Global Console Sales

[Chris Nahr]

Listen up, you primitive screwheads. This is my Console Sales spreadsheet (http://www.kynosarges.de/misc/ConsoleSales.xls).

And when you open it you'll see that the PlayStation 3 is currently outselling the Xbox 360 at approximately 375k vs 294k units per month.

That's what I found when I entered all the regional sales figures I could find and computed the monthly average since January 2007.

Note that this excludes the PS3 launch hump for Japan and America. I checked that the PAL launch didn't add any significant deviation to the figure.

So go ahead and have apoplectic fits about my spreadsheet!

[rjcc]

well, the console war is over and Sony am winning. thanks for showing us the light vgchart.....I mean chris.

[wumpus]

Can you correlate game sales with each region?

Is every region created equally, eg, is 500,000 units in Japan "worth" as much as 500,000 units in the USA (or Europe, or wherever) in terms of game sales?

[Charles]

Listen up, you primitive screwheads. This is my Console Sales spreadsheet (http://www.kynosarges.de/misc/ConsoleSales.xls).

And when you open it you'll see that the PlayStation 3 is currently outselling the Xbox 360 at approximately 375k vs 294k units per month.


Cool. That means if the PS3 keeps up those sales, they'll have closed the 5 million sales gap in just over 5 years.

[Guido Jones]

Cool. That means if the PS3 keeps up those sales, they'll have closed the 5 million sales gap in just over 5 years.

Hahahahah

[Rimbo]

Cool. That means if the PS3 keeps up those sales, they'll have closed the 5 million sales gap in just over 5 years.

^--- t3h winnar

[Chris Nahr]

Can you correlate game sales with each region?

Is every region created equally, eg, is 500,000 units in Japan "worth" as much as 500,000 units in the USA (or Europe, or wherever) in terms of game sales?

Ugh, I have no idea. Why don't you google software sales charts for a few hours and add those numbers to the spreadsheet? :)

[Chris Nahr]

Cool. That means if the PS3 keeps up those sales, they'll have closed the 5 million sales gap in just over 5 years.

You know, that was supposed to be snappy but five years is actually just a normal console lifespan...

And seeing how well the PS3 is already selling, at its current price point and with its current software lineup, I'm pretty sure that the gap will increase. Halo 3 won't change that, not for long anyway.

Apart from the Wii with its insane numbers, I think it's clear we're going to see two roughly equally strong systems this generation: Xbox 360 in America and PS3 elsewhere. Multiplatform development will be mandatory.

[Ben Sones]

Cool. That means if the PS3 keeps up those sales, they'll have closed the 5 million sales gap in just over 5 years.

Not only that, but that global sales number in general is kind of meaningless. Even if Sony were selling a lot more hardware than Microsoft (rather than just a little) worldwide, that doesn't change the fact that they have a much smaller install base. They are in last place in two markets and a distant second in a third, with no hope (barring a huge jump in sales) of changing that. Ever. That makes attracting third party developers very difficult, and that is the font from which true console domination flows (ask Gamecube-era Nintendo). My prediction: unless they can pull a $200 price drop out of their ass this Christmas, it's over for them. The PS3 is going to be this generation's Gamecube. Except without the profitability.

[Matthew Gallant]

Halo 3 won't change that, not for long anyway.
LOLOLOLOL

[Charles]

You know, that was supposed to be snappy but five years is actually just a normal console lifespan...


Okay. So your big prediction is that Sony and MS will end up equal? I'm not sure that would surprise many people.

See, here I thought you were using this as some argument for Sony coming out on top. I suppose, once MS moves on to the Xbox 3, sony may be able to pull ahead on the last gen.

[Mark Asher]

I think this generation will be odd in that there will be no clearcut winner, because I still am dubious about the kind of third party sales the Wii will generate. I do expect the gap between the 360 and PS3 to close, and I'd expect to see more titles released on both systems at once rather than exclusively on just one system.

What does being exclusive give you if you are a third party, besides the possibility of MS or Sony paying you for the privilege?

[Charles]

What does being exclusive give you if you are a third party, besides the possibility of MS or Sony paying you for the privilege?

You save a bit of pain in not having to cert for two different companies. You save a bit of development time/money/effort by not having to make it work on the other platform.

Not sure either of those make up for the lost sales though, unless you are aiming for a tight niche anyway.

[Angrycoder]

Multiplatform development will be mandatory.

Wow, if this was like 7 years ago, you'd be Nostradamus.

[bigdruid]

Hey, Chris - what flavor kool-aid *is* that, anyway?

[Midnight Son]

Hey, Chris - what flavor kool-aid *is* that, anyway?

Rootkitlicious!

[ciparis]

Speaking of the data, I would like to see non-averaged monthlies. Trends are more revealing than average since launch. I'm too busy (read: lazy) to do it, though :)

[E-phonk]

I still am dubious about the kind of third party sales the Wii will generate

In the last NPD chart, the Wii top 10 included 4 third party games (RE4, The Bigs, Harry Potter and Transformers).