All purpose Sales and Sales Rumors and Anecdotes [2017 Edition]

[Shifty Geezer]

Which measurement is meaningful?

This is kinda like asking which measurement is most meaningful for the 100 meter sprint - time taken, or time taken relative to weight and height of the runner and their shoe price.

It's always been units for NPD and no other measurement matters.

In fact even MS's favoured metric of MAU might not increase much with XB1X depending on what happens with the old console, assuming people are upgrading and the old XB1 goes to users not increasing MAU (old 360 users?).

 

[BRiT]

It's always been units for NPD and no other measurement matters.

No. NPD switched earlier in the year to revenue based. Did you not notice that?

Unless they only switched over for software.

 

[djskribbles]

I think they still track unit sales for HW but I could be wrong. Software is definitely revenue based now.

 

[iroboto]

This is kinda like asking which measurement is most meaningful for the 100 meter sprint - time taken, or time taken relative to weight and height of the runner and their shoe price.

It's always been units for NPD and no other measurement matters.

In fact even MS's favoured metric of MAU might not increase much with XB1X depending on what happens with the old console, assuming people are upgrading and the old XB1 goes to users not increasing MAU (old 360 users?).

if MAU's rise significantly, a lot of 360 -> PS4 transfers likely came back for the new console launch I imagine.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

No. NPD switched earlier in the year to revenue based. Did you not notice that?

Unless they only switched over for software.

I thought hardware was still units.

 

[BRiT]

Thats why I asked which measurement was more meaningful.

Obviously the one NPD uses is meaningful to "win" NPD, but if you take a look at which one helps out the company more it might be different. In particular, perhaps new MAU is more meaningful than units sold or revenue from units sold or even profit from units sold?

 

[mpg1]

Did Sony phase out 500GB PS4 Slim SKU?...all I'm seeing is 1TB SKU now...

 

[djskribbles]

Did Sony phase out 500GB PS4 Slim SKU?...all I'm seeing is 1TB SKU now...

I think so. I think they replaced the standalone 500GB SKU with a bundled SKU (Uncharted, BF etc.) then they replaced those with the 1TB standalone at the same price.

 

[dobwal]

Thats why I asked which measurement was more meaningful.

Obviously the one NPD uses is meaningful to "win" NPD, but if you take a look at which one helps out the company more it might be different. In particular, perhaps new MAU is more meaningful than units sold or revenue from units sold or even profit from units sold?

"Unit sold" makes sense for hardware and revenue for software. A console selling for $80 or $800 makes no difference if both price points still mean selling for loss. Selling a game for $6 and moving 10 million units doesn't provide the same level of profits for console makers as selling 10 million units at $60.

For platform owners, MAU makes sense because an overall hardware number is a rather crude metric for those with ton of intimate details of their own hardware and userbase. Sony doesn't report MAU (as far as I know) but I'm willing to bet they have a similar metric they use internally.

Case in point, if I know what an active user spends monthly on average, then I can simply look at MAU and have a rough ideal of profit generation on the software side.

Edit: Better yet, if the belief that the X sales are mostly being sold to current One owners is true then that will readily reflected by MAU. An overall hardware number by itself could never express that reality.

 

[goonergaz]

if MAU's rise significantly, a lot of 360 -> PS4 transfers likely came back for the new console launch I imagine.

Yes, this is possible - it might also be why MS announced it so early...to minimise those who would get the X buying the Pro.

This is also where the game pass steps in - I'm sure it's no coincidence, it means migration financial 'pain' is smaller.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Thats why I asked which measurement was more meaningful.

Depends on the purpose of one's data gathering. For operating a business, MAU makes more sense. For keeping track in a decades long activity of console warring, unit sales is the way to go!

 

[Tkumpathenurpahl]

Surely that depends on the number of offline gamers? I don't know if that would be a significant enough percentage to matter, but someone is still technically an active user if they buy a console and games, but play never connect to the network.

 

[iroboto]

Yes, this is possible - it might also be why MS announced it so early...to minimise those who would get the X buying the Pro.

This is also where the game pass steps in - I'm sure it's no coincidence, it means migration financial 'pain' is smaller.

My only change to your statement is changing Pro to just PS4 family. I think they were bleeding Xbox 360/One users left and right to PS4 in general and needed to announce early and infront of Sony to stop a massive bleeding of players crossing over.

 

[chris1515]

Crazy bundle in France for Black Friday PS4 Pro 1TB + Horizon Zero Dawn, That's you, Uncharted The lost Legacy, Gran Turismo Sport and Wipeout Mega collection 449 euros

https://jeux-video.fnac.com/n418716...97c1bd16&OriginClick=YES&Origin=mail_2d910ded

And PSVR at 199 euros

 

[Globalisateur]

Crazy bundle in France for Black Friday PS4 Pro 1TB + Horizon Zero Dawn, That's you, Uncharted The lost Legacy, Gran Turismo Sport and Wipeout Mega collection 449 euros

https://jeux-video.fnac.com/n418716...97c1bd16&OriginClick=YES&Origin=mail_2d910ded

And PSVR at 199 euros

Meh.

I have seen the GT Sport Pro bundle at ~360€ during XBX launch on amazon.fr

 

[MrFox]

Sony is doing pretty well on amazon for "black end of november and some december".

2. Ps4 slim
3. Awesome: robot dinosaurs
5. Switch
12. The Last of Us
13. Switch
25. PSVR (skyrim)
28. Xb1 X
38. Xb1 S
40. Knack 2
51. PSVR (gts)
69. Xb1 S
72. Ps4 Slim bundle
86. Ps4 Pro

 

[iroboto]

Sony is doing pretty well on amazon for cyber monday.

2. Ps4 slim
3. Awesome: robot dinosaurs
5. Switch
12. The Last of Us
13. Switch
25. PSVR (skyrim)
28. Xb1 X
38. Xb1 S
40. Knack 2
51. PSVR (gts)
69. Xb1 S
72. Ps4 Slim bundle
86. Ps4 Pro

wait... isn't cyber monday next week? I don't think Black Friday ahs even arrived yet

 

[MrFox]

wait... isn't cyber monday next week? I don't think Black Friday ahs even arrived yet

Oh my bad, I thought it was since ps4 is 199.

 

[DrJay24]

They just started BF stuff early. It's really "Black end of November and some December".

 

[Deleted member 86764]

if MAU's rise significantly, a lot of 360 -> PS4 transfers likely came back for the new console launch I imagine.

I imagine this is true to an extent, but the particularly stubborn among us rare going to require a new console generation. You really have to own a 4k TV to get any use out of either the PS4Pro or the Xbox One X, anyone without a 4k TV will be happy with the initial boxes. They're really aiming at a subset of gamers and I don't really understand, in particular, Microsoft's motivation here, since they're not out to sell TVs. It seems like a reaction to the PS4 Pro more than anything else (and to me a 1080p owner, the PS4 Pro is already a little pointless).

I know it's a little early to be thinking about what comes next, but that's exactly what I'm doing. Come the new generation I'll be fully open to whichever machine appeals the most, as back-compat isn't something I've ever been interested in beyond minor curiosity (not that Sony offer it anyway). So if Microsoft have the better machine, I'll get that (assuming either of the boxes are an interesting progression beyond graphics!)