NPD: US game sales slip 7 percent in Sept.

lol nintendo hardwares on top. ms hardware 2nd and sony hardwares last :lol:

@grognard, yeah i totally agree with you, i just didn't want to say that it was exactly 75% because i didnt want to have to look it up.

darkride66..are you serious? You truly believe that teh PS3 caters to a different market?/ What market is this mysterious market? The lack of exclusives because our CEO dropped the ball market? Or the market where people only buy the PS3 to watch movies? Come on get real. When I go to Gamestop, the PS3 games are next to the Xbox 360 games. The Wii games are on the other side because yes they do target a more casual gaming atmosphere. That tells me umm they both target video game players.

The PS3 is behind for 2 big reasons. The lack of real exclusives and price. The addition of a Blue Ray is only selling to a small crowd.

thetravman Uh... why should it die? People are still buying PS2 systems and games, developers are still making new games for it... it's making money. Why should they stop?

The Ps2 is slowing down. It should really die...now. Sony is just keeping it up to try cover the failure of Ps3.

@Grantsplace2004 - just wanted to clarify that I based those percentages on worldwide sales of PS2, xbox and Gamecube at the point xbox and gamecube were no longer being sold (PS2 has obviously continued to sell since then but I'm not including those numbers). I do understand that this article is about NPD (US) numbers, but even then Sony still saw its flagship product slip from a commanding first to a distant third in the space of one generation. In my industry, that would be referred to as catastrophic and many execs would be out of a job.

YOu can stream movies (even high def) through your Wii using TVERSITY, which is free. FYI :) Darkride66, ALl the sudden you are switching to this BS story that PS3 caters to a different market? Maybe even implying that its the "Keep up the rich jone's" theory? I've never heard ONCE that Sony has any intentions of going for a higher end market. OH wait, I do remember a while back the Sony headguy said that it wont drop the price because its geared towards the high end crowd, so I do take that back. You ask anyone @ work or on the street, bus, etc a simple question of "Do you think the PS3 is sold a different intended market then the Xbox 360" and you'll probably hear a lot of "no"'s. If they were different markets, what does PS3 have to offer more then the 360, besides a higher price tag, and inferior (but still free) online, and a Blu-Ray player. NOTHING. Their game library isn't the powerhouse of 360's and the feature set of videos 360 has out of the box, just not as open as Sony's. I love debating with ya, but now I think you are just tugging on scraps. Sony has recently even stated that they are going after 360's sales numbers to make sure that Microsoft is in their position in one year. I don't see enough momentum or reasoning in the future for the current state to every change. At the end of the day, regardless of what ANYONE says here is how it stands. Wii 1st, 360 2nd, PS3 3rd. No amount of talk, reason, fault or preparation is going to change that fact.

@darkride, im glad we can count on you to defend the ps3 and sony in every possible, totally nonfanboy and unbiased way (sarcasm btw). from what i can tell grognard's numbers are completely plausible, the ps2 owned the xbox and gamecube in the previous generation, maybe not to the extent of 75% market share, but very high indeed. There is no way u can argue that the ps3 has maintained or even come close to such a massive market share this generation, so defending it in that respect is ridiculous. As for your catering to different demographics theory, it doesnt really matter, these are not cars, sales and game attachment is all the companies and the gamers (because a more successful company usual means more games) care about. So yes, the wii is by far the most successful console now, and the 360 has the highest game attachment rate at this point, regardless of demographics. The PS3 and sony are not going to drop dead over the holiday season, they will have fine sales for sure, but they are definantly not going to be celibrating their second fiddle sales in comparison with the wii and 360.

Interesting how your defense of Sony's atrocious showing this gen has shifted, DarkRide66. Now you're saying it should be obvious they cater to different markets? They are both multimedia devices - 360 plays DVD's and you can download both SD and HD movies, music videos, tv shows - pretty soon you can stream content from Netflix. So how is that different from PS3? The only difference is that the 360 has better gaming features and library which is why it is outperforming the PS3 (both are supposed to be, primarily, gaming machines). Sony shot themselves in the foot far too many times recently and have no one but themselves to blame for the deterioration of their market. They're a corporate giant for a good reason though, so I'm reasonably confident that they'll make a better showing next gen. I do agree that Wii occupies a different space though since it doesn't play movies and only arguably plays games. ;)

@SWYG "How are platformers not popular now? They have always been popular and probably always will be popular. LBP is not just for hardcore gamers, it's an easy game to get in to and doesn't require any knowledge of fast paced games. Halo 3 didn't move that many 360 units. It sold a lot of software (itself), but it was not the mover that MS wanted. Same with GTA4, everyone thought it would be a huge system seller and yet it didn't move hardly enough console's compared to what the game sold itself. Why? Because GTA and Halo attract the same fan base. It didn't move that many units on the PS3 either because of the price and several games that already attracted GTA gamers. You need new types of games to sell more of a console. Casual gamers outnumber hardcore gamers and platformer's attract practically every type of gamer." Well let's put it this way; how many platform games have been released this generation as compared to the previous 2 generations, and how many of them have gone on to be best sellers? Out of the ones that have been popular, how many of them have a strong shooting element(e.g. Ratchet and Clank and Uncharted) as opposed to being pure platformers (Mario Galaxy)? Regardless of how well LBP reviews it is not going to be the blockbuster hit Gears of War 2 will be. Just look at Mario Galaxy; brilliant game on the most popular console, yet its sales figures, whilst good, pale in comparison to those of Halo 3 and Gears of War. Say what you want about hardcore gamers, but there are still plenty of them out there. Now as to Halo 3 not being a system seller, well here are the NPD figures for Sept 2007: Xbox 360: 527,800 Wii: 501,000 PS3: 119,400 Hmm, the Xbox 360 outselling even the Wii...I wonder why . Note that even in October 2007, the Xbox 360 still maintained a strong showing with sales of 366K (compared to 121K for the PS3 which saw the release of Ratchet and Clank that same month). If this is any indication, I am pretty confident that Gears of War 2 will be a bigger system mover than LBP.

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

Sorry but no two ways about it, they way you are comparing the sales figures is not only inaccurate, it's simply wrong. And yes you do instead compare the monthly sales. Compare the PS2 sales for example...it will show you it's in decline compared to the other consoles and to it's own month over month sales. But by your method we should instead say "look at the PS2 numbers 2-years since its launch because that is how it's performing compared to the rest"... No.

also the PS2 is still selling strong for 2 good reasons. PS3 owners such as myself who have the 80gb model, the backwards compatability isn't there. I still have a ton of PS2 games. I just bought a new PS2 not too long ago. 2, they still are making good games for the system because the base is there and people are still buying games for it..Also darkride66, I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT THE ps3 WAS GOING TO HAVE A VERY STRONG SHOWING THIS CHRISTMAS, BUT THAT CHANGED WHEN THE xBOX 360 SLASHED TEHIR PRICES CONSIDERABLY. i BELIEVE THE WAY CONSUMER CONFIDENCE IS, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SPEND LESS, BOTTOM LINE. uNLESS YOU ARE A HARDCORE SONY GAMER, THEN THEY WILL PUSH SALES UP A LITTLE. THERE ARE VERY FEW HARDCORE SONY GAMERS WITHOUT A PS3 AT THIS POINT AND THE GAME LIBRARY FOR THE PS3 IS OK FOR THIS CHRISTMAS

I do want to see the sales figures from this October and November when it is all said and done. I don't remember a time in recent years that so many good titles are coming out for the 2 systems that have good games (Xbox 360 and PS3) Sony's Littlebig planet threw a wrench in the socket but the problem should be fixed and released for a November relaunch. This should help Novembers sales figures. It will be interesting. I want to see if American families are hurting as much as they say.

The 360 beats the PS3 2 months in a row and will probably beat it for the next 3 months. Also 360 Star Wars Force Unleashed is in first place well PS3 5th. Now what does that tell you? And the Wii needs to die.

Yuck_too said "By comparing the previous year to the current year you are comparing apples to oranges." No, by comparing year 2 sales of one console to year 3 sales of another console you're comparing apples and oranges. You said "Does the fact that the 360 sold better from launch then the PS2 mean it's going to outperform the PS2?...no, it can be taken as an optimistic sign sure but it does not prove anything." Neither does taking PS2 sales now and comparing them to 360 sales now. Do these sales mean the PS2 is a flop compared to the 360? Of course not. But, using your logic that would be a fair comparison because you're taking two similar products during the same time period. Of course, should we even be comparing 360 and PS3 sales at all? There is certainly some overlap but they aren't targeted at the exact same markets. We like to leave the Wii out of the equation because it, again, caters to a different market - but it's obvious to all that the PS3 isn't the same product as the 360, should we even be directly comparing the two?

With the economy being in the toilet, 7% really isn't that bad. Of course, we are talking about September, just wait till the number come out for the next 3 months, I bet they will make up the 7% loss!

dark...that is why you don't compare different years, you compare timeframes leading up to the current. In the past 12-months a product could have its sales drop 50%, comparing that to the sales history of a different product from 24-months ago doesn't tell you anything. Does the fact that the 360 sold better from launch then the PS2 mean it's going to outperform the PS2?...no, it can be taken as an optimistic sign sure but it does not prove anything. By comparing the previous year to the current year you are comparing apples to oranges. The 360 could have outsold the PS3 10:1 over 12-months but you would not see that looking at "Since launch". Or for that matter they could completely stop selling the 360 and do you mean to tell me you would still be comparing the previous years performance? No, because that is not how you compare product sales.

this wasn't unexpected...september was a fairly slow month

@ grognard. Can always count on you to put things into a nice, unbiased perspective, eh? You're claim of Sony losing 75% of the PS2's market share. Last I checked they haven't lost any of that. The PS2 is still out there. This gen is a totally different market. Everyone started at zero of the next gen pie. As for consumers not caring about a late launch - of course they do, because right at launch there aren't many titles out. It takes time to build up a library - which is why I ended up playing Joust on my 360 for the first 6 months I owned the thing. You're also assuming that the PS3 plays to the exact same market - and it does in that it appeals to gamers but if you break down gamers into Hi-Def enthusiasts, families, etc - each system plays to a different demographic, just like there's a market for high-end, hi-def tv's vs other tv's, or cars for that matter. Sure they all cater to the same larger market, but internally it's much more complicated than that. You wouldn't say that Lexus is a failure because they put out a different product that's not as successful as Honda. Just like it's shows a distinct lack of the gaming market to say the 360 are the PS3 are disappointments in the face of the Wii's success. Most predict a strong showing for the PS3 this Christmas. And there's no reason to think otherwise unless you simply don't understand the industry.

The X360 beats the ps3 AGAIN in sales !!! This is pure ownage !!!

Yuck_Too, you should PM me your XBL screen name. We can duke it out or co-op something.... could be fun.

It's not surprising the gaming business slowed down. It just reflects what the economy is doing. Nintendo is certainly ruling the day.

Wii rulezzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Agreed. Apparently, not even the lucrative gaming industry is immune to the poor economy.

They removed BC to save on cost, which turned out to be a little under $5 a system but at the same time, they did want to move to the PS3 software line up so they took out BC so people would stop purchasing outdated PS2 titles on thier PS3 system.

Numbers can be spun using various metrics to justify each companies performance. Some perspective is in order though. It's hard to put a spin on the fact that Sony has seen their market share plummet from 75% with the PS2 to under 19% with PS3 along with a reduced software attach rate. It doesn't matter to consumers whether it launched late or not (besides, Sony only has itself to blame for their delayed launch) - they base their decisions on what's on the shelves today. Any objective consumer can see nearly twice as many games on the shelves for a console that starts at half the price of its direct competitor (yes, Arcade will play all of the released games to date). With just a little research, those consumers will easily determine that there are also more GOOD games on 360 - so it's not just quantity. In the economic situation consumers are experiencing this Holiday Season, it will be very hard to justify a $400 game console with fewer good games than the competition. Also, videophiles finally have several less expensive alternatives for buying a Blu-Ray player this Holiday Season which will reduce that artificial bump the PS3 has enjoyed to date from that demographic. This will be a very painful Holiday for PS3 and it is too late in this generation (which will end no later than 2011) to turn things around as the decisions on which platform to lead on (or even support) for the rest of this generation are being made this Holiday Season.

So, there weren't as many (and as popular) releases at the end of the summer. Sales are sure to spike at the end of the year.

comparing time frames from teh start one one launch to the start of the other launch are COMPLETELY different, so the point you are trying to make with that is, redic. If you want do the best, take the past 12 months of both and see how it looks.

wow darkride, its good to see youre still around. some good points were made by most of you guys(imo)let me throw some out there... most of the early 360 owners were xbox owners and the same with the ps3. so right there the ps3 shouldve had an advantage. where sony fell short was their line up, which at that time the 360 had an awesome line up(07). And as real gamers know,GAMES SELL SYSTEMS. the head start crap is just crap. people who remember the sega genesis and snes console war should know the genesis was out first but when the snes came out it was over. based on this if history truly repeats itself, sony should not worry cuz the ps3 is clearly(sarcasm)than the 360. even though its hard to tell at times. darkride, i disagree about the BC thing. as far as i know it was removed so that people actually buy ps3 games INSTEAD of buying ps2 games to play on the ps3(like i do)

Yuck_Too said "next year both consoles could increase 20%...you will argue that from launch the PS3 is doing 20% better then the 360." No, I would look at PS3 sales at the time and compare them to 360 sales at a similar point in it's lifecycle, ignoring the extraneous data of the extra 4th year of 360 sales because I don't have anything to compare it to. How can you compare 4th year sales to 4th year sales when the data is missing for one of those companies? And you're right, my comparison's aren't perfect and your recession example is excellent but it still makes more sense than grabbing two similar products at different points in their lifecycle and expecting them to behave the same. All you're doing is saying "Ok, during the same time frame and under the same economic conditions, how does an established console with a larger user base and a established online component fair against a console just starting out with a base at zero and a network base of zero." What do you possibly expect to learn from that experiment? Because the result is simple to me, the established product will outperform the new product until the new product reaches that point where it can be considered established itself. Then it may be of some worth to compare the two products against each other during the same time frame. I would love to tell you where that comparison point is - 20 million, 25 million - I don't know. So until we have that number when launch momentum disapates (I think the 360 is close now) it doesn't make much sense to me to compare sales numbers this way.

360 sales figures in September really show the power of a price drop. Sony really needs to respond by dropping the price of the PS3 or we will continue to see numbers like this, especially with the economy the way it is.

Seriously, who is surprised hardware sales are stepping down from last year's September. Unlike games, which are regularly refreshed with new games (excusing the continuous life in certain Wii games), hardware is expected to slow down as the number of people who still need to get one does go down over time.

--darkride66-- tell me then dark...how do you predict the current sales trend of the PS3 compared to the 360 and when will they actually be on equal footing? Like I said...next year both consoles could increase 20%...you will argue that from launch the PS3 is doing 20% better then the 360. When in fact it would mean the PS3 and 360 are on equal sales paths. Another reason why it doesn't work...say we stick in this recession for the next 12-months...everything drops in sales. By comparing the previous years 360 sales to the yearly sales of the PS3 in the current recession is equally wrong...though in that case it would make the 360 look better.

Yuck_Too said "dark take what ever time frame you want, you cannot, as I has stated, compare the numbers like that and you know it. Both my posts still stand correct and show you exactly why you are wrong. The basic reality is since the launch of the PS3 Sony has managed to sell 179,000 more units then the 360 over the past 22-months. Also your sales momentum argument is not a argument, it's silly, it doesn't matter how many you sold in the past...just how your doing now." What is this, some kind of jedi mind trick? You simply stating my figures are incorrect and yours are correct doesn't make it so. Don't get me wrong, your numbers aren't wrong - just meaningless in the grand scheme. Let's compare apples to apples here. If we take the first 22 months of each console and say "Go!" the PS3 would be killing the 360 right now 16 million to 11. You can flip your numbers any way you like but it doesn't change that simple fact, the PS3 has been selling far better than the 360 ever did. The problem is your arguement falls apart when you make a fair and even comparison based on similar performance over a similar timeline. Your insisting that we use the last 22 months of sales and pretend the 360 doesn't have a year lead doesn't prove anything. You might as well be arguing PS2 sales vs 360 sales, because it's just as meaningless. Now, if we had 9 years of sales data for the 360 that we could stack up against 9 years of PS2 sales, that would at least make sense to compare them, but we don't. Just like we don't have 3 years of PS3 sales data to compare against 3 years of 360 data. If you're comparing the growth of two oil companies, you don't take an established company and compare it to some start up venture company and say "Oh, the venture company sucks because look at how much more Exxon is making", but you might take the established company from the time it was it was starting to compare growth. Your comparison is meaningless to because all it does is show two similar products at different points in their lifecycles, and guess what? The one that started earlier is ahead! Wow! Go figure! Now compare them at equal dates in their cycle and you've got an idea how they stack up.

darkride66 @ Autolycus. I know it wasn't you and Yuck specifically claiming doom for the PS3, it was earlier comments from others that the PS3 was a huge disappointment, only a blu-ray, blah blah blah. That's what set me off. ******************************************** Well Darkride, the first year of the PS3 was pretty disappointing. It has gotten a bit better since then. My only real complaint about the PS3 is the removal of the 100% B/C and the poor implementation of Trophies. That was horrendous. The system does have some decent games now, and some great ones like MGS4 and LBP (which I preordered - woot!) and the online is FREE. so no complaints there. HOME is on the way, the DS3 is out, the online store will be getting movies and more games and developers are starting to utilize the Blu-Ray storage better. All good things. Still compared to the XBox 360 is falls short, mainly because it doesn't have as many quality games as the XBox 360 and XBox Live's online service with Live Arcade is still much better then PSN. Many of the multiplat titles look and play better on the XBox 360, with exceptions like Burnout Paradise, Devil May Cry, etc.. The PS3 is catching up in hardware sales, but I think by the time it catches and passes the XBox 360, it won't matter much, as Microsoft will most likely be launching a new console by then.

Just having been reading where Little Big Planet is going to be delayed world wide because of "expressions" from the Qur'an are found in the game... That sux!

From frazzle00 "Halo 3 shifted quite a few 360s. The last holiday season was huge for Microsoft. And as for LBP, it's definitely not a game for casuals. Firstly platformers aren't that popular these days. Secondly the level editor functionality of LBP is deep and time consuming. I don't see many casuals weened on Wii Fit spending hours making a level to share online. And before silly little fanboys like darkiiz jump up and down calling me a 360 fanboy, I'd like to clarify that I have not criticized (or praised) LBP. All I am saying is that it is a game for the hardcore gamer, and that it's most probably not going to be a system seller like Gears of War 2." How are platformers not popular now? They have always been popular and probably always will be popular. LBP is not just for hardcore gamers, it's an easy game to get in to and doesn't require any knowledge of fast paced games. Halo 3 didn't move that many 360 units. It sold a lot of software (itself), but it was not the mover that MS wanted. Same with GTA4, everyone thought it would be a huge system seller and yet it didn't move hardly enough console's compared to what the game sold itself. Why? Because GTA and Halo attract the same fan base. It didn't move that many units on the PS3 either because of the price and several games that already attracted GTA gamers. You need new types of games to sell more of a console. Casual gamers outnumber hardcore gamers and platformer's attract practically every type of gamer.

How is the Wii the top selling hardware!? Huh, when did Nintendo finally get them in stock? LOL Nintendo's excuses are pretty lame and stale at this point. The damn thing has been out for almost 2 years and you still can't just walk into a store and buy one. What MS and Sony are stealing all the plastic?

you know the economy is bad when the game sales go down.

dark take what ever time frame you want, you cannot, as I has stated, compare the numbers like that and you know it. Both my posts still stand correct and show you exactly why you are wrong. The basic reality is since the launch of the PS3 Sony has managed to sell 179,000 more units worldwide then the 360 over the past 22-months. Also your sales momentum argument is not a argument, it's silly, it doesn't matter how many you sold in the past...just how your doing now.

Zerosumgame Posted Oct 17, 2008 9:23 am PT PS3 got lots of room for updates, xbox 360 is a dead end, other than changing its theme settings.----- come back to reality where Sony isnt god and the economy still sucks.

Nineball2112 - I never said to not buy the PS3, I was simply using the information provided in this article to issue a statement. If one was to look just at this information, they'll see the 360 is the leading platform in sales. And if they looked at previous months, they'll see the same trend. If you want to look at hardware sales, the PS3 only did better when blu-ray won the format war. Kinda makes you think people are buying it for the movies and not the games. A lot of data shows this stuff if you can simply open your eyes and look.

darkride66 said " Sure it does as it takes time to build up sales momentum and keep it going. The 360 had a full year to get the train up to speed and steaming ahead which is why you can't discount the effect that year's sales have now. It's all about building that momentum and the 360 has had more time - which is why I compare launch day to launch day. That's how it works and I know you're not ignorant of that fact." ----- If the console "race" was as simple as that, then we get your point. But the console race isnt that simple, its a hydra and each head is going in a different direction. And if the time frame were to make that large of a difference, explain the Wii... the Wii alone is killing all of your theories about how the 1 year lead made such a huge difference, when I (and I am sure MS) saw it as more of a RISK then a BENEFIT.

PS3 got lots of room for updates, xbox 360 is a dead end, other than changing its theme settings.

Darkride66, I just watched a 1080p movie file on my 360 using tversity. Didnt cost me anything and not easy for the casual consumer, but those features that PS3 has to become a home media machine, are easily obtainable on the 360 as well. But I do agree with you, out of the box the PS3 does have more to offer, unfortunately gaming isnt their strong suit with it. They have some games, but not nearly enough to make it a gaming powerhouse and I think thats why a lot of PS3 fanboys get po'ed because Sony failed on the video game front and sold out to home entertainment (which we all know Sony has a large stake in)

Yuck_Too said "I said by comparing consoles based off launch you are comparing year-3 of the 360 to year-2 of the PS3." But I wasn't. I was taking Jan-Oct 08 PS3 numbers to Jan-Oct 07 360 numbers - thus comparing Year 2 to Year 2. "The 5-6 Million head start the 360 has from the previous year does not in any way alter the current sales." Sure it does as it takes time to build up sales momentum and keep it going. The 360 had a full year to get the train up to speed and steaming ahead which is why you can't discount the effect that year's sales have now. It's all about building that momentum and the 360 has had more time - which is why I compare launch day to launch day. That's how it works and I know you're not ignorant of that fact.

@ Autolycus. I know it wasn't you and Yuck specifically claiming doom for the PS3, it was earlier comments from others that the PS3 was a huge disappointment, only a blu-ray, blah blah blah. That's what set me off. I agree, Sony initinally started off cocky but I think it is the fantastic media machine they claim it to be. The games are there and they're plentiful and fantastic, the console hardware is rock solid, Blu-Ray, Divx, Internet, Music, News, Movies, etc etc..it's the complete home theater package. And I think free online is just the icing on the cake. If you look at the $400 price tag of the PS3 vs the $400 price of an 360 elite (or even the $300 price of a premium) that $50/year plus battery packs, wireless, etc..etc certainly makes the PS3 with all that and Blu-Ray drive to boot look pretty compelling. Obviously consumers think so too.

ChaosXeno: "They see only what others want them to. Despite the numbers this was actually a good month for the PS3 in terms of hardware sales and its going to go higher in October, November, and December." I'm guessing you didn't bother to READ anyone's comment....oohh the burning irony on your butt now. No one said the PS3 was a flop READ PLEASE instead of making accusations. All we said was that the PS3 is definitely not catching up the 360 hardware sales and it doesn't look like it's on the track to either. Which is quite opposite of what Sony said before it was launched about how massive it's success will be.