NA February game sales down (+ early hardware numbers)

[superguy]

Do we just not even get Gamecube and Xbox numbers any more?

 

[superguy]

What games are really going to make a difference?

Ms had no games compared to Nintendo going into this gen..didn't hurt them too much.

They will get all the same games they did last time most likely. Most will be multiplatform.

Yes, I think the games will go to the userbases. Which are determined by a lot of factors among them PRICE and POWER.

There are some games that are exclusive..more on Sony's side.

If this industry was about games Nintendo would never lose..it's not. It's about marketing, power, price, brand..

X360 has GRAW..I'd say right now they have the games over "PS3" of course, it's not released. But if you're talking "games", then X360 has them right now.

 

[Platon]

Well there's been strong rumours that MS is doing some sort or relaunch in march(or is it april?), so they may be stockpiling units so they can send them out en masse, and kick the advertising into high gear. Not so much a relaunch as a mass replenishment combined with increased marketing. Just speculation though, based on alot of stores showing the same dates for big shipments.

I still don't get the idea with a relaunch or whetever it is called, it just sounds dump, what is the point? If they have ramped up production they should see to get those units "out there" as soon as possible and not stockpilling them, and when they see that they have enough unit out there and can meet demand maybe have some new major ad campaign again, preferably maybe associated with some high profile game or something...

 

[Corwin_B]

I still don't get the idea with a relaunch or whetever it is called, it just sounds dump, what is the point? If they have ramped up production they should see to get those units "out there" as soon as possible and not stockpilling them, and when they see that they have enough unit out there and can meet demand maybe have some new major ad campaign again, preferably maybe associated with some high profile game or something...

That's not a bad idea, actually... After a few months, the initial hype for the 360 probably cooled down a lot. If all preorders have been filled, stockpiling some inventory and releasing a large amount at the same time with a large advertising campaign (perhaps focused on big titles like Oblivion and GRAW) will give the system some additional media traction, especially with E3 coming soon after with probably a lot of PS3/Revolution hype.

 

[expletive]

I think re-launch has a real negative connotation to it because, to me anyway, it implies the initial launch was a failure. I think what we're talking about here is just an ad campaign (with the exception of Japan, which would need a 're-launch'), no different than companies do all the time for all sorts of products.

Hype will always die down from the rabid levels of launch, thats just a fact of life. I can see MS putting together a big marketing campaign showing off all the 'launch plus' games, especially now that theyll have stock to back it up.

 

[scooby_dooby]

I still don't get the idea with a relaunch or whetever it is called, it just sounds dump, what is the point? If they have ramped up production they should see to get those units "out there" as soon as possible and not stockpilling them, and when they see that they have enough unit out there and can meet demand maybe have some new major ad campaign again, preferably maybe associated with some high profile game or something...

The idea is to be able to tell the consumer that they can actually go into a store and buy one of these things. Relaunch is a bad term, it would be more of a mass replenishment accompanied with a strong marketing push.

Also anyone who thinks ths is due to lack of deman is dreaming, there's no way the USA has even come close to filling demand with the paltry # of units they've sold there since launch.

 

[StefanS]

The idea is to be able to tell the consumer that they can actually go into a store and buy one of these things. Relaunch is a bad term, it would be more of a mass replenishment accompanied with a strong marketing push.

Also anyone who thinks ths is due to lack of deman is dreaming, there's no way the USA has even come close to filling demand with the paltry # of units they've sold there since launch.

Couple of Thoughts:
1) it is still too early to call the race MS competitors haven't even launched their consoles. So the future is neither bright or bleak. It's just unknown.
2) Over here, Europe that is, a lot of people are still undecided. Most of them are still waiting until E3 before deciding which console their are going to buy. So far Sony or Nintendo haven't shown much, so a lot of gamers will wait until they can actually make a decision. If Sony has a strong E3 demonstrating graphical capabilities beyond X360, they might opt for Sony. If Nintendo has a nice show they might swing for Rev. If neither of MS competitors can offer a gaming experience beyond X360, a lot of gamers are going to pick up an X360 instead of waiting for those other consoles to launch. Which leads us to
3) MS needs a strong E3 presence (Halo, etc.) to stir up interest and couple that with a new marketing campaign.

 

[scooby_dooby]

Couple of Thoughts:
1) it is still too early to call the race MS competitors haven't even launched their consoles. So the future is neither bright or bleak. It's just unknown.
2) Over here, Europe that is, a lot of people are still undecided. Most of them are still waiting until E3 before deciding which console their are going to buy. So far Sony or Nintendo haven't shown much, so a lot of gamers will wait until they can actually make a decision. If Sony has a strong E3 demonstrating graphical capabilities beyond X360, they might opt for Sony. If Nintendo has a nice show they might swing for Rev. If neither of MS competitors can offer a gaming experience beyond X360, a lot of gamers are going to pick up an X360 instead of waiting for those other consoles to launch. Which leads us to
3) MS needs a strong E3 presence (Halo, etc.) to stir up interest and couple that with a new marketing campaign.

GReat post, I agree with everything you've said. I was just pointing out that deman in the US can't possibly be filled yet with only around 1 million sold there to our knowledge.

E3 will be interesting, will MS get schooled again? Will Sony's realtime vid's be all that? What will the rev games actually look like? Should be cool.

 

[pipo]

E3 will be interesting, will MS get schooled again? Will Sony's realtime vid's be all that? What will the rev games actually look like? Should be cool.

Very cool. Can't wait...

 

[Titanio]

2) Over here, Europe that is, a lot of people are still undecided. Most of them are still waiting until E3 before deciding which console their are going to buy.

I really don't think so. Most people who actually "watch" E3, i.e. the hardcore, are probably going to buy both PS3 and 360 anyway at one point or another. Most of the wider market neither cares nor is are aware of the politics of E3..as much fun as it might be for you and me, very little hinges on E3 to quite that extent.

 

[scooby_dooby]

I really don't think so. Most people who actually "watch" E3, i.e. the hardcore, are probably going to buy both PS3 and 360 anyway at one point or another. Most of the wider market neither cares nor is are aware of the politics of E3..as much fun as it might be for you and me, very little hinges on E3 to quite that extent.

The media impressions will be sensationalized and sent out on the usual channels, i.e. TV, newspaper, internet articles.

 

[pipo]

I really don't think so.

I agree with this. On top of that, certainly in my small part of Europe the Premiums are still very hot...

 

[Titanio]

The media impressions will be sensationalized and sent out on the usual channels, i.e. TV, newspaper, internet articles.

True, but just the politics of the event itself and judgement of who "won" etc.

In the first place, most people aren't even at the juncture of making a decision on next-gen consoles at all, anyway. Of those who are, it is correct to say that most are waiting, but what they're waiting for will be a sum of quite a bit more than E3, I think.

 

[scooby_dooby]

i think it will have a big effect on the momentum of the consoles this year, specifically it could have a large effect on determining whether 360 sales fade-off in the face of PS3/revolution launch, or whether they remain strong.

 

[Titanio]

I really have to doubt it given the history that's there. Really, E3 ultimately does little to direct wider market performance, and there's much precedent for that.

 

[scooby_dooby]

I really have to doubt it given the history that's there. Really, E3 ultimately does little to direct wider market performance, and there's much precedent for that.

Well maybe you're right, but I think this is a special case given the sony promise of spring from a year ago, the promises of 2x more power, and the 360 shortage coming to an end.

There will be many people waiting to see, that have been waiting for a year already, and Sony has also written themselves quite a cheque to cash.

For example if Sony trounces MS again, I could definately see a big drop in 360 sales as gamers set their sites on the PS3 only 6 months away. If 360 steals the show, then I think you'll see a definate surge in 360 sales as people decide the PS3 is not worth the wait. It not only generates hype in regular news sources, but also print magazines which are read by millions of gamers.

 

[Titanio]

I think you WAY way overestimate the relevance of any of these things amongst "most" people. Nearly every issue you've listed there is a matter of politics amongst the likes of you and me rather than of relevance to the wider market.

In other words, if most of the market is waiting for PS3 it is not because of Killzone or "2x the power". I think that's an argument for another day, though..

 

[scooby_dooby]

Maybe you're right, I just see it as pretty important for Sony that they generate a considerable amount of hype at this E3 in order to slow 360 sales over the next 6 months, and E3 is certainly where all eyes are focused.

What happens there will be relayed back to most people in some way shape or form, and the only peole who count (people who would potentially buy either system in 06) should be watching.

 

[Mr. Hanky]

That would be true if X360 supplies were freely available. Being that it is supply constrained and may continue to do so for much of 6 mos out, it really doesn't matter for Sony to generate hype or not. No doubt, it would be nice for the rest of us to get some new juicy tidbits on PS3, but it is hardly a requirement to ward off the "X360 wildfire".

 

[scooby_dooby]

That would be true if X360 supplies were freely available. Being that it is supply constrained and may continue to do so for much of 6 mos out, it really doesn't matter for Sony to generate hype or not. No doubt, it would be nice for the rest of us to get some new juicy tidbits on PS3, but it is hardly a requirement to ward off the "X360 wildfire".

X360 supply in march != x360 supply in may to dec.