July NPD
I always find the NPD numbers interesting. With the PS3 clearancing price drop of the 60gb model and the warranty announcements for the 360 both falling in July, I was real curious how it would play out for the month. July is a bit of a gaming software lowpoint too, so I thought there might be less hardware demand across the board. Though it was a closer month for the two next gen heavy hitters, the Wii and DS continue to sell like hotcakes.
Hardware Numbers for July
Nintendo Wii: 425K
Nintendo DS: 405K
Sony PlayStation 2: 222K
Sony PSP: 214K
Microsoft Xbox 360: 170K
Sony PlayStation 3: 159K
Nintendo GBA: 87K
Software Numbers for July
NCAA Football 08 (Xbox 360) -- 397K
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's (PS2) -- 339K
Wii Play w/remote (Wii) -- 278K
NCAA Football 08 (PS2) -- 236K
Mario Party 8 (Wii) -- 177K
NCAA Football 08 (PS3) -- 156K
Pokémon Diamond (DS) -- 144K
Transformers: The Game (PS2) -- 143K
Guiitar Hero II w/guitar (PS2) -- 138K
Guitar Hero II w/guitar (Xbox 360) -- 108K
Xbox Live: Irongut | Playstation ID: Irongut_GWJ
Yeah, the Wii is a frickin' juggernaut. Interesting to see that while PS3 reportedly outsold 360 for the first time in Canada, it didn't manage the same thing in the US. August NPD will be really interesting, with the 360 price drop and the release of Bioshock.
Xbox Live: CrankyBaby
baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
At this rate, would it be a stretch for a politician to promise, "A Wii in every home!" ?
Psychotic Foreign Teenage Chicks are so hot. - Legion
I find it ironic anytime a healthy vaccinated person bitches about science...on the internet. - MaverickDago
I thought the hype would have died by now but it doesn't even show sign of slowing down. Amazing. It even outsold the DS for crying out loud.
Xbox Live: MrGreen
PSN: MrGreenPSN
Wii: 4859 2... oh f*ck it.
The control system promises a new, easier-to-use experience (whether it delivers that is something people can argue about, of course), and it looks like the machine that Apple would have designed if Apple made a console. Looks good on a shelf. So it's got that whole mass market vibe going on.
Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! This is fun. I can't wait for Bioshock on the Wii. Shooting and swinging the wrench with the wiimote all with a dark cel-shaded look? YOu know it could be done.
It a lot cheaper too. I bet this helps!
Xbox Live: MrGreen
PSN: MrGreenPSN
Wii: 4859 2... oh f*ck it.
Yeah actually Nielson said the Wii is more likely to be found in affluent homes.
That's going to be a difficult statistic to interpret since a lot of 360 buyers are going to be college students without much income or young males starting out in careers. If parents are buying the Wii for the family, price is more of an issue, even if they're more affluent than the average 360 buyer.
I don't think Bioshock is a sales-driving game. It should sell truck loads of units but not systems. But that could be me. I don't think we'll see the PS3or the 360 really start to push huge numbers until they get down to $299. The $360 is $350 and when you add in a game, it's going to be around $400. That is still a big investment for entertainment. The library is bloody fantastic, so I think price is the only thing holding it back. There are too many good games for people to continue to say "wait until Bioshock" or "Halo" or any title. The game has a lot of great games, now.
For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance. ~Ron Shelton, Bull Durham, 1988
I must be weird.. I have no desire to play Mario Party or Pokemon...or Guitar Hero.
Aint nothing new about the world order..it's been playing since the day they put George Washington on a quarter
85's face the truth you're too dumb.
http://www.myspace.com/armyofthepharaohs
Does this imply that being priced lower than the competition isn't a major factor of its success?
Well maybe it isn't after all. I guess a lot of people buying it wouldn't play games at all otherwise.
Xbox Live: MrGreen
PSN: MrGreenPSN
Wii: 4859 2... oh f*ck it.
Has anything been released at any point in time within any media that has given you reason to believe that Bioshock is coming to the Wii? I'm going to go with NO. I like the Wii too, but this sounds like that god-awful Sony Defense Force link that was floating around earlier in the week. Posts like that almost make Podunk's "fanboy rage" defensible.
Unless you were actually ripping on that, but it doesn't look like it.
I completely agree Funken. I think the Apple vibe helps move that system. And the price. Definitely the price.
Psychotic Foreign Teenage Chicks are so hot. - Legion
I find it ironic anytime a healthy vaccinated person bitches about science...on the internet. - MaverickDago
Add in another $50 for the live account, and maybe another $100 for the wireless that many people need because their family rooms aren't networked. The Wii comes with wireless out of the box, and no additional online fee. There's no question that there's value added by the LIVE service, but it's not clear that the market as a whole sees a LIVE-style service as a "must have" feature in a console. Or maybe people are just mistaking the promise of online play for the Wii as being the equivalent of LIVE.
I saw Metroid on the Wii today in NYC.. is this a demo of the new one? Some kid was playing it.
Aint nothing new about the world order..it's been playing since the day they put George Washington on a quarter
85's face the truth you're too dumb.
http://www.myspace.com/armyofthepharaohs
We're both weird, then.
Have you heard that new Kenny Winker record?
Ummm...what?
Xbox Live: CrankyBaby
baggachipz: Who cares about Japan, let them have their silly pointless dog games and countless re-hashes of anime-based dragon princess super lucky crapitty crap.
Xbox Live: MrGreen
PSN: MrGreenPSN
Wii: 4859 2... oh f*ck it.
It seems pretty obvious to me that the Wii's sales success is due to a couple of things, but nothing is more significant than THE PRICE. Looking at the numbers, the other systems cost twice as much, and sell about half as many (less for the most expensive PS3).
Giving away Wii Sports with the system was also a brilliant move in one way-- it guarantees that people can jump right into playing with only the original $250 investment. It still remains to be seen if those casual gamers lured in by the near-universal praise of the system in the media will buy enough software to support the 3rd parties (I guess we'll see next month what the Madden sales look like across the systems).
I also wonder how much the "scarcity" has driven sales. I still have yet to see one in the wild, and I wonder if that perception gets people buying one when they see one, for fear of not getting one later... supply not meeting demand draws coverage in the media, which creates MORE demand, eventually leading to people trampling grannies come christmas time (call this the "tickle me elmo" phenomenon). IF we were seeing them everywhere, and anyone off the street could snag one, and we kept seeing stories about how they were "just sitting on the shelves collecting dust," would they have sold as well as they have? I guess we'll never know.
xbox LIVE: NatsuMatto
That's What She Said -- A Podcast About NBC's THE OFFICE
Follow me on Twitter: SommerMatt
I dont get it... everywhere I go I see Wii's in stock.. where do people live that you cant find one to buy?
Aint nothing new about the world order..it's been playing since the day they put George Washington on a quarter
85's face the truth you're too dumb.
http://www.myspace.com/armyofthepharaohs
I don't think casual gamers will buy Madden.
I think we need to look more to Rayman Rabbid Raving and maybe EA Playground, and when Wii Fit will be release i think this will be huge.
Uhh... I think it says in my LOCATION?
<-----------------------
xbox LIVE: NatsuMatto
That's What She Said -- A Podcast About NBC's THE OFFICE
Follow me on Twitter: SommerMatt
It took me a while to find one here (AZ), and I had to call daily and rush over to get one. Maybe you're just lucky you see them all time, but they are damn hard to find for most of the US.
Unfortunately, if I slash my wrist with my lightsaber it cauterizes instantly. - PurEvil on emo Star Wars plots.
What? Where? is that in the US? or Canada?
Aint nothing new about the world order..it's been playing since the day they put George Washington on a quarter
85's face the truth you're too dumb.
http://www.myspace.com/armyofthepharaohs
Agreed. Too often I hear from friends "yea, I'd really like one, maybe later when the price drop hits..." For all the love I have for the Wii's ability to get my family and wife excited to play video games, I think its greatest contribution is reinforcing that hitting a price point can be worth sacrificing some silicon.
Hopefully the next batch of consoles will either delay launch until they can make the hardware leap they aim for affordable (preferable, in my opinion), or scale back their grandiose architectures.
Xbox Live: StaatsM
That is something that i hope never ever happens.
That's my biggest worry with the success of the Wii. The other guys holding back on their development. I hope they just decide to branch out to offer a brand equivalent and keep pushing boundries with their marquee systems.
Gamer Tag: Rantyr
It's the unique experience combined with the reasonable price.
PRice didn't help the GC. IT's not helping the PS2 outsell the Wii right now.
The Ps2 is $100 less than the Wii and it's not outselling it. The 360 core is $50 more (less now) and it's not outselling the Wii.
Let's see if the Wii is still selling 200+K units per month in 7 years
Seriously, I'm surprised there are still people left who HAVEN'T bought a PS2 yet... but it's a big world I guess. By price, I'm referring of course to the three "next gen" consoles. I think price is a huge factor, but the other things I mentioned (scarcity, "gotta have it" factor, nothing but positive media coverage) have also added a lot to the success of the system.
xbox LIVE: NatsuMatto
That's What She Said -- A Podcast About NBC's THE OFFICE
Follow me on Twitter: SommerMatt
i gave my ps2 away to my little brother and thought seriously about buying another when GoW2 came out.
Gamer Tag: Rantyr
I guess I have unpopular choices too? only top 10 game I have is GH2 on 360 - which I might add I'm not playing actively... something about shocking bio thingies.
XBL: MikeMac75
All good points. And I'll add that I think it might also be a fun unique system for most people.