NPD May 2008
- Thread starter iceberg187
- Start date
Possibly. We'll see once Microsoft drops the price on the consoles. I'm sure they're pretty concerned how their crown jewel 1st party title dropped this low after only 8 months on the market. I wouldn't be surprised if they did something else with the software to help stop the hemorrhaging(drop the pricing on Halo3 or move up release dates on Gears of War2 or Halo Wars).
However, the biggest thing they can do to fix the issue is to drop the console price. I think $350+ for consoles is too high for mainstream consumers. I'm hoping they do a big drop this time. Hopefully something like $200-$250 for the Arcade, $250-$300 for 60gb Pro and $350-$400 for the Elite. Adding a 60gb SKU without bringing out a replacement for the 120gb SKU will shrink the price difference between the top 2 SKUs. That might be their plan: put more space between them and the $400 PS3(provided Sony doesn't drop their price too). It will be interesting to see what they do. If they drop the price at E3(11 months since last one), then I wouldn't expect another drop for at least a year.
Tommy McClain
It's about the US$100 gift card promo. I am not sure if many people buy from Walmart without the discount (It has a different customer segment from Target, BestBuy, ...). They will need to plug in a suitable number from elsewhere. Like I said, these numbers cannot be verified.
For forum discussion ? Sure... even rumors work. I'd trust Sony's numbers for the gift card promo (since Walmart order direct from them). But I don't think Sony will release their specific numbers too.
It's cheaper by $10-20 bucks than other new titles also.Some people are always going to buy a game you think doesn't deserve to be bought. Very few games sell zero copies. That doesn't make the people who buy them "fanboys."
Halo3 has sold 8.1 million copies worldwide. I doubt that's disappointing. I'm sure the sales are still going, it's just not topping the charts in any one region.
What hemorrhaging?
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that Microsoft is in dire circumstances. Though comparatively to Halo 2, Halo 3 is not staying in the top 25 after 8 months speaks volumes. I'm sure Microsoft expected it to be a system seller for at least a year. To me it looks like it's petered out and basically only converted previous buyers of the series(both 2&3 sold about 8million copies). You don't think only 2 titles in the top 25 is cause for concern from at least a 1st party perspective?
Tommy McClain
Doesn't it speak as much positively for the breadth and appeal of XB360 titles versus XB titles though, where back in the day, one could argue based on your remarks, there wsn't as much worth having outside of H2 on XB? I'm sure a higher attach rate is just as worthwhile, if not moreso, than a single chart-dominating title.
I think those are monthly sales list, not LTD. GT5P has sold allmost 2 million world wide. GT5P not selling any more could be right, as most people who wanted it probably either downloaded it or bought it by now.
Yes, it says that the Halo fans snatched it up a lot faster, and that it was selling systems before it even came out. I doubt MS considers it a failure in any sense of the word.
They may release something new, or maybe not. Either way I'm sure they'll continue with Wii. Even when 360/PS3 drop to mainstream price Wii should still have momentum and significantly more developer support then it has currently.
djskribbles
Legend
correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't think so.
scooby_dooby
Legend
A simple guess would be... most people who wanted it already have the system.
The real question is... what game will be the one to actually move systems in crazy numbers then? MGS4, Gears 2, FFXIII? Or Wii Dancing or whatever is next?
If anything, this generation has shown that the idea of software having a large impact on sales is almost a myth.
Price is king. The only thing that has shown huge boosts in sales has been pricedrops, I can't think of a single game release that has resulted in a significant bump in sales...? I guess Halo wold be the best example, but even that did not propel sales much beyond the usual trends that occur in the fall season.
PS3 sales became respectable at $500, and took-off at $400. 360 has seen strong increases everytime they've lowered the price, or at least enough to maintain the status quo.
Now that GTA has come out, and followed the same trend as previous games, i.e. little to no impact, I think the situation is becoming clear: while an entire game library may influence your overall popularity and momentum, specific games do not, and it all comes down to the price in the end.
The X factor is pop-culture, which is the phenomenon we're seeing with the Wii, but that's the sort of thing that can't really be predicted or expected.
thatdude90210
Regular
The 360 only have had one price cut (in the US, since this is a NPD thread) so it's hard to see a trend here.
It is both price and software. The Xbox 360 is cheaper than Wii and PS3 in Japan, but sold the least. Software like WiiSports brought out the fun factor of Wii successfully. If it's just the Wiimote (no software), the Wii would be dead in the water at launch.
Whatever wrapped around the hardware and software is the marketing. It can be managed, just like how Apple ran iPod and iPhone, while Nintendo ran Wii, WiiFit and DS.
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132,708
I'm not sure why they didn't include them in the NPD press release this month, had to get them from Sony PR.
Not to brag or anything, but I have actually been saying this for years.
I remember back in the Gamecube days, so many message board fanboys kept predicting GC to take off as soon as next big game X (Mario Sunshine, Smash Bros, Starfox, Zelda, Mario Kart, etc) came out. Then when that game came out and little changed, it was always "well, just wait for next big game x!" Never happened, and eventually the GC faded away. That is when I learned..big games dont effect hardware sales.