No more NPD numbers (group hug coming up!)

Thanks fir your responce

 

Sales numbers of a vehicle (or any other product that requires industry support) are relevant in terms of survival. Take, for example, the Oldsmobile brand.

Also, sales numbers of such products are important to the general public in terms of the overall health of the industry and the local economy. If instead of "Mustang v. Camaro" you considered "GM v. Toyota" - I could argue that people (at least here in the US, and certainly here in Michigan) care much more about vehicle sales than game console sales.

 

Once I've bought the vehicle, the survival of the company doesn't mean crap to me. There's nothing the car company really does for me once I own their product. There may be general economic concerns for some, but for most a vehicle selling better doesn't justify the purchase in any way (its even the opposite for many as they'd rather not see 'their' car being driven by everyone else).

With a console a healthy install base is required for support, early adopters are basically gambling that the product will succeed and are buying it on perceived/expected future support.

 

The discussions here are mostly academic and for the most part are just pure entertainment for those that take part in those discussions. That being said, any discussion related to consoles is legitimate as long as forum rules are followed, which are there to keep us civil and the discussions constructive.

We as gamers and as forum goers here at B3D have an infatuation with console sales number and sales related to the gaming market in general. You might not like it, but as such this infatuation exist, so these discussions take place.

Discussions on the future of the console market brings with it many points of contention. Its these points of contention that makes these forward looking discussions interesting and software and console sales are a very natural part of the overall discussion.

If it were just a big lovefest in here, B3D would be a very boring place.

Whats wrong about a discussion that you enjoy taking part when its all for pure entertainment anyways?

 

I'm sorry for not being more specific - I was trying to draw an analogy between software for consoles and service for vehicles. If a vehicle line dies off, so do the dealerships and the service options for that vehicle. Not a perfect analogy for those who take care of their own cars or go to an independent shop for service, but that was the comparison I was trying to make. If I, as a consumer, believe that a vehicle line is going to die off, and that will make it harder for me to get it repaired / serviced, then I will be less likely to purchase.

 

Is the only place you can get a car repaired at a dealer?

 

The car analogy is ridiculous IMO. Consoles sales are important to gamers because of game support issues. It's that simple. Automobiles do not have these issues 99.9% of the time.

 

It may be in one sense,but the way I look at it people aren't going to change their predetermined choice based on sales. I think people use the numbers to defend their
choice rather than to make their minds up about something. And in that sense I would be happy to see an end to sales discussions and more talk of the merits of games.

 

So, any reports on Black Friday sales? I know the Wii was really hot, and 360's sold out locally (I have no clue nationally).

 

Everything is anecdotal as of now, and what you've seen is the same thing I've seen.

 

good riddance. those threads ruin some forums and cause so many bannings for trolls and just general super-fanboy stupidity. First thing I learned on the gaming forums: BEWARE THE SALES THREADS.

 

You might have skipped over the part in the thread where they have decided to continue to release the numbers.

 

ROTFLOL

 

oh goddamit.

 

Not everyone is a fanboy. I don't have a new console because neither the 360 or PS3 have enough of a library for me. Leaning toward the 360 for Mass Effect. Lost Odessy, Ninja Gaiden and that upcoming Action/RPG (forgot the name)are up my alley, but they may turn out bad. The PS3 has Metal Gear. Not into Final Fantasy lately. All others I want are x-platform. Games determine consumer choice, but sales may sway publisher choice.
They're selling a 360 Elite for $300 if you have an American Express and I'm tempted.

 

And publisher choice therefore determines consumer choice. Surely that relationship is enough to make the reason for interest in the measurement of sales numbers clear?

 

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Nintendo Co. sold more Wii game consoles last week than in any week since the popular gadget launched in late 2006, but executives warned Tuesday that Wiis would be scarce through the end of the year.

Nintendo sold 350,000 last week, when many stores were closed for the Thanksgiving holiday, compared to 300,000 the previous week. The only time with higher sales was an eight-day period in late November 2006, when the Wii debuted and more than 600,000 units sold.

The company is on track to sell 17.5 million Wiis in the fiscal year ending March 31. Last fall, Nintendo executives predicted they would sell 14.5 million Wiis.

They were producing roughly 1.2 million units per month at the time.

Nintendo has ramped up production to about 1.8 million per month, but its manufacturers cannot increase production again, said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, who spent Friday and Saturday spot-checking Wii supplies at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, GameStop, Target and Toys R Us stores in Erie, Penn., and Redmond, Wash.

"I couldn't find a single Wii system on the shelves - literally as I was walking into a Wal-Mart at 11 a.m., someone was walking out with the last one," Fils-Aime said in an interview at the company's new office here. "Consumers are buying every game we can put into the system."

Fils-Aime predicted a new sales record the week before Christmas, despite being "very concerned" about the U.S. economy and the rising price of gasoline. About 40 percent of Wii sales have been in North America and Latin America, while 35 percent were in Asia, primarily Japan, and the rest came from Europe and the Middle East.

He dismissed speculation online that the Kyoto, Japan-based company - maker of Pokemon and Super Mario games - is deliberately constraining supply of the $250 console to generate buzz.

"A shortage benefits no one," he said. "We're disappointed. This was all about how we didn't accurately estimate demand. We need to be more bullish about the potential for the Wii."

Unlike consoles with joysticks that players operate with their thumbs, the Wii responds to the user moving a wand-like wireless controller strapped to the wrist.

Wii games including tennis and bowling appeal to children, parents, hardcore gamers and even senior citizens.

Sony's top-line PlayStation model, with an 80-gigabyte hard drive, costs $499 in the U.S., down from the original price of $599. A new low-end model with a 40-gigabyte drive will go on sale Nov. 2 for $399.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 costs $350 in the U.S.

The Wii has been a tremendous boost for Nintendo.

In the quarter ended Sept. 30, it more than doubled its sales to $6.1 billion from a year earlier, when the Wii has not yet launched.

It has sold 5.5 million Wiis in the U.S. since it went on sale on last November.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/1700ap_us_holiday_sales_wii.html

 

PS3 outselling XBOX 360 worldwide for last two weeks

According to website vgchartz, PS3 outsold XBOX 360, worldwide by about 2 thousand units.

Correction: Should be "first two weeks of November"

 

they say a lot of things over there....

 

And then adjust after NPD is released