NPD May 2008
- Thread starter iceberg187
- Start date
Has there ever been a 'system mover' game when consoles were priced so high? I figure they need to be in the $199 to $249 range before a single game will be capable of moving a significant number of systems.
Halo3 certainly had a noticeable impact, but it generated an unreal amount of hype for a single system.
djskribbles
Legend
i really think MGS4 is going to sell really well, and PS3 hardware sales will see a nice bump, and continue to have momentum. judging by the response from gamers from various message boards, the game is truly amazing, and through word of mouth, it will sell a lot of copies (deservingly so). it probably won't sell as many copies as Halo 3 or CoD4, but it will sell a lot nonetheless.
i think it will move more systems than GTA4 did by the simple fact that its a PS3 exclusive, and its bundled with the PS3. imho, this is the biggest game released on PS3 so far, and probably the biggest PS3 game released this year.
i think it will move more systems than GTA4 did by the simple fact that its a PS3 exclusive, and its bundled with the PS3. imho, this is the biggest game released on PS3 so far, and probably the biggest PS3 game released this year.
thatdude90210
Regular
It has a chance of cracking 200k in next month's NPD... it's a 5 week NPD month. Kinda ridiculous considering the biggest game of the year just launched, huh?
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation - that's the one for reviviing 'dead' people by breathing into their mouths and massaging the heart.
Lucid_Dreamer
Veteran
I noticed that 4 of the 5 top Wii games are made by Nintendo. This seems to somewhat reenforce what developers have been worrying about, when it comes to making games for the Wii.
That shovelware gets outsold by Nintendo AAA titles? If the makers of Kawasaki Jet Ski thought they were going to break the Top 10 for May, they should be comitted.
They are worried about free market competition where the best games sell the most? Where the cream rises to the top and the crap get's cast aside?Perhaps they those devs that are worried making games on Wii should be worried about making a living in general.
Johnny Awesome
Veteran
Pretty ho-hum numbers really. I think the point made that $350 and $400 systems don't fly off the shelves in May when gas is $4/gallon is a good one. It doesn't matter what comes out really. Good games like GTA add value to the HD consoles, but probably not enough to overcome the high console-price factor.
I'm pretty sure MS will drop to at least $299 at E3 or in the early Fall. They probably don't need to do more than that. This generation is going to be a long one. Plenty of time to pick up those $199 consumers later on in the generation.
I'm pretty sure MS will drop to at least $299 at E3 or in the early Fall. They probably don't need to do more than that. This generation is going to be a long one. Plenty of time to pick up those $199 consumers later on in the generation.
Its floating both the 360 and PS3 sales. You're looking at ~185-195k average for both the 360 and PS3 for the months of April and May. The PS2 saw pricecuts from the 2001-2003 all in the month of May of those years. What were the April PS2 sales prior to those price cuts?
2002....190K
2003....260K
2004....180K
April or May usually produces at least one console with sales below 6 figures. This has been true for every year since the launch of the xbox and GC except for 2006 and only if you restrict the 2006 data to the 360 and PS2 and exclude the GC and Xbox.
We looking at two $350+ consoles sustaining 185k+ sales through April and May with no price cutting while facing a competitor who selling at ~700K monthly. Sales should have nose dived with no price cuts for the month of May for both consoles but instead have remained relatively static. That phenemon in my opinion is due to GTA4.
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RancidLunchmeat
Veteran
I agree here with Nuc, Joker and Johnny.
You simply aren't going to get 'system sellers' when the console prices are this high. I'm sure GTA will move consoles when consoles hit the $199 - $149 range.
Games like Halo and MGS are so inherently tied into the branding of the console, it's difficult to imagine that people who wanted to play those games hadn't already factored them into their choice of console. And then it's simply a matter of timing of the purchase. How many PS3 owners purchased their console in part because of MGS? They aren't going to buy another one when the game is released.
There's already enough software on both of these consoles to give consumers value while they 'wait' for the release of these AAA titles. Either they have the money to purchase the console at this price point, or they don't.
I don't see how a significant amount of the population has this sort of disposable income, is interested in spending it on a console, and is waiting for a specific game to be released.
I think both MS and Sony are looking at high profile titles to sustain sales not boost them. If MS and Sony were really looking to boost sales they would use the tried and true method and thats price cutting. But with MS's warranty issue and Sony aggressive slashing last year, price cutting may not be feasible especially when you consider that its probably a forgone conclusion that the Wii will be the dominant console in the US.
Its no longer a race to #1 for Sony or MS, but more of a "lets find a niche in the market thats going to maximize profitability".
Its no longer a race to #1 for Sony or MS, but more of a "lets find a niche in the market thats going to maximize profitability".
XB360 is already cheaper in Europe than Wii (Arcade SKU)
Can you imagine a console that last almost a whole generation without even having a price cut? At this rate the PS3 and 360 are a long way off at offering their standard sku at $250, so the Wii can sit at that price point for quite a while especially given the fact that even if you cut the Wii's demand in half it still be selling at 350K a month during the slowest time of the year.