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NPD Reports November Console Sales
CBackSlash writes "Joystiq has a summary of the NPD console sales numbers for November 2006. The big headline is that the industry overall was up 34 percent to $1.7 billion. But the smaller headlines are probably more interesting for us: PS3 only shipped 197k, while the XBox 360 had 511k, and the Wii had a very respectable 476k. However, all of the new consoles were outsold by the lowly PS2 (664k) and DS Lite(641k)." These are a more detailed set of numbers than those we discussed on Wednesday.
That 661k number is for the GBA, not DS. The DS sold 918k.
the cosmos in 20 words or less: thumbuki.com
IIRC, The NPD doesn't report Wal-Mart sales. Either way, take with a grain of salt.
Before saying that "The PS3 only shipped 197k" or that "Nintendo only shipped 476k Wii" you have to realize that NPD has never been a perfectly accurate survey of the number of system sales; they produce statistics that are valid and useful as a comparison to other NPD numbers. For years NPD didn't include Walmart's numbers and currently doesn't include online sales and sales from smaller retailers; this likely doesn't change the ratios of the numbers but it means that Sony could have sold 250k and Nintendo could have sold 600k.
Acutally, I could be wrong but I suspect that not including Walmart would skew the results ...
... I'm saying Nintendo sold a greater percentage of there consoles at Walmart, not that Nintendo outsold Sony at Walmart
Years ago I heard that Nintendo was far more successful at selling their product in Walmart than they were at Bestbuy/EBgames whereas Sony was far more successful in Bestbuy/EBGames as compared to Walmart; this was because the Gamecube was a less expensive system that targeted families (which fit Walmart like a glove) and the PS2 was more expensive and targeted single males (which suited Bestbuy/EBgames). If this is true, this would mean that Nintendo would lose more "sales" by not including Walmart in your study than Sony would.
By the way
* DS: 918k
* PS2: 664k
* Game Boy Advance: 661k
* Xbox 360: 511k
* Wii: 476k
* PSP: 412k
* PS3: 197k
Software Sales (units and sales grossed)
* Gears of War: 1 million -- $61.5 million
* Final Fantasy XII: 896k -- $49 million
* The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess: 412k -- $20.2 million
* Guitar Hero II: 356k -- $20.2 million
All very interesting, but what I want to know is: Who are these 64 thousand new Wii owners who didn't pick up twilight princess? For Shame.
OSGGFG - Open Source Gamers Guide to Free Games
So, Sony says they'll have 200k units in North America for launch. NPD doesn't track all types of retailers or online sales. Their number is 197k.
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Somehow the poster decides to say Sony *only* sold 197k as if that had anything at all to do with demand. They essentially sold exactly the number of PS3's they had available.
What is most telling is that demand for next generation systems is high this holiday season. The Wii and PS3, more or less sold out based on the supply they could get.
May 9, 2006
Kutaragi also took the time to comment on Sony's shipping targets for the system. SCE plans to have two million units available at launch (the Japanese press reports this as the initial shipment figure for the system, and not a number that will be gradually released over a launch window), with another two million by the end of the year and two million more before the end of March 2007.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/706/706133p1.html
After that Sony changed their estimates to 400,000 in North America at launch (100,000 in Japan) with 2 Million shipped worldwide by the end of the year
After that Sony changed their estimates to 400,000 in North America at launch (100,000 in Japan) with 1 Million shipped to North America by the end of the year
If they shipped 200,000 in North America (80,000 in Japan) they are so far off of their targets that it isn't even funny anymore
Don't forget to mention Nintendo there, buddy. They're quite a ways off of their target as well.
Well, these are for the month of November, of which the console only launched halfway through. If 5K is accurate, then they're more than exceed 1m by the end of the year. At that rate, I think we're looking at 1.5m units sold by that time. Still, 1.5m units for one of the most anticipated consoles ever, is pretty scarce, so you're going to have to put a little energy and thought into planning how you're going to get it.
Start talking with sales staff at your local box stores. I say screw Gamestop, they're a little TOO organized, and their clientell is much more informed... thus the launch lines are longer and more cutthroat. You're better off targetting a less obvious place, like a Kroger Marketplace (called "Fred Meyer" here, which is where I got mine), or another general box store.
Lastly, treat every new shipment as a launch. It doesn't take much time to ask store representatives when and approximately what time of day they'll get a new shipment in. Do a little figuring as to the hype the system is drawing in your area to figure out just what lengths you're going to have to go to to get a Wii. All you have to do is be just slightly better informed than most of the population, which isn't difficult (since most people won't even know when a store will get a shipment in). Just a few minutes on the phone or in person, here and there, at a local box store, and you'll have a Wii in no time. And plus, it's kind of a fun little game in of itself, sort of like a Zelda puzzle, even before you get the game!
Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
Have you ever considered that some of the EBGames/Gamestop might not know when they're getting their next shipment? Walmart is guaranteed a shipment on a given date because its coming from their own highly efficient distribution centers.
It's the games. There are stil quality games coming for that system and it's now dirt cheap with access to the back library available on the second hand market and greatest hits it's an easy buy. Even my die hard Xbox / GC fan boy friends picked done up cheap to play FFXII and the discounted gods of war/shadow fo the collosus/GT4. I'll problably be getting a WII as a present with money set aside for a PS3 in the new year (perhaps when MG4 comes out).
It's all about games. If the 360 had a higher density of the games I want I'd pick it up. The xbox has a few interestign ones btu since almost all the ones I was interested in (halo/Oblivion/KOTOR I II/ FABLE) are available on The Pc Id idnt' pick one up.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
Lets assume for a minute that people choose their console based on personal preference and that maybe personal preferences are based mostly on someone's personality type. Assuming that the Typical Xbox 360 buyer is more of a hardcore gamer recluse, they'd rather stay at home and play alone or online, meanwhile the typical Wii buyer is more of a casual bubbly gamer who plays on occasion but more frequenetly likes to have friends over for more a personal and social gaming experience...
Which personality type do you think is more likely to make their purchase online? and which personality type do you think is more likely to go down to the store? Obviously launch window antics change things a bit where the more hardcore gamers come out of the woodwork and get their goods which ever way they can. But my point is where and how people make their purchases is largely determined by which experience best suits them. It would be foolish to think that those same personality traits that determine how a person likes to buy their games wouldn't also determine which games they buy.
Why don't you go to a knitting class and ask the members what they thought of the football game last night. Do you think you'd get a response that accurately represented the feelings of all football fans? What if you polled every knitting class in the country? Would that be any better? What if you asked the people in the class whether they preferred gardening or motor sports? While I'm sure you'll find at least some motor sport fans chances are the same personality types that bring people to knitting classes instead of watching football are the same personality types that would have more interest in gardening then in motor sports.
Don't you think it's foolish to assume that every group of people would be equally represented when the sampling is always only taken from a very specific area?
Collector's Edition
Fully with you on this.
However that is the interestign thing, there are ALOT of very good games that have just come out for the PS2 (Guitar Hero2, FFXII, Okami etc), and some more still to come(God of War 2).
The thing that is really strange to me is the lack of games for the PS3, yet a glut of great games for the PS2. IT is interesting. It could also be sound marketing. the PS3 boasts full backwards compatability, so these are games that PS3 owners can pick up and play on their shiney new system, thus creating what LOOKs like a better launch line up. Also, if they actualy suspected haveing such a hortage on consoles, then focusing on the PS2, this season, for their software sales (where they really make money) is actualy a GOOD idea.
Or am I just looking into things to deaply, and trying to find paterns in chaos?
Do Or Do Not, There Is No Spoon, There Is Only Zuul. Everything in the above post is probably opinion.