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Worldwide Console Hardware Sales Compared

Posted by simoniker on from the might-is-right? dept.

Thanks to GameSpy for their import gaming column which also collates the total hardware sales for all the major consoles by territory, information that's often hard to find in one place. The article points out: "Generally speaking, worldwide, the PlayStation 2 is crushing the competition, having sold millions and millions more consoles than the Xbox or GameCube", and "Xbox seems to be more popular [than GameCube] in both North America and Europe", leading Nintendo's console by a million in the U.S. and a couple of hundred thousand in Europe. But in the East, the situation is different, since "hardly anybody is buying the Xbox in Japan", and the GameCube has a one-and-a-half million console advantage, further bolstered by a recent weekly chart that has the GC selling 16,841 consoles, and Xbox selling just 530 machines.

46 comments

  1. Low numbers for europe by jkcity · · Score: 1

    It seems quite strange that europe's numbers are so low, especially considering it includes other area's as well, I wonder if its just because in many places in europe there just is'nt alot of games in the local language.

    I'd love to see a break down by countries of europe.

    1. Re:Low numbers for europe by weicco · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Nah, I don't think that's the reason. At least kids in my neighbourhood speaks, and especially writes, english better than finnish which is their native language :)

      --
      You don't know what you don't know.
    2. Re:Low numbers for europe by CheeseEatingBulldog · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I doubt it has anything to do with local language, here in holland all films are in the original language with dutch subtitles, plus most advertising is still in English. The French and Germans still dub all films and tv though, but big games like Final Fanstasy are translated anyway. Europeans generally learn other languages to broaden their horizons...and to understand their fellow humans.

      --

      It's always funny until someone gets hurt. Then it's just hilarious. -B.Hicks-
    3. Re:Low numbers for europe by Amanset · · Score: 2, Informative

      Possibly due to have less games to choose from.

      For a long time now many games were not released in Europe. Unless I am mistaken, Final Fantasy 7, for example, was the first FF game released in Europe. Neither Chrono Trigger or Chrono Cross were. Xenogears wasn't and there is no sign of Xenosaga.

      OK, there is a slight RPG bias there, but it stretches to other styles. Animal Crossing, one of the standout games for the Gamecube which has sold the system to those who traditionally don't buy video games, has still not been definitely confirmed for Europe. There have been rumours and allegedly it comes out in Australia (where the games are compatible with European machines) next month.

      Because of this there is also quite an import scene, with consumers getting consoles from Japan or the US.

      All of this affects the sales in Europe.

    4. Re:Low numbers for europe by WildBeast · · Score: 1

      I don't know, for some reason they have a lack of interest for games. I don't think it's about the language, it's more about the culture I guess.

    5. Re:Low numbers for europe by edwdig · · Score: 1

      Final Fantasy games were released in Europe during the SNES days. I remember Nintendo Power having a story on it back then. Apparently the games were called Mystic Quest there rather than Final Fantasy. Nintendo Power mentioned it when Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest came out in the US. The article basically just asked "well, what will they call this game in Europe?"

    6. Re:Low numbers for europe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      mystic quest: final fantasy =)

    7. Re:Low numbers for europe by Amanset · · Score: 1

      Of the "standard" Final Fantasy games, the first one released in Europe was Final Fantasy 7. Final Fantasy 6 is now available for the Playstation, marking its first official release in Europe.

      Mystic Quest isn't considered a "standard" Final Fantasy game. Amongst fans it is generally considered a "Beginner RPG".

  2. Gamespy Comes Through by acxr+is+wasted · · Score: 2, Funny

    Woohoo! Finally a relevant story from Gamespy!

    --
    "Come on, let's go drink till we can't feel feelings anymore."
  3. Bleed, boy! Bleed! by Mulletproof · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "hardly anybody is buying the Xbox in Japan", and the GameCube has a one-and-a-half million console advantage, further bolstered by a recent weekly chart that has the GC selling 16,841 consoles, and Xbox selling just 530 machines.

    Well of course nobody is buying the XBox in Japan. There is hardly and 'console' flavored games for it on either side of the ocean. Most are either very PC flavored, 2 year old ports of previously marketed games or are simply too mediocre to be noticed. And don't go off on me with some fanboy rant. I own an Xbox and did Live Beta. I can count the number of truly attention getting games on one hand (maybe two) and the number that actually sell large quantities in Japan is even less.

    In all honesty though, I don't think MS cares about that market, or at least only enough to keep disgruntled US/European gamers from burning their headquarters down. I'm more and more of the opinion that they are trying to grow a grass roots domestic gaming culture from the ground up, attempting to accomplish what Japan has had for two decades-- A thriving, rampant gaming industry and consumer lifestyle almost entirely independent of the Japanese market. Kinda goes along with that monopoly thing. I can see the reason for it somewhat. As long as they rely on a japanese market to make them games, they'll be beholden to them in one way or another. By establishing a foundation at home, they can at least battle for their monopoly on an even footing instead of on the enemies home turf.

    But without relying on the Japanese market which sells games nearly everybody likes, it's going to be a painfully uphill battle... I don't see them being anything close to a challenge for at least another console, maybe even two more. You think they're bleeding bad now? Wait until MS is facing a brand spankin' new PS3 with a fanbase inherited from two generations of excellent consoles...

    Say what you want about Gates and his Billions. Sony is a rock solid company itself with it's own billions, and console hardware experience AND a an established consumer base. If MS doesn't alter their strategy a tad, bleeding moutains of cash will be the only way to the promised land. I know they have it, but against an opponet with equal mountains of cash already making more moutains of cash, it isn't exactly the brightest move...

    Get your own IMO. This one's mine.

    --
    You need a FREE iPod Nano
    1. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by einTier · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't think Sony is the one that needs to worry right now, and I don't think Microsoft is gunning for them -- yet. Remember, there's always been space for two consoles, but not three. Nintendo's market share for it's primary console has been slipping for years, as they constantly try to make the hardware they want to make and then try to convince people to buy it rather than figuring out what people want to buy and then making that.

      Sounds a lot like another company Microsoft and Intel cratered about a decade ago.

      --
      -------------------------------------------------- $665.95 -- retail price of the beast.
    2. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by cbirdsong64 · · Score: 1

      As you can see, that company is out of business. Yep, don't hear about them at all anymore. They don't make anything these days, especially money.

    3. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by yamla · · Score: 1

      I own an XBox. It is, in fact, the only console I own. I'm interested in hearing what you list as the truly attention-getting games for the XBox. Seriously, because I don't seem to be able to pick particularly good games to buy. I'm sure I should rent them before buying them, though.

      So if you could list the games you think are good on the XBox, I'd appreciate it. :)

      --

      Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.
    4. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by nelsonal · · Score: 2, Informative

      I just bought one too, and I've so far enjoyed MechAssault, SegaGT (although it's a poor imitation of GT, but still fun) Dynasty Warriors 4, that was actualy what I was waiting for, and SC2. The last two are cross platform but if it's the only console you have they're quite fun. Halo looks good, but I'll wait for it to hit the bargain racks first.

      --
      Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
    5. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by cloudwilliam · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Nintendo probably doesn't have much to worry about either. Xbox is outselling GameCube in the US and Europe, but worldwide, Nintendo is still selling more consoles, especially if you consider the Game Boy Advance in that equation. And while their sales have fallen off from their peak, Nintendo's core gamers are a lot like Apple Macintosh fans. They play Nintendo games because they feel that they're the best, most polished games available. Unless Nintendo does something colossally stupid (as opposed to just marginally stupid), they probably won't lose that fan base.

    6. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by yamla · · Score: 1

      I haven't checked out most of what you suggested. I got SegaGT free with my XBox and I must say, I was pretty unimpressed. It didn't seem to hold a candle to Gran Turismo 3 on the PS2. Maybe I didn't give it enough chance. I might well like MechAssault, I'll have to check out your suggestions. Thanks.

      --

      Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.
    7. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by VividU · · Score: 1

      MechAssault with Xbox Live is a great great gaming experience. There's nothing like it anywhere else (on consoles).

    8. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by einTier · · Score: 1

      Of course, I don't remember Microsoft throwing money into Apple in the late 90's, when they were on the verge of being extinct. Of course, they didn't do it to be nice, they needed a psudo-competitor to help avoid the anti-trust lawsuit that was looming on the horizon.

      Plus, I think Apple in 2003 is a very different company than it was in 1997.

      --
      -------------------------------------------------- $665.95 -- retail price of the beast.
    9. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by Textbook+Error · · Score: 1

      Of course, I don't remember Microsoft throwing money into Apple in the late 90's

      Yeah, you probably don't remember it - because it didn't happen. Microsoft bought $150 million of non-voting stock, which for a company with over $4 billion in the bank was meaningless. Apple gained mindshare out of the deal, not cash.

      --

      Nae bother
    10. Re:Bleed, boy! Bleed! by nelsonal · · Score: 1

      I got the tip last night and finally tried it, turn of TCS and SCS in the options menu, it improves the feel of the cars, they oversteer and understeer quite a bit more, and are faster too boot, it's a whole lot better, than it was. Oh and try the other game that came with Sega GT, JSRF, it's different but fun, in a not at all realisic way.

      --
      Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
  4. Hardware numbers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...always make me laugh. Sure, it is fairly important to get your units out there but, shouldn't the focus be on overall game sales per system? E.g. Are "system" owners actually buying games? Is "system" actually maintaining an expected level of game sales? What is the ratio of game sales per unit? Etc...

    To me, that would be more indicative of what is happening in the market.

    1. Re:Hardware numbers... by ivan256 · · Score: 1, Informative

      http://www.the-magicbox.com/

      These "hard to find" numbers that gamespy has, plus the numbers you're looking for, updated weekly.

    2. Re:Hardware numbers... by nelsonal · · Score: 1

      They are important in that they drive what games get ported and produced for a system. A game can be much more niche oriented and still sell well for the PS2, but has to be pretty popular to sell well for the less penetrated consoles.

      --
      Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
    3. Re:Hardware numbers... by Daetrin · · Score: 1

      If by "updated weekly" you mean "updated weekly or monthly or whenever they feel like getting around to it," then yeah. It's good to see that they updated last week, since they _are_ the best source i've found for such info, but the last update before that was several weeks prior.

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
  5. Ripped off content by Perdo · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    All this info comes from a Google Answers question that was worth $200.

    http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id= 25 0801

    Cut-and-paste you trolls.

    --

    If voting were effective, it would be illegal by now.

    1. Re:Ripped off content by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Malformed request. Please fix and try again.

    2. Re:Ripped off content by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A space got added to the link. I don't know why he just pasted it. Like an HTML link to it is hard to do.

  6. GBA was a surprise for me by chia_monkey · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I pretty much expected to see the PS2 numbers squashing XBox, especially in Japan and such. I wanted to see the numbers, ponder marketing, social differences, etc. But when I saw the GBA sales also crushing XBox, that's what surprised me. I remember when Game Boy was just a fun little portable thing to play Tetris on. To see it blowing away the XBox in sales is cool...interesting and cool. Now to ponder what this all means in the grand scheme of things and if there will ever be another competitor to GBA (well, Game Boy had some at least).

    --

    "He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts...for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang
    1. Re:GBA was a surprise for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Competitor? Heard of the PlayStation Portable? Sony's planning to take on the Gameboy sometime next year. They're making odd design choices, so we'll see how that goes.

    2. Re:GBA was a surprise for me by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      On a weekly sales basis, the GBA-SP is selling more than the PS2, most of the time (usually ~10,000 more units per week, though it's still a little behind for the year, add in GBA sales and you have about half a million more GBA+GBA-SP units than PS2 units).

      Knowing that, and how soundly the PS2 is smashing the XBox in sales, it's not nearly as surprising that the GBA is blowing away the XBox.

      The thing to really ponder here is what the PSP will do in this market. The PS1 shot into a market that was being ignored, and the PS2 continued to do so (though the DC and N64/GC both tried to move into this market, the GC hasn't gained a lot of ground in terms of number of consoles sold, nor has the XBox). The question is that if Nintendo is selling more handheld consoles than Sony is home consoles, is there an untapped market for Sony to hit home, or are they just dropping a system into a market that's already been tapped (and where Nintendo's driven out all previous competitors).

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
    3. Re:GBA was a surprise for me by metamatic · · Score: 1

      I've never owned any kind of Nintendo system before, but I bought a GBA-SP. It's great. It has enough power for (e.g.) "Golden Sun", which is comparable to "Final Fantasy VII", yet I can carry it in a shirt pocket and play anywhere, even outside in the warm sunshine. (Sunlight and gaming! Together at last!) Battery life is plenty long enough, and there are slimline add-on battery packs available too.

      --
      GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
  7. YKYHBPTMSWGW... by jafuser · · Score: 2, Funny

    You know you've been playing too much SWG when you mis-read the title of this article as "Wookiee Console Hardware Sales Compared". =)

    --
    Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
  8. GBA is a serious contender for casual gaming by Jerf · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If I had the cash, I'd buy an XBox in addition to my GBA. Meanwhile, the GBA (SP, actually) is my primary console, and my DreamCast mostly sits in the cabinet.

    Why? Consoles thrive on their ease of use. Since the Gameboy has a built in screen, there are no cables to hassle with. Gameboys really are just "stick the catridge in and turn it on"... anywhere. (Some juice is needed but I typically plug it in overnight maybe once a week, or more if it blinks the light at me. The SP is really nice that way.)

    Consoles thrive on their games. Since the GBA has most/all the power of the Super Nintendo (and in some cases, I'm pretty sure it has more; Final Fantash Tactics Advance would have taxed the Super Nintendo pretty hard, I think... though I'm not sure), it's got enough power for an entire generation of successful games. But not enough power for the really complicated ones (except for the aforementioned things like FFT:A). So it really appeals to people like me who use it for filling in gaps in their time. (We don't all need FFXXIV.)

    There are a lot of non-hardcore gamers who actually prefer the GBA-level of gaming, and when the PSP comes out and eventually eliminates this simplicity, there's going to be some problem reaching these people. (There's simple games on consoles too but these people don't know how to find them.) The PSP would be well-advised to license Tetris or something similar, and even strive to make it graphically simple against the temptation of using the Full Power of the PSP on Tetris. (Yikes!)

    Now, I am apparently a hard-core gamer (playing them all your life will make you that way, I guess), but I still really like the GBA as a console. Because of its portability and simplicity, it's a serious contender even against the PS2. Given that right now I can really only own one console, I do not regret that that console is the GBA. (SP anyhow... I probably WOULD regret it if the only one I owned was the original GBA. See the SP with its light off in multiple conditions has really made me wonder how anybody ever played that thing!)

    1. Re:GBA is a serious contender for casual gaming by JFMulder · · Score: 1

      If I had the cash, I'd buy an XBox in addition to my GBA. Meanwhile, the GBA (SP, actually) is my primary console, and my DreamCast mostly sits in the cabinet.
      Interresting, since I was telling myself exactly the opposite the other day. I own an Xbox, and if I had money for another console, I'd go with the GBA-SP. :)

    2. Re:GBA is a serious contender for casual gaming by Jimmy_Chi · · Score: 1

      Since the Gameboy has a built in screen, there are no cables to hassle with.

      nothin for nothin, but where's the hassle with cables?...you plug them in once, and then...well...

    3. Re:GBA is a serious contender for casual gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've obviously never lived with a woman before.

      It's not the cables to the back that are the problem, but the cables out the front... which is why I have invested in wireless controllers.

  9. Re:Sorry, but this is a very poor article by clu76 · · Score: 2, Informative

    (Yes, they only shipped 80,000 units worldwide between April 1 and June 30).

    I know it's impossible to try to stop misinformation. But I'm going to give it the old college try, anyways.

    The correct figure for Nintendo was 800,000 units shipped worldwide. Someone, somewhere made typo. And that false number is still floating all over the net.

    --
    the cosmos in 20 words or less: thumbuki.com
  10. It's 800,000 you moron. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    That's more than the 50,000 Xbox Live subscriptions out there (next to zero new Xbox Live users in the past 6 months)

    1. Re:It's 800,000 you moron. by Zico · · Score: 1

      80,000, you bitter loser. Nintendo even agrees. That's approximately 79,900 more people than are enjoying GameCube games online. :)

  11. Re:Sorry, but this is a very poor article by Zico · · Score: 1

    I know it's impossible to try to stop misinformation. But I'm going to give it the old college try, anyways.

    The correct figure for Nintendo was 800,000 units shipped worldwide. Someone, somewhere made typo. And that false number is still floating all over the net.


    Ummm, no. You can go read Nintendo's own financial report on their website for proof. It's 80,000, period. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/news/030805e.pdf
    I'm sure you'll believe Nintendo's own site, along with BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, Forbes, The Financial Times, CNN, and Money, who all state "80,000" over any Nintendo fanboy site claiming 800,000, right?

  12. Where are the people defending EGM? by M3wThr33 · · Score: 1

    Come on, I know you are out there! Or are you just upset after EGM posted the world's worst estimate on console sales?

  13. Re:Sorry, but this is a very poor article by clu76 · · Score: 1

    You've got the better of me. I had read the 800,000 in business wire many hours before it hit reuters.

    --
    the cosmos in 20 words or less: thumbuki.com
  14. Re:Sorry, but this is a very poor article by Zico · · Score: 1

    I had read the 800,000 in business wire many hours before it hit reuters.
    No biggie at all, I know this one issue has caused quite a bit of confusion this summer.


  15. it comes down to games by sckeener · · Score: 1

    I probably wouldn't have bought an Xbox over the weekend if Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2 was still on schedule.

    I was waiting for Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2 and Fallout. They were pushed back from their Oct release last week.

    D&D Heroes came out for the Xbox only recently. It's very similar to Gauntlet and BGDA. I had been fighting a moral war with myself over the Xbox. Its specs were very nice. I lost my battle of wills because a game was release only for the Xbox that interested me. If I had some other game to tide me over, I probably wouldn't have gotten an Xbox.

    If the Xbox gets the games, people will switch.

    Side note: For me, the game had to be a multiplayer cooperative game without a split screen. My wife and I enjoy playing together and split screen aggravates her double vision.

    --
    "Only one thing, is impossible for god: to find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." Mark Twain
  16. From Xbox today 9/23 by Denver_80203 · · Score: 1

    Sales of the Xbox console increased 6 percent from this same period last year, while the Sony's PlayStation 2 dropped 36 percent and Nintendo's GameCube fell 22 percent. Xbox now captures 27 percent of the United States industry market share for next-generation consoles and is on track to capture additional market share this holiday season. August sales of Xbox software grew faster than on both PlayStation 2 and GameCube, up 58 percent for this same period last year. Pulling in two of the top four best-selling titles and four of the top 10 in August, the Xbox cumulative attach rate increased to 5.8, the highest on record for any next-generation console after 22 months on the market. Xbox top sellers included "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder" by Ubi Soft Entertainment, "Soul Calibur II" by Namco, "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" by LucasArts, and EA's "Madden 2004." Xbox Live, the premiere online gaming service, saw a 17 percent leap in sales of Xbox Live Starter Kit in August. In the coming weeks, eight more countries will launch the Xbox Live service. They are Korea, Austria, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland. By the holiday season, more than 50 action-packed Xbox games will be Xbox Live-enabled, more online games than any competing console claims