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[RyanPierre]

Does anyone have a screenshot of when Microsoft's title said Xbox One game sales outsold all others?

Yep, I had kept that blatant lie honest mistake open in a tab:

 

[FLEABttn]

What eventually caused the demise of the Virtual Boy? Is the Wii U heading in the same direction?

Oh, the Virtual Boy was a completely different level of stupid compared to the Wii-U.

-A piece of hardware that required you to awkwardly peer into a headset that didn't rest on you head (too heavy to regardless).
-Unlike a console that sat under or next to you TV on your TV stand and unlike a handheld which you could stick in a drawer somewhere, the Virtual Boy sat on a desk or table taking up space that would otherwise go to pretty much anything else. "Putting it away" meant sticking it someplace that was less immediately needed or sticking it in a box in your closet. I made dedicated room for mine on my desk but there was opportunity cost to that - and when I needed my full desk, I would put the thing on my bed. This problem becomes much larger in Japan when you consider the size of their houses and apartments.
-Your graphics could be any color you wanted so long as the color was red. And black, which was really only the absence of color. People put up with black and white with the Game Boy because at least portable gaming was novel.
-A decent number of people found the 3D to be eye-strain/headache inducing.
-The 3D didn't terribly add a lot to the experience. Some games made okay use of it but nothing that made it obvious that 3D was necessary for a gaming experience.
-Despite not being a portable device, it only came with a battery pack that took 6 AA batteries. The AC adapter was an accessory.

 

[ultratruman]

Haha, yeah. As highlighted by that Direct yesterday that was packed full of games that are clearly taking full advantage of the GamePad.

They're putting the maps in MK8 on the Gamepad and now you can see other player's items, what more do you want man?!

 

[Aquamarine]

Oh, the Virtual Boy was a completely different level of stupid compared to the Wii-U.

-A piece of hardware that required you to awkwardly peer into a headset that didn't rest on you head (too heavy to regardless).
-Unlike a console that sat under or next to you TV on your TV stand and unlike a handheld which you could stick in a drawer somewhere, the Virtual Boy sat on a desk or table taking up space that would otherwise go to pretty much anything else. "Putting it away" meant sticking it someplace that was less immediately needed or sticking it in a box in your closet. I made dedicated room for mine on my desk but there was opportunity cost to that - and when I needed my full desk, I would put the thing on my bed. This problem becomes much larger in Japan when you consider the size of their houses and apartments.
-Your graphics could be any color you wanted so long as the color was red. And black, which was really only the absence of color. People put up with black and white with the Game Boy because at least portable gaming was novel.
-A decent number of people found the 3D to be eye-strain/headache inducing.
-The 3D didn't terribly add a lot to the experience. Some games made okay use of it but nothing that made it obvious that 3D was necessary for a gaming experience.
-Despite not being a portable device, it only came with a battery pack that took 6 AA batteries. The AC adapter was an accessory.

If Nintendo treated the Wii U like they did the Virtual Boy, it would have been cancelled in July 2013 after the console sold 1.22 million.

 

[SmokyDave]

*hugs Smoky Dave*

Cheers man. I might've left a bit of snot on your shoulder, apologies.

I guess the silver lining is that PS4 dominance means there'll be tons of stuff to play via remote play, whatever happens to the Vita.

The AC adapter was an accessory.

Thank goodness they wouldn't be that stupid nowadays.

...oh, wait.

 

[Graphics Horse]

Haha, yeah. As highlighted by that Direct yesterday that was packed full of games that are clearly taking full advantage of the GamePad.

Don't they normally mention the Gamepad at least? It didn't get a look in :/

 

[FLEABttn]

If Nintendo treated the Wii U like they did the Virtual Boy, it would have been cancelled in July 2013 after the console sold 1.22 million.

I don't know how much the Virtual Boy sold through, but shipments were 1.26M LTD.

*EDIT* Never mind, you mentioned the sell through. Yes, Virtual Boy was far worse off.

Thank goodness they wouldn't be that stupid nowadays.

...oh, wait.

Yeah, that's a lesson they don't seem to even want to learn.

 

[rogue_nine82]

Its still early, but MS is beginning to dig themselves a hole. They need to come up with a compelling reason why gamers should pay an $100 premium for their console. Kinect and TV functionality was supposed to be it, but obviously that isn't working.

I would argue that the X1s launch games were better than the PS4s but the fact that multiplatform games are showing up better on the PS4 has seriously undercut that small advantage. You made me pay an $100 dollar premium with kinect, there should have been something that launched with the system that showcased what that investment was for. I guess there is Xbox fitness, but that doesn't excite gamers.

 

[chubigans]

Yep, I had kept that blatant lie honest mistake open in a tab:

Oh they finally got around to fixing that one huh?

MS goes through all their PR with a fine tooth comb. I have a hard time believing they'd slip that one by.

 

[idlewild_]

Yes.

...

Hm, so both consoles will have outsold the Wii U by the end of March most likely. Taking into consideration the underwhelming 3DS numbers as well, it is going to be a long couple months for Nintendo until May 30th. When is the next big opportunity for companies to make announcements, GDC?

 

[allan-bh]

3DS sales in US are disappointing, and I say overall, not only this month.

 

[ethomaz]

To be more specific, as of January 2014:


PS4 tie ratio = 2.11

Xbox One tie ratio = 2.71

Ohhhhhhh

PS4: 572k
Xbone: 382k

Big difference if you ask me but PS4 sold more... expected.

 

[noobie]

Ok, then

Xbox One tie-ratio: 2.7
PS4 tie-ratio: 2.1

Total software sold Xbox One - 5,286,600
Total software sold PS4 - 4,771,200

The Xbox One total should exclude digital sales, since, using the tie-ratio provided back in December for retail + digital games (2.9) and the sales up to then (1,817,000), we had 5,269,300 games sold overall back then.

But we also know retail only sales



This means

January Xbox One software - 486,000
January PS4 software . 571,200

Do we know PS4 and XBO digital software sales?

 

[liger05]

Cheers man. I might've left a bit of snot on your shoulder, apologies.

I guess the silver lining is that PS4 dominance means there'll be tons of stuff to play via remote play, whatever happens to the Vita.

Given up on remote play pushing Vita HW sales now?

 

[ethomaz]

Do we know PS4 and XBO digital software sales?

For 2013 we know Xbone sold 400k digital.

Retail: 4.8m
Digital: 0.4m

This is based in the 2.7 ratio for digital + retail.

 

[graywolf323]

Yes.

PS4:
1138K November
863K December
271K January
=
2272K 3-month total


Xbox One:
909K November
908K December
141K January
=
1958K 3-month total


Wii U:
425K first November
463K first December
57K first January

223K second November
481K second December
49K second January

Between 2145K and 2155K LTD

wow so PS4 has already outsold the Wii U, I honestly thought it would take until March

 

[KillerMan91]

I don't have the LTD, but I have the monthlies:

        3DS 2013   PSP 2007   NDS 2007
January      145        211        239
February     189        176        485
March        230        180        509
April        113        183        471
May          114        221        423
June         225        290        561
July         150        214        405
August       130        151        383
September    220        285        496
October      452        286        458
November     770        567       1530
December    1100       1060       2470
            3838       3824       8430
                        
        3DS 2014   PSP 2008   NDS 2008
January       97        230        251
February                243        587
March                   297        698
April                   193        415
May                     182        452
June                    337        783
July                    222        608
August                  253        518
September               238        537
October                 193        491
November                421       1570
December               1020       3040
                97     3829       9950

Powerhouse indeed.

 

[velvet_nitemare]

Wait 3DS only sold 97K?

If that's true, Nintendo must be shitting themselves. Goddamn.

 

[SmokyDave]

Given up on remote play pushing Vita HW sales now?

I don't remember committing either way. I felt (and still feel) it's too early to say. It's certainly not going to lead to some major turnaround, but it might well contribute to ongoing sustainability. As I say though, it's too early to say. The PS4 is expensive, even if it offers relatively good value. Pockets need time to recuperate.

If RP is going to push sales though, it ain't going to be in the US. It's quite clear that there's no future for the Vita in NA in any form.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

Ok, then

Xbox One tie-ratio: 2.7
PS4 tie-ratio: 2.1

Total software sold Xbox One - 5,286,600
Total software sold PS4 - 4,771,200

The Xbox One total should exclude digital sales, since, using the tie-ratio provided back in December for retail + digital games (2.9) and the sales up to then (1,817,000), we had 5,269,300 games sold overall back then.

But we also know retail only sales



This means

January Xbox One software - 486,000
January PS4 software . 571,200

Wouldn't it be weird if the PS4 sold far more digital games? lol

 

[prag16]

Powerhouse indeed.

Crazy how it just fell off a cliff like that. It was tracking with the PSP give or take (good not great), then all of a sudden this January was just horrific.

 

[Majmun]

Ps4 has already outsold the Wii U in NA? O_O

 

[Cheech]

Anyone has the LTD comparison between PSP and 3DS?
If I remember correctly 3DS was a few millions ahead at this point.

But looking at the monthly sales I'm not sure 3DS will outsell the PSP at the end ot its life. The sony handheld was pulling >200k during most of 2008 and it didn't go below 100k until April 2010.

I can't believe how badly the handheld market has shrunk.

The handheld market has never been bigger!

Apple sold 51 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2013.

Oh, you mean handhelds dedicated to gaming... those are clearly dead.

 

[Yaoibot]

Vita will keep trucking. If/ when they ever do a PS4/ Vita bundle, we'll see some decent sell-through. I imagine that won't come till the 1st price drop though so they can put them together for a reasonable price. If they wanted to spit in MS' face, they would do a bundle now for $500. Remember, even the Move sold like 18m or something, and a lof of that was through software/ hardware bundles and incentives.

At least the system is still lavished in games (tonnes of JRPGs this year, my God), which is what matters most to the people that own one. Eventually we'll see these games on mobile devices with physical and/ or bluetooth controls, and I'm okay with that. Handheld gaming is a dying beast. One that Nintendo should concern themselves with, considering how terribly the 3DS is doing compared to its predecessor. And we don't need to rehash what's happening with the Wii U. Of all the three, Nintendo's challenges and outlook are certainly the most dire.

 

[Dysun]

Actually, people laughed when you said they would faceplant out of the gate and sell sub 50:



And then laughed again, when you backtracked (more like completely revised history):



No one laughing about "new consoles selling sub 100k by April" that I can find.

 

[justsomeguy]

Competition would not be "on" if MS did that. Sony wouldn't be able to match. The Xbox One wouldn't suddenly become better hardware. MS wouldn't have gone back in time five years and chosen not to shutter the vast majority of their first party studios while letting Bungie walk out the door. It wouldn't change the fact that the Xbox One is inferior hardware designed around an always online, advertisers first consumers second paradigm.

MS would simply be attempting to bribe consumers with short term cash savings for an inferior product backed by an inferior business model and inferior long term service. That isn't competing and that kind of circumvention of good business practices is bad for the industry long term.

cutting through the hyperbole that the average Joe consumer doesn't care about are you honestly saying that if xbo was $100 cheaper than ps4 then it wouldn't have a significant impact?

 

[pretty done]

Ps4 has already outsold the Wii U in NA? O_O

How is this surprising lol

 

[dolemite]

I keep waiting for X360 to outsell Wii, but the thing keeps underdelivering for the last few months.

 

[P90]

<snip>Of all the three, Nintendo's challenges and outlook are certainly the most dire.

Short-term? I agree. Nintendo needs to do something. Long-term? Not so sure, probably Xbox. Investors want to dump the gaming division. Seeing the Xbox One sales this month will really fuel that fire. Company health? Sony is in the most dire circumstances.

 

[Saint Gregory]

The handheld market has never been bigger!

Apple sold 51 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2013.

Oh, you mean handhelds dedicated to gaming... those are clearly dead.

We should probably start a list of all the device industries killed by mobiles so far:

Music Players
PDAs
GPS
eReaders
Cameras

And now Gaming Handhelds. Did I forget any?

Nintendo seemed to see this coming ages ago and still couldn't do anything to slow it down. Raising the price of admission for hardware and games was a terrible place to start though.

 

[borghe]

Do we know PS4 and XBO digital software sales?

technically I would guess NPD could get it from Amazon for PS4.

But from both first party stores? No, neither company would likely give those numbers to NPD.

Wouldn't it be weird if the PS4 sold far more digital games? lol

I would honestly guess the PS4 DOES sell a ton of digital games. They've been pushing gamers to the PSN store every month with the Plus downloads, advertising digital games on the What's New section... and for someone not interested in trading in their games (and not paranoid about digital titles someday losing total access) there isn't a whole ton of benefit to buying the disc version.

FWIW, the only three disc games I own for PS4 are the ones from the Amazon B2G1. Every game before and every game after has been from PSN.

 

[Pillville]

We should probably start a list of all the device industries killed by mobiles so far:

Music Players
PDAs
GPS
eReaders
Cameras

And now Gaming Handhelds. Did I forget any?

calculators
radios
guitar tuners
walkies-talkies
.........
you know what, I can't think of a device that mobile didn't kill....

 

[Nirolak]

I don't have the LTD, but I have the monthlies:

        3DS 2013   PSP 2007   NDS 2007
January      145        211        239
February     189        176        485
March        230        180        509
April        113        183        471
May          114        221        423
June         225        290        561
July         150        214        405
August       130        151        383
September    220        285        496
October      452        286        458
November     770        567       1530
December    1100       1060       2470
            3838       3824       8430
                        
        3DS 2014   PSP 2008   NDS 2008
January       97        230        251
February                243        587
March                   297        698
April                   193        415
May                     182        452
June                    337        783
July                    222        608
August                  253        518
September               238        537
October                 193        491
November                421       1570
December               1020       3040
                97     3829       9950

Yeah I don't see how this thing is going to even remotely manage two more years on the market at this rate.

Well, deep in the gutter obviously, but I think people understand what I mean.

 

[anexanhume]

Important # IMO for PS4 is PS+ up 90%. PS4 owners already have Resogun, Contrast, Outlast and Don't Starve for free. Tie ratio also seems to have a negative correlation with install base size for a launch.

 

[noobie]

Wouldn't it be weird if the PS4 sold far more digital games? lol

with PS+ giving so many good deals i wont be surprised if they have sold far more digitally..

Especially considering that in their Quarterly report they showed around software sales of 126 million vs 84 million in corresponding quarter of last yr.. which is around 50% increase.. so i think lot of that is due to digital sales..

 

[gundamkyoukai]

Important # IMO for PS4 is PS+ up 90%. PS4 owners already have Resogun, Contrast, Outlast and Don't Starve for free. Tie ratio also seems to have a negative correlation with install base size for a launch.

Then there is also the F2P games .

 

[Saint Gregory]

technically I would guess NPD could get it from Amazon for PS4.

But from both first party stores? No, neither company would likely give those numbers to NPD.

I would think that there's a lot of technical obstacles preventing digital sales from being huge right now on PS4 and Xbox One, starting with DL speeds and data caps in most places outside of the US.

Because of where I live I'm capped at 30Mbps DLs and it would still probably be faster for me to just buy a game off Amazon than the PSN store since I would usually get those delivered next day.

calculators
radios
guitar tuners
walkies-talkies
.........
you know what, I can't think of a device that mobile didn't kill....

Good point. Universal Remotes are next btw.

 

[Aquamarine]

technically I would guess NPD could get it from Amazon for PS4.

But from both first party stores? No, neither company would likely give those numbers to NPD.

Never say never. If NPD Group bribes them with enough money, I don't see why they wouldn't comply.

 

[CheDominik]

I would think that there's a lot of technical obstacles preventing digital sales from being huge right now on PS4 and Xbox One, starting with DL speeds and data caps in most places outside of the US.

Because of where I live I'm capped at 30Gbps DLs and it would still probably be faster for me to just buy a game off Amazon than the PSN store since I would usually get those delivered next day.

Good point. Universal Remotes are next btw.

30Gbps?

Where do you live? I might have to move.

 

[Jomjom]

Yeah guys a monopoly will always make sure the consumer has the best deal!

I mean look at cable companies, I'm right now with Time Warner Cable, paying over 100$ a month for Internet Access that is literally 3 times slower on the download and 5 times slower on the upload than I could get from a competitor(I'm talking about Verison, having Google Fiber is nothing but a dream at this point) for the same exact price.

Thank God my area has only 1 dominant cable internet provider leading the industry forward, the consumer benefits are just awesome!

Comparing internet which to most people is a necessity akin to a utility is not quite the same as gaming, which is entertainment and has to compete with other forms of entertainment.

Add to that cable companies don't really have to worry that a competitor is suddenly going to move into the area it has a monopoly over. Amazon or Apple both look like they will enter the gaming business in the near future. There's nothing stopping other companies like Samsung from doing the same.

 

[N.Domixis]

Feels sogood.gif to see all of EA's games sell better on ps4 even though most were advertised with xbone. hehe

I guess that NFL and sports deals did nothing.
All the sport titles are selling better on ps4.

Making titanfall exclusive will be one of the dumbest decision they ever made.

 

[Saint Gregory]

30Gbps?

Where do you live? I might have to move.

Oops, that should have been 30Mbps. Excuse my brain fart.

 

[RamzaIsCool]

Somebody got the numbers of the monthly Wii sales in its first year? Would be interesting to compare with the new consoles.

 

[Aquamarine]

Short-term? I agree. Nintendo needs to do something. Long-term? Not so sure, probably Xbox. Investors want to dump the gaming division. Seeing the Xbox One sales this month will really fuel that fire. Company health? Sony is in the most dire circumstances.

I agree with this.

Xbox One January NPD sales are way below Microsoft's internal projections for the device. If this trend keeps up throughout 2014 (which I doubt because of Titanfall, price drop, etc., but you never know), Mr. Nadella and investors may not be so eager to keep Xbox around in the future...

And Sony? Riddled with debt, low-performing sectors and an uncertain future. Microsoft's income statement is incredibly strong by comparison.

 

[Aquamarine]

Somebody got the numbers of the monthly Wii sales in its first year? Would be interesting to compare with the new consoles.

November 2006: 476K (heavily supply-constrained)
December 2006: 604K (heavily supply-constrained)
January 2007: 436K (heavily supply-constrained)

 

[Version 3.0]

Yeah guys a monopoly will always make sure the consumer has the best deal!

I mean look at cable companies, I'm right now with Time Warner Cable, paying over 100$ a month for Internet Access that is literally 3 times slower on the download and 5 times slower on the upload than I could get from a competitor(I'm talking about Verison, having Google Fiber is nothing but a dream at this point) for the same exact price.

Thank God my area has only 1 dominant cable internet provider leading the industry forward, the consumer benefits are just awesome!

Did the 1 cable company available to you beat its competition with a better product?

There's nothing wrong with a "monopoly" (which is a misnomer in this case, by the way) based on consumers deciding en masse to support the best product, or best deal. If the PS4 dominates based on being the best system and/or having the most/best games, then that is a big win for everyone.

 

[spookyfish]

Mangavox. Atari. Mattel. Coleco. NEC. SNK. Panasonic. Doubtless I'm forgetting some non-trivial players, but the list is a lot longer than you'd suspect. That's not even including recent players like Apple and Google and likely entrants like Amazon.

I don't think Panasonic was ever considered a "major player." 3DO never moved the needle, even after the price cuts. NEC was close, and SNK was always niche. (I would LOVE a TurboDuo now -- but they're more than they were when they launched!)

 

[Saint Gregory]

Somebody got the numbers of the monthly Wii sales in its first year? Would be interesting to compare with the new consoles.

It actually wouldn't since the Wii was really a lightning in a bottle phenomenon and also so significantly supplied constrained that it was impossible to get one in the US without lining up or F5'ing retail sites for two years.

The PS4 isn't sitting on shelves but it's generally not impossible to find for someone actively looking for one. The XB1 on the other hand...

PS4 will definitely do better in months where someone roaming around a retail store can find one in plain view.

 

[Version 3.0]

We should probably start a list of all the device industries killed by mobiles so far:

Music Players
PDAs
GPS
eReaders
Cameras

eReaders? I was under the impression that the Kindle was still a mega-popular device.

And cameras? Sorry, but no. I'm sure sales are down, but cameras are still immensely popular. There's a big camera section in all the electronics stores. Go to a vacation spot, a national park or scenic attraction, and suddenly it's the moron taking pictures with his phone that looks completely out-of-place. Cameras aren't going anywhere. They're becoming more of specialty device, sure, but they haven't been "killed".

Hey...kind of like handhelds...and maybe consoles as well.

 

[George Claw M.D.]

To be more specific, as of January 2014:


PS4 tie ratio = 2.11

Xbox One tie ratio = 2.71

I wonder how much PS4's tie ratio is affected by all the PS+ and F2P games on the system. There are more free games available than most people even buy with a new system. I know a couple of people who got PS4s and have been playing mostly Warframe, Resogun and Pinball Arcade, and haven't bought any other games aside from COD and KZ. Yes, they're playing those F2P games more than the retail games they actually bought.