Microsoft: Things Are Lookin' Up For '09

Luke Plunkett writes

"Microsoft did OK in 2008. But there's always room for improvement! So it's with a grim sense of predictability that Microsoft are predicting they'll sell more 360s in 2009.

The prediction comes from Xbox Asia's Alan Bowman, who thinks the console - buoyed by cheaper prices, improving performance in the Japanese market and the onset of Chinese New Years - can do better in '09 than it did in '08."

[Final_Rpg]

Kotaku: "We couldn't agree more."

[Kill Crow]

that's £50 less than a Wii .... they're going to sell like hotcakes ... it's almost cheaper than a copy of LBP!!!!

[nycredude]

i'm just surprised there not spouting their usual we beat Sony mantra for 2009. They've been bashing Sony everytime they open their mouth. I'm surprise they didn't say we have more games than Sony can every hope to dream of!!! Or something like that.

[kwicksandz]

The 360 is so cheap now that even the ps3 crowd will give it a go. In australia you can pick up a 360 for cheaper than PSP for gods sake!

[Anon1974]

nycredude said "i'm just surprised they're not spouting their usual we beat Sony mantra for 2009. They've been bashing Sony everytime they open their mouth."

Despite having improved sales since the price cut...MS really shouldn't be bringing attention to their overall sales in 2008. It looks like they may still end up 3rd place for worldwide sales.

Sales in the US, their home turf, are down 7% with only 2 weeks left to go and not much buying happening over the Christmas holiday now. By contrast, PS3 sales have been beating the 360 all year long up until the price cut, they're up 40% in the US, 65% total worldwide. They were over 17 million as of their 2 year anniversary vs 13 million when the 360 hit the 2 year mark.

When MS started crowing about November sales I thought, "Are you sure that's wise? Do you really want to draw attention to how you've been doing this year vs last?"

[Rhoic]

"By contrast, PS3 sales have been beating the 360 all year long up until the price cut"

Actually if you were to go onto this site to look up all the NPD numbers for each month.. the 360 has sold more this year than the PS3 in the states:

http://exophase.com/psp/nov...

[HighDefinition]

Not really.

Their biggest announced game is a expansion pack, sorry but it`s true.

[Pizzagaki]

Pizzagaki thinks its too early to decide whether things look up or not, that goes for both Sony and MS.

2009 is not here yet, noone can tell what next year will be like.
Pizzagaki does know that in 2009 games will come out for all systems that Pizzagaki considers HARDCORE!

[OOG]

typical fanboy

[Witty Comment]

expansion pack would that be?

[thereapersson]

You really don't know? It's the planned DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV that Microsoft paid 50 million dollars for.

[HighDefinition]

"Fanboy" is a word for the weak.

People are "fanboys" of everything in life. Gamer just like to throw it around like it`s going out of style.

(below) Again.

Do you have a favorite sports team or a girlfriend?

and what`s up w/ the masonry?

[OOG]

nah HD having tunnel vision is for the weak.....how about your open your eyes and stop being a "fanboy" and be a gamer........

@above again

Of course I have favorite sports teams and a girlfriend....

but that doesnt justify you being a narrow minded individual that likes to go into articles about the 360 and spew your garbage 24/7. Ever think if you dont like the 360 then just leave it alone and dont comment?

[Witty Comment]

I was just under the impression that they had some other games lined up that were far more exciting, or at least will sell better than that. Just a matter of personal belief and being able to predict the future, I suppose.

[HighDefinition]

Your a fanboy of your girlfriend and your FAV sports team.

Period.

Girls are great, at creating what you call "tunnel vision"

[Tiberium]

lol that's a pretty lame comeback. But it's good you changed your avatar from that ugly chick in heavy rain.
anyway on topic, things are looking up for the 360. Jaspers will be in full production.Another price drop will come.And there is plenty of software they haven't announced. You can't honestly think Microsoft has been planning expansions to fuel 2009, unlike sony, they don't show all their cards before they want to make their move at E3 or TGS, for holiday sales.

[Rhoic]

Really, HD? I think there's a lot of quality titles to come in 2009.. and someone as narrow-minded as yourself probably is going to ignore these:

Ninja Blade
GTA EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Mass Effect 2
Alan Wake
Star Ocean 4
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Project Offset
Huxley
Forza Motorsport 3
Theseis
The Crossing
Warhound
Ninety-Nine Nights II
APB

[read disc error]

Don't forget the exclusive Fallout 3 DLC and Champions online (from the makers of City of Heroes).

Sony fanboys probably think most of these games were made up. At the end of 2007 I fondly remember being laughed at when I cited Fable 2 as a big 360 title in 2008. Sony fanboys were all like, "Wtf, Fable 2? All the 360 has next year is Gears of War 2. PS3 has Haze, Socom, Littlebigplanet, home, blah, blah, blah..." Oh wait, Fable 2 outsold LBP, Haze, and Socom combined so far? OH SNAP!

I wonder if Sony execs have the same mindset as the fanboys because Sony drops the ball every year just like the fanboys. What they don't get is that 2006 and 2007 were dismal years for the PS3 and that a lot of devs signed on with the 360 because of this and a lot of their games are due next year.

PS Huxley looks awesome.

[InMyOpinion]

Who thought the 360 would be outselling the PS3 this holiday? Everyone said Resistance 2, LBP and Home would crush the 360 but it never happened. Great job by MS.

[thereapersson]

Everyone = internet fanboys

I don't think regular gamers really pay attention to any of this stuff, especially not what goes on with sites such as this.

[Mr_Potato_]

Yeah, great marketing job, especially if you consider MS released only 1 great exclusive this year, Gears of Bore 1.5 (only AAA exclusive this year on crapbox) compared to tons of AAA exclusives like MGS4, LBP, Wipeout on Sony side. But the 360 was about to die (it was constantly outsold worldwide) when they decided to cut the price in half, so there's nothing to brag about.

2009 should be no different with only a handful crappy exclusives coming to crapbox, and tons of gems on PS3 (god of war 3, killzone 2, heavy rain, ratchet...). If Sony lowers the PS3 price, 360 will die, otherwise 360 will sell a bit more since the economy is in the toilet right now (even with a superior product, if you cost twice more than competition, it's hard to sell more units).

Anyway, I'm not paid by Sony or MS, so it's ok for me playing the best games (best for me, at least) even if MS sells more.

[InMyOpinion]

I think most websites predicted LBP and Resistance 2 to do better.

[Fiona]

after MS did the price cut, there was no way in hell sony could outsell them this holiday. Without that price sony had a pretty good chance. the main reason they are selling more hardware now its because of that price cut.

[Mr_Potato_]

@jenzo : LBP already sold more than one million, and sales are going up in the UK and some other countries, where it went back to the top sellers, so it could reach 2 millions sometimes.

Overall, LBP sales are excellent, considering it's a new IP. Still, it's not as a casual game as Wii Fit, so you can't expect record sales either.

@fiona : I agree completely. The only thing that saved the year 2008 for the 360 is the desperate price cut (half the price !). Nothing to brag about actually...

[thereapersson]

Little Big Planet is doing rather well around the world. The problem here, is that many people only look at US sales of a game to determine if a developer is receiving any viable income from a particular title.

This is why the logic of fanboys and sales numbers is a conflicting concept; There's always something someone selectively decides to forget or omit.

[InMyOpinion]

If you completely ignore the fact that...

a) LBP was hyped more than Gears 1 & 2 & Jesus Christ combined.

b) Gears 1 was also a new IP and enjoyed much better sales. That's no excuse.

c) Every PS3 fanboy on N4G claimed it would outsell all 360 exclusives this year.

...then, yes, it sold extremely well.

[Shane Kim]

Jenzo

1) Gears was the only game worth playing in 2006 after a whole year of waiting for the xbot community.

2) Gears is a hardcore game and 90% of the xbot audience are hardcore gamers

3)You should be more worried why your precious xbox 360 sales are this low when the price of it is like a pair of shoes.

[Guitarded]

Can you tell me how much the arcade model was before the price cut? Is that too hard a question? I know, math is hard, but if you work at it you should be able to figure it out. You do realize that there are two other 360 SKU's that are more than $200. Maybe not, you seem a little slow.

[Man_of_the_year]

1) False - there were plenty of games on the 360 to play in 06. Gears was just an awsome game to combine with the already existing great library.

2) I agree Gears is for Hardcore gamers and sure i will give you the 90% of xbox users are hardcore HOWEVER to assume that the PS3 is not a console created for the hardcore gamers is completely ignorant - No casual gamer is going to spend $400 - $600 on a console unless they are hardcore or have rich parents that bought them the console.

This is why the Wii was so popular and also why xbox's are flying off the shelfs now - since the casual gamer can now afford a "nex-gen" system.

3) There is no worry with anyone who has a 360 or with MS regarding sales - a guy who works for Sony should be the ones worried as he might just be losing his job soon...The Wii did so well because its small, cute, and designed for the casual gamer. The Wii captured a lot of the market share and now MS and Sony are fighting for the remaining portion. The 360 is still a large console as is the PS3 and have not been marketed until recently to the casual gamers...

Bottom line - the Wii is cleaning up since it was affordable from the beginning and was marketed to the Casuals right from the start. The 360 now has a great library for everyone in the family from hardcore to casual and with the price designed specifically for the Arcade unit which is perfect for the casual crowd.

[borgome]

Do us all a favor and crawl back into the dumpster you were born in
and fetch me a snack while your in there looking for your dinner.

[Rhoic]

"LBP sales are excellent, considering it's a new IP."

Gears of War 1 was a new IP :x

[arjunanand1]

How do you know HD ? Work for MS ? Spy ? I think not. Until you know something, keep that trap shut :D

[HighDefinition]

It`s called an OPINION.

Look how mad you just got at me saying, not really.

It`s ok, step back from the keyboard before you explode.

[Witty Comment]

it's not an opinion. It's a prediction.

[HighDefinition]

Stop worrying about @ss son and go back to school, or a least go to wiki every once and a while.

Edit: figure out what ***atleast** means.

[Witty Comment]

Anybody touting that somebody should go back to school should not try and put their wiki-knowledge on a pedestal.

edit: oh, maybe I can wiki that too, eh internet tough guy? Also, checking out the dictionary for the difference between "opinion" and "prediction" may help validate something you say eventually.

Eventually. :D

[thereapersson]

The 360 will still sell boatloads into next year, though the PS3 will have many great-looking exclusive titles coming out as well. I am not sure what confirmed exclusive titles for the 360 are coming out, so if someone can enlighten me I'd be glad to bubble them.

Frankly, I think '09 will have better things in store for us than '08 did, and '08 had a number of awesome games released to the market.

[Lou-Cipher]

"Game development is the core of what we do. Microsoft is a software company by heart, and we will continue to work with our partners and by ourselves to develop new software for the market."

They aren't happy unless they are lying to their consumers.(Microsoft cracks me up)

[thereapersson]

What they really mean, is buying up all the IP's they can so they can make it look like they have internally-developed games.

You can't deny the fact that those games sell regardless, though.

[arjunanand1]

Not angry dude, just saying that ur opinion currently translates to "look at me, I'm a fanboy". Im in no way a big fan of MS but im sure they've got some surprises planned like Sony. Either way, this year im all set for gaming: pc- check, 360- check, ps3- check. :D

[HighDefinition]

You sounded angry.

"Fanboy" is a word for the weak.

Another day, another time.

[Pizzagaki]

The opposite of weak is HARDCORE!, Pizzagaki is HARDCORE!, he got all consoles, and a katana!

[Rhoic]

No~~ Fanboy is a term used to describe any individual who is devoted to a single subject in an emotional or fanatical manner, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession.

Since you like using wiki.. I think this suits you well.

[mcgrawgamer]

Are you guys really gonna argue about 360 and ps3 which is better or has better games this entire generation? I mean it's obvious none of the companies are going anywhere, and save the additional dlc or add-ons for certain games we all get to enjoy great games sans the 1st party stuff. Why do you people still feel the need to argue about these consoles after TWO FREAKING YEARS!!!! No console is going the way dreamcast and no company is going the way of SEGA. have any of you guys stopped to look yourselves and how you act??? It's really pathetic. I comes to this site to get gaming news. Not news positive to one side or another but general gaming news. Instead I see post bashing or praising a console everyday and it's from the same people over and over. You people know who you are..... I won't call any names. this site started off great. I was here when in first began to takes off, I don't know how many of you guys visit other sites, but this site is quickly becoming the equivalent of vgchartz and 4chan. And that is not a good thing......

[thereapersson]

You're wasting your time trying to be a mediator here...

[Fiona]

@mc...

yea mc. good effort really, but dont waste a bubble.

[DaKid]

Bubbles for you!

I just don't understand how some people can hate on another system so much. I mean we are on a GAMING website, GAMING is our hobby, and the systems are a median that we use to GAME on. So to me hating one system or the other is being counter productive to what you enjoy. Just my two cents

In the end I will continue to enjoy what all 3 have been offering me thus far.

[sonyandcher]

bubbles to you my friend for a very accurate reflection of this site.

[DaKid]

I am sure all companies are going to do fine, anyone that thinks otherwise is grasping at straws at this point.

[ultimolu]

As long as Ninja Blade is awesome, I look forward to seeing Microsoft's lineup for next year.

PLEASE DON'T DISAPPOINT WITH NINJA BLADE.

I love ninja games.

[kwicksandz]

I didnt think you had it in you to make a positive 360 post.

Perhaps you have turned a new leaf. + bubbles

[ultimolu]

I never hated the 360 completely, just Microsoft's tactics and the failures of the hardware.

Can't deny their software is impressive, though.

[bviperz]

some Tenchu? Sorry Wii, but I don't fancy being a ninja with your controllers.

[eagle21]

Metal Gear Solid 4 outsold EVERY 360 exclusive. Over 4.5+ million.

LBP is a GOTY. Outscored EVERY 360 exclusive this generation like PS3 fans expected.

Gears of broke is done with!

MotorStorm 2 is 1 million+ as well!

GT5 prologue is 3+ million! Sold 1m in one week!

STFU.

[Man_of_the_year]

Well to be fair Eagle - MGS4 was released several months ago. LBP received 1 GOTY in Australia, Motorstorm 2 was bought by all the people that bought the first so really no advancement there and at 1 mill for the amount of time it has been out...come on....and GTP5...you paid like around $30 for it - how can it not sell at that price?

Bottom line is (which has been stated time and time again) PS3 owners are not buying PS3 games. 17+ million PS3 units in the market right now and those are the numbers that you are bragging about? Seriously. And like you said LBP is a GOTY along with R2 (hyped up big time) and MGS4 which was really only bought by a small market share of PS3 users. With big name games that have great review scores and a llot of HYPE should not be around the 1 million sale mark after 4+ weeks.

So you STFU

[Tiberium]

dude what are you smoking?

"Metal Gear Solid 4 outsold EVERY 360 exclusive. Over 4.5+ million."

Halo 3 sold 9+ million.

And since you brought up game scores I should tell you that GTAIV is the highest scoring game of this generation. If scores=GOTY then it would 99% of the GOTY awards.

[DJ]

They've got Halo Expansion pack, GTA Expansion Pack, and Halo Wars. Alan Wake may come out, but it's been delayed quite a bit.

[Gamer_Z]

"GAMING is our hobby, so hating one system or the other is being counter productive to what you enjoy."

I'll admit i was a little biased towards xbox, but your right.
awesome qoute..

I think things are lookin up for both sony & microsoft

[ll_UNDERSCORE_ll]

Wow all these games and DLC available and the 360 line up is still less then average. Too bad for the suckers paying for a membership to play with friends online. I thought paying for a internet connection was good enough, but hey you get what you pay for or being sucker'd into paying something for nothing. $60 for a game on DVD, 5hrs long lol.

[Citizen Cook]

WHEN/IF Sony cut the price of the PS3rd, M$ can cut again as well!

M$ have sony by the balls and they are SQUEEZING HARD!