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Microsoft had a healthy head start, and, in America, at least, it has the opportunity to expand upon it, before it is eroded by the Wii, as well as make things untenable for Sony. Complicating matters are the losses that Microsoft's game division has taken, recently. However, I think that it would pay off in the long term to make the Xbox 360 and unbeatable value, especially when compared to the ridiculously expensive PS3. It would seem that Microsoft is opting for a different, "safer" approach, however.

Ummm..so on the news that the PS3 has actually now sold 3 million consoles worldwide, this really looks like a dumb decision by Eidos, especially when considering that in March 2006, the 360 had sold less than half that. This idiotic "PS3 is dead" banter from the Nintendo and 360 fanboys is kind of old. To say that a console isn't selling well and stop releasing titles at this point is a dumb business move, especially when the growth rate of hardware sales is trending upwards and the big selling points are still coming. So, they can delay but at their own peril. This is especially highlighted by the fact that they really don't have any new properties. I didn't know Tomb Raider was still "hot" - only the first two games even appear on the top 200 titles of all time in sales on vgcharts.org.

Ummm..so on the news that the PS3 has actually now sold 3 million consoles worldwide, this really looks like a dumb decision by Eidos, especially when considering that in March 2006, the 360 had sold less than half that. This idiotic "PS3 is dead" banter from the Nintendo and 360 fanboys is kind of old. To say that a console isn't selling well and stop releasing titles at this point is a dumb business move, especially when the growth rate of hardware sales is trending upwards and the big selling points are still coming. So, they can delay but at their own peril. This is especially highlighted by the fact that they really don't have any new properties. I didn't know Tomb Raider was still "hot" - only the first two games even appear on the top 200 titles of all time in sales on vgcharts.org.

Ummm..so on the news that the PS3 has actually now sold 3 million consoles worldwide, this really looks like a dumb decision by Eidos, especially when considering that in March 2006, the 360 had sold less than half that. This idiotic "PS3 is dead" banter from the Nintendo and 360 fanboys is kind of old. To say that a console isn't selling well and stop releasing titles at this point is a dumb business move, especially when the growth rate of hardware sales is trending upwards and the big selling points are still coming. So, they can delay but at their own peril. This is especially highlighted by the fact that they really don't have any new properties. I didn't know Tomb Raider was still "hot" - only the first two games even appear on the top 200 titles of all time in sales on vgcharts.org.

Lets look at the numbers, depending on who you go through:

http://nexgenwars.com/
360 - 10.8M
PS3 - 2.3M
Wii - 5.3M

http://www.vgcharts.org/ngwars.php
360 - 9.8M
PS3 - 2.8M
Wii - 6.3M

so yeah, I can definitely see how they are holding back on production given that the system has been out for 4 months now and selling 1.5M a month. Could you imagine if they weren't holding back?

The Wii has well over the marketshare of the Xbox 360.

P.S.: Don't point me to NexGenWars... they estimate based on trends. VGCharts only uses official numbers.

Yes, the PS3 was not as supply-contstrained in December, the key selling month, and so it is slightly ahead overall for the first four months.

So what? The first four months of the 360 were disasterous due to supply. Microsoft haters delighted in pointing out that it was wayyy behind the first four Dreamcast months. As it happens, the PS3 is also well behind the first four months of the Dreamcast. (And it should be noted that it's behind in both hardware and software, whereas 360 was only behind on hardware).

Yes, the PS3 was not as supply-contstrained in December, the key selling month, and so it is slightly ahead overall for the first four months.

So what? The first four months of the 360 were disasterous due to supply. Microsoft haters delighted in pointing out that it was wayyy behind the first four Dreamcast months. As it happens, the PS3 is also well behind the first four months of the Dreamcast. (And it should be noted that it's behind in both hardware and software, whereas 360 was only behind on hardware).

especially since they're a mere fraction of the sales of the PS2, or even of the XBox and GameCube.

These are the #1 and #2 best selling series in Japan

I give it two weeks if the game sells well.

DC vs 360
DC cs PS3

Looks bad for Sony.

DC vs 360
DC cs PS3

Looks bad for Sony.

"Then neither will the sales figures."

FYI: The PS3 has sold slightly more units then the XBOX 360 sold in its first three months.

I find the rest of your comment confusing...you are mad because they're giving you a casual gaming environment in addition to the more traditional big blockbuster game model. I didn't see anything about a requirement that you use "PS3 Home" to play all games. Seems to me that you can just not download "PS3 Home" and "pop in a game and waste a few hours to unwind". Seems to me that if all you want to do is "slap hos", you can just buy GTA4 when it comes out and ignore the whole "online experience"

Does it occur to you that perhaps they want to appeal to a variety of different markets? Does it occur to you that perhaps they want to give different consumers different things, and that perhaps they are attempting to use multiple revenue models to support different sorts of costumers?

Seems to me that they showed a shiny new toy you can have for free, but only if you want and you said "OMFG! YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! I DON'T WANT THAT SO YOU SUCK!" It's like screaming that Toyata sucks because they make SUVs and you want a hatchback hybrid.

It is selling at a faster rate than the PS2 at the same point in their lifetimes, despite selling slower than the Wii. Where are you getting those figures. http://www.vgcharts.org/japconscomps.php?name1=PS2 &name2=PS3&type=2&align=0 (PS2 2,250,000 PS3 754,250) http://www.vgcharts.org/aconscomps.php?name1=PS2&n ame2=PS3&type=2&align=0 (PS2 1,309,750 PS3 1,035,500)

It is selling at a faster rate than the PS2 at the same point in their lifetimes, despite selling slower than the Wii. Where are you getting those figures. http://www.vgcharts.org/japconscomps.php?name1=PS2 &name2=PS3&type=2&align=0 (PS2 2,250,000 PS3 754,250) http://www.vgcharts.org/aconscomps.php?name1=PS2&n ame2=PS3&type=2&align=0 (PS2 1,309,750 PS3 1,035,500)

Particularly telling is the statement that "...if these elements are for real, this is the reason to buy PlayStation 3." Generally, people buy game consoles -- especially $600 ones -- because they intend to play a lot of games on it. If people are going to pay this kind of premium for a PS3, it needs a lot more than a cool interface.

As great as buzzwords like "Games 3.0" (or whatever it was) sound to a conference room full of anticipatory people, the question is not "Is this cool?" but "Will this translate into more sales." The Wii has sold over 5 million consoles worldwide, and I still can't find one. The PS3 has sold 2 million. Let me say that again. The PS3 has sold 2 million units. The PS3 sold more than that in the first month. Sony has sold slightly over 700,000 over the cursed things in Japan. That's only about twice as many as there are Xbox 360's in Japan, which is truly sad. There has only been one game in the top 50 of Japanese sales for weeks -- Virtua Fighter 5 -- and it was at something like number 45, last I checked.

(See http://www.vgcharts.org/ Despite all of this negativity, this is a bright spot for Sony. If nothing else, it's something about which those who have already spent $600 on a PS3 (plus peripherals) can feel good. Let's hope, for Sony's sake, that there is more to come.

The recent stories, including right here on Slashdot, make it pretty clear that a good deal of the initial hype about the Wii is going away. Too many Wii owners are talking about being bored with the console or talking about how they are playing other consoles after they finished Zelda and grew bored with Wii Sports.

Looking at the Wii list of games for 2007 to early 2008 it is looking all too similar to the GameCube lineup. Maybe there are some major third party games that have yet to be announced, but right now I can't think of any major non-Nintendo game to really look forward to in 2007.

With 1080p TV prices in freefall, most likely with sub 1000 dollar sets by the middle of this year, Nintendo really needs to have something ready in the next couple of years because the Wii and HD TVs do not go well together.

Nintendo needs to walk a fine line of not Osbourning the current Wii while getting developers ready to start making games for a new system. Which usually starts to happen over a year in advance of the hardware hitting the shelves.

The recent stories, including right here on Slashdot, make it pretty clear that a good deal of the initial hype about the Wii is going away. Too many Wii owners are talking about being bored with the console or talking about how they are playing other consoles after they finished Zelda and grew bored with Wii Sports.

Looking at the Wii list of games for 2007 to early 2008 it is looking all too similar to the GameCube lineup. Maybe there are some major third party games that have yet to be announced, but right now I can't think of any major non-Nintendo game to really look forward to in 2007.

With 1080p TV prices in freefall, most likely with sub 1000 dollar sets by the middle of this year, Nintendo really needs to have something ready in the next couple of years because the Wii and HD TVs do not go well together.

Nintendo needs to walk a fine line of not Osbourning the current Wii while getting developers ready to start making games for a new system. Which usually starts to happen over a year in advance of the hardware hitting the shelves.

Not in Japan nor in North America (the PS2 sold 1,299,000 units by the third month in North America)

Not in Japan nor in North America (the PS2 sold 1,299,000 units by the third month in North America)

Looking at the sales of the consoles http://www.vgcharts.org/, it doesn't look like Nintendo is hurting. They have sold over 1/2 the number of 360s that have sold and the 360 had a 12 month head start.

Look at the 360 and past consoles like the PS2. It being February now there would have been about 1 million units sold because that is all that were released. Sony is actually doing well in keeping their production up and having over a million units sold in the US and both the Wii and PS3 don't have the dead console reports that plagued the 360 launch.

So yes it sucks for people who want Wiis but can't find them yet, it's not hurting Nintendo and it's not like they aren't releasing them into retail.

America Japan The American chart is pretty useless at this point in time being that there are only 2 data points, but something to take note of is that the Gamecube never had a shortage and estimates of the Wii's January sales in North America are 500,000 (as compared to the Gamecube's 64,000). The Japaneese chart pretty much needs no comments.

America Japan The American chart is pretty useless at this point in time being that there are only 2 data points, but something to take note of is that the Gamecube never had a shortage and estimates of the Wii's January sales in North America are 500,000 (as compared to the Gamecube's 64,000). The Japaneese chart pretty much needs no comments.

Yeah. Nobody wanting to buy your product is a good thing, and not being able to manufacture stuff fast enough is a bad thing. In your bizarro parallel universe. Nintendo clearly underestimated the demand for the Wii, but look at the sales numbers. It's not as if there were no Wiis available because Nintendo didn't make any. They're clearly not making enough, but they are making a ton of them.

There are no Wiis available because everyone and his mother and his grandmother (quite literally, too) are trying to buy them.

Data from http://vgcharts.org/

US
X360: 5,470,000
Wii: 1,810,000
PS3: 1,160.000

What's interesting to note there is that in the US, the PS3 and the Wii aren't really that far apart.

Japan
X360: 350,000
Wii: 1,610,000
PS3: 700,000

In Japan there's almost a million more Wiis sold. Japan loves themselves some Nintendo. Of course they also love Tentacle Porn and soiled panty dispensers.

Others
X360: 3,220,000
Wii: 1,290,000
PS3: Not Available Yet

It'll be interesting to see how the PS3 does in Europe/Australia/The UK. My guess is that it would match the US sales.

The gamecube didn't do that well.. now the Wii sales show Nintendo clearly ahead. Why don't we compare to the newest consoles and to the predecessor... next you'll compare sales to the Turbo Graphix 16 or perhaps the Sega CD....

http://www.vgcharts.org/japconscomps.php?name1=Wii &name2=PS3&type=2&align=0

Hey dipshit, the PS3 is selling at a faster rate than the 105+ million selling PS2...

Hey dipshit, the PS3 is selling at a faster rate than the 105+ million selling PS2...

Hey dipshit, the PS3 is selling at a faster rate than the 105+ million selling PS2...

Hey dipshit, the PS3 is selling at a faster rate than the 105+ million selling PS2...

Just where did you get that data? Numbers I'm looking at here say exactly the opposite.

interestingly, in Japan, this doesn't happen as much. The PS2 is being outsold by the PS3 (which isn't selling that much anyway) and the GBA is essentially dead (it's sold even less than the xbox360) linky: http://www.vgcharts.org/japyearlysum.php

it's interesting to see the difference in culture, it would seem to me that price is less of an issue to the japanese as the americans (for gamers anyway) since they seem to completely ignore the older systems for their (backwards compatible) successors almost as soon as they're released. The venerable PS2 is selling but it didn't even sell twice as much as the Wii last year.

One thing to remember is that the 75% estimate is how many units people anticipate Sony will ship by March 2007 ...

Currently, the PS3 is not selling particularly well ( Japan North America) inspite of being readily available. At the current rate Sony may end up shipping 4.5 Million units but I couldn't see them having sold 4.5 million units.

One thing to remember is that the 75% estimate is how many units people anticipate Sony will ship by March 2007 ...

Currently, the PS3 is not selling particularly well ( Japan North America) inspite of being readily available. At the current rate Sony may end up shipping 4.5 Million units but I couldn't see them having sold 4.5 million units.

Sony Corp. will reach only 75% of its global target for PlayStation 3 sales this fiscal year through March, according to a Nomura report released 15th Jan.
They originally planned 6 mil, adjusted to 4.5 mil now. more...

The interesting thing with the Japaneese price is that the PS3 is still not selling particularly well there and almost more systems are sold than games (22,250 systems to 13,000 games link in the last week, but typically the tie-ratio is close to 1) ...

It seems like Japan is (mostly) not interested in the PS3 ...

Vgcharts.org says that there are 1.72 and 1.33 million copies of GH1 and GH2, respectively. Assuming that no one with GH1 has GH2, that means that roughly 3% of all PS2 owners have guitars (presumably all GH owners have guitars). It doesn't matter how many guitars they have, since I'm mostly interested in the number of households that have any. There is also the problem of people buying multiple PS2s, but hopefully my double counting of GH owners will compensate for that (actually, I think it overcompensates, but that's just a guess). In any case, I hardly think that 3% is a resounding success. Guitar Hero is an amazing success, and I'm sure everyone involved made money hand over fist, but I wouldn't say that the guitar controller is anything near ubiquitous.

The dance mat is a far more successful peripheral (and I say this in spite of the fact that I hate DDR). There are many games from multiple publishers on multiple platforms that use (essentially) the same mat. The only reason for a person to not own one at this point is the fact that they don't play dance games (it also happens to be an excellent reason, but nevermind that for now). The simple fact that GH games are generally sold with a guitar, and dance games aren't (he says without proof) should make it obvious enough which one is more successful. That said, I must add that the dance mat is probably the only peripheral I would consider "successful".

http://www.vgcharts.org/
http://www.vgcharts.org/news.php?id=58

http://www.vgcharts.org/
http://www.vgcharts.org/news.php?id=58

Sony needs it more than Microsoft

As you can see, it's a lot closer than this article would lead you to believe. The Wii sold in huge numbers its first 2 weeks, and it's now dropped off. The PS3 has held steady. They're almost neck and neck at this point.

Those are actual sales, not "surveys".

These are actual sales numbers in Japan too ... They're not nearly neck in neck

Wii ( 158,750 ) vs. PS3 ( 68,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 07th January 2007
Wii ( 135,250 ) vs. PS3 ( 61,250 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 31st December 2006
Wii ( 286,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 76,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 24th December 2006
Wii ( 100,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 72,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 17th December 2006
Wii ( 103,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 49,000 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 10th December 2006
Wii ( 368,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 31,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 03rd December 2006
PS3 ( 35,750 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 26th November 2006
PS3 ( 43,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 19th November 2006
PS3 ( 86,750 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 12th November 2006

Total: Wii ( 1,153,000 ) vs. PS3 ( 525,250 )

Wii Hardware vs PS3 Hardware
Wii Software vs PS3 Software

Now if you believe this and this the Wii is selling every unit it ships while there are PS3 units on the shelf which means that the Wii could sell more if Nintendo could build more units.

It may not be the case for long but currently the Wii is owning the PS3 in Japan.

As you can see, it's a lot closer than this article would lead you to believe. The Wii sold in huge numbers its first 2 weeks, and it's now dropped off. The PS3 has held steady. They're almost neck and neck at this point.

Those are actual sales, not "surveys".

These are actual sales numbers in Japan too ... They're not nearly neck in neck

Wii ( 158,750 ) vs. PS3 ( 68,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 07th January 2007
Wii ( 135,250 ) vs. PS3 ( 61,250 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 31st December 2006
Wii ( 286,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 76,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 24th December 2006
Wii ( 100,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 72,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 17th December 2006
Wii ( 103,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 49,000 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 10th December 2006
Wii ( 368,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 31,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 03rd December 2006
PS3 ( 35,750 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 26th November 2006
PS3 ( 43,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 19th November 2006
PS3 ( 86,750 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 12th November 2006

Total: Wii ( 1,153,000 ) vs. PS3 ( 525,250 )

Wii Hardware vs PS3 Hardware
Wii Software vs PS3 Software

Now if you believe this and this the Wii is selling every unit it ships while there are PS3 units on the shelf which means that the Wii could sell more if Nintendo could build more units.

It may not be the case for long but currently the Wii is owning the PS3 in Japan.

As you can see, it's a lot closer than this article would lead you to believe. The Wii sold in huge numbers its first 2 weeks, and it's now dropped off. The PS3 has held steady. They're almost neck and neck at this point.

Those are actual sales, not "surveys".

These are actual sales numbers in Japan too ... They're not nearly neck in neck

Wii ( 158,750 ) vs. PS3 ( 68,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 07th January 2007
Wii ( 135,250 ) vs. PS3 ( 61,250 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 31st December 2006
Wii ( 286,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 76,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 24th December 2006
Wii ( 100,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 72,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 17th December 2006
Wii ( 103,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 49,000 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 10th December 2006
Wii ( 368,500 ) vs. PS3 ( 31,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 03rd December 2006
PS3 ( 35,750 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 26th November 2006
PS3 ( 43,500 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 19th November 2006
PS3 ( 86,750 ) Japanese Chart for Week Ending 12th November 2006

Total: Wii ( 1,153,000 ) vs. PS3 ( 525,250 )

Wii Hardware vs PS3 Hardware
Wii Software vs PS3 Software

Now if you believe this and this the Wii is selling every unit it ships while there are PS3 units on the shelf which means that the Wii could sell more if Nintendo could build more units.

It may not be the case for long but currently the Wii is owning the PS3 in Japan.