GameCube Outsells PS2, Xbox After Price Cut

Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz for their story that the GameCube outsold the PlayStation 2 by 20 per cent in the U.S. last week, as well as "racking up more than twice the sales of the Xbox - with a 145 per cent lead over Microsoft's console", following the GameCube price cut to $99 of a couple of weeks back. The piece suggests "we'd expect to see the console slip behind the PS2 in the rankings next week", but also argues that "...unless Microsoft reacts to the recent price-cuts, it could be outsold by the Cube this Christmas in the USA, as Nintendo rolls out one of its strongest ever ranges of first and third party titles."

Comments

Viewtiful Joe Helped

[Gr33nNight]

Man, it took me a long time to find a copy of this game, every store was sold out!

But, this game rocks. 2D side scrolling action to its finest. It is not an easy game (almost NES era hard), but it is just so fun, you enjoy replaying it just to see whats next. Highly recommended.

A short-term gain only

[HotNeedleOfInquiry]

First of all, we don't know what's going to happen to PS2 prices as the holidays approach. I think some kind of PS2 bundle is likely. Secondly, at $50 per game, how many games can most casual users afford. And if they waited until now, they are probably casual users. Thirdly, how many of the people now buying Gamecubes already have PS2s and a stack of games for them? We have 5 consoles switchable into our livingroom wide-screen. The PS2 gets most of the play.

Re:A short-term gain only

[PainKilleR-CE]

Sure, it's a short term gain, but the real question is how much is it going to taper off. No one really expects it to stay ahead of the PS2, except in short bursts as new 'must-have' titles come out, possibly. A 20% drop from the current rate is not a big deal, but puts them behind the PS2. On the other hand, is it really likely that GC sales will cut in half and then some before XMas? That's what it'll take for the XBox to come back (and it's unlikely that XBox sales will increase without GC sales decreasing).

As for $50 per game, that's probably one of the additional benefits of coming into the system later: there are plenty of low-priced games worth buying, whether new or used. Sure, people will want some of the newest games, but there are still plenty of top-notch games in the $20-30 range (and I have seen Eternal Darkness lower than that quite a bit lately, ~$12-16).

Right now, my PS2's getting most of the play because I recently picked up Amplitude. Before that, I hadn't played it much at all in a few months (and then mostly PS1 games). Of course, who really cares how many of the people now buying Cubes have PS2s? They're buying Cubes, it must mean they see something worthwhile, even if it's just a small number of titles and the price of the system. If they already have a PS2 and they're buying a Cube, there must be a reason for that purchase, because it's not like they don't already have a console (hell, I have a DC, PS2, XBox, and Cube, what does it really matter?).

Re:A short-term gain only

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

Titles will sell accordingly? You mean according to the installed user base? Check the sales figures on Soul Calibur II, the GC version outsold the other two - so installed user base does not dictate how titles sell. In fact, since not as many games are released on the Gamecube, titles tend to sell better. If you release a PS2 game, it's just a drop in a crowded barrel. If you release a GC game, it's got a prominent place on the display shelf. And while you're correct that the positions are going to remain fixed (although if you're talking globally, Nintendo is ahead of Microsoft), momentum and customer perception is an important fact to consider. Sega began to falter when they released the SegaCD and the 32X. Both of these were seen as failed systems, which, in turn hampered sales of the Saturn - IN PART (yes, there were other factors involved). Likewise, part of the reason the SNES sold so well is because people were so happy with the NES that they owned that they waited for Nintendo's next offering. Likewise, the PS2 was awaited with open arms by many because the PS1 had been such a success. So if the Gamecube can win this holiday season, that positive perception will help Nintendo when they roll out the next console.

So I think there's more than just a short term gain here BUT the possible gain is not a guaranteed one - there are still many factors that could doom Nintendo's next launch but having the GC sell well has more ramifications than you seem to believe. (But then again, you've marked me as a foe so your judgement must be a bit off.)

Guessing...

[Otter]

A guess as to what that means -- the price cuts tend to prompt a lot of purchases of a second or third system. Given that there is (I believe) a much larger installed base of PS2s and Xboxes in the US, there is a much larger market for second-thought GameCube purchases.

Re:Guessing...

[Scyber]

I knew there was a link somewhere

http://www.gamespy.com/icfj/september03/import7/

5.8 mill in north america for XBox.
4.6 mill in north america for the GC.

Makes a Great Second Console

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

Speaking as an early adopter of the PS2, I can tell you that to me the Gamecube is a great choice for that second console. There's an exciting lineup of games that I can only get on the Gamecube and which offer me gameplay dynamics that are significantly different than what I can have with the PS2. On the other hand, the XBox doesn't interest me in the least. It seems like I get very similar games with an XBox (with no stand out game that's really unique compared to the games on the PS2) and have to pay extra to get it to play DVDs. In short, as a consumer, the Gamecube's lineup seems to compliment the PS2's lineup better than the XBox's lineup compliements the PS2's lineup. And since Sony has already won this round of consoles, that's a really great selling point and I think, an indication of what kind of sales I expect to see over the holidays - especially with the new price point.

And note that I understand that games look better on the XBox than on the PS2 but I've already got a PS2 so the next time I buy a console because the graphics are better won't be until the next round of consoles.

Price cut = good thing for GC

[EvilOpie]

Wow, this is definately a good thing for the GameCube. Now I own a GC and have since they were $200, and for me it's the only console I own. Though for another player who might not want to get one because it is seen as being too childish, they now can pick up a new one that would work great as a second console for them without breaking the bank.

Honestly now... I know that GameCube games *look* childish, and I'm not going to deny that, but give them a shot. Most of them are a complete blast to play and they're great party games. Like the "monkey fight" game in Super Monkey Ball. It's very simple to play, but when you're trying your hardest to keep your friends from knocking you out of the ring with a big boxing glove, it's actually pretty fun. And other games like Zelda or F-Zero GX are very polished and just great all-around games since there's not a lot out there like them in general.

I hope this trend continues. More people will find out just how good the Cube really is.

Numbers

[dogbowl]

Here are the numbers that I've found for the week:

Gamecube 64,405
Playstation2 53,834
XBox 26,290

However, I don't think that includes all retailers, hence Nintendo sticking with the percentage rather than a total number. And, this is the second week of the price drop. As I understand it, the sales were even higher the first week.

Re:TCO

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

I've seen plenty of worthwhile games under $30 for the Gamecube at EB. There's a vast amount of old PS2 games for $20 but from my casual check of the bins, it seems like there are similar amounts of cheap games for the XBox and Gamecube.

At $99 each....

[HotNeedleOfInquiry]

It might be a good time to figure out how to make a Beowulf Cluster of these...

Well...

[snubber1]

Yes, $99 at this time of year is going to spurn alot of sales by owners of the other two consoles. Anyone who considers themselves to be a 'True Gamer' cannot ignore the stellar titles that have shown up on the GC. Platform is irrelavant when it comes to good games!

However, come the end of november you won't be able to find a cube ANYWHERE. Every little kid without a game system is going to be getting a gamecube for xmas. The installed base is about to go up. Way up.

Re:[OT: Why an XBox?]

[PainKilleR-CE]

An XBox? Why?

It made sense at the time ;) In fact, as long as people keep producing multi-console games for it, it'll continue to be worthwhile, since most of them look better on it (than the PS2 at least, and occasionally than the GC). Other than that, I've got Halo and KOTOR, and Project Gotham's decent in the long stretch between GT3 and GT4. Oddworld's a fun game, too.

For the most part, I use my PS2 for RPGs, my GC for the exclusive titles, and the XBox for multi-platform titles. I also like the original XBox controller (as opposed to the S controller) better than the others, though the Wavebird is a great wireless controller (and Nintendo's layout makes a lot of sense to me for most games).

Nintendo's going to cash out big on this deal.

[Crockerboy]

Most people only get one or two consoles, very few buy more than two active consoles. I used to have a N64, then bought a PS1 back in the day, now I own a PS2 and just picked up a GC last week as my second console. What Nintendo has done as put themselves in the position to become the second console in most people's home. If Microsoft dropped the Xbox to $100 first, theres a good chance many of the recent GC purchasers would have went the the Xbox as their second console. Now that Nintendo has virtually established themselves as the 2nd Console of choice, Microsoft just lost that entire market..again.

On a side note, I picked up Legend of Zelda, Metroid Prime and Eternal Darkness with my cube and have been playing Zelda non stop for the past week. Great fun, totally justified the Console purchase. The other 2 games are still in the shrink wrap..greatly underappreciated system.

Great Deal?

[cdneng2]

It's amazing what you have to do to get consumers to think they are getting a good deal. Just a few months ago, you can get a Gamecube for $149, with a free game or Gameboy Advance Player. Now, sales quadruple because the Gamecube is $99. However, chances are... you'll pick up a game, like Zelda or the GameBoy Player for $49.99... However, it becomes the same deal as a few months ago! Whoever said that Nintendo is losing money, or breaking even with the GameCube price cut has to think about that.
I do have to say that I think the majority of the success is partially due to the "Player's Choice" selection.... You get a Gamecube for $99, and a Gamer's Choice game for $30... Can't beat that deal.
I'm glad that the price drop has allowed the GameCube to pick up that much needed momentum for people to finally realize just how under appreciated this system really is.

Many will indeed be second systems...

[JMZero]

..and this is significant. Many popular titles are released on all 3 systems. For someone with a "new" GC and an "old" PS2, many of these non-exclusive game sales are going to go to the GC.

I think the GC will come out of this console war OK in terms of profit. The bigger question is perception going into the next round. If people feel like they got a good deal on a GameCube, it may mean Nintendo will have a better shot next time.

This price cut will make money now and later.

Re: the Cube

[wingnut2600]

I believe that these price cuts will substantially increase the Cube's user base. The Game Cube has a fantastic array of superb 1st and 3rd party games that are far and above the mediocre PC ports that are made for the X-Box. If you crave original console action, you should buy a Game Cube.

The Game Cube is portable, has fantastic graphics and the most comfortable controller ever made. For 99 bucks, everybody should buy one and give them to a kid that they know.