GamePro graphs PS3 and Gamecube sales
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Oct 3rd 2007 at 11:30AM }
Sure the PS3 started rocky, lost assumed exclusives left and right, and Sony can't seem to craft a solid message to save its life. But the PlayStation is still a strong brand that should be able to rectify itself with a competitive price adjustment and some solid titles creating a base for the gaming console. Hopefully Sony can get that line on the graph to start moving up again. They're in no rush, they've got ten years.
[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
YourSlay3r @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:36AM
The numbers don't lie.
copa @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:55AM
This is a completely unfair comparison. It is obvious that in the first month of sales, GameCube kicked PS3's ass.
Somebody owes GameCube an apology.
Poisoned Al @ Oct 3rd 2007 12:26PM
Er, one thing I was taught is that numbers lie out of their ass! My teacher warned me NEVER to trust a graph. There are endless ways to spin the numbers to push the chart maker's agenda.
Doesn't make the PS3 sales any less shit tho.
ill trooper @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:10PM
Well, then everything should be fine for Sony, according to Nintendo Gamcube fans. "Sales aren't everything..." Except for this gen, where the Wii is actually kicking ass and taking names, when sales suddenly _do_ count for Nintendo fans.
Yes, that honeymoon-era for the gamecube was a great time, seemed like anything could happen. The machine could hold it's own against the PS2 (well, except for the mindshare, disk-storage space, and the lack of DVD playback) and it was an awesome size, and it had a handle, which seemed more important at the time. As did all of those ports! So many ports on all the sides of the Gamecube - so much potential for expansion.
Alas, it was a good system, but also a pointless system in the face of two other, too-similar systems... It's price plummeted and unless you absolutely needed to pick weeds in Animal Crossing, it became redundant. It's easy to see why Nintendo changed their tack for the next round.
Now Sony has shown up like Dolf Lundgren's Ivan Drago in 'Rocky IV' or the evil team in 'Shaolin Soccer' - clad in black and overly-confident in their (ayo) technology. Will they be humbled by the heart of their competition? It's still up in the air in my eyes, as is this aimless, free-form post. Thanks for reading this far though...
samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:15PM
"Well, then everything should be fine for Sony, according to Nintendo Gamcube fans. "Sales aren't everything..." Except for this gen, where the Wii is actually kicking ass and taking names, when sales suddenly _do_ count for Nintendo fans."
Oh be fair now. It's not just Nintendo fans being hypocrites.
It's the Sony fans now proclaiming that sales aren't everything and it's the quality of the game that counts.
For the record, I sided with the Nintendo fans on that point then and I side with the Sony fans on that point now.
Mr Khan @ Oct 3rd 2007 5:03PM
Same is true for MS fans, who proclaim, this generation, that a beefier CPU means nothing in terms of console power, when last generation, the argument was focused around the Xbox's beast of a CPU
Hypocrisy is the core of fanboydom
NintendoFanbot @ Oct 3rd 2007 6:18PM
No, the level of quality with Nintendo's has always been there, just selling well now. It's icing on the cake, it's still just icing.
Sony is Apollo Creed, he kept bashing Nintendo until Nintendo answered and kicked his ass. Then Drago (360?)killed Apollo.
Then everyone kept telling Nintendo, "You can't win!", and then Nintendo wins. That's my favorite part of the movie.
Ill Trooper is right, sales don't matter. Neither does PR mudslinging, which Sony was full of before the PS3.
With the Wii doing well, I still stand by 'Sales don't matter'. What's killing the PS3 is their own excessive hype, not lack of sales despite software quality.
SKI @ Oct 3rd 2007 6:44PM
"Well, then everything should be fine for Sony, according to Nintendo Gamcube fans. "Sales aren't everything..." Except for this gen, where the Wii is actually kicking ass and taking names, when sales suddenly _do_ count for Nintendo fans."
Sales weren't everything when the GC was making a profit but everyone was still calling for them to go 3rd party.
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:37AM
lol
josh @ Oct 3rd 2007 3:44PM
fazawr: The PS3 and Gamecube launch line-ups were both pretty lackluster, but there were a few standouts on each.
the Gamecube launched with Madden & Rogue Squadron, and Pro Skater 3 (probably the best Tony Hawk game). And I believe that Smash Bros, Pikmin, & Eternal Darkness came out a month or so later. Pikmin and Eternal Darkness were not system sellers, but both were great games.
melloncollie @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:38AM
Ouch.
daddycool @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:38AM
People kill me with the "strong brand" BS. Like Nintendo wasn't a strong brand when Gamecube came out. Like Sega wasn't a strong brand when Saturn and Dreamcast came out. PS3 is definitely no 3DO, but it's no PS2 either.
xXFenixKnight13Xx @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:41AM
No shit huh, good point
WiseGuy @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:50AM
Couldn't agree more. Good point. Price is a HUGE factor as well. Not only do these companies know that, but developers know this also. The more consoles people buy, the more developers can capitalize on that and design games to be played with friends. 360 dominates the console market for online friends lists. Wii dominates for offline party games. PS3 is a movie player. Ha Ha Ha.
xXFenixKnight13Xx @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:57AM
@ Wiseguy
"PS3 is a movie player"
LMAO!!!!!!
Lord Gabardas @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:30PM
I don't know why all the discussions, when it can be summarized in so many words (9 in fact): The PS3 is going to be this generation's N64.
ukickmydog (NDF - Earth) @ Oct 3rd 2007 10:17PM
you win for summarizations Lord, now where the fuck are these sony fanbots when you can abuse them and they cant fight back?
Phranctoast @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:38AM
hmmm. Correct me if Im wrong. I was unaware that the gamecube costs between $500-600 at launch.
Mr. P @ Oct 3rd 2007 12:33PM
GamePro's just looking for hits. They don't consider that Gamecube actually launched with some major games, while PS3 didn't, and that Gamecube launched at a third of the price of PS3. Once games like MGS4, GT5, and FF13 release, Blu-ray catches the mainstream's eye, and the price comes down to that $300-400 sweet spot, PS3 sales will more closely resemble PS2 sales.
mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 3rd 2007 12:55PM
I think you'll find that $200-$250 is the sweet spot.
It's going to take the PS3 a while to hit that price.
fawazr @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:13PM
Mr. P, Batman Vengeance and Luigi's Mansion were major games? The launch titles for the Gamecube were damn near awful! The PS3's got the Cube beat with launch titles.
Jake @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:31PM
Yeah, you're right. The only console to ever launch that high was the Neo Geo.
warioswoods @ Oct 3rd 2007 7:27PM
Alright, let's put this to rest now: to refer to the price difference between the PS3 and another system (be it the Gamecube, Wii, or 360) is absolutely NOT a valid counterargument against the validity of the success of the latter, cheaper system.
You can't divorce the price from the identity and design of a system, no matter how often you repeat that the PS3 would, in fact, do better if not for the 'inessential' or secondary matter of its price, for which we supposedly cannot blame it. In producing a product, be it technological or not (although one could argue that it is even more important in the tech sphere), the price IS, without question, a constituent feature of the product and its design.
It goes something like this: each company has to produce a product within certain limitations, such that innovation and quality are both only to be achieved by making the most complete and desirable product within those bounds. The limitations include, but are not limited to:
General feasibility of production, space and physical form (in the broadest sense - it's not as important in home consoles as it is in handhelds, yet the physical size of a console and its controllers is a factor, as well as the general question of how it will fit into an average living room or entertainment center which is already overloaded with devices and boxes), the ability of the various features and capabilities of the product to fit together into an intuitive rather than awkward whole, and PRICE.
Sony is by far the poorest of the three big companies when it comes to working within many of these limitations, and they are paying for it (since we don't want to, if you'll allow me one pun). Stop coming to these debates and defending the sales of the PS3 on the basis of the price - anyone can cram any number of features into a device given no price limitation. The real challenge is to work within the bounds of price, and to make the hard decisions about what to include and what not to include.
megaStryke @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:41AM
I was wondering when this graph would appear on Joystiq.
Stay tuned for 5+ pages of hilarity and drama with special guests GodisaMyth, Konny, and Curmeo!
megaStryke @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:42AM
And let's not forget out headliner Fernando Rocker! Stay until the end, folks! Who knows WHAT will happen!
Micheal82 @ Oct 3rd 2007 12:33PM
What happened to Godisamyth? He was my favorite memeber of the SDF. PS3 doomed to go the way of the 3do. I won't insult the gamecube by comparing it to the PS3 because it kick the PS3 but according to that chart.
megaStryke @ Oct 3rd 2007 12:45PM
Oh, he's still around. He just goes by a different alias on an almost daily basis. Currently, he is the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Previous incarnations included kiljebus and Hard Gay (and others?).
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:58PM
Don't forget Zaphod Beeblebrox.
But you can always recognize him by his blatant hatred and distaste for religion, Christianity in particular.
Flying Spaghetti Monster falls in with this also, as it was created to try and show how absurd it is to believe in a deity at all.
samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:13PM
"Currently, he is the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Previous incarnations included kiljebus and Hard Gay (and others?)."
Actually, he's going under both of those names now. Seriously. He was posting in the same thread under both names.
megaStryke @ Oct 3rd 2007 3:09PM
He must have a twin.
d-pad @ Oct 3rd 2007 4:35PM
Flying spaghetti monster?
That's rich.
I particularly enjoyed his last thread as zeeble where he attempted a humorous post of how he doesn't take joystiq seriously. This was of course after his touchsense PS3 controller prophecy blew apart in his little face.
I think the guy's honestly tried like 5 times at starting a new profile.
How embarrassing.
ComradeTrotskii @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:44AM
Doesn't men much as far as I can see. I would see the PS3s 'failure' as more akin to that of the N64.
lessbiasedthanmost @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:45AM
What's that blip on the Gamecube graph? Was it a LoZ game or a mario game? Anyway, I expect the same blip like anomaly sometime next year when the PS3's library explodes (hopefully not literally).
Infornography @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:46AM
considering the fact that the PS3 still isn't even a year old and both the PS3 and the Wii still don't have much games, this graph is just everyone jumping on the "PS3 is teh Sux0r" bandwagon.
JL @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:57AM
I was going to waste time saying something about this topic but then reminded myself how stupid it is to talk trash about a machine.
xXFenixKnight13Xx @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:45AM
I dont care what anyone sais PS3 is bombing and will remain that way. Xbox360 is the new PS2 of this "Gen"
RROD comments all you want about it but the fact is that it has games and the best online at a more affordable price.
lessbiasedthanmost @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:47AM
No my friend, the Wii is the PS2 of "this-gen" it gets the shovelware and a few good titles.
xXFenixKnight13Xx @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:49AM
LOL I saw that new Caveman show on ABC yest and they were playing Wii, it just looked funny LOLz!!
I guess for me its Wii60 FTW =) PS3 is poop
Clack @ Oct 3rd 2007 3:19PM
Err, no, the Wii is the new PS2, if you're talking about global domination. The 360 is, well, the xbox of this generation.
shawn @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:45AM
Well, maybe Sony should just duct-tape two PS3's together... maybe then they can compete with the Wii. Or maybe they could release some great games... I'm sure MGS4 and a handful of other titles will boost sales, too bad they didn't have them ready for launch.
ComradeTrotskii @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:45AM
*deoesn't mean much...
mr nimblewick (SegaDF - Jogurt Ring) @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:45AM
Seeing these numbers makes me sad for both Sony AND Nintendo.
vidGuy @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:46AM
This graph means nearly nothing, and I can say that even despite my general distaste for the PS3. The PS3 has sold this many consoles at a much higher price than the GC, so it should be able to sustain higher sales than the GC saw as it drops in price.
What would be more beneficial is a chart showing PS3s sold versus PS3s manufactured. What's killing Sony now isn't its slow start but the perception that its slow start is going to kill the console, causing BOTH gamers and developers to jump ship.
vinny @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:47AM
gotta love that ps3DO
Matt B @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:48AM
Why is the 360 line missing? If we align the launch of the GC, PS3, and 360.... they are within a few thousand of each other.
http://www.vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=GC®1=Total+Other&cons2=PS3®2=Total+Other&cons3=X360®3=Total+Other&align=1
Matt B @ Oct 3rd 2007 11:54AM
God vgchartz is wonky sometimes.
Draco @ Oct 3rd 2007 1:29PM
or if you check out the PS3 Wii and 360 there isn't much of a difference between the PS3 and 360, I would say the PS3 is winning first year sales (although that doesnt really matter)
http://www.vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=Wii®1=All&cons2=PS3®2=All&cons3=X360®3=All&align=1&weekly=1
Evan @ Oct 3rd 2007 2:16PM
You cannot compare the 360 to the PS3 or GC.
- Historically, the first console to launch tends to have a relative slow start (Genesis, PS1)
- The last last console to launch has always had an explosive first month (SNES, N64, GC, Xbox)
Some consumers may wait until all the consoles are on the market before making their decision. The first new console to launch has increased competition from previous generation consoles. There are probably several reasons why the launch sales are more influenced by the time of launch than they are a predictor of system success.
Speaking of predicting success, the second Christmas in which all systems are on the market has always determined the overall winner! The first Christmas is biased by hype and supply issues. In the SNES's second Christmas, it outsold the Genesis, and the SNES continued onwards to victory. In the N64's second Christmas, all its hype had died down and its fate was obvious. Likewise with the GC. Christmas 2007 will be the second Christmas for the PS3. If history repeats itself, like it usually does, this Christmas will decide the PS3's fate.
Korova @ Oct 3rd 2007 6:18PM
Evan
That just means PS3 is teh Doohm because all so many of its prime titles are not coming out this Christmas, GTAIV for example. I think the Wii will spank PS3 with a 360 this Christmas until its bottom gets so red hot that the 360 RRODs.
Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 3rd 2007 8:30PM
Where are Sony's big guns? Lair and Heavenly Sword and Motorstorm were all, er... less than stellar. The real big guns are GTAIV, MGS4, and FF13, and none of them are making Christmas. Evan's right. If the PS3 hibernates for its first 2 Christmases in a row, how can they ever come back? Some huge March miracle? Marches are jokes. It's very sad, but Christmas IS the games industry.