2010 Console Sales Thread.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Thought it would be a good idea to start a general thread to avoid mucking up other threads with sales discussion. You all in the Video Game thread can thank me later.

Looks like we're about to get some action on those long-awaited sales cuts. Two articles today give a good picture of Sony's current position. First, Amazon in Germany posted a space holder for the PS3 Slim, all but confirming that a new PS3 is on the way. It's been taken down since then.

Blu-ray.com - Slim PS3 Surfaces on Amazon Germany (Update)

A Sony exec has confirmed that manufacturing costs for the PS3 are now down 70%, which means that Sony can make a PS3 now for just under $250. Stringer said last month that he would never sell a PS3 at a loss. At this cost, they can sell the PS3 for $299 and still make a good profit on the system.

PS3 Manufacturing Costs Reduced By 70% News - TotalVideoGames.com

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Looks like another announcement likely to come to fruition this fall. More info from Japanese sites showing how the PS2 emulation firmware will work on all PS3 consoles. Great news for existing owners of 40/80/160 GB machines along with future customers to finally have some legitimate BC. You'll need a translator to go through the Japanese sites.

NeoGAF - View Single Post - Slim PS3 ...good fake or...

Possibility of PS2 backwards compatibility coming soon?

Sony patents on July 30th 2009 technology to emulate the "Graphics Synthesizer" on the PS2 using the Cell & RSX:

Previously there was a patent to emulate the "Emotion Engine" (http://www.siliconera.com/2009/06/29...l-processors/), however this new patent demonstrates a method to emulate both EE and GS.

Link with more pictures:
http://gigazine.net/index.php?/news/comments/20090803_ps2_on_ps3/

Patent directory:
Æõö¡¦¼ÂÍÑ¿·°Æ¸øÊó£Ä£Â
the patent ID is 「文献種別：A、文献番号：2009-527836」

[PDF] Link: ¥¤¥ó¥Õ¥©¥á¡¼¥·¥ç¥ó

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

more dola

Lots of info in advance of the big Euro and Japan trade shows. More indicators of new PS3 model on the way. 80 GB machine appears to be on the way out. Supply is limited and places in Japan are saying it's discontinued.

80GB PLAYSTATION 3 To Be Discontinued In Japan - PS3 - Kotaku

Some new worldwide numbers for PS3 are out. 23 million and change for the PS3 worldwide. In comparison, the 360 is around 30 million and the Wii is 52-53 million. I'm honestly pretty surprised that the difference between the 360 and PS3 isn't bigger given the year head start and the much lower price point on the 360.

PlayStation 3 install base reaches 23 million worldwide // News

Also, Bill Harris had a note in his blog this morning that mentioned that the currency adjusted cost of the PS3 is around $280 instead of the $240-250 mentioned in the other article I posted. Still cheap enough for a $299 price cut, but not quite the profit that was mentioned before.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Nintendo say no price cut coming. Also, they admit openly what most have been saying for months.......the system isn't selling becaue the recent slate of games have been very weak.

Iwata rules out Wii price cut, next console a long way off - News at GameSpot

Also, a French website has listed the PS3 Slim with a preorder date of August 18th and a release date of September 1st. Seems to fit in well with previous information. No price listed yet.

[Big Fo]

In that same article Iwata says Nintendo aims to sell 10 million copies each of Wii Fit Plus, Wii Sports Resort, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii by the end of March 2010.

WSR sold over 500k in its first week

[SackAttack]

Well, in fairness to mbbf, they could probably do that without selling a single new Wii console between now and then.

[MJ4H]

I think I would buy 10 million copies of New Super Mario Bros Wii myself if I could. God I can't wait for that game.

[SackAttack]

That and Galaxy 2 are a couple of games I'm certain I'll be getting, but Lord knows when I'll be able to play 'em. Just don't have room to set the Wii up.

[Big Fo]

I think they'll hit that projection.

Super Mario Galaxy sold over 8 million and many people find 2D Mario to be a lot more accessible than 3D Mario. Plus the DS version is near 20 million or something crazy by now. This game also offers 4-player co-op which is new to the series. It should be awesome, I can't wait.

Wii Fit Plus is being priced at 2000 yen ($22) in Japan for the standalone game and 9800 yen ($105) with the balance board, so if that translates worldwide it will be priced more like an expansion pack for people who bought the first Wii Fit.

Wii Sports Resort has already topped the charts in Europe, Japan, and with just that first week will likely top the 360 version of NCAA Football 10 for the month of July here. It wouldn't surprise me to see this game join Wii Play, Mario Kart, and Wii Fit in selling well over a long period of time.

But these three will definitely sell better than Wii Music and Animal Crossing, which lead Nintendo's weak Fall/Winter 2008 lineup.

[MJ4H]

The four player thing is the entire draw for me. It looks just like the original Mario Bros. compete/cooperate gameplay that made that one of my favorite games of all time.

[gstelmack]

Very disappointed that the Boom Blox sequel got released so quietly. I didn't even know it was out until I was browsing some site. Have it now, I like some of the new games (knock off all of your blocks only to score every remaining block) and some adjustments to rules (person in last place gets to go first). Nicely done so far.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

No surprises here as this was leaked several weeks ago by the ArsMole. 360 Pro is gone with Elite moving down in price to sell at same price as current Pro model.

Leaked back-of-box chart shows Xbox line winnowing down to Arcade and Elite SKUs

This isn't all that shocking either, but it does show that Activision was doing little more than trying to bluff their way into a price cut for the PS3. There's no way on God's green Earth that they're leaving the PS3 as a publisher when they're making $152 million in revenue. That's more than they made on the Wii which has a much larger base..

Activision’s Second Quarter Earnings, With PS3 Showing 2nd Highest Revenue? « PS3 Blog and Community | PS3Blog.net

EA reports Wii revenue leading the pack ($161M) followed by PS3 ($121M) and the 360 coming in third ($76M). Another clear indicator that the complaints about the PS3 by publishers are mainly motivated by the fact that they realize that they could see a substantial increase in revenue with a PS3 price cut.

PS3 outperforms Xbox 360 for EA | Gaming Industry | MCV

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like the 80 GB machine will be available for 299 in Europe. It's already been listed at 249 in Italy. Probably will see clearance deals in the U.S. as well.

ALTERNATE. Hardware - Software - Entertainment

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

This isn't all that shocking either, but it does show that Activision was doing little more than trying to bluff their way into a price cut for the PS3. There's no way on God's green Earth that they're leaving the PS3 as a publisher when they're making $152 million in revenue. That's more than they made on the Wii which has a much larger base..

Activision’s Second Quarter Earnings, With PS3 Showing 2nd Highest Revenue? « PS3 Blog and Community | PS3Blog.net

I love media spin. The other headline I saw on this was referring to the fact that they made more on the 360 than any other platform

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

I love media spin. The other headline I saw on this was referring to the fact that they made more on the 360 than any other platform

Sure, and that's to be expected. The 360 should make more for Activision due to installed user base. With that said, all of the 'oh no' posts concerning Activision's comment earlier this year were a terrible misread on what was happening. It was just politics as usual. They never had any intention to pull their titles from the PS3. I'm sure you agree with that.

[dervack]

Is this worldwide earnings? And if so, they made quite a bit more on the 360, more than the 7 million console difference you like to tout.

[gstelmack]

The report I read earlier discussed North American earnings. I have not read MBBF's particular article.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by dervack

Is this worldwide earnings? And if so, they made quite a bit more on the 360, more than the 7 million console difference you like to tout.

I'm not 'touting' it. Those are the numbers in regards to worldwide console numbers. Do you have a source that disagrees with those numbers? If so, feel free to post them.

[dervack]

That's why I was asking if they were worldwide. If they were worldwide, the percentage of their sales doesn't reflect the ratio of consoles world wide that you were bragging about. That's all.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by dervack

That's why I was asking if they were worldwide. If they were worldwide, the percentage of their sales doesn't reflect the ratio of consoles world wide that you were bragging about. That's all.

Agreed. The PS3 portion of the market is even smaller in North America, which makes the numbers even more surprising. I'm not sure what I was 'bragging' about, but I agree with your clarification that the 360 has a larger market share and the PS3 has a smaller market share over here, though I'm not sure that needed to be clarified. I assumed everyone knew that at this point.

Good news for those waiting to see the PS3 price point. A Euro retailer is confirming a 299 Euro price point for the PS3 Slim, which means the $299 price point in North America is very likely.

Blu-ray.com - Rumor: Slim PS3 Will be €100 Cheaper

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Apparant confirmation on the expected model price swap by Microsoft. Pro is out and Elite units will sell for $299 starting August 30th.

Elite 360 Dropping In Price, RIP Pro Model - Xbox 360 - Kotaku

With the HD cables now also removed from the new 360 SKU's (PS3 has always been that way), we have our first apples-to-apples battle between the two consoles this holiday season. Only real difference is that Wifi and Blu-ray are both in the PS3.

[Cringer]

I just want to say it is still summer where I live.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Cringer

I just want to say it is still summer where I live.

And hotter than hell to boot. Texas got screwed. One of the coolest July's on record in the U.S. and Texas gets stuck with a heat wave/drought.

[dervack]

Blu-ray.com - Rumor: Slim PS3 Announcement Next Tuesday

Surprised I'm beating PS3 B-Ball fan to the punch, but announcement rumored for next Tuesday.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by dervack

Blu-ray.com - Rumor: Slim PS3 Announcement Next Tuesday

Surprised I'm beating PS3 B-Ball fan to the punch, but announcement rumored for next Tuesday.

I've seens this leaked as far as a release date in europe (when it wasn't confirmed as existing anywhere yet) but not sure where...

[Big Fo]

July NPD Numbers:

Nintendo DS .... 538.9K
Wii ................. 252.5K
Xbox 360 ........ 202.9K
PSP ................. 122.8K
PlayStation 3 .... 121.8K
PlayStation 2 ... 108K

Wii SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS (WII) 508.2K
NCAA FOOTBALL 10 (360) ............................... 376.5K
NCAA FOOTBALL 10 (PS3) ............................... 237.4K
WII FIT W/ BALANCE BOARD* (WII) ,................. 164.3K
MARIO KART W/ WHEEL (WII) .......................... 156.6K
MARIO KART DS (NDS) .................................... 132.2K
POKEMON PLATINUM VERSION (NDS) ............... 116.4K
FIGHT NIGHT ROUND 4 (360) .......................... 116.4K
NEW SUPER MARIO BROS (NDS) ..................... 101.8K
EA SPORTS ACTIVE BUNDLE (WII) .................... 96.8K

PS3 is down year over year for the ninth straight month.

Every game in the top ten was published by Nintendo or Electronic Arts.

Mario Kart DS came out in November 2005 and New Super Mario Bros. came out in May 2006. They still cost full price ($35). Amazing.

NCAA was slightly down compared to last July.

360: 397.6k -> 376.5k
PS3: 242.3k -> 237.4k

[MJ4H]

Mario Kart DS and NSMB are mind-blowing.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Mario Kart DS and NSMB are mind-blowing.

Yeah, that is kindof crazy. But, look at the DS sales numbers- still 500K, tho many are DSi's now. Back when it was 300K new DS owners a month, that means 1 in 3 were getting both games for their new system. Then again, they really are good games. Still, that attach rate is phenomenal.

SI

[Big Fo]

Here's an interesting comparison I came across (USA only):

PS2 24,112,000 (45-month mark) (June 2004)
PS2 18,080,000 (33-month mark) (June 2003)

Xbox - 9,361,402 (33-month mark) (July 2004)
Xbox - 12,500,000 (45-month mark) (July 2005)

GCN - 7,673,241 (33-month mark) (July 2004)
GCN - 11,122,000 (45-month mark) (July 2005)

360 15,683,786 (45 months) (July 2009)
360 10,749,000 (33 months) (July 2008)

PS3 8,035,896 (33 months) (July 2009)

Wii 20,817,781 (33 months) (July 2009)

Wii is still ahead of PS2's pace overall but has been behind the last couple of months.

[Big Fo]

July top 20 chart out:



Make that 16 out of the top 20 (and all of the top 13) games published by Nintendo and EA.

It's good to see Tiger Woods 10 still up there, it's the best golf game I've ever played.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by dervack

Blu-ray.com - Rumor: Slim PS3 Announcement Next Tuesday

Surprised I'm beating PS3 B-Ball fan to the punch, but announcement rumored for next Tuesday.

Yeah, that was leaked by the Ars Mole two months ago. He had said announcement was coming to coincide with Madden release week. Tomorrow was the obvious choice given the trade show.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

NeoGaf's getting hammered right now. It's currently down. K-Mart has put up a pre-order page on their site for the PS3 Slim. $299.99 shipping on 8/24/09.

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/ProductDi...atalogId=10104

I may actually look around to see if I can track down a used PS3 at this point. Those will likely go for $230-250 with the price drop.

Edit: Other retailers now putting up presale sites. Sears:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...000P?adCell=W2

[dervack]

KMart is wrong. First week in spetember for the slim, 299. Current 80 gigs should drop to 299 tomorrow.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by dervack

KMart is wrong. First week in spetember for the slim, 299. Current 80 gigs should drop to 299 tomorrow.

Yeah, if you add it to the cart, the ship date switches to 8/30/09.

I'm not sure why anyone would buy the 80 GB version for $299. They just announced that the PS3 Slim will have 120 GB HDD if I read that correctly. I'd take the extra space anyday.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Firmware 3.0 was also announced.

PS3 Firmware v3.0 Coming Soon – Loot Ninja

[Big Fo]

Bah, I was hoping for full PS2 backward compatibility or cross game voice chat. But at least they added advertisements and pay-for avatars!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

At the press conference, they said that ALL current models are $299 starting today. If so, the 160 GB Uncharted bundle is a helluva deal at that price. Haven't seen any online retailers mark down either model yet, so we'll have to see if that's true.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Side by side pictures up over at Neogaf. Pretty substantial size decrease on the Slim model..........

NeoGAF - View Single Post - Slim PLAYSTATION 3 "OFFICIALLY" (finally) Announced!

[MrDNA]

Huh, SonyStyle.com still has the 80gb at 499. I just got one of those playstation credit card deals where you get $100 off so I'd love to be able to play this to my advantage and get a PS3 super cheap.

[cartman]

System hackers will want to get an existing PS3. The ability to install Linux was removed on the Slim.

[RainMaker]

Is size really a major issue with the PS3?

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Yeah, if you add it to the cart, the ship date switches to 8/30/09.

I'm not sure why anyone would buy the 80 GB version for $299. They just announced that the PS3 Slim will have 120 GB HDD if I read that correctly. I'd take the extra space anyday.

Maybe because you can definitely upgrade the 80 GB HD if you need the extra space, but the 120, from the looks of things, isn't gonna be upgradeable?

The slim design looks like a one-piece mold to me.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Maybe because you can definitely upgrade the 80 GB HD if you need the extra space, but the 120, from the looks of things, isn't gonna be upgradeable?

The slim design looks like a one-piece mold to me.

No, the HDD is upgradeable in the Slim model. The drive slides out of the bottom right portion of the front of the console rather than out of the side on the old model. It was mentioned in the presentation as well.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Tons of new stuff coming out of GamesCon 2009. Video of PS3 Slim unboxing.........

YouTube - GamesRadar and PTOM unbox the PS3 Slim!

Video detailing all the new features of PS3 firmware 3.0............

http://www.viddler.com/explore/sceablog/videos/510/

Gran Turismo PSP will be free with purchase of PSP Go at launch......

Buy PSP Go at Launch, Get Gran Turismo FREE – Loot Ninja

Trailer for new PS3 exclusive 'Dead Nation'. I, for one, welcome our zombie overlords........

YouTube - Dead Nation "Gamescom" Reveal Trailer

New Heavy Rain video..........

http://www.viddler.com/explore/Joyst...eos/1646/2.035

New White Knight Chronicles trailer..........

YouTube - White Knight Chronicles "Gamescom" Trailer

More info on Gran Turismo 5.

Models included:
1,000 vehicles
170 Premium new models (full interior modeling, the interior corresponds to vehicle damage)
830 kinds of standard model

■ Sound
Custom soundtracks (Use songs from your PS3 hard-drive)

■ Courses
60 courses confirmed with 20 or more to be revealed

■ Physical simulation of vehicles
Physics system simulation is brand new
Represented is full fall in vehicles [possibly rollover]
Damage representation (reproduced in full by real-time collision deformation)
faithfully reproducing the behavior of electric cars.

■ Arcade Mode
Single Race
2 player battle

■ GT Mode
World Map
My Garage
Car Dealer
Tuning Shop (parts, tires)
Car Washes/Oil Change
Race Championship (Series system, point system)
License Test

■ Online
Open Lobby
Text / Voice Chat
Private rooms
Online Photo Album
Online Replay Album
YouTube replay output

■ Photo Mode
Photo Drive (Circuit)
Photo stage (Stage Photo mode only)

■ Gran Turismo TV
Video output to a PSP or PSP Go®
Progressive Download
Improved user interface
Continuous Play for videos

Interview with Sony exec about the new Slim. Also, put the backward compatibility rumors to bed. It's not coming back......

Sony answers our questions about the new PlayStation 3 - Ars Technica

[wade moore]

I wish I liked racing games. Gran Turismo seems to be on eo fthe most well done games out there - I just don't like racing games.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I wish I liked racing games. Gran Turismo seems to be on eo fthe most well done games out there - I just don't like racing games.

I found GT to be a very difficult game to play, until I picked up the Force Feedback Wheel with GT4 on the PS2. It's a MUCH better game with a good steering wheel and gear shift. I'm really glad that GT5 will work with the Force Feedback Wheel that I still have. Thank God for USB peripherals.

[sterlingice]

So- anyone know anything about the GH:5/GH:Van Halen offer? Apparently if you get Guitar Hero 5 in September, you get Guitar Hero: Van Halen for free with a mail-in offer.

SI

[RainMaker]

When is Heavy Rain actually going to be released? There seem to be about 5 games I keep hearing about with the PS3 that seem to have been in development forever. The other I can't think of but was real unique looking and I believe was the name of someone. They look really good but it doesn't feel like any will ever be released.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

When is Heavy Rain actually going to be released? There seem to be about 5 games I keep hearing about with the PS3 that seem to have been in development forever. The other I can't think of but was real unique looking and I believe was the name of someone. They look really good but it doesn't feel like any will ever be released.

I think the 'name' one you're thinking of is actually Alan Wake and that's a 360 exclusive.

Most of the big PS3 games are just around the corner. GT5 is rumored to be late this year, but will certainly be a spring 2010 release if not this fall since the developers have already said it's complete and merely being tweaked at this point. God of War III is coming in March 2010. FFXIII is expected in the spring as well with FFXIV coming fall 2010. Heavy Rain is a Spring 2010 release. MAG is also a Spring 2010 release.

With the price cut, they don't really need a ton of big titles for the fall. Uncharted 2 is the only really big title, though there are a few lesser games on the slate. With a lot of newer users buying this fall, they'll likely be catching up on the older games in the library for most of the holiday season, hence the reason there's a lot of big PS3 titles slated for next spring.

As far as fall 2009 games go, this is a relatively weak release schedule on all consoles, not just the PS3.

[RainMaker]

Yeah, Alan Wake is what I'm thinking.

I just remember seeing trailers for Heavy Rain back in 2006. Just seems like a really long development cycle.