Is The Xbox 360 in Real Trouble?

While Sony's revenues increased this year, Microsoft's share ended up decreasing in value likely due to decreased Xbox 360 hardware prices. This comes on the heels of Microsoft boasting and toasting themselves all over the gaming industry for their successful increase in unit sales of the 360 due to the price drop of the Arcade edition for $199.

Take the jump to read more.

[BulletToothtony]

Neither one is doomed, but the 360 "is gonna have it tough" articles actually have some common sense to them, instead of the ps3 is doomed because everyone hates the controller crappy articles.

Even thou the ps3 sold more hardware this year (and it seems everyone chooses to ignore that) the 360 has not done bad at all, bottom line the competition has helped both consoles to be on their toes and keep aiming for better games, better graphics and lower prices..

[BrunoM]

What you talking about wily lol...

no really what you talking about ps3 sold more haven't you seen all those news from BLOGs ps3 is about to go bye bye man theres nothing we can do ...

now for real these one it really has some good valid points to it something we don't see every day around here ..

[chaosatom]

If they keep selling cheap hardware that doesn't last long, then yeah.

Also, if they keep wasting money on DLC, and spending money on making games Multiplatform, and closing down studios, then Hell yeah!

[The Lazy One]

where did you see the PS3 outsold the 360 this year?

edit: @below "1.3 lazy one...He didn't say it sold more and was reffering to more than last year PS3 sales. "

"Even thou the ps3 sold more hardware this year"

so either he means THIS year (09), in which there are no major released sales, not that they'd be significant anyway since it's january, OR he means this last year (08), in which there is no solid evidence that sony has outsold M$ in any major territory besides japan. M$ reports being ahead, Sony reports being ahead, that is not enough evidence to say for certain that sony is actually ahead.

I just want him to back up his 'facts'.

edit: oh I get it now. PS3 increased over last year. I totally misread what you said VVVVVVV down there.

[thenickel]

1.3 lazy one...He didn't say it sold more and was reffering to more than last year PS3 sales.

1.2 Chaosatom...agreed

[sonarus]

There had to be consequences for dropping their prices so law. In time though cost price will catch up to selling price and their stuff will rise

[eelnats2000]

NEITHER of the 360 or the ps3 is doomed.

Its amazing how many quality games sony and microsoft can come up with to oust one another.

In the end, its just good for us; the gamers.

Jump in, this is living.

[pixelsword]

I post it, to rob hits for that site.

There ya go:

While Sony’s revenues increased this year, Microsoft’s share ended up decreasing in value likely due to decreased Xbox 360 hardware prices. This comes on the heels of Microsoft boasting and toasting themselves all over the gaming industry for their successful increase in unit sales of the 360 due to the price drop of the Arcade edition for $199.

While the 360 did gain ground on its rival Sony’s PS3. This is all attributed to the price drop. On the surface it seems like a good move, but underneath lies the truth that the current trend for Microsoft’s unit sales is; units sales up, profits down. Leaving it up to software sales for continued economic prosperity. This is one area where Microsoft is no slouch. Gears of War 2 will easily go on to sell 5 million copies. Two new Halo games and continues high sales of third party titles almost assure success in 2009. The real question for Microsoft this year is not 09 itself, but rather can they sustain beyond.

Competition has gotten very steep this year as Sony ups the ante with Killzone 2. From all impressions and reviews given so far, it seems as though Sony finally has an absolute powerhouse of a game on its hand. "Halo Killer" is a common statement heard in reviews and impressions. Also Sony has probably the biggest game of the year sitting in the training room brewing to what should be perfection. That’s right, God of War 3.

This year is beginning to shape up to be a very heavy hitting year in the HD console war. The stakes are higher than ever. Microsoft’s must hold of the huge onslaught of PS3 exclusive titles with its own triple A titles all while getting the next few years ready at the same time. It should be one hell of a ride.

[jammy_70]

ps3 in 09 looks great
360 doesnt look so great but ay... u never no

[andyo13]

to see 360 die. As they are constantly holding back the development of new ips by stealing them rather than making their own. like final fantasy for example. they should make their own final fantasy killer, sony didnt buy halo, they competed against it with games like killzone and resistance

[BBAM]

these "z0mg t3h ps3/x80x36o iz do0med!!1!one" articles are so pointless, neither console is "doomed" its only going into the third year of this generation and both already have strong install bases.
Plus people are starting to buy into HD tvs and when the prices get down to a price that people can afford then more people will buy them

[godofthunder10]

The guy must be smokeing some good grass when he wrote this article. The fact is that the 360 started makeing a profit this year.The reason that microsoft droped the price on the 360 is because they are in the position to.Sony droped the price on the ps3 why he didn't write an article about the ps3 to.The fact is that a company make the majority of their money off software not consoles and microsoft has a big lead when it comes to software sells.

Like i said before i like to have what this guy is smoking because he's in a fantasy land.The 360 isn't going any where and i don't care how much he prays it's here to stay.The same with the ps3.it isn't going any where.people might as well face the facts,the 360 and ps3 is here to stay and the days of sony dominance in the game market is gone and no one will dominate again.

A ps3 fanboy said that microsoft is spinning and they are looseing a lot of money because of the 360.if he checks he would see that the 360 is making a profit.The fact is that sony is looseing their a**es off because of the ps3.They had 1 ps3 fanboy that said microsoft is in trouble because they sold a company.He need to look at what sony did because of the ps3.The fact is that sony had to borrow millions just to finish the ps3.When it didn't sell well sony sold the company that makes the chip for the ps3 and started buying the chip from them.When the ps3 was still selling slow sony had to borrow millions more and this is a fact.He even said that it's the end because microsoft droped the price of the 360.I guess he forgot that sony did to and they are planning to droped the price again.I guess it's different between sony and microsoft because sony could do it but microsoft can't.

To top it all off microsoft,nintendo,and sony are already working on their next systems and they might be out around 2012 or 13 and that include sony.I don't wont to here that the ps3 is future proof.The ps3 wasn't able to handle crysis when it came out at the beging of last year.If the ps3 is unable to play a game that came out at the beging of last year how in the h*ll it could be future proof.They had 1 ps3 fanboy said that the next xbox want be more powerful then this one.He claim that microsoft will make a game like the wii and try to compete aginst nintendo and stop competing against sony.This is the most ridiculios statement i've ever read.The fact is that microsoft already said that the next xbox will be 100% bc for the 360 games and they also said it want be called the 720.

[mint royale]

Sony and Microsoft haven't even released their financials and this idiot is comparing their revenues. Not that revenues is what really matters, personally i'd prefer profits if I was in business but hey what am I thinking? Does the 'author' not realise that just because MS cut the price of their consoles they can still increase profits by bringing down the cost of making the console and thus selling more at a comparable profit? Yes cutting the price will likely have affected MS revenues abit for 08 but it sets them up nicely for 09. As for sony I wasn't aware they released any sort of info about their financials? So who knows who has done what. We will know when proper financials come out at the end of the fiscal years = march for sony, june for MS.

[JaggedSac]

Dear god, that article is full of failure. I am assuming the article is about M$'s Entertainment and Devices Division having profit down. Nothing can be gathered from that information as the 360 is by far not the only thing in the EDD. The Zune for one(which was said to have $100 million less in sales for the quarter) and Mac Office for another. So any and all attempts to say this division is solely the XBox's division is complete and utter crap/failure/poor journalism/poor intelligence.

[Anon1974]

Of course you're right, we don't have Sony's numbers to compare to but we do know what the price cut cost Microsoft. Microsoft just barley made a profit in what should have been the biggest money making season of the year. They made 151 million compared to 178 million the quarter before and down 60% from the same quarter last year.
I think this article is on to something but certainly isn't doing anything to back it up. 360 sales were down 10% in the US before the price cut and even though they've boosted sales they did it by trying to buy their way out of the current slump. It's succeeded for now, but what were the root causes of the slide? If those factors still exist they could still be in for a rough patch.

Add onto that the weakest lineup they've had since 07, continued hardware issues with expiring warranties, developers showing they're making more money off the PS3 and the increased competitiveness of both their competitors and I think the 360 may be in for a rough ride.

[mint royale]

well i've been away for a week so i'm not up to date on the news but I was aware MS released info on the 22nd.

You do have a valid point about MS sales and revenues but then I could point you to the recession htat is especially affecting MS's strongest market. Although their game library doesn't beat sony's from what we know so far the 360 still has a fantastic back catalog of games that will sit on shelves and convince people to buy the console.

But then again I could say the same thing about the ps3 which decreased YOY worldwide in the last few months. Of course the reasoning for this is quite clear, namely the amount of people willing to pay the pricetag is getting less and less and the competition has gained value by cutting price. The remedy for this is a pricecut of their own which will likely happen at the end of the year providing the Japanese government sorts the ridiculous value of the yen.

I could amazingly also point to nintendo who in december's npd barely increased sales over noverber's npd menaing that it was left to the DS to break the ps2's december sales record. Of course though the wii is fine and the cause was probably supply related issues.

My point is here that all consoles have something to be concerned about but in my opinion these concerns are overexaggerated and usually come from the sensationalist media. I find it weird when I know full well that all 3 consoles are going nowhere but I constantly see ps3/360/wii is doomed articles. I guess I just have to laugh.

[Anon1974]

If the recession was slowing down sales, revenue didn't show that. Revenue and sales were up for MS during this last quarter but profit was dramatcially down.
While it true that Sony has a slightly worse holiday season vs last year they still managed growth of over 40% and sold very strong all year long. Even immediately following the 360's price cut the 360 was down 35% and 37% year over year in the US respectively and struggled are year long.
Quite frankly, there are a multitude of reasons why MS needs to be concerned about the 360 and this article does a poor job conveying the realities of the current situation but really, it might not matter at this point. MS seems to be very aware that there are long term issues or else they wouldn't have cut the 360's price, slashing their profits in the process. I don't want to make this a Sony vs MS comparision because obviously they are two very different companies and ultimately direct revenue comparisons are pointless because each company is at a different stage in their consoles lifecycle.
I totally agree that this spat of "X console is doomed" articles is tiring, but only when they don't have a point to make..much like this one. There are some real reasons for concern that should be discussed but most of these articles just avoid or simply aren't aware of the actual issues.

[mint royale]

'If the recession was slowing down sales, revenue didn't show that. Revenue and sales were up for MS during this last quarter but profit was dramatcially down.'

-Ah I thought revenue was down too (I held this assumptions based off the article I haven't kept up to date with MS position in the last few weeks.) Even so it is no surprise that profits were down as they were selling their console and a far tighter profit margin than previously. The 360 took an age to have a price cut so I think this year was warranted. They are now priced competitively for 2009 and will gradually begin to make more profit as costs come down. As for sony they will break even this year but then they will have a choice of fianlly profiting on ps3 hardware or cutting the price. I'd say MS are in a far better position than sony in this respect and if ms need to cut the price aggresively they will to keep ahead.

'While it true that Sony has a slightly worse holiday season vs last year they still managed growth of over 40% and sold very strong all year long. Even immediately following the 360's price cut the 360 was down 35% and 37% year over year in the US respectively and struggled are year long.'

-Its true that sony's YOY growth was good but I think this is a cherrypicking detail. Comparing 2007 ps3 sales where they struggled to beat the Gameboy Advance is not really all that impressive to be comparing 2008 sales too. But hey its the stat that makes the ps3 look the best which is why sony use it in their responses to NPD. I agree that the 360 struggled until september. That is clear and the reason was it needed a price cut. The YOY figures you gave though I suspect are a tad misleading as in 2007 that was halo 3 month where the 360 beat the wii. To fail doing that again is not a disaster by any means. Didn't they sell 750K 360's in september 2007 - a comparable amount to what the ps3 sold this christmas?! I fail to see how this is a bad thing.

'Quite frankly, there are a multitude of reasons why MS needs to be concerned about the 360 and this article does a poor job conveying the realities of the current situation but really, it might not matter at this point. MS seems to be very aware that there are long term issues or else they wouldn't have cut the 360's price, slashing their profits in the process.'

-I fail to see how cutting the price comes from having long term issues? Did sony when they slashed the ps3 price, will nintendo when they finally cut the price of the wii? Its business, and the 360 was going stale at its price and has now been given a new lease of life. People wrote the 360 off at the start of 2008 as it was being outsold by the ps3 worldwide but now MS have turned this round and head into 2009 outselling the ps3. I fail to see how MS is in troubel for a multitude of reasons when their main aim is clearly to stop sony and the ps3 dominating and quite clearly this has been successful even if it has taken nintendo to do the damage this gen.

[shovelbum]

It is about as doomed as the PS3 as in not at all. Software has always been the bread and butter of consoles. How is this news anyway?

[Anon1974]

I try to look beyond the numbers to contemplate the "why" of what we're seeing. PS3 sales looked good in 2007, selling neck and neck with the 360 during the year so a year over year increase of 40% is nothing to sneeze at. When the PS3 hit 17 million by their second year anniversary (vs the 13 million the 360 did) it became evident that the PS3 is catching on far faster than the 360 ever did.

So why is that? Why do you think people are snatching up the PS3 faster than they were willing to do with the 360? Why can the PS3 show 40% growth from year one to year 2 when the 360 could only manage 15%? What is the reason that 360 sales went stale so quickly?

No company wants to do price cuts, they want to make as much money as possible. Don't expect a Wii price cut anytime soon because sales are still strong. The 360 cut it's price not because they wanted to but because they could see the writing on the wall. They still carry the stigma of hardware issues, developers are stepping up claiming the PS3 more profitable for them as well as becoming more vocal about hardware limitations and sales were decreasing before the price cut. Fanboys love to fall all over themselves to point out the last two months of sales data but it's like they all have collective amnesia and often overlook the fact that both consoles are at very different points in their lifecycle.

[mint royale]

'I try to look beyond the numbers to contemplate the "why" of what we're seeing. PS3 sales looked good in 2007, selling neck and neck with the 360 during the year so a year over year increase of 40% is nothing to sneeze at. When the PS3 hit 17 million by their second year anniversary (vs the 13 million the 360 did) it became evident that the PS3 is catching on far faster than the 360 ever did.'

-I agree with some parts of what you are saying but I don't share you doom and gloom views about the 360. I try to look beyond the numbers too and assess where the industry is going. This YOY increase that you keep referring too was the result of a huge ps3 pricecut at the end of 2007. Here in the UK at the start of 2007 a ps3 cost £425 but at the start of 2008 it cost just £299 hence the growth. Without a price cut this year the ps3 won't have a chance of repeating that growth rate as it is still much too expensive for the average consumer. As for the ps3 being at 17 million and the 360 at just 13.6 (I think) after 2 years I don't see how that shows me that the ps3 is doing amazingly well. The 360 had a truly awful first year with the 360 only managing to ship 6 million to retailers upon the ps3's release. Comparing the sales from the ps3's release and you will see they are dead even and have been for 2 years on the market, with the 360 just edging ahead since the septmeber cuts and both have had price cuts too. If the 360 is doomed so is the ps3, they are one and the same in sales. Comparing sales after 2 years against the 360 isn't a measure of the ps3's success. How about comparing it to the ps2/wii/DS etc to get a more rounded overview of how the console is doing.

'So why is that? Why do you think people are snatching up the PS3 faster than they were willing to do with the 360? Why can the PS3 show 40% growth from year one to year 2 when the 360 could only manage 15%? What is the reason that 360 sales went stale so quickly?'

-As I have already said, price! The ps3 had a huge cut from 2007 to 2008 hence the growth whilst the 360 didn't. The 360 was the longest console in history to not have a price cut until the wii broke the record. Going stale is hardly fair when it has sold even with the ps3 for 2 years. If the 360 is stale so is the ps3. Growth rates are used by people who don't want to compare the actual figures to convey a point.

'No company wants to do price cuts, they want to make as much money as possible. Don't expect a Wii price cut anytime soon because sales are still strong. The 360 cut it's price not because they wanted to but because they could see the writing on the wall. They still carry the stigma of hardware issues, developers are stepping up claiming the PS3 more profitable for them as well as becoming more vocal about hardware limitations and sales were decreasing before the price cut. Fanboys love to fall all over themselves to point out the last two months of sales data but it's like they all have collective amnesia and often overlook the fact that both consoles are at very different points in their lifecycle.'

-Here I agree with the wii. It is a fantastic monster that just won't slow down and will chase the ps2's sales in the coming years. But how can you say the 360 saw the writing on the wall hence the cut? They saw sales slowing hence the cut. Simple. Did sony see the writing on the wall when they gave a huge pricecut in 07? No, its business and price cuts are needed to keep competitive. Even the ps2 had them and the wii will one day.

They may carry the stigma of hardware issues yes but your exaggerating the claims of the ps3 being more profitable to developers. A few big companies have reported seeing more profits on the ps3 but some also on the 360. Either way the difference is not big enough to warrant dumping any console. As for the limitations of the hardware it is irrelevant as the 360's userbase is too strong to ignore. You think non sony related developers will ignore 80% of the market and develop solely for the ps3? Not a cat in hells chance.

As for fanboys only pointing out the last 2 months of sales that is true. But many ps3 fans seem to ignore the last (4!) months of strong 360 sales and ignore them. These sales are highlighted because they are the current sales and the new trend until the next shock in the market creates a new pattern of sales. The 360 was slow until september but they have turned it around and they don't deserve more stick but praise because many including me did not think this turnaround was possible. There are no rational arguments around that show that the 360 is in trouble in the forseeable future.

[Anon1974]

The 360 had a price cut during those first 2 years as well, as you noted, so it evens things out when we're comparing the first two years in each console's lifecycle. The PS3 still seems to be catching on faster than the 360 did, no matter how you slice it but the difference is when the 360 was 13 million after it's first 2 years we weren't subjected to "MS and the 360" are in trouble articles.
Don't get me wrong...I'm not one of the doomsayers who predicts ruin and desperation upon MS's head, I just worry about the 360's long term prospects. Like the Xbox before it, the 360 has not really found it's global audience, still being very much limited to the US market. Sure a few titles can sell well on the 360 but Halo 2 moved over 8 million copies as well and we all know how the orig Xbox turned out.
I disagree that there are no rational arguments for worry about the 360. I know some developers no doubt make more off the 360 but considering the larger userbase I think it's very telling when a company like EA says they make 40% more off the PS3. They don't come much bigger than EA. And also considering that when you look at MS's financials it looks like they'd be losing money still if it weren't for XBL subscriptions. I find this worrying for a console that's been on the market for 3 years and now that the quality of PS3 titles are routinely distancing themselves from 360 exclusives I think the 360 may have some tough times ahead.

[soxfan2005]

I strongly disagree with the comment that "no company likes to cut prices", and MS only cut theirs because they "could see the writing on the wall". ALL electronic items have price cuts over their lifetimes as technology becomes cheaper to produce. It's not desperation, it's business. Remember, 1 year ago a stand alone blu-ray player costs over $400. Now they are $200. Did all those companies "see the writing on the wall"? No, it's just the normal cycle of electronics pricing. When Sony cuts the PS3 price, will they be held to the same standard, or will it somehow be regarded as a "brilliant business decision"?

Neither MS or Sony are in ANY trouble. Both the PS3 and 360 will last at least 8 years each, and each will have MANY price drops in their lifetimes.

[Anon1974]

I agree that price cuts are part of the lifecycle of electronics, but I stand by the idea that no company wants to make them. MS games had their first profitable year ever and then rushed out and slashed prices to the point where it appears they're losing money on the hardware again. With still over 2.5 billion in loses since they launched the 360, don't you think if everything were just hunkey-dorey with sales they would have left the price the same rather then cut prices, nearly flatlining profit over the most important quarter to deal with the sales slide?

When Sony does cut the price on the PS3, make no mistake, it's not going to be because they want to make less money, it's going to be because they have to in order to spur more sales growth or to keep pace with the competition, just like with the Blu-Ray players. No one "wants" to do it but that's the reality of the business.

[IcarusOne]

With phrases like this, you know it's an objective article.

[rockleex]

Funny how "PS3 is doomed" articles are full of truth but "360 might be in trouble" needs to provide facts.

True, PS3 November sales were down from 07's November sales, but year over year it increased. Yet, bloggers everywhere chose to ignore the FULL facts.

They chose to write a full article about how the PS3 is doomed just because its November 08 sales weren't as good as 07's.

All these selective blindness needs to go out the door.

Anyways, at least this article doesn't claim the 360 is doomed. It merely says that Microsoft might be in trouble with Sony stepping up their game.

[Blademask]

I'm not even reading any comments after that one. Seriously, thats whats up. If the media looked at all the facets of the consoles they would come to the following conclusions:

1. Wii has created its own market for gamers, and will thrive with them until they get bored.

2. The 360 and the PS3 are going head to head even after the 360's year head start.

Competition is good.

[that guy]

Thats why xbox has been boasting all around the internet.
ps3 10.3 million xbox sold 11.1 million, I think that is the numbers give or take a little.

[that guy]

WOULD HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU BY FAR, DARKRIDE YOU ARE BEING WAY TO BIAS AND MS IS NOT IN TROUBLE, YOU KNOW HOW RICH MICROSOFT IS. PS3 HAS MORE PROBLEMS THEN MS I WOULD SAY. YET, THEY ARE NOT GOING ANY WHERE EITHER. SO CALM DOWN THERE GUY.

[BrunoM]

It hits every one what can we do lol....

it cant hit only the ones some want to. right ? ...

[snipermk0]

Now, why don't you try that in English?

[BrunoM]

and by that you mean the compositions of the sentence ?

the spelling is right .

and just it helps you out i ain't natural to NA .!

[omodis420]

I guess this signals the beginning of xbox bashing month?

[Bathyj]

It would make a nice change from the PS3 bashing olympiad.

[ravinash]

Its the cycle of life.

[Raz]

When I keep hearing the same thing over and over, it loses some of its meaning. All the PS3-iz-ded articles that came out took on a 'boy who cries wolf' feel - while the comparative silence on the 360 became somewhat ominous.

So, by contrast, when a rare '360 might be doomed' article pops up, I tend to take it far more seriously. The evidence is certainly more compelling.

[Liquid Snake]

We still need 99 more Xbox 360 is dead and RROD articles to match the 1 to 1 ratio of PS3 hate and doomed stories.

Edit: /sarcasm (had to edit this in because Power of Green can't detect it)

[Why dis]

Forced fake news designed to lash back because of Sony's troubles is not news worthy. Whatever helps you people sleep better.

I have never seen spin on this level.

[omodis420]

"I have never seen spin on this level"

Microsoft's entire price drop is spin. It's to increase the install base while pleasing their short term share holders. Except for when quarterly reports come out detailing their losses. It's all spin. Anyone who has a side or represents a side spins. That's just the name of the game. Sony sold 700,000 consoles in December and they are doomed. That is spin. This article took facts, bottom line. Name one part that was spin, besides the title.

[Liquid Snake]

Power of Green, Maybe i should build you a sarcasm detector because clearly you have no sense of humor.

Did you even read the article? No spin involved.

@POG i just switched the first line with the second line. F**K! Calm the F down.

[Why dis]

SPIN SPIN SPIN lol.

PS3 sold like sh*t untill it had three or four price drops/SKU swaps, who fucin cares why PS3 sold better all that matter that it did.

Is PS3 going to fail because they keep dropping the price? around 5 or 6 times in some manner thus far. Sony owned two generations and is being pushed around that is the truth of the matter. lol

@4.3 Who in the hell is POG? Trolling isn't funny to adults.

@4.5 he edited his posts.

[BrunoM]

What are you talking about ????

[The Lazy One]

"Name on part that was spin"

"While the 360 did gain ground on its rival Sony’s PS3. This is all attributed to the price drop."

firstly, this implies the 360 was behind. Secondly, who gives a d@mn what it was attributed to? It did. The only reason the giants won super bowl 25 was because the bills missed a field goal. Guess what! The giants still lost the super bowl.

It's not like they're suddenly going to raise the price back up again, and it's something a LOT of people expected to happen. It's sony's own fault it didn't respond with it's own, so deal with it.

edit: @below.

They might drop in profits from the price drop, but they're still making more off each 360 sold than sony is off PS3s, so that's a null-point.

[omodis420]

"firstly, this implies the 360 was behind. Secondly, who gives a d@mn what it was attributed to? It did. The only reason the giants won super bowl 25 was because the bills missed a field goal. Guess what! The giants still lost the super bowl.

It's not like they're suddenly going to raise the price back up again, and it's something a LOT of people expected to happen. It's sony's own fault it didn't respond with it's own, so deal with it."

Okay dude. You can be ahead and continue to gain ground. Also you should care about attribution in a debate when the subject is increased sales vs decreased profits. You could argue that the main assertion of profits declining is due to price drop. But in reality this is just a common sense argument. Lets say that they dropped the price of Resistance 2 and Little Big Planet to 30 bucks. Suddenly these games fly off the shelves. You would see a huge increase in unit sales but a drop in profits resulting from the drop in price.
It really is a simple thing.

[callahan09]

What are you talking about, Why Dis? They've dropped the price once. And it was almost a year and a half ago now. If you're going to talk about SKU exchanges, HA! Microsoft have had WAY more SKU's than Sony, when you bring in the various pack-in bundles, the fact that they currently have THREE SKU's on the market simultaneously, and at the end of 2007 it was FOUR with the Halo 3 SKU. They've changed the CORE to ARCADE. They've changed hard drive sizes in the PRO. They've released numerous versions with supposedly improved chipsets that didn't actually prevent the console from failing. Don't argue price drops & SKU exchanges to attempt to make Sony look bad, because Microsoft has done all that far, far more.

[omodis420]

I hope MS comes crashing down to the ground under the might of Sony.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Come crashing down under the might of the PS3's last place boot...:)

[Why dis]

You're crazy. Put the controller down lol.

[chaosatom]

Killzone 2 would like to break 360 in half and eat it for breakfast.

[karlostomy]

yeah little johnny

you keep spouting nonsense.

please show me the published evidence that the ps3 outsold the 360 in 2008. I am thinking that, in fact, the 360 destroyed the ps3 Sooo severely that the ENTIRE year of ps3 gains were wiped out in nov/dec and the 360 came out the winner worldwide for 2008

And, if you do find some links, please make sure you show that you understand the difference between Financial year and calendar year reporting differences. Sony has a nasty habit of changing the way they report things to make the balance sheet look better.
Especially lately what with all those losses they are making!

I am waiting.

[Graphics Whore]

Haha, OUT SOLD? You mean out-shipped.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

No it's "outsold" but your a droid, so thats your excuse. Isn't it time for you to come up with another "I own a 360" lie? The PS3 is last this gen, deal with it and stop crying, whining, and making excuses for it.

[Graphics Whore]

Too bad Microsoft counts their sold/shipped numbers with refurbs included.

Lol I'm not a droid by the way, I just love putting down dumb Xbox fanboys and there's a lot of them and they're all very stupid.

You still think sales matter, how pathetic is that. What happened to having a better line up in 2007? Didn't that matter at all?

2008: Oh we did okay, not as good as 2007, let's just see what 2009 has

2009: We have better sales than Sony! I mean, the games aren't there but the sales! It's all about the sales!

"bu-bu-but the sales! The sales mean something don't they?" - Jason 360

Dude, it's a $199 console being outsold by the Wii.

I would not brag about sales when the Xbox 360 is in a position where it's not number one first of all and the game line up in 2009 is very weak and does not cater to the demographic whatsoever.

At least Sony being third can say they have a line up worthy of gaming fans.

Pseudo Microsoft stock broker - 0

Gamers - 1

Enjoy.

[Consoldtobots]

why does anyone bother arguing with these retarded kids??

these xbots know absolutely NOTHING about market trends year to year.
Sony always comes out on top, in fact by this time next year it will be even more evident which way the 360 is headed. From here it looks like the dust bin of history.

[zag]

Forget about Sony crushing MS.

I would say MS can't afford to keep the 360, after all it was a Bill Gates money dream, and only he could make the share holders keep it as a product.

Now that Bill Gates has left everyone including the CEO won't be so hard core to keep the 360, after all it's never made money, MS stock price is dropping and share holders won't be wanting to keep products that aren't making the cut.

The PS3 might be $400USD or the dearest but it's not killing Sony to keep making it or sell it.

Even when Sony drops the price it'll be because they can afford to not because they are trying to screw the market into buying it.

[lawman1108]

I am too busy playing the RE5 demo. You know, the one you will get on the PS3 in a WEEK.....

[Sir Ken_Kutaragi]

When i saw that at the Top of n4M$gamers.com, i thought i clicked on the wrong site!!! ;-D
(A Negative xBox 360 Article on this xBox/Mod Loving site???!!!WTF!!!???)

Come a good PS3 price cut and it's bye bye xFLOP 360!!! ;-D

And EVERYONE KNOWS IT!!!;)

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

LOL to the Playstation fanboys delusional mind, being 3rd is really 1st.

[Why dis]

Its funny to see the shock, anger, denail and finally lies.

[omodis420]

Well for 2nd place MS does more bragging than any loser. Both sides should be ashamed for getting beat out by the abomination that goes by the name Wii.

[Why dis]

I think he is talking about overall revenue vs what you're saying.

Nintendo does little for the industry outside Nintendos doors/wallets lol.

*Sony/PS3 gets crushed so news outlets report about it.

*Fanboys get even by posting made up rubbish despite the 360 killing PS3.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

I'm combining game sales, console sales, Live sales, DLC, asseccories, arcade/community games and other marketplace sales. That puts the 360 as the overall leader of this generation...:)

[GrandTheftZamboni]

While you're at it, don't forget Blu-ray sales.

[Graphics Whore]

Haha, I love how you talk about sales like it matters Jason 360, keep the nerd rage.

Talk about sales as much as you like, it's not going to change the quality of the titles.

[Xheratuul]

a sign...

[Xheratuul]

sales up, profits down...

[Kushan]

The very first line of this article was enough for me:

"While Sony’s revenues increased this year, Microsoft’s share ended up decreasing in value likely due to decreased Xbox 360 hardware prices."

Firstly, you cannot compare revenues to share prices. Sony's share prices didn't exactly go up either, plus I believe they actually posted an operating LOSS last month. Now I'm not bashing Sony at all here, because there's a very good reason for this - economic recession! That's something that hit both companies just as hard.

The Xbox 360 is little more than a footnote in Microsoft's history. They make their money mainly from Windows and Office, plus they make a good amount from various other pieces of hardware and software. Now, aside from the recession, we've had no new version of Office this year and all the bad press Vista has gotten surely hasn't helped things. No, I do not believe for one second that Microsoft's share price drop is due solely to the Xbox 360's reduced cost.

This article is FUD, don't click the link, the author must know he's bending the truth and the only reason he'd do that is to get hits.

[Why dis]

Thats all I read too before commenting lol.

[The Lazy One]

Sony's expecting to be down by about 3 billion come march.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009...

[Chris_GTR1]

LMFAO AHAHAHAHAH, i cant belive some dumbass ps3 fanboy got so mad they actually made a 'is 360 doomed' article

[Slinger420]

I personally think the X Box is in trouble for two reasons: First is the fact that a game with the best graphics on any console in existence and the gameplay to match is exclusive to PS3(Killzone2). The second reason is the reliability issue. I just sold my 360 because it was freezing consistently so I figured I'd sell it to Gamestop and let them deal with it. Sucked to sell Left4Dead but I think K2 will make me feel better :)

[Pixel_Addict]

..wasn't Sony in first place, Nintendo in a very distant third, and Microsoft at a very distant second? Microsoft and Nintendo are still around and made new consoles... so why the f**k would any console be "doomed" this generation?! I don't get (nor do I want to) why anyone would think a console is doomed because of sales figures. The Dreamcast died an early death for very different reasons then just being in second place. Sega was financially unstable and going bankrupt, years of poor management, and several unsucessful attempts at; add-ons and consoles before Dreamcast, that's why the Dreamcast flopped. In fact the Dreamcast had great sales in its debut. Nintendo had the colossal flop N64, but NOW they have the Wii.... So why don't you all just stop being pathetic fanatical sociopaths?

[omodis420]

Because no matter how much we all argue, we can all agree its fun to talk crap back and forth. If anyone actually takes it personal they are a douche.

[Pixel_Addict]

but some of these guys make it a daily mission to be jerks. You don't put forth that much dedication into being jerks if it weren't personal. For instance bloodmask, I mean the dude is on 24/7 just researching negative news about Sony/PS3. There is something seriously wrong with someone who goes out of their way to hate something that really only exists in his mind. You can't post that many submissions and have any thing that resembles a 'life'. I mean most of us come on here out of bordem, I think people like bloodmask and giantenemycrap are posting from mental health institutions.

[labwarrior]

So, i do not see any problem really

[Anon1974]

Last fiscal year, MS Entertainment posted their first profit ever, $400 million. Now consider that MS claims to have 17 million paying XBL subscribers paying roughly $50/year, that's over $700 million in revenue from subscription fees. It would appear on the surface that XBL fees are the only thing keeping MS games afloat. Take that away and they wouldn't even be breaking even and now with the price cut profit is down 60% over 2007 numbers. How do you think they'll do during the traditionally slower months we're in now?

[aspergersyndrome]

Microsoft made $4.17 billion in net profit for Q2!

Sony has already lost $1.7 billion for the fiscal year. Sony's fiscal year does not end until March, losses could be as much as $3 billion, perhaps more!

This article is Bullshit!

[The Lazy One]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009...

by about double...

[aspergersyndrome]

Spot on The Lazy One. I'll edit my comment!

[Graphics Whore]

In retrospect isn't Microsoft in the prime position to just as equally to lose money?

Don't try to spin it you're just gonna make yourself look naive. Every company is losing money, that is why they're cutting jobs.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

Yeah, last I checked MS had $20 billion cash and a profitable quarter (albeit lower than Wallstreet forecast). They aren't going anywhere, and the lowered price will spur adoption of the console while they can reap it back in profits from games. Doesn't make sense to buy a console and no games, unless you are the Wii.

However, we haven't heard much about the 2009 lineup for MS.

[The Lazy One]

M$ isn't losing money. They wouldn't be making a profit if they were losing money.

[Graphics Whore]

Right, that makes sense, their cutting jobs because they're going to increase profit if they keep those people.

They did their financial estimates, and figured out they would be losing money, so they cut 10,000 people.

Educate thy self.

[HDgamer]

And I don't see one. They aren't in any trouble if they truly were a decline in content would hit first. Then Microsoft themselves making another price cut in april to $100 with 3 games like Gears 2, Halo 3 and Halo wars. When that happens which is a very long long long long wait from now, we would be at least around the next console cycle and the economy back at a better rate.

[T-Baggins]

If they weren't in trouble why would they sell all but 3 of their in house game studios, fire employees from there gaming division and lower the price of the 360 when it wasn't really needed.

HDgamer-
Actually there was something I read about them being sued over RROD, but I don't know what has come of it.

[The Lazy One]

because they're reducing redundancy and wasteful spending. They'll be doing a lot more in the company over the next 2 weeks. Supposedly complete management reshuffling. Almost every major company is doing this right now.

2 development studios making 2 games will have redundancy in management over 1 studio with twice as many grunt workers making 2 games.

They also have to deal with what happens when the creativity runs out. something like 90% of games aren't profitable. That's a very risky business considering you can raise that 90% up by only investing in games that sound good instead of investing in studios that may make games that are good or bad.

That said, they're business model was never to own game studios anyway (which I don't personally agree with), which they've said publicly.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

yeah, they got burned with Rare. I don't mind the fact that they no longer own studios. In fact, it seems like their model is fund development to outside 3rd party studios and own the IP.

A lot of times, when you integrate a new studio into a large corporation, the creativity takes a dive not to mention the studio is only as good as it's people. People leave and many of Rare's staff probably already left. Keeping the company outside of MS, yet hold on to the IP seems to be an excellent strategy and a lot cheaper.

[YouNoob]

and you know its written by some fanboy kiddo who doesnt know anything about business but is in love with a bluray player.

[greyfox235]

i am on the brink of selling my ps3, all the great games come out at the end of the year and i know killzone 2 is next month but i am just interested.

the only reason i was keeping it this long was cuz it was a blu-ray player and mgs4, but all the games that are 3rd party i get on the 360 cause they are designed for it.

the ps3 is something i would use later in the year but as of right NOW it is collecting dust. gonna use the money and get an hdtv, probably buy a used ps3 near the end of the year though.

[The Lazy One]

for killzone 2. You'd be stupid not to if you own one already.

[omodis420]

Its all about media sharing your pc with the PS3 man. Look up some youtube videos on how to downloads torrents. You will be watching and listening to anything you could ever want.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

If you don't use it, get rid of it. Doesn't matter if it is the 360 or PS3. Technology drops in price and PS3 will probably drop later this year. By then you can get a new one for what you sell yours now.

Selling it when KZ2 comes out might fetch a little extra, but KZ2 looks damn good!!!

[greyfox235]

NOT interested

[no-spin]

who really cares?

[Mr_Zkaar]

Whether you want to admit it, all corporations are i trouble even the mighty MS. with Vista having suffered terrible sales, Xbox requiring more repairs than MS anticipated, which has cost them over a billion dollars. Their desperation to increase sales over the competition causing them to cut prices is coming back to haunt them.

The days when MS were untouchable are over, they need to focus or else they will be in real trouble, cut backs on the xbox division and other game studios is only the start. If windows 7 isn't a success well...... who knows.. They certainly aren't making any money on Xbox that's already been proved.

[Mike134nl]

Xbox 360 is doing fine, even if they can expect more competition from Sony.

Though Microsoft as a whole is doing a lot worse looking at their loss of market share in their operating system and browser.

[Socomer 1979]

ps3 has crops. Its own smugglers. Its pure raw uncut.
They sell kilos. 360 is baggies of residue.
WTF were you thinking ?

Or put it in terms of marijuana.
360 is dirt. Ps3 is a country that grows & has its own labs.
They dont sell on the corner & dont buy 3rd party.
Youre buying wholesale.

Get it? Now go a play the common mans poor mans ps3... The 360.

[karlostomy]

Is this author for real?

Haven't MS just announced their biggest xbox sales season EVER?
Didn't MS broaden the 360 install base lead this year?
Haven't MS just announced a Q2 profit of 4.17 billion
Doesn't MA have $20 billion in cash?
Hasn't the 360 gaming division been profitable for nearly two years?

I guess the author wanted hits to his website?

[Anon1974]

The 360 did have a very good sales season, but Microsoft had to buy it. Revenue was up yet MS games profit fell during what should be the biggest quarter of the year. Down to 151 million from the quarter before (178 million) which is down a full 60% year over year. Prior to the price cut 360 sales were down 10% in the US for the year, so Microsoft bought their way out. Hopefully this price cut solves whatever the problem was for the sales slide in the first place.

Yes, the 360 did broaden it's installed base. Even if they sold 1 console they would have done that.

MS did post a profit for the quarter. That and the cash on hand really have nothing to do with gaming news though, does it?

MS's gaming division has had one year of profit, $400 million for last year after posting 1.2 and 1.8 billion dollar losses the previous two years. They are only half way through this fiscal year and have $329 million in profit although the next two quarters are traditionally slower and MS could easily post a loss for the two given how much the price cut has impacted their bottom line.

[BLUR111]

Is The Xbox 360 in Real Trouble? Is The PS3 in Real Trouble?

wait i'm confused N4G

[Obama]

Games wise, MS is in big trouble. However, the bots here don't care about the quality of games; they are satisfied by knowing that that the 360 is still in second place with a year lead.

[BLUR111]

Keep crying sony boy

change your name to McCain you act way more like a republican

[Why dis]

Seems like average fanboys can max out their bubbles if they say stupid things the children on this site believe or wan't to hear(bulk of PS3 fanboys).

[Obama]

Blur111, you are delusional. Can you give an example as to how I act like Mccain? It actually made me laugh when you said my comments are "republican". That is just very stupid. XD

As for power of green, can you prove what I said is false? The 360 fanboys here care about sales more than anything recently, which I understand since they have nothing much to anticipate in 09.

[dustgavin]

You are the prime example of a console slave. The only time you take your mouth off of your 360's crotch is when you want to troll around the ps3 pages and whine.

[Firstkn1ghT]

Possibly the dumbest article I have ever read.

[Neo604]

360 barely keep up with ps3 before they have the pricecut at year end.
MS just lost 8 billions on Vista lawsuite.
with that they might be lucky if they have 10 bill cash.

This article make sense.

[n4gzz]

8 billion, I brought vista!! Where is my cut ?

[xg-ei8ht]

The only people SONY are being pushed around by are the consumer.

Know the song, Money's too tight to mention.

That's why. PRICE.

Trouble is, most idiots don't know what the PS3 does.

All i've ever heard from joe public, is the PS3 plays games, or the PS3 plays blu-ray.

No detail whatsoever.

But ultimatly i blame SONY

I wish they'd let me do the advertising.

[n4gzz]

I don't see 360 being in trouble. If anyone, it would be uninformed gamers :(

[Jdoki]

I find it pretty boring seeing all the PS3 is doomed articles, and I really hope we're not going to see the same for 360 now. I come to N4G for news (and comedy fanboy rantings), not the same articles every day.

However, one thing I am noticing is the lack of any sort of reasonable or structure arguments from the two fanboy camps.

As a general rule 360 fanboys will bang on about high sales, attach rates and 3rd party games. PS3 fanboys will bang on about graphics, better 1st party lineup and the Playstation heritage/legacy.

In reality these are two companies who are close competitors, with wildly differing strategies.

What I'd be interested in hearing is rather than 'why is PS3/360 doomed', but why people think they will succeed; speculation on the future; where the industry is being driven by the big players.

I think most of us who are fairly rational (and unbiased) have loads to debate and discuss on the hobby we enjoy so much, but it becomes tiring trying to put an unbiased comment across, just because some fanboy takes it the wrong way.

There's never been a better time to be a gamer, and I feel sorry for those who nail their colours to a single console's mast and defend it to the exclusion of all sensible and logical thought.

[zainkool]

wow didn't know MS was in that position, This might help my preferred console (PS3) to take the lead. I wonder how Alan Wake will be, but not much interested in Halo wars and Halo:ODST. KIllzone 2 to rule em all.

[ReBurn]

Seems to me that people have trouble distinguishing between revenue and profit.

[sonyandcher]

Agreed my friend, you cut the price by one third you have to increase sales by more than one third not to mention all the extra logistics and manufacturing of these extra units to keep the same revenue ticking along from previous lower sales and higher prices.

Also no one has mentioned the subscription service revenue streams in overall revenue and profits for the 360 - currently Microsoft is completely rejigging its overseas vendor relationships for support services (voice-based) particularly in "once cheap" Asian sites.

A lot of initial subscribers are ringing up to cancel after one month which means new subscribers are being logged but the revenue is not being tracked through a forecasted life cycle of at least 12 months.

This gives the impression of a strong subscription base but in actually fact the revenue is decreasing and call volume dropping making vendor costs higher. So much so that MS vendor managers are no longer coming out for site visits, preferring to "video conference" or just do the majors and are in the process of cutting loose some of their once major support vendors. Feb 5th is a critical date for MS suppliers in Asia as some are going to get cut and loose their MS accounts.

You won't hear that in major gaming news, but its 3rd party jobs being lost as a result of the times.

[ultimolu]

I don't think the 360 is doomed. I think Microsoft needs to get their sh*t together.

[dredgewalker]

I think everyone is in trouble and no one can deny the real cause of it. But knowing MS its not gonna sink in anyway and i hope that it doesnt because im thankful for them for keeping Sony on its feet, and having a rival brings out the best in everyone.

[RedVsBlue]

Sony Defense Force Activate !!!!!!!!!!

[zainkool]

wow didn't know MS was in that position, This might help my preferred console (PS3) to take the lead. I wonder how Alan Wake will be, but not much interested in Halo wars and Halo:ODST. KIllzone 2 to rule em all

[maspi]

mhhh aces studio shut down, 30% microsoft's internal game tester fired,game for windows live's general director fired, microsoft's gamefest slip to 2010(?) mhhh what's going on?

[yz250]

if the 360 is in trouble, then i guess ps3 is discontinued, DEAD. hahaaha this is some funny sh1t. try harder sony fanidiots, with this "article" you have failed. wii-1st 360-2nd ps3-3rd, or LAST.

[Droid Control]

How is the 360 in trouble?

Its selling better than ever!
LIVE adoption is highest ever, same with software.

As yz250 said above, if the 360 is in trouble, then the PS3 must be dead and the Wii just doing ok... lol

[TheOutsider]

The only reason x-box sales is because it's cheap and defective!! The things your cheap parents like to see! HA HA CHEAP GENERIC BOT!!

[SprayandPreycom]

its funny because every article ever posted here has people saying how the article is garbage and that its just hype spin offs or bashing....

going by this logic the only people on the planet who do anything right are celebrities athletes and the president saddam hussein obama

[ForROME]

I swear I think you guys forget....

People dont walk in and go, God of War 3 is coming out Ill get a PS3, oh Kill Zone is comign out

Thats us, the gamer, now we have more of the casual consumer walking in saying....

Wow these great games at 29 bucks and the system is cheap, and lots of games, sweet my kids, my son, my nefew, my brother my husband, will love this....

See my point...? So Future line up isnt really what sells all the time, only too people like us filling up the forums, to the casual, whats there whats cheap and they want it now, not to wait for a game down the line....

Time will tell

[TechnicalBS]

The person who wrote the article is an idiot. Yes, there's a loss for every console sold but that doesn't necessarily apply for the X360. Last year, Microsoft broke even, followed by profits month later because the console became cheaper to manufacture when they released their new SKUs. Right now Microsoft is at a break even point. There is no loss, if hardly any.

Recently Microsoft released their new SKUs, meaning they're now cheaper to manufacture. Yet Sony is losing less with every console sold? He has it backwards. Sony is losing more for every console sold and they're being beat for it. The PS3 is one expensive machine to manufacture and you can blame Bluray for that. It ain't cheap to make, kiddos.

Bottom line is, Sony is being beat both with general sales and profit loss for every console sold. And their game sales haven't been great either. Just look at both LBP and Resistance 2. Yes, I know Resistance broke the one million mark but look how long that took. Considering that Resistance is one of their heavy hitters, specifically as an exclusive game, it's bad news for Sony.

I'm no fanboy so don't spew your crap talk at me. I have both consoles and I like both my 360 and PS3, but I'm simply being realistic. This generation hasn't been good for Sony. Maybe it'll change when Killzone 2 is finally released. Personally I'm looking forward to the game.

[Mr_Potato_]

I definitely think MS will now let the 360 die and give up on gaming.

It's the only reason why they would close all their studios one after the other... They had only a few of them versus 27+ for Sony, so it wouldn't make sense to widen the gap, making their xbox offer even weaker.

Look at the 2008 and even worse 2009 Xbox exclusives lineup : DLC and XBox Live Arcade cheap games ? Vs Killzone 2, God of war 3, Gran Tuismo 5, Heavy Rain, FF13 Vs and 20+ others ? I mean they're not even trying to win right there. The handful exclusives they have left are not 'real' exclusives, since you can play halo, mass effect, left for dead and soon fable 2 on PC. Basically, there is NO reason to buy a 360 over a PS3, unless you're broke.

Why would they close all their studios if they weren't about to give up on the gaming market ?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Ignorance must be bliss.

[Mr_Potato_]

@Diacy : Ok, now I see you're right.

/sarcasm

[no-spin]

I dont know. But they surely make some decisions to reduce their support to the 360. 3rd party will have to do.
anyway i hope no one thought the 360 was going to last more than 5 years

[cactuschef]

MS is not giving up gaming because they are already working on their next system.

[Mr_Potato_]

MS is closing all their studios right now, it wouldn't make sense if they didn't intend to give up the fight.

I mean the lack of internal studios was already their weakness (reliability too) and the reason why they have 1 or 2 exclusives this year vs 30+ great games on PS3. It makes no sense if they want to win...

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Omg...how can someone write this and believe it? Sony revenue increasing? Really? Cause last time I checked Sony was reporting a 2+Billion dollar loss for the first time in some 10+ years. Then he tries to tie the decline in stock prices at MS to the decrease in hardware prices? Wow...yep, that was the key. Everyone who had MS stock started selling like crazy because MS cut the price of the 360. LOL...omg....LOL...this is priceless stuff.

[Anon1974]

Their games division posted a revenue increase of something like 90% year over year and sales were up 40% worldwide. Remember, Sony's games division only makes up about 10% of Sony's business. Sony has a long way to go to pay for the money spent on R&D for the PS3 as well as covering the PS3's pricing point but they're still ahead of schedule in bringing the production price of the PS3 down.

Now, this article is still pure crap. MS Games revenue is also up even if profits are down due to the price cut (dropped 60% vs last year's holiday quarter). Trying to tie this into share prices somehow is ludicrous.

[Milky]

I wish all the ps3 is doomed articles were written like this. At least this article makes sense.

[NickyFinn]

what happened to gamers why do all you guys ramble about is how much money sony microsoft or nintendo make??? and this article is ballz no console will die anytime soon

[mll09]

Actually, it's not "if the 360 is in trouble, then the PS3 is dead lolz!!!"

No.

It's "if the PS3 is in trouble, then the 360 is in trouble to."

Let me give you a stat.

The 360 has been out a year longer.

If you take away the sales from that first year on the market...

The 360 is only leading the PS3 by 2 million.

Take that and shove it up your ass stupid Xbox fanboys. I'm not Sony droid, so don't even go to your go to phrase:

"Shutup your just a droid."

Uh...no -_-.

[air1]

lmfao..

lets just subtract micro's first year lead, wtf?!

sure, and why dont we just throw in a few million for the ps3 while you are at it..

i cant believe clowns like gwhore is still trolling around, didnt i put you in your place the other day?

you still crying over a console that costs 200 bucks? broke as$..

sales dont matter, lol.. so if the ps3 ever outsells the 360 then i guess we will never hear a word about it from you..

the irony, you ppl have going around talking all that smack when you are the minority, as in 3rd place, aka bronze medal.

[mll09]

No you didn't put me in my place the other day.

And I only mention sales, because whenever bots hear about "PS3 has better games in 2009, xbox has 3!!!"

They always answer with:

"Yeah but the 360 is pounding the PS3 in sales!!!"

So I mentioned sales and shut those people.

If you're implying that I am gwhore then your wrong, I'm not him.

Tip:

If you're going to argue, don't contradict yourself. You say sales don't matter, and then go on to say that I'm supporting the system in 3rd place, which is based off what? Sales. Not software. Not hardware. Sales.

LMAO, just shutup and don't make yourself look like a fool poor bot.

[Ldubbz]

No.

[Sibs]

Can we stop approving the "xx console is dead cuz we said so" crap?

[Ozzyb]

The Mayan Calendar says so... What will Sony and Microsoft do about 2012?! Look! I caused controversy...

[JHUX]

lol so many 360 fanboys pop up to complain about this article being crap (it is), then run off to improve 10 more ps3 is dOOm3D articles, which is always some guy who decided that he doesn't like the color of the ps3 so writes up an article that makes no sense, but to them it's all facts.

[dustgavin]

Considering that the Ps2 is outselling the 360 in Japan(along with the PS3 and Psp), and the PS3 is catching up to the 360 in the US.....Yea. the 360 is definitely hurting.

[HolyOrangeCows]

I think the 360 is due to see a sales decrease, but it's definitely not in trouble.

[Guardian Hope]

I just find it funny that this article states the question 'is the 360 doomed?' - yet when it comes down to it, if the Playstation 3 sales (excluding holidays I believe) were to double and the Xbox 360 were to stay flat (Not selling more or less), it would take till the year 2014 for the Playstation 3 to reach the amount of consoles the 360 has sold.

But, neither are doomed, if Sony can get their head out of their ass and actually do something helpful in the firmware updates (Cross-Game Party/Chats/Messages/Invites anyone?) instead of saying that 'not many users request it' then maybe the system may be more appealing to those with friends. Seriously, why the heck do you want to use home to launch a game, it adds a whole other fricken step.

[DroN4eG]

it is.

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

How can the XBox be in trouble? If Microsoft drops the XBox today, it will still be a success.

The only way it can have trouble is if RROD was taken seriously by consumers. It isn't, and MS has a free pass to the finish line this generation.

Why is it every three months like clockwork XBox and the Playstation 3 switch places on who is doomed and who is kickin' butt. It really has been silly. Is the interent retarded or something?

I think Sony makes a much better console with a better selection of games than 360, but I wouldn't say one is better than the other.

[Anon1974]

Think about it. The PS3 is selling faster than the 360 ever did. If the 360 were dropped today it would have been a 2.5 billion dollar loss.

When you say RROD isn't being taken seriously by consumers, what are you basing that on? The PS3 sold 17 million consoles by the 2 year mark with stiffer competition and a higher price point, the 360 only sold 13 million. If it's not the RROD, why do you think the PS3 has caught on faster? What held the 360 back?

[Trekster_Gamer]

Is it in trouble??
Nope! Another lame ass article...

[Hiruu]

ROTLMAO...this site is SERIOUSLY DELUSIONAL. 360 in trouble...are u F#$king kidding me...NG4 might not be writing this garbage, but they are propping up this nonsense.

[vincentvegawchz]

As i have said before, the Ps3 is going to demolish the Xbox by mid next year, then Christmas 2011 we will see a new Xbox that will have the same specs as the PS3, but slightly better, but by then the PS3 will be at max $250 bucks and have a kick ass library, while microsoft is going to want people to pay $400 for the Nextbox that is a little bit better specification ways than the Ps3, as in a little more memory, and that is probably it. I dont know when Sony will release their next gaming Console, They are not even worried about it, and neither am I looking at KZ2, i can see what my machine can do, and the kinda of Firmware upgrade my PS3 can Handle, and if they want to put a 3D gaming add on with Firmware 7.0, fine by me, so at that time i can go get my a 160gb Ps3 with 2 controllers 2 games, that is 3d ready for 300 bucks!! Sign me UP!#@!#! I am pleased to annouce that the Ps3 Is here to stay, sorry Xbots, thats just how it is Microsoft Got Greedy trying to drop the console out early, and Look what happened! Maybe if they are lucky Nintendo will let them Create the New interface for the Wii 3. I like the name of that Wii 3, i will pick that one up...:) The Xbox's times over, MS lost money lowering their prices, just so they could Say, "Hey we sold more units than sony" who cares if we have to spend 4 billions to fix them , and lost 3 billion because of the price drop, We will spend 7 billion dollars to make it sound liek were better, because people are Fkin robots, and they will believe that!!! Thankyou, I am here all Week.

[PLAYWATCH]

The 2nd half is FUNNY AS SH!T!!! LOL I'm here all week LOL

[bigjclassic]

No matter how anyone wants to spin it but, they are in some deep trouble this year. Sony has alot of factors that they are relying on for 2009 and we already know FOR SURE that 3 AAA games are coming this year. FFXIII is dropping in Japan this fall and can cause spike in hardware sales unless this game tanks. Uncharted 2 will be highly sought after seeing as "hardcore fanboys" forgot to quickly buy the first game. Killzone 2 has the potential to steal alot of the core gamers that M$ currently banks on for profit.

And then, the fabled price drop. Once it hits that mass market price ($299.99), Microsoft will have to damn near give the 360 Arcades away just to try and keep up.

[JonahFalcon]

"While Sony's revenues increased this year, Microsoft's share ended up decreasing in value likely due to decreased Xbox 360 hardware prices."

That is what is known as a baldfaced lie.

1. Sony's 1.68 billion dollars operating losses. That's billion with a "b".

2. Microsoft's Xbox division made a profit.

3. Windows 7 is getting rave reports from beta testers - that'll be a financial windfall for Microsoft. On the other hand, TVs and other electronics equipment sales for Sony is down.

[hulud86]

Even if the PS3 retailed for $5 bucks, it still wouldn't catch up to the Xbox 360. Microsoft has so many exclusive titles that destroy whatever is on the PS3, not to meniton Xbox Live. Um..hmmm..um..LittleBigPlanet plus a billion dollar loss? Is that all it has to offer? pwned. Good luck Sony, you're going to need it!

[Evil Gamer]

moved

[Evil Gamer]

So let me get this straight..the article say Microsoft may be doomed because PS3 is releasing Killzone 2 this year and God of War 3 next year? NOT EVEN CLOSE..Reality check..K2 is a great game..may even sell well for PS3..good for sony..but it still won't matter much to the 360.

Microsoft is in the DRIVER'S seat and in control of it's own destiny at this point...It accomplished what it was supposed to do..have a successful holiday season..because that is when the real system numbers move..Mission accomplished..over 6 million people bought the system in the last quarter alone

Right now millions are playing Halo 3, Gears of War 2, Left 4 dead, Call of Duty: World at War, and Call of Duty 4 over XBOX LIVE..

When K2 drops..guess what?..Millions of people will STILL be playing those games...check the live charts AFTER K2 drops..if you doubt me

Microsoft's strategy is perfect right now..You have DLC right now from Fable 2, High Profile Exclusive DLC from Grand Theft Auto, and ultimately Fallout 3...like it or not the droves of people who love those games WILL purchase the content..

No need to counter Killzone 2 with a FPS (see the above for what gamers will still be playing)..You got Star Ocean 4 and Halo Wars dropping around the same day..

Plus you got F.E.A.R. 2 and Resident Evil 5 dropping soon...And as months go by and games like Guitar Hero: Metallica and the new Chronicles of Riddick drop No one will even care about January or February..

As the summer approaches...The big event will be upon us..E3 09'..which will be bigger than ever before..and with the whole world watching..drop the gauntlet..and watch how the article content changes on N4G and the rest of the gaming press..that kept whining about Xbox's lack of games..in fact why don't you put some amazing footage of a game in development that you will drop FOUR years later..that's always popular with the kids and the gaming press alike

Evil G.

[yAc]

picture this: ps3 and 360 same price,doubts about who's going to win the console war?

[byaaface]

Why is this classified as ps3 news? Also, I don't care what console it is about, these "stories" are getting really, really old and need to be just ignored. Although I didn't bother to read the previous comments, I'm sure the general consensus is in agreement with my opinion.

EDIT: Oh wow. I guess I should have glanced at the comments. Its a f*ckin' fanboy warzone out there. Freakin' christ people! Don't be so insecure about your console...it just reflects how well its probably doing (or just your IQ...).

Hey btw Sony is kicking ass- It is in 3rd place while the 360 is struggling to keep its place at second to last!!! Hah. (I hope you realize that was pure sarcasm- although technically true kinda like a white lie). ;)

[Lykon]

i laughed so much i couldn't help it. the 360 breaks after 10 hours of use and they are only now saying it is in trouble. it's over for the 360, its had it's burst of success as the first next gen console and then the cheapest console. its got nothing left, and it still breaks down . M$ have lost the console war this gen but they certainly succeded in selling a lot of dud consoles and ultimately getting away with it.

[tigertom53]

i NOTICED in the artical it wrote While Sony's revenues increased this year, Microsoft's share ended up decreasing. it like comparing apples to oranges revenue vs shares. why not revenue vs revenue and u can see Microsoft had a better year then last read fourth quarter info here\ http://www.microsoft.com/ms...
Microsoft is doing very well with the help of the 360.

[minusman26]

Both systems have great games. I am sure Microsoft will be fine.

[cactuschef]

I HATE these god damn sensational headlines. Why couldn't they have a headline about the information in the article,like "Microsoft Stock Declines" or something.

[OhMyGandhi]

wow.

the first anti-360 article.
it's.
about.
friggin.
time.

[Raoh]

yes it is.

[ezcex]

lol. where did all the fanboys come from all of a sudden.

[OhMyGandhi]

nope.
not a fanboy,
have both a 360 and ps3.

but ps3 has been getting the "red headed step child" treatment from N4G lately.