McNealy: PS2 sales shortfall likely to continue

Analyst P.C. McNealy of American Technology Research today released a report concerning console hardware sales for the past few months. In the report, McNealy cites "preliminary data on September hardware sales" to predict that the shortage of PlayStation 2 hardware in the retail channel has led to sales of the console being down 20 percent or more, year-over-year, for the second month in a row. This negatively impacts game publishers, who rely on hardware sales to grow software sales, says McNealy.

The report goes on to point out that where the PS2 came up short, the Xbox was there to fill in, taking about 41 percent of total console sales to Sony's 40 percent. The GameCube accounted for less than 20 percent of console sales (down almost 30 percent year-over-year), although McNealy noted that the Metroid Prime bundle has done well for the company.

McNealy expects the PS2's low sales to continue until the redesigned PS2 ships this November, at which time the analyst expects the Xbox to be overtaken in sales. McNealy also anticipates a new GameCube bundle with "a game such as a Mario Kart and an extra controller." The report expects the bundle's price point to be kept at $99 "unless the PStwo comes out at $129."