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NPDs Look Back on December, 2007

Posted by Zonk on from the it-prints-money-ha-ha-ha-ha dept.

Joystiq has the NPD numbers for the entire year of 2007 and (of course) December. Last year was a banner year for games, with the industry as a whole coming close to cracking $18 billion in sales. The big winner was the Wii, of course, with some 6 million units sold over the course of the year. The 360 sold about four and a half million, and the PS3 sold about two and a half. The big software seller was (un-shockingly) Halo 3, at 4.82 million sold, with Wii Play close behind at 4.12m. Here are the software numbers for December: "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Xbox 360) -- 1.47m, Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) -- 1.40m, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) -- 1.25m, Wii Play w/ Remote (Wii) -- 1.08m, Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360) -- 894K, Halo 3 (Xbox 360) -- 743K, Brain Age 2 (DS) -- 660K, Madden NFL 08 (PS2) -- 655K, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360) -- 625K, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) -- 613K"

47 comments

  1. This is silly, but... by Pojut · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...it kind of bugs me that they everyone includes WiiPlay in the best seller lists for 2007....the ONLY reason people bought it is because it included a Wiimote and was only $10 more than a Wiimote by itself...I personally feel that if it didn't include a Wiimote, it wouldn't have sold even a quarter of the number of copies sold...

    --
    Living With a Nerd
    1. Re:This is silly, but... by eln · · Score: 1

      Agreed, Wii Play is basically just a demo just like Wii Sports is. I wouldn't have bought it even if it was in the bargain bin for $5 if it didn't have the Wiimote. It should be included in accessory sales, not software sales.

    2. Re:This is silly, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not only that, but for a while buying WiiPlay was the only way to actually get a damn wiimote! Wii accessories used to be as hard to find as Wii's themselves.

    3. Re:This is silly, but... by binaryspiral · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nintendo marketing genius...

      "Hey, we have this really bad game. We can't justify making box art for, much less putting it on a shelf... our test group estimated its value at just over a dead raccoon's testicle."

      "Make a bigger box, toss a wiimote in and charge five bucks more."

      "Profit!"

    4. Re:This is silly, but... by Rimbo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It's not silly that it bugs you. You're seeing through a cheese-ball marketing tactic for what it is, and that shows you are intelligent and not really a sucker.

      These results include all games, including those that are sold in cheese-ball bundle fashion or low-cost, because the true intended audience for these -- market researchers for game companies -- need to see raw data without applying any rules to them. If Wii Play is selling well because it bundles a Wiimote, then that's a hint to these people that if they can bundle a desirable and hard-to-find accessory with a cheaply-made game, then they can potentially sell a lot more of both than if they don't. I think you'll find in the future 3rd-party controllers shipping with cheap games in order to try and draw more sales as a result of this, sort of in the same way "Deer Hunter" sales at Wal-Mart created a ton of imitators.

      Look at this from NPD's perspective -- why they compile this information. If your rule here were applied to all products: Should we not consider Rock Band because it comes with controllers? Should we not consider Forza sales since it was bundled with some 360's? Should we not consider the first-year PS2/PS3 game console sales because many people purchased them at the time as DVD/Blu-Ray players? Should we not consider Peggle because it is inexpensive? This kind of arbitrary distinction here as to what is a "proper" game or a "proper" way to sell it is very difficult for NPD to make; it works against the value that their figures are meant to provide.

      While NPD is responsible for providing accurate information to their customers, they are not responsible for the decisions made by their customers. If I'm a market researcher for a game company, how I interpret Wii Play's sales is putting my job on the line and my company's future on the line. It is up to me to use my own brain to figure out what you have.

      But I must know what the real data is, which is why NPD includes Wii Play as a top seller.

    5. Re:This is silly, but... by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's a tutorial for the Wiimote, in Japan Wii Sports isn't packed in so they probably wantwed to use it as the introduction to the Wii over there. Of course with Wii Sports being bundled here most people will have learned how to use the Wiimote before they got Wii Play.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    6. Re:This is silly, but... by steveo777 · · Score: 1
      That's a pretty silly assessment there. Sounds like you picked up a copy of Wii Play, right? Assuming you see the value of a WiiMote as $40, you willingly paid $10 for another game that you claimed you wouldn't buy for $5 in a bargain bin. Is that correct? If not, well, then I'm nit-picking.

      Either way, I think Wii Play is worth $10 bucks. The pool game is pretty fun, and Tanks! is pretty fun with that interface. The other games are pretty entertaining as well.

      --
      This sig isn't original enough, it's time to come up with something witty...
    7. Re:This is silly, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah but who knows if they did? They said over 6M Wii's sold, but only 4.xM Wii Sports? Are there Wii's that don't come with it?

    8. Re:This is silly, but... by Odin's+Raven · · Score: 1

      They said over 6M Wii's sold, but only 4.xM Wii Sports? Are there Wii's that don't come with it?

      Wii Sports isn't bundled with the console in Japan.

      --
      A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.
    9. Re:This is silly, but... by morari · · Score: 1

      Wii Play was well worth the $10. Billiards and Laser Hockey do spring to mind. It is little more than a tech demo in the grand scheme of things however. Wii Sports on the other hand is no such thing, good sir! The bowling alone has seen more play from me than many of my regular games. While it may not be the grand pack-in that Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt was, it's still more entertaining than a heck of a lot of more traditional games.

      --
      "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
    10. Re:This is silly, but... by BarneyL · · Score: 1

      I wouldn't be so sure, here in the UK the game on it's own sells for £20 ($40 or so) on e-bay (it's not doing badly in the US either, seems like there's plenty of demand for it.
      Plus if you rate it for what it is - 10 games at $1 each it's pretty good value. I wonder what the charts would look like if other budget games such as those from the Wii Market Place were included.

    11. Re:This is silly, but... by webmaster404 · · Score: 1

      I can agree to that. Sometimes my local electronics store was sold out of Wii Points cards! (You can buy them over credit cards but they make quick gifts)

      --
      There is no "disagree" moderation, and troll, flamebait and overrated are not valid substitutes
    12. Re:This is silly, but... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      You think that's bad? Nintendo of Europe's online rewards programme is regularly sold out of Wii points codes. That's like iTunes being somd out of music.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    13. Re:This is silly, but... by webmaster404 · · Score: 1

      Just be glad you guys have a reward program unlike here in the US. (I guess though it makes up sorta for the 3-4 month delay you guys have to wait for any game from the US to get released over in Europe.)

      --
      There is no "disagree" moderation, and troll, flamebait and overrated are not valid substitutes
  2. To be a loyal SOny fanboy by pembo13 · · Score: 1, Funny

    must suck about now, the amount of rationalization that they must go through, even for those that actually like their PS3 and could afford it - should have bought 1.5 PS2s.

    --
    "Thanks for all the money you paid to us. We've used it to buy off ISO among other things" -Microsoft
    1. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by bealzabobs_youruncle · · Score: 1, Insightful
      Yea, three quarters of a million units in one month, steadily uptrending sales, more quality games arriving in the library and Warner Bros going BD exclusive this month. PS3 owners must be miserable.

      Meanwhile I haven't had a stable connection on Xbox Live since the week before xmas, my console sounds like it's ready to die again and I have an almost identical slate of games to the PS3 coming up. I've been playing my 360 pretty much non-stop since July of 2007 but it isn't all roses and the upcoming line up isn't all that exciting. I finally broke down and bought COD4 for my PS3 just so I could get online and play when I felt like it.

    2. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ok. 750k sales compared to, over 1.25 million each for Wii and Xbox360 and people still cannot find Wiis. Hell, the PS2 outsold the PS3. The total sold to date is less than half the Wii total and almost 1/3 the 360 total. Please stop with the Blu-Ray stuff. Sony's DVD player for PS2 sucked. Why would I trust it on a PS3? Besides, it looks bizarre and awkward next to regular Blu-Ray players (and other A/V components) AND it doesn't up-convert DVDs.

      Also, if trends hold true...No maker has won the "console war" for more then two consecutive generations.

    3. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by Pojut · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I personally have always preferred PC Gaming and Xbox gaming over Playstation gaming (primarily because of the controller...I truly despise all iterations of the Playstation controller) but the PS3 is one hell of a system. If I remember correctly, the first couple of years with the PS2 was a bit stangnant in comparison to it's 3-and-up years. Once developers get the hang of the hardware, they are going to producce some amazing stuff.

      Saying that a PS3 is a version 1.5 of a PS2 is just plain immature and uninformed...almost as bad as calling a 360 an Xbox 1.5...they are far more powerful, have COMPLETELY different ways of processing information, and are far more functional in terms of their abilities other than playing games out of the box.

      I am a loyal Sony fanboy...just like I am a loyal Nintendo fanboy, Sega fanboy, Microsoft fanboy...I am a gaming fanboy. If you can afford it, play as many different games on as many different systems as possible.

      --
      Living With a Nerd
    4. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by bealzabobs_youruncle · · Score: 1
      Where to start with this useless reply. Don't bother with PS2 and Wii comparisons, for many people like myself this is about hi-def gaming, so both of those can be ignored. Next, if you had issues with PS2 DVD playback you are an idiot, the PS3 is widely regarded as the best BD player on the market not, IT DOES UPSCALE DVDs and looks fine in an A/V rack. The point you miss is that it doesn't have to "win" to be a good product and appreciated by it's owners and future owners.

      If I was going to post as much dumb shit as you just did, I would go AC too.

    5. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by sanosuke76 · · Score: 1

      Wow, I think you just about defined 'troll' with your post here. I happen to like my PS3 and there's no need to rationalize it or buy additional PS2's.

      Now, if you want to see rationalization, I have a friend who's struggling to find a reason why he should buy more games for his 360 after it just got back from its second RROD return. Of course, he owns a PS3 too, so the only thing he's buying on the 360 from now on are exclusives.

      --
      My 229 is all the Sig I need http://thegunwiki.com/
    6. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      The problem with the PS3 is not its power or difficulty of use. The userbase simply isn't there to warrant large numbers of PS3 exclusives. The PS2 had a headstart so even though it was slow at first it was selling while the other two consoles weren't (because they weren't on the market) so the PS2 had a large userbase advantage by the time the other consoles launched. The PS3 might be starting at the same speed but this time the competition was out earlier and the XBox 360 had the time to get a year's worth of sales, guaranteeing at least initially that it would be a better platform for game development than the PS3, giving the 360 more games and thus a better position vs the PS3. The Wii didn't have a headstart but sold extremely well, it already has the largest userbase and keeps selling more, thus appearing as the platform to develop for.

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    7. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by Eponymous+Bastard · · Score: 1

      The problem with the PS3 is going to be timing. As you mention, the PS3 is just now coming to a good state. By December we should expect great games for the PS3 as the developers begin to actually understand the hardware. If nothing else changed, the PS3 might take over the game industry.

      The problem, as I mentioned, is timing. Let's say MS settled for a 4-year iteration on the XBox. That would mean that by November they'd be announcing the new Xbox (say XBox 3), to be released by December 2009. It would include (making it up, but not far fetched) Hi-Def, wii-style controllers, BD/HD-DVD drive (whichever wins out), some 6 cores as opposed to the PS3's 1 core+6 DSPs and a normal architecture that won't take your developers years to come to grips to and makes multiplatform games easier to develop, plus full backward compatibility.

      Oh, and add interoperability with MS Surface and a MS multitouch phone as a handheld gaming platform. (ok, more far-fetched now)

      Come December 2008, would you buy a PS3, which Sony always stated should last for 10 years, or wait around for the next Xbox? If you were a developer, being approached by MS for support this year, what platform would you focus on developing for? If you were developing next year?

      Heck, even if MS announces they'd have the new version in 2010, the PS3 would still be in trouble.

    8. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by Toonol · · Score: 1

      Don't bother with PS2 and Wii comparisons, for many people like myself this is about hi-def gaming, so both of those can be ignored.

      Feel free to ignore both. However, the sales indicate that the majority of people could care less about hi-def gaming, as those two are not being ignored in very large quantities.

      BTW, I thought the PS2 DVD capabilities were fine, just kind of clunky to control.

      The point you miss is that it doesn't have to "win" to be a good product and appreciated by it's owners and future owners.

      Agree with you there. If people are happy, why try to discourage them?

    9. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      I think a 4 year cycle for the 360 is unlikely, it's mostly about generations and being early or late to a gen. Releasing a new console resets your userbase, eats R&D money and is generally something that you shouldn't do often. It would end up destroying MS's console division since consoles don't sell for being the latest and greatest but for havbing games and the 360 has games, a new console wouldn't.

      The PS3 taking #1 is very unlikely. Its sales are the worst of all three consoles and just having a system be understood is not enough to make developers support it. Who'd make a game for the system that has the lowest maximum sales for a game out of all of them? I don't see any reason why the PS3 would beat the other two, it has nothing significant over the other two systems so considering roughly equal hardware plus much worse sales what's there to make you think it has any chance?

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    10. Re:To be a loyal SOny fanboy by Eponymous+Bastard · · Score: 1

      I was thinking about it this weekend, and realized MS wouldn't even need to release a whole new console.

      The PS3 is being helped along by the fact that it's a cheap Blu ray player.

      If in the next couple of months, blu-ray comes up on top, MS could just release an XBox Blu, with a hard drive and blu ray drive, but the exact same internals, guaranteeing compatibility. MS already produces a bunch of different editions of the XBox anyway. Release a blu-ray addon for older customers to use instead of the HDDVD one and you're good to go. This both assume, of course, that the expansion bus for the HDDVD drive has enough bandwidth.

      You can ensure developer support simply by allowing them to assume the existence of a hard drive for bluray titles (make sure the addon has one).

      Customers will like it because it's still cheaper than a PS3, specially if you already have an XBox. The game library is also a great upside.

  3. The problem with PS3 numbers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Is that there's no way to tell how many of them were bought as Blu-Ray players and not as game consoles.

    The PS3 is hurting badly right now. Literally the only people I know who own one bought it for Blu-Ray support. There's no knowing how small the market is for PS3 games, but a good portion of PS3 sales will never translate into game sales.

    You can tell this by looking at the Amazon.com video game bestsellers list. Yes, the PS3 is on the list, but it's beat by its own Blu-Ray remote and you have to drop to around 50 before an actual PS3 game shows up on the list.

    Developers know this. They know the PS3 is dead, that of the sales figures you can only count optimistically on half of them being bought for games. Only a handful of PS3 exclusives remain, the vast majority have Xbox 360 ports in the work.

    1. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by Pojut · · Score: 1

      Hi. My name is Adam. I do call quality monitoring in a call center, play video games with my fiance 25-30 hours a week, enjoy comic books, movies, all forms of music, and am going jew-bald early (only 23 years old now). I personally own many game systems from many different companies...Nintendo, Microsoft, Sega, Atari, Sony...

      I also own a PS3. I have had it for nearly a year, but I still don't own a single Blu-Ray movie that I have bought. I got it primarily because I was interested in Resistance and I knew that there will be some killer stuff out for it a little later on in it's life. Given the changes with backwords compatability and such, I'm glad I bought it around launch time when I did.

      There. You now know someone who bought it for the games.

      --
      Living With a Nerd
    2. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by Kimos · · Score: 1

      play video games with my fiance 25-30 hours a week Slightly OT, but I think that this is a defining mark of our generation. The adults who got our first NES new for christmas, give or take.

      My common-law girlfriend and I don't subscribe to television. We watch a movie maybe once a week, or on occasion episode of The Office. But we almost daily play video games together. I play my share of single player Wii games, but for the most part we sit down after work, with dinner, with friends, or otherwise and play games. I don't find us very exceptional, but ten or so years ago I'd venture there were very few people in a similar situation.
    3. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by Pojut · · Score: 1

      We get Netflix and usually watch at least one movie a week (we are both big movie buffs...our DVD collection combined approaches the 700 mark) however we don't have any TV service of any kind. We get History Channel and PBS specials from Netflix, and if there is a show that we are particularly interested in (such as Dexter) we will just buy it on DVD.

      Half of our gameplay time is spent playing different games, however...Generally, if I am playing a PC game, she will play Viva Pinata, mess around with the 2600, or will practice Wii Bowling (she takes pride in being undefeated in our circle of friends) When we DO play together, it's usually going through an old SNES game (we just finished playing Secret of Mana together), playing Wii Sports, or the occasional terrorist hunt in Rainbow Six: Vegas.

      While we don't have any children as of yet, we already have a good plan for when we do: start them on the Atari, and work them up to modern-day stuff. As a very wise man once said, "For one to truly pwn, one must pwn in ALL games."

      --
      Living With a Nerd
    4. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by lonesome_coder · · Score: 1

      To keep with the OT conversation, I am in the same boat. My wife and I play board and video games together on a daily basis. Hell, we even met through an MMORPG! (FFXI)

      I agree with the comment about ten or so years ago; when people ask how my wife and I met and I explain, I still get a lot of odd stares and comments.

      --
      If you'd just do what we tell you and quit yer gripin' everything would be chocolate sprinkles and rainbows! -AC
    5. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by Pojut · · Score: 1

      Sorry, that should have said we watch at least one movie a DAY, not a week.

      --
      Living With a Nerd
    6. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by Moonpie+Madness · · Score: 0

      Only a handful of 360 ports remain, and have PS3 ports int he works too. I mean, what are teh big 2008 XBOX exclusives? GT5 and MGS4 and FF13 are all major Halo rivalling titles. I see nothing like that for XBOX.

      And the PS3 is actually more profitable to Sony as a blu-ray payer than it is a sa game player, plus Sony plans to sell shows and online movies. The failure of HD-DVD has game developers realizing that the PS3 will probably doing fine.

      The real problem is the XBOX fanboys. The first XBOX was so badly stomped on by Sony that XBOX fans are conditioned to expect extreme victories and failure. The PS3 is going OK. Just like the 360. Neither is really doing super well, and neither is doing super badly. Both will have a lot of great support and large fanbases. XBOX fanboys just don't get it. The PS3 had an awful year, yet came out quite well from it, looking at a 2008 that ought to really sell some systems and software.

      The XBOX is really doing quite badly in the profitable markets, and succeeding only in the relatively unprofitable and soft US market. Sony is wise to focus elsewhere. I expect the Japanese and European consoles to simply make more money than North American ones, and developers will probably see the same things.

      Games are not selling well o the PS3 because there are so few great games on it yet. The system was not only released soon to defeat HD DVD, but also games have been delayed a lot. But that period is ending, and the too-early strategy was obviously a wise one.

      PS2 users don't mind very much. They are slow adopters who will buy $350 PS3s after some games start hitting the $20 rack and the great games like FF 13 are released, while scoring a great blu-ray player. We see that very few non-xbox 1.0 movers have purchased a 360, and it just has this aura of ugliness and failure around it. Sure, it's selling great because XBOX fans have nthing else to buy, but Sony fans still see a lot of life in the PS2. They are more likely to be relatively poor and wait a while to move to this generation.

      nintendo saw that, and came out with a cheap, PS2 quality, interesting system, and several PS2 fans have moved that way. XBOX tried to totally mirror the PS2 with a mid-range cheap system, but they are bleeding cash and looking to the next gen already. The console war will really occer 3-4 years after the systems and blu-ray were introduced. That's where most of the 130 million PS2 owners are on the timeline. By then, HD TV will be a bigger deal, Blu-ray will be a bigger deal, the PS3 will be cheaper and have the best library (from a PS2 owner's perspective), the eye and sixaxis will present an argument that PS3 is a bargain compared to the wii (a good argument).

      The wii still wins, and the PS3 may not defeat the 360 (on the strength of MS's brutal willingness to give millions for favors from publishers to get its wonderful game library), but the PS3 will do pretty well. Well enough to where the Gamecube and XBOX failures simply aren't repeated.

      I think a lot of Japanese companies are realizing that MS is a threat to their success. Nintendo isn't very friendly to most companies, but Sony is extremely friendly. I think the XBOX is going to sink earlier than anyone is expecting.

      Your accusation that the PS3 is dead shows such a lack of perspective and awareness of the world that you are obviously a severe fanboy. Americans have less to spend than the Japanese and Europeans. Compare the Japanese store to the US one on the PS network. Japan has 200 games. The US has a couple of dozen. Sony took some bold steps getting bluray to win, and they are taking even bigger steps with their focus on profitable markets. Look at Nintendo. They are trying to sell more wiis in europe when any wii brought to the US sells instantly. Why? They don't want US customers as badly as they want Japanese and European ones. MS doesn't have the ability to do that. they are paralyzed into fighting for the US.

      You and I will enjoy our 360s, but I bet we'd be wise to realize it's not going to "win" and console wars.

    7. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by Toonol · · Score: 1

      I was going to argue with your assumption that Americans have less disposable income than Europeans... and I still might. However, while searching for stats I came across this link... a presentation about toilet paper drawn up by an eager Russian company eager to crack the Western European market. I love the internet. (Warning... it's a PDF.)

    8. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by Moonpie+Madness · · Score: 1

      Those crazy Russians! But TP is serious matter, my friend.

      Americans are still a lucky bunch, but the economy in the states is declining and will decline a lot more for the next few years before having a huge post-war boom. It's happened several times before. They will adapt to paying for a very expensive war (and I'm not trying to argue for or against the war), and then the war will end and they will leap up like they did in 1992.

      While America is still a very important market, it's much more important to invest in Europe and Asia, which will increase relative to the US for the next few years. Especially considering that the dollar itself isn't worth as much as it was last year, and this trend will continue as long as oil grows more scarce and the US consumes so much oil (relative to other currencies anyway). Every Dollar MS got in 2006-mid 2007 is worth about a third less than every dollar-equiv amount they got in many European and Asian markets.

      So, if MS made X dollars in the US, and Sony made X dollars in Europe, MS is at aa disadvantage.

      Sony is playing some daring games for the long-term. Everyone thinks MS has the master inevitable plan to dominateyet another market, but they have screwed up several (internet search, ISP, Music Player). I think Sony has teh better long term strategy to stay diverse with the PS2 and have an ubersystem tied to a new format for movies. They stay afloat long enough to win the format war, and poor folks still buy their PS2s.

    9. Re:The problem with PS3 numbers by Moonpie+Madness · · Score: 1

      common law girlfriend? Is that from Blackstone? What common law tradition legally defined whether you were going steady or not?

      Maybe I'm missing some sarcasm.

      Anyway. You're right, society has changed. It's ok to play for 25 hours a week. the past generation spends twice that watching TV, and their parents (or grandparents enjoyed the radio a lot more than I do. We had audio learned, then visual learners, and now we're having people who learn through interaction (and learn more).

      I think this is very positive. Playing a game, even Halo, is much better for your brain than watching TV and drooling motionless. Games are a much better artform than Film or TV. More interactive, more compelling, more personal.

  4. NPD? by flydpnkrtn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What the hell is an NPD? Can we please define obscure acronyms in the summary? I mean... WTF :)

    --
    Here's to the crazy ones
    1. Re:NPD? by twigstamc420 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Perhaps this will clarify... http://www.npd.com/corpServlet?nextpage=profile_s.html/

    2. Re:NPD? by 222 · · Score: 3, Informative

      National Purchase Diary. Most people that pay attention to these numbers don't know / care about that though.

      The group tracks product sales and sells this information. Its pretty much recognized as the most respectible source of this type of information, but it isn't completely accurate. Walmart, for example, refuses to take part in NPD data collection.

      Hope that helps.

    3. Re:NPD? by paudle · · Score: 1
      NPD doesn't really stand for anything anymore. From the lovely Wikipedia:

      NPD Group, a sales and market research company (formerly National Purchase Diary)
      Basically they just give out sales numbers for video games and systems in the context of this article and most that you will see about gaming.
    4. Re:NPD? by The+One+and+Only · · Score: 1

      Like KFC, the SAT, and BP, the initials don't stand for anything anymore and neither do they!

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      In Repressive Burma, it's not just your connection that dies. slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=314547&cid=20819199
  5. 3 Wii by Weebo · · Score: 1

    3 Wii! Own those charts!

    --
    Battle City
  6. Guitar Hero? by ECMIM · · Score: 1

    Hmm, so are people only buying Guitar Hero (and all its immitators) because it includes a guitar in the package? I mean, if you look at how well the game sold w/o the guitar (see: Amplitude and Frequency) I think it's fair to say that GH would never have climbed the heights it has either, right?

    1. Re:Guitar Hero? by Pojut · · Score: 1

      Guitar hero is a full-fledged game necessitating hours upon hours of gameplay time to experience everything it has to offer. It is a full-blown game, even without the guitar.

      Wii Play is a series of mini-mini games. The entire product can be experienced in roughly 45 minutes. Without the Wiimote, it would likely sell for $10 (considering the $10 increase in price over a Wiimote)

      Between people I know and what I have seen the three times I waited in line to buy a Wii (one for myself, the other two for family members) NO ONE in line started buying WiiPlay until the stores ran out of Wii Remotes. All three times I stood in line to get one this occured.

      And yes, I think Guitar Hero's huge popularity is very dependent on the guitar periphial. You wouldn't feel much like a rock star jamming out on your standard controller, would you?

      --
      Living With a Nerd
    2. Re:Guitar Hero? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And yes, I think Guitar Hero's huge popularity is very dependent on the guitar periphial. You wouldn't feel much like a rock star jamming out on your standard controller, would you? I would, but I do a lot of drugs...
    3. Re:Guitar Hero? by Pojut · · Score: 1

      not THAT kind of rock, you insensitive clod!

      --
      Living With a Nerd
  7. Re:NPD is useless by Moonpie+Madness · · Score: 2, Insightful

    NPD is wildly inaccurate. But it's better than the other wildly inaccurate sources.

    Still, a great indicator of what's selling is to look at major areas that sell games. Go to Best Buy and see how much store space is devoted to Nintendo or Microsoft or Sony. You'll get the idea that each is doing very well, but Sony is fractured among a diverse group of systems (this is a good thing or a bad thing depending on your expectation of the economy).

    NPD is not a target for attack. They are only inaccurate insofar as many retailers refuse to give information to them.