Xbox 360 official winner of next-gen holiday sales?

  • By Polybren, GameSpot
  • Posted Jan 3, 2007 1:18 pm PT

Source: A video clip on the CNBC Web site (registration required), first picked up by GamesIndustry.biz (which has since been updated) and parroted by IGN, Kotaku, and Joystiq, among others. What we heard: There's a certain segment of the gaming culture that loves nothing more than to dig into...

Source: A video clip on the CNBC Web site (registration required), first picked up by GamesIndustry.biz (which has since been updated) and parroted by IGN, Kotaku, and Joystiq, among others.

What we heard: There's a certain segment of the gaming culture that loves nothing more than to dig into sales figures, and few sales figures have been speculated on as much as the holiday hardware sales now that all three next-generation consoles have arrived on the market. While the industry-tracking NPD group announced its hardware tallies for the Wii and PlayStation 3's debut month of November, December was the first full month the consoles went head-to-head on shelves.

So when a GamesIndustry.biz article surfaced offering preliminary NPD hardware figures from November through Christmas, people took note. The Xbox 360 reportedly won the holiday hardware race with 2 million sold, with the Wii moving 1.8 million units, and the PS3 a distant third with 750,000 systems sold.

However, the trade site was attributing the numbers to a video on CNBC.com that first aired December 29 and which can't be viewed unless visitors register an account and give up a credit card number to view the segment. If one actually jumps through the site's hoops and watches the video in question, it can easily be determined that those numbers aren't coming from NPD.

The segment is an interview with Billy Pidgeon, an analyst with IT market intelligence firm IDC. In it, a graphic appears on screen showing estimated console sales in North America for November through December 25, 2006. The numbers match up with the figures being attributed to the NPD, but CNBC attributes IDC as its source on them.

The confusion likely comes from a blurb of text that appears at the bottom of the screen shortly after the graphic is taken down. It notes that the "NDP Group" (sic) pegged the Wii as selling more than twice the number of PS3s for the month of November, which is true, but also something that was announced last month.

However, IDC's projections might be fairly close to the final numbers. While NPD hasn't publicly announced any preliminary numbers for December hardware sales, Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter mentioned some figures this morning in a note to investors regarding Electronic Arts. Pachter referenced an "early assessment" by the NPD "suggesting" December Wii sales of 1.3 million systems and Xbox 360 sales of 1.5 million units. Combine that with the already announced November sales figures for those systems and you wind up with almost 1.78 million Wii systems and just over 2 million Xbox 360s sold for the holiday season, essentially the same numbers estimated by IDC.

While the IDC estimates may in fact turn out to be very much in line with NPD's final figures (expected to be released next week), the CNBC report clearly attributed IDC as the source of the numbers.

The official story: An NPD representative had not returned a request for comment as of press time, but Pidgeon confirmed for GameSpot that the figures were his firm's, and that IDC and NPD don't share forecasts or figures with one another.

Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus that those numbers came from NPD, but they might turn out to be accurate anyway.

417 Comments

  • gskehans97

    Posted Jan 9, 2007 11:06 am PT

    Nice!

  • jay_greeneyes

    Posted Jan 8, 2007 5:28 am PT

    Interesting but expected sales figures. Though I am a 360 owner (and prefer the 360 over the other two consoles), if the Wii and PS3 were available in larger quantities I think the Wii would have definetly outsold the 360 due to price and being a new 'must have' item. However I do think the PS3 would still have been in third place, maybe not as far behind though but still a considerable amount due to price and poor launch titles. I work in games retail and 360's are moving fast, the Wii is always sold out, when it comes into stock it sells within the hour, and lastly though the PS3 isn't actually officially released over here (in Europe), customers that I have spoken to are becoming less interested in PS3 due to the way Sony has treated Europe (stating that us Europeans don't mind delays and reseting our launch day until March), and even more importantly the machine price is disgusting. It's for these reasons that I feel the PS3 will be in third place when it hits Europe no matter what the stock levels. But a price drop on the otherhand could change things dramatically....

  • DirtyRotten

    Posted Jan 8, 2007 3:44 am PT

    Makes sense when you consider how easy it is to pick up a 360 compared to the other two consoles. To hell with choosing sides, the 360 is a solid system no question.

  • datniccah187

    Posted Jan 8, 2007 2:04 am PT

    Don't matter to me. I'm going to end up with all three systems in the near future. Allready got 2 out of the 3. Only one more to go.

  • anthony210210

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 11:43 pm PT

    PLAYSTATION IS THE BEST AND 360 JUST BLOWS!!!!!!!

  • anthony210210

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 11:39 pm PT

    THINK ABOUT THIS.....PS3 JUST CAME OUT LAST MONTH SO HOW DO U EXPECT IT TO BE SELLING MORE THEN THE 360 ??? BY THIS TIME OF NEXT YEAR PS3 WILL BE THE BEST.. PS3= BLUE RAY 360= NO BLUE RAY. TOUCH SCREEN BUTTONS ON DA PS3 IT LOOKS SEXY AS HELL WHUT MORE DO U WANT WAY BETTER THEN 360 AND AS USUAL PS3 AND SONY WILL ONCE A GAIN BE THE BEST OF THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • llc012

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 9:51 pm PT

    i saw plenty numerous ps3's available before christmas and now you can get them anywhere. it's the wii that's hard to get.......

    either way, like 2 weeks before christmas if there hadn't been such a shortage of ps3's then the holiday sales would probably look different.

  • rbrtchng1

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 6:46 pm PT

    360 probably didn't sell the most in the holiday season. I bet Wii sold more. Remember, those numbers were for NA only. Wii sold a lot in JP in Dec and Nov. So totally, in the holiday season, Wii most likely has won by probably a big margin.

  • ronrusso75

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 6:29 pm PT

    Regardless of the final numbers, this data will be distorted. Each system has its own story. 360 will sell the most, but then again, there was no scarcity (you could get a 360 ANYWHERE). The Wii outsold the PS3, but there were more units available. The PS3 might only have sold 1 million, but then again, it still hasn't tapped into Europe and other markets.

    Basically, it will be meaningless to try and compare the systems based on sales volumes.

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 11:52 am PT

    bogus i think 360 sold way more than that

  • bsbowman

    Posted Jan 7, 2007 8:44 am PT

    Let's not forget that XBox 360 still has done NOTHING in Japan, and that PS3 has sold strongly thus far over there. That means support from the major Japanese game developers, which means that as in the previous generation, PlayStation will still be the console with the games.

  • infiniti2003

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 7:44 pm PT

    I feel sorry for the people waiting for the PS3 for next gen experience. How long will you have to wait to finally be able to enjoy it? I said forget it and got the 360. I wasn't going to wait until the end of '07 just to finally be able to play some decent next gen games. Sony fans lose. 360 fans fingers are calloused, their eyes are bloodshot and their faces look like Joker's. I bet I'm betting March will be the same story of PS3 shortages and ebay gouging. Absolutely ridiculous. Oh and Sony? Thanks for getting rid of force feedback/rumble technology. I didn't want the full gaming experience, just the bigger harddrive and the Blu-Ray player. Cuz that's what gamers need.

  • smeagollovesyou

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 7:44 pm PT

    IGN.com had a similar article from a different source saying the same thing. THESE ARE ONLY THE U.S. SALES! In Japan The Wii probably beat the 360's total sales. Also, everyone who wanted a 360 last year could have got one. I pre-ordered the Wii in Sept. and am still waiting for it.

  • RamiRaider

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 5:29 pm PT

    wow i new this would happen all of my friends got a 360 360 rockssss

  • xtremeg4m3r

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 1:04 pm PT

    Its either gona be 360 or ps3 if not ps3 den wii.

  • _Sam_

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 11:56 am PT

    well I finally got my 360 recently

  • da_illest101

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 11:52 am PT

    we will see who will win next year when 2/3 consoles won't have shortage some people are lucky they have ps3 in there stores, all those i went to were sold out and i want one

  • decayedsenses

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 9:27 am PT

    all i've seen of the ps3 here (vancouver, canada) is one empty box on display at zellers. otherwise.....i haven't seen any except in the test stands to let you try them system out.

    wii's and ps3's are nowhere to be found. 360's......piles of them everywhere.lol

  • Zell_Kamishiro

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 9:25 am PT

    What I think about this whole thing is right here: Sony: They spent too much money trying to beat the Wii to the stores
    and advertising Blu-Ray as unhackable only to have it hacked. Also it costs WAY too much. The reason people should get it still though is for Resistance: Fall of Man and Metal Gear Solid 4 Nintendo: The Wii controller is not a gimmick (remember, you can also use your gamecube controller),it plays all the nintendo sytems (counting virtual console (by the way, they didn't change the games on there...Awesome) and they have done well so far. Oh yeah, who the heck doesn't want Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Metroid Prime 3, or Twilight Princess. OPRAH SOFTWARE IS AWESOME. Microsoft: Really, I'm angry at this system. Not saying it isn't a system worth getting for Dead Rising or Gears of War, but charging for nearly every thing they have that makes the system useful after you buy is unaccetable. It doesn't matter if you have money to pay for the Halo 3 demo, the point of demos are that you can see if you want the game or not with no financial loss.

  • JimBurber

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 6:37 am PT

    Well, I'd like to say that ps3 would have done better if it had had more units... but Stores up here in washington state have had shelves full of ps3's available, that are not selling out since before christmas... I'd buy one, but I don't have 600 extra dollars lying around that I can spend

  • Ricksterlau

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 3:53 am PT

    I honestly hate this, so called "Shortage of Stock during release." First Xbox 360, then PS3... now even Wii??? I dont blame PS3, but Nintendo did not have any excuses not to meet consumer demand. To me, this is an absolutely cheap trend to follow, in order to boost the hunger of consumers owning a system. Honestly, if they wanted to release the Wii b4 xmas, shouldnt it be in the prodcution stage months before rather than leaving it so late? However clever this idea may seem, its sickens me to always be under the label "to beg" when your in a games shop. "Err... u got any Wiis in stock." Guy @ counter pulls of this sarcastic face, "Lol, didnt u no we're out of stock"

    U just feeling like wanting to beat the $h*t of out guy. Quite frankly I can spit on the Wii, use that money and wait for upcoming 360 games such as Lost Planet. I loved U Nintendo b4....... Now u suck BAD!!!!

  • makingmusic476

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 1:40 am PT

    Seeing as i've yet to see a ps3 physically in any store, i don't believe these people saying that ps3s are everywhere. I live in New Orleans and go to Best Buy, Gamestop, and Wal-Mart quite frequently.

  • SonyPSP

    Posted Jan 6, 2007 1:02 am PT

    can someone explain why my local walmart has been SOLD OUT of ps3 consoles since launch but there is over 50 360s on the shelves?!

  • Eclipse83Lives

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 8:43 pm PT

    More like who cares lol. PS3 sold every unit they could make, so did the Wii. If the PS3 had 15 million units on shelves. Would of they have sold in only a few weeks? That should be the question? Microsoft even said. How can you say someone wins a area of a race that is not even a race yet.

  • kopedawg

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 5:54 pm PT

    Assume that these numbers are correct. Now assume that Nintendo had shipped enough units to meet the demand (which is still very high, even 2 weeks after Xmas...I should know, I take about 20 calls a day asking for Wii's at my store). Assuming this, how many more Wii's would have sold than 360s? My guess is that if Nintendo had shipped 4 million units, all of them would have sold.

  • bam11bam

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 4:48 pm PT

    i read in many blogs that ps3's have been seen in store sheves untouched...and it is true cuz my local Target(5 units) and Best Buy(11 units) both have many ps3's available..but no wii's

    and that sad part is that those were the only 2 stores i went to that day...looking for a wii of course

  • bam11bam

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 4:38 pm PT

    sony made a BIG mistake by releasing the console in short stock.....if they have waited and shipped ps3's by the millions then maybe they have sold millions...but since they only shipped 300,000 or so and sold out....people are now realizing that the ps3 isnt anything special and now arn't gonna buy it....

    but if they had shipped millions of units at launch im sure they would of all sold out....lots of disapointed gamers...but sold million

    stupid sony

  • Coolyboy

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 3:59 pm PT

    360 sweet....ill get a wii as well...XD forget ps3 das askin too much LOL

  • TorugotoShinsan

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 11:47 am PT

    Considering that the 360 was the ony console that you could actually BUY without having to camp out for 6 months or sell a family member it hardly seems fair to call this year a contest. It would be much better to see how they all stack up next year.

  • Koushin

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 11:20 am PT

    I agree with samad5. I love my XBOX360 and I hope that in the next 2-3 years ahead that XBOX360 it puts up the good fight because they have been putting out pretty good games since. Now we all know that SONY is slow in delivering their games at first during launch. Even those this is one of the most sloppiest launches i recall in a while. But once they get their first killer app released, then it will be smooth sailing from now on.

    Looking Foward To (in no particular order)
    MGS4
    Gran Turismo 5
    Devil May Cry 4
    Final Fantasy XIII
    Tekken 6
    Samurai Warriors/ Dynasty Warriors (which has always been huge sellers in Japan)
    and... the highly rumored remake of Final Fantasy VII

  • Sonicplys

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 10:59 am PT

    Micro$oft paid everyone. Wii all know who the real winner is....

  • jayme22

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 9:51 am PT

    No poo gamespot lol the fact that the ps3 sold out in the few days of release normally suggests that it wont sell well over christmas BECAUSE THERE IS NONE DUMBASSES

  • samad5

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 7:35 am PT

    Oh, forgot to add, its not just the number of units sold that matters but number of games as well. So come 2nd and 3rd round launch of PS3 games this year and you'll see the machine serging ahead. If not I'll have to eat my pants!

  • samad5

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 7:28 am PT

    PS3 might be bottom of the barrel right now, but certainly not by the time the race is over. Evidence? I recall a certain PS2 starting off slowly and look where its at now. Nuff said.

  • AceCometh

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 6:50 am PT

    Let me correct myself. Every major retail store *In my area* has a full supply of PS3's in stock. I appologize for that slight error.

  • AceCometh

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 6:47 am PT

    The holiday season wasn't kind to the PS3, as many predicted. Including myself. And it wasn't because there weren't enough units shipped, either. Even at this moment in time, nearly every major retail store that sells videogames has plenty of the over priced PS3 IN STOCK. Even the prices of them on ebay have dropped to their regular MSRP. A good indication that there's no longer a strain on supply. Of course the system will rebound as soon as more games are released. When I say games, I mean games that are actually worth buying. The PS3 currently has only 1 title that I'd be interested in buying, Resistance: Fall of Man. As good of a game as it is, it's not good enough to justify spending $600 on the system.

  • smidsy85

    Posted Jan 5, 2007 3:15 am PT

    This is completely stupid because 360 won due to consoles being available, the PS3 could never come close due to lack of supply. The Wii had quite afew available but still short on supply. You can only compair sales figures when all consoles are on store shelves!

  • Dryker

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 9:38 pm PT

    My money's on that they are accurate. You could say Sony this, Microsoft that, and Nintendo whatever, but if these numbers are accurate it directly corresponds to their availablility. Um, have more to say, but will bite my tongue for a change... Stop bashing.

  • kajtrooper

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 9:35 pm PT

    If everyone that wanted to buy a PS3 or Wii got one, the Xbox 360 most likely would not have won the holiday sales. Just sayin.

  • mephixto

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 8:21 pm PT

    I'm a PS3 fan but the Xbox3060 maybe is the winner of this Holyday season but not with 2 millon of units sold. The real number will be between 1 - 1.5 millon or maybe less. But the 2007 will be different PS3 winning the Xbox360 very close and in 2008 a total PS3 ownage

  • Haseokicksass

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 7:49 pm PT

    translateheronpereira
    Que beleza, XBOX 360 está ganhando!!! Eu tenho um.
    Acho que dessa vez a SONY se deu mau, o PS3 está morrendo aos poucos."

    Is that french? Someone pelase translate?

    I

  • heronpereira

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 7:39 pm PT

    Que beleza, XBOX 360 está ganhando!!! Eu tenho um.
    Acho que dessa vez a SONY se deu mau, o PS3 está morrendo aos poucos.

  • Haseokicksass

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 7:36 pm PT

    R3DN1N3
    CaptainDingo

    I'm 21 and more interested in a Wii than anything else. Could you cavemen stop assuming only preschoolers play Nintendo games? It's getting old. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hey I'm with u man. I'm 20 yrs old and I know many ppl out there who are dying to get a Wii. Nintendo just being for little kids is not only cheap shot from fanboys but it's not true. Well sales figures speak better than words and the last time I checked the all-powerful PS3 is getting beat by a Powered up Gamecube (sarcastic reference
    ======================================================================================================================

    I think the person ment that msot the games are for younger people, you dont see gamesl ike GTA or stuff like that. The consolec cant really be givin a age spot, but if u check most the games are raetd E ( ithin kacouple are T)

    I

  • R3DN1N3

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 6:38 pm PT

    ninjaroach81

    Okay, what's all this crap mean. Well, it means that games developed for PS3 can do up to 8 threads simultaneously, while the X360 can do up to 6 simultanous threads. That is a whole 33% more power for PS3 (while significant, not the world-crushing, cancer-cure finding, self-aware learning computer that Sony and the fan-boys would have you believe).----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I congratulate the fact that you took the time to not only state the obvious but had the sources to back up your claims. Not many ppl do this so thanks, not even I knew this but I'm gonna look into this matter. Good job showing the fanboys that their PS3 is not all powerful

  • R3DN1N3

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 6:30 pm PT

    CaptainDingo

    I'm 21 and more interested in a Wii than anything else. Could you cavemen stop assuming only preschoolers play Nintendo games? It's getting old. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hey I'm with u man. I'm 20 yrs old and I know many ppl out there who are dying to get a Wii. Nintendo just being for little kids is not only cheap shot from fanboys but it's not true. Well sales figures speak better than words and the last time I checked the all-powerful PS3 is getting beat by a Powered up Gamecube (sarcastic reference).

  • ephoenix6

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 4:01 pm PT

    ps3 had shortages

  • gamist

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 3:45 pm PT

    Volgin_1
    "Xbox seems to be the most balanced system at this point, having a semi-expensive price tag, good graphics, and good online play."

    You just nailed it for the average gamer out there. The average gamer does not want to be forced into playing online, buy hdtvs, have wireless access, buy Hd movies, etc. The average gamer just wants to pay $200 - $400 for a system and play video games.

  • Pious_Maximus

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 3:42 pm PT

    This is so unreal and useless that i regret wasting my time reading this.

  • Volgin_1

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 3:15 pm PT

    Xbox seems to be the most balanced system at this point, having a semi-expensive price tag, good graphics, and good online play. The only reason why I don't have it is because my favorite games are on the other two consoles and I don't care much for online play (too many obnoxious 13 year olds and older kids with no lives).

    PS3 is just way too expensive for the average gamer; there is no way it will have a great deal of success with that high price tag (although I could be wrong; after all, the gaming industry's customers consist of mostly daft teens, spoiled children, and slow frat boys).

    The Wii is great for people who care about gameplay more then anything. Eventually, I believe it will have a good online community (wi-fi and free, unlike xbox). Nintendo always produces a handful of classics that are hard to pass up.

    Honestly, I think Xbox will win this console war just because most people these days care about only "grafiks."

  • Christopher1Bub

    Posted Jan 4, 2007 2:52 pm PT

    With shortages of course Sony would come in last. But selling 750,000 buy the end of the year is pretty good.

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