Worldwide PS3 sales beat Xbox 360 in Q2
by Justin McElroy 
{ Oct 29th 2008 at 10:25AM }
The cool kids amongst you have already hopped down to the comments to start bragging/defending, so we know we're speaking exclusively to fact-loving nerds now. So be it. According to each company's own figures, sales of the PS3 beat the Xbox 360's in the second quarter of the fiscal year (July, August, September), moving 2.43 million and 2.2 million consoles respectively. That puts Sony at 16.84 million PS3s in the world compared to Microsoft's 24 million 360s.Though we're proud of both Sony and Microsoft and think they both did a great job in the battle for second place, we're a little surprised to see the PS3 win out. Was it residual Metal Gear momentum? Halloween magic? Something else? Share your thoughts, hopes, fears and dreams after the break.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Eggy @ Oct 29th 2008 10:29AM
Not so surprising untill a month ago the PS3 was outselling the xbox 360 on all territories.
Killjebus @ Oct 29th 2008 12:09PM
It is good to see the PS3 and 360 selling well. Gamers like myself should do whatever they can to support 21st Century HD gaming otherwise 20 Century SD (Chumpvision) gaming will continue to spread like a mutating virus and we will be left with all three companies re-releasing the same hardware with a few tweaks in the next-generation.
Frack the Wii, Frack John McWAR and Frack the psyco Xtian right.
Mr Khan @ Oct 29th 2008 12:18PM
The rumors have suggested that "same hardware with a few tweaks" is the direction Sony (the rumor about sticking the the CELL, but upping the clock speed and adding SPE's) and Microsoft (the rumor about the next system being "forwards compatible" with 360 games) are taking
Do we really need all that much more power?
Killjebus @ Oct 29th 2008 12:39PM
"Do we really need all that much more power?"
Yes, until I can step into a holodeck I want more power. Within the last couple of months the last BIGGEST hurdle for holographic technology has been crossed and most experts are saying that we will have holographic technology by 2015 or 2020 at the latest.
heypaul @ Oct 29th 2008 3:21PM
"The rumors have suggested that "same hardware with a few tweaks" is the direction Sony (the rumor about sticking the the CELL, but upping the clock speed and adding SPE's) and Microsoft (the rumor about the next system being "forwards compatible" with 360 games) are taking"
I'm gauging from the tone of your post that you're trying to point out the supposed hypocrisy of Sony and Microsoft - that these guys tout their current technology while scoffing at Nintendo's, yet they're planning to make comparatively much smaller technological leaps next generation. But think about why they've suddenly decided to drastically shift in this direction, when historically, they've both been technology-focused, loss-leader console companies?
That's right, because Nintendo showed them that selling cheaper hardware at a mass market price is where the money's at. There's really no hypocrisy here. They've been forced to adapt to survive, and all of us core gamers, who, for several generations, have enjoyed cutting edge technologies purchased at a fraction their cost, won't have that luxury any longer. If you want to point fingers, there's really only one direction we can point them towards this point.
xFenixKnightx @ Oct 29th 2008 10:30AM
Yup, thats the power of the cell for ya.
Chin-Poh @ Oct 29th 2008 10:56AM
More like the power of new SKUs and quality titles. : )
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 11:05AM
Brand loyalty, more like.
BananaBoat @ Oct 29th 2008 11:15AM
Brand loyalty? All the brand loyalists already bought a PS3, they aren't helping drive up the numbers.
Blu-Ray winning, combined with the PS3 being the cheapest Blu-Ray player, is what drove this. I'm sure it didn't hurt that Metal Gear came out, and LBP came out, so there are finally some exclusives worth buying the PS3 for. I think we're seeing a ceiling being hit as far as PS3 and 360 ownership goes. There are only so many people that want a "hardcore" gaming system, and the market for them isn't growing that steadily. On the other hand, there is a huge market for Nintendo's brand of casual gaming (grrr...) so the Wii sales continue to rape and pillage the 360 and PS3 sales.
I think the 360 is going to make it's lead back up since the PS3 isn't dropping in price for the holidays. I think that is a pretty boneheaded move on Sony's part, considering the global economy being in such poor shape. Either way, looking at the big picture, it's already too late for Sony to win the console wars this generation. Microsoft comes out a winner for massively expanding the Xbox and Live brands, but they also lose to Wii. This generation has cemented Microsoft and Sony as the more-or-less tied for second place console makers. Coming from first place in the last two gens, Sony is the only clear loser this time around. In stock terms, Xbox is up for the generation, Wii is at all time highs, and PS3 is steadily trying to climb back to the record highs of last generation.
Oh and LBP the game is SO much better than the Beta.
Mr Khan @ Oct 29th 2008 11:21AM
Take it from a Nintendo fan, brand loyalty means a great deal, but it won't win you marketshare overall
baby sea tuna @ Oct 29th 2008 11:34AM
No doubt! Brand loyalty means you will unquestiongly buy the same franchise title over and over again with the developer only needing to do a token upgrade each time (see: Madden, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Smash Bros., etc.)
ExMcCloud @ Oct 29th 2008 10:31AM
Yeah not suprised at all the 360 is kicking ass in America but everywhere else its treading water......Last 2 months though it has been picking up....We'll see what happens in the Fourth Quarter...Thats wat really matters....The Holidays baby!
timatl @ Oct 29th 2008 11:33AM
not in japan. the 360 has been outselling the PS3 for last month and a half
borland502 (SDF Macross) @ Oct 29th 2008 12:50PM
"not in japan. the 360 has been outselling the PS3 for last month and a half"
By a razor thin margin my friend. It's novel because, well it's Japan we're talking about, but considering the numbers overall....Something about running, Special Olympics, and the developmentally disabled.
heypaul @ Oct 29th 2008 3:26PM
Borland, what's your PSN? I'd like to add you as you're consistently one of the most well-spoken people I've read posts from.
Rollins @ Oct 29th 2008 10:32AM
I'm confused.
The 360 has been outselling the PS3 in the U.S. and Japan. Was the PS3 really doing that well in Europe/Australia/etc? I wasn't aware that the PS3 was outselling the 360 in any territory as of late, given the 360's price cut and the boost it received in Japan from Tales of Vesperia.
xFenixKnightx @ Oct 29th 2008 10:36AM
"in the second quarter of the fiscal year"
Is key...
To quote the PS3 fanboys, just wait...lol
No, seriously just wait till Holiday #'s come out :D
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 10:38AM
It has been outselling it, but not by much, and only for the final third of the quatar. And remember, prior to the price cut, the PS3 was beating it.
The 360 price cut only came came in September, and Q2 include July and August as well, during which time the PS3 was outselling the 360.
B @ Oct 29th 2008 10:53AM
The Playstation brand is huge in Europe, thanks to Sing Star. Not sure about Australia though, they may since it seems a lot of Xbox games get censored over there.
But Microsoft isn't going to stand for 3rd place in Europe this holiday... considering they just announced their 10th bundle over there.
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 11:03AM
I don't know what else Microsoft could do to get sales up in Europe.
It's already had two price cuts this years, costs considerably less than a Wii (£50 less; that's around $100 less), and has an excellent library of games.
And yet it's still selling the least of all three consoles.
ExMcCloud @ Oct 29th 2008 12:21PM
Maybe thats the brand loyalty u were referring to Hyams....Europeans love their Gran Turismo (Though Forza is arguably better),Their Ace Combats(Xbox exclusive),And their Sing Star(They're getting a lips bundle) Yep sounds like brand loyalty to me.
SuperGayParade @ Oct 29th 2008 10:33AM
My kid beat your kid.
Courtney @ Oct 29th 2008 10:49AM
A few days ago, I saw this bumper sticker:
"My gamer fragged your honor student."
Might be old, but was new to me.
Cal @ Oct 29th 2008 10:34AM
Well the 360 game draught is over now, I'd imagine the numbers will be very different this Q
baby sea tuna @ Oct 29th 2008 10:39AM
Where was this "drought" you speak of? I couldn't tell you the last time I *wasn't* playing something on 360. On the other hand, I haven't bought a (non-PSN) PS3 game since MGS came out months ago.
Cal @ Oct 29th 2008 10:47AM
Really? Only game 360 games I played last quarter were FIFA 09, SC4 (rented) and a bit of Gears, my 360's spent most of its time gathering dust =( Although looking through the PS3 line up it hasn't been a rich as I thought.
arrrgh @ Oct 29th 2008 10:49AM
+1 to that
psn has seen some great titles though
i do love my ps3, but saying there was a 360 drought ...
i dunno, haven't stopped playing 360 since last nov
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 10:52AM
I haven't really been paying attention, but what 360 exclusives were released in Q2?
baby sea tuna @ Oct 29th 2008 11:06AM
I dunno. Why do they have to be exclusives though?
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 11:13AM
No reason. I just assumed you meant exclusives because you were talking about having games to play on your 360 and having nothing to play on your PS3.
RC @ Oct 29th 2008 11:15AM
The PS3 has outsold the 360 worldwide every year that they have both been on the market. This isn't anything new. The 360 has a lead for one reason, it launced a year earlier. When the price of the PS3 finally gets to a range that is reasonable for the more casual PS2 consumer, the PS3 will really begin to pull away. Look for holiday 2009 to be the last holiday the 360 will see as the PS3 for $299 or less will swamp it.
R @ Oct 29th 2008 12:28PM
@RC
No offense, but I think that ps3 fans said this last holiday too. Whats the cheapest ps3 right now, $399? I cant see Sony, who is still in the red on the ps3, dropping its price by $100 (25%) in 2 years. Its also way too early to call it based on games coming out that holiday. And even if the ps3 DOES beat the 360 in 2010, so what? Sony losses...4 holiday seasons? in 2010, we will probably be starting to eat up news on the next generation. by then the 360 will have been out 5 years, and the other consoles 4. with there usually being 6 years in between console launches, it will be too late for Sony to really make up their losses.
If sony wants to finally steal 2nd place from MS in overall sales, its my opinion that next year is the last year for them to do it. This year was supposed to be the year of the ps3, the year that the 360 did nothing because of halo 3 being out, but gears and fable and delays for the ps3 stopped that. Home was delayed for like the 5th time, and MS's answer to home will actually be out BEFORE the reason for it does. Its like..counter attacking before an attack. Only it works. Resistance 2, Killzone 2, and White Knight story need to, imho, all be super A++ titles in order to pull sonys ass out of the heat trail of the 360. Home also needs to be super uber seriously cool Either that or something huge and unexpected must hit.
Sony won the format war, this is undeniable. But at this point, Im pretty sure they sacrificed the video game war(???) for it.
Wow I typed too much. +1 to anyone that reds this
Arnon @ Oct 29th 2008 6:20PM
It is true.. Most of the games I played in the middle of the year were multiplatform.. Except for Ninja Gaiden 2 lol.
From the looks of it, SONY went and focused on the summer usually.. what with MGS4 and stuffs heh. MS started to release their games in August or Sept.
dark_inchworm @ Oct 29th 2008 10:37AM
It's been a while since I gave Sony a chance...
I'll get a PS3 one of these damn days.
baby sea tuna @ Oct 29th 2008 10:41AM
I'd say either try to snag a back-compat one while you still can. If not, wait for a price-cut.
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 10:40AM
For all intents and purposes, it's a draw. The PS3 only outsold the 360 by 0.23 million.
Of course, it could be argued that it's a sort of moral victory for the PS3, given that the 360 had a price cut and the PS3 didn't, and that the 360's entry price is now less than half of the PS3's.
arrrgh @ Oct 29th 2008 10:44AM
price cut would not have affected q2 sales
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 10:50AM
Price cut was in September.
September is in Q2.
Ergo, price cut affects Q2 sales.
=)
Phizzy @ Oct 29th 2008 12:34PM
Wow Hyams, you're the first person I've seen on the internet who didn't write "for all intensive purposes."
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 12:52PM
Judging by how my post has been nega-nuked, I'm guessing the price cut wasn't in September after all?
Hyams @ Oct 29th 2008 1:00PM
Wait, it *was* in September: http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/03/xbox-360-price-cuts-official-60gb-299-elite-399-arcade-199/
Sooo ... why doesn't it count? According to the above Joystiq article, Q2 of the fiscal year is July, August, and *September*.
So, if I am right? Why did I get nega-nuked?
I feel like I'm missing something really obvious. Anyone wanna help me out?
Pedobear @ Oct 29th 2008 9:00PM
From what I understand the price cut would have helped the 360 in only one month of the 3 would it not? And that price cut you are linking to in your post, was it worldwide at the same time? The 360 did outsell the 360 by a nice amount in September according to the npd.
benny boy @ Nov 3rd 2008 1:17PM
There's some wierd comment rating going on here.
KarlW @ Oct 29th 2008 10:42AM
Yes, they outsold them, but there's not much in it (230,000 consoles).
I'd be interested to see how Sony's "no price cut" policy affects this. There are lots of pretty big games coming out for the PS3 in the coming months, while the 360 is cheap (and also has some big games, but not as many).
ExMcCloud @ Oct 29th 2008 10:50AM
Doesn't need as many it has Gears Of War.....Juat like Last year the 360 didn't have a lot of exclusives dropping didn't need em they had Halo 3...They got Halo 3 Recon next year...So again They don't need a bunch of exclusives during that time....lolz
xFenixKnightx @ Oct 29th 2008 10:52AM
KarlW
"There are lots of pretty big games coming out for the PS3 in the coming months, while the 360 is cheap (and also has some big games, but not as many)."
That doesn't sound right. Umm, list please?
Vcize @ Oct 29th 2008 11:45AM
Not as many? What in the hell? Both games have around the same amount of big exclusives this holliday season (not trying to do a listwars thing here and compare each game to the other, just listing all the big exclusives).
PS3:
LittleBigPlanet
Resistance 2
Valkryia Chronicles
Naruto
360:
Gears 2
Fable 2
The Last Remnant
Banjo
Left 4 Dead
C&C Red Alert
Lips
I probably missed some, but those are the big hitters and semi-big hitters that I could think of.
xFenixKnightx @ Oct 29th 2008 12:06PM
Vcize WINS!!!
Ayrkain @ Oct 29th 2008 12:56PM
singstar vol. 2 and Motorstorm 2 also. Pretty even, really.
kbomb1upc @ Oct 29th 2008 2:36PM
@Vcize
You can take Last Remnant of your "List of Exclusives" because it will also be released for the PS3. And you can also add Socom on your list. So if anything, their about equal, but people will still say the PS3 doesn't have any games.... Go figure