What the hell is going on with the Console War?

Sarcastic Gamer writes:

"The question I ask: What's the deal with Microsoft losing the entire first quarter of 2008's hardware sales to the PS3 and Wii while not really seeming to give a crap? Is it all show (the not giving a crap part) or what?

Maybe I should start taking bets for what Microsoft's "official" reason will be this time. They've already used up "underestimated demand" and "production capacity issues". My money's going on "Who cares about March anyway?! March is a stupid doo-doo month!"

Now, we're approaching official confirmation of the third time (in a row no less,) suggesting this is edging toward an actual "trend" with the monthly order of hardware sales repeatedly coming in Wii>PS3>360. Maybe someone should call Microsoft and point out that they've now seemingly lost the entire first quarter of the year to the competition in terms of hardware sales..."

[thereapersson]

It's not surprising to see Sony doing as well as they are now, however, seeing as how many people predicted (even back in the middle of 2007) that 2008 would be Sony's comeback year. So far most of the predictions have come true, with only really extreme naysayers and nitpicky fanboys complaining about issues that are or have become moot points.

On the other hand, while MS' lineup this year is a little vague in terms of a full list of heavy hitters throughout the entire year, even the stupidest PS3 fanboy can realize that there are many systems sellers that not only loyal 360 fans will purchase on day one, but will also bring in new users, further expanding the 360's already sizeable install base. I do think that MS will have a harder time when it comes to hardware sales, due to the victory of Blu Ray in the public arena.

It will be interesting to see by the end of this summer just how well the PS3 will continue to evolve.

EDIT: Another point we have to consider is how long does Microsoft plan on supporting the 360? When the PS3 finally hits its stride and catches up to where the 360 is now (hard to tell at this point if that will take a year, or if it will happen quicker than that), will Microsoft already be planning to roll out their next console? I highly doubt that they will abandon the 360 as quickly as they did the original XBOX, but while we know of Sony's proposed "10 year console lifespan", nobody has really heard of any longevity plans from MS. Ultimately in all arguements, time will tell.

[jkhan]

Well actually you are quite right about the new xbox console. I remember when Sony announced the 10 year life cycle and some reporter asked this question to Peter Moore and he simply dodged the question. If Sony continues its momentum and catches up with 360 by next year. Microsoft will definitely release a new console. Just to stay in the market.

[InMyOpinion]

I don't think MS will drop their support for the 360 anytime soon. People seem to forget that the 360 is still pretty far ahead of the PS3 in terms of install base. I don't know the exact numbers but I think the gap is something close to 7 million consoles.

What I find weird is that MS seems to have gone under the radar since Peter Moore left the company. I rarely see any PR releases from MS anymore. If they want to stay in the race they need to promote the 360 and it's titles better.

[Expy]

I probably only see Fable 2 as a potential system seller for the 360 coming this year (only because it has not been officially stated for release on PC). Since it does have the existing Fable fanbase out there that were playing on PC, I think it's the only crowd it can attract. Gears is not really a system seller, the crowd that will purchase it is mostly current Gears of War owners.

[mindedone]

By all means, I am not commenting on the quality of the game. It's just that you tend to see system movers be titles from last generation. These are titles that gamers who have yet to plunge into the current gen have some sort of familiarity with. GTA is a system mover because it was played last gen. Halo is a system mover because it was played last gen. Mario, MGS, GooW, GT, are all last gen titles. I expect GeoW3 to be a system mover, if the next one does well.

[rawg]

I doubt that MS would come out with a new console this soon. There would be no advantage for them to do anything until Sony/Nintendo also announce new consoles. Anything sooner and all they would be doing is cannibalizing their current fanbase while they pissed off third-party game developers. Let's take a look at this from a customer and developer perspective.

Customers: Anybody who hasn't made a jump to an HD console yet would probably write off the 360 as "last gen" but at the same time they wouldn't be interested in a new console with "no games" on it yet. Logic would drive them to get a PS3 instead.

Developers: Game developers wouldn't be interested in investing in upgrading their engines for the next Xbox knowing that the install base is lower than the PS3. The X3 would then suffer from the same multi-plat porting issues that plagued the PS3 in 2007.

The only marginally acceptable strategy that wouldn't alienate developers or customers would be a 360 with the same architecture and GPU with upgraded memory, BR drive, mandatory HDD and motion controls that was fully backward compatible. Basically, it would be a slightly improved X360 that highlights the shortcomings of the original X360 while splitting the customer base for publishers.

It's a lose-lose proposition for MS. As bad as things are looking for them in 2008+, they're going to have to play out this gen with the console they brought to the dance.

[juuken]

I think M$ will come out with a new system but not yet. They're mainly depending on GTAIV, Gears of War II, and maybe Ninja Gaiden 2 to help them along. It depends on those game really, IMO.

[thePatriot]

nobody played Gears 1 on xbox and it was a system mover for 360. but you are right about gears 2 not being a system mover. how much better can the sequel be to make you by 360 if the first did'nt do it?
It will sell great and sell a few consoles as well, but if you dont like the first you wont like the second. plus it will come to pc later on I bet.
edit: what the hell is going on? ps3 comming back, thats whats going on.

[fusionboxer]

But I really don't give a crap about the so called "war" anymore. It just seems so trivial at this point when you look at it all from the perspective of someone that isn't as hardcore gamer as he once was, but still enjoys reading the latest news.

Anyone with me on this? I mean I'm excited about certain games coming out, but not really on one specific console. Well actually nevermind, most of them are on the ps3 and that's now the only console I own (360 is gone guys...sorry), but that doesn't matter. I can without a doubt still say i'm looking forward to Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 in almost equal forms. I see both as radically different, but who cares. The 360 may lose it's lead by the end of the year, but i'm just happy to know that the majority of people in the world now except gaming as a pretty solid part of their culture.

[resistance100]

Simple, I would say Blu-ray winning, doubled the perceived value of the PS3

[thereapersson]

For better or worse (most optimists would see it for better), Blu Ray is driving PS3 console sales. The good thing about this, is the increased potential for those who buy it originally for movies, to now have the ability to play next-generation games as well.

[sonarus]

That is exactly what it is. PS3 is simply more value for your money in the eyes of the common consumer where things like wi fi don't matter that much. Main things now are blu ray and upcoming games. Despite the 360's robusr library, it becomes harder to use as a selling point the older the titles get.

[Boink]

but that's likely a big part of it.

MS NEEDS a US price cut big time. the pro bundle should be about 250$ right now.

people are slowly recognizing that the 360 does have the games advantage, but sony has the playstation brand that will help them sell well, tacked on with a blu ray victory, they are catching up quickly. MS better get it's butt in gear if they don't want to be left behind.

oh and enough with the "stock availability" excuse. if you're so low on consoles, grab some 360's from japan, they have tons leftover...

[Gorgon]

"people are slowly recognizing that the 360 does have the games advantage"

Well, thats a matter of personal preference, not a fact. For someone that prefers MGS 4, Eight Days, Heavy Rain, Ico 3, God of War 3, Killzone 2, Resistance 2, L. A. Noir, Forbidden Siren 3, Getaway 3, LittleBig Planet, etc, all of them exclusives, I think its a bit of a strech to point out the 360 as having the games "advantage". I woudn't trade the games of the PS3 for those of the 360 in any circumstance, for example.

[sonarus]

The average consumer doesn't see that far into the future on most games. At most they will see god of war 3 and final fantasy as exclusives. Everything else is simply too far away to use as an effective selling point. However as the titles begin to unfold such as MGS4, GT5P, Little Big Planet, Socom, Killzone, Resistance 2, Getaway 3(assuming it comes out this yr) Motorstorm. As those titles beging to come out, the ps3 value just goes higher.

What microsoft needs to do is cut the price of the 360 so it is representative of the value for the money. No one is willing to pay 350 for a premium when they can add 50 bucks onto that and get a ps3 which has a blu ray drive and an extra 20gigs of storage. The comparisosn for average consumer don't really go beyond that

[meepmoopmeep]

Blu-ray winning has a big impact on PS3 sales and it has greater value now that people know it can also play HD movies. The other driving force is that the big franchises are coming from here on out and a lot of the people on the fence until their favorite franchise is released will now have more incentive to pick up a PS3.

now that the format war is over we will be seeing Sony focus a lot more on gaming than anything else. They were taking it one step at a time and the format war was their first priority because they knew the games were coming.

[pegger24]

how was 8 days? was it good, was the game play good? did you just love Ico 3?
Please talk about games that are out

Lists are for old women at the grocery store

Back on Topic
You are right resistance, Blu Ray winning has had a huge effect on PS3 sales, so did getting more games out. The ps3 has a lot of games worth playing right now and that is helping. I think we will see even more of these bad boys selling once us US'ers get our Bush checks.

[rawg]

Blu-ray win definitely adds a check to the PS3 side of the PS3/360 T chart but I think the buzz around big playstation franchises coming to the PS3 is contributing to that perceived value as well.

Let's take a hypothetical gamer who hasn't bought an HD console yet and imagine what his decision making process looks like for buying a console to go with GTAIV... (stream of consciousness mode)

...hmmm... I hear the Xbox will have exclusive DLC for GTAIV and damn I love that game so much I would light my crotch on fire and let a gang of high-heel wearing, man-hating lesbians stomp it out... but will I really get to the DLC? When is it coming out anyway? and what's in it?... I hear good things about Live too but I've never really played online before so I don't know what I'm missing plus I have to pay $50 to play online?... and what's this RROD thing everyone talks about?...

...I guess I could buy it for the PS3 too... I've been meaning to get a blu-ray player for my new HDTV and so it's like I would be getting one for free... plus I want to play the new MGS4 when that comes out... maybe FFXIII too but I won't tell my friends about that because they'll give me crap about being a homo... oh and God of War 3 - holy crap, I gotta play that when it comes out...

tough decisions, tough decisions...

[zethos56]

It depends what games the potential ps3/360 buyer wants. Nice way to be biased.

But I agree the ps3 is better if you want HD movies

[-EvoAnubis-]

Don't know pegger. How was GeOW2? How about Fable 2; I heard that was a good one. How about Halo Wars?

What's your point?

[dan-boy]

so if the library is not a selling point, can you please explain why the ps2 outsells nearly everything month after month?? is it because of all the expected blockbusters that are about to get released? or is it because of the amazing game library that the ps2 enjoys??

yeah, the console is cheap as chips nowadays, but who would honestly buy it if it did'nt have that stupendous back catalogue?? seriously, to say that a library is'nt a selling point is stupid to say the least!

[Gorgon]

Pegger:

"2.7 - 2.4
how was 8 days? was it good, was the game play good? did you just love Ico 3?
Please talk about games that are out

Lists are for old women at the grocery store"

1) if I talk about games that are out now I'll still be talking about lists. So I guess that both you and me are old women.

2) many people buy a console based on exclusive games and cherished franchises. So I don't need to have played God of War 3, Ico 3, GT5 or FFXIII or whatever when I make a decision about buying a console. Most people buy a console and make their decision based on games and franchises they know will be out for that system. I bet you did the same when you bought a 360 and I bet that when you advise someone on a console you say and think "but the 360 WILL HAVE Alan Wake and GoW2!".

I stand by what I said, liking the games of the 360 or PS3 is a matter of personal taste and, YES, saying that "people are slowly recognizing that the 360 does have the games advantage" is a dumb argument in 2008. Quite the opposite really, people are slowly recognizing that the 360 does not have the game's advantage anymore and it's all a matter of personal taste.

[rawg]

You're right so I agreed with you. I meant to characterize a PS2 owner who hadn't yet bought a PS3/360 trying to make a decision on what console to buy for playing GTA4.

My presumption was that they would be more interested in PS2 franchises but I probably overplayed that. It's fair to assume that many PS2 owners are also interested in Xbox games. I'm interested in Bioshock and Lost Odyssey, for example.

[destroyah]

PS3 deserves it. 360 doesn't.

[Palodios]

Microsoft really dropped the ball with RROD. 360's were selling like hotcakes until all its hardware problems starting popping up, and now it seems like people outside of the United States are avoiding it like the plague.
How do you have save yourself after major hardware problems two generations in a row?

[zethos56]

You save yourself like Sony did with the issues the ps1/ps2 had. And if by two generations you mean the Xbox, wasn't it's issue the faulty wires that caused fires in like .001% of the total Xbox's out there?

[celticlonewolf]

Very well writen and I have to agree with what you have said. I think that 2008 will be the year that sony outsells the 360(in that respect it will be sonys year dont see it outselling the wii). Having said that I do think that by the end of 2008 sony will not have out sold the 360 by such a big difference like some people are thinking. The main factor I think why the 360 is lagging behind in US sales is that the price point is getting very stale and old. I mean with the win of blue ray the 40gig ps3 does seem the better value. I know people can argue about people wanting just a games system and all that but all round value does seem to be in the ps3 favour. 2 and a bit years the 360 been out on the market and has only droped $50 that is a good acheivment but its deffinatly time to drop again. With a price drop I can see ms selling more than the ps3 again ofcourse until the ps3 drops its price then we go back to where we were before lol. At the end both systems will do really well by the end of 2008.

[thereapersson]

Overall though, I want to see more games being sold. Sony needs to get the attach rate of games per console sold up a little bit, even though as it sits with the current number of consoles sold it isn't as bad as fanboys would have you believe.

[TheHater]

@thereapersson
There was an article on there about the ps3 having a 1.7 attach rate last November. I am sure that, that number has increase to about 2.5 since the ps3 software is almost the same as the xbox360 over the past several months

Edit: here is the link to an article for attach rate per consoles
http://www.gamasutra.com/ph...

[thereapersson]

I will agree that the attach rate will go up substantially though. I have a feeling that when more big-name titles are released this year, they will be less "slow-burning" in terms of sales when compared to games released around a year ago.

[rawg]

Having high attach rates is a good thing in general but they can be misleading because of the way they are calculated. Attach rates are calculated as total software units / total hardware units so they favor consoles that have been available longer.

This is obviously a better metric for MS which launched a year earlier than the Wii and PS3, which is one reason they've been pushing it so hard as a yard stick for success this generation.

Let's take for example a typical gamer who buys both consoles at launch and 4 games a year for each console.

year 1
360 attach rate: 4
PS3 attach rate: N/A

year 2 - PS3 launch
360 attach rate: 8
PS3 attach rate: 4

year 3
360 attach rate: 12
PS3 attach rate: 8

Another interesting thing about the way that attach rates are calculated is that if hardware sales slow down but software sales stay the same, attach rates go up. This is because HW units are in the denominator.

Monthly software units/revenue is a more objective number to use but even then it has to be normalized against the installed HW base for each respective console.

[Truplaya]

maybe they prefer making money on games than making a small bit of money selling consoles.

Also,

Bluray is a big factor in selling PS3 (even though it was forced on us)

Everyone i know who wanted a 360 now has one, there are still a few of my mates wanting a PS3

The PS3 is starting to come down in price

No big releases for the 360 yet in 2008, PS3 has had GT5:P to boost sales

[Iamback]

Is this from guys that made that crap song "How to kill a brand" last year ? One dedicated to PS3? They are clown and should shut up. Sony is not dead, bit..es!

[Z F1GHT3RS]

i agree u cat take this web site seriously.

[cmrbe]

sarcastic gamer. I thought that PS3 song was pretty funny. It was just a joke

[PimpHandHappy]

i am not flaming here ok

I think blueray is one reason for the PS3 selling so well. I also think a bigger part of the reason MS has fallen off is from RROD and lack of HDD on all systems...

RROD is no longer a myth like it was in its 1st 18 months on market! HDD is becoming a very important part of this gen of gaming. Sure you can look at the Wii and say "why does it sell so much better" but the Wii doesnt play the best games this gen is going to bring. The Wii is a toy! The PS3 and the 360 a true gaming machines

[heyheyhey]

what the hell happened?

simple, people realised they want REAL next-gen features, a free and competent online service and great released and upcoming games (of which there is a lot)

not to mention great reliability

@Below

exactly, the PS3 provides me with much more important and interesting features like Sixaxis, standard and upgradeable HDD, Linux, free online etc etc

once Sony implements those two features (in-gane music and ingame-XMB) there will be no question as to which console provides the best next-gen experience

@lawman

hmmmmm... why do you have 2 bubbles, your posts are so rational and well thought-out

anyway 7 to 1?? are you retarded?, you know thats not true

[thereapersson]

Once Sony implements cross-game messaging and chat, we will have a true winner on our hands.

[lawman1108]

NOBODY is online on the PSN... LIVE rules. 360 games out sell PS3 games 7 to 1 and once GTAIV drops back that armored car up for MS.

[thereapersson]

He never adds anything constructive to the conversation. Sad, really...

[SUP3R]

Dont care about in-game music and all that fluff.
The only and I mean ONLY option I want in-game is messaging, everything else is unnecessary.

[TheHater]

@lawman1108
got proof that no one is online on the psn? Oh and about the 360 outselling the ps3 software 7 to 1

[FLOPbox 360]

LMAE Lawman is a desperate idiot. Do you ACTUALLY believe that or arew you just trying to get your last little victory hahahaha.

PSN is already almost caught up with Xbox Live... if it already hasn't. Xbox Live only has 7 million gold members worldwide... not that many for a 4-5 year old service. Sony said PSN has 3.5 million JUST IN THE U.S. a couple of months ago.

Did you see that worldwide software sales chart last week?? It had the PS3 ONLY 200,000 BEHIND HAHAHAHHAHA. Did your little peanut brain fail to notice the PS3 wins software sales every week in Europe and Japan?

We really don't care for your lies. Everyone knows the Playstation 3 is a BLU RAY GAMING MACHINE. It doesnt play your games on DVD and your movies on Blu ray. It plas EVERYTHING on Blu ray. The same thing Microsft will be copying with their next system. Just shut up fool. PS3 is tearing the FLOPbox 360 a new ass hole in EVERYTHING.

[juuken]

Lawman, you're going by pure assumption. I bet you don't even have a PS3 for that matter. On top of that, at last I don't have to listen to immature brats screaming because they lost a game in Halo.

[Sir Ken Kutaragi 4]

Like i said...Next-Gen only starts when we say so!!! ;-D
It started on the 1st of 2008!!!;)
(But PS3;) is the only Next-gen Console i can see!!!) ;-P
That thing called a xbox Washing Machine 360 is SOOOOOOO Last-gen!!!
;-D

[derseb]

in fact i feel like it has already been an accomplishment for the 360 that it was fighting in this war. after the last gen i thought the 360 would be entirely obsolete when the PS3 came out.

[AngryTypingGuy]

You talk as if you are Ken Kutawhatever himself. You must like to pretend and role play a lot. You probably also play Dungeons and Dragons with a bunch of other greasy kids who have never kissed a girl in your parent's basement, don't you?

[t-0_ot-]

Hmmm. Sooooooo Last-gen.. ya know.. that's funny seeing how the multi-plat games look IDENTICAL.. That's pretty sad for a Next Gen system to have the same graphics as a last gen system..

[Shadow Flare]

Since when has any multiplatform game ever looked significantly better on one console as opposed to the other? Thats why their called multi-platform games because they base developed to cateer for the average perfomance of both consoles. When comparing graphics, it's the exclusives you have to look at. Because they take sole advantage of that consoles power. Look at Gran Turismo 5, Uncharted, Killzone 2 and Final Fantasy XIII, and you'll see a difference in quality across the console's exclusives. Learn something about the industry before you comment Toto

[AngryTypingGuy]

ShadowFlare, take a look at the last Splinter Cell game that came out for both consoles. One version looks and plays significantly better than the other. Guess which one...

(To be fair though, that was awhile ago. More recent multi-platform games look identical for the most part, except for the most minor of differences).

[celticlonewolf]

I really love my 360(my ps3 to) but there is no getting away from it that the rrod has played its part in slowing ms sales down. I mean even now if every single 360 made would never get the rrod I think it may be a little to late in some peoples minds. In no way does any of what I write spell doom for the 360 we are just pointing out what ms has done or lack of doing that could increase sales.

[Kleptic]

all biased opinions aside...no matter which console you prefer...I only find it surprising that there truely are supposed 'neutral' sites didn't anticipate this...EVERYTHING pointed to it eventually happening...The media jumped on the PS3 initially, with almost nothing good to say about it...But MS has continuously dropped the ball...RRoD problems, still suffer in terms of software variety (image wise, people still don't associate MS with having the most diverse gaming library)...They hailed 2007 as the best lineup in history...yet still were outsold by the PS3 in every territory but the US for the last months of the year...the PS3 overall sold more consoles last year than the 360...the 360 sold approximately 3 million less in 2007 than it did in 2006...these were all obvious signs of what was going to happen...

while ignorance in this regard is entirely expected by the fanatical armies of each respective console...its just surprising that websites everywhere are all of a sudden 'wow, the PS3 just might be starting a comeback'...its a Sony console...name a generation Sony was involved in that this didn't happen...

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

Probaly the BEST explaination possible.

Your the man Kleptic, as always.

Bubbles.

[boodybandit]

just so I can bubble you up every time N4G allows me too. Your post are top notch.

[TheDarkHado]

"its a Sony console...name a generation Sony was involved in that this didn't happen..." Could not have said it better! Bubbles

[Fishy Fingers]

Klepic, appears you have made some friends. But like them I have to agree with what you sad. Well played bro :)

[Xiru]

Perfect explanation! You rock. Go PS3!

[Kleptic]

ha thanks people...I normally never post in this area...I have no problem admitting that I have a console of preference...But i didn't chose a PS3 because of blind loyalty to Sony...I never owned a PS2...I never owned a PSP...I had a PS1 as a kid, and have always felt Sony has had a great grip on the kind of games I LIKE TO PLAY...

That is the single biggest thing overlooked with all this software stuff that MS kept yelling about..."the best lineup in history' was and still is entirely subjective...I thought ME was a let-down...I played more Halo 2 then I care to admit, and didn't feel that Halo 3 justified buying a 360 with all these other 'issues' surrounding it...I played through Bioshock twice on a PC...and I still own and play CoD 4...Some argue that is because I don't own a 360...no...its because those games didn't blow me away; that I don't own a 360...I thought Gears 1 was amazing...and had me very close to owning one...but I wanted to wait and see how the other big games would turn out in the following year...and what happened during that year?...Mass failure rates...XBL DRM fiascos associated with said failures...and some underwhelming games considering the hype...I understand that they will fix everything with decent turn around, but once I hook my stuff up...I like to keep it there...it has always soundedlike too much of hassle for me...

I am only saying this because that software lineup was NEVER something that would carry the 360 into the record books...it obviously did nothing to gain considerably more market share...I do feel that they are great games, albeit slightly overrated in some areas...its just that I never felt they were statosphericly (I doubt that is a word) higher than what was available on its main competing system...and that software lineup was the only thing MS had as added value to the 360...

but whatever...the PS3 is moving...there is no arguing that...does that make me happier that I bought a PS3?...no...not really...I have been happy with it before I bought it...thats why I bought it...and some of the biggest games I bought it for are just 2 months away...overall its just that gaming journalism is pretty much the funniest part of the hobby...I don't dislike the 360...I just don't find anything with it, for me personally, that justifies the cost/risk...does that make me a rabid Sony fan'droid or w/e?...In some peoples' mind, yes I guess...I thought it just meant I bought the system that had the most appeal to me, overall making me somewhat of an educated consumer...its pretty lame to say that 'gamers' have to buy every single thing available...That is way more money than I plan to part with any time soon...

[meepmoopmeep]

great post Kleptic. you stated a lot of facts whether anyone wants to admit it or not. with the way things are looking it seems like history is repeating itself once again. it's happened for 2 past generations and the exact same scenario is happening again with the PS3. the only difference this time is the amazing job done by the Wii. The last 2 gens it was 3 platforms competing and now it's only 2 since the Wii went for it's own demographic and left the battle between Sony & MS.

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

-You
-Figboy
-Virtual Gamer(i haven`t seen him in a while)
-Deep

Are by far (TO ME) the most rational people on this site. I can`t say what I want to say as CLEARLY and FOCUSED as all of you guys can.

Respect.

[Marceles]

Couldn't have put it better myself Kleptic, based on nothing but facts and not opinion. It's like alot of gamers has been MiB zapped over the years...

[Cdaja]

Very good post, both of them.

[pshizle]

ps3 launch year was in 2007 in europe which gave it a big sales boost that year

second 360 did have the best lineup in history in 2007

[juuken]

That was well said. It amazes me how people are saying that now when back in 2007 they were bashing the PS3 so much that it made you almost want to buy a 360...which I almost did.

[Kleptic]

pshizle...spin it all you want...a 'big boost in sales' for Europe in march of 2007 was totally offset by the fact the PS3 was selling under 100k/ month everywhere else...you don't remember that?...it was a 'failure' because in February, March, and April 2007 it sold less than 100k total when you didn't count PAL territories...

and the best lineup in history?...potentially for those that already bought the 360...that was the point...the rest of the world was wondering what the big deal was...and the decline in console sales since shows exactly that...

[thePatriot]

you are reading my mind. thats exactly how I think (about this whole thing). also as a long time games its hard for me to get excited about games, yet mgs4 makes me fall a sleep with a smile when I think about the beta.

[kwicksandz]

I would think simply that no system sellers have been released lately. When GTA4 comes out then we shall see.

Blind fanboys may think that GTA is a PS series but working family's going to the store seeing a gta 360 bundle $150 cheaper than the ps3 bundle will throw the cat among the pigeons methinks.

As for nintendo : its 1 2 punch of brawl and mario kart and an uppercut of wii fit will keep it firmly in #1 sales figures for at least another year.

Im also tempted to buy a slim psp with the silver GOW bundle and the psp wipeout. handhelds are consoles too right!

[thereapersson]

If there is to be one, they better hurry up quick. Only 2 weeks left to go...

lol @ the disagree. Apparently, someone knows about a mysterious 360 GTA IV bundle that we don't.

[Qbanboi]

So.... When was the last time we saw the GTA4 XBOX 360 Bundle?

[ukilnme]

I have seen no evidence of a 360 GTA IV bundle anywhere. At best, retailers may offer a price cut if both are purchased together. We will know for sure in a couple of weeks.

[InMyOpinion]

360 Premium GTAIV Bundle - http://www.webhallen.com/pr...

[Kleptic]

thats a specific retail bundle though right?...its not an official package avaialable at every store...that is what he meant I think...

[meepmoopmeep]

@ OP

GoW bundle is a red PSP. the only silver is the Daxter one.
i'm trading in my silver for the red one cause it's one of my fav. colors.

[InMyOpinion]

True. Not an official bundle. But if other retailers follow this example it doesn't really matter if it's exclusive or not.

[Iamback]

Where is Kaz to give epic comment on this one lol

[themyk]

yes it is sad. that we have to get dumbed down games because you guys have to have it as well. your first party games don't come close. you have to be completely ignorant to the truth if you don't see that. you can't tell me that having your games on 50 gig blu ray doesn't hold the deciding factor.

[4D]

He will be here shortly along with his other accounts dissing the 360. Just a matter of time. Maybe he forgot the password to his account. It's gotta be hard logging in and out and hitting agree, disagree, take bubble, add bubble with so many different accounts.

[nintendostar]

Everytime I hear the Wii classed as I toy I wonder how Sony and Microsoft feel about this little stupid toying out-selling them 3-1 almost every month. Since they're both trying to develop Wii like gameplay it must not just be a silly toy after all.

[TheDarkHado]

Wow, a Nintendo fanboy commented on a subject. I thought they stuck to the shadows of N4G.

[Xiru]

Talk to me when it outsells the PS2. Because that is who its competing against. BTW it is a toy.

[Kleptic]

all Sony and MS did in response was said 'they are targeting a different market'...which is arguably true...I know my grandmother would never want a 360 or PS3...

don't worry though...I am sure the PS3 will be barking at your cats sooner or later...

[PimpHandHappy]

i think the PS3 will outsell the 360 by a large margin when 08 ends. If 07 is anything to go buy then yea. BIG DIFFENCE

in 07 the perception was PS3 had no games and cost to much

in 08 both perceptions of 07 would be wrong

when you add in the PS3 didnt outsell the 360 on a weekly basis like it has so far this year you can see why it will blow the doors off of the 07 numbers

just my opinion

[Anego Montoya FTMFW]

I`m saying it start outselling it by 100,000 PLUS, habitually by years end.

[bootsielon]

Imagine when Wii drops to $150 and gets both Wii Fit and Wii music, and when PS3 is $299 with all the games coming during the holiday season? Does Microsoft even have a place to hide?

[Grown Folks Talk]

than everybody else. They just want to increase marketshare. By the time either of those price points hit, they will have done so by a decent margin. Since Nintendo ships just enough Wiis to keep sales up (& demand), they have no need to drop the price any time soon because people will still pay $250 for it. Sony keeps coming out with new skus & bundles that raise the price instead of lowering it. Had Microsoft made systems readily available at launch, they probably would have double the units out right now. Demand was very high early, but the shortages caused it to wane unlike the Wii remaining steady. RRoD has definitely caused them quite a few sales, but they aren't done. I think they are just trying to figure out who their new face is going to be. Whether you liked him or not, Peter Moore had the energy & confidence to be that front man. Who's left to replace him?

[Kleptic]

^^I think you are missing a potentially big point...being a member of this site generally means that you have a higher level of interest in video games than that of the general public...and the general public makes up roughly 90% of people that buy games, not the people that follow everything closely...

I am just pointing out that a 'front man' for the XBOX division has nothing to do with the 360's current state...if Peter Moore was still there, things would be no different...and the lack of peter moore is not why things for the 360 have turned south this entire year so far...

The main issue with MS is their focus on the market...they have done extremely well at refocusing on their original owners (Xbox 1 owners)...yet have done next to zero in terms of attracting new buyers...the 360 is still roughly on track to sell about 5 million more than the original Xbox in a 4 year span...5 million more buyers in about 8 years is a rate of growth that no one is happy with...at least in this industry...comparitively, the PS2 sold over 30 million more PS2's in the same span as the PS1...

and that won't change this generation...MS simply doesn't have the 1st party developer support to create the variety that the competition can...MS is heavily relying on 3rd party support to push the 360 into being a foundation for different genres...but the problems is that Sony already has that label attatched the brand...3rd party devs know that people associate the playstation brand with pretty much every genre of game immaginable...and the 360...not so much...while its not the 'shooter box' people sometimes make it out to be, it definitely offers little variety compared to the competition...

and that brings me to my overall point...Sony has always done one thing better than everything else...and that is reacting to the market...they have enough internal development studios to react to trends on an annual basis...The 360 has continuously recieved the major fps games, a lot of which remained exclusive to the system...but rather than buying up 3rd party fps games, like MS did...they are making their own...without question the PS3 is getting the biggest first person shooters of this year...and thats not even shared with the PC...its 100% guaranteed to only be playable on the PS3...SCE is going straight for throat with this...while Gears 2 is absolutely essential at holding off Res2 and KZ2, Sony also has all the other variety coming that people are used to..and MS doesn't...Sony is quickly establishing itself within the 360's main niche...they did this to Nintendo and Sega with the PS1...they did it again with the PS2, while mostly leaving MS off the hook...but MS has since become much more of a threat...which is exactly why we are sitting on the edge of a major campaign in terms of software from Sony to remedy that...

[Grown Folks Talk]

the Peter Moore portion was in reference to people talking about Ms being quiet & not making more of an effort to stand out. I keep seeing variety thrown up. Microsoft has much more diversity this time around. People just continue to refuse to acknowledge it. Every game that releases is a shooter. Yet at the same time, Sony fans rave about Resistance & Killzone non stop. Sony had the benefit of 2 generations of developer relationships that Microsoft does not. I doubt MS will ever have that kind of stature with studios. Anybody with any sense knew Sony would more than likely sell more units in the end, but as I said, MS was out to gain marketshare. The general public has a tendency to go with things that are familiar (Playstation). Personally, as long as they continue to come out with games that I want to play, I could care less if Sony sells more.

[jones smokey]

i dont!!!!! i dont care who sells more, gaming is about playing games and enjoying the console u chooes to by, if it is the wii/360/ps3 its all ur choice, this console war is not needed.......lets all just enjoy gaming like before,..since when did console sales become important to game fans, its not like u are going to make money from the consoles that are sold, ms/sony/wii are all making money and laughing all the way to the bank, ms got their computers while sony has there other devices from phones to t.v, so either way their getting paid, i dont know what nintendo has apart from wii and ds but still they are still making money,..i think this gen of gaming era is stupid because of the fanbois all over the place trash talking..i got a ps3 but i am still getting a 360 when gears of war 2 comes out but i am not sure if i am getting the wii because i am more of a hardcore gamer, .....anyway thats what i think , i dont care who wins the so called console war or who sells more consoles!!! and all u fan boi need ur lips cut of =D

[mattnz]

It does matter, the lower selling system gets a raw deal, if 360 sales drop far enough below that of the PS3 then development focus will shift. It will no longer be the PS3 getting after-thought ports... PS3 has done well in the face of poor 3rd party support because it has MASSIVE in house and devoted external support, that's something MS is missing right now. I think that the current competition is good for gaming, it drives it forward, but a market shift towards sony will result in a one sided battle.... just like the ps2. I'm happy to confess that I prefer Sony, it's just a preference, but the current 'console war' is good for us, the gamers, because it forces innovation.

Edit: not saying this will happen, just stating why it matters.

[ukilnme]

Console sales matter to some people while game sales matter to others. Game on if they don't matter to you.

[Xiru]

It does matter. Developers usually stay with the winning platform which is why i'm upset with the Wii. I want some really great exclusives for PS3 that use its full capability. And until it passes 360 in sales, we won't really get that except from Sony 1st party developers.

[BeaArthur]

Reports about Microsoft's reliability have been more frequent over the last 6 months to a year, I'm sure that has something to do with it. If a consumer does their research they are going to see all the 360 horror stories and that will be a deterrent for casual gamers.

[Mu5afir]

Keep in mind, the Ps3 hasn't hit the "sweet spot" of $299 ($300). Since demand is strong, Sony doesn't need to reduce the price, but if it does the system well see a considerable rise in sales. And the big titles are hitting soon, too.

As for the Xbox 360, now priced at $199 / $249 etc.. still isn't able to compete with the Wii (mostly do to the game library). Microsoft desperately needs to release some BIG NAME games on the system, and soon. Remember just a few days ago, people were getting excited about Golden Eye for XBL.. so you can understand the current situation with the system.

[andron]

MS has dropped the ball to often. They need to do some changes if they want to stay in the game.

But MSs silence is curious, they have gotten very quiet lately...

[jkhan]

I totally agree with you. One thing that amazed me was that even after the price cut, PS3 outsold 360. I mean come on usually its a boost in sales after price cut, but didn't happened. I guess thats one reason why they have been soo quite, they can't seem to figure out how to stop PS3's momentum. As far as Wii is concerned. I guess Wii just stood out of the crowd and said hey I am number 1, you two can fight over the leftovers.

[PimpHandHappy]

when you consider it takes 2 Wii sales to match 1 PS3 sale then you can see why sales numbers on the Wii are just fluff. The numbers look good but when you add in software sales and user base the Wii is a toy

Even if Sony and MS have seen the light of casual games because of the Wii you cant say they are making Wii type games just because of it. I cant think of one PS3 game that is Wii like? The 360 doesnt have the hardware yet to make Wii type games.

im not saying the Wii has no impact but when ppl are looking for true next-gen gaming they wont find that in the Wii

Unless they like mono sound and Mario18

[Meus Renaissance]

What moron actually expects Microsoft to officially acknowledge they're lagging behind in hardware sales all of a sudden? When the Playstation 3 came out and was slow to the race, we barely heard Sony actually commenting on this issue so what are the chances that Microsoft would publicly come out and panic with the situation? Instead they were sticking to their guns in how they wanted to "educate the consumer" on the value, only having then dropping the price by $200 because the consumers don't listen to companies, companies have to listen to them. And sticking to their guns is what Microsoft will do because they don't have much avenue in terms of price cutting if they want to maintain profit for their Gaming division.

Having said that, no one is calling this a comeback on Sony's part for one main reason. Although it has been outselling the Xbox 360 in the US, the difference between the figures does not justify any attempts of preparing the victory .GIF's and the 'OWN3D' images because the install base is three times the lesser of Microsoft's console. Sony needs to start doubling and more those 360 sales each month then it would be a certain comeback on Sony's part, and impending doom on the 360's side.

This entire issue is more of a negative for Microsoft than it is a positive on Sony's part. We had hints during the holiday period where Microsoft sold less than people expected and Sony sold more than expected. The tide is slowly turning but this tide is just too small to be considered a changing of the winds in the console wars.

[meepmoopmeep]

i agree.

the current sales trend does not spell victory for Sony until the sales can almost double that of the 360. right now the sales are barely above the 360 sales so it's by no means a defeat for the 360 nor is it a win for the PS3.

[dragonJP]

...that this is more negative for MS than positive for Sony, and that's saying something with all the great news for Sony lately, bubble for you (like you NEED any more). This all seemed inevitable for me, Sony coming back and coming back hard. MS had a small window not too long ago to finish the PS3 before it even had a chance to get going, but instead of going for the jugular, MS instead dropped the ball, fumbling on issues such as standardized HDD, HD DVD, RROD, $50 for XBLive, more varied/casual games etc. If MS has any plans to stay at #2, they have got to get more aggressive....

[Glad to be a gamer]

Agree with everything you say.

I personally think anyone looking at it subjectively knows that Ps3 will out sell the 360 in hardware this year with the titles on the horizon and with the added incentive of Br(now the established Hd media) it will cater to a wider audience.

But will it be enough to dominate this generation like the Play station 2 did before?

I am not suprised that the ps3 is selling so well with the Br victory and Gt5p release but so far the difference in sales are not significant enough to warrant a major change in either companies future. I think the next three months will give us a big indication as to how this console generation will play out.

Gta4 is the biggest mass market game this year and i think if the ps3 sells significantly more hardware when this hits will show us whether the tides have turned. Also with ninja gaiden 2 and mgs4 both coming out in june for the hardcore we will see which console appeals more to gamers both casual and hardcore.

some consumers are gonna want a cheap console to play the latest mass market games and 360 exc. Other consumers will want a console that can play Br media,mass market games and ps exc. I myself aint to sure how things will go but i do think that for the majority of consumers hd tvs are still to exspensive so price and games will be the main factors this year.

So it comes down to are the Ps3 exclusives worth paying the extra price for the console over the 360?

I'd say yes but i have a hd Tv,wireless internet and am a conisseur of games. Then again i also happen to own a wii/360 so for me all the consoles are worth buying. This year though for me the console to own is a Ps3. Although all the consoles have good reasons to buy them this year i think the Ps3 has more. Its always the way with the Second year of consoles.

[TheKungFool]

Very good post, much respect.

The one thing I would point out though is that the PS3 has been picking up steam PRIOR to its big titles arriving, which is a different trend than the 360 has seen.

The 360 has sales spikes (for obvious reasons) when their big titles like "Gears of War", "Halo3" and "Bioshock" arrived, and I think the same will happen in the next year when the PS3 gets it's system sellers out.

The margin by which the PS3 has outsold the 360 isn't worth bragging about right now, but it very well could be increasing with the releases of "Gran Turismo 5", "Metal Gear Solid 4" and such, which will have the impact on hardware that "Halo" does/did for the 360.

[juuken]

Another person who actually makes sense!
Good comment and bubbles for you.

[jkhan]

Nice read. Its just that we are witnessing Sony's biggest and most aggressive comeback. Problem is Microsoft doesn't have the big games to counter Sony this year.BioShock2 and MassEffect2 are still an year and a half off. So we can assume the only two biggest titles are going to be Gears 2 and Fable 2 and if Alan Awake makes it in time. Now on the other hand Sony is raging like a mad bull. The point was very legit, do you to want XBOX360 + GTAVI + DLC or do you want PS3+GT5P+GTA4. Plus in May Sony has another exclusive called Haze coming and in June they have MGS4. Microsoft has Ninja Gaiden 2 in june but come on, its a good game but it can't match the ruthlessness of MGS4. Then in July Sony is gonna drop the price & gonna unveil some new games + hopefully they will announce God of War 3 and everyone's jaws will drop:P Plus may be we see Agency release in July.
Come Sept./Oct. they have LBP + Socom + Killzone 2 and Microsoft only has Fable2. Then Nov. its the match of the titans R2 vs. Gears2. We can assume that both will be great and we will see a tie among them but the lineup above and below those titles are huge amount of exclusives. I mean we still haven't heard from Getaway, White Knight Chronicles, FXIII, versusXIII, Eight Days, Infamous etc. Microsoft just isn't bring enough exclusives on the table. I guess it will all be clearer at E3. Everyone screamed at E3 2007 that Microsoft showed nothing for 2008, part of the reason was that they didn't had much. We still need to hear about SC Conviction, Alan awake, Banjoo Kazuee, and see what happens to the infamous Too Human.

[thereapersson]

They usually start out a little lackluster, but after the first oh, year and a half or so, pick up steam and become basically unstoppable.

I think people just like to forget the past in hopes that their fanboyish opinions will see the light of day as truth.

[nintendostar]

Your wrong. How could that be possible if the Wii doesn't sell at a lost like the 360 and especially the ps3 does. That logic doesn't make sense. Nintendo is the only counsole that makes an instant profit from moving units.
..also they're not making Wii type games. They're trying to match the gameplay of the Wii. Nothing is wrong with that, all that does is better the industry for every one. The problem is as you say, they first considered the wii as just some silly toy.

[Xiru]

Wii is not bettering the industry. It has the lowest rated games of any of the systems. It is a breeding ground for shovelware. This is because it is such a hot seller and the technology is very well known. No one cares about making good games for the Wii except Nintendo. It is a shame.

[Meus Renaissance]

PlayStation 3 this fall. We all know it's coming. Imagine the impact that'll have on sales considerng the franchises already on the platform by then.

[thereapersson]

I think Sony will drop their prices, although I think they might wait till the Blu-Ray market picks up in steam and prices go down there first. I am not so sure that they want to undercut the other BR player manufacturers just yet in such a drastic fashion.

What do you think, Meus?

[PimpHandHappy]

thats the sound i make everytime i hear someone had a RROD

you know why

because thats the main reason the 360 has fallen off everywhere but America

and btw

we Americans voted in Bush #43

TWICE

yes im saying it

Americans will buy anything made in America and not care if its junk!

Not this American thou

im not buying a 360 till i can get a Pro for 200 bucks. Thats what a system made by idiots is worth. Then add in the limited aspect of all there games anything more then 300bucks is a rip off

plus XBL needs to be free

[liquidsnake]

Man and I tought all americans were stupid. But it seems that one guy managed after all. Hats off for you mate.

[TruthBTold]

Voted for George W. Bush twice...that craked me up..what were you implying....LOL Bubbles to you

[whoelse]

No doubt the PS3 will increase that lead in the April sales thanks to GTA IV. In fact, i cant really see the 360 ever coming back. The next big game after GTA IV for the 360 is Gears of War 2, while the PS3 will have all this years games plus Resistance and Motorstorm 2.

[PimpHandHappy]

you wont see that 300 price tag till maybe Nov 09

IMO

[TruthBTold]

That would be the last part of the domination puzzle. Sony would have the best game lineup of the year, DS3, Home, and the sweet affordable price for a great advanced piece of hardware and people will have a hard time finding a reason not to own a PS3 this holiday season. I dont hate on other consoles but I have always seen the value in Sony hardware, specialy the Playstation. The PS3 would have all the edges to win this holiday season.

PS if you disagree please reply with a reason to make this discussion interesting and not just cause. Thanks

[thereapersson]

But because it's hard to see Sony dropping the price of the PS3 that low so quickly (even if we are talking about this year's holiday season). I predict at the very most, the base PS3 model will drop to 349.99, and judging on how well the 80gb bundle sells, Sony may plan to keep it around, but they will drop the 80gb to maybe 429.99 or 399.99.

[TruthBTold]

I also dont believe that it would drop that low but I was mostly describing what the outcomes would be if we got it to the price meus mentioned. Certainly the other offerings sony has this year will still make them a hard competitor this holiday season but if they were somehow able to get a sweet price point then I truly believe they would dominate for sure but its unlikely like you said, its just too early. Thanks for disagreeing with a good reason though, thats what debating should be all about, sharing ideas and opinions to help each other see other points of view that seem logical. Bubbles to you.

[DEADEND]

Sony has cut production cost for the PS3 and seeing the fact that 360 will get a price cut very soon in NA, Sony has to cut the price right after MS does. If MS cuts the price of the 360 around the time of GTA4 release Sony will have to responded with their own price cut because NA is MS's strongest region. As of right now things are looking really good for the PS3 because they are out selling the 360 in every region so with that in mind Sony won't let the 360 out sell it again. You will see a price cut for the PS3 sooner then you think if MS makes the first move that is.

[PimpHandHappy]

i dont think we are stupid but i know for a fact we dont care enough to make ppl answer for the lies we get feed....

so yea

maybe a bit stupid

we still carry a big stick so you better watch out!!!

hahahaha

[4D]

Just STFU already. Your not the least bit funny. Go back to pimphanding yourself while hiding in your moms basement with the door locked.

[TheKungFool]

....when the article talked about the first time the PS3 outsold the 360 and actued like it was a surprise or something.

To anyone who's owned a PlayStation console over the last decade and seen the PSone and PS2 abosolutely destroy its respective competition, it comes as no surprise that the PS3 is selling.

A few things people forget:

1. Unlike Nintendo and Microsoft, Sony doesn't just abandon its previous consoles all of the sudden, they have a slower turn-around, which hurts them in initial sales, but is certainly appreciated by Sony owners.

2. Because there was a slower transition from PS2-PS3, the games will follow the same trend. So maybe the PS3 didn't have the biggest library to start off with, but that doesn't mean that the best selling exclusive series (final fantasy, metal gear, gran turismo, god of war etc) won't sell lots of systems when they arrive.

3. The PS2 outsold the Xbox and NGC by approximately 5-1, and still counting. Those people who bought Playstions the last 2 gens haven't just vanished and it shouldn't come as a shock if they start purchasing PS3s.

[TruthBTold]

It has created and long and strong relationship with gamers since PS1. That relationship which evolves with technology will not fade away but just keep coming back. PS has a strong fanbase that began with PS1 and evolved with the PS2 and now I believe those same people, or at least the majority will move up to PS3 because of the GAMES. Its thanks to those games that people enjoyed playing and want to continue playing the series on next gen and even those new games coming out, PS has them both so I like the competition, much respect, but my money is on the PS3.

[TheKungFool]

At the end of the day, you're right, it is all about the games.

Thats why I can honestly appreciate the 360's hardcore fans, and understand where they're coming from when the praise games like Bioshock, Mass Effect, Gears of War etc....because I'd buy copies of those games in a heartbeat for my PS3 if it were possible.

That said, it frustrates me when I read ignorant statements like 360 fans claiming the PS3 "has no games" or "isn't a gaming machine", especially considering how many of the higher rated 360 games are also on PS3.

I can be a man and give the 360 full credit for its exclusives, and I don't think any Sony fan can look themselves in the mirror and not admit that games like "BioShock" and "Gears of War" are excellent games. But that said, we have our own exclusives like "Metal Gear Solid 4", "Final Fantasy XIII", "Killzone2", "GranTurismo 5" and so forth to look forward to.....ON OUR GAMING MACHINE.

[solar]

@ king

my problem is the great 360 games you mentioned as exclusives...GeoW, ME, and Bioshock i can play on my PC. thats MS's problem. their great games arent exclusive. Sony has the in house to make their games exclusive.

i was at the store with the notion to buy a 360...i had the money...many of my gamer friends all have 360's (im the only one who doesnt) and i couldnt pull the trigger. i couldnt. the RRoD, paying for Live ontop of my cable bill, the disk drive debacle, and the great games for 360 i want to play hitting the PC market as well hinders the 360 sales. MS is working to fix the hardware issues...which is great...but until they keep the "exclusives"...exclu sive i cant warrant a purchase of the console.

[kingme71]

MS has had every chance to offer a more competitive package in '07 to anticipate the Sony comeback in '08.

If they had nipped the RROD issue in the bud early on, it would just be a footnote now to the console instead of what everyone associates the 360 with. Sure a 3 year warranty is nice, but come on, fix the problem and put it behind you. You can't buy your way out of it with a billion dollar warranty fix.

Enough with the we give consumers choices by selling all these over priced addons. I buy a Wii or a PS3, I'm set to play games from the get go. I don't need to pay to add wifi, an online service an overpriced HDD (although only necessary if you bought the Arcade version and later realized you wanted more space). The 360 wifi add on is nearly half the price of the wii itself that has built in wifi.

Give the US a price drop to reenergize sales.

It seems '07 was their "all eggs in one basket" software wise. Why didn't they have more top notch titles in '08 knowing full well Sony would be bringing out the big guns then?

Why doesn't MS have its own internal game studio of 10-15 MS teams pumping out top notch games? Without Nintendo's internal game development teams, the Wii would have flopped. Sony puts out some of the best games from internal teams... why is MS which is a software company from the 80's not creating their own content, but satisifed to just buy out developers?

In the end, MS really has themselves to blame if they slip into 3rd long term.

[solar]

i totally agree with the Wii comment. the only titles i bought for my wii was 1st party (except MP:3 but metroid was a 1st party game before). the wii lost its appeal quickly due to developers throwing crap at it...and making it stick with sales of Carnival Games etc. it sucks too because i had high hopes for the wii.

[kingme71]

I haven't given up on the Wii, but that is mainly because I have kids and the Wii appeals to them more than the PS3. I'm as excited to get the new Lego games as just about any release in '08 and that is mainly due to the Wii and being able to play co-op with the kids. Plus my kids are now Nintendobots and worship at the altar of Mario.

As a hardcore gamer, if I had just a Wii, I would definitely be pressing my face to the window looking at the great steaks the PS3/360 diners are eating.

[pangitkqb]

I have all three systems at my house, Wii, 360, and PS3. I love all three. But honestly, which system plainly has the most potential? PS3 hands down. I play Call of Duty 4, Motorstorm, Warhawk, Resistance, Condemned 2, and Burnout Paradise online for FREE. I have a growing collection of Blu-ray movies that I cannot watch on my 360 or Wii.

My 60 gig PS3 has 3 times the HDD space of the 360, and is upgradeable. In fact, I can get a 300+ gig HDD for the PS3 for under $100 bucks, and it can be made by almost any company.

The PS3 has built in wireless internet and blu-tooth.

I LOVE the 360, but in the long run, it just cannot offer what the PS3 can. Don't even get me started about the Wii.

Plus, honestly, ever time I turn my 360 on I genuinely wonder if this is the time I am going to get the RROD.

Considering everything written above, as consumers become more aware, people will inevitably purchase the system with the most potential and staying power.

[Glad to be a gamer]

I don't think about it as if it does rrod i'll just send it to ms to fix for free. Had interferance problems with my wii and sent it in to get fixed recently. got it back after 2 weeks and no charge because it was under warranty.

Breakdowns happen for all consoles and yes it is more frequent for the 360 but if it breaks they fix it for free. Ive had mine for a year and no problems to date.

[PiTCHBLaCK]

Breakdowns do happen, but they should live out their
life spans then breakdown, if you pay money it
should work.

I'd be pissed if I came home to play GTA4
and my PS3 blewup and I have to go through
the hassle of getting it repaired, then
wait another additional two weeks to get
it back.

The RROD is the sole reason keeping me from
buying a 360.

[wow4u]

Way to go PS3! You've outsold the Xbox 360 by about 20,000 consoles in total fro 3 months -- only about 9 Million more consoles to go!

[Xiru]

All the Pro-PS3 comments bring a tear to my eye. Just this time last year it was all "PS3 Sux", "No good games", "Sony eats little children", etc... Seems like everyone is realizing what a great machine the PS3 is and what a great future it has, way to go people. I salute you.

[dragonJP]

...it's an amazing comeback, one worthy of one of those TV biopics. Who would star as Phil Harrison and Ken Kutaragi?

[jones smokey]

u most be kinda of sad to get emotional because of a game console is selling more than the other.......what have this world and gaming industry turn into!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dfire1212]

doo doo? wtf

[budbundystyles]

Advantage: Sony.

[Defectiv3_Detectiv3]

You have to consider that most hardcore gamers will own both consoles anyways. A lot of ppl who own 360's are gonna get a PS3. The gamers that stick w/ one console are the one's that really count. PS has a much larger core fanbase therefore they will reap the rewards. Plus Xbox owners will want something to play while they send their console in for repairs - the PS3 fills that void quite nicely.

Not to mention that the blu ray player is a driving force behind PS3 purchases and at a time when there aren't many games coming out the XBOX is a lot less enticing.

Another important reason is that while PS3 might be lagging Xbox sales in America, Xbox is lagging just a badly in Europe and Japan. There has even been talk among Australian retailers of pulling the consoles from their shelves entirely!!!

Aside from GeOW2 and Fable2 Xbox really doesn't have many killer apps coming out this season. PS3 on the other hand has plenty(LBP, KZ2,RES2,GT5,MGS5,SOCOM). Not to mention PS3 has more exclusives releasing this year (HAZE,INFAMOUS,TEKKEN6,WHITEKN IGHTSTORY,
MOTORSTORM2).

What's XBOX got? TOOHUMAN, ALAN WAKE, LEFT4DEAD, HALOWARS, NINJAGAIDEN2, BANJO KAZOOIE. 1/2 of XBOX360's exclusives will be ported to PC later. Most ppl would be better off just upgrading their pc than investing in a 360 - they could still play Mass Effect, Halo, Bioshock, Gears, Etc.

And do you really think that XBOX is gonna have a price drop b4 people are done spending their stimulus checks? The soonest they will have a price drop will be mid-late summer, not long b4 the PS3 has another price drop as well.

Xbox360 is projected to sell the fewest consoles this year than ever. Wii and PS3 will have record years, and they will still experience strong sales in the years to come. Now that Xbox blew it's wad in '07 the future looks grim.

PPl keep speculating that XBOX will have a bunch of big game announcements at E3, but I don't buy that. There is no reason for them to be holding their cards close to their chest at a time like this. From this point on Xbox will be struggling to survive and I dont think a successor to the 360 is likely.

[dragonJP]

Have to disagree with your point that "Xbox never stood a chance." And no, I did not hit the "Disagree" button. You have to understand that after the beating Microsoft took on the original Xbox, MS was counted out of the console wars, and 360 was not expected to do any better. After the last two years, you have to admit that MS has done far, far better than expected with the 360 despite all of its problems. Without those problems the 360 may still have been in the mix for #1 console this gen. I think the 360 has done more than well enough to warrant a successor, and hopefully MS learns from its mistakes when creating the heir to the 360. Now is PS3's time, and Sony deserves it after the comeback they have made. Still, you can't deny what 360 has done for gamers this gen, with achievements, HD downloads, amazing online, and new classics like Gears of War, Bioshock, and Mass Effect. Not to mention that competition the likes of what we have seen this gen between MS, Sony, and Nintendo has been incredible for us gamers, and would you want to lose that if MS pulled out of the game?

[TheKungFool]

Do you honestly feel that the 360 would be where it is had it not gone to market a year early, albeit with flawed hardware? What might have happened differently had MS taken its time to develop the 360 properly, but launched at the same times as the PS3?

I look at the numbers, and see that the 360 sold more units in 2006 than it did in 2007, and I find that somewhat strange considering 2007 was their best year for games, which you would have assumed would lead to a significant or at least noticeable increase in hardware sales.

To me personally, that might be an idicator that:
1) the 360 sold initially well to its already established fanbase, most specifically those upgrading from Xbox to 360, but is slowing now
2) the effect of the RRoD and other negative press is outweighing the impact of the 360's admittedly impressive games.

[dragonJP]

...I think it was a risk MS felt they had to take. In a straight up, both-release-at-the-same-time scenario, MS might have had a lead on Sony, but it would have been much much smaller and precarious, assuming the 360 would have had a lead at all. MS couldn't risk that, and if they have not gambled incorrectly on faulty hardware and HD DVD, it might have been a successful risk in both the short AND long term. Instead, MS faces a present and future where, just as you wisely stated, where the negative press is slowing buzz and sales....

[dragonJP]

...but MS is not by any means dead yet. Will have to see the GTAIV numbers first. As an owner of both 360 & PS3, I have so many things to be excited about! Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, GTAIV (on 360, sorry, but I am hyped about that DLC), MGS4, Ninja Gaiden, SOCOM Confrontation--- and that's just summer!

I think MS is (1) hoping GTAIV sparks sales of consoles in May, (2) is clearing stock of older Zephyr models to replace with Falcons (and Jaspers?) to significantly reduce the RROD factor, and (3) preparing for a major price cut in the US. I think they have decided to let the last three months go in order to rally big this Spring and again in the fall/Holiday season. I agree wholeheartedly with the point made by "Celticlonewolf" (bubble for you) that the stagnation of 360 sales is a result of its stagnating price point. It just doesn't appear to be the great deal it was before the 40GB PS3 was released. Factor in the Blu-ray victory and the lack of standardized HDD and voila! three months losses in a row in its OWN BACKYARD... ouch.

"Meus Renaissance" is right that Sony still has work to do catch MS in sales, but MS can't rely on that for much longer. It's time for MS to make their move, whatever it is. Sony is not only beating MS in sales worldwide, but is also beating MS in the buzz/media factor. When you think Sony PS3 now, you think of all the great exclusive releases upcoming, Blu-ray, HOME, etc., as opposed to all the negative buzz/media PS3 received upon its initial release. PS3 took a beating, but has rebounded big time and now the 360 is getting the negative buzz/media, with RROD, the failure of HD DVD, loss of price value vs. PS3, and supposed lack of games for 2008. Not sure MS can overcome these factors, but I wouldn't call them dead just yet....

[ChickeyCantor]

You know, when there is suppose to be a killer app, people start screaming 200# will the year of Console X......and mostlikey get disappointed. Not because of the games, but because they thought that the console they like so much would be killing the competition.

I say just wait till each end of a year and see how things go.
its the best way!

[TheKungFool]

Excellent post, and you have my sincere respect for such a well written and non-fanboyish approach.
I agree with you on some points, but I would respectively offer some other points for consideration:

1) If you are correct and MS did in fact let the last few months slide by purposely to "rally big this spring" then I honestly think they should fire their entire management team. The four month window including December, January, February, and March was the timeframe the 360 should have done everything in its power to come on strong and try and gain market share and get more 360s installed PRIOR to GTA4 hitting. Waiting until now to make a push makes zero sense, because Sony will be bombarding the market with its system selling franchises (Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo) and its new features (Home, updated PSN, new online store etc).

2) Waiting for GTA4 to increase unit sales is somewhat silly considering its a multiplat that has more history with the PS3. Don't get me wrong, I think the game itself will initially sell more copies on the 360 due to the larger current installed base, but in terms of moving actual hardware, I personally think GTA4 will have just as much if not more impact for the PS3.

3) If Microsoft has the new "Falcons" and "Jaspers"(?) ready, and I'm not implying that they don't or couldn't, it would be in thier best interests to promote that fact. Discount the current models, and call those new "Falcons" something differnt (so that potential customers know the difference). Sure, it will make it harder to sell off the remaining older stock, but it would also make it obvious to the casual market that there is less to fear from RRoD. If they just throw the new "falcon" units out as an ordinary "premium", I'm wondering how many people will still be skeptical of the console's failure history.

Again, just some personal thoughts, and not intended to discredit your own valid points, just fodder for a respectfull conversation.

[kingme71]

TKF - There is one point on #3 that MS has painted themselves in a corner on. MS has never revealed the actual # of problems and said the 16% figure that came out a few months back was probably too high. With their attitude that the RROD isn't really a big issue anymore (despite what their customers are saying), they can't publicize the fact a new chip version is coming out to save the day.

They might quietly release the new chipset and then if the #'s look good in 6 months, maybe they come out and say how their # of defects has dramatically dropped (although never revealing actual #'s).

If they were to publicize this chipset and the problems still aren't resolved, then they would be in a heap of trouble.

I think keeping everyone in the dark on actual figures allows them to spin the issue anyway they want. Whenever the press question a corporate bigwig on RROD, they always either say the numbers are looking good or coming down or they claim it isn't their area.

[Glad to be a gamer]

Also really good to see a worthwhile/civil debate on N4g. A perfect example for everyone to follow hopefully.

Edit: Lol i know Meepmoop im shocked how civil most of the posts have been on this article. Great to see

[dragonJP]

...bubbles for all of you and thank you. Sidar, I too wish we could all wait, but then where would all of the lovely flamebait go?

TheKungFool, thanks for the props, I appreciate it. I don't agree with MS seeming to let the last few months slide or appearing to put all of their eggs in one foul-mouthed GTAIV basket, but that seems to be what is going on here. And as kingme71 said earlier so eloquently (great post!), MS can't really advertise the newer, more efficient Falcon and eventually Jasper units without having to admit that RRoD is the disaster that it is, which they haven't by the way...

Glad to be a gamer, this is the kind of dialogue I hope for when logging onto N4G.com for in my very little precious spare moments of time. It's great to see....

[TheKungFool]

I totally get what you're saying about Microsoft not wanting to openly admit to RRoD being "the disaster that it is", but I can't help but feel they've already done that, at least in manner of speaking; considering the 3 year warranty and the millions spent to cover it are public knowledge at this point.

Sure, you can argue that the casual consumer may still not be aware, but with the internet and people becoming more savy with checking news and consumer reports I just don't see how MS can maintain a facade of indifference concearning RRoD. And lets not forget the power that word of mouth carries. Personally, 6 of the 10 or so people I personally know with 360s have had major problems, and that fact isn't lost on me whenever the subject of video games comes up amongst my friends.

The other factor is how this will affect MS in the future:
- will MS begin work on a 360 predacessor earlier than expected?
- will RRoD issues on the 360 haunt said predacessor regardless?
- will MS lose any of its hardcore base if they jump platforms early?

Sony is maintaining an 8-10 year life-cylce for the PS3, and if the 360 continues to get negative press and lose ground, will we see another XBOX format sooner rather than later?

anyhow, thanks to you folks for such a well spoken and enjoyable discussion, but alas, I'm out of bubbles, lol, so I'll have to catch you folks later.
CHEERS.

[meepmoopmeep]

hold on there!

am i on the right site? people having a civil debate and conversation on N4G?

[Grown Folks Talk]

The sun even shines on a dog's @ss some days.

[Kaz Hirai]

King Kaz will tell these fine folks at Sarcastic Gamer what the hell is going on!!!
As Judgment Day (June 12th) draws closer and closer, Nazisoft are in PANIC! They have lost their last remaining stronghold! They FEAR the Blu-Ray of Death! They FEAR Krazy King Kaz! They FEAR Emperor Kutaragi! They FEAR Lord Stringer! They FEAR the unstoppable PerfectionStation brand!
PIGS- last year, we HUMILIATED your "console" when everyone thought we were the ones losing! But this year, you are in for an ABSOLUTE MASSACRE!
Sony Soldiers- your King truly enjoyed destroying Sega and Nintendouche!
But DESTROYING Nazisoft- it is my destiny! And the beginning of the end for them is.........June 12th!!!!

58 days until Judgment Day, Nazisoft!

MWAH-HA-HA-HA!!!

[Z F1GHT3RS]

were would this site be with out his comments lol.
was gonna push the minus bubble button, but then i pushed the plus bubble. your comments are wacky and funny. bubbles for you.

[Zool 08]

come on guys n'gals give this guy some bubble's, we need him to keep rubbing it in the faces of the suferring Xbots. LOL

[Phil Harrison Mklll]

You was 'Kaz Phil Sniper Kill' a few days ago????????
The hater of PS3????????????
You finally dumped your pile of cr*p then! :D

Ha!Ha! You gave the Mighty Kaz a good bubble! :D
He's a better Man than any of you xBot Slaves will ever be!
+Stop PM Messaging people! GET A LIFE! :D

[Z F1GHT3RS]

yeah i was. i have not seen a lot of sniper around(queen kaz).all this
i have never owned a gay station. i am saying people should lighten up a bit. all this seriousness over moving your thumbs.
i give him a bubble not because he talks like a knob gobbeler, it is because he is funny in how he speaks. lol
they never fail to make you laugh.

[PSWe60]

Microsoft knows the battle is lost, their year head start doesn't mean squawt anymore. Seems like the only people who don't want to accept it are the PUTO X-Bots, blinded by stupidity and envy for Sony's line up. You bots know who you are. And so do we.

[cjp4eva]

Esos catre hijueputas pendejos de la mierda le siguen chupando el culo a Bill Gates, USTED CREE QUE YO COMPRO UNA MIERDA QUE SE DAÑA EN 3 SEMANAS?!?!?!?! estan locos mamaguevasos fanboys de la mierda que se metan esa mierda por el culo y que les derita los intestinos cabrones.

[PimpHandHappy]

can i just add some spice to this civil debate

you notice the 360 crowd has been very quite over the last couple weeks. When they do talk its not often meant for Gamer zone. These two facts alone mean more PS3 owners are now talking and showing the true class all PS3 owners have

ok not all

lol

yea i said it

read between the lines

lol

[PimpHandHappy]

thats funny dude

but you want to know whats even more funny

some of those ppl we all know are bots are sometimes one person! When you call out POG you better watch your bubbles! He can take one whenever he feels like it.

now thats funny

[Z F1GHT3RS]

lol @ u
bubbles

[DJ]

More PS3 hardware being sold than 360 hardware is the fact that PS3 is actually selling more software. With the still notable difference in installed bases (5 million) that is Really wierd. Great news and whatever, but that's Gotta be worrying Microsoft.

My big question is "Where's the 360 advertising?" The PS3 Universe commercials were really cool, and I'm surprised that Microsoft hasn't created a similar marketing campaign. For example, Sony was advertising Metal Gear Solid a good 8 months before release. Where are the ads for Too Human, Banjo Kazooie, or Ninja Gaiden 2 (one of their biggest releases)?

[Fragking28]

as much as i love my 360 there is no way in hell im going to buy a brand new one for 350 or 450 for an elite its not worth that much anymore and until microsoft realizes that sony will catch up siht they deserve it with all theyve been doin, ms is being extremely stale so i hope sony catches up rather quickly to fing wake microsoft up and show them u must always be proactivee in this business.

[Grown Folks Talk]

on the Spring update & things of that nature due to the downtime around Christmas. I'm sure both companies have big things planned that they haven't announced. If you really look at it, they are both the same. When all the backlash was against Sony, they were pretty quiet & Microsoft was talkative. Now it's the opposite. You've got IPTV when ever the providers get up & running. You've got the DirecTv deal. Plenty of unannounced games down the pipeline. They just haven't folded shop. It's like people complaining because Home or in game XMB isn't there. These companies have a lot of things to deal with on a daily basis, & if all this stuff was easy, we'd all be doing it ourselves.

[sixaxis]

yeah its becuse of the blu-ray, but for now, i think this isnt the only factor which counts, if we talk about casual gamers, then for now they already know that GTA 4 is coming out this month, and they also know that MGS4 and GT5 prologue are coming, which are huge, huge factor, advantage for sony, and i mean sony already owns the summer, want you that or not. Sometime after MGS4, problably in mid july, sony are going to advertisise more and more LitleBigPlanet, and ofcourse Killzone 2. I wouldnt go brave to predict whats going to happen with console sales after September, because you know maybe microsoft by that time will bring out something like Gears of war 2, but definately sony has safe land to September and maybe little more. Im very confident that sonys playstation 3 numbers will grow to equal level with xbox360s by the end of this year.

[LightningPS3]

They're like that person who always insults you and says "Just kidding" like that makes a difference.

N4G is a site where the fanboyism is real.

You can't get away spouting flamebait and not having to be accountable just because your called Sarcastic gamer.

[LightningPS3]

There's no place for Sarcastic gamer on N4G.

They're like that person who always insults you and says "Just kidding" like that makes a difference.

N4G is a site where the fanboyism is real.

You can't get away spouting flamebait and not having to be accountable just because your called Sarcastic gamer.

[cmrbe]

the difference is.
1. The PS2 problems werent extensive.
2. The PS2 hardware problem was resolved much faster than the x360 problems..

[cmrbe]

Destiny.

[Exorgasm]

Didn't everyone else see this coming since MS only sold 24 Million XBOX consoles last gen compared to the ps2 still selling well after already selling over 120 million units. The year head start really should have put the 360 far ahead of where it is now considering it had no competition but itself for the first year and a half.

[DFresh]

Microsoft is just getting lazy and hoping two games is going to save them.
ex.) Gears of War 2 and supposedly the DLC for GTA IV.
Also to make things worse for MS they are discontinuing Windows XP and to PC Gamers like myself that's a total slap in the face.
Nintendo isn't any better.
ex.) Wii Fit, Mario Kart Wii, No More Heroes, etc.
Nintendo hasn't been giving any release dates we don't hear very much from them lately only two games mentioned.
Sony has it down with the games and I don't think they can be stopped but Sony isn't delivering yet on some programs.
ex.) Home, XMB, Play TV, etc.
If you ask me I think we are all suffering as gamers.
I'll just say this Sony has the biggest chance to take some major leverage on the competition.

[xg-ei8ht]

http://www.eetimes.com/news...

That always made me giggle.

They didn't carry that partnership on did they:0

In all fairness the xbox was a better console graphically.

This time around its close, but ps3 edges it with cell and rsx has a few things ppl don't really know:)

But in time you'll see.

[t-0_ot-]

i don't understand why so many people hate on the U.S... If it werent for the Americans SOOOOOOO many countries wouldn't be what they are today.. example: Japan. Got in a war with Russia, Japan went bankrupt, the Japanese ran to the AMERICANS for help.. The AMERICANS helped make a deal between Russia and Japan. No more war.. thanks to Teddy Roosevelt!

[juuken]

The U.S didn't make these countries the way they are today. It's PEOPLE who made the countries the way they are today. The people unified as one and did what they had to do to survive. All the U.S ever did was bring pain and suffering to innocent people who didn't deserve it.

Oh yeah, and please get your mind out of the gutter and learn something called history, like the person said below me. You are so stupid that it's not even funny. You'll do anything to justify that crap console, even distorting history for the sake of your argument.

[CaliGamer]

Do you go to school or read. Making up history to serve your own purposes doesn't change what really happened.
After the dropping of the atomic bomb Japan surrendered and got on the road to Democracy. The framework for democracy was already there, the US didn't make Japan what it is. If you would take time out to read a book sometime you would know that most US interventions don't end well.
You make the most idiotic comments on this site at times man, stick to being an a$$, at least you know how to do that well.

[t-0_ot-]

Did I say anything about the xbox or MicroSoft? I don't believe I did.. Learn to read, dumbass.. I was referring to the people talking about the U.S.

"All the U.S ever did was bring pain and suffering to innocent people who didn't deserve it. " So, for example, letting Saddam Hussein live and kill people that didn't deserve to die, was a good thing? Americans are trying to help those people. Besides, Americans aren't killing the innocent people, the Iraqi's are killing the innocent people..

"Oh yeah, and please get your mind out of the gutter and learn something called history, like the person said below me. You are so stupid that it's not even funny." Same thing to you, read what I replied to CaliGamer with. It's straight outta my history book. So, I guess the book is wrong? Since ya know, I don't know my history, which came out of that book..

[t-0_ot-]

Uhm, CaliGamer actually I just went over this sht in history class. Sorry buddy, go back to school. Look it up, do something. fcking moron. I'm not even talking about the Hiroshima bomb, dumbass. This was back when Theodore Roosevelt was president, the war between Russia and Japan was started in 1904 (I got a history book right in front of me). Here's what it says, you 'smart'ass.

"As a result of these battles, Japan began to run out of men and money, a fact that it did not want to reveal to Russia. Instead, Japanese officials approached President Roosevelt in secret and asked him to mediate peace negotiations. Roosevelt agreed, and in 1905, Russia and Japanese delegates convened in Portsmouth, New Hampshire."

"The first meeting took place on the presidential yacht. Roosevelt had a charming way of greeting people with a grasp of the hand, a broad grin, and a hearty "Dee-lighted." Soon the opposing delegates began to relax and cordially shook hands."

"The Japanese wanted Sakhalin Island, off the coast of Siberia, and a large sum of money from Russia. Russia refused. Roosevelt persuaded Japan to accept half the island and forgo the cash payment. In exchange, Russia agreed to let Japan take over Russian interests in Manchuria and Korea. The successful efforts in negotiating the Treaty of Portsmouth won Roosevelt the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize."

"As U.S. and Japanese interests expanded in East Asia, the two nations continued diplomatic talks. In later agreements, they pledged to respect each other's possessions and interests in East Asia and the Pacific."

"Do you go to school or read. Making up history to serve your own purposes doesn't change what really happened. " So does that answer your question as to do I read or goto school?? And, I guess the book is making this sht up too then, eh??

So, there you go you A$$, straight out of my book (McDougal Littell - The Americans: Reconstruction to the 21st Century), so, before you try to be "smart" at least know a little bit of history, yourself. Without Roosevelt's aid to Japan, Russia would have taken over Japan and Japan would no longer be here.. Well, at least if that happened my grandpa wouldn't have died during Pearl Harbor. What do you think??

[Mclovin96]

Doesn't matter what the US does to "help" other countries, the world hates the USA.

Canada is gonna take over the world. And when that happens they will abolish the world of the PS3, and everyone will rejoice when they are freed from Sony's tyranny. Children will once again laugh and play and dance in the streets. The clouds will part and sun will shine down from the sky. Every household will receive a free Xbox360 and everyone will live happily ever after.

The end.

[CaliGamer]

LOL. What an a$$, you really try too hard, and your assertion is way out of context but unlike you I have a lot more important things to do than cite a book on a VIDEO GAME website, makes you look pathetic.
Nice PM by the way, and it's also nice to know that you are pathetic enough to have to have two accounts. Get a life man and maybe if you made some comments of substance you would have more bubbles where you wouldn't have to make another account.
I stand by what I say, the framework for Japanese Democracy and prosperity was always there, the US just helped that along. I live in the US but it doesn't mean that I have to remember a fantasy version of US history like you do. The US also lost the Vietnam War if you didn't know fool, LOL.

What a TOOL. Hahahahaha.

And so t-0_ot doesn't try to pull a Mart/POG know that ToTeM is the same person, another pathetic 360 fanatic with multiple accounts. We should all feel sorry for this piece of Sh!t, their world is falling apart all around them.

[juuken]

Lol@ t-0_ot-

First of all, don't call me a dumbass when you're the dumbass posting one ridiculous comment after the next without knowing what the hell you're even talking about. I didn't say you said anything about M$ or the XBox. I said that it seems as if you're using THAT to support M$ and the XBox. If anything, YOU should learn how to read.

You say that came out of your history book? History is a very fragile thing you know. There are certain things in history that may have happened and not too many people know about it. Wow, you must have had a history book right next to you that you're saying you got the info from a history book.

With every post you make...it makes me shake my head and wonder what planet you were born on.

[juuken]

M$ really did try hard, you have to give them that. I was impressed with their library and especially XBox Live but in the end, that didn't matter, especially with their constant hardware issues. It was inevitable that Sony was going to make a huge comeback and right now I am proud of this company. All they need to do now is release Home and in-game XMB. As long as those two work well and it works for the system, I am fine with that. Even better, they're getting some huge games this year. I can see MGS4 selling a lot of PS3's because I know a few people who are waiting for that game to get a PS3 finally.

M$ needs to start listening to their consumer often. They're only providing shooter after shooter and not enough variety. They depend on third parties rather than first parties. They try to make their games exclusive, thinking that will save them but it didn't.

The RROD hurt them very badly as well and it's a shame. Next time they come up with a new system, they better learn to plan ahead, otherwise Sony is going to kick their asses again.

[strembones]

I have to give it to Microsoft, for them to even be selling xbox's is amazing to me. With the failure rate which who knows really how big it is, but with the internet and everyone talking about red rings, I figured Xbox sales would plummet. I just bought a PS3 and let me tell you my reasons. First red ring scares me and I didn't want a system I couldn't trust. Second the PS3 just plain has more features (blu ray, Wi-fi, wireless remote that don't need batteries, MS gouges people on all this crap and being able to put in any SATA harddrive) and third and I think which is why people are not buying the ps3..I tried to think what system would really be best in 2-3 years time and if your honest with yourself the PS3 wins hands down. Microsoft has blown thier load. Them making a system available with no hard drive has really hampered them. Everything they do has to be able to work on those systems and in the end that will kill it.

[badkolo]

im a huge 360 supporter but like many have said, ever since peter left there has been so little pr or anything that shows confidense from MS.

the demo section has had no games for a while, arcade has been limp with lackluster titles and we are in deep in the third year. The prices are to high for a 3 year old console and yet ms still odes nothing. Sony went crazy with ads showing games and a cheaper price and ms let it happen, so now sony is winning for 3 months and yet ms still does nothing.

Hd and accesorie prices are still at original prices and ms is to blame. I in a way understand by keeping the system prices the same it shows strentgh but now its getting out of hand, the console is 3 years old and will be getting tramples on by sony if this continues.

Now we have gta4 coming and not one tv ad yet but it arrives in 2 weeks, ms was betting on gta4 yet they have done nothing to take advantage of it, no special pricing, no cheaper console prices and basicaly will hand this one to sony as well.

But its not all bad, ms has hit after hit every month at least one hit till xmas.

On the other hand, sony has done nothing but tv ads, where are the games, there are none. so while sony is selling more consoles its not like theres been any good games either. since xmas what has come out that has been a hit for the ps3, nothing. other then a demo in gt prologue.

and when sony does start bringing games so will ms, besides gta4 neither have hits until june. and they will both sell games on each system, ng2 will sell for ms, mgs will sell for sony and so on.

Where the hell is HOME for ps3, where is in game xmb, so its not like sony is doing much either, its not just ms but ms better wake up.

they will both save it all for august till december just like every other year.

[Naphthos]

Remember when everyone was saying "What the hell is Sony thinking? What are they DOING?" Well, I figured it out. Sony has a crystal ball. It's the only logical conclusion to explain how they've out-maneuvered M$ at every turn. They are constantly peering into the future with their exclusive future-viewing technologies.

[Trekster_Gamer]

I think MS will drop the price even further soon on the 360 all models and in all countries. Millions and Millions of people never come here, or even get online, they are ignorant sheep show look first and foremost at the price tag. I think this is the overwhelming reason the Wii has done so well.

[blinker flewid]

so the fact that the 360 launched way before the other two consoles and pretty much those who want a 360 already have one means what? sony wins? wii wins? im not sure i get it? i kinda feel like tom hanks' character in Big. there it is, staring me in the face, yet no one else seems to see it. big comeback? more like big catch up. im not sure of the numbers, and in all honesty i dont care. but gamers will buy what they want to play, so it is them who wins. as long as good games keep coming out i dont care who the 'winner' is because honestly, i won.

[RealTimeWeaponChange]

IT'S SO TRUE.

But who cares. 360 is at the top of the software charts every week. PS3? Dead last. No one buys games for PS3. Most are selling to play movies. A simple fact.

[Superiorrior]

So that explains the attach rate being nearly identical of that of the 360's as of late, even with a 7 million unit lead. Your fckin stupid.

[HelghastGeneral]

the ps3 is getting games and those are real next generation games which people have no choice to accept that those real games they will never see on 360.

for example gran turismo 5 come on now the damn game looks like real life this is the power of a true next generation machine.

the fact is 360 is xbox 1.5 people are accepting the truth for 2008 and will remain accepting the truth.

[badkolo]

almost 6 million cod4 sold for 360, 2.5 mill for ps3, what attach rate are you talking about.

Have you even looked at the sales numbers for the multi plat games at all before you spoke.

[TheKungFool]

Just some friendly advice here, but you should seriously consider looking up some of the terminology prior to shooting your mouth off, becaue you're honestly not making a whole lot of sense.

"Attach Rate" is different than "total units sold". The attach rate number is a calculation involving not only the sold software, but its relationship to the installed base of the hardware.

WHAT THAT MEANS:
Current multiplats are likely to sell more on the 360 due to its larger installed base, and that larger installed base is due to the 360 having been out significantly longer.
If the PS3 continues to gain ground on the 360, so too will the software sales figures, as well as the "attach rate".

EDIT (since I'm out of bubbles, lol)

The "attach rate" isn't really a good indicator of anything unless both systems had the exact same installed base (because you could then argue that it sold better on the 360 for a reason other than the installed base alone). As it sits right now, the reason the "attach rate" is higher on the 360 is purely due to it having been out a year longer (which means people have had more time to buy games for it, and there are more "potential customers" for each game).

[badkolo]

yeah sorry i overspoke in a way, but still have that kid go look at the numbers and the 360 has a better attach rate then the ps3, either way i was correct.

there are more games bought with every 360 then there is games bought with every ps3, thats a fact

[themyk]

you know what i was going to chime in. but i can't say to much more than all of that. good job boys.

MGS4=game of the year
socom = online shooter of the year
LBP = original ip of the year
resistance 2 = one bad azz mutha

long live solid snake.

[Mc Fadge]

It's a Frida- Oh wait ._.

[Citizen Cook]

without the extra year, going head tyo head with sony...

M$ would have sold less than half of what they have now...

HA HA HA HA!

[monkfish]

I fail to see how microsoft having more consoles out there means that its unfair to compare game sales.....its like saying xbox one had a similar attach rate to the ps2 as it sold far less games but then there were fewer xbox originals out there compaired to ps2. would you rather sell ten games to one console owner or sell one game to twenty console owners..i dont see the logic in some if these posts when people say the ps3 sells as much when you factor the lower number of consoles...someone able to explain it to me please..... its like saying a recent survey found that 1 in 4 people make up a 1/4 of the worlds population....

[tordavis]

Let's say PS3 outsells Xbox 360 by 300,000 a month for the year of 2008. Let's also say that the 360 is selling at least 250k per month. That would put PS3 at 550k per month. Yeah it's far fetched but just for the sake of argument. 360 is at 18mil and PS3 at 10mil.

12 x 550,000 = 6.6million PS3's sold for 2008 with a total installed base of 16.6 million by the end of 2008.

12 x 250,000 = 3 million 360's sold for 2008 with a total installed base of 21 million by the end of 2008.

So even after a whole year with over a half million in sales a month, the PS3 still wouldn't catch up. Now let's say people rebel against MS because they are tired of RROD and there are no sales at all for the 360 for the rest of the year. PS3 would still be in 3rd place worldwide.

Get my point? It's a 3 console market. Get over it, start playing!

[Elohim]

Does it really surprise anyone that this is happening? Look at what MS is doing... they are turning the game industry into a retards only club where you pay for everything even if it's already yours!

The vast majority of themes and gamer pics are just resized and cropped concept art and crap created to promote the game. So you now have a bunch of drooling morons that pay to be advertised to.

For years devs created map packs for free for us far superior PC gamers. This kept us playing their games and kept new customers coming. Now the console tards pay out the ass for those too.

Oh, and let us not forget the greatest scam of them all.... Paying for Peer to Peer gaming. How faking stupid do you have to be to provide a service for a company and pay for it to? And to try and mask this scam they added match making which only serves those too stupid to get into a game unless it's by pushing 1 button.

All that and the ps3 being damn near the same price as the 360 without the $59 per year bullshit and it's only going to be a matter of time before the ps3 catches up.

Be sure to help the process along by spreading as much bad word of mouth about the 360 as possible.