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Sony's new PS3 Slim outsold both the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 in September, according to the NPD Group.  (Source: Amazon.com)
Sony has something to cheer about and Microsoft is giving bargain hunters something to jeer about

The Wii has dominated next generation console sales, with the Xbox 360 settling for a distant second.  The Sony Playstation 3, meanwhile, traditionally was even further behind, settling for last place.

Well, Sony finally has some good news to report.  Thanks perhaps to a new $299.99 price point and "slim" redesign, the PS3 soared to first place on the NPD Group's September sales charts, moving 491,800 units.  Perhaps those new Kevin Butler ads produced by Deutsch LA worked as well.

Whatever, the secret sauce was, it rudely bumped Nintendo's Wii to second place, with 462,800 units sold.  Xbox 360, meanwhile was left with 352,600 units in sales.  NPD analyst Anita Frazier who authored the report did state that the Xbox 360 manage "the most to industry unit and dollar sales as sales of the 360 hardware, software and accessories comprised 32 percent of the month's revenues."

The industry as a whole recovered in September from several bad months, earning $1.28B USD, compared to $1.27B USD from a year before.

While Microsoft's 360 hardware is selling well, driven in part by strong third-party sales, those sales may soon take a hit.  In other news, previewers of latest Xbox 360 update are reporting that it locks out "unauthorized" storage devices.

Currently the Xbox 360 comes in two SKUS -- an Arcade edition ($199.99) and a more expensive version with a hard drive.  The Arcade version necessitates the purchase of a memory stick to store saved games, high scores, etc. as it has very little built in storage (512 MB).

Microsoft offers a 512 MB stick for $29.99.  Third parties, however, have been offering drastically cheaper version of the proprietary USB sticks, including ones that feature SD card expansion slots.  One leading model is the 2 GB Datel, which is only $39.99 and takes microSD cards.

Rather than let its competitors continue to embarrass it with better priced alternatives, Microsoft appears to have opted to lock them out of the party.  While hardcore modders will surely find a way around these restrictions, the update will likely kill the option for casual users and dramatically reduce the amount of commercial third-party offerings.

Microsoft likely hopes that the strategy will help to ensure it a bigger cut of the Xbox 360's lucrative peripheral sales.

Some users are arguing that Microsoft's coming restrictions are no worse that Sony's.  Sony restricts the PS3 to only use a proprietary memory stick format.  However, Sony does grant users the right to install a new internal hard drive (something you can't do with the Xbox 360 Arcade Edition).

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Oh Microsoft...
By FITCamaro on 10/20/2009 8:17:11 AM , Rating: 5
Why do you try to ruin the praise you've garnered by producing the most played console of this generation by doing crap like this?

Open up the 360 to larger hard drives. Really if you look at it now, in every way other than online play(sorry Xbox Live still trumps Playstation Network), the PS3 looks to be the better deal. Even not looking at the Blu-ray player. Both the PS3 and the Elite are $299.99. The Elite no longer comes with the HDMI cable or audio plug for optical audio or even component cables. Neither does the PS3 but it does include wireless. So now with the 360 you have to buy a whole lot more. To get the audio plug you gotta buy their HDMI kit which is $50 or component cables which are $30-50. Plus $90 for the wireless and you're looking at $440 for the console and everything you need. Sure if you have a receiver with HDMI pass-through you don't need the HDMI kit, just a $10 cable, but most people don't.

Wish I didn't have to use wireless (didn't use to have to) but do. Sure you can also just set up another wireless router to act as an access point for cheaper 360 wireless, but not everyone knows that.

They really need to put the Elite back to the way it was so out of the box, you're ready to go with HD gaming except for wireless.




RE: Oh Microsoft...
By mmntech on 10/20/2009 8:43:04 AM , Rating: 1
The memory card issue really only affects the arcade units. Still, Microsoft charges 200% more for stuff like hard drives and memory units than they would be to buy from another manufacturer. Banning third party accessories is a dick move but not shocking. It's worth noting that the 360 is the only current generation system that still requires first-party and system specific proprietary storage.

I'm happy for the PS3 since it has gotten a lot of bad press over the years; a lot of it unwarranted. Now if only Sony would fix the badly fubar-ed store, we'd be laughing.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By therealnickdanger on 10/20/2009 9:11:43 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
The memory card issue really only affects the arcade units.

Not really. I want to keep ALL my DLC on my memory card along with my Live profile. That way, no matter where I go or what Xbox I play on, I can have everything I need without lugging my HDD with me. The solution Microsoft NEEDS to accept is to allow for USB thumbdrives or 3rd party memory cards with multi-GB storage space. I need at least 32GB for all my current DLC.

Microsoft... you suck.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By omnicronx on 10/20/2009 9:18:24 AM , Rating: 2
You are still the minority by far. While I do not condone this move, it is not a showstopper. The fact you cannot use 3rd party memory cards is not going to hinder 360 sales. Those that really cared about storage will most likely buy a unit with a hard drive anyways.

When it comes down to it the arcade is marketed towards the casual gamer. As such it is much easier to push something like a memory card, especially toward someone who is not 'technically inclined'. MS probably did their homework, never underestimate the marketing genius that is MS.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By therealnickdanger on 10/20/2009 3:09:22 PM , Rating: 3
I know it's not a show-stopper, but it's still dumb. ;-)


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By inperfectdarkness on 10/21/2009 8:39:36 AM , Rating: 2
so let me get this straight...

microsoft is doing with the xbox 360 what apple is doing with the iphone?

*grabs popcorn*


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By tedrodai on 10/20/2009 8:56:05 AM , Rating: 2
I bought the Elite 360 recently with the $50 rebate, but I was still 2nd-guessing my decision because of the reasons you brought up here. I spent about $85 extra to get wireless & HD connections to my Xbox without sacrificing internet to my desktop or having to dig behind my TV to swap the HDMI cable every time I want to watch HDTV. There's only 2 reasons I decided the Xbox would probably be better for me: current game library and the fact that I don't have as much time to play games that I used to. I.E., I'll be buying mostly older FPS & sports games (& then FF), and I don't really care about online play on the console.

I don't give a hoot about Blu-ray, and I'll probably just use Xbox Live Silver for demos, etc; BUT, for anyone under more normal circumstances, I'd recommend the PS3 even if the Elite was $250 everyday.

Slightly on topic: I've been trying out Netflix while the 1month free Gold is active, and the quality of service is good through through Xbox 360. However, the online movie selection isn't up to the wife's standards (or mine, really), so we weren't sold on it. I also hate the limited method they give you to browse available titles.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By Spivonious on 10/20/2009 9:15:43 AM , Rating: 2
I'm curious what you've found lacking with the online selection of movies. When it first started out it was crap, but Netflix made a deal with Starz so there are tons of movies to watch now that aren't "Cheerleader Ninjas from Mars". You're not going to get new released on it, but that's to be expected; I'm sure the studios don't make as much money with online streaming as they do with disc rentals.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By tedrodai on 10/20/2009 11:08:12 AM , Rating: 2
Heheh...there are definitely more "Cheerleader Ninjas from Mars" selections than I expected. There are some good movies that we haven't already seen, or might watch again, but there's not a LOT of good movies available with those qualities. My wife and I couldn't find a movie online that we were both in the mood to watch together the past 3 weeks. I think the service will be really nice in a matter of time, but at the moment it's ho-hum for our tastes.

Basically the online selection isn't something I'd pay to have access to by itself: i.e. there's no way I'd pay for Xbox Live Gold when the ability to stream my online Netflix movies is the primary reason. It would be a nice extra if I was primarily interrested in gaming online, as it is a nice extra available on my computers.

However, I was NOT impressed with the Netflix interface on my Xbox 360. I had trouble getting my queue to show up on the Xbox after selecting them from my PC, and the movie browsing tool was atrocious... With a fast broadband connection, less than 1/4 of the titles' cover pictures loaded, and to see the name of the movies w/o the cover you have to bring each one to the front and pause for a second. NOT A GOOD WAY TO BROWSE MOVIES. Also, I didn't see a way to sort the movies beyond the default genres (did I miss something there?).


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By Mitch101 on 10/20/2009 9:30:21 AM , Rating: 3
Same here got mine with dell coupon code stacked bringing it down to $205. There are similar deals for the PS3 and had it not been for the extra $50 I would still be on the fence about which direction to go. I got lucky and mine came with the extra two games pure and lego batman. Plus its a Jasper unit you can tell by the back of the console if it says 12.1amp then its a Jasper. Cant go by power supply as they are newer generation compatible. Meaning the previous gen power supply will work on newer lower wattage consoles but not the other way around and a lot of jaspers are coming with previous gen power supplies.

Optical Output
The downside is my receiver is pre-hdmi and cost close to $800.00. Its an awesome sounding unit and I would bet a cheap unit that does DTS-HD wouldnt sound as good as DTS this unit puts out. I have an HDMI mini switch to make up for the receiver being pre-hdmi. But I needed access to an optical output on the 360 which isn't present without a better cable than they provided. Both are very costly one would think Monster was behind it and I would up getting the cable from iCraveit a lot less than the $50.00 they wanted.

Lucky Timing
Im glad to hear about the block of accessories now before I purchased any. I was doing some pricing on dealextreme for a memory cart. Will wait till the wrath comes down and see what products are left standing.

For great prices on XBOX 360 add ons.
http://www.icraveit.com/i/category/7300/XBOX-360.h...

Netflix
For the netflix thing I agree but its growing if you read the box it says 12,000 titles and if you check netflix website its 17,000 title. 5,000 since the box was printed and I expect much more as time goes on.
Instant Play Quality is good
I am very happy about the TV series selections.
Selection through the x-box is limited because of the lack of keyboard etc. To view much more selections do it through the netflix website and add to instant queue. But if you rate movies it does a good job of presenting what you might like. I do wish there was a way of opting out of kids titles like Barney because my kids are past that age category.
I have patience its something new that is getting better.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By Entropy42 on 10/20/2009 11:23:16 AM , Rating: 3
I also got an Elite through this deal and have a pre-HDMI receiver. So I got a component/optical audio cable on Ebay for $4, shipped. They don't go bad if they aren't damaged, and tons of people have extra ones since the Elite used to come with that cable and the HDMI cable. I bought an HMDI cable on Overstock for $3.50, so getting all the features that MS took out of the Elite cost me a whopping $7.50. Still seemed like a good deal to me with a $50 rebate on the console.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By bighairycamel on 10/20/2009 11:40:00 AM , Rating: 2
While I wholeheartedly agree that Live is better than PSN, I think the differences are usually overexaggerated. The differences are cross-game chat, multi-login support, and a universal party system. Whether the differences are worth $50 a year is up to each individual.

PSN is working on cross-game chat (voice, cross-game text chat already exists) as we speak, and every game has been slowly moving towards the PSN party standard. But like I said, right now Live is better no doubt. But some people talk like PSN is filth compared to Live. I think the interface is perfectly fine for free. I mean you cant kick a gift horse in the mouth.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By Hiawa23 on 10/20/2009 6:40:01 PM , Rating: 2
I got a 120GB hdd so MS locking out third psrties I am not surprised about. What I find so funny is the Apple crowd who overpays for everything APPLE, then they bash MS for doing the same with it's product. As far as the PS3 goes, it's good to see it finally ahead, but honestly as a owner of all 3 consoles, I could care less which one sells the most, but the 360 is my favorite with 60plus games, the PS3 is my 2nd favorite with 10, & the Wii, well, I just don't like that at all & only bought it for my 11year old. it will be interesting to see if the PS3 sales are sustainable over the long haul.


RE: Oh Microsoft...
By Visual on 10/21/2009 5:26:11 AM , Rating: 1
apple may sell crazy expensive peripherals, but it does not lock you out of using third-party ones.


A what?!
By Laughton on 10/20/2009 9:34:10 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
Some users are arguing that Microsoft's coming restrictions are no worse that Sony's. Sony restricts the PS3 to only use a proprietary memory stick format. However, Sony does grant users the right to install a new internal hard drive (something you can't do with the Xbox 360 Arcade Edition).


Ummm, PS3 models with card reader slots read all major standards, including SD and CF. For the models that don't have card slots, you can use one of those USB to multi-card readers that go for like two dollars. Or you can hook up an external USB drive, that way you have 2TB of space for less than what it costs to buy a 120GB MS approved Xbox HDD. For shame!

Sony simply don't block any storage solution.




RE: A what?!
By Iaiken on 10/20/09, Rating: 0
RE: A what?!
By BZDTemp on 10/20/2009 1:16:52 PM , Rating: 2
Agreed.

I also think it is fair to say Sony does more than allow one to replace the hard drive. The PS3 comes with written instructions describing how to do it and there is also a backup tool.

Oh, and while we are at it. Sony uses Blue-tooth meaning you can use a random phone head-set, a Blue-tooth keyboard... oh, and they also let me use my Logitech PC Wheel with the console. Can I do the same with the 360 - No, sir I can not!


RE: A what?!
By adiposity on 10/20/2009 1:20:47 PM , Rating: 2
YES.

JASON PLEASE UPDATE YOUR ARTICLE TO REMOVE THE ERROR.

Maybe you should consider touching a PS3 before "reviewing" it.

-Dan


RE: A what?!
By BansheeX on 10/20/2009 4:25:40 PM , Rating: 2
It's a Mick article. Welcome. Mandatory Wii inclusion, too, despite it being an entirely different slice of the pie. May as well be pointing out that the Jonas Brothers are outselling Metallica and Megadeth. If there was a system to win every consumer type simultaneously, I assure you someone would have made it already.


Incorrect Statement
By Robear on 10/20/2009 10:28:24 AM , Rating: 1
"However, Sony does grant users the right to install a new internal hard drive (something you can't do with the Xbox 360 Arcade Edition)."

Actually you can install a new internal hard drive into the Arcade edition. It can't be third party , but I definitely pulled my hard drive from my old, dead 360 pro and put it into into a new arcade with no problems.




RE: Incorrect Statement
By Iaiken on 10/20/2009 11:15:12 AM , Rating: 5
quote:
pulled my hard drive from my old, dead 360 pro and put it into into a new arcade


There is a special kind of irony in you arguing that being able to move the HD from your $300 paperweight to your $200 soon-to-be-paperweight is a benefit... Even if you value the HD at $100 you are still out $200.

Of the 22 people I know with 360's, only 1 of those has not suffered from the RROD. The fact that most of them find this acceptable is both idiotic and a triumph on MS's part.


RE: Incorrect Statement
By tallcool1 on 10/21/2009 12:28:15 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
pulled my hard drive from my old, dead 360 pro and put it into into a new arcade


quote:
There is a special kind of irony in you arguing that being able to move the HD from your $300 paperweight to your $200 soon-to-be-paperweight is a benefit... Even if you value the HD at $100 you are still out $200.

Of the 22 people I know with 360's, only 1 of those has not suffered from the RROD. The fact that most of them find this acceptable is both idiotic and a triumph on MS's part.


OWNED! +6


Disappointed
By tedrodai on 10/20/2009 8:18:47 AM , Rating: 5
Lets see...what can we do to bring our image more in line with Apple's? Duh, start blocking 3rd party products customers are using to enhance their use of our own products.

Yes, it's a business decision that's probably better for the company. Yes, consoles have always been proprietary. I still cringe at every move to make products MORE proprietary, so I'm disappointed in you today, MS. But, there's no god who could forgive me for bringing up Apple in the first damn post on this article, so there will be plenty of people disappointed in me too.




What?
By bplewis24 on 10/20/2009 9:15:42 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Some users are arguing that Microsoft's coming restrictions are no worse that Sony's. Sony restricts the PS3 to only use a proprietary memory stick format.


Huh? That's not true. PS3's use USB. And the ones that had memory card readers allowed CF, SD and MS.

Brandon




RE: What?
By tallcool1 on 10/21/2009 12:37:44 PM , Rating: 2
Jason Mick,

I think what Brandon is saying is correct. I believe you CAN use any off the shelf USB drive with the PS3. You might want to check on that and correct your article if necessary...

In fact I believe you can backup the PS3 to a USB device when you want to replace the hard drive and copy your data back onto the new hard drive. So your comment on Sony restricting to a proprietary memory stick format would be incorrect, and actually more applicable to the Microsoft XBOX 360 per your own article.

Can someone confirm?


FAT32 is proprietary?
By Jalek on 10/20/2009 10:28:20 AM , Rating: 2
Learn something new every day around here..




RE: FAT32 is proprietary?
By Taft12 on 10/20/2009 1:21:08 PM , Rating: 2
Backward-engineered yes, but it sure ain't open! Patented out the wazoo as well.


The NEW console wars...
By zero2dash on 10/20/2009 12:33:18 PM , Rating: 3
It's not about which system offers more, it's about which company is less greedy than the other ones.

Let me preface this by saying that I love my 360 and my Ps3. I own both, play both, and have no "allegiance" to either; I go where the games are.

However:
I didn't love sending my 360 in 4 times for repairs, and I didn't love jumping through hoops to do a DIY HD upgrade on my 20gig Pro just because Microsoft wants to charge a ridiculous per-gigabyte cost for their "proprietary" HDs. I also don't like paying for Xbox Live when Steam and the PSN are free.

I do love how upgrading my Ps3 HD from a 60 to a 160 took less than 5 minutes, the PSN is free, and the XMB has no ads.

You know, I used to rag on Sony for Memory Stick and forcing that on people (PSP and Sony digital cameras come to mind), but despite the higher cost of the Ps3 hardware, there sure is a lot of stuff you don't have to pay for down the road with the system. Sony used to be the 'proprietary pusher', now Microsoft has taken over the reigns and it's BS.




er...
By StevoLincolnite on 10/20/2009 8:55:00 AM , Rating: 2
quote:
Currently the Xbox 360 comes in two SKUS -- an Arcade edition ($199.99) and a more expensive version with a hard drive. The Arcade version necessitates the purchase of a memory stick to store saved games, high scores, etc. as it has no built in storage.


The Arcade DOES have internal storage, usually 512mb of built-in flash storage, if it's a Jasper revision.

Otherwise if it's an older Arcade model it comes with a 256mb memory card.

The Core console is the only version of the Xbox 360 that didn't come with some form of memory storage.

**********

Personally I grabbed a 20gb HDD just before NXE came out for $20 when Microsoft were running the promotion (I had an Arcade that came with a 256mb memory card), a few weeks back I sold it for $15, and bought a 60gb Xbox Live starter kit for $149.

The biggest thing that annoys me with the Xbox 360 is the price of storage, it's simply insane, I need the storage to buy more DLC/Games, but in order to buy those games I almost need to sell my kidney just to buy the storage in order buy more gear.

Thus, In the end Microsoft limits my purchases with it's large cost of storage.




Memory Stick for PS3?
By rikulus on 10/20/2009 9:36:37 AM , Rating: 2
What is the statement at the end of the article that the PS3 requires the proprietary memory stick format based on? The original 60 GB PS3 had memory card slots, but included slots for CF and other formats. Later models dropped all memory card slots, including memory stick. So most PS3's cant even read a memory stick, much less require one.

Yes, lots of other Sony products use memory stick, including the PSP, and it would certainly be better if they used SD cards or something. But the memory stick format has absolutely nothing to do with the PS3 as the article states. I'd appreciate it if you would drop the erroneous jab at the PS3, or clarify that you are referring to other Sony products (then maybe throw some random jabs in at other Microsoft products for good measure. :)




X-box 360, the new Apple.
By DarkElfa on 10/20/2009 12:51:15 PM , Rating: 2
With all of their new controlling schemes and nickel and dime actions, the 360 is becoming a new Apple for the gaming community. They already won't let you have a browser. Why is that? Its because you could go to places like Hulu or You Tube ad see stuff for free they make you pay for now.




By jkmcman2k2 on 10/26/2009 7:51:48 PM , Rating: 2
"Sony restricts the PS3 to only use a proprietary memory stick format"

wrong

You can use any cheapy usb stick you want I bought an 8gb one for 10$ last christmas




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