Greenberg: 360 only console outpacing 2008 sales, Xbox Live sales up 73%
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Jul 17th 2009 at 7:10PM } 
If you want some console war fightin' words, you can always count on Aaron Greenberg, Xbox group product manager. Speaking to Gamasutra, Greenberg noted that, out of the three major consoles, the Xbox 360 is the only one that has managed to outpace 2008 sales for the first six months of 2009. "Our console sales for the first half of the year actually grew 20 percent from January to June versus the same six months last year," said Greenberg. In addition, paid downloads on Xbox Live have seen a 73 percent jump from June 2008 through June 2009.Speaking of Sony and the PlayStation 3, which saw significantly lower numbers in this month's NPD report, Greenberg says the company made a mistake in not targeting core gamers from the beginning. "I think for Sony, what in many ways kind of threw them off that strategy was what happened with the PS2 and the DVD player phenomenon. They kind of expected that to happen with the PS3 and the Blu-ray." He adds that Sony's current focus on core games is "probably the right thing for them to do."
Hit the source link for more facts, figures and oh no he didn't.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Rob @ Jul 17th 2009 7:17PM
AWWWWWW SNAP!
yolarrydabomb @ Jul 17th 2009 11:51PM
Giggedy!
Captain Planet @ Jul 17th 2009 7:17PM
Hmmmmm, needs more Pachter.
Rob @ Jul 17th 2009 7:18PM
NO!
Ashkental @ Jul 17th 2009 9:52PM
Is Pachter a new spice to put more flavour in console wars?
MEATLOAF2 @ Jul 17th 2009 7:18PM
sounds like he's got a ps3 up his ass! :/
copa @ Jul 17th 2009 7:26PM
Don't be ridiculous, dude. Gerbils are cheaper, and don't require a 10 minute install/update when you want to play.
MEATLOAF2 @ Jul 17th 2009 7:27PM
wiimote maybe?
lolJoystiq @ Jul 17th 2009 7:32PM
Better a 10 minute install / update than a 3 week break for RROD / E74 Repair!
Oh, snap!
MystileArmor @ Jul 17th 2009 7:38PM
Project Anal
lolJoystiq @ Jul 17th 2009 8:00PM
You always know when you hit it 100% on the head and hit a fanboy nerve when you get downvoted. :)
Must be a lot of red-ring victims in the house!
Saria the Cat @ Jul 17th 2009 8:09PM
@lolJoystiq: Anyone gets voted into oblivion if they say anything decidedly negative about the given console of an article. Say something bad about the PS3 on a PS3 article, same thing. Anything this decidedly ripe with fanboyism...I try to stay away.
CB @ Jul 17th 2009 11:10PM
*reads lolJoystiq's comment history*
Yeah, that explains a lot.
Silencio @ Jul 18th 2009 12:31PM
@loljoystiq
You can't "snap" your own comment, ass.
Jinsenken @ Jul 18th 2009 12:47PM
Looks like the Nintendudes and Sonyfriends resolved their differences to save lolJoystiq from downvote hell.
Elmhurst676 @ Jul 22nd 2009 1:48PM
Um, Loljoystiq, it hardly ever happens, and it's fixible, so, uh, no snap.
ArchiGamer [thephilosophyofgames.wordpress.com] @ Jul 17th 2009 7:18PM
I'd be more impressed if either Sony or Microsoft surpassed the sales of Nintendo.
So, until then, whatever....
Wiizer (Michael Pachter MUST DIE.. Professionally) @ Jul 17th 2009 7:18PM
Good to see Larry the Cable Guy working at Microsoft!
And here I was worried that the economy would have an ill effect on the middle class.
Get'er done, Microsoft, get'er done...
mr mobius @ Jul 17th 2009 7:18PM
*Sits back and awaits some entertainment below*
Leroy_Octopus @ Jul 17th 2009 7:21PM
*stands behind mr mobius while breathing heavily*
ArchiGamer [thephilosophyofgames.wordpress.com] @ Jul 17th 2009 7:22PM
*begins to juggle balls to entertain mr mobius*
Victoryismine @ Jul 17th 2009 7:23PM
*curls up in a ball in the fetal position in the corner*
MEATLOAF2 @ Jul 17th 2009 7:26PM
*Hides before things get messy*
Mr Khan is over 9000 @ Jul 17th 2009 7:33PM
I see nothing of particular drama. Microsoft's price-cut last year was a strategic coup, at least where their competition with Sony is concerned, and the fact that the other consoles are down year-over-year is due to factors outside of Microsoft's influence (Sony's inability to price-drop and the fact that price-dropping is quite literally foreign to the Blue Ocean strategy)
MystileArmor @ Jul 17th 2009 7:40PM
*roshambos Mr. Khan for bringing it back on topic*
Saria the Cat @ Jul 17th 2009 8:10PM
Doesn't juggling your balls hurt?
ArchiGamer [thephilosophyofgames.wordpress.com] @ Jul 17th 2009 8:15PM
Not those!!! You perv!!!
OMGOMG @ Jul 17th 2009 8:17PM
CATS R G4Y!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!
0WN3D!!!!
Oh, we're flaming the PS3.
Sly @ Jul 17th 2009 9:14PM
*walks over and farts in leroy's mouth while he's breathing heavily*
abelpc @ Jul 17th 2009 7:21PM
Well, now that Sony has decided the PS3 is primarily a game console maybe it will get better? Or will Sony continue to screw things up and lose ground to the 360... Only time will tell.
rubagainstme1 @ Jul 19th 2009 12:50PM
Continue to lose ground? I'm not going to try and act like Sony is catching up right this moment, but if you consider the average sales per a year of both consoles, Sony has been holding up very well. Is it me or do some people either forget or utterly ignore that the 360 came out a year earlier than the PS3?
I tip my hat to MS for managing to reach such a low price point because obviously that's going to move units, but it's borderline fanboyish not to give Sony credit for keeping up with MS at the PS3's price.
Mr Khan is over 9000 @ Jul 17th 2009 7:26PM
That last price-cut has been infinitely kind to them, it effectively removed the threat of Sony catching up (which the financial troubles of Sony overall and Sony Computer Entertainment in particular have prevented them from remedying), and has, as stated here, allowed them to post the only year-over-year gains out of the three
I would be interested in seeing how their console compares this year to the month in which the drop was instated last year. Was that August, or September?
glitched @ Jul 17th 2009 8:11PM
Yeah, wasnt the ps3 outselling the 360 last year for this time period anyway? right up till they did the price drop...
SaltyGary @ Jul 17th 2009 8:48PM
@glitched yea Sony had more sales every month last year until the price drop. It wasn't significant something like 20-40k a month but was enough to show that Sony was in the game a ready to kick some major MS ass. Then the price drop happened and they haven't really recovered in terms of sales against MS.
Vcize @ Jul 17th 2009 9:55PM
I believe that the 360 and PS3 sales lead went back and forth several times last year before the 360's price drop, with the PS3 leading more months overall.
@Khan
I'm pretty sure their numbers immediately after the price drop were around the 350-400k mark so yeah, they're definitely still down quite a bit from there. Some of that is that that is comparing fall/holiday numbers (traditionally high) to summer numbers (traditionally low), but I don't think that makes up the whole difference.
ihatereading @ Jul 17th 2009 7:31PM
Wow, for once he says something accurate about the PS3...
nightspark @ Jul 17th 2009 7:42PM
i think MS is starting to forget about hardcore gamers by trying to make the 360 appeal to causal game hipsters; i.e. twitter and natal.
Victoryismine @ Jul 17th 2009 7:43PM
+1 The irony is a little hard to look past
Petebot330 @ Jul 17th 2009 8:57PM
You can appeal to one without forgetting the other.
Ashkental @ Jul 17th 2009 9:54PM
Oh my, the irony!
nightspark @ Jul 17th 2009 10:30PM
I have been reading some of the comments and do agree that there is a lot of money to be made in the hipster game market. However MS, seems to be looking past the fact that hipsters are fickle, they can't be counted on for steady game sale. What seems all the rage today for them (1 vs 100, facebook) may be deemed not cool tomorrow. MS is at the point of alienating the hardcore base that made the xbox and 360 a success. MS is enjoying brisk sales now because of the hipsters but what about two years from now? At the end of the day who will be there?
Jrod @ Jul 18th 2009 1:20PM
Yeah,because games like Splinter Cell Conviction and Alan Wake make me seriously believe that.
Victoryismine @ Jul 17th 2009 7:41PM
I was looking forward to a good old fashion flam war. What's with all of the well thought out comments. Where's all of the violence, name kalling, and sexual threats against ones mother. OH MAN I got popcorn for nothing.
Leroy_Octopus @ Jul 17th 2009 7:48PM
I was wondering the same thing. Although popcorn is never for nothing. It is a delicious treat.
Maverick Saturn (Igor) @ Jul 17th 2009 7:56PM
Joystiqqers have become civilized :O
Victoryismine @ Jul 17th 2009 8:09PM
This never would have happened on G4
It would have been more like...
Generic PS3 fanboy:Xbox is just jealous
Generic xbox fanboy:Your jealous
Generic PS3 fanboy:Your moms Jealous
Generic xbox fanboy:PS3 Sucks
Generic PS3 fanboy:you suck
Generic xbox fanboy:Your mom sucks
Generic PS3 fanboy: so what if she does?
Ahhh I miss the good old days.
mr mobius @ Jul 17th 2009 8:29PM
We're in the middle of a recession - fuel costs money that no fanboy can afford to spend to keep a flame war running so they just don't start one to begin with.
Longhorn of Myon [PSN: MariusElijah] @ Jul 17th 2009 8:30PM
Sorry I was late
SaltyGary @ Jul 17th 2009 8:49PM
Were you expecting to hear the word "pony" thrown out there?
Guinea Rabbit @ Jul 17th 2009 11:03PM
If you really have a desire to see a flame war, just go look at GameSpot. I've gotten so tired of that site. It seems to have been taken over by fucking 12 year olds.