buy a console, they are more likely to purchase a last-gen console than the Xbox 360.

Lastly, and I'll make it brief, is the fact that everybody seems to think that the PSP is some sort of failure. I don't own one, and I don't plan on buying unless the price drops or they release an update for it, but I wouldn't call being #4 in sales out of the top seven competing consoles "failing numbers". Would you?

"Them numbers ain't lyin', youngin'!




RE: Well well well...
By bnme on 1/12/2007 9:57:10 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
only one is made by Microsoft


Except, of course, Microsoft does make the operating system to another gaming device which:

1.) Has an install base significantly larger than any of the consoles, new or old.
2.) Has a variety of games, from casual to hardcore, and also from free to monthly subscription games.
3.) Has DVD and other home theater options.
4.) Can surf the web.
5.) Can connect to a variety of devices, such as MP3 players, digital cameras, etc...

They were touting this at CES too. Apples and oranges, maybe, but they group PC games and console games all as "video games".


RE: Well well well...
By Legolias24 on 1/12/2007 10:02:11 AM , Rating: 2
If you do decide to get a PSP, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Lumines 1 & 2 are addictively fun...same with Gunpey.

If you're like me and just want something to kill time with commuting to and from work, those three games I listed are great because you can just jump into a game! (Mind you, when you get really good your games will last for an hour or more, but still lots of fun! :P)

As for the PS2 outselling all the existing consoles, I think that is pretty funny, but the price point for that console is such that it isn't that far fetched. One reason why the Wii is doing so well is because its cheap when compared to other next gen offerings. (I'm still not getting one as I'm not sold on the control scheme...I can't help but think the controller will be a flash in the pan!)

Anyway, that's my two cents!


RE: Well well well...
By Biggie on 1/12/2007 10:02:15 AM , Rating: 2
The PSP is a failure I own one and I use it more as a video/music player then a game machine. The number of exceptional original games is very limited. The system's biggest problem is the long load times due to the UMD format, waiting over a minute to get into a game is unacceptable.

As for the sales data I'm pretty sure Nintendo would have sold more Wii if they had greater hardware availability. It's kinda sad that Microsoft couldn't shift more 360s when they have no real competition. 2007 will be an interesting year.


RE: Well well well...
By jtyson on 1/12/2007 10:19:05 AM , Rating: 1
...Yeeeaaaah, but that's really more or less opinion and conjecture, which you're entitled to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to buy one either (unless the price drops or they update it with a HDD or SSD). But to call the PSP an outright "failure" is to ignore the facts, especially considering that about a million people during the month of December alone would disagree with you.

Worth buying? Depends on who you ask. Failure? Certainly not.


RE: Well well well...
By Alpha2Omega on 1/12/2007 10:06:52 AM , Rating: 3
I'm not going to downrate you, you're welcome to your opinion, but I am going to argue your points.

quote:
The first thing I would point out is that, of the seven consoles listed on that diagram, three of them are made by Nintendo, three of them are made by Sony, and only one is made by Microsoft. Just thought I'd point that out.


The reason for this is MS have only released 2 consoles to date, and one of these is no longer actively pushed. This is in contrast to Sony, who have the PS2, PSP and PS3, and Nintendo, with the GBA, DS and Wii. If MS had a handheld out that they were pushing, with games coming out often, they would likely be on that diagram too.

quote:
Even the Xbox 360, which has been on the market for over a year and is, to my knowledge, superior to the PS2 in every technical aspect. When a person walks into a store to buy a console, they are more likely to purchase a last-gen console than the Xbox 360.


Technological superiority is not the be all and end all. Consoles are bought for all sorts of people on all sorts of budgets, and people don't go shopping for a games console without having one in mind already, nor do they aim for a 360 and then settle for a PS2 and vice versa. PS2 is selling well because lots of people want an inexpesive, but current console, and lets face it, with the GC and Xbox largely finished now, there is no choice but the PS2.

quote:
Lastly, and I'll make it brief, is the fact that everybody seems to think that the PSP is some sort of failure. I don't own one, and I don't plan on buying unless the price drops or they release an update for it, but I wouldn't call being #4 in sales out of the top seven competing consoles "failing numbers". Would you?


Well when you consider that the bottom two are supply limited, and, had there been 3 million units available they likely would have sold all of them, these do not count. Further, the GBA is now 6 year old tech, and has sold decently well still. It's likely most people who want a GBA have one and sales will continue to decline until a new one is introduced or the DS takes over, so now you see the PSP is effectively last. Finally, the main competition for the PSP is the DS, and that sold about 60% more than the PSP in a month. These devices are no longer supply constrained, it's simply that the PSP is not selling as well as it's competitor


RE: Well well well...
By Tsuwamono on 1/12/2007 10:19:26 AM , Rating: 2
Well i agree with you about the reasons why people are buying a PS2. MS doesnt really keep making new games for the Xbox but TECHNICALLY its still far superior to the PS2. The only downside to the original xbox in my opinion was that there was no Gran Turismo. Same for the 360.


RE: Well well well...
By glennpratt on 1/13/2007 12:48:03 PM , Rating: 2
Between RalliSport 2 and Forza Motorsport, I couldn't care less about the Gran Tourismo series.


RE: Well well well...
By R Nilla on 1/12/2007 10:20:06 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Well when you consider that the bottom two are supply limited, and, had there been 3 million units available they likely would have sold all of them, these do not count.

I can't help but point out that this is not true of the PS3. We could speculate all we wanted to during launch, but now that the smoke has cleared, the PS3 is all but readily available in most B&M stores, and even online, while the Wii still remains difficult to track down.


RE: Well well well...
By Alpha2Omega on 1/12/2007 11:22:00 AM , Rating: 2
Oh I'm not going to argue, I just don't have first hand experience living in the UK, but everything i'm reading suggests you are right. My only point was in relation to the PSP, and that #4 on the list is not really that great.

If anything, your observations make another point, which is that Sony's most recent offerings, supply limited or not, just aren't selling as well as their earlier stuff, whereas MS is selling more $400 consoles than Sony is PSPs and the Wii is nigh on impossible to get hold of.

The coming months should certainly be interesting


RE: Well well well...
By jtyson on 1/12/07, Rating: -1
RE: Well well well...
By KaiserCSS on 1/12/2007 2:16:14 PM , Rating: 2
jtyson, your reputation precedes you. Name your "trusted source", or most of us will believe you're just repeating the same things many people hope will happen.


RE: Well well well...
By jtyson on 1/12/07, Rating: -1
RE: Well well well...
By Goty on 1/12/07, Rating: 0
RE: Well well well...
By Goty on 1/12/07, Rating: -1