Support NeoGAF

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

Looks like Michael Pachter is questioning the integrity of the NPD data:

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...12/02/sales-of-video-games-fall-in-january-/1

"I don't know if the NPD is getting faulty data, but these numbers make no sense."

I know a lot of people think Pachter is an idiot, but I think he is actually quite intelligent...the problem is, he just doesn't understand the industry from a gamers perspective...

I don't think he understands that the people that bought into the Wii/Kinect motion control gimmicks, were never in it for games.

Pachter saw/see Nintendo/MS making all this money from their motion control success upfront, but doesn't realize for longevity, it comes down to games....which both companies severely lack....

Honestly, this holiday season should of been the last hoorah for the 360 and it's a bit obvious with the software line up the 360 has this year that it was.

Not to mention the fact that he is comparing a console generation of 4 years (2004) and one that's nearly 7 years old....

plus isn't the increase in console owners this gen so far only like 20 million over last gen across all three platforms? This gen is probably around 220-225 million consoles sold, where last gen is around 200 million (guesstamation from last number i saw years ago lol)

 

[NemesisPrime]

Following a strong December at retail, PlayStation continued the momentum in January

Hu? What? Are they replying to the NPD data from Narnia?

 

[DMeisterJ]

3DS, MK7 numbers, 3D Land...they would have reasons to put a PR out.

-We don't know if 3DS numbers are worth mentioning
-Mario isn't in the top 10
-MK7 is #7 in a month with no new releases, and we have no numbers. CoD could have sold 500k combined and SR3 could have sold 100k.
-Wii is down massively YoY

What is there for Nintendo to PR about?

This is a horrible month and there really is nothing for any of them to really say.

 

[Petrichor]

There were 3 consoles last gen that did the "same" thing. New overpriced hardware is not the answer. Price is what is keeping new consumers at bay, at least for 360 and PS3.

The ASP for the 360 doesn't indicate this at all.

 

[bigtroyjon]

Hu? What? Are they replying to the NPD data from Narnia?

They didn't say which year they were talking about....

 

[Kazerei]

December and Jan rarely have major hitters, the holiday season in itself usually boosts sales signifigantly, total opposite has happened this holiday season. Considering what the PS2 did, you can hardly say that the market is oversaturated with 360.

There's a twin console on the market that has in 95% the same functionality and games. The market is saturated and new products would be welcome.

Considering what the PS2 did? There's no way the 360 will sell even close to PS2's level, even when the market becomes fully saturated. Because like szaromir said, the audience got split between PS3 and 360. If you look at the overall picture, PS3/360/Wii have already outsold PS2/Xbox/GC.

IMO price cuts will help draw in some new sales, but overall the market is pretty close to being saturated. There's not that many late adopters left, maybe enough to drive current-gen sales through 2013. New hardware is definitely needed next year.

 

[Reallink]

Ok, i'm officially becoming increasingly concerned they're gonna kill the console industry riding this hardware for 8 or 9 years. 5 was already too long with every other gadget/technology iterating yearly keeping it in the consciousness of the population at large. Anymore is long term market suicide with iOS breathing down their necks. No excitement and no one talking means you fade into obscurity and become an old hat has been.

 

[AniHawk]

man i totally forgot about this.

 

[NemesisPrime]

Ok, i'm officially becoming increasingly concerned they're gonna kill the console industry riding this hardware for 8 or 9 years. 5 was already too long with every other gadget/technology iterating yearly keeping it in the consciousness of the population at large. Anymore is long term market suicide with iOS breathing down their necks. No excitement and no one talking means you fade into obscurity and become an old hat has been.

True... but launching new hardware that is not able to compete with the new guys (iOS for example) is also suicide. I am sure MS/Nin/Sony want to get it right. Maybe at this moment in time they are still waiting to see what the market really wants... casual? cheap? powerful? motion? tablet?

 

[CadetMahoney]

New consoles are coming - wii-u.

I can't wait to hear what Sony say about Vita. I'm sure they'll just ending up listing all the launch release games in there and not talk about anything else lol.

It'll just be:

----
momentum:

*list of games.

followed by some horrid Cheesy Gordita ad.
----

 

[AniHawk]

if the next xbox isn't out until late 2012, i think microsoft will be fine. they just need to lower the price of the 360 to something below $200 assuming the wii u is something people will want (i have my doubts).

it's going to be a very long, cold wait for sony though. late 2013 is a good 20+ months away.

 

[CadetMahoney]

^ u really think box3 will release this year?

These threads fucking suck btw. I remember when NPD threads caused server errors, and we got an abundance of numbers and analysis.

Now we're lucky if we get a PR release (two days after the thread is made). Fucking thing sucks!

Well, who's fault is it that they didn't want NPD to release console breakdown numbers and now make everything shitty by combining everything?

 

[legend166]

I know a lot of people think Pachter is an idiot, but I think he is actually quite intelligent...the problem is, he just doesn't understand the industry from a gamers perspective...

I don't think he understands that the people that bought into the Wii/Kinect motion control gimmicks, were never in it for games.

Pachter saw/see Nintendo/MS making all this money from their motion control success upfront, but doesn't realize for longevity, it comes down to games....which both companies severely lack....

Honestly, this holiday season should of been the last hoorah for the 360 and it's a bit obvious with the software line up the 360 has this year that it was.

Not to mention the fact that he is comparing a console generation of 4 years (2004) and one that's nearly 7 years old....

plus isn't the increase in console owners this gen so far only like 20 million over last gen across all three platforms? This gen is probably around 220-225 million consoles sold, where last gen is around 200 million (guesstamation from last number i saw years ago lol)

What were they in it for?

 

[nasos_333]

if the next xbox isn't out until late 2012, i think microsoft will be fine. they just need to lower the price of the 360 to something below $200 assuming the wii u is something people will want (i have my doubts).

it's going to be a very long, cold wait for sony though. late 2013 is a good 20+ months away.

Microsoft confirmed that they are not ready or want to rival WiiU and that there will not be a new xbox this year

In fact i have some doubts that will have one in holiday 2013 too, but chances are way better than 2012 holiday, that are now zero

Also i dont think a weak january would be a problem for them after the super strong holiday and with the coming game lineup that includes Halo 4, Witcher 2, Fable, Draco, Ryse, Alan Wake, Mass Effect 3 Kinect, Skyrim expansions, Steel Batallion, Dust etc

 

[AiTM]

With the massive juggernauts this fall, GTA 5, Halo 4, and a new CoD...they can easily get through 2012 without a new Xbox. It has to release in 2013 though.

 

[Hiro_Kunimi_80]

^ u really think box3 will release this year?

I do

with a massive price cut to X360 ( 199$ with kinect and 8/16Gb for memory, only sku left ) they could sell new hardware @ 399$ in november and keep the X360 as profitable hardware for casual market

 

[nasos_333]

With the massive juggernauts this fall, GTA 5, Halo 4, and a new CoD...they can easily get through 2012 without a new Xbox. It has to release in 2013 though.

My guess is that holiday 2013 will be the idea timing, they will have some super hardware by that time with a custom AMD chip and they can have many launch games too, if dev kits were handed out this year

Also they can steal much of WiiU thunder in E3 2013, by revealing a super system and many next gen games for holiday launch

If they make holiday 2013 with many games, they could make up a bit for the extra WiiU year on the marker i think

I do

with a massive price cut to X360 ( 199$ with kinect and 8/16Gb for memory, only sku left ) they could sell new hardware @ 399$ in november and keep the X360 as profitable hardware for casual market

Microsoft confirmed that they dont have any plans for this year, so that is a zero chance right now

http://www.gamespot.com/news/no-new-xbox-in-2012-microsoft-6349399

"Company's French marketing manager says Microsoft not ready to roll out new console this year, won't compete with Nintendo and the Wii U."

"What is certain is that there will be nothing new in 2012," Microsoft's Cedrick Delmas told the website (via Google Translate). Previous speculation pointed to Microsoft releasing a new console as early as this holiday.

Delmas added, "The cycle of the Xbox 360 is by no means complete," noting that the lack of price cuts for the system indicates Microsoft isn't ready to bring on the next console.

"We are not here to deal with Nintendo, and they are not there to fight against other manufacturers," he said. "Nintendo has placed itself in a different cycle, they advance at their own pace, successfully as we have seen with the Wii, and now it is their turn to present their innovation."

 

[perfectchaos007]

No Nintendo 3DS sales leaks 2 months in a row? I hate new NPD more than ever. I'm losing interest in next gen sales because those numbers probably won't be available to the public either!

 

[GraveRobberX]

Why? If the install base for CoD is only looking for CoD for their gaming needs, then it's not like they're cannibalizing sales from other games.

That's like "FUCK COKE" because Fanta isn't selling as much.

Umm... I don't how to say this, so...

Fanta © 2011 The Coca-Cola Company, all rights reserved. FANTA is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company.

 

[Hiro_Kunimi_80]

Microsoft confirmed that they dont have any plans for this year, so that is a zero chance right now

http://www.gamespot.com/news/no-new-xbox-in-2012-microsoft-6349399

"Company's French marketing manager says Microsoft not ready to roll out new console this year, won't compete with Nintendo and the Wii U."
"

yeah..

and you believe it ? I do not work for Microsoft, but for an important player in consumer and electronics market, when some journalist ask me about *a new product not yet announced * i swear that " there is no such thing" even if i have the device in my pocket..

 

[nasos_333]

yeah..

and you believe it ? I do not work for Microsoft, but for an important player in consumer and electronics market, when some journalist ask me about *a new product not yet announced * i swear that " there is no such thing" even if i have the device in my pocket..

I believe them because

1. makes no sense to have a new system in 2012 holiday with Halo 4 around

2. there is zero indication that would come in 2012, even if dev kits are released today, developers will not have games ready for launch in 8-10 months, that is impossible, plus they would have nothing to show in E3 2012

I just dont see it happenening, MS quote only reconfirms it for me

 

[a secret-boss]

Happy for Saints Row charting especially for struggling THQ

 

[Krilekk]

Next Gen is needed soon for a healthy industry, 2012 might be a sad year for sales.

Yeah, this is not the recession (people still spend loads of money on cell phones and tablets), this is people being bored by what the current gen has to offer and going after other things instead. Microsoft needs to come out this holiday season with the next Xbox (and I still believe they will) and cut the price of 360 as soon as March to keep their momentum, which is essential in booting the next gen. Of course there are people saying we don't need a new gen just yet. Those are people that bought a PS3 or 360 in the last couple of years. Show me a single Xbox 360 gamer who bought the thing in 2005 or 2006 who is still pleased with what he gets. There are none.

 

[nasos_333]

Yeah, this is not the recession (people still spend loads of money on cell phones and tablets), this is people being bored by what the current gen has to offer and going after other things instead. Microsoft needs to come out this holiday season with the next Xbox (and I still believe they will) and cut the price of 360 as soon as March to keep their momentum, which is essential in booting the next gen. Of course there are people saying we don't need a new gen just yet. Those are people that bought a PS3 or 360 in the last couple of years. Show me a single Xbox 360 gamer who bought the thing in 2005 or 2006 who is still pleased with what he gets. There are none.

Here is one, i dont even remotly want a new xbox yet, i bought 360 at European launch

For one i want late 2013 hardware and not current one

Also my top games will get sequels in 2-3 years, like Witcher 3, Fable 4, Elder Scrols 6 etc, so i want xbox 720 to have the very best harwdare for their release, holiday 2013 seems perfect timing for most of them

Though i would much prefer a 2014 release with a bit better hardware, but that would not be huge difference i guess

And why would i not be pleased with Witcher 2, Fable, Alan Wake, Ryse, Mass Effect, Halo, Dragoon etc ?

360 has more games than i could handle in 2012 and the lineup is already overloaded than something to not be pleased about

 

[legend166]

With the massive juggernauts this fall, GTA 5, Halo 4, and a new CoD...they can easily get through 2012 without a new Xbox. It has to release in 2013 though.

None of those games will sell consoles.

I think the 360 will continue to sell relatively well through 2012 on the back of its depth of library, but I can't see any explosions in sales unless there are significant price drops.

Both Microsoft and Sony are in an interesting situation. Realistically, I don't think anyone really knows how the Wii U will be received. There's a lot of information to be revealed and a lot of time to pass before it's released. I think it could go either way. MS and Sony have the advantage of watching it play out and see how the market reacts. If they wait twelve months they'll be able to tweak their strategy based on what happens with the Wii U. On the other hand, if the Wii U takes off, they are immediately behind the eight ball. Third parties might start baselining their games around the Wii U, rendering any significant hardware increases as redundant.

If (and its a pretty big if) Nintendo can get the balance of cost/power worked out and set up a healthy third party and online ecosystem, they will be in a very strong position. They should be able to sell quite a lot of consoles on the back of a Mario platformer and Mario Kart.

 

[Hiro_Kunimi_80]

I believe them because

1. makes no sense to have a new system in 2012 holiday with Halo 4 around

2. there is zero indication that would come in 2012, even if dev kits are released today, developers will not have games ready for launch in 8-10 months, that is impossible, plus they would have nothing to show in E3 2012

I just dont see it happenening, MS quote only reconfirms it for me

Well...

1) Halo4 does not move any additional hardware pcs (excluding some special edition) for Xbox360, it's not the first halo to come out for the system. It will be HUGE for microsoft fiscal but as the latest 2 big chapter ( 3 and reach) and ODST too, the most of the copies are sold in the very first month
I'm expecting the usual 3 million copies in september for H4
BUT halo4 does not imply that a new system (fully backwards compatible) could be launched in november ( neither that a proper version of H4 could be present at the launch window. but this is another matter)

2) dev kits are already in the hands of the developers ( even third parties ) since many months . and this i know for sure

if they want to launch this year, they can , and they would have many games ready . Of course the most probable situation right now is a 2013 launch but nothing is sure right now. We will know @ E3 when the new system will be shown/announced

 

[Krilekk]

I believe them because

1. makes no sense to have a new system in 2012 holiday with Halo 4 around

What better way to launch a new system than an enhanced version of Halo 4 releases alongside the 360 version?

2. there is zero indication that would come in 2012, even if dev kits are released today, developers will not have games ready for launch in 8-10 months, that is impossible, plus they would have nothing to show in E3 2012

Eh ... there have been rumours of dev kits for at least one and a half years. Only recently came semi-confirmation that those devkits are now final, but devkits go through various iterations. I was working on an Xbox game in 2000 and we got new devkit versions on a monthly basis. Microsoft was shipping PGR around to developers in late 2010, more than enough time to be ready 24 months later. Rare is working on two games we know nothing about since 2009. Ryse became a next gen project some months ago according to a former employee. Will be almost four years in development in late 2012. Plus we have loads of games coming out this year that can see the slightly upgraded work that has been done in the past with titles like Just Cause or Gun.
And we have Bungie and Respawn. The latter (ex-Infinity Ward) have been working on something for the past 21 months. Nowadays games like Bioshock Infinite are teased two years in advance, not showing anything might suggest that it isn't a current gen title and they just can't show anything before the NDA is lifted.
There were no final 360 devkits at E3 2005, just months before the release. And they still showed game and released the console.

I just dont see it happenening, MS quote only reconfirms it for me

We don't show anything new at E3 ... because we show it to you the day before E3. Seriously though, companies lie to your face all the time. It's what they have to do to keep an edge. If they say they have something at E3 journalists won't stop until every single bit of information is out before E3. Giving the competition and advantage, cause they know how powerful a system they have to build.

Here is one, i dont even remotly want a new xbox yet, i bought 360 at European launch

For one i want late 2013 hardware and not current one

You're happy with tech from 2003 in the year 2012 - why would you want late 2013 hardware? That kind of tech will only be built into consoles from 2015.

Also my top games will get sequels in 2-3 years, like Witcher 3, Fable 4, Elder Scrols 6 etc,

You will have to wait at least four years for a new Elder Scrolls. Next up will be Fallout 4 in 2013.

so i want xbox 720 to have the very best harwdare for their release, holiday 2013 seems perfect timing for most of them

Still makes no sense, cause developers take years to actually use all the power they have. The earlier the next gen is here, the better for your sequels, otherwise they will just look like slightly upgraded 360 titles (better textures, better frame rate, but the polygons will be pretty much the same).

 

[nasos_333]

None of those games will sell consoles.

I think the 360 will continue to sell relatively well through 2012 on the back of its depth of library, but I can't see any explosions in sales unless there are significant price drops.

Both Microsoft and Sony are in an interesting situation. Realistically, I don't think anyone really knows how the Wii U will be received. There's a lot of information to be revealed and a lot of time to pass before it's released. I think it could go either way. MS and Sony have the advantage of watching it play out and see how the market reacts. If they wait twelve months they'll be able to tweak their strategy based on what happens with the Wii U. On the other hand, if the Wii U takes off, they are immediately behind the eight ball. Third parties might start baselining their games around the Wii U, rendering any significant hardware increases as redundant.

If (and its a pretty big if) Nintendo can get the balance of cost/power worked out and set up a healthy third party and online ecosystem, they will be in a very strong position. They should be able to sell quite a lot of consoles on the back of a Mario platformer and Mario Kart.

The 3rd parties may go with WiiU at first, but when all of xbox 720, super PC hardware and PS4 are on the market, i am sure they will redirect their focus on those three platforms

It wont be much different than what happened with Wii really after the xbox 720 is released

 

[Krilekk]

Do you even read/watch the news? Everyone is showing contraction, thats what a recession is, and we're all still in it.

How is it possible for US companies to have record breaking earnings all over the industries if we're in a recession? It's not. There are billions over billions spend on entertainment products and cars, more than in any year before. If anything that is an indication that the economy is starting to boom.

The strong Yen is always a cheap argument for why your numbers are so bad when you don't want to tell the truth. If the Yen becomes too strong you stop producing in Japan and go to China. And that's exactly what Sony and other players have been doing for the last couple of years.

 

[Krilekk]

@nasos: Since your so sure about that French Microsoft marketing guy: The German 360 marketing manager didn't know about the release of the Slim version until the day before it was announced. Microsoft keeps their foreign divisions in the dark all the time, just so nothing can leak.

 

[Tookay]

Both Microsoft and Sony are in an interesting situation. Realistically, I don't think anyone really knows how the Wii U will be received. There's a lot of information to be revealed and a lot of time to pass before it's released. I think it could go either way. MS and Sony have the advantage of watching it play out and see how the market reacts. If they wait twelve months they'll be able to tweak their strategy based on what happens with the Wii U. On the other hand, if the Wii U takes off, they are immediately behind the eight ball. Third parties might start baselining their games around the Wii U, rendering any significant hardware increases as redundant.

I'm not so sure that's enough time to really redirect a moving train. Obviously aspects of the hardware are in flux constantly, but how much can the overall vision (something that's been worked on for years now) be tweaked in that amount of time?

 

[legend166]

The 3rd parties may go with WiiU at first, but when all of xbox 720, super PC hardware and PS4 are on the market, i am sure they will redirect their focus on those three platforms

It wont be much different than what happened with Wii really after the xbox 720 is released

The market has gone through tremendous change in the last five years and the situation the Wii U will be launching into is entirely different compared to the Wii.

For one, it's obviously to basically everyone who's paying attention that from a consumer interest standpoint, graphics are well past the point of diminishing returns. There's no way publishers are going to go for the same jump in costs again trying to use that new power. It's not sustainable. Basically everyone lost money this generation. I just can't see any beastly consoles being released, especially since the controllers/interfaces are adding extra costs. If Microsoft want to bundle Kinect into every device (which it looks like they do), that's power they have to forsake in the box to get it down to a reasonable price. So the Wii U should get all the multi platform titles.

Nevermind the year head start compared to coming in a year late.

The situation is entirely different. This could end up being good or bad for the Wii U. The differentiation factor turned out to be a pretty big boon for Wii, despite the troubles it caused later on. This might not exist this time, so who knows what will happen.

 

[legend166]

I'm not so sure that's enough time to really redirect a moving train. Obviously aspects of the hardware are in flux constantly, but how much can the overall vision (something that's been worked on for years now) be tweaked in that amount of time?

That's why I said 'tweak' though, not a major shift. You're right that if Microsoft are building their next console around Kinect, they're not going to be able to change that in a hurry. But I think specifications are in flux pretty far along into the development of a console. Something like adding/removing RAM, going for a higher/lower clocked CPU, whatever. That can be done a year out.

 

[Krilekk]

That's why I said 'tweak' though, not a major shift. You're right that if Microsoft are building their next console around Kinect, they're not going to be able to change that in a hurry. But I think specifications are in flux pretty far along into the development of a console. Something like adding/removing RAM, going for a higher/lower clocked CPU, whatever. That can be done a year out.

Microsoft has been trying to get TV manufacturers to include Kinect, that seems to suggest that they don't want to include it with the next Xbox. I believe it will stay optional, Microsoft made the mistake once (with the original Xbox) to put everything in it (WiFi, HDD) and it lead to them not being able to have a competitive price. They never made a profit of Xbox. With 360 they did a turnaround and offered everything optional. WLAN adapaters, wireless controllers, HDDs, HDDVD players, Kinect - they sell you what you need, not what you might need. And it reflects in pricing. In this business even a single screw can cost you a couple of million bucks ($0.02 at 65 million consoles = a lot of money), so it would be incredibly stupid to sell a Kinect to every buyer of a 720 - when half of those pretty much hate anything Kinect and always prefer the lagfree input of conventional controllers. Kinect having sold 18 million means it worked pretty well to have it as an optional addon. With costs of about $50 to produce a Kinect it just makes no sense at all for Microsoft to bundle it for free with every next Xbox.

I think they will do this:

1) Release a new slightly updated 360 SKU with a Kinect under a new name for $199. This will compete with Wii U in both price and performance, ensuring developers that develop for Wii U will do so for this SKU as well. It's basically just what Nintendo did with Gamecube -> Wii.

2) Release an all-new Xbox (Loop or whatever) with a basic model (no Kinect) and a premium model (Kinect). They might even be so bold to sell the basic model without Kinect and without an optical drive, downloads only.

That way they cover all the markets, the casual where they compete with Wii U, the core get a powerful system and the less core get the same power but for an attractive price (and with the disadvantage of digital only). I don't think there will be an SKU without a large HDD, but the optical drive might become optional like the HDD is now. Make it so, Microsoft. I'm not a fan of digital distribution but if they offer the basic model at $299 and the premium at $399 I will buy a basic for sure.

 

[Mpl90]

Oh, 3DS is at 250k.
You know why?

Nintendo 3DS Crosses 4 Million Mark
Driven by Fast-Selling Software Nintendo 3DS Sells More in Its First Nine Months Than Wii Did

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Whether they were on the go or at home, whether they played in 2D on the TV or in glasses-free 3D in their hands, gamers of all ages celebrated the holidays with Mario™ and Zelda™. Super Mario 3D Land™ and Mario Kart™ 7 for the Nintendo 3DS™ system not only became the fastest-selling titles in the history of their respective franchises when they launched, but they are now also the first Nintendo 3DS titles to sell 1 million units each in the United States. On the console side, The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword, which also broke launch records, became the 45th Wii™ title to sell more than 1 million units in the United States.

“One of the strongest software lineups in our history helped Nintendo have a great holiday season and to close 2011 with a full head of steam”
.“One of the strongest software lineups in our history helped Nintendo have a great holiday season and to close 2011 with a full head of steam,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Not only have the new Mario and Zelda titles already broken records, but with strong reviews and satisfied customers sharing their positive experiences, all three are also shaping up to be the latest long-tail titles from Nintendo. Couple that with a massive first- and third party lineup in the first part of the year and the prospects for 2012 are extremely promising.”

Nintendo sold more than 12 million total hardware units in the United States in 2011, marking the fifth year in a row that the company has accomplished that feat. This includes more than 4.5 million units of Wii, more than 4 million Nintendo 3DS systems, and more than 3.4 million units of the Nintendo DS™ family of systems. This brings the installed base for Wii and Nintendo DS to 39 million and more than 51 million, respectively.

With a strong lineup of software on the horizon, including new installments in the Mario Party™, Pokémon™ and Kid Icarus™ franchises, as well as third-party games such as Resident Evil® Revelations from Capcom and METAL GEAR SOLID® 3D Snake Eater from Konami for Nintendo 3DS, that momentum should continue into the first quarter of 2012 and beyond.

In addition to the milestones reached by new software, two evergreen Nintendo titles celebrated milestones as 2011 drew to a close. Mario Kart Wii™ passed 11 million units sold and New Super Mario Bros.™ for the Nintendo DS family crossed 10 million total units sold.

Remember that Wii and Nintendo 3DS feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit

This is their PR for December. This says "more than 4 millions". The 4.1 millions came from NPD, since the Nintendo trakcer is a little different from the NPD one...and it understimates usually. So, considering the more than 4.250.000 figure came from Nintendo itself, we have to count Nintendo tracking.
So, around 250k for January.

 

[SmokedMeat]

I don't think I'll every understand the popularity of the COD series.

People play games to have fun?

 

[Opus Angelorum]

Anyone have January 2011 numbers for the PS3 and Wii?

I'm trying to work out who is more likely to have the higher share of the combined 281k.

 

[gkryhewy]

Wait, what? (re: the 250k 3DS number).

 

[Mpl90]

Wait, what? (re: the 250k 3DS number).

It seems Nintendo gave their numbers through IGN:
3D Land at 1.7 millions
Kart 7 at 1.3 millions
SS at 1.3 millions
3DS at 4.25 millions

Since they used their internal tracking system, I just compared this updated total with the one for December given by Nintendo itself, 4 millions.

From this, the 250k figure. Comparison between the two LTD figures Nintendo gave for the last two months.

 

[orion434]

I thought I low-balled the Wii + PS3 in the predictions thread @ 425K combined but dam 281K? Could one of them be under 100K?

 

[KillerMan91]

I actually think that US sales slowing down is actually worse to MS than it's for Nintendo and Sony as consoles tend to die slower in Europe and Sony/Big N are stronger in Europe. Not to mention developing countries where Sony has pretty tight grip as far as consoles go.

 

[Krilekk]

Anyone have January 2011 numbers for the PS3 and Wii?

I'm trying to work out who is more likely to have the higher share of the combined 281k.

Wii: 319,000
PS3: 267,000

But with the recent trend I expect Wii numbers to be lower than PS3 in January 2012.

 

[P90]

Not surprising-- considering the perception that we're still in an economic recession.

Sorry, but the economic recession is a reality not a perception. This is one reason people are buying cheap $0.99-$4.99 games instead of $59.99 games.

 

[Castor Krieg]

Ok, i'm officially becoming increasingly concerned they're gonna kill the console industry riding this hardware for 8 or 9 years. 5 was already too long with every other gadget/technology iterating yearly keeping it in the consciousness of the population at large. Anymore is long term market suicide with iOS breathing down their necks. No excitement and no one talking means you fade into obscurity and become an old hat has been.

Once you have a job to actually buy multiple systems and exclusives for each platform, 8 or 9 years is perfectly fine.

Also, you don't kill a product that is still selling.

Also, new hardware will do even worse, first year will be focused on early adopters aka high price and no games.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

I actually think that US sales slowing down is actually worse to MS than it's for Nintendo and Sony as consoles tend to die slower in Europe and Sony/Big N are stronger in Europe. Not to mention developing countries where Sony has pretty tight grip as far as consoles go.

That's fantastic for non-NPD sales, but it seems that all three, in all territories, are currently experiencing a pretty uniform slowdown in sales.

Honestly, this month of NPD is terrible for information...somehow worse than it was before now. As for sales, I think it's about time for this gen to hit the price drop button across the board.

 

[Hiro_Kunimi_80]

I actually think that US sales slowing down is actually worse to MS than it's for Nintendo and Sony as consoles tend to die slower in Europe and Sony/Big N are stronger in Europe. Not to mention developing countries where Sony has pretty tight grip as far as consoles go.

They have to price cut ... from summer 2008 to 2012 for a system in it's 7th years of life, it's probably too much

look to sales data of BF last november ( when the price was "adjusted" )

 

[Leonsito]

Lack of NPD numbers is killing the game industry, is well known that 99% of the gaf users (totally extrapolable to the entire US market) buy games and consoles only to see them win the NPD charts

 

[allan-bh]

It seems Nintendo gave their numbers through IGN:
3D Land at 1.7 millions
Kart 7 at 1.3 millions
SS at 1.3 millions
3DS at 4.25 millions

Since they used their internal tracking system, I just compared this updated total with the one for December given by Nintendo itself, 4 millions.

From this, the 250k figure. Comparison between the two LTD figures Nintendo gave for the last two months.

I think Nintendo is using NPD numbers in this case. Internal data is used when NPD numbers for the month aren't available yet.

3DS probably around 180k

 

[Sapphire Dreams]

Go Skyrim !

 

[Globox_82]

I don't know if more expensive new consoles are the solution.