Xbox Chief Doesn't Believe Sony's 20m PSN Figure

Microsoft UK has responded to Sony's recent claim that the PlayStation Network has exceeded 20 million registered accounts, questioning what exactly it means.

Last month Sony sparked intense debate after it sent out a press release announcing that "the cumulative number of registered accounts on PlayStation Network has exceeded 20 million as of February 20, 2009".

The announcement suggested PSN had three million more registered users than Xbox LIVE, which, according to Microsoft's latest figures, has more than "17 million active members".

However, speaking to VideoGamer.com, Microsoft's head of gaming and entertainment in the UK, Stephen McGill, said that "there's questions over what does Sony's numbers really mean".

[Chris399]

The silver account is used to download demos/ trailers from the East. (Mostly before they Gold/ region locked the status of most major demos - RE:5, Ninja Blade.)

Additionally, I have a Japanese PSN account (as well as my normal one). The pendulum swings both ways and I'm sure that a portion of both PSN and Live accounts consist of dual members.

[THC CELL]

saying that u have multi accounts dont matter there still active
and that means nothing really
i bet the % of multi accounts in 5%

and there talking about fully active accounts

[Mr_Bun]

You mean to tell me that MS is actually qualifying members who use their accounts "actively"? Yeah right...I have 2 silver accounts on my 360 that don't include my gold...Is MS claiming that they are not counting 2 of the 3 accounts?...B.S.!!!

That would mean that not only that they are able to detect accounts that are created by the same user, but that they only count people who are using their 360 a specific amount of time.

[solidt12]

The fact that Microsoft is on the defensive lets you know that they are worried about Sony. Lol. If you are comfortable about Live numbers then don't worry about it.

[gameplayer]

You don't need to own a ps3 or psp to have a psn account.

go ahead, create one.
http://uk.playstation.com/r...

GP

[MURKERR]

how many of those 360 sales are duplicates considering they have produced one of the most faulty electronic devices ever in the 360?

[thor]

I heard that, among PS3s that are connected to PSN, the average number of users per console is 1.8. That may be higher than what Live has (though probably, not by much, seeing as MS count silver memberships as well), but it does show that MILLIONS of people take advantage of one of the HUGE advantages of PSN - multiple user accounts. Oh sure, on Live you can have that as well, but most people would rather not pay for two accounts. Even if they can afford it, they'd usually rather save the extra cash seeing as they can play online anyway, but on PSN you don't have to worry. My PS3 has 3 accounts for 3 people. Do I want to spend money on 3 gold Live subscriptions? NO!

The point is, that PSN AND XBL will have ROUGHLY the same % of users connected to the internet. Why WOULDN'T you connect your console to the internet if you could? It has no bearing on which games you play online; you'd AT LEAST try it out. PSN will have MORE users who can play online games, because it doesn't cost, so they would AT LEAST try it out. The number of regular players is a different matter and can only be seen by player counts on specific games. In this regard I think the 360 has the PS3 beat with Halo 3, but other games are closer with regards to install base.

[Rampant]

PSN includes people online on Sony PS3, PSP and people who write on the Sony forums. Microsofts figure is only for Xbox360.

[Handsome_Devil]

Please Read 14.4 Comment :)

[Rampant]

Yeah? So Microsoft aren't allowed to count Silver accounts? Maybe Sony shouldn't count free accounts either!! And how can you be an "active user" on xbox live if you don't own an xbox360?

I'll admit one thing I got wrong though. Microsoft also counts the vast userbase of the original Xbox into their numbers!!!

[edgeofblade]

@Rampant:

You get a silver card to post on the xbox.com forums too. As it has been said, the pendulum swings both ways.

I believe the numbers and think it really reflects the fact that PSN is free and nothing else. It doesn't mean one is better than the other. Honestly, I don't know why we are so obsessed with deciding which one is better. We should just play the damn game and shut up about it.

[boodybandit]

Possibility but we can only speculate.

I have purchase 5 360 consoles myself. I still own 3 (1 Elite and 2 Pro's) . I purchased a couple others while waiting for them to come back from repairs. When I got them back I kept the new ones and sold off the refurbs.

In all honesty we will never know the truth about sales from any company. I just don't see how it's possible to know any figure but shipped by the manufacturer and even then we have to trust the company giving those figures.

I have 2 XBL Gold accounts, 3 silver, and 3 PSN accounts. When Sony drops their price I will be adding a couple more PS3's. The numbers game doesn't mean anything. It's just fodder for people to argue about and companies to pound their chest over.

Personally I don't play reviews or sales. I play video games that I personally enjoy. I could care less what they are rated or how much they sell. Just as long as I get my $$$ worth.

[Alcon]

There are of course multiple accounts (I'm one of them), but with 21 million PS3's and 50 million PSP's. I don't think it's that difficult to reach such a number. So yes there are multiple accounts, but out of 71 million pieces of hardware sold, I think that 20 million is possible, but I'll still put it between 15 and 20 million.

[Jinxstar]

Maybe Sony should ask MS to clarify the difference on 28 million "Sold, Shipped or replaced?" I would like to know myself how many consoles they count as sold when many are replacements for RROD's and some are merely shipped.

Edit: Sorry Murker didn't see you post almost the same thing...

[Bloodwar]

individual offline gamertags. My brother took his 360 with him on the ship during his six month tour and he didn't register on Live until he got back home from his tour. He had 17 accounts on his Xbox 360 for that was all of the user created offline gamertags. Once he registered his gamertag online, it was declined because someone already had his gamertag. The same would apply to all 17 of those accounts on his 360, until they attempted to register online. Just because someone has 17 accounts on their 360s doesn't mean they are valid Silver accounts until they attempt to register them. I think people are trying too hard to read into this. I don't really care if Sony has more PSN users than Xbox Live. Sony has tons of MMORPGs that are registered through the PSN without the need for a PS3 anyways. Am I correct? I created a PSN account 10 years ago when I created my Everquest account. If it took Sony 10 years to accumulate 17 million users, then thats their problem and MS shouldn't worry so much any more. Just my opinion. What do you all think?

[Kushan]

"how many of those 360 sales are duplicates considering they have produced one of the most faulty electronic devices ever in the 360?"

Conveniently forgetting the 1Billion dollar 3 year warranty, there...

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

I think it is sufficient to say that more than 50% of Xbox Live subscribers are Gold members. That is a pretty darn high number for satisfied and paying members.

Also, the PSN numbers are just that for PSN including online only accounts (people without a Playstation, but want to reserve their nick name, forum users?) and PSP accounts. I also think that prior to Trophies, I suspect a large portion of PS users to create multiple accounts as they aren't as attached to their user name.

There is no doubt in my mind that the PSN will have a larger number of duplicate accounts. Furthermore, MS states active accounts, albeit they can define active any way they wish....

[KRUSSIDULL]

Have 2 accounts for Xbox Live (For splitscreen online games with a 48H trial) and then we have like 5 PSN accounts (So what its free?)

[omegaortega]

You don't need a 360 to create a Live account.

http://www.gamesforwindows....

[Bnet343]

You do not need a PS3 or a PSP to make a PSN account. You can make one on the net. That's why PSn has more accounts than xbox live, plus it's free.

[Blademask]

Worried much?

How about explaining what % of RROD their "28 million" figure is. Or, don't question others numbers when you are guilty of the same bs spin.

I'd be more worried about why RE5 is flopping, and why we have a bundle for it.

You make live accounts for certain PC games as well, for free.

[gameplayer]

Actually, that's to create a "Games for Windows - live" account which can be synchronized with an "Xbox Live" account if you already have an "Xbox Live" account so your gamerscore etc will reflect both combined. Creating a "Games for Windows - Live" account however does not create an Xbox Live account. A psn account, whether created through the ps3, psp or on the internet, is a psn account. Tonnes of people on N4G seem to think that 20 million PSN accounts means 20 million ps3 psn accounts which is incorrect. Microsoft specified 17 million "Xbox Live" accounts which I assume includes both xbox and xbox 360.

[Cicinho]

I have 4 Xbox live accounts. All 4 silver because I am not paying for online, I only made them to get the free month of live when there was something I wanted to play. I also have 3 PSN accounts, 1 Europe which is my main one and an American and Japan one too.

[JOHNNYbravo]

The guy said biggest video on demand service in UK-
iplayer is bigger and so is 4OD

Besides I live in Canada and have 3 Live accounts so surely if other do that it throws it off

[Eddie20101]

You are wright about many people having dual accounts on both systems, and Sony makes it clear in there report that most households have two accounts, the average per console owner is 1.83 or there about, so there not being dishonest about there numbers. Microsoft surely read the entire report.

Seems to me that Microsoft isn't quite as honest as they would have people think, they don't mention the number per console and would have people believe that there is 17 million consoles with 17 million individual accounts, many of those accounts are probably Silver accounts which means nothing as far as online play goes since you are not able to play a game online unless you have a gold account.

[AssassinHD]

How many people went out and bought a new Xbox before the warranty was extended? How many people are affected by problems that are not related to the RRoD fault (because that 1 billion dollar warranty only covers that one fault)? A co-worker of mine has gone through 4 of them, and only 2 of them were RRoD faults, and he only sent 1 of those off to repair because the first one broke before they extended the warranty so he threw it away.

[No Way]

Just because the x360 is a faulty product, does not mean that when it bricks and the user gets another x360 that they hafta make a new account..

[pixelsword]

...moving on.

[SiLeNt KNighT]

i love the PSN and my ps3 but i can guarantee more people have more multiple accounts on psn than live. all my friends on my list have multiple accounts. when i had a 360 (before RROD) and used live not many people had multiple accounts due to the hassle and cost effectiveness. On PSN people make Japanese, EU, and US accounts because they have different content in the stores and on top of that just for extra names for certain games and also cheating. the environment of people on PSN is better imo, but theres no way theres 20 million ACTIVE users. thats the key word that sony used "Registered"

[madpuppy]

They have been doing this for years, they are very paranoid and because of their monopoly position in the OS market, they seem the think that being Number one in everything regardless of how good/bad you are at something is a right for them and not something that they have to work for.
Of course they are going to question Sony's numbers, How dare Sony have a bigger piece of the Pie then they do!! After all, they are Microsoft! It kills me that no one questions Ms numbers, even their console numbers. After all, If the 360 has/ had a 30% + failure rate and Ms is very particular about their sales numbers how can we be sure that 30% of 360 "shipped" aren't just sitting in a pile in the back of trailers for their trip to the landfill?

[nordberg]

Even new game like Dawn of War 2 on PC works with LIVE and you need to be registered to LIVE to play

[ASSASSYN 36o]

MS counts gold accounts not silver. Your door got jammed.

[nordberg]

But 56% of this 17 million pay for gold. So, 9.56 million of gold member. 9.56 millions still amazing to me...

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/3...

Don t forget around 10 million of the 28 million is just the Arcade Xbox.

[andron]

MS brings the smack talk in lack of anything better to talk about...

[LinuxGuru]

Both the PSN and Xbox Live offer internet user account creation and registration.

What follows are links and quotes from the signup / registration pages of each service. This is proof that people on either side need not a PS3 or 360 to be counted into their statistics.

http://www.us.playstation.c...

"* Go multiplayer with free online gaming
* Keep track of what games your friends are playing with Friend's List
* Show off your Portable ID on your favorite social networks"

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/l...

"Become an Xbox LIVE member with the launch of the New Xbox Experience* and join an online community of millions of gamers. Create a customized Avatar, track your games and achievements on Xbox LIVE or My Xbox, browse the offerings in Marketplace and more.

If you have a high-speed Internet connection, what are you waiting for? Create your FREE Silver account now! Pick your gamertag, customize your profile, and jump into the world of Xbox LIVE and My Xbox."

You are also able to upgrade to a gold account without owning a 360.

[vhero]

Hahaha talk about sour grapes as thats what it wounds like to me..

[Forbidden_Darkness]

Its free, who wouldn't use something thats FREE?!

[el_bandito]

you said it pretty simple and straightforward buddy.

[jojo319]

using that argument, I could ask the same about any freeware program out there. Why are the commercial versions almost always the most popular? Can you name any freeware programs that have a higher install base than a for-profit version? Free does NOT always mean better nor more popular.

[Mindboggle]

Yeh but the point is, xbox live silver is free and they still count those, so either way PSN has more active members. You can guess that if you go on Killzone 2 or COD, there are hundreds of thousands playing every minute of the day....

Im guessing due to the fact many people now have wireless connections, the fact 360 doesnt have built in wifi is hurting them and not many people want to pay £50 for a wireless adapter and not many want to have wires going across the house so they dont bother having an Xbox live account.

[No Way]

As far as I know, Microsoft doesn't count Silver accounts. Even if they do, then how does Sony, or PSn, have more registered accounts? The last time I checked, has been a while, the x360 is still outselling the PS3, so chances would be that Live would have more users, since Silver is free as well.

[XxZxX]

using the same arguement, JOJO, Paid is NOT ALWAYS mean better too, just that somebody is stupid enough to pay it doesnt mean it's better.
For example, some gas station give you free air inflation and some other don't. So the one that dont, gives u better air...?? Same goes to software and services, Google, FaceBook, Youtube they are all free services for consumer and they are good services too. It just mean they get money elsewhere like PSN.

[THC CELL]

stfu u fat sh1t
xbox is failing to ps3 now so what now ?
steal more games boss

u cant even sell resident evil properly lol

killzone rapes every xbox game

the god of war will finish xbox 360
the gap is closing

and the reason i am talking about resident evil in japan
MS knows that resident evil is a japs game and that should of been the first task of getting it out on xbox like there doing in the Uk
the ads say just for xbox

Look on play.com and other sites Ps3 version number 1

[The Peoples ARMPIT]

HAHAHA yeah tell me about it. What hypocrites. They've been making up false numbers for so long but when the opposition makes actual numbers they are the first ones to object.

That fat pr!ck in the pic looks like your average xturd gamer. fat and delusional lol.

[lociefer]

well, Microsoft's head of gaming and entertainment in the UK, Stephen McGill can sck on a cow's dck for all i care

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

The WHOLE of the WORLD(Apart from the xBot Zombie DLC Lemmings on this)Don't Believe Micro$ofts 28m xBox 360 sold Figure!!! ;-D
(or is that Shipped???)

+ COMING SOON!!! on PSN -
'Fat Princess[Gabe Newell&Stephen McGill]:Battle for ALL THE PIES!!!' ;-D

[thor]

"Fat Princess[Gabe Newell&Stephen McGill]" OMG LMFAO thanks for the laugh Ken bubs up++

[twoface]

lol~

How about "Battle for all the piles" for their fat a$$es?

[BX81]

What's sad is you're so emotional about this. What's even twice as sad is the fact that someone can believe that one game will cause a gaming console to cease existing. Killzone 2 rapes?? No buddy people rape ask your parents, I'm sure your mother will be excited to explain how a mugging in the streets lead to your being. My point is this high speed anyone can formulate a bunch of words to take the form of crap, but it takes a little bit more of a thought process to make an intelligent argument. Remember it's ok to be a fan of your favorite system, be it PS3 or the 360... Just don't be a stupid one...

[Hallucinate]

21 million units sold...so 20 million is pretty damn belivable plus theres always multiple accounts...( i have 3)

[DelbertGrady]

20 million out of 70 million, friend. They include accounts from PS3, PSP and PC.

[evilmonkey501]

have 3 psn accounts:
japan
england
united states

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

the fact of the matter is is that it doesnt matter if you believe them or not. Sony tallies accounts made on ps3 psp and pc and they only tally active accounts. Whats so hard to believe about more ppl choosing a free service over a $50 a year service when the differences between the two are irrelevant at best? What this guy needs to do is sit down, stop commenting on things he has no business commenting on, and stop making MS look like a bunch of jealous desperate pricks. Or do we have to bring up the controversy of what MS counts as "units sold" for the 360?

[negative]

"when the differences between the two are irrelevant at best?"

LOL

XBL blows PSN out of the water when it comes to the basics like friend to friend in game communication or even game invites. PSN is so erratic you never know what to expect from game to game.

XBL has consistency..... something PSN has a ways to go with. $50 a year for XBL Gold is a NO BRAINER. Free..... you get what you pay for.

[THC CELL]

first of all PSN is great
the dedicated servers on some of the games are amazing

Consoles are for gaming man
not a phone not facebook
Gaming!!

Killzone has took a step up in the Mp section
just needs some more work i think with the spawn nades
they are getting out of hand i think
clans are buzzing on killzone as its one of the best features

xbox will be in a hell of a lot of trouble if the 2.70 update is real
people better think about that

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

You pay them 50 bucks a year to be able talk to someone who's not in the game youre playing and for voice messaging?

LIVE blows no one away. The greatest online service doesnt crash every christmas buddy. nor does it nickle and dime you to play games on your own server............... nor does it rrod.

[OOG]

lol crashes 1 cmas and its considered everytime lmao.... sad people

[mcgrawgamer]

I guess when psn crashed during warhawks launch, mgo's launch, lbp's launch, socom's launch, and continues to have problems online during every major game launch see killzone 2's recent 8013 error (a error I still get regularly) don't count huh?

Face facts. psn is good, but it's not the indestructible service youre trying to make it out to be.

[Shingy]

You do realise that those particular games had crashed not the PSN itself when that happened?

Can't blame the PSN if the companies themselves could not anticipate demand, the PSN works differently after all, instead of being all controlling and restrictive it allows third parties to do their own thing.

You could still play different games online lets say for example when MGO was having problems, which is quite a big advantage if you consider that if everything is centralised and PSN were to go down then everything would actually go down.

[Redempteur]

Sorry but the PSN has multiple layers.

Many services crashed during their launch ONLY because the demand was high , It's FREE after all ... but after the first week it was solved quite fast ( see home , mgso for example )

and that was ONLY the games , the entire PSN service was working correctly all the time

[mcgrawgamer]

I understand about the demand, but #4 talks like xbl constantly crashes every christmas. when it only had problems one year and why? because msft didn't anticipate the increase in users i.e demand. the same way those games some 3rd party some 1st party didn't anticipate the demand for those games. all I was trying to say is both services have had issues and quite possible will have issues in the future. However if your satisfied with your experience no need to bash one over the other when you only have partial information. I enjoy my 360 and xbl the same way I enjoy my ps3 and psn. both have ups and downs but both are very enjoyable.

[evilmonkey501]

We all know the Japanese have honor. They are not liars. They do not make stuff up. Microsoft are the only dishonest liars in this console race.

[cmacdonald]

I don't see why he cares, it's not like they are comparing sales subscription figures. PSN is free, a higher percentage of people probably sign up for it.

[OOG]

meh we all know most of at least quite a large number of people have quite a few PSN accounts... Hell most people I know that play on PSN have in some cases at least 3 4 or 5 accounts... just for the funny names they can make.... this is especially true when playing Socom etc.... thats one of my original issues with the PSN network... especially b4 trophies which no one cares about anyway... since it was a little to late in the game for it to be implemented.... Anyway ive always hated the account system in PSN just because some people can cheat etc just from making extra accounts for their friends to boost off of etc.....

Anyway... im sure it prob is around 20 mill.... but..... the proof is in the amount of people actually playing online on a monthly basis.... and I mean actually playing games... and in that case I dont think PSN is even close....

[solidt12]

What percentage of the people who have 4-5 accounts make up the whole PSN user base? Neither one of us know but I bet it is a pretty irrelevant number so it doesn't matter.

[OOG]

I will bet that at least 30-40% have multiple accounts... and in some cases 5...most people I meet or know have at least 2 accounts.

[Droid Control]

Has made MULTIPAL Xbox LIVE silver accounts.

So i question the 17 Million M$ claims it has... More than half are silver, and i recon upto 3/4ths of those are fake...

[Hallucinate]

to be fair i think MS stated those 17mill were gold accounts

[Handsome_Devil]

nope, both Silver and Gold account :)

[Man_of_the_year]

Nope it is YOU that is wrong. It is ONLY GOLD accounts.

[dustgavin]

No it is YOU that is wrong. Go find another 360 topic to defend.

[mirroredderorrim]

It looks like Microsoft is on the defensive.

They will continue to be on the defensive, as Sony closes in on them, competitively.

The PR at work here is a classic example of how MS likes to take jabs and make superfluous remarks about how only they can deliver a rich online experience... Excuse me, but PSN, Steam, Battle.net, Everquest(1/2), WoW are all waving "Hello" to you, along with anyone else I forgot.

[divideby0]

LOL.....

Sony didnt believe your " 360 hardware failure rate was in industry standards"....psst...NOON E did

[kewlkat007]

Always wanted to create a Japanese one...

I would expect more people to actually play on PSN, like some say it's a free service but when you compare the ratio of paying subscriptions on XBL to PSN users, Sony must be scratching their heads.

[XLiveGamer]

all you need its a japanese adress, zip code and a japanese name... that you can imitate by picking any Anime Japese Movie ;)

[kewlkat007]

but I did not know you could create different accounts, at the time, so I missed it. Now I hear they have more psONe game downloads.

[Rob0g0rilla]

You can get a free month of XBL by creating a new account. It's been like this for over a year now. Plus creating more accounts for different regions as well to download their content.

[cyrus228]

ones free why wouldnt more people have it lol. hmmm 50 a year compared to free, regardless of which is better free always sounds better.

besides if ms is counting all the 360's sold they shud know atleast 30# of the sales comes from people who r buying red ring replacements aswell, so ofcourse that wudnt be a new member

[Nodoze]

Knowing in my own circle there are people who have purchased not one, not two, but THREE boxes due to faulty hardware. I am sure you account for that though when you shout from the rooftops how many you have sold.

I would venture to say that 15-20% of people have purchased more than one 360.

That means that in all actuality there are more PS3's in more unique homes (i.e. a wider install base).

Go choke on that.

[Graphics Whore]

Weird, because I'm pretty sure Sony doesn't believe Xbox 360's 28 million figure, especially since (this is the funny part) Microsoft only tracks shipped and not sold. The irony is hilarious.

Out of 28 million Xbox 360 users, they only have 17 million active accounts? Really? It doesn't take a monkey to see something is fishy.

[OOG]

Id actually think that number would make sense... considering wifi etc is not included in the system... so there is a large majority that will never buy wireless for the system or drag a wire to it....

But yeah numbers with all the companies seem a little off sometime.... for everyone...except the Wii they are just rediculous

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

Speaks the truth

[mboojigga]

"Out of 28 million Xbox 360 users, they only have 17 million active accounts? Really? It doesn't take a monkey to see something is fishy"

That doesn't even make sense.

MS has the capability to track what users they have in addition they track how many are playing in any game at any time. Come up with better BS than that because.

As far as sales go the 360 continues to outsell the PS3 in 09. The games are selling better on the 360. Let us remind some of you fanboys that this situation wasn't even supposed to be. The PS3 was supposed to leave the 360 behind in 2006.

[PirateThom]

Microsoft do the same thing as Sony, in that you don't need a 360 for a Live account and they include silver accounts in the figures.

Sony admitted their figures were PS3,PSP and forum accounts, Microsoft want everyone to believe it's Gold members on 360.

[green]

Sony,Microsoft and Nintendo all track shipped numbers because they only know what they have sold to retailers but not what the retailers sold to consumers.And if you say it is a lie, ask yourself this question,Why do they respond to NPD if they already know what they sold to consumers?

@Pirate thom: Why won't they track silver?Last time i checked, you can still pay for movies,XBLA and XNA games,themes,expansions or DLC for games with a silver account.

[Handsome_Devil]

@Graphics Whore

dude you did hit a nerve there, look at the disagrees, and 14.3 comment. Easy up on them :P

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

as for mboojigga, here is a Question, so far in 09, with every big game release I only see the PS3 sales more than the 360 ( IN TERMS OF SOFTWARE ) unless you can mention a game ( A BIG HIT, EX. SF IV, RE5,.... EST ) THIS YEAR had been release on both system and sold better on the xbox 360, Please show me ?

[Rampant]

Sony counts PSP- and PS3numbers. That's the same as counting the numbers for only one console :D. Users with a ps2 that wants to write on the sony forum also has to sign up for a psn account.

@Handsome_devil

Some games that sold better on 360 during the last months:

Call of Duty: World at War
Skate 2
F.E.A.R. 2

And you were saying? What multigames sold better on ps3? LTD sales for Street fighter 4 on 360 vs ps3 is practically even worldwide, so have another try!

[Graphics Whore]

Sony tracks shipped sold
Nintendo says from an official press quote that it is too hard to do
Microsoft says from an official press quote that it is too hard to do

We laugh because of serious inconsistencies in company quality standards.

As for what games sold better:
Street Fighter 4
Resident Evil 4

Right, the Xbox 360 is just totally dominating over PS3? Funny you say that because of a click of a button, I can bring up 2008's world wide console sales and guess what, they're almost exactly tied.

There is no debating the sales that range in the tens of millions, but seeing as no console sold better than one another world wide, what proof do you have other than opinion? Nothing. Absolutely squat.

The funny thing is Xbox Loyalists will disagree because they refuse to use google and find answers. There are serious inconsistencies that doesn't take Albert Einstein to figure out.

Again, NPD sales are north america only, while Microsoft claims there total-to-date numbers are 28-30 million, especially when the NPD sales themselves prove that it's inconsistent on a region basis comparison of data.

Microsoft and Nintendo only pay the NPD organization to record the data through all major game retailers and some that are not but approved for sales data and management.

SONY tracks everything, and while this costs more money it's obviously more benefitting to the stock holders and consumer image of customer satisfaction and quality reassurance.

Sorry I choose to believe a Company that doesn't have a nuclear track record when you open their site profile.

Don't even get me started that they track refurbished Xbox 360's and the the already over done but infamous RROD problem forcing atleast two million if not more to repurchase an Xbox 360.

Microsoft is just down right shady and a corporate bully.

They Examine current trends, duplicate success and try and extinguish or destroy the competition. Well guess what, Microsoft is still the new kid on the block and they're already pulling out Official Microsoft propaganda and the punch line of this joke, I STILL own a Xbox 360.

[green]

Shipped/sold to who?Didn't retailers buy it or was it given to them for free?

EDIT: you obviously know nothing about how corporations work to actually say that leaving out stock that is sitting at retailers and only counting what is in the hands of the consumers is beneficial to the stock holder.So how do you think the stockholders will feel when you provided a report stating 100 units of a product as sold, but failed to include the extra 30 units shipped, sitting in a retail store somewhere that cost the company money to produce.

I suggest you go pick up a course in Cooperate Strategy or Business Decision making.

[thor]

The number of users who have a PSP and a PSN account will be small (percentage-wise, compared to the PS3) - because in many areas there just aren't that many wi-fi hotspots to make it worthwhile.

Similarly, the number of users with a PSN account on a forum will be very small - why would you go to a PS3 forum if you didn't own a PS3? Not to mention that the total number of users is NOT going to be that high - not even a million I'd guess - and 1 million is less than 5% of PSN users, where most of those will have a PS3 anyway.

In total, I expect the % of people connected to the internet with their PS3 to be ABOUT THE SAME as the % of people connected with their 360. This makes logical sense. If you have either console, you will either
a) Want to play games online
b) Already have wi-fi set up
c) Neither of those

Now that's independent of console choice... you'd want to play games online if you're that type of person - a gamer. You'd have wi-fi set up or not no matter what. And in those two cases, you'd most likely connect your console up to the internet. In the third case, it's unlikely that you'd want to bother connecting it up if you didn't want to play online and you couldn't connect it easily anyway. If anything, since the PS3 has in-built wifi, it will have the higher % from people not wanting to spend the extra cash on wifi for 360.

[Graphics Whore]

You should go work at Microsoft if you think shipped = sold.

This is the reason why the world antagonize Americans.

I suggest you don't be so naive, that's really sheltered industrialized thinking, unless your a marketer, your way of thinking is flawed and I suggest you learn how the world actually works and not the way you think it does.

In way, shape or form, of any context under data management does the corporate assume shipped = sold.

There's things called projected sales data, but you can't count it as sold if it's just sitting in a department store.

Sorry, but seriously in all honesty go back to school.

Manipulating data to profit them and keep shareholders happy should be clearly illegal, but here we go again America the political capitalist.

[Arkham]

What also needs to be taken into consideration is the unspecified number of original XBox users in the XBL total. I doubt it's an inconsiderable amount.

[Rampant]

So much for hitting a nerve :D

[DarkSniper]

The reason for Microsoft's disarray is simply out of fear. Only Microsoft knows the actual numbers of Xbox 360 units sold vs replacements being sent out. With that being said, it's very easy for them to inflate those numbers to make it seem as if their lead is insurmountable.

Truth hath thy fury upon thy lies and Microsoft is one step closer to being exposed for the fraudulent dolts that they are. PLAYSTATION®3 has given gamers a new life and hope that even with this recession, gamers are still promised top-notch AAA exclusives.

Dark Sniper is confident to tell you that PLAYSTATION®3 has surpassed Xbox 360 in worldwide numbers and the taste of victory couldnt be no more bittersweet.

Microslaves, how does it feel to be in last place with such a garbage console?

$niper

[Sniper_amer]

so true...

[TheMART]

I already have 3 accounts ACTIVE on PSN myself

2 x Europe and 1 x USA account.

And many, many PS3 owners do have European/USA account because of the demo's sometime on one or the other (remember KZ2 demo? Americans were all over Europe PSN).

Thus, 20 mln. accounts? Nah. Rather something like 10 mln. real users and many multiple accounts.

hahahaha @ the guy below

No you don't know me. But seen you just joined 12 days ago you're probably banned Hydro from HipHopGangster or another loser.

Hahahaha but I love the creativity in your story. Those stories can only be made up by schizofrenic people like you.

EDIT#2

You just made clear you don't know me at all typing this:

"Next time deutschland is having an amendment to euthanize handicapped children like Mart, select yes, so this one can save the embarassment of going through life like this. "

Speaking Dutch doesn't mean ones living in Deutschland...
Hahahaha you wish you knew me.

[thor]

Mart I forget the source, but it's 1.8 accounts per PS3 connected to the internet. I suspect that XBL will have a similar figure - perhaps a little lower, but after all, most of these will come from multiple users on the same console. So you've got to almost halve the figure so your 10 million is about right... however when you do the same for XBL the figure is still lower - remember that on both consoles you can get multiple accounts and yes MS WERE counting silver subscriptions. The only other major factor is the PSP - and considering many users will have a PS3 AND a PSP, and so use the same account for both, and most PSP users won't bother connecting it to the internet, it's not such a major factor after all. I mean, if you've got wifi already in your house (as many people do, I did), sighning up to PSN involves little more than clicking the icon and putting in your details - why wouldn't you do this?

[Llort2ndcumming]

Haha, that guy must have known you, you being a loser is legendary.

[twoface]

Legendary loser - reminds me of my status on SFIV

By the way, it will be good to hear your take on 17M Live accounts after dissecting the 20M PSN accounts

[nix]

btw.. Mart you also have 2 Live accounts that we know of. one is your xboxking account (where it shows none of the games are completed) and the other one which you claimed that you use to "review games" because you don't want to be disturbed.

[snake-OO]

just so u know, sony only counts 1 account per console for its figures, it only counts the master account, not the sub account, they actually explained that, try doin some research before posting comments

[drewnel]

Who is this guy???????????? and why should i care about what he thinks???????

[zag]

Much of a muchness.

As 20 million PSN means the same as 28 million 360 sold.

It's not Sony's fault they have 20 million PSN sccounts.

[dkgshiz]

PSN is free. Theres at least 22 million or more PS3s sold. So 20 million psn accounts sounds about right. Microsoft seems scared about it. They always crap themselves when sony says anything.

[Chubear]

Well the 20mill figure is spread through the PSP & the PS3 but hey, it's all on the Playstation Network. Is it Sony's fault that they have more than 1 console on the market and people using their network via these consoles?

[Lou-Cipher]

I question Microsoft's Live accounts #s.
I question Microsoft's console sells #s.
I question Microsoft's RRod failure rate.
I question Microsoft's DRE failure rate.
I question Microsoft's Disc Scratching rate.
I question Microsoft's game quality in 2009.
I question Microsoft's, charge you for everything mentality.
I question Microsoft's shady business practice.
I question Microsoft executives poor diets.

Sony is not the company that depends on making the competition look bad for their sales, Microsoft is.

Does Microsoft not feel that the 360 is not good enough to talk about all on it's own?

Microsoft has been caught lying and deceiving more than any other company on the planet, so how the fvck is this guy trying to call out anyone?

[Microsoft Xbox 360]

He doesn't believe he's obese too.

[velcry]

Well I don't believe you've fixed all your hardware issues either.

Look, it's a sad day when corporations have to piss on one another just to "prove" or "disprove" market share. If they say they have it, well, since YOU don't have access to any of their inside info, just take it at face value.

Spend more time talking about your own company's strong points, instead of disparaging the competition.

[Bathyj]

I dont get it. He says "All I'm really worried about is," and then goes on a ramble about all the pros of XBL.
Does that even make sense? It sounds wrong to me.

But back on topic, I think all he's really worried about is Sonys number, true or not, sounds bigger than Microsoft's.
How pathetic and childish. Its the same reason they couldn't bring themselves to call it Xbox 2.

[pwnsause]

sure you can believe it, you have to add your the trolls that work for you who troll on playstation websites, Future PS3 Users who are signing up for the PSN in advance, PSP users who signed up, and PS3 users. See what I did there Mr. Xbox Chief?

[maspi]

lol he is crying like a kid that doesn't have the new big toy like his friend.

[kingboy]

lol! a company with some dignity and class wouldn`t make such ineffectual comments just to gain some sort of credibility..Failed!!

[Dimitri]

I see where 360 fanboys get their jealousy from.

[otherZinc]

I don't believe this **** either.

SONY is lying trying to get developers to give them exclusive content, the first idiot developer that does this believing this load of crap, is going to get fired!

I believe someone at EA gave SONY exclusive content for Mirrors Edge, bad move, wont sell s***.

M$ isn't afraid of SONY's online support, they just called their lying @ss out.

[Kyur4ThePain]

And MS needs to be careful about that or else they could get themselves into some hot water.

[Magna Farta]

....you are on your way to the one bubble brigade

[devilhunterx]

xbox chief? is that you?

[REALgamer]

Really the exact numbers of PSN or Xbox Live users doesn't matter - we all know both services are very active. If you can easily find a game to play online there's no need to argue over details like multiple accounts, etc.

Microsoft and Sony will both always deny eachother's statistics and question eachother's data.

[DJ]

When PS3 has a bigger install base, which, based off software sales, has probably already happened. There's no logical reason for PS3 to sell more software if 360 has the bigger install base.

[TheMART]

But but but

The PS3 doesn't sell more copies, besides a few games that have some mostly Japanese based hardcore fangroup...

You're totally off DJ again, twisting facts.

PS3 on 21 mln. units sold
360 on 30+ mln. units sold

You fail. And the PS3 fails to sell games in general. Even its main Christmas IP's, Resistance and LBP sold something between 1 and 2 mln. Thats low for the main hyped and marketed stuff.

Multiplats: the most of them sell more on 360 then on PS3 as said, besides just a few.

Lies and twisting isn't a positive thing DJ. But hey you've never acted otherwise the years you are here on N4G.

[Graphics Whore]

Okay Mart, since your so dumb, explain this to me, while have all Xbox Games other than Gears and Halo sell low?

Mass Effect 1.9 million, Left 4 Dead 1.8 million, Bioshock was exclusive forever so don't give me that crap they lost a huge exclusive which was only at 2.0 million, Dead Rising etc.

Only the games that Microsoft have put millions of marketing dollars into sell really high.

MGS4 wasn't even hyped and got 4.5-5 million sales alone.

That's sad dude.

Xbox 360 = 30 million shipped units, NOT confirmed to be SOLD. Sorry those are the facts, keep believing it little deutsch boy.

[Man_of_the_year]

I love these guys who say "FACT" but then don't provide an ounce of PROOF to back up this FACT claim. Seems to be the Sony Fanboy way. Where is your link or any kind of proof to support your claim

"Xbox 360 = 30 million shipped units, NOT confirmed to be SOLD. Sorry those are the facts, keep believing it little deutsch boy."

No source, no Proof...just the lies in your head.

And you don't think that MGS4 was HYPED...LOL. You win the most pathetic comment of the day award with that one bro. And NONE of the games you listed fro the 360 were nearly as HYPED as MGS, LBP, RESISTANCE 2.

The difference with 360 fans is that we don't come onto sites and OVER HYPE exclusives - they accept what they are and just wait to see what the outcome is - and yes ofcourse they will stick up for a game if someone makes an ignorant comment about it without backing it up with some kind of PROOF or SOURCE...(sound familiar).

The MS crowd and the Sony crowd are 2 completely seperate types of Fanboys. Sony Fanboys make up their own "facts" and HYPE every exclusive game on the PS3....MS fanboys like to rub the OVER HYPED results in the Sony Fanboys noses.

[TheMART]

@ graphics whore

I don't even talk to PS3 fandroids that are too dumb to know the difference between Dutch and Deutsch.

Retard.

Oh BTW so when was I going to be banned exactly again?

[silverchode]

arent you banned from the gamerzone?

[Graphics Whore]

Looks like people agree with me and not you guys. I'm just telling it like it is, putting you guys in your place.

Lol @ Mart, I give him facts and he just runs away because he can't face the truth.

[Karum]

Didn't Sony already clarify the PSN numbers? It was only a week ago where there was a bit of a Q&A with someone from Sony.

The accounts are made up of PS3 and PSP users and some will be registered users of the PS forums, although I doubt very many of them will be PSN accounts for the sole purpose of posting on PS forums.

They guy from Sony in that Q&A also said that for each machine there were about 1.8 PSN accounts, which makes sense considering a lot of people will have an account for different regions so they can access that region's store.

Microsoft have a good service with a large userbase in which they should be confident. Why they are paying any attention to Sony's other than to see what the competition is offering in terms of services and content I don't know.

Also from reading a lot of the comments, a lot of people seem to confuse the amount of accounts with the number of people who game online and that goes for both PSN and XBL. The two don't necessarily go hand in hand.

[ForROME]

NO offense to this guy and he may be right by all accounts, but with that logic

Then buying a 360 after red ring should count as a sale....

[mboojigga]

Actually it is just as safe as buying a PS3 seeing that both of them come with a warranty. Plus the 360 offers 3 years warranty for the RROD but you knew that right? So you are actually correct if you were not trying to be.

[-EvoAnubis-]

"Actually it is just as safe as buying a PS3 seeing that both of them come with a warranty. Plus the 360 offers 3 years warranty for the RROD but you knew that right? So you are actually correct if you were not trying to be."

Riiiiight. Because, of course, MS had that 3 year warranty on day one, and not a single person ever just straight up bought another, better 360 when their original one stopped working. I don't know what we could have been thinking.

[-EvoAnubis-]

......MS just HAS to respond to something Sony said. Do they ever get bored with that? I mean, I KNOW I get bored with it.

At least we don't have Shane Kim making absurd statements several times a week anymore.

[TheOutsider]

OH OH ANOTHER SCARED X-BOT!! HA HA HA FAT BASTARD!

[Bladestar]

I have a PSN account.. and I do not even own a PS3... Since Sony was late to the party when it comes to achivements... most PS3 owners have multiple accounts... I know people who have up to 5.

On my xbox 360 I only have 1 Gold account... Having multiple account on the xbox 360 is more a bad thing than a good thing.

Gamertag = Identity.

Why do you think Sony keep online activity reports hidden? Why not unlike Microsoft tittles Sony releases the multiplayer sessions and game ranks based on online activity as Microsoft does?

I am willing to bet that most PS3 owners here minimum 2-3 PSN accounts. Sony's 20 million is dirty with a bunch of inactive/redundant accounts.... specially because unlike xbox live... there is very little on PSN that encourage people to stick to 1 single account.

[nix]

we need people like you to help boost the PSN numbers.

[dustgavin]

Thanks to all the crybabies like bladestar, the psn continues to grow.

[Unicron]

This article should read -

Sony plays MS's own numbers game.
MS is displeased.

I guess they don't like it when numbers get twisted against them. Maybe they should stop relying on them so much?

[Chrisy]

Not even sony believes their own BS. A week after this, Reeves will go on record and state ''I have to question our 20 million user claim'' like he bravely did with the 10 year plan fairy tail. Reeves is a pretty honest man for a sony employee :O

Although one question to the sony queers. Now bare in mind Im only asking this since I want to know how a playstation nerd's shellshocked mind works and the world of the mentally ill amuses me (and when I say amuses me I actually mean it makes me laugh). When you say xbox owners are jealous of the ps3 are you actually being sarcastic (if so I would be very impressed since mentally ill people dont really understand the concept of sarcasm) or did the KZ2 critic score ''success'' really went straight to your heads and you actually mean it (if so than you really are an amazing breed :O Actually thinking a premium priced console with no premium features and with only one, maybe two decent games would make people jealous........wow!! What an incredible and confusing rationality these people have. The mind of a psycho truly is amazing)

[nix]

go go ga ga!

[Shane Kim]

waaaaaaaah!

[mirroredderorrim]

Microsoft could learn a thing or two-... million, from him.

[Iceman100]

They haven't even sold that many systems.

[Redempteur]

i think you should think WORLD and not USA ..

or get better information

[nix]

why iceman? why? why are you doing this to yourself? change your comment. you still have 4 mins left.

[Man_of_the_year]

To all the delusional SONY IDIOTS that commented up top that have no clue about anything.

MS is only stating that 17+ million live accounts are GOLD memberships. Since SILVER already comes with the XBOX then why isn't MS saying that there are 28+ million MEMBERSHIPS?

Regardless if the console is connected to LIVE or NOT. ONLY GOLD memberships are tracked since there is a fee to activate it.

Please use your heads People. Its just like SONY can't say there are 21+ million PSN accounts since PSN is FREE each console basically has one.

Numbers are only tracked by REGISTRATION. Hence why only GOLD is counted as REGISTERED accounts with Xbox Live.

If you are going to disagree with this then please state why instead of being a coward. Anyone who disagrees with this simple LOGIC is flat out ignorant and doesn't know how to rebuttle this point.

[dustgavin]

I think we just about sent man of the year over the edge!

[Shane Kim]

That is completly BS. If you sniff a little around the web you'll see that MS always presents their Live numbers with both Gold and Silver members.

[Graphics Whore]

Keep crying.

[SonySoldierEternaL]

@ Transvestite of the Year

You said: "If you are going to disagree with this then please state why instead of being a coward."

are you serious with that statement. this doesn't have anything to do with being a coward. you're just a delusional xbot who games on an inferior console. Thus, you automatically get a disagree. you happy now?

[Rhezin]

you're cool.

[Nelson M]

Your Not

[KingDragunov]

I don't give a sh*t what HE thinks.

[Scruffy_K]

Quite frankly who gives a sh*t? Let the children bicker
Also, Xbox has a UK division? I thought they were entirely american based.

[xg-ei8ht]

mboojigga

Say that to resident evil 5. 4/1 Ratio PS3 numbers.

I don't think MS has sold 28million 360's.

But at this moment according to 360's favourite site/ VGchartz, 360 is getting outsold.

By a pricer machine.

There is not enough data from anywhere to have a concrete figure on sales from every region.

Then you got companies telling fibs.

All anybody needs to know is this.

By the end of this console war.

1)PS3
2)WII
3)360

I've seen the future and it will be, i've seen the future and for 360 fans it hurts.

[pshizle]

because i really dont think it is this one...

[DFresh]

Well of course we wouldn't believe it cuz he works for the rival side and is competition for him.
The competition doesn't want to admit they're losing.
Sony won't admit Xbox Live is a better online system then Playstation Network and Microsoft won't admit Sony has the more powerful console w/ the better quality games.
Other then that this is a flamebait article.

[NegativeCreep427]

It is almost like MS is in their own sick little world where Sony is not gaining ground in all aspects of the gaming market (online network or otherwise better exclusive content/increasing sales). It is all a big lie. Sony is not coming back to cut them down like wheat before the sickle.

It is all a big fabrication to the MS execs. To them, Sony is not getting closer to taking their spot in the industry, Microsoft is just getting closer and closer to establishing a monopoly in the gaming industry. That is what they want to believe.

That is what Microsoft execs ignorantly want to believe.

Ignorance is Bliss.

[dkgshiz]

Fat people make me sick. The only non fat person from M$ is Bill gates.

[pshizle]

psn has 20million: with multiple accounts!

while

live has 17million: silver and gold accounts!

[outlawlife]

i dont think many people actually believe sonys online numbers, most ps3 owners i know have multiple accounts and sony clearly counts them

i don't know microsofts counting process but i do know that they have a very intense stat tracking setup on xbox live and even though they count silver accounts i am more inclined to believe their live numbers over sony's "anybody who signs up is counted"

even looking at this with a completely unbiased viewpoint, if you have been deep into games long enough to know sony and their history dating clear back to the ps1, they have a very consistent reputation of stretching the truth, or exaggerating things to a certain degree

that is just the way their company PR has worked since the beginning, and really thats all those numbers are...they are just marketing spin on both sides of the fence

but no matter the numbers until sony makes PSN their priority, packages a headset with every PS3, and pushes the network platform they aren't going to be what xbox live is

they need the gamers more involved than setting up an account

[Kyur4ThePain]

Interesting that you should know the one but not the other.

[outlawlife]

you are good at taking things out of context my statement was this

"i don't know microsofts counting process but i do know that they have a very intense stat tracking setup on xbox live" which means I don't know which accounts they count exactly(nobody does) but i know they are capable of deciphering and designating an account as active, and everything that goes on upon that account from time played to achievements earned, time spent per activity, points spent etc

sony's counting process is easy to figure out because they don't have the stringent tracking in place, they do not have a closed network they cannot track to the extent that MS can, they haven't even identified unique users, which microsoft does on a regular basis in yearly break downs and special occasions like big releases

nor could sony possibly have those numbers based on the percentage of PS3s online they have previously reported, it is common knowledge all you would have to do is do some research

[ironmonkey]

lol doesnt believe? you mean more like don't believe what ms says they've been lying ever since their first os came out lol pitiful really

[Rockox]

If PSN has so many users, they should make the points cards available in Canada.

[gameman]

i swear to god ppl Microsoft is really becoming a cry baby anything good happens to Sony right away go and attack them while Sony never do that to them by mouth they do it by doing there job witch is make great games for true gamers

to all xbots out there there's a book i really recommend you to buy (what losers usually say )it's very good to understand how Microsoft act

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

I know 2 people who have XBoxes, who are not actively online - Silver accounts included. The reason is the cost of the network adaptor; at $100 it is grossly overpriced. These two have wireless connections in their home. The rest of my360 owning friends have ethernet, but none currently have Gold accounts that I know of.

Most everyone I know has multiple user accounts on either console. Usually, it is their kids or occasional guests.

[Flare149]

Do I really care how many people use it in the millions? No! I'd rather play a 32 or 60 player match WITH people than say that there are so many people using the service. Overall numbers mean nothing seeing as how you can't play with them all at once.

[Makidian]

I dont think this "xbox Chief" is a real person, see we can all have opinions on what's real and whats not

[FPShooter]

NO one gives a fcuk what this guy believes

[MORGiON]

@11.1

I dont have an xbox, so I was wondering why I can sign into xbox.com with my games for windows live account?

so if I can log into xbox.com wouldn't microsoft be counting my account too?

[denied]

BS XBOX DOES NOT HAVE 17MILL. Every one I know has more than one account, SO how can they justified that they have that amount of gamers? do they read if someone has multiple account? Don't xbox brake like paper plates and people buy new ones all the time? Does that count as a new user? Im serious when I say this, All xbox Fan should seat on a corner and cut them self and brake there system..lol

[7h3ultim8p00]

How? Easy.

Sony numbers = Multiple accounts + PS3 + PSP + PC(you can register without a console)

Microsoft numbers = Multiple accounts + 360 + PC(you can register without a console)

It's not rocket science. It's obvious that Sony will have more numbers; they are including their handheld as well. I don't see what's vague here. They said it themselves "the cumulative number of registered accounts on PSN." They are not saying its for the PS3 only.

It is very likely that Xbox Live has more users than PS3 PSN users only.

[outlawlife]

you cannot register for an xbox live account without a console, and windows live games are not xbox live games, while they do intersect they exist in 2 different user bases

you can sign up for a windows live ID, which gets linked to your gamertag but if they were counting windows live IDs that would mean every msn account,every hotmail account, and countless other systems that use this universal online identity

xbox live user numbers = xbox live silver and gold accounts on console
PSN user numbers= ps3, psp, and possibly PC but nobody knows because sony won't release user breakdowns

[Hobadoon]

You definitely can't register a LIVE account without having an 360 console.

[7h3ultim8p00]

you guys have a point, but my point still stands...perhaps you guys made it even better.

[beardpapa]

The Playstation "Network" didn't really start until the PS3 came about and it wasn't even on the PSP until firmware updates later. Frankly you can use the same PSN id on the PSP. I also don't see how PSP could have increased the number of PSN id accounts. There's really nothing you could do with a PSN id on the PSP.... of course this will change with the PSP getting the Playstation Store in its XMB. This may lead to increases in # of accounts, but like I said one could technically use the id that was created on the PS3 for the PSP. I also don't see why people would get on their PC and create a PSN account. It's pointless imo if they don't own a Playstation product. It's like if I owned a Mini cooper and not an Audi, why would I go around creating an account to an Audi-specific forum?

[silverchode]

why do you guys argue over numbers?

[mirroredderorrim]

I think it has something to do with large, round men who work for Microsoft, that blatantly lie to their investors and anyone else that is willing to take a drag from their bullsh!t-cigar.

[AuToFiRE]

I have 7 accoutns and i assume a lot of other people have many accounts too

[randomwiz]

i have 1 north america; and 1 european; and one japan

[Lol Sauce]

Why is this so hard to believe if anyone can make an account on PSN, not to mention making multiple silver accounts on the 360. In the end the numbers are just illusions. No point in believing either of them...

[Knuxxx]

"A politician is someone who can talk for hours and not say anything." I think Microsoft could run for governor of the solar system.

Does anyone get what they were talking about? how did it turn up from the number of users to online video demand service? I was expecting legitimate reasons why they didn't believe the 20mil users on PSN thing was true, but all I get is some guy talkin in circles and repeating himself. Kinda reminds me of a 5 year old kid and sony's the boogyman, so microsoft believes that if you plug your ears and close your eyes, it dosn't exsist. Nice... I'm not saying the 20mil is genuine, but I don't think they have people actually monitoring who's active vs who isn't. Not like they reward active XBL users.

[randomwiz]

its hard to comment these days without upsetting fanboy's from either side... so thats why I'll say he can think whatever he wants to think.

[Enigma_2099]

... and this suprises... who?

[indysurfn]

Of course Microsoft can tell who is using accounts, and how much. How do you think they knew when call of duty 4 passed Halo3 for a month on online matches? How do they not know? It's called addition. I'm a software developer, you do date time stamp calculations all the time (unless you have a class that will work perfectly). If you sign in at '20090309231159000000' playing Halo wars, and quit at '20090309232159000000' that means you signed in March the ninth 2009 at 11:11pm and played ten minutes. DUH! Every company has that ability. If I was Microsoft I would question Sony also. 38 Percent of all people STILL do not have broadband. About 25% of households NO internet connection. So how is it that Sony has shipped 21-22 million consoles, and have 20 million registered? Okay lets give Sony the the benefit of the doubt. Lets say EVERY MACHINE has sold out from every store , and 22 million are in peoples hands. Lets say EVERY LAST ONE THAT had any kind of internet including dialup, was able to and DID register. That would mean only 16.5 million did! Equation ((22000000)-(.25*22000000))=16 .5 million. Yes this is including the people that said they only bought it for movies. BS alert Surprise Fony lied!

[randomwiz]

wrong, psn is available to 65m+ consoles and handhelds combined... owners of psp and ps3's can make psn accounts.

[Alex_Mexico]

My guess has to do a lot the fact that every PS3 (except those 5 of you that purchased the 20GB) has wireless out of the box.
I know 2 friends who have an Xbox that due to the hassle of having to wire a cable to their gamerooms/Xboxes they havent connected the Xbox even once to the internet.

[dustgavin]

Microsoft is full of overweight crybabies. They should work off some of that energy on wii fit instead of crying about Sony.

[Obama]

I wonder if they use the 360 to cook some sausages and eggs? It's like every MS PR needs a diet!

[aaron5829]

5 PSN accounts.

1) US
2) UK
3) Japan
4) Hong Kong
5) Singapore

So, i'm surprised it's only 20 million.. :P

[randomwiz]

why do you make so many?

[LostDjinn]

Let's take a look at one of Microsofts' great attempts at telling the truth shall we?
This one is a statement about the Rrod made to GamesIndustry.biz by Microsoft in early 2007. This is one of the last statements before they (Microsoft) admitted it (the Rrod) existed.

"In an official statement issued to GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft said that the "vast majority" of Xbox 360 owners have had an "outstanding experience" with the console.

But the platform holder went on to concede: "That being said, we have received a few isolated reports of consoles not working as expected.

"It's important to note that there is no systemic issue with Xbox 360 - each incident is unique and these customer inquiries are being handled on a case-by-case basis."

Microsoft has not revealed details of how many Xbox 360 units have been found faulty, but did state that the return rate is "significantly lower" than the CE industry average of between 3 and 5 per cent.

"Customer satisfaction is our highest priority, and we do everything we can to take care of gamers who may be having problems with their consoles," the company said."

http://www.gamesindustry.bi...
Check out the article for yourselves.

Now, do you expect me to believe anything they (Microsoft) say after that?
If so let me just say...HAHAHAHA.

Multiple accounts exist on both services and to have Microsoft say that it's a Sony only problem, well, I think you can see why I'm wetting myself laugh at the thought Microsoft trying to cast aspersions on others.

[lonix]

i dont believe microsofts sales figures

i think 20% of those units are replacements for dead consoles

[avantgarde84]

Kinda misleading since anyone who owns a PS3 could have multiple PSN accounts.

[GamerPS360]

only one psn account here so is live (silver).

[DNAgent]

B-b-but our 17 million! :(

[LFC1EE]

A site full of sony fanboys who are actually all in denial about there failing console.