January 2008 NPD: PS3 Outsells 360

[MyNameIsWill]

Wii - 274K (from 1.35 million)
PlayStation 3 - 269K (from 798K)
Nintendo DS - 251K (from 2.47 million)
PSP - 230K (from 1.06 million)
Xbox 360 - 230K (from 1.26 million)


1. Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360, Activision) - 330.9K
2. Wii Play w/remote (Wii, Nintendo) - 298.1K
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock w/guitar (Wii, Activision) - 239.6K
4. Rock Band (Xbox 360, MTV/Harmonix) - 183.8K
5. Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock w/guitar (Xbox 360, Neversoft/Activision) - 182.7K
6. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, Nintendo) - 172K
7. Burnout Paradise (Xbox 360, EA) - 144.1K
8. Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360, Activision) - 140K
9. Mario Party (DS, Nintendo) - 138.5K
10. Mario and Sonic: Olympic Games (DS, Sega) - 133K
From here. (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17412)

[forgeforsaken]

What you didn't like my thread?
http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=42288

[Fugitive]

2007 is so, like, last year...

(Edit: Hey, you're not supposed to be able to edit thread titles!)

[Coca Cola Zero]

This would be bigger news if it wasn't pretty much expected due to the mysterious recent 360 supply problems.

[TomChick]

Yeah, but it's helpful to look at last January to compare it to this January, right? At least, I think that's what the OP was getting at... Personally, I'm going to wait for the February 2006 numbers before making any judgments.

-Tom

EDIT: Whoa, he's not supposed to be able to edit thread titles! Wha happen? Jose Liz is a sorceror!

[MyNameIsWill]

Yeah, but it's helpful to look at last January to compare it to this January, right? At least, I think that's what the OP was getting at... Personally, I'm going to wait for the February 2006 numbers before making any judgments.

-Tom
Jan'07 Numbers:

Wii: 436K
PS2: 299K
360: 294K
PS3: 244K

Jan'08 Numbers:

Wii - 274K (-37%)
PS3 - 269K (+10%)
360 - 230K (-22%)

[Desslock]

it's actually amazing how close all those numbers are.

[delirium]

Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox 360 is on that list twice.

[BobJustBob]

The bottom one is supposed to be the PS3 version.

I can't believe (crazy expensive) Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3 outsold Burnout Paradise. I guess the market just doesn't reward innovation or fun anymore.

[slantz]

Yeah, that 360 COD4 dupe is weird, and is on Gamasutra's list as well.

I assume those Wii voucher sales through GameStop/EB counted towards December's sales and not January's?

And yeah, I can't believe that the margin between the three TV-based consoles is as slim as it is.

[MyNameIsWill]

Sony comments:

PlayStation Hardware Momentum
• PS3 Outsold Xbox 360: PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) demonstrated continued momentum in January 2008 with 269K hardware units sold in January, 17% higher than Microsoft.
• PLAYSTATION®Network total downloads exceeded 7.9 million in January 2008, well above the 6.6 million in December 2007. Currently in North America there are more than 2.9 million registered PLAYSTATION Network accounts and more than 52M total downloads life-to-date from PLAYSTATION Store.
• The best is yet to come: The influx of exceptional exclusive and third-party games like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Grand Theft Auto IV, not to mention later releases such as LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, SingStar, to name a few, combined with current momentum for Blu-ray, are expected to further enthusiasm for PS3.
• PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) continued its sales ascent in January 2008 with 230K PSP hardware units sold in January; representing an increase of 9% over January 2007. Also, with its new partnership with Skype™ and great upcoming new games, such as God of War: Chains of Olympus, Patapon and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, further sales growth is expected in 2008.
• PlayStation®2 (PS2) also had an excellent month in January with hardware unit sales reaching 264K units. Also, the PS2 sold more software units than any other console on the market.

Power of the PlayStation Portfolio
• According to NPD January 2008 sales data, the PlayStation brand generated the most U.S. retail dollars in the industry with $486 million, 25% higher than Nintendo and 61% higher than Microsoft.
• The PlayStation brand was #1 in both hardware and software in January.
• The PlayStation brand sold more hardware units than Nintendo and Microsoft combined (764K versus 530K and 230K, respectively).
• PlayStation total hardware revenue was $196 million in January; surpassing the total hardware revenue of Microsoft and Nintendo combined.
• PlayStation total software revenue in January was $224 million, 38% higher than Microsoft.

Industry Outlook
“Coming off a great holiday sales season we see strong momentum behind PS3 in 2008, and feel confident about the year ahead. We have an exceptionally diverse lineup of exclusive games, from Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Resistance 2 to more mainstream games such as LittleBigPlanet and SingStar. Beyond that, we have Blu-ray emerging as the de facto high def standard, the developer community is hitting their stride, consumers are recognizing the tremendous value and innovative services such as PlayStation Home are all in the works, so this is definitely shaping up to be a breakthrough year for us.”
- Jack Tretton, CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment America

[slantz]

I can't believe (crazy expensive) Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3 outsold Burnout Paradise. I guess the market just doesn't reward innovation or fun anymore.
Honestly, sales for Burnout don't seem bad to me, especially considering it was a late-in-the-month release (1/22).

And it's tough to compare it to the Rock Band/Guitar Hero juggernaut, which both have a really long tail thanks to massive mainstream awareness. Burnout Paradise doesn't have that (yet).

[rjcc]

xbot explanation: so....everything except for the PS3 was sold out?

high 5 to those rock band sales, but seriously, who do I have to kill to get dlc thats songs I've heard of?

[rjcc]

Honestly, sales for Burnout don't seem had to me, especially considering it was a late-in-the-month release (1/22).

And it's tough to compare it to the Rock Band/Guitar Hero juggernaut, which both have a really long tail thanks to massive mainstream awareness. Burnout Paradise doesn't have that (yet).

It's what, the 4th-5th game in the series? People should know. Interesting that the superior PS3 version didn't crack the top 10.

[slantz]

It's what, the 4th-5th game in the series? People should know. Interesting that the superior PS3 version didn't crack the top 10.
Well, I'm just saying I don't think comparing Burnout to Rock Band is an apples-to-apples comparison. But your point is valid -- it's not exactly a new franchise.

As for the PS3 version. Has any cross-platform title even come close on the PS3 when compared to the 360 version?

And keep in mind that 'superior' is a very subjective term. I have all next-gen systems, but I prefer the 360 controller, I appreciate acheivements, and more importantly, everyone I know buys and plays cross-platform titles on the 360. I bought the 360 version of Paradise, and I'm 100% glad I did.

[ciparis]

As for the PS3 version. Has any cross-platform title even come close on the PS3 when compared to the 360 version?

Installed base would make that unlikely for awhile yet, I think.

[delirium]

I can't believe (crazy expensive) Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3 outsold Burnout Paradise. I guess the market just doesn't reward innovation or fun anymore.

It's funny you use two of the most innovative and fun games to come out in recent years as a reason the market doesn't reward innovation or fun.

[Don Quixote]

xbot explanation: so....everything except for the PS3 was sold out?

high 5 to those rock band sales, but seriously, who do I have to kill to get dlc thats songs I've heard of?

Not to be snarky (really!), but how old are you? I mean, I played GH 1-2 and was like 'yeah, they're fun, but where's all the old-school glam and punk and crap'. When I read every week or two about all the new RB downloadable content, I'm like 'Where the hell do I sign up' (the answer is, of course, on the dotted line of a hefty credit card bill). The track list and DLC in RB is better and more appealing to me than the first three GH games combined.

So, how old are you? I mean, it must be a generational thing. Not in a bad way. I'm just curious.

[JD]

Why isn't the PS2 included in the list above when it sold 264,000 units?

-Julian

[rjcc]

Not to be snarky (really!), but how old are you? I mean, I played GH 1-2 and was like 'yeah, they're fun, but where's all the old-school glam and punk and crap'. When I read every week or two about all the new RB downloadable content, I'm like 'Where the hell do I sign up' (the answer is, of course, on the dotted line of a hefty credit card bill). The track list and DLC in RB is better and more appealing to me than the first three GH games combined.

So, how old are you? I mean, it must be a generational thing. Not in a bad way. I'm just curious.

25 and I don't usually listen to rock music. I know some of those older songs, but I don't give a shit about them. I fully acknowledge that stuff I want, is probably stuff that people who are actually big fans of rock music don't want, but still, I'd like to be thrown a radio-friendly bone here.

Also, I suppose asking for any songs that don't feature skinny white guys whining about some girl is too much to ask, but if it isn't, I'd like to ask for it.

Basically, I understand where they're going with it, but its not what I want.

[Don Quixote]

25 isn't as young as I was guessing, but I suppose it's not surprising. I'm 33 and surrounded by oh-so-hip early-20-somethings at work, and my music tastes are pretty incompatible with theirs.

I had the realization a few weeks ago that the 'glory days' of 70s and 80s of punk/new wave (the music I grew up listening to) are as far from us now as the 'oldies' stations (that played 50s and 60s music) were from us then. When I turn on a great glam-era Bowie album, I'm playing the oldies. That's depressing. When I was that age, I knew I'd always be listening to new music, and wouldn't end up stuck in the past like all the grown-ups I knew. Damn.

Of course, I don't feel that bad, because I do still listen to new stuff. Some of it does sound like the old stuff- Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, etc., and the rest of which would be wholly unsuitable for RB- Beirut, DeVotchka, Dresden Dolls and the like. I guess you'd have to get Accordion Hero for that. Heh.

[rjcc]

yo, if they put bill idol - rebel yell up, I'd be the HAPPIEST MOTHERFUCKER ALIVE. I'm banging that right now.

[Bahimiron]

I guess this is just proof that the 'one big game every month' was a deadly disease for the 360.

[rjcc]

UTIII really tanked didn't it?

[BobJustBob]

It's funny you use two of the most innovative and fun games to come out in recent years as a reason the market doesn't reward innovation or fun.

I knew someone would find fault with the "fun" comment, but innovative? They're not doing anything Samba de Amigo didn't do, only Samba did it better.

[malkav11]

It's what, the 4th-5th game in the series? People should know. Interesting that the superior PS3 version didn't crack the top 10.

Gamers should know about the Burnout franchise by now, yeah. But Guitar Hero and Rock Band have received attention outside of gamer culture in a way Burnout probably never will.

[mkozlows]

Jan'07 Numbers:

Wii: 436K
PS2: 299K
360: 294K
PS3: 244K

Jan'08 Numbers:

Wii - 274K (-37%)
PS3 - 269K (+10%)
360 - 230K (-22%)

Last year was a five-week January, so if you want to do the even comparison, you need to slice 20% off the 2007 numbers. That puts 360 about even, the Wii down less, and the PS3 up more.

Of course, that's also meaningless, since the PS3 was in low stock and $600 last year, and the Wii has been in low-stock forever, and the 360 was apparently also low this year, go figure.

[Shmtur]

I knew someone would find fault with the "fun" comment, but innovative? They're not doing anything Samba de Amigo didn't do, only Samba did it better.

Some would say that Burnout isn't doing anything Burnout didn't already do, except they already did it better.

[Cronox]

I knew someone would find fault with the "fun" comment, but innovative? They're not doing anything Samba de Amigo didn't do, only Samba did it better.

The same could be said for Paradise, I love it, but it’s essentially the same game play as the other 4 burnout games with the open world element from something like Need For Speed or Test Drive Unlimited.

It’s an amazing game with excellent multiplayer integration but I wouldn’t call it more innovative than Rock Band, which from all reports is also an amazing game with an excellent multiplayer element.

Edit: Damn my slow typing!

[MyNameIsWill]

Oh, you guys.

[Coca Cola Zero]

but it’s essentially the same game play as the other 4 burnout games

I wish that were true :(

Burnout 2 & 3 for lyfe, yo. All other Burnouts are inferior.

[Theodore Rex DX]

No More Heroes sold 65k in the period record by NPD (12 days) and is now at 100k - that's really, really good.