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First quarter console sales: Nintendo rules the roost

This time last year the previous generation of consoles were dying in the face of slowing software support, and this year only one of the next-generation consoles is supply-constrained. The market has also seen the release of many updates to already successful franchises. After last month it was a safe bet that the numbers for March sales would improve over last year, and they have, by 33 percent.

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arstechnica.com

CiRCuiTz - contributor
Published: 972 days 9 hours ago | News | PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360 | Wii | Sony PSP | Nintendo DS | PlayStation 2 | GameCube | Industry News

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neogeo - 972 days 8 hours ago

1 - ...

And I quote at least 20 gamestop employees.
"Nintendo will soon go 3rd party like Sega, Nintendo is finished"

EAT THAT! NERD BOYS!

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PS360WII - 972 days 5 hours ago

1.1 -

People have been saying that since N64 and yet Nintendo is still here...

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Jenzo - 971 days 12 hours ago

1.2 -

Did you ever hear of such a thing called the Nintendo DS? Some say people are buying it, and lots of it.

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Qbanj69 - 972 days 6 hours ago

2 - Fake

Fake.... I refuse to believe the gamecube sold 69,000 units.

I didn't even think it existed anymore.

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Anego Montoya FTMFW - 972 days 6 hours ago

2.1 - 69k

maybe.
Zelda did come out recently.
it might be the people who didn`t know you don`t have to buy a wii to play it.

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sidar - 972 days 5 hours ago

2.2 -

But what you think doesnt matter if this is a fact then refuse al you want it wont change a thing.

heil reality!

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ITR - 972 days 5 hours ago

2.3 -

I use to sell 1-2 GC every week. So I believe it.
Why did folks buy it? It's cheaper then the PS2 and they can't afford a Wii yet, let alone anything else.

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Close_Second - 972 days 6 hours ago

3 - Games will drive sales now...

...The number of fanboys yet to pick up their prized PS3 could probably be counted on one hand. Therefore, in order for Sony to head up the sales chart they need some AAA games and a price drop. Titles like Singstar are not going to shift many PS3s at their current price level. The games also need to show significant quality over what the 360 (or PS2) can offer otherwise whats the point. This is a war based on games not on what format movies you can watch.

Microsoft also needs to release some AAA titles to hold their current spot as nothing substantial has been released since Gears of War half a year ago (when I say substantial I mean exclusives that will shift hardware!).

I would not say there is a death toll for the PS3 as yet, however unless (non fanboy) consumers have a real reason to pay a premium for a games console why would they? And again, forget the blu-ray argument as it alone will not shift PS3 consoles, especially when cheap high-def players are just around the corner.

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Monty_The_Great - 972 days 4 hours ago

3.1 - The people that post on these sites

like myself and yourself, are the only ones who care about AAA or AA status of games. Most people buy games because of name recognition and commercials, or hype. Not becasue a game is AAA or AA. The hasn't sold like crazy because it only has maybe 1 or 2 AAA, it sells like crazy because its cool, and frankly, because celebrities say they like it to.

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_insane_cobra - 972 days 1 hour ago

3.2 -

Unfortunately, that's true, just look at all those Disney movie tie-ins. Not all of them are bad games, mind you, but they sure as hell aren't AAA releases.

At this point, PS3 moving up from its current position, even with some decent games coming out this year (but how many apart from MGS4 will be true system sellers?), seems like a very unreasonable expectation.

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Elite24Gamer - 971 days 22 hours ago

4 - So these are USA numbers and not official from MS, NOA, or Sony.

NPD numbers leave out major retail chains. And are only USA numbers. That being said. In 3 months the 360 has managed to sell and average of 240 thousand a month in the USA. After Christmas. Without the numbers from Walmart, ect....Without the numbers from Europe, Australia, and all the other territories MS is selling the 360 in. Thats pretty darn good. The 360 is outselling the "newer" ps3 in the USA...without some major retail outlets, by over 100 thousand a month. How do sony fans spin this now? Its so funny to me because I recall DJ, JIn, Achira and many others talking big stuff prior to the ps3 launch. And now they scramble to put spin on horrible sales of the "new" ps3. The launch..coupled with the holidays was suppose to be a spike in sales. The fact of the matter is....The Wii is Sony's worst nighmare. The Wii stole all of Sony's thunder....It doesn't compete with the xbox 360 because next gen developers are focussed on the 360 and PC's....then porting a few games to the ps3. Gamers will flock to where the games are. And right now the 360 dominates in that area. ANd now with the Elite releasing....Many of the gamers who haven't jumped in yet with sony or MS....Can make an easier choice with the Elite having "No weaknesses" to "most" gamers. Blu ray is not the reason "casual" gamers will pick up a video game console. Its all about the "games" and "price". MS has both.

When MS releases their financial quarterly report...I would assume they sold anywhere between 1.3 and 1.8 million 360's worldwide in this last quarter. Watch and see folks. Since the launch of the 360 MS has sold between 1.3 at a low to 4 million a quarter. With the 4 million being during the christmas months. If you do the math....From launch....it puts total sales as of today at about 11.5 million sold. So by may/june the 360 should be between 12-13 million sold.

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Bullseye - 971 days 21 hours ago

4.1 - I agree with most of your comments elitegamer, but

the one thing you haven't mentioned that could gradually make a difference is the 'casual' gamers familiarity with the Sony brand name. I suspect at the moment many casual gamers are put off the PS3,because of price.However, when the PS3 drops in price as it inevitably will, then things could change dramatically.This is ,because if you ask many casual gamer about the 360, some don't know it exists,others are not sure what it is and how it compares and therefore won't buy and other simply rely on the fact that Sony has a machine and most have had a Sony machine before.In the short term at least,the obvious choice is a 360 for all the reasons you mention,but long term thing are not so clear cut.To be honest,i find neither console is producing enough quality games to warrant a purchase,but that's just me.

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FadeToBlack - 971 days 20 hours ago

4.2 -

I have to start off by saying, if you dont know what an xbox 360 is you must not get out of the house and go to any stores much or dont do a ny gaming at all. Secondly casual gamers arent going to spend $600 to play the 2 great games the ps2 has so far and they wont have much else untill the end of the year. I have come close to pulling the trigger on it but i just couldent justify spending $700 to play resistance, so I will wait till they have more software and probably by that time they will be cheaper. As far as the Wii goes, I managed to pick up one yesterday morning and its indeed fun to play and sells well to the casual gamer because of its price and simple controls. But its not in the same catagory as the 360 or ps3 in my opinion. These are more directed at the hardcore multimedia user and gamer. In the end the Wii will surpase the 360 (unless they drop the 360 price to compare to the wii at $250) and the PS3 will remain in 3rd unless they make it cheaper and improve their software lineup substantialy.

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FeralPhoenix - 971 days 19 hours ago

4.3 - #4.1 Bullseye, Not exactly.....

I don't think that's the norm....yes I would definitely agree that Sony does have the stronger brand name, but these days I don't think there are very many people at all who don't know of the 360 at all....I mean I've heard it called many, many things by older people and people who just don't have a clue about videogame systems at all..."Micro box", "Game Box", "PC game machine", etc. -so yes the avg Joe who doesn't care or pay attention to gaming at all might not know the name but its rare that I ever talk to anyone who isn't at least aware that M$ makes a videogame console....but these are the types who are unlikely to buy ANY gaming console anyway, except as for a gift to someone who has specifically asked or told them about it.

Now as far as the "casual gamer" goes, first of all how can they be even called a casual gamer if they don't even know the 360 exists?, OK ha,ha -I'm sure a few fanboys can make some interesting jokes about that question but seriously who knows there is a PS3 but has know idea the 360 even exists and what rock has he been living under.....hell my job requires me to travel every so often to different locations all over the world and its weird sometimes but I see a little bit of 360 and PS ads almost everywhere. -So anyone slightly interested in gaming does know about the 360, the difference is that PS already has a established reputation....and as I always said brand recognition is always a plus, which does indeed help Sony, but it only takes you so far, in business its always "What have you done for me lately?", because consumers are fickle, (not hardcore fans) the mass consumer is always the key to any market and they usually end up buying the best value, fortunately for M$, Sony and Wii....the best value isn't neccessarily that clear cut, all 3 have appeal to a wider range of people, which is why I believe that all 3 consoles could enjoy a significant percentage of market share, of course in the end somebody will end up the leader, but its not too far fetch to think it could be very close like say, 38, 32, 30 ???...IMO I think M$ is the key player, but who knows?,....either way the real winner will be the GAMERS!

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Balance - 971 days 17 hours ago

5 -

the thing about "casual gamers" which i do agree with you have some more familiraity with the playstation and sony name however a casual gamer will not shell out $600+ for a system so i think that group is a non-issue.

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Hayabusa 117 - 971 days 16 hours ago

6 -

"3 - Games will drive sales now...
...The number of fanboys yet to pick up their prized PS3 could probably be counted on one hand. Therefore, in order for Sony to head up the sales chart they need some AAA games and a price drop. Titles like Singstar are not going to shift many PS3s at their current price level. The games also need to show significant quality over what the 360 (or PS2) can offer otherwise whats the point. This is a war based on games not on what format movies you can watch.

Microsoft also needs to release some AAA titles to hold their current spot as nothing substantial has been released since Gears of War half a year ago (when I say substantial I mean exclusives that will shift hardware!).

I would not say there is a death toll for the PS3 as yet, however unless (non fanboy) consumers have a real reason to pay a premium for a games console why would they? And again, forget the blu-ray argument as it alone will not shift PS3 consoles, especially when cheap high-def players are just around the corner."

I think you over-estimate the number of AAA titles that are actually out there. How many did the PS2 have a year and a half after launch? System sellers like Gears and Halo, are few and far between, and even many games that promise to be AAA don't live up to the hype. It's like that for all consoles.

But are "Killer apps" really what make a system successful? Didn't the Gamecube have some of the best games of previous gen, yet it sold less than the XBox?

No, what sells consoles is having large number of substandard games ("variety" as the PS fans call it). Look at the PSone. Sega and Nintendo both had better first party games, but Sony had a large number of 3rd party devs. The PS1 had much more games than the N64 or Saturn, but how many of those games were all that good? how many were as good as Ocarina of Time, Mario 64, Mario Kart, Virtua Fighter 2 and so on? Yet the PSone, sold more, and not because of brand recognition.

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gta_cb - 971 days 16 hours ago

7 -

well i am suprised to see the GC in there aswell, i thought they either stop producing it, or is supose to stop producing it this year... anyone able to tell me?

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scarlett_rg - 971 days 14 hours ago

7.1 -

Well... Nintendo NEEDS to keep producing Gamecubes... so they can tape them together to make Wiis.

If the tape ends up being defective, they just sell them as standalone Gamecubes.

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PS360WiiRocks - 971 days 15 hours ago

8 -

Sweet! Who the FUC* CARES!?

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rowdy 1 - 971 days 15 hours ago

9 - well

good for nintendo!! My son can rub it in my face. Since this company is really aimed for children and adult retards. They should be winning. Hell I have 3 gameboy micros 1 DS and a gamecube. Next purchase is the Wii, I'll buy it online using my PS3. I still have the 64, super and 8bit system hell yeah on master blaster, metal gear, mike tyson's punch out, double dribble, bionic commando, ghost n goblins the list goes on

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Robotz Rule - 971 days 15 hours ago

10 - Amazing!

The Gamecube still gots game!
I didn't even think it was still selling!

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nix - 971 days 15 hours ago

11 - THIS NEWS HAS CROSSED 500 DEG AND... ONLY 17 COMMENTS!!!

wow... no one takes this news (threat) seriously, i guess. if it was any of the 360 or PS3, this post would have crossed 200 comments by now.

so.. like the guy above me says - who the fck cares, eh? q:

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omansteveo - 971 days 14 hours ago

11.1 -

Its bc people rather post on ridiculous issues than ones that matter. They see this article and go damn that means i have to be intelligent to comment on real life facts

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nix - 971 days 14 hours ago

11.2 - yup... omansteveo.

little do they realise that it's going to hurt the "hard-core" gamers big time 'cause as the low-end console's base increases more game developers will make games for it to make money.. that means more developers will concentrate on "kiddie-like" (excuse the expression) games.

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ItsDubC - 971 days 12 hours ago

11.3 -

"low-end console"
"'kiddie-like' games"

I smell bias. Do "hardcore" gamers seriously feel that their existence is threatened if devs start concentrating on the Wii, thinking that the Wii is for "kiddie" games? If a high-calibur dev team such as Bungie made a game superior to Halo but it had a cartoon-like feel to it, would "hardcore gamers" not play it? I can think of a lot of games that try to emulate realism and contain adult themes such as violence, but have terrible gameplay and are therefore terrible games.

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Lacarious - 971 days 14 hours ago

12 - BigN Rules All!!!!

Long Live Nintendo!!!! The OG Ruler of Gaming!

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Elite24Gamer - 971 days 14 hours ago

13 - Sony is a Huge Brand

And while yes ps2's are still selling. That directly effects ps3 sales. Not in a good way.

For one ps2's are DVD players. Its help bolster DVD sales which pro longs the HI def format war.

For two while common sense would tell you that with so many millions of gamers owning the ps2....when the ps3 drops to under 200....those same people will pick it up.

Sounds fair...but, I don't see the ps3 ever getting close to 200 dollars.

One thing that many people aren't taking into consideration is the fact that "Word of Mouth" is what is going to continue to give the 360 the lead. Casual Gamers have friends....and if they have 10 friends and one of them have the xbox 360 and love it....When the price of the 360 reaches the 200 mark....those same guys who own a ps2 for the "Games" will buy the 360 for the "Games". Word of mouth is what will propel the 360 in this next gen.

You can't assume that the millions of ps2 owners are like "YOU". I don't believe there is 100 plus million "loyal" sony fans. I just believe that casual gamers go where the word of mouth is. And Sony dominated video game sales and had all the exclusive games or many many years. MS is still fairly new and the teenager of the bunch. Friends tell friends that tell friends how Unbelievable Gears of War is.....or Lost Planet.....or Dead Rising.....Or Command and Conquer....or Oblivion....and so on and so on.....Then when the price drops for the 360 in the range for most casual gamers.....its a no brainer to purchase for them.

Thats how I think the next gen war will pan out. Sony assumed that all 100 plus million of its fanbase was rabid sony fans. Thats not the case. They are just gamers trying to make a solid purchase in the 100 to 200 range. And Dvd players...aka ps2...are outselling Next gen systems and formats.

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Maddens Raiders - 971 days 14 hours ago

14 - Kids rule the -

Fukin world. Not a surprise here.

<omansteveo> I disagree. I believe that the people that are truly interested in commenting on this are in Geometry right now or at recess. In other words, Kool-Aid & Ovaltine will always outsell Grey Goose, but only one will land chicks of legal age in your rack and the braggin' rights. Capizie?

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nice_cuppa - 971 days 14 hours ago

15 - i await the first significant price drop from microsoft or sony.

i would think microsoft will wait for sony to knock 100 bucks of ps3 as they are beating it each month anyway and then drop 360 by 100 buck which puts 360 into a much more impulse price while leaving ps3 as the expensive option !

i predict wii and 360 to keep pulling ahead of ps3 for atleast the next 2 years and then sony may match monthly sales but not catch up in total user base as both will be too far ahead and can both beat ps3 on price and although wii wont get many aa or aaa games 360 has loads and can match or beat sony each time !

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Maddens Raiders - 971 days 13 hours ago

15.1 - Strange argument -

there cuppa.

--" i await the first significant price drop from microsoft or sony.
i would think microsoft will wait for sony to knock 100 bucks of ps3 as they are beating it each month anyway and then drop 360 by 100 buck which puts 360 into a much more impulse price while leaving ps3 as the expensive option !"--

So, after the 3L33T comes out and with the price drop of the PS3, you're stating that the PS3 will become the more expensive option? While MS continues to overcharge for live and its 3L33T? You don't believe wise MS customers and loyal fans will see that this is a ridiculous pricegrab?

I thought there would be some semblance of intelligence or rationale in your argument after the first paragraph, but
-- "360 has loads and can match or beat sony each time !" -- (Match Motorstorm....and what happened with Oblivion? You're gonna match HOME and LBP? Why the 3L33T a year and a 4 months after launch? pfft....please)
this statement just took you out of that realm. You're a regular clairvoyant., a.k.a. Dianne Warwick - c'mon man, you're better than that.

It's funny that you say the PS3 will continue to pull ahead of the PS3 while sales of the XBox internationally have stagnated for the last 8 weeks. A 9-10 mill solid install after a year and the wind in the sails has leaked considerably. Sounds like an early real deal statement. I know your passion for the 360 runs rich, but please think before making such ridiculous broadstroked statements.

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nice_cuppa - 971 days 13 hours ago

15.2 - i think home may be cool but wont change anything !

and lbp should be a wii game !

it looks cool but i think it will die off about a month after it comes out !

this is my opinion !

if you have your own that great !

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nice_cuppa - 971 days 13 hours ago

16 - um what ????

the ps3 will continue to pull ahead of the ps3 ????

do you not get it ?

ok here we go !

ps3 is the most expensive........ok

ps3 drops price by 100.........ok

360 follows by dropping price by 100.......ok

360 gets to impulse price point.........ok

ps3 still most expensive.......ok

look at the facts 360 has massive lead but still outsells ps3 every month !

wii is another story though and i worry it may kill gaming !

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ITR - 971 days 13 hours ago

16.1 -

I doubt the Wii will kill gaming. It's actually bringing more folks back into gaming.
If anything it'll make it thrive more.

-----------------------------

If anything I see a price war happening if Sony drops the PS3's price.

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nice_cuppa - 971 days 13 hours ago

16.2 - im not the only one who worrys about this though !

im sure there will still be games im just worried the games will be gimmick stuff.

i want real games like ff,gow,gears,halo,mgs,hs,mass effect,oblivion ect.

not cooking mama,wii sports, wario ware,singstar, ddr, fusion frenzy ect.

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ITR - 971 days 12 hours ago

16.3 -

Well rumble use to be a gimmick too, now it's pretty much used by everyone.

I'm sorry, but Fusion Frenzy sucks.

Remember not everyone wants RPG, FPS, TPS, FPRPG type games.

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ItsDubC - 971 days 12 hours ago

16.4 -

LoL yes, Fusion Frenzy sucks but Final Fantasy is pretty good =)

Cuppa, does your definition of "real game" largely refer to graphics? Will you be biased against a Final Fantasy for the Wii? Do you care that Super Smash Bros for the Wii has Solid Snake as a playable character?

For me, a "real game" is one high in funfactor. Period.

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Rasulis - 971 days 12 hours ago

17 - The Power of The Casual Gamer.

Anyone who thinks the PS2 outselling all other consoles at this point is good for the PS3 needs to rethink that statement.

Those who bought a PS2 this late into the game didn't buy it because Sony made it, they bought it because it was the best value. Now you expect these people to buy a PS3 at 600$ when they make the switch to nex gen? I see this being very unlikely with the Wii and 360 being far cheaper. Even with a price drop the PS3 is still 500$ and Microsoft will just mimic a price drop anyways. Plus this time around the 360 will have a large game library to compete with PS3's game library.

Those who will buy a PS3 because it's Sony, have for the most part, already made the purchase. I think Sony completely underestimated the huge market of casual gamers the PS2 attracted. Blu-ray blinded them and caused them to loose site of the PS2 consumer.

I see the PS3 sticking around, but it'll probably never catch up with the 360's cheaper price and the strong developer support it's acquiring. I could eat my own words but time will tell.

I'm not going to even comment on the Wii because you can't make a logical comparison between the Wii and the PS3 or 360. I do love the Wii but it isn't in the same consumer market as the PS3 or 360.

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Elite24Gamer - 971 days 12 hours ago

18 - Rasulis

I agree with you 100%. Its really common sense stuff here. Put all the fanboyism aside and its not that difficult to comprehend. Simple stuff here.

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XxZxX - 971 days 12 hours ago

19 -

Credit to Nintendo. Their low cost consoles strategy works better than Sony's high cost high quality.

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