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Xbox Gains Ground, Outsells PS2 In U.S.?
Thanks to Reuters for its story noting that Microsoft's Xbox is "expected to have outsold Sony's PlayStation 2 for the first time on a monthly basis in April" , apparently helped "by a price cut that made the Xbox cheaper than the PS2" - though a PlayStation 2 price cut to $149 is seemingly rumored for announcement at E3. The rise of the Xbox-exclusive title is also noted: "Titles like 'Ninja Gaiden' and 'Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow' rode rave reviews to big sales, both finishing among the top five titles in sales for March, according to the NPD Group." Elsewhere in the same article, Dan Hsu of EGM comments on Xbox 2's possible showing at E3, commenting: "I think it'd be very strange for them to announce anything like that, because it would only hurt this holiday season for them... Even if this thing is not coming out for a year or two years, that still gives the impression that [the Xbox] is outdated technology."
We like Microsoft when it comes to the xbox, right?
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the XBOX (or the GC) started to outsell the PS2. The PS2's been around longer, and was also a good deal more popular. Eventaully it'll hit a saturation point to where people start wondering what's going on with the other 2. Though I really don't care much for Sony or the PS2, I wouldn't be quick to jump on the "See, I told you that system sucks" bandwagon.
"Derp de derp."
If this was near the launch of the consoles it might mean something, but microsoft is going to keep playing a catchup game. There are still alot more PS2's on the market than there are xboxs.
In America we are imprisoned by our fear of them.
....seven months ago, due to a price drop. PS2 quickly re-took second place (behind the GameBoy Advance) the following month.
And before anyone opens their mouth about that being non-news....that's exactly what is being claimed here about the Xbox now.
Analysts? The same analysts who've been telling us online console gaming is going to be "like, so huge, maaan" and Nintendo should quit while they're drowning in money for the past five years now?
Pardon me while I laugh hysterically.
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Plus, with Madden going online with XBL, the reasons for going PS2 are fewer than ever.
wait a sec
Fable - PC
Doom 3 - PC
KOTOR II - PC
Advent Rising - PC
Full Spectrum Warrior - PC
Starcraft Ghost - PS2 and GameCube
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow - PS2 and GameCube (this week or next if I'm not mistaken)
Halo 2 & Jade Empire - Would not be surprised to see PC versions
The only reasons the Xbox out sold the PS2 is
1. $50 cheaper
2. Everyone like owns 2 or 3 PS2 by now.
Heres a question, by how many consoles did the Xbox out sell the PS2 by? 100,000? 10,000? 1,000? 100? 10? 1?
What pretty much happen was MS drooped the price and people said what the hell, nothing good came out this month, might as well pick up this console for the hell of it. Its not because it has good "exclusive" titles, I'm sorry but it has one of the worst selections of "exclusive" games. 90% of the time you can go out and by their "exclusive" titles for the PC for like $10-$20 less with all the same features.
The PS2 will always have the largest selection of REAL "exclusive" titles. All the Xbox is getting are more PC ports and calling them "exclusive" titles and on top of that their not that great too. Take Rare's latest game.
Really how many boring RPGs and stupid FPS can you stand? Come on! Lets see I have a choice of Doom3, Half Life 2, Halo 2, UT2005, Quake 4 and what ever other FPS come out. And I rather play a FPS on the PC where I can uses a mouse and keyboard and also make Maps and Mods for the game. I like nothing more then being able to run around UT2k4 as Bender.
And come on KotoR was not that great, it maybe one of the best Star Wars games I've played in a long time, but it was one of the worst RPGs I've played. KotoR would have made a good MMORPG. The game was so boring and dry and the ending could have been written by a 10 year old. I uses to joke around about how that could be the ending and it turn out to really be it.
And all Ninja Gaiden was, was Shinobi with more blood, it was also another very lage disapointment. I'm glad I only rented it and didn't waste my money buying it.
It's one stupid month people, next month the PS2 will be back on top.
Don't forget people a couple months back the GameCube out sold the PS2 too.
-------- -Cap
~Bommers, Why did it have to be Bommers!?!
yes, i know some of those aren't exclusive, but you did the same thing (Starcraft: Ghost and Full Spectrum Warrior both have PS2 release dates)
that being said, the "sushi-RPGs and repetitive kung-fu fighting games" are catering to an Audience that you probably don't subscribe to, then again, i could care less about Doom 3, FSW, and Advent Rising because i don't subscribe to their intended audience (but the rest that you mentioned are on my must-buy list... yes, that means i own an X-Box)
i also want to note, that anyone that didn't see a sale slump for the PS2 coming from 6 months ago needs a reality check, do P2-450MHZ computers sell as well now as they did when they first came out? i think not, old technology will be replaced, thats a proven fact
/. is overrun by bed-wetting elitist nerds
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actually, as much as i'd like to agree with you, in the console world, "Exclusive" refers to the fact that its exclusive for that console, most Exclusivity agreements make no mention of PC because its a completely different platform, which is the Reason that GTA3 and Vice city where able to be ported to the PC.
/. is overrun by bed-wetting elitist nerds
let it be known, for anything other than servers, a *nix OS sucks
PS2's best days are behind it. Get used to it.7 BB2CCAA2F-12BF-4446-944B-7487D59FAF5E%7D&siteid=go ogle&dist=google)
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This is not just a month affair. We are talking first quarter PS2 sales for Sony down 28% from last year, Sony's profits down massively in the first quarter due to a sharp drop in sales of both PS2 consoles and games.
Meanwhile XBOX was the only console that actually had an increase on console sales in January and February, even before any price cuts were announced. Plus an increase of a whopping 80% in games sales.
And now this.
Sales figures for game consoles in April were XBOX 270,000 units to PS2 200,000 versus Gamecube 100,000 for Nintendo's GameCube . (http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%
Even the anti-American British publication "The Economist" has come around to the view that Microsoft is about to eat Sony's lunch.(http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?
Extract : "Next week, the industry's biggest trade show, E3, which takes place in Los Angeles, will provide the first glimpses of the next round. It is expected to be a brutal two-way fight. For, after a difficult start, Microsoft has now established itself as Sony's main rival, and is gaining momentum. Most important, it has won the crucial support of games publishers, says Nick Gibson of Games Investor, a consultancy. That means Microsoft will "pretty much be neck and neck with Sony" in the next round"
XBOX has been by far the best game console on the market, best processor, best graphics, more memory than any other console, hard drive included, network card as standard, its the easiest console to develop games for and has always been the best value for money by far, even before this recent price cuts.
Now are having some of the best games on XBOX coming out now and later this year.
Consumers have finally figured it all out and are feeling the PS2 to get themselves an XBOX as quickly as they can.
Its time for you to wake up and smell the coffee.
If you look at the top selling video games, you're certaintly not going to see japenese imports that are exclusive to the PS2 - you'll see regular, every day games, most of which are on all three systems. The PS2 Is not the best selling console because it's got the best line-up of exclusive titles - it's the best selling most likely because it came out first. Consider this list of the top 10 best selling console games of 2003: 1 PS2 - Madden NFL 2004 (Electronics Arts) 2 GBA - Pokemon Ruby (Nintendo) 3 GBA - Pokemon Sapphire (Nintendo) 4 PS2 - Need for Speed Underground (Electronics Arts) 5 NGC - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Nintendo) 6 PS2 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Rockstar) 7 NGC - Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Nintendo) 8 PS2 - Tony Hawk's Underground (Activision) 9 PS2 - Enter the Matrix (Atari) 10 PS2 - Medal of Honor: Rising Sun (Electronics Arts) Now, I ask you - how many are PS2 exclusives? None! The game cube, on the other hand, has two exclusive titles on the list. Based on this information, one would be hard pressed to argue that the PS2 sold the best because it has the most exclusive titles. Why has the PS2 done so well ? My conclusion is that it's almost entirely the result of the fact that it came out first. I based this on my observation of people's video-game buying habits. My brothers were conviced by some dude at gamestop to get an Xbox instead of a PS2, so they did. I saw how much fun halo was, and I told me friend about it - so he bought an xbox. My other friend, who one an xbox in the taco bell promotion but never used it, then bought a copy of halo so that we could have LAN parties. Other friends would show up at LAN parties, see how much fun their were, and buy xboxes of their own. I'm sure similar things happened with PS2 (obviously not the LAN party bit, since it didn't have a network adapter untill long after the xbox was out) You may personally beleive that the PS2 offers the best library of exclusive titles, which is a perfectly valid opinion. But you'd be wrong to conclude that the library of exclusive titles explains the PS2 out selling the xbox - the facts just don't support that conclusion.
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Had my XBOX for over two years, no crashes,no kernel errors, no patches, works like a dream everytime.
And the XBOX IS superior to PS2 in every single way I can think of.
Plus its the most worthwhile, value for money, fun, money you can spend for any game console. Period!
Why don't you get a life dude?
And I don't mean lurking around salshdot spewing out vitriol and hate either.
That is not called a life. Its called stupidity!
Precents mean dick, you can make a percent mean what ever you want, by saying Xbox went up 80% means nothing. all that could have happen is they went from 1000 units to 1250 units, thats a 80% incress right there. PS2 drop from 28%, hell that could mean they droped from 100,000 to 80,000.
the great thing about satistics is you can make them say what ever you want.
The Xbox has always done better in the UK, but thats because Sony and Nintendo haven't embrased them as much as MS has.
MS still has a loooong way to fight, The Next Gen will be very hard on them.
Japan sale figures: (for the week ending April 25th)
1. PlayStation 2 - 44,950 - (1,090,050)
2. Game Boy Advance SP - 43,720 - (1,086,120)
3. GameCube - 5,750 - (338,150)
4. Game Boy Advance - 3,540 - (128,040)
5. Xbox - 430 - (17,930)
6. PSone - 310 - (9,100)
7. Wonder Swan Crystal - 50 - (5,050)
-------- -Cap
~Bommers, Why did it have to be Bommers!?!
Percentages mean exactly that, and PS2 console and games sales were massively down in the first quarter, while XBOX sales of both games and consoles were very much up, with XBOX games up a massive 80%
That is what this battle is about.
In addition of course, XBOX sold a very nice 270,000 units in April far outselling the PS2 with only 200,000 sold and the Gamecube with 100,000 sold.
As for Japan sales, I couldn't give two hoots about that.
Its irrelevant to this idscussion. This discussion is about AMERICAN sales. Why bring in Japanese sales unless you are losing badly?
Plus the Japanese are notoriously jongoistic, inward looking and hostile to all foreign ideas and products anyway.
Bottom line: America is BY FAR the biggest video games market on the planet, nearly TWICE that of the Japanese market.
Plus American companies like Electronic Arts and Take Two Interactive now dominate the games business.
If XBOX rules in America, PS2 is in deep trouble.
As for the next generation console, Microsoft is now set to crush Sony when the next generatiuon consoles come out, having managed to get ready to launch the next XBOX BEFORE Sony even knows what hit them.
your exactly right, the PS 2 has reached its end all, the PSX and PS3 are around the corner and of course everyone is going to start buying the systems they havent got. THATS why I have a gamecube now, I have had a PS 2 since the day they came out, WHY would I want to buy another one???
I hate when people miss the point entirely and assume something is gaining ground cause its good, NOT because there are other reasons (price drop, want to have systems with games they cant get on the PS 2) The only reason I got a gamecube is cause I wanted to play some of the fun Nintendo games, not cause its better or anything, I wanted to play mario party and Animal Crossing!
Honestly I still dont think the Xbox is a good buy cause all they have are PC games that arnt even first run PC games in some cases. Halo honestly blew, I wasnt any more impressed than I was with any of the sequals to Quake, Doom, Wolfenstein, or Unreal. FPS have reached their point and I cna only play so many oriiginal ones. I LOVED Undying even though it wasnt graphically cool simply cause the story kicked ass over running around and blasting the shit out of skript kiddies in a level.
The true test is to look a the actual numbers, if the GameCube has ALSO gone up in sales, and the PS 2 down, then THATs your answer right there, oversaturation.
"Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."
In our universe that's 25%.
But the XBox doesn't have Gran Turismo... Big marks against it right there.
If I point out that you are incorrect, making me a foe does not make you any more correct.
Gran Tarismo is old news, nobody that owns an xbox cares. Spend an hour playing PGR2, TOCA 2, or Rallisport Challenge 2 on xbox live, then tell me all about Gran Turismo, I dare you.
done, done, done... Gran Turismo 3 still beats them in terms of overall Racing goodness, maybe not Graphically, but in Physics and Customisation GT has them beat, as well as in overall replayability
IMO, Gran Turismo 4 will crush them even more, 800+ cars, 50+ tracks, completely true-to-life Tuning and Customisation, Full Online, including Downloadable cars and tracks with the HD and NA Expansions, a Physics engine that is, in some cases, less than 1/10 of a second in difference from Reality(in comparative tests), and just about anything else a Hardcore racing fan could ever think of... How can anything else compare
now, in giving credit where credit is due, all three of the games you mentioned are very well done games and IMO are 3 of the best Racing games on the Market, but they just can't compare to the overall immersion that the GT Series gives you
/. is overrun by bed-wetting elitist nerds
let it be known, for anything other than servers, a *nix OS sucks
Actually, GameCube sales were massively spiking in January and February. FFCC perhaps? Or maybe Mario Kart?
Which is why they've also been ported to the XBox, right? Or why Rockstar waited seven months release the PC version in both cases? IIRC Sony's agreement only required exclusivity for a certain time period.
... cause I remember when I bought my Xbox almost a year ago that the seller told me when I asked him after my purchase that the ratio of Xbox sold to PS2s back then was about 5:3. That was two months before KOTOR came out. I never asked him again afterwards if it still was the case. I don't live in the US, so maybe these stats are US centric.
Tried any PC racing games? How about LFS, or the upcoming GTR. I dunno. Console racing games just don't cut the mustard for me generally. Not enough depth, not as fun online.
The PS2 Is not the best selling console because it's got the best line-up of exclusive titles - it's the best selling most likely because it came out first.
Your selective memory seems to forget that the Dreamcast came first. And not only was it first, but it had the far better game library. The PS2 was absolutely barren for almost a year! Just because you're the first on the block doesn't mean you'll be first in sales (see also Saturn).
Sorry typing error.
I ment 1800, I was doing the wrong equation. but you still get the idea.
Saying something that grew 80% from an all ready low number is still a low number compared to something that dropped 28% from a very high number.
As for me being Japanese, I wish, lol. Nope, I'm a 100% full red blooded American born and raised in the beautiful state of New Hampshire.
-------- -Cap
~Bommers, Why did it have to be Bommers!?!
I realize that you have an axe to grind against the Xbox, but it's pretty sad that you're willing to call KOTOR and Ninja Gaiden bad games just to make yourself feel justified.
I mean, check out Game Rankings and look up those two games. See the universally high ratings? Face it -- the game reviewers of the world are right, and you are wrong.
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
The only reasons the Xbox out sold the PS2 is
1. $50 cheaper
2. Everyone like owns 2 or 3 PS2 by now.
Plus if someone wants to play all these games, he or she can either pay 150US$ NOW and play these games as they come out or pay 400US$ on a nigh-end video card now and PRAY that these games will run when/if they come out on the PC.
Not everybody enjoys keeping up with the latest video card. That's why I bought an Xbox. PC-like games with no annual updates to the hardware.
Or could it be because the people are getting their X-Boxes for free from the Mountain Dew Promotion? www.dewu.com
I've amassed 315 points, gaining on the 550 for an XBox.
Conserve Oil, Recycle, Boycott Walmart
actually, the reason they where able to release the Double pack on the X-Box was due to a loop-hole in the Contract, the agreement doesn't end until this Fall, this is evident by the fact that the next game in the series is PS2 Exclusive
/. is overrun by bed-wetting elitist nerds
let it be known, for anything other than servers, a *nix OS sucks
but judging from the Screenshots and what i can see on the site, neither game has really impressed me, sure, the graphics are really good, but i think i'll wait for GT4
/. is overrun by bed-wetting elitist nerds
let it be known, for anything other than servers, a *nix OS sucks
Still, does that apply to Kingdom Hearts and the upcoming sequel? Or do the characters all have to be anime-ish?
...have had the biggest impact on me moving to an Xbox over the PS2. The PS2 came without a hard drive or ethernet connection built in. The Xbox doesn't have that handicap. No shame towards Sony there except that it took them far too long to market a network adapter...and then finally a hard drive (which, BTW, you can't get without buying Final Fantasy XI). The most frustrating aspect of the PS2 has been Sony's...suprisingly...their slow movement. A lot of my friends love playing multiplayer/LAN party style games. The king of that particular genre for us right now is Halo. Nothing on the PS2 compares...and you don't have to buy ethernet adapters (or multitaps for that matter) along with an Xbox. The PS2 still rules the RPG market...though KOTOR took a bite out of that... but I like actually seeing people every once in a while so the Xbox has definitely taken priority because of a more multiplayer friendly system. Sony keeps dragging their feet in innovation to the existing PS2. Sure, they were faster than anyone else getting it out there, but after that they took their time with everything else.
Damnet... I thought this was another crazy headline saying Gain Ground from Sega Genesis was gonna be a remake on xbox http://www.retrogames.co.uk/stock/assets/images/Ge nesis_-_Gain_Ground.jpg
None of those have the variety of cars available that you can tune and drive around a wide range of different circuits.
Want to take a Skyline GTR rallying? No probs (BTW give it a go, very good fun)
If I point out that you are incorrect, making me a foe does not make you any more correct.
Do you really know what you're talking about?
I used to sound like you, until I actually got an Xbox. It has a ton of great games, the Controller S is a dream to play with (Racing Games especially), Xbox Live is great (as far as online gaming groups go, there are plenty of idiots, but then again, there are idiots in every online community) and really, that's all that matters to me. I havn't modded it, I havn't touched it with Linux, I haven't done ANYTHING to it.
It made a lot of bad decisions at launch, but Microsoft *gasp* seems to have learned from mistakes and is now a formitable contendor in the console wars. I, for one, can't wait for the Xbox 2 to come out, and will probably buy one, reguardless of how 'moddible' it is.
I'm the guy with the unpopular opinion
Now, as for the use of the term 'sushi,' I really don't see that as anything to take offense at. Sushi is closely identified with J culture, so attaching it to a game catagory that does seems reasonable. Just like 'rice' rockets.
And yes, I bet there are a lot of 'hamburger' type catagories in other countries that we aren't aware of due to us being in the US. I am not offended.
Just like the style of cartoon known as 'anime.' The use of the Japanese-ish word to describe common traits of a cartoon.
Similarly, rice rockets to make sense because of origin of the automobiles being small, rocket-like Japanese cars.
I think you need to get over the common application of culture-related terms to nouns that are associated with that culture.
maybe I'm in a minority amongst a bunch of simple-minded weirdos.
Saying that you can't grasp this abstraction suggests that you are the 'simple minded wierdo.'