NY Times: Strong holiday for new consoles
by Kyle Orland 
{ Jan 9th 2007 at 11:25AM }
The New York Times' Matt Richtel today takes a look at how the big three console makers did over the holiday season. Besides mentioning the now-familiar CES sales announcements from Sony and Microsoft, the story has some interesting quotes from analysts and retailers.
Most surprising among those quotes might be confirmation from Gamestop COO Daniel A. DeMatteo that Playstation 3's are available at "hundreds" of the company's stores, while Wii consoles "virtually disappeared" when they came in. It's hard to evaluate this statement without knowing how many of each system Gamestop received -- indeed, analyst Paul-Jon McNealy notes earlier in the article how Sony "seems like they're really ramping up production."
Still, the widespread reports of PS3s sitting on shelves does put a damper on Sony Senior VP Peter Dille's claim that "you can declare us a winner right now." We have to agree with Microsoft's David Hufford: "That sounds like spin." We'll see just how much spin when NPD releases its December sales numbers on Thursday.
[Thanks Falafelkid]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David004 @ Jan 9th 2007 1:24PM
Sounds like spin?! hahaha
"We are making so many consoles right now you can find them everywhere!" - Sony assholes
When in truth they really don't need to make that much because no one wants their shit system.
Inspired @ Jan 9th 2007 11:50AM
I'm sure everyone did spectacular in December. But I do think Sony has a few things to worry about:
1) Nintendo shipped 3-4 million Wii consoles worldwide by year's end, yet you still can't find the damn thing on shelves.
2) Sony shipped less than 2 million PS3 consoles, yet there are reports that you can walk into many retailers and still purchase it.
The price is just too high for gamers. If the PS3 came in at the same price point as the Xbox 360, I think it would be quite a different ballgame today.
crono141 @ Jan 9th 2007 11:51AM
VGcharts data:
360 at 8.34 million
Wii at 4.00 Million
PS3 at 1.41 Million
If Wii dissappears minutes after shipments, and PS3's can be found everywhere, just how exactly can we declare sony the winner right now?
I'm starting to believe the Wii shortage until april rumor. If nintendo pumps out 2 million of these things a month, and they virtually sell out until april, thats 10 million consoles in less than half the time it took 360.
I predict that Nintendo will be the leading console by holiday 2007 having 45% of the market, with MS at 40%, and PS3 at 15%.
Flame away!
Ian O'Rourke @ Jan 9th 2007 12:43PM
Well, the trouble with declaring the winner on 'just' console units sold is it may be a bit more complex in the case of the Wii.
Part of me thinks the Wii might get a lot of buzz, sell a lot of units but not see a great market for its games, as people buy it than get sick of it or buy it for the odd party and stuff and buy very few games.
I've got no problem with the Wii, their marketing approach is interesting, and it if does great then fantastic, but I believe the above might have some truth in it.
So, if they see lacklustre game sales as a function of console numbers, who has truely won, that's all I'm asking, in theory? ;)
Marty @ Jan 9th 2007 2:44PM
"you can declare us a winner right now"
Is Sony hiring comedians as their spokespeople now or somthing? He had me laughing!
justin @ Jan 9th 2007 12:57PM
I personally don't know anyone who wants a PS3, yet everyone says, "I want to get a Wii."
Derbeste @ Jan 9th 2007 12:21PM
I think it will be a little bit closer.
I'm gonna predict:
Nintendo: 40%
MS: 35%
Sony 25%
And that is for the same time period...
2 years LATER than that, however, I do actually predict Sony's longer term investment to start shining through. (Especially if the Wii cannot get some really good and CONSISTENT releases)
If that happens I predict:
MS: 40%
Sony: 30%
Nintendo: 30%
If Bluray fails and the Wii pulls a DS, then in 3 years I predict this:
Nintendo: 60%
MS: 30%
Sony: 10%
So yes....I'm wishy washy about the 3-4 year span. It all hinges on if Wii can get titles out in a consistent fashion and the success of Bluray as a format standard.
MS is the only company I expect to do consistently well regardless. And that stands to reason. They didn't risk nearly as much.
Allen @ Jan 9th 2007 5:29PM
Whens the last time someone saw a negative microsoft article? joystiq are in love / in bed with M$ and bill gates. Can't wait until it comes to Europe!
Derbeste @ Jan 9th 2007 12:45PM
Crap.... 2 things
1) My comments were in response to Crono141.
2) I actually meant:
Sony:40%
MS:30%
Nintendo:30%
If Bluray and PS3 take off and Nintendo can't maintane good software releases (including 3rd parties). So basically switch MS and Sony on my typoed prediction above.
SuicideNinja @ Jan 9th 2007 1:49PM
Tell me about it. I'm sick of being offered PS3's because Wii's are not available.
No FFXIII yet = no need for PS3 yet.
Ian @ Jan 9th 2007 7:26PM
#4 "The Truth"
If you're looking for a PS3, come by the Circuit City where I work in Parkersburg, WV. We've had 2 20GBs and 9 60GB PS3s in since last Thursday. Not a single one sold yet.
The "TRUTH" is that PS3 can be found just about anywhere game systems are sold now. Nobody's even asking about them anymore.
razer @ Jan 9th 2007 1:05PM
The Truth: I see you spew your lame fanboy crap all over NEWS4GAMERS. Please don't bring that here! You will twist and say whatever you want to justify Sony. The people know better, and if you actually owned both consoles like I do you would know which is better. Just the fact that you say Sony's launch out-performed the 360 easily shows just how stupid you really are.
Rizzo @ Jan 9th 2007 1:02PM
It's way too early to determine which console will win.
Fact is that good content will drive Hardware sales. The 360 has been out for a year and has only one game (Gears of War) that is an undeniable hit. How long before they have another exclusive "must have" game The biggest question for PS3 is how long will it be before the it has an exclusive game that drives sales. The Wii had Zelda, which helps them out tremendously and a Mario game coming out this year, which will also help them (although I think the big Mario fans already have a Wii). However, they need to make sure they can sustain the creation of innovative games and make sure the Wii isn't just a gimmick that loses steam over the long haul.
Nick @ Jan 9th 2007 1:51PM
Since last Friday I hit 4 stores 2 Walmarts a Target and a EB Games. All had at least 4 PS3s. I think I'm not alone in discovering this....
mystyk23 @ Jan 9th 2007 1:07PM
I want a PS3 because I have a HDTV. I've played a wii, cute but not for me. Can't wait for my W-2.
The Dude @ Jan 9th 2007 1:21PM
As long as Sony has fanboys like "The Truth" holding their breath and stomping their feet to convince themselves that they didn't waste $600 on a dud console it'll be another year before we see a clear winner. I think you can be pretty certain at this point though that unless the Universe opens up and swallows Nintendo and Microsoft out of existence, then it ain't going to be Sony. The only good thing that came out of the PS3 launch was the fact that I scalped 3 consoles on launch day for over 2 grand each.
Oh and BTW Truth, it's 10 million SOLD with over half of those having Gold XBL accounts, you see M$ doesn't used SHIPPED numbers like Sony tends to. If you'd pull your head out of Sony's ass for 5 minutes maybe you'd know that. Have a seat and stay in school genius, you need all the help you can get.
The Dude @ Jan 9th 2007 3:15PM
"They won't even report on the Iphone that just launched at macworld that is smacking the Zune into obsolescence!"
Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with refreshing the comments on this page, you'd see that they did AND it has over 100 comments. I'm done with you now, you can go. Asshat. Owned again. Buh bye.
SuicideNinja @ Jan 9th 2007 3:51PM
"The Truth" decidely likes to eat paint chips.
All three console makers don't deserve the boners they get from us.
Gonzo @ Jan 9th 2007 2:26PM
And that's why when it came to my end of the year investments, I quickly put my $ down on Nintendo (ntdoy) and panned Sony. Besides the fact everyone I know who tries the Wii, wants one; Nintendo is making a profit on the sale of each machine.
Can't wait to see the quarterly reports.
-G
Mr. Khan @ Jan 9th 2007 6:30PM
Once again, i maintain these as the 3 most likely outcomes for the generation
1. Wii 50%, 360 35%, PS3 15%. In this scenario PS3 never quite picks up speed, although does well enough in sales, Its Wii v. 360 in North America/PAL, and Wii owns all in Japan
2. 360 55%, PS3 40%, Wii 5%. In this scenario Wii falls off the face of the earth after holiday 07 due to gimmick factor, and it becomes PS3 v. 360 worldwide, which 360 wins due to price
3. PS3 65%, Wii 25%, 360 10%. In this scenario Sony retains its dynasty by throwing out all the stops to get developers on board, while Wii finds a happy niche, and 360 drops off by early 08 due to stagnant sales and MS financial worries
I also think that there will only be about 130 million units this generation, due to higher premiums and the staying power of the PS2
hef @ Jan 10th 2007 6:45AM
One of the advantages of a powerful console is that large detailed worlds are possible like say, Oblivion. I don't think Wii can offer these sorts of games. Will it matter in the long run? I don't know. Nintendo will only 'win' if people are prepared to play party type games, inferior ports and the odd stellar first party title. It's probably a good strategy because I know my favourite DS game is Metroid Pinball. Anyway, I kind of think Wii is competing with PS2 as much as the HD consoles. You will notice they are getting some similar releases. My money is on PS3 for the long haul due to brand recognition amongst the plebs and the fact that I don't think the HD era will really begin until idiots buy a HD TV and then realise they will need some content for it. By then Sony will have had a price drop. As for me, I'm loving 360 just like the original Xbox because i like online shooters. If you don't then I could understand the lack of Gates-love. I apologise for the incoherent ramblings but that's just the way we do it in hef-town.
Sly @ Jan 10th 2007 2:23AM
The truth is Microsoft is the only one with a true direction with trust. They're going to deliver what people want to watch or do on their television. They introduce WebTV which had a pretty good install base. I know quite a few people who relied on it before moving up to a PC. The Windows experience is widely known. And you can stream pictures, videos, or music on your PC thru the Xbox 360 to your living room television. Sony can even come close to offering a television experience like Microsoft. Nintendo is so last gen but has great platformer games. But you don't see store allocation numbers on the Wiis. So they're perceived as being sold out by demand here in North America when in fact Nintendo created the shortage here and shipping most of the units to Japan's market. Pretty well the same strategy they use with the DS. They have to appear before they can disappear. PS3 aren't selling well until Sony gets their shit together.
Ian O'Rourke @ Jan 10th 2007 2:01PM
The interesting thing about the Microsoft strategy is it isn't a hardware strategy, it's a software strategy, which I think is a relatively unique approach.
The Xbox is a software strategy in the sense that the Xbox experience, games aside which is a given, is about the software - the O/S on the machine, Xbox Live, integration with the PC and so on. The extention into Xbox Live Anywhere. Even the IPTV announcement is a software strategy as it is part of an agenda to cement the sales of its IPTV software infrastructure that it has sold to many a telecommunications company. Microsoft also have development experience and are good at getting developers on board (business and games) - hence XNA.
To be honest, and I don't think this is necessarily a bad strategy as it is the future of most technologies to just become commodities, in an idea world Microsoft wouldn't sell a console, they'd just be console devices that play games using XNA, and maybe connect to their WebTV and play games online over Xbox Live Anywhere because they've already secured the PC desktop and are making significant in roads into the mobile marke.
As a I say, it's a software strategy.