PS3 sales to surpass Wii's... in four years' time
An analyst writes...
It may take another four years for the Sony PlayStation 3's sales to catch up with those of Nintendo's Wii, a games market analyst has claimed.
Screen Digest’s Piers Harding-Rolls recently told the Economist magazine that PS3 sales will increase as more games become available for the console, enabling it to have “caught up with the Wii” by 2011.
The analyst predicted that global sales of both the Wii and PS3 will double by 2011, but that the Xbox 360’s global sales will slow.
However, according to recent Japanese sales figures from games publisher Enterbrain, Sony sold 183,217 PS3s during the four weeks ended 25 November in the country. Nintendo only sold 159,193 Wiis.
Harding-Rolls added that programmers previously tempted gamers by developing titles primarily for the PS2. However, he now believes that the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 are in an ongoing “console war” and that each will be the leading console at some point in the future. He claimed this will result in more tempting deals to lure gamers into buying a particular console.
However, the must-have Christmas Wii console is still the most searched for term amongst online shoppers in the UK of late.
COMMENTS
"Kids want one"
To me, Will is the machine "Kids want one". It is so successful, also worrisome. Kids can play same game again and again, kids don't really need a lot of new games - they play with their friends, same game but different fun each time. Teenagers and "Peter Pan" adults are different stories - they have their own money, they want new games. Wii is not fad, but how many games will it move? Nintendo's own games (big name games) generate huge sales, but it's not exactly a happy story for third party developers.
the PS3 will outsell the Wii when
the Ps4 comes out. Then they will sell the Ps3 for a reasonable price-for fanbois aside and nextgenHDTVBluRaynevergooutside types, a console is just a toy and the real world cannot justify that much money for a toy. Plus, the Ps3 is a complete waste without the HDTV infrastructure, so you have to realize that $500 console is really around $1500 by the time you get a reasonably sized HD set. If you spend that much time on your arse in front of the boob tube, then more power to ya. Don't talk to me about being "hard core"-sounds pretty soft and couch potato-ey to me. Hard core is something that requires effort, not just a big wallet. I doubt you're ever gonna throw out a shoulder playing (insert PC ported game here) on the PS3, unless you're reaching for the Cheetos and fall outta your chair. Trying to throw a 100mph fastball (my best still sucks at 80 mph-averaging closer to 70) and playing home-run derbies with your friends is a whole other ball game (pun intended).
I can't wait till someone makes a real baseball simulator-more control over pitching, base runs, outfield, etc would be awesome...maybe a new version of "Base Wars"?
Site bias?
I wonder if the comments would be a little less pro PS3 and anti-Wii if a story similar to this was posted on a site less targetted towards tech/gamer type people?
Of course there will be quite a few pro PS3 people commenting here - the people reading this site are the kinda people buying PS3s.
Can't see it
I've seen the total worldwide units graph from the report. He has the number of PS3s sold tied or exceeding XBox360s before the end of 2007, and the PS3's consistently outselling Wii's for the next four years.
But currently, the sales of Xboxes and Playstations are almost running in lockstep on worldwide basis, with the Xbox having a year advantage, and the Wii still outselling them both by a wide margin.
Today's Consumer Better Educated
I think the article hits the point for several reasons....note that I am not a console gamer far preferring PC based games. I look at the console wars as this season's Betamax but the consumer has wised up a bit since then. Many game and video afficionados see the VHS / Betamax war as being won by the inferior technology because people didn't know any better when they were buying. They are reluctant to make that same mistake again.
VHS won that war as customers rushed out to buy Granny and Aunt Bee an X-Mas gift. They weren't going to but a Betamax or to buy a VHS Player....they went out to but a movie tape player. And with the VHS one at $179 and the Betamax at $209, Granny and Aunt Bee pulled off the XMas wrapping to find a VHS player. Sony had then become the poster child for how to screw up a platform launch. But also it is oft presented as a prime example of customers choosing entry price over actual value.
Now again while not a console gamer myself, I do have 3 children. Not wishing to deal with the clutter of all 3 systems, Mom and I decided to have them settle on one. We already been thru the Dreamcast / PS 2 clutter. As you might expect, the answer I got 1st time I asked them which, one (oldest) wanted PS3, one wanted X-Box (middle) and one (youngest) wanted Wii.
Now being the neighborhood geek, and watching all the neighbors friends and relatives scramble each X-Mas I cringe a bit a sI know I gonna get called to hook all these things up. So i see a lotta peeps with new systems and hear about why they chose what.
Last year it was Mom's doing the shopping are coming home with the Wii cause it's got three things going for it. 1) the lowest price of the three and 2) the "buzz" on the controller (and mom's desire to see the kids get of their asses) and 3) more games.
But now the buzz is wearing off, the Wii controller fetaures are bing deadpaned in many game reviews, and they all see Wii owners going out and buying a 2nd or even 3rd console. Now a hard core gamer sees this as "wanting to have it all" but the Mom's and Pop's doing the purchasing are picturing the clutter of multiple consoles and thinking, "why don't I just get the "best" one in the 1st place....it will even be cheaper int he long run".
With the 40GB model, I am also seeing Mom's saying, "I'm not gonna be running out and standing on line trying to get one of those things, I'd rather just pay the extra $100 or whatever and let the brown truck deliver it to my door."
In many houses when they sit down to make that decision, the ability to play HD movies is going to also be a factor. Considering the cost of a separate HDTV or BR player, the ability to play 1080p content is going to be a factor. Mom and Pop are also now seeing the news of BluRay kicking ass and figure they can get themselves a "free" BR player when they "buy the kids" an XMas present.
One more nail is that monthly credit card bill which has little Johnie's WoW subscription on it.....Mom doesn't wanna see XBox Live or whatever being added to her credit card statement.
Another factor is that the people who wanted a Wii were not "given pause" by the price tag last season. The PS3 on the other hand debuted high but with recent price cuts, pent up demand is now responsible for the rush of current buyers. But in the long run, having had spent a year listening and reading about the topic, this holiday season's buyers are more educated about the difference between the systems. Whether the benefits are perceived or real, the PS3 is looked upon as the performance king, comes with a HD movie player and won't wind up w/ recurring credit card charges.
