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[Steve Youngblood]

There's sort of a difference between a hypothetical heat wave that may or may not have made consumers not want to go out and road closures that physically prevent consumers from being able to go out, and potentially even prevent distribution centers from being able to stock retailers in a timely fashion.

Large portions of America still have power outages and interruption of basic services during winter storms, especially in the South, where they generally don't have blizzards large enough to require snow plows on an annual basis. It's not going to be the sole basis for sales on the month, but it is a non-trivial consideration.

But I think such a consideration -- at best -- can only account for a slight delay in sales. So, I get snowed in for a week, right? I finally get the all clear. I can venture out into the wild and buy stuff again. Has cabin fever made me forget that I wanted a video game console? Now, I understand that this can affect distribution as well and possibly lead to shortages. But at least in the case of something like the PS4, I think many have allowed for the possibility that supply constraints are a legitimate factor in bringing down the numbers. For every other console, though? You're not going to convince me that the snowpocalypse had any meaningful impact on sales.

If it did, I guess we'll see a better than usual uptick in February, or perhaps March (after all, there have been more recent snowstorms this month).

 

[Imperfected]

But I think such a consideration -- at best -- can only account for a slight delay in sales. So, I get snowed in for a week, right? I finally get the all clear. I can venture out into the wild and buy stuff again. Has cabin fever made me forget that I wanted a video game console? Now, I understand that this can affect distribution as well and possibly lead to shortages. But at least in the case of something like the PS4, I think many have allowed for the possibility that supply constraints are a legitimate factor in bringing down the numbers. For every other console, though? You're not going to convince me that the snowpocalypse had any meaningful impact on sales.

If it did, I guess we'll see a better than usual uptick in February, or perhaps March (after all, there have been more recent snowstorms this month).

I'm thinking more from a software perspective, actually. Wintry conditions are more likely to push people toward digital sales, since it both makes it harder for them to get out to retailers for things they already know they want and cuts down on impulse buys. (An important consideration; people do still see things on shelves and just buy them on a whim, provided they're out at a retailer to see them in the first place. You miss out on a lot of those walk-in sales during winter.)

I do think we'll see a better uptick for February, though not because of weather. Because of actual software releases and better availability of hardware, plus people recovering from November/December binge-spending.

 

[Randolph Freelander]

If Titanfall doesn't come through, I'm going to lose my bet to my cousin about Xbone outselling PS4 in 2014 USA 60/40.... although I think I have already lost. LOL

Not in my wildest imaginations could I have foreseen a 2:1 ratio in favor of PS4. This is immensely pleasing as I think Sony will get rewarded for putting gaming and gamers first.

I hope you didn't bet the farm. I would be beyond surprised if Titanfall's release moves the demand curve significantly for Xbox One. I think it's already factored in, and this is where Xbox One sits.

 

[PotionBleue]

Well, with the loss of GC back compat and Wii U having Wii support, only reason to buy Wii is you can't afford Wii U, no? Or is the VC on Wii a reason too?

Considering 2013 software numbers, people buying a Wii now just want the cheapest way to play Just Dance and/or Mario Kart (yes, it's cheaper than a 3DS).

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Are they having strong growth in their gaming division? I thought they were down slightly against 2012 and way down against 2011.

Gaming divsion
2011 Q1-Q3 40.9 Billion Yen
2012 Q1-Q3 3.4 Billion Yen
2013 Q1-Q3 2.4 Billion Yen

Q3 2012 Game division revenue and operating profits (products on the market - PS3, PS2, PSV, PSP):

¥268.5bn, ¥4.6bn

Q3 2013 Game division revenue and operating profits (products on the market - PS4, PS3, PSV, PSP):

¥441.8bn, ¥18bn (¥24.2bn before one off impairments)

That's a rise of 64% in revenue and 292% in operating profits for the quarter in which the PS4 released. Looking at the first nine months is useless because the PS4 was not released then and for the single quarter's worth of results we have, the PS4 is driving growth in the division.

 

[Ty4on]

yes, nintendo should sell hardware that costs ~$200 to manufacture for $600+, good idea

Of course not, but they could stop selling 5+ year old HW for a premium and on top of that sell the games no matter the age for 60$.
The Wii and DS both managed that and they still seem blinded. This quote from Iwata's message to investors is about to be outdated, but I don't think they've changed. Smaller profits are much better than losses.

Nintendo posted an operating loss for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. However, we strive to regain "Nintendo-like" profits for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014 by providing many people with fascinating games and services.

 

[Rogue_element]

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.

Agreed - The EA boardroom must be a sight to behold right now

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

Wii software is also coming disk in price, so those who are either late to or returning to the platform have a low-expense gaming platform that is still more family-friendly than either of its HD Gen7 competitors.

Of course, there are also a ton of Wii consoles on the resale market, so paying MSRP isn't the best way to go... and many used Wii units are older with Gamecube compatibility and online options still active. I've been thinking about getting a Wii, myself.

You can pick up a good cheap used one for about $50-$60 with everything except maybe AV cords. But you wouldn't want AV anyway, you'd want component, and there are decent ones for between $10-$20.

I honestly got one simply for Homebrew, but I'm sure in time the HB scene on Wii U will surpass it.

Also make sure you get a LOT of batteries.

Didn't expect this in the US, or at least not this soon.

But I'm sure Xbone is doing fine in the rest of the world.

Define "the world"...

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

Tie ratios should be worrying for Sony— That's one of the last remaining areas where xbox has been outperforming for a the last decade. They PS customer is less willing to pay for software and that has to change somehow.

I hope you read the post DIRECTLY above you; it just about explains the attach ratio difference.

 

[iamvin22]

Didn't expect this in the US, or at least not this soon.

But I'm sure Xbone is doing fine in the rest of the world.

 

[AniHawk]

Define "the world"...

tier 2

 

[michaelius]

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.

I'd rather look into demographics as explanation - ps4 is more mainstream gamer choice due to cheaper price while xbox is probably mostly selling to hardcore microsoft fans

 

[Lynn616]

Q3 2012 Game division revenue and operating profits (products on the market - PS3, PS2, PSV, PSP):

¥268.5bn, ¥4.6bn

Q3 2012 Game division revenue and operating profits (products on the market - PS4, PS3, PSV, PSP):

¥441.8bn, ¥18bn (¥24.2bn before one off impairments)

That's a rise of 64% in revenue and 292% in operating profits for the quarter in which the PS4 released. Looking at the first nine months is useless because the PS4 was not released then and for the single quarter's worth of results we have, the PS4 is driving growth in the division.

I just wouldn't say something has strong growth going on one quarter. Especially when Q3 2012 was not a very good quarter for the game division. The division was down 29.2 Billion yen year on year that quarter.

When they see another quarter or more of growth then we will know how it is going to trend.

 

[beast786]

Wow, ps4 out of stock in amazon again.

 

[Loudninja]

Wow this topic is pretty dead now.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Wow this topic is pretty dead now.

From best I can tell it diverted to this topic

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=769061

Sad really

 

[ViewtifulJC]

Wow this topic is pretty dead now.

Just like the console industry

 

[N.Domixis]

Wow this topic is pretty dead now.

Like I said yesterday, the beta, ND, and TF embargo lift were during the NPD for a reason.

 

[RealityPales]

Wow, ps4 out of stock in amazon again.

So much for your XBO predictions buddy lol

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

I'm just waiting for some of the game journalists to take a stab at this forum for their reactions. You know some of them want to as they make it a point to denigrate this forum.

 

[BishopLamont]

Unsurprising PS4/Xbone results, after the whole DRM fiasco and being weaker in power, I'm not sure why MS thought it was a good idea to price the console 100 dollars more than the PS4, such cockiness.

 

[donny2112]

you have it out of order.

nintendo introduced relatively inexpensive software on relatively inexpensive hardware that was accessible and good for short bursts with friends or on your own. smartphones then offered even more inexpensive software on hardware people already owned, and were games that were accessible and good for short bursts online or on your own.

in 2009, nintendo offered their final software to the market for several years with sequels to wii fit and wii sports. 2010 was a bunch of games geared at enthusiasts, and 2011-2012 were spent making 3ds and wii u software. nintendo effectively abandoned the market they had built from 2005-2009 around the same time smartphones were taking off.

funny enough, nintendo might have been able to keep the wii going had they given it more revisions, added more oddball peripherals, and just didn't let their own support die. epic mickey 2 sold the best on the platform, and just dance did 800k on the wii just last december. yeah, it's down dramatically from the four million it used to do, but there was still a large audience somewhere not being catered to as recently as a couple months ago.

calling something a fluke, an aberration, or lucky offers no insight or analysis.

I love this post.

 

[Norse]

just as ps3 struggled at the beginning with its high price, the xbone will as well.....ps4 may win this time but ps3 turned out to be just fine in the US once its price came down.

also, NPD software sales dont mean much for ps4 and xbone when so many people d/l the digital version of games day 1. NPD doesnt track any of those sales. Every xbone game I own is digital d/l and I bet there are plenty of others out there on PS4 and Xbone that can say the same.

 

[beast786]

So much for your XBO predictions buddy lol

Yea, I already admitted and ate my crow. One thing is for sure brand loyalty/name can only carry you so far . This is US and brand new launch got 2:1 out sold by constraint ps4.

I really am shocked

 

[beast786]

just as ps3 struggled at the beginning with its high price, the xbone will as well.....ps4 may win this time but ps3 turned out to be just fine in the US once its price came down.

also, NPD software sales dont mean much for ps4 and xbone when so many people d/l the digital version of games day 1. NPD doesnt track any of those sales. Every xbone game I own is digital d/l and I bet there are plenty of others out there on PS4 and Xbone that can say the same.

Xb1 sold less 100k than 600$ ps3 in 2007 in its first jan. Do you realize how much that would have been now?

There is no comparison .

 

[serenewarfare]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but I'm willing to bet that the delay for Titanfall on 360 was a political move by MS. The news came out about the time that MS would have gotten January's numbers back. So, realizing they really need Titanfall to move units, they delay the 360 version so that if people want it at launch they have to do it on PC or Xbox One.

 

[N.Domixis]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but I'm willing to bet that the delay for Titanfall on 360 was a political move by MS. The news came out about the time that MS would have gotten January's numbers back. So, realizing they really need Titanfall to move units, they delay the 360 version so that if people want it at launch they have to do it on PC or Xbox One.

At first they were confident around or before E3, so at the time Titan Fall was only a timed exclusive. Then they saw that many people were saying they would just wait for the ps4 version. So in fear, they signed up for permanent exclusive on the first game. Then around december and january, they panicked after having a constrained ps4 nearly outsell them on Dec NPD and outsell them 2:1 on Jan NPD. So they delayed the 360 version. If the Feb NPD is even worse, I expect the 360 version to be delayed even more.

 

[serenewarfare]

At first they were confident around or before E3, so at the time Titan Fall was only a timed exclusive. Then they saw that many people were saying they would just wait for the ps4 version. So in fear, they signed up for permanent exclusive on the first game. Then around december and january, they panicked after having a constrained ps4 nearly outsell them on Dec NPD and outsell them 2:1 on Jan NPD. So they delayed the 360 version. If the Feb NPD is even worse, I expect the 360 version to be delayed even more.

Or severely gimped.

 

[AniHawk]

i imagine a lot of crossgen ports are getting canned right quick.

2015 should see the last of the ps3 games. stuff like persona 5 and other straggler rpgs. i can't imagine the phantom pain gets a ps360 release unless konami's desperate for every last cent.

 

[RealityPales]

i imagine a lot of crossgen ports are getting canned right quick.

2015 should see the last of the ps3 games. stuff like persona 5 and other straggler rpgs. i can't imagine the phantom pain gets a ps360 release unless konami's desperate for every last cent.

Which they are. Nothing screams cash grab quite like Ground Zeroes.

 

[Curufinwe]

I know people don't want to hear it but I really do believe that this is the beginning of the decline of the traditional console. It isn't practical spending $500 or $200 on something that can only play video games. I feel that the PS4 and 3DS will be the only systems in their segment of the industry that will still sell reasonably well (thought 3DS is looking like it's starting to dip) while every other system gets doomed to obscurity. Once set top boxes become the norm consoles are done.

Good thing the consoles do a lot more than play games then.

Cable set top boxes already are the norm. Whatever set top boxes you have in mind aren't going to play games of the quality a huge market is happy to pay for.

 

[serenewarfare]

I know people don't want to hear it but I really do believe that this is the beginning of the decline of the traditional console. It isn't practical spending $500 or $200 on something that can only play video games. I feel that the PS4 and 3DS will be the only systems in their segment of the industry that will still sell reasonably well (thought 3DS is looking like it's starting to dip) while every other system gets doomed to obscurity. Once set top boxes become the norm consoles are done.

Can we at least give it a year before we start with the gloom and doom? Are you right? Maybe, but that can't be extrapolated from limited data for three months. And the idea that any console (home or handheld) can "only play video games" is laughable.

 

[BishopLamont]

Xb1 sold less 100k than 600$ ps3 in 2007 in its first jan. Do you realize how much that would have been now?

There is no comparison .

Playstation brand is stronger than Xbox brand, they've been out longer and have always catered towards the core, they're reaping the benefits now.

 

[Yawnier]

Just like the console industry

I feel horrible for laughing at this, ughhhhh.

 

[travisbickle]

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but I'm willing to bet that the delay for Titanfall on 360 was a political move by MS. The news came out about the time that MS would have gotten January's numbers back. So, realizing they really need Titanfall to move units, they delay the 360 version so that if people want it at launch they have to do it on PC or Xbox One.

I don't think it's to specifically get people to buy the xbox one version instead, it is only two weeks. But two weeks is a lot of time on the internet and enough time that reviews and general chat about the game will be predominantly talking about the One version and will help associate the game with the newer console, helping the xbox one's brand image in the longer term.

 

[Wolves Evolve]

I don't think it's to specifically get people to buy the xbox one version instead, it is only two weeks. But two weeks is a lot of time on the internet and enough time that reviews and general chat about the game will be predominantly talking about the One version and will help associate the game with the newer console, helping the xbox one's brand image in the longer term.

and good performance + framerates. I think we will see next to nothing about Titanfall 360 right up to the release day.

 

[zero shift]

Good thing the consoles do a lot more than play games then.

Cable set top boxes already are the norm.

I mean things like Roku, Steambox, and Apple TV.

Whatever set top boxes you have in mind aren't going to play games of the quality a huge market is happy to pay for.

Steam and Android Store on it would be widely successful.

Can we at least give it a year before we start with the gloom and doom? Are you right? Maybe, but that can't be extrapolated from limited data for three months. And the idea that any console (home or handheld) can "only play video games" is laughable.

People prefer to watch movies and listen to music on the iThing rather than a Playstation. It's a big reason why the Vita has struggled so much.

 

[serenewarfare]

People prefer to watch movies and listen to music on the iThing rather than a Playstation. It's a big reason why the Vita has struggled so much.

Maybe, but that doesn't mean the console "only plays video games". That means the public would rather an alternative.

 

[Doctor_Thomas]

People prefer to watch movies and listen to music on the iThing rather than a Playstation. It's a big reason why the Vita has struggled so much.

Wasn't PS3 the biggest platform for Netflix?

 

[AniHawk]

i just reallized that at the end of its second year, the vita was selling only twice as well as the psp at the end of its eighth year.

 

[lynux3]

Wasn't PS3 the biggest platform for Netflix?

Yes.

Edit: http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/4/3727556/playstation-3-number-one-netflix-streaming-living-room

 

[frizby]

lol joke right?

Surely.

 

[Guymelef]

Surely.

Too much faith here.

 

[David___]

Don't worry guys, thanks to the magical Cloud™, the Xbone has the sale numbers of 4, so therefore the XBone is the one selling 2:1. You'd think they would give a 100% sale advantage to Sony? There are things that people don't know about MS' mathematicians and I can't wait for the truth to come out.

 

[ZSaberLink]

Wasn't PS3 the biggest platform for Netflix?

Wasn't it the most popular on Wii of all consoles originally?

 

[bunbun777]

My goodness if the ps4 wasn't supply constrained it would have sold 3 or 4 to 1. Crayzee.

 

[Aquamarine]

Xb1 sold less 100k than 600$ ps3 in 2007 in its first jan. Do you realize how much that would have been now?

There is no comparison .

$500-$600 PS3.

 

[UpsideDownAce]

This is anecdotal evidence for demand but we had about 20 people ask for a ps4 at my gamestop today. We're not especially busy for a gamestop. We had to tell them all we were sold out :/

About two or three people said they wanted an xbox but said it was too expensive

 

[BoboBrazil]

The PS4s that came in stock on Amazon yesterday are already sold out again. Thirst is still real. They got in over 1,000. http://amzn.com/B00BGA9WK2 I don't think consoles are hurting as a whole. The issue is overpriced last gen consoles. PS4 sold every unit that came out in January and is continually sold out nationwide. That's without a major compelling title out yet...

 

[rokkerkory]

drop the price MS