VG Chartz reaction to the latest Decemeber NPD figures

According to VG Chartz:
NPD data for the USA, covering December 2nd to January 5th 2008 has arrived. As expected, Vgchartz data was quite accurate for hardware sales for the period. Despite the historical trend of sales doubling from November to December, not all platforms followed the trend this year – and both NPD and VGC data agree on this point. The reason is in the timing – with an early Black Friday and 11 days of sales after Christmas, there was no way sales were going to double across the board from November to December. Still, PSP and PS2 did roughly double their sales from November. PS3, DS, Xbox 360 and especially the supply constrained Wii fell well short of doubling November NPD USA sales however. In fact, adjusted for the fact that Wii sold for five weeks in December vs. four weeks in November, sales were hardly up at all on an average weekly basis. NPD showed just under 250,000 Wiis sold per week in November, but for the December period, the average only bumped up to 270,000 Wiis sold per week in December. Xbox 360 jumped from under 200,000 per week in November to just over 250,000 per week in December – about a 30% increase – again no where near double. DS, despite a huge volume increase, really only increased by about 60% per week. Here are the hardware numbers as reported by NPD and VGC for December. NPD total estimates are for the USA and Canada (which hasn't been released yet) using the percentage Canadian sales made up of the portion of USA + Canada November sales.

NPD USA Est. NPD Total Vgchartz VGC/NPD Est
DS 2,470,000 2,650,310 2,876,040 1.08
Wii 1,350,000 1,453,950 1,638,849 1.13
Xbox 360 1,260,000 1,349,460 1,289,156 0.96
PS2 1,100,000 1,162,700 951,764 0.82
PSP 1,060,000 1,118,300 960,885 0.86
PS3 797,600 876,562 774,795 0.88

Well it seems VG Chartz are somehow accurate and are just off a bit in comparison with the NPD data.

[ktchong]

VG Chartz is getting better at this.

[wageslave]

There software data was terrible.

[Filanime03]

wageslave u are right their software data is currently terrible this month but in the past they are right on par but their console sale tracking are improving.

[zambrota]

Vgchartz were almost dead right with ps3 and xbox 360 sales

However Vgchartz overestimated wii sales by 200,000 units

Vg underestimated xbox 360 sales by 50,000 /80,000 units

Vg underestimated Ps3 sales by 100,000/150,000 units

[wageslave]

Not a single PS3 title in the Top Ten. Ouch.

[Filanime03]

VG Chartz are getting better tracking console sales but they seem to be overtracking the Wii and DS alot. But this time they are right on par with the ps3 and the 360. If u guys will click the link they also did a comparison on the top software sales. The only thing VGChartz need to improve is tracking sotware in which they are way off this time.

[power of Green]

VG charts have been close then off the next time by too much before.

LOL "VG Charts has been spot on with consoles"

^^ the Wii isn't a console?, doesn't prove sh8t even more so considering oversea's markets lol.

[power of Green]

You know whats going to happan when or if VG starts reporting numbers showing PS3 trailing so why put yourselfs through this?.

[SWORDF1SH]

aint you the guy that tried tellin everybody that vg charts is over estimating the ps3 and under estimating the 360 in sales. take a look at the sales for yourself. do you still think that? or are you still one of the blind billy bum boys

[RecSpec]

Can someone explain how this picture is relevant? My guess is that VG Chartz is actually becoming reliable, hence, end of the universe.

[Iron Man 2]

Maybe because the bots are reacting?(Bender bots in the picture that is,don't get it twisted Xbox fanboys)

[power of Green]

Wii's demand was exaggerated in the US as the PS3 could be in Europe. Who know's!, doesn't make sense to make such claims, when things start heating up VG C-could be as wrong with other consoles as they were with the Wii.

The fanboy above is just enjoying the fact it was the Wii this time instead of the PS3.

[I Make Stuff Up]

So this has something to do with the Wii?
Dang, looking at your posts above I thought it was all PS3 related.
My bad, I guess.

[Shaka2K6]

The masses in the USA are stupid.

no wonder halo 2.1 only sold in the USA.

xlaves stop hiding behind USA sales, world wide belongs to PS3.

[Bladestar]

I laugh when I hear poohead like you talking about worldwide sells... and bla bla... as far as software is concern it means nothing.... why? because in many of the countries you mentioned some games are never released.... are delayed for years... The US as proven is the most important single market... why? simple... because people buy more games.... developer only need to release it in English and most important ship to a single region...

Unlike the so call "Rest of the world" where developer have to translate game and export them to... deal with country specific rules and bans ohh and yeah... people do not have as much money to spend in games...

Take Germany and France for example... many of the games available in the US (PS3) are yet to be released in those countries.. and even worst some of them may never be...

Developers don't have to jump hoops and jump around to sell their games in the US... spend money in translation.. plan shipping to deferent regions.. deal with coutries rules.. bla bla... which is why America represents more than 40-60% of the game industry in terms of sales...

[RecSpec]

What do you mean developers don't have to jump hoops to sell games to the us. Not all the popular games in the world come from America you know. And before you say those aren't important, why is MS trying so hard to get a seller JRPG for the 360, one on the level of Final Fantasy. Blue Dragon failed to do that, and they are about to try again with Lost Odyssey.

I kind of get what you are saying. The US is the biggest market, but don't act like the rest of the world is that insignificant when compared to it.

[ravinash]

With an attitude like that, its no wonder the rest of the so called world turns it back on the 360.
Each contry has millions of people in it...its well worth putting a different language into the game, they don't need to reprogram the thing, just put in different text and sound bytes.

[bootsielon]

Except the DS started slow and climbed to the top with merit. Not with being cheap (though it is), but with value. With the PSP, Sony sat in their laurels for a WHOLE YEAR (just look at their PSP line-up for 2006 and you'll know what I'm talking about), leaving it on "auto pilot", selling on brand name and aesthetics alone.

On the other Hand, Wii did sell on being cheap when compared to other consoles, while not packing any value on its own. Wii is riding the success wave of Nintendo's new image thanks to the Nintendo DS. Wii is without merit. On the other hand, Sony's PS3 is paying what they did with the PSP and PS2 to some extent (in the end of its era): Sit in their laurels. While Sony has definitely not been sitting on their laurels with PS3, its price point was unprecedented for a major console maker, further cutting into their image of market leaders.

Therefore, PS3 and Wii are like PSP and DS in terms of sales, but PS3 definitely has a lot more merit than the PSP given its line-up, features and delivery; OTOH, DS delivers way a lot more than the Wii delivers, including innovative games and hardcore games, not to mention way better graphics than its predecessor, and it's not too expensive for what it offers, unlike the Gamecube 1.2 a.k.a. Wii, which is an overclocked gamecube with a gimmick and tons of last-gen ports and mini-games.

As you can see, I don't hate Nintendo, as I love my Nintendo DS, but I do hate Wii's success, since there is no merit for it. I don't say the PSP is without merit, but had Sony not rest an entire year (see VG Chartz 2006 for PSP and DS and you'll understand why the DS almost killed it) on their laurels, they would be tied today with the DS 45 million to 45 million by eating into Nintendo's portable marketshare instead of leaving it for Nintendo.

Nintendo didn't really eat into Sony's market, they simply opened up new markets by launching games for the old and middle-aged. Japanese companies saw Sony sleeping, and put their games on the DS. Had Sony not fell asleep, the DS wouldn't have had so many hardcore games, and the PSP would be in a much better position. The DS would still be healthy and perhaps outselling the PSP, but not on a 2:1 basis (3:1 in japan).

PS3 was simply late in many things but Sony's gotten their sh1t together before it was too late, and it does have many great games and better ones to come soon.

[RecSpec]

Jealous cause you can't find a Wii? Haha, kidding, honestly though the wii is like next gen times 10 to people unfamiliar with video games. That is why it sells so well.

Plus I thought at first you were nuts when saying the PSP could have tied the DS, then I realized. There is NOTHING huge coming out soon for the DS that I can think of. The only two games I am excited for are Advance Wars and Apollo Justice, but those are niche titles at best.

[TheMART]

PS3 where are the software sales???? It might be on 8.65 mln. units out there but everyone is buying BluRay movies???

[CrazzyMan]

you will get your software numbers, if you CARE so much. =)
so, what is your point then? =))

[HMTKSteve]

I find the data from VGChartz to be "good enough" for most purposes. Also, NPD only tracks sales in the Americas.

[Testo]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

3 postings of the SAME info.

http://www.n4g.com/industry...
http://www.n4g.com/industry...
http://www.n4g.com/industry...

Wow all saying the same thing.

North American sales.... and nothing else.