500°

Wii Closing In On 7 Million Sold; PS3 May Not Hit 5 Million (ever)

Japan - As Nintendo's two-year anniversary of the Wii launch approaches, lifetime sales for the system are nearing a PS2-like 7 million units early in its life cycle. Weekly market share gains strength (51%) and lifetime market share continues to hover around the 70% mark that it has been flirting with since April of 2007.

In stark contrast, the PS3 has only just crossed the 2.4 million mark in two years. If the trend continues, the PS3 may barely pass 5 million lifetime in the traditional console life cycle of 5 years. Total lifetime market share has held steady between 22% and 27% since January of 2007.
PantherLotus - contributor
Published: 393 days 4 hours ago | News | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Gaming | Industry News
 
 

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Silogon - 393 days 14 hours ago
1 -
So by this guys own omission xbox 360 will never, ever, ever hit 5 million sold. Gotcha.

And just to shed some rainbow joy over sad town this guy has painted, Sony's only flaw is in its price. you drop price to 350 and it'll cripple the xbox 360 where it stands. In every region. Drop it to 300 and it'll send wii and the xbox 360 into eachothers arms.

People want the ps3, that is the big misconception here. They want it badly, they just can't afford it right now. Even 50 bucks would increase their install base by about 20%. So, this guys word is about as refreshing as a Fresca on a 110 degree day.
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plain rice - 393 days 4 hours ago
1.1 -
I can agree with that. I can't believe the PS3 is even keeping up with the competition with a $400/$500 price tag.
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chaosatom - 393 days 3 hours ago
1.2 - jeez, I am sure
Two people are running silogan's account separately.

It would explain a lot of things.
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Liquid Dust - 393 days 3 hours ago
1.3 -
You know how siligon is, the guy must be on 24/7 to be able to have the first post nearly 75% of the time on all the major articles. No matter what the article, it always seems his intention is to stirr things one way or another. Sometimes mature and realistic posts, sometimes posts that sound like blatant fanboyism. Not really sure who hes rooting for in the end.

Other than that I do believe the inevitable price drop next year will be extremely benificial. $399 is the kind of price to make people maybe think twice when they have it in their hands at retail, except for myself. $299 is just a sweet spot for a major turn in the tides

2009 should shape up just nicely for Sony, no worries here
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CrazzyMan - 393 days 3 hours ago
1.4 - No 5 mln. PS3 - ONLY haters would say That.
FFXIII, which is exclusive in Japan = 2-3 mln.
GT5 - 1-2 mln.

Now, PS3 still cost 399$ in Japan.

Come on, at 199$ PS3 is a MUST HAVE for Japanese.
FFXIII
FFXIIIv
Yakuza 3
Resident Evil 5
Tekken 6
White Knight Chronicles
The Last Remnant(good version)
Gran Turismo 5
Quantum Theory
Bayonetta
New Kojima`s game
Team Ico game

PS3 is the ONLY HD console in Japan.
Wii and PS3 are DIFFERENT. That`s why, there is a logic in having Wii AND PS3.
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Max Power - 393 days 3 hours ago
1.5 - considering...
that Sony sold 2.4 million wiht a JRPG is great, but to say it will never hit 5 million ever when it hasn't released the type of games that make them (japanese) go nuts is dumb.
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Some_One_Plays - 393 days 2 hours ago
1.6 - plain rice
It's the same price as the Elite so if you can buy an Elite you can afford a PlayStation 3. People look at the cheap model and think it's cheap. It's like saying the HP Blackbird 002 (CPU/Desktop) is expensive and saying ASUS N10J A2 - Atom N270 1.6 GHz - 10.2" TFT (Laptop) is cheap. Both priced different for obvious reasons I'm just amazing how much gamers are uneducated about the pricing. Since you get everything in the laptop is must have more value over the laptop for gaming, right?
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Sarcasm - 393 days 2 hours ago
1.7 -
"It's the same price as the Elite so if you can buy an Elite you can afford a PlayStation 3"

True, but how many elites are sold in comparison to the Pro or even the Arcade SKUs?

I doubt it's even anywhere near a million, especially since the Pro is usually the best value and the Arcade is the cheapest.

So for the PS3 to even sell 17 million worldwide from the prices of $599, $499, and $399, is what plain rice is getting at.
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Some_One_Plays - 393 days 1 hour ago
1.8 - Sarcasm
That's my point the best analogy I can come up with is cars. Some cars cost more than others even though they all do the same thing, take one person to point "A" to point "B." Cars are priced differently based on technology and design. So people will be attracted to certain models that fulfill their needs in everyday life, event, or luxury life, lol.

So because you took the cheap route it doesn't mean everyone else will follow because some people feel to pay more for a longer lasting car. They don't want something in the 90s that will break down on them plus the technology in the new(er) cars are intriguing. Is it really a mystery that people buy new or "expensive" technology?

Some people are like that with shoes and gets you thinking why priced so differently and is it going to help me in the long run? Should I pay more for comfort/support or less with no comfort/support? Some people pay more because of the size of the shoe itself, lol. So in the end it's all in the needs of the consumers and this can be divided by classes.

Now who's ready for the Microsoft Surface?
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sunnygrg - 392 days 22 hours ago
1.9 -
Do the math.

15000 units (average, and dont tell me PS3 sells only 10000 units/wk) a week multiplied by the 10 year lifespan of PS3 equals more than 7 million.

Over time, when the price drops, the PS3 will sell even more. This blogpost makes no sense.
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Sarcasm - 392 days 21 hours ago
1.10 -
@1.8

What you say is very true. Unfortunately the mindset of most consumers happen to be "I want it now, and I want it cheap."

While of course there are the smarter buyers who think of the long run, and weigh the pros and cons of something pricier that will actually save money down the line.
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thereapersson - 392 days 19 hours ago
1.11 -
LOL @ the Fresca analogy!
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AAACE5 - 392 days 17 hours ago
1.12 - Silogon
Come on man... seriously? The main point was about the Wii and Ps3, but to make yourself feel better, you had to make the 360 the main target! Your hatred is showing badly!

Also, it's been 2 years! The economy is in a rough spot, but if a kid or especially an adult really wanted a Ps3 as much as you say they do... the price wouldn't have stopped them! They could save that cash up in 6-12 months.

I love videogames, and I imagine you have an obsession for them as well. But the typical person just sees it as a games system. They don't know the Ps3 is the greatest thing ever invented like you do. It's just something that plays games to them man!

I was at Best Buy last night and saw a couple picking up an Elite, Rock Band 2, 1-yr XBL and 4000 MS points. When I talked to them(cause we were talking to a sales person at the same time), they were buying it cause it played the games they wanted to play! They said they looked at both systems and compared the games, and chose the 360(I still believe it was cause the girl liked the pack-in games), which shocked me cause the guy looked like he was a sony type of gamer! But I guess things are changing...

Edit: They did mention something about the update, but I can't remember what they said though...
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Elimin8 - 392 days 15 hours ago
1.13 - chaosatom
I was thinking the same thing....
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xhairs9 - 392 days 12 hours ago
1.14 -
I can't tell if silogon is cheering for the ps3 or the 360. He was cheering for the 360 earlier.

I find it funny how they bring down the house on the Wii and PS3 but don't mention the xbox :/
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richie007bond - 392 days 11 hours ago
1.15 -
LOL so you are the voice of the people now,get a grip...I have had my ps3 for over 2 years now and it certainly isn't the hype machine that Sony made it out to be,not by a long shot!!!!(people want it badly)thats the funniest thing ive read all day LOL
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Robondacob - 392 days 10 hours ago
1.16 -
These companies don't care who sells more in Japan. They care how much they sell. And 7 million is not that much.

That is funny too because a lot of the greatest games came from Japan.
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AclayPS3 - 393 days 14 hours ago
2 -
How the heck could this guy omit the Xbox 360? The Xbox 360 has been out in Japan for 3 freakin years and hasn't even hit a million even with all of the JRPG's that it has.

The PS3 has outsold the Xbox 360 by more than double in almost half the time in Japan with LESS JRPG's and a higher price. Once the JRPG's come (White Knight, Final Fantasy XIII, Last Remnant for PS3 in Japan, FF Advent Children PS3 bundles in March, etc...) PS3 sales are going to take off.
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pavarotti - 392 days 20 hours ago
2.1 - why bother including the 360?
it's nothing in japan.

whilst the ps3 on it's home turf continues to get obliterated by nintendo...and the rest of the world for that matter. after sonys dominance for a decade, nintendo dethroned them, and surprised everyone.

great job nintendo. although i hardly touch my wii.
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player911 - 392 days 9 hours ago
2.2 - wtf?!
Why are we even concerned with Japan sales? Last I knew this was a US site. Someone buying a console in Japan doesn't effect us in the US.

I wanna know US sales, so I know which console has the best and largest online community. That is what affects YOU, the gamer.

Show some US stats and compare those. The other side of the world doesn't concern me. I need to know what everyone in the US is playing.
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DeathroW22 - 392 days 7 hours ago
2.3 - pavarotti
Correct me if i'm wrong, but the wii is also beating the 360 in its home turf.
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PantherLotus - 393 days 14 hours ago
3 -
Are we looking at the same article? 360 is in every single chart isn't it?

Also, it's obvious that the 360 will never hit 5 million--that's not news to anybody. Hell, it will never hit 2 million!

But how does that validate lousy sales for the PS3?
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Silogon - 393 days 14 hours ago
3.1 -
I validated the ps3's low sales already... It's the price. End the absurd price tag and drop it 50 bucks and you'll see massive returns in consumer interest. Drop 100 bucks and see the absolute biggest surge in consumer interest in a video game product.

Ps3's problems, is what I am getting at, are not image releated. They are price releated and can be fixed. People who doom the Ps3 are foolish, half full guys.

I'm not saying sony is smart enough to drop price or even if they can drop price. I'm simply saying that is what they're going to have to do in order to "seriously" move units. Until you see a 50 to 100 dollar drop in price you will see the same ressults.

17 million units in under 18 months time on a world wide market is a damn site better than where Microsoft was at in 2 years time on a world wide market, though. Can't be argued.
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Makidian - 393 days 13 hours ago
3.2 -
@Silogon: You are absolutely right, its refreshing to see someone with the same mindset as myself. Compelling RPG's will help some but a price cut even at $50 will help a lot and by the time it gets down to $300 all bets are off.
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cereal_killa - 393 days 5 hours ago
3.3 -
@Silogon

Yes Price is a huge factor and as soon as they make the proper price cuts the system will sell much better but I also think that the games are another factor that the PS3 needs to take a look at yes they have WKC and FF13 coming but I still think they need to have a few more added to the mix.
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ultimolu - 392 days 20 hours ago
3.4 -
Agree as well Silogon, which is why I think they will most likely drop the price next year. I'm not sure if they can afford to do it at this point but price drop is what will kill the competition.
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Captain Tuttle - 392 days 18 hours ago
3.5 -
I don't think a price drop will help the PS3 too much in Japan...the market over there has changed. Sure it will increase sales but it will never touch the Wii or any of the handhelds. The Japanese just don't seem interested in Hi-Def gaming. Of course the 360 will always be in last but I really enjoy seeing MS giving it the old college try. It'll be really interesting to see if Sony takes their relatively weak sales of the PS3 (compared to the Wii and PS2) into account when they design the PS4. Or will they completely finish embracing the Western Gamer and concentrate on the PSP 2 in Japan?
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Lookbehind - 393 days 11 hours ago
4 -
When the Ps3 sells another 2.6 mill in Japan in two years from now,it will surpass the 5 mill mark.
5 Tacticity | 393 days 11 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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PantherLotus - 393 days 8 hours ago
5.1 -
This is a high quality and well-thought out response. Why bother with logic when one can just lie about the source? +9/10!
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foo-19 - 393 days 10 hours ago
6 -
the ps3 still has a price drop and ff13 to go through...
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PantherLotus - 393 days 6 hours ago
6.1 -
True, kinda.

The thing is that the PS3 already had all of its big guns come out in Japan except for FFXIII: Gundam, MGS4, and LBP if that counts. All have come and gone, the PS3 received a momentary bump, and then bleh; the continued increases never came.

Price cuts are this land of magical dreams where we hope Sony can suddenly receive wondrous sales where once there were few, but that's not how price cuts work. Targeted Price cuts traditionally have been most effective at keeping interest in a product high after it has passed its zenith of sales potential, NOT as a means of bolstering interest the public has already largely passed on.

There may or may not be an audience waiting to buy a PS3 for various reasons, but nothing short of FFXIII and a $200 price cut in the next few months would shape this ship's course. That audience simply won't be enough.
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remanutd55 - 393 days 2 hours ago
6.2 - at phanterlotus
funny thing i have always thought sonys big guns in japan are the final fantasy series, level 5 games, team ico games and gran turismo cuz we all know metal gear isnt as popular in japan as it is in europe or america. but if you say ps3 install base wont growth drastically i respect your opinion but i'll wait for the games i mentioned and a price drop b4 start making predictions, would be a wise thing to do
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callahan09 - 393 days 1 hour ago
6.3 -
Gundam? Meh.

Mario & Metal Gear? Neither one have been particularly popular or big sellers in Japan for generations now. You should know this. I mention Mario because it's a platformer. LittleBigPlanet is a platformer, and it doesn't even have a well-established character lead like Mario to prop it up. So the relatively low interest in those titles in Japanese versus other regions is not surprising.

Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. That's where the interest lies. If you have a system with Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, you're going to win. If there are two systems with those games as multiplatform releases, and one of the systems has Microsoft written on it, while the other has Sony written on it, who do you think wins? We all know the answer.
7 Tacticity | 393 days 10 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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yoshiroaka - 393 days 6 hours ago
8 - bad math dude
2.4 million in 2 years then in 8 years

2.4/2= 1.2
1.2x8= 9.6

9.6 Million daddio

Its stupid to think the pse will continue in this path.
Obviously with time manufacturing costs will get cheaper and prices will drop and more consoles wills sell.

This is just pure baseless.
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PantherLotus - 393 days 6 hours ago
8.1 -
...and where's that 8 years come from? The PS1 and PS2's length of life? Hope? If we rub our hands together long enough under the warm fire of faith do you think that will make the PS3 have the longest life cycle of a sub-10 million-selling console ever?

More importantly, the article itself references the traditional console life of 5 years. You can borrow my calculator if you need one.
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callahan09 - 393 days 1 hour ago
8.2 -
If you don't like the 8-year cycle, why don't you just use your own calculator to multiplay 1.2 million times 5. What do you get?

Hint: it's over 5 million.
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PopEmUp - 393 days 1 hour ago
8.3 - @P
Please think just a little more, is the ps2 dead? btw if it not, what year it is now? For the Ps2?

Some people alway think they're the smartest in the group but in the end result they're the stupidest one. How sad lol

BTW Just to go with your 5 years cycle do you think the Ps3 will still be going at the same rate for the whole 5 years, Just to make it clear for you, just look at how much unit PS3 has sold in 2007 and compare with this year and do you see the different?
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yoshiroaka - 393 days 6 hours ago
9 -
With five years it still crossed 5 million by a lot.
Plus Sony has already announced a 8 year life span for the ps3 anyway.
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OnslaughtX - 393 days 4 hours ago
10 -
But but but... Japan doesn't matter! Unless the 360 is winning for a week or there is some doom and gloom to paint against the PS3!!!

/sarcasm.
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perseus - 393 days 4 hours ago
11 - Handhelds are more popular here.
Because you can take them wherever you go, can play what you want without anyone seeing what you're playing, and in general, are cheaper.

The PS3 and XBox are just too expensive for most people (not the arcade, of course, but the arcade is a joke and any gamer knows that to get the most out of a 360, you need the whole shebang.)

When the price drops, they will sell more, but I think the era of the hard-core television gamer is almost over. Why buy a PS3, when you can play FF on a PSP every day on the way to work?

(I have both a PS3 and a Wii, but I use my DS more just because I spend most of my time outside of the house.)
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Relwyn01 - 393 days 4 hours ago
12 - The only thing bad about this is....
MS and Nintendo will have the new consoles by then. So, siligon, your logic is flawed. Everyone wants the new toy, not the old one. The new consoles will hurt the PS3. On top of that, i would say MS will put a blu ray drive in the next xbox. There goes the need to buy a PS3 for a blu ray player.
I hope Sony makes some money back, because they are putting out good games now, but the life span could be a problem. We shall see.
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liltony817 - 393 days 4 hours ago
12.1 -
That's not true. The PS2 is still selling well.
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DMasta718 - 393 days 3 hours ago
12.2 -
If that's the case, PS2 should not be where it is right now.
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darkdoom3000 - 393 days 3 hours ago
12.3 -
you forgot about brand recognision. if people are satisied by their current severice, they usually stick to it. thats why PS3 is doing good in Europe, thay stick to brands.
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supremacy - 393 days 1 hour ago
12.4 - lol are you serious?
@Relwyn01
12 - The only thing bad about this is....
MS and Nintendo will have the new consoles by then. So, siligon, your logic is flawed. Everyone wants the new toy, not the old one. The new consoles will hurt the PS3. On top of that, i would say MS will put a blu ray drive in the next xbox. There goes the need to buy a PS3 for a blu ray player.
I hope Sony makes some money back, because they are putting out good games now, but the life span could be a problem. We shall see.

as realistic as you may make that sound, the truth is while most people like new toys at the end of the day the story is bout price and how much are many willing to shell out for a brand new console so soon? ask anyone here if they want a new console anytime soon? go ahead be my guess.

with the above in mind who the heck would pay for a new box with the same or similar blu-ray capabilities as a cheaper machine with more games that almost will reach rich potential coinciding with unexperienced launch games? that would not only cost you more, but will also be few and far in between development?

if anything, if Sony does keep the ps3 out for the whole 10 years not only will it become extremely profitable but chances are it will become the wii to the newer consoles, that is if the ps2 is anything to go by. I take it, you don't exactly know how expensive it is becoming to make these games in the first place.

i mean how much better can graphics get? maybe better but not that huge of a leap in my eyes to make go crazy, look by the time those other consoles arrive ill be still playing my ps3 thats for sure. and a bluray thats not only upgradable but cheaper to the alternative is way better than a newer expensive machine with a blu-ray drive.

either way if ms does adopt a blu ray drive for its next box than Sony still makes money via royalties along with having a profitable machine on the market by then.
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ultimolu - 392 days 20 hours ago
12.5 -
The PS2 is nearing ten years and it's kicking even the 360's ass in Japan.
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Fobuo - 393 days 4 hours ago
13 - Didn't they say the same thing about the PsP?
That it would never sell well after 2007?Look what happened.
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PirateThom - 393 days 3 hours ago
13.1 -
Yeah, the PSP had about two years of pretty awful sales.

Then they reduced the price and released the slim version and it's made massive, massive headway.

Sony know the market. It's why they've been so sucessful and the PS3 is or will be sucessful. It's vastly more expensive than the competition, but it's held its own against the other HD console which is half price and packs in a lot more new tech because people will settle for a 360, but they'll wait for the price to come down for a PlayStation.
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