January game sales in the US up 53%
by Nick Doerr 
{ Feb 21st 2007 at 3:00PM }
For the gaming industry as a whole, this is fantastic news: January video game sales in the United States are up 53%. For Nintendo, this is also fantastic news since most of this increase is due to the incredible sales of the Wii console and continued demand. Also noted for the increased sales numbers are some 360 titles like Gears of War and PlayStation titles like Guitar Hero 2 and Resistance: Fall of Man.
As far as console sales in January, there have been some estimates made... but they also include the first week of February. Regardless, the order of sales shouldn't be too surprising: the Wii sold the most by far, numbering 436,000. The 360 was next with 294,000 consoles and the PS3 trailing "closely" behind with 244,000. Cumulatively, the Xbox 360 has sold 4.8 million units, Wii 1,516,000 units, and PS3 933,000 units. Good stuff! Take away from it what you will, but the PS3 obviously isn't "fading into oblivion" -- it's not too far behind the other consoles in monthly sales.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeremy @ Feb 21st 2007 3:18PM
Interesting article over at the Inquirer http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37771 that basically says Sony needs to be careful not to far too far behind in "installed base". This is especially true now that the 360 is starting to hint at a price drop, see http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=37711 and http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/HP/3-/719721/Xbox_360_Core_Console/Product.html?P36=4ZURWA
There's no way Sony is going to make a move in the next couple of months (they want to sell as many units as possible in Europe at the original price), but if the Wii continues at its current pace and the 360 price drop materializes, Sony will have to drop the price (fall?, Xmas?)
Virtua Fanboy @ Feb 21st 2007 3:26PM
I know this is COMPLETLY OFF topic but, would someone who owns/rented Virtua Fighter 5 tell me how it plays? Is it bad ass like I hope? LoL Just wonderin.
Related to the Article:
Wow, it looks like the "Next Generation" is finally coming around.
Jettic @ Feb 21st 2007 4:19PM
Wow, the PS3 is close to the 360 (monthly) with all it's bad press, expensive ect, I really wasn't expecting so many sales of it, can't wait to get mine!
The PS3 is actually really close to the Wii (total sales) IN THE US, only a 500,000 difference, thats cool too!
Drew @ Feb 21st 2007 4:29PM
Heh, #2 brought up something I was going to talk about.
Virtua Fighter 5. Ah how I longed for you to be perfect. I picked it up, and it's, uhm, very underwhelming. Something about the control feels off, and the visual style is very distracting and quite ugly. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I'll try playing it some more, and may well just end up returning it tomorrow.
bmac @ Feb 21st 2007 4:51PM
Considering everything going against the ps3 right now, it's selling still, and fairly well at that. When there's actually more reasons to buy one come this march... I know there are plenty of people who plan on buying one, but are waiting for more games, and even more who will buy one after the first price drop. The marathon is far from over, and as close as it may be in the end, I'd be surprised if the percentages between the systems are the same in 5 years as they are now.
Everytime I visit the local stores, I wonder how many of those systems collecting dust we always hear about are just the display boxes. Target had no systems on shelves anywhere, and neither best buy or circuit city had actual boxes, just the empty sales boxes. Didn't ask about stock, just something I noticed about the perceived lack of demand. It was slightly annoying that the ps3 kiosk seemed to have locked up at circuit city, but I'm not enough of a fanboy to tell someone to restart it. Too bad the days of a button the user could access on those displays to do just that seems to be long gone.
As a related side note, I've been looking all over to try and find sales numbers on a quarterly, or even better monthly basis for the last generation of systems for the year after their respective launches. Anyone know of sources for this info?
Ciaran Gallagher @ Feb 21st 2007 5:05PM
I feel sorry for those who recently pre-ordered a PS3 in the UK, since the Xbox 360 is now just £150 for Core and £200 for Premium.
You'd be insane to buy a PS3!
Matt @ Feb 21st 2007 6:06PM
PS3 is selling fairly well compared to a console that has been out for a year...it's only barely trailing behind the 360.
What does it say to compared a year old system to a pretty new one and see that the old one is selling more?
Azorean @ Feb 21st 2007 7:14PM
Yeah a two month old system that has plenty of consoles on store shelves can't beat out a year and 3 month old console! Not something to be proud of Sony fanboys!
Dahk @ Feb 21st 2007 7:36PM
Well thats something we all understand. Actually I went to the mall up here in Toronto just today and I was surprised how little PS3s were on the shelf! And I was talking to a lot of the people and most people are just waiting for some games to come out before they pick it up. A couple stores were sold out, annnd oh EB Games had an open box for 600 bucks.
And so to counter those arguments above me, I'd say its not doing too shabby, because of the lack of games out right now.
And DAMN God of War II is apparently postponed until March 14th!:!?!?!?onequestionmarkone.
kiz_ @ Feb 21st 2007 8:37PM
Keep in mind the ps3 is only in North America and Japan right, once the EU shipments start the ps3 will come in second.
bmac @ Feb 21st 2007 8:46PM
@7, 8
What does it say about a year and a half old next-gen console that can't outsell a 6 year old last-gen console, let alone has sales fall from one month to the next by around 900,000 units?
Matt @ Feb 21st 2007 9:32PM
Keep in mind these sales numbers are for Amerika only, so... #10 is fail.
Next-Gen-Gamer @ Feb 21st 2007 10:42PM
Normally I'd say that I can't believe what I'm reading, but I've come to expect this from this site. The PS3 isn't catching up to the 360. 360 sales have slowed BECAUSE it's been out for over a year. The PS3 has been out for a few months, and it's already as low as the 360 monthly sales? Seriously, how can that be good news? The PS3 isn't picking up steam, the 360 is losing steam because of how many people already own it. If anything this IS a sign that it's "fading into oblivion". Based on what USUALLY happens when a new console comes out, the PS3's monthly sales should be crushing the 360, not almost meeting this past month, and not even coming close overall.
And how can you NOT notice that something is flawed with the way you guys are looking at these numbers? I'll explain.
January
-----------
Wii - 436,000
360 - 294,000
PS3 - 244,000
Overall
-----------
360 - 4.8 million
Wii - 1,516,000
PS3 - 933,000
So in January, the PS3 is closest to the 360, and not even close to the Wii. Overall, the PS3 is closest to the Wii, and not even close to the 360.
Which one are you judging your 'it's not so bad' case from? No matter how you slice it, the PS3 is getting beat bad.
Despite it's "low" monthly sales from the past few months, the 360's pace is such that the PS3 may never come close. And if you're looking at that 1 in the millions column (Wii), and the 9 in the hundred-thousands column (PS3), you're still missing a few facts. First off, the difference between the overall of the Wii and PS3 is 583,000 units. And second, judging by both the January and Overall numbers, the Wii is but a few months away from eclipsing the PS3 in North America.
Where's the good news at? I'd love to know.
Hardcore @ Feb 21st 2007 11:59PM
Wow this website attracts Microsoft employees like moths to the flame. Take your viral marketing BULLSHIT somewhere else, Microshaft. If I want a video game console that will break on the drive home, I'll be sure to look into the Xbox.
Next-Gen-Gamer @ Feb 22nd 2007 12:33AM
Edit/Update/Fix: U.S. (not North America). That's the second time this month I've done that -_-.
snotty @ Feb 22nd 2007 8:18AM
I have owned at one time or another virtually every console there's been, of the recent consoles the 360 was cool for awhile, but the Wii never had a chance with the PS3 I got at almost the same time. I've always been a huge Nintendo fan but with the Wii felt somehow cheated, the controller was cool but the graphics just didn't cut it, it felt almost like I had just got a nifty controller for my Game Cube. Hopefully the PS3 will get developed properly because considering it new it's one hell of a package and with the right software the Wii and the 360 better watch out. Who knows how it will pan out, I for one spent alot of money on my PS3 early, it's Japanese so won't play PAL DVD's and PS1 + 2 games but I don't care, is brilliant and I love playing Resistance or Motorstorm.
domz @ Feb 22nd 2007 9:05AM
You guys are forgetting a large seller in January, Lost Planet (over a million copies). Also, as much as I love my PS2 you can't compare a $129.99 budget system (allbeit an amazing buy at that price) to a system that is geared towards a different demographic at $300/$400. MS has a big card up its sleve for the European PS3 release, a price cut. At the risk of sounding like a war hardened fanboy (I've had my 360 for all of 3 months) you must admit that the PS3 is grossly overpriced or at least priced out of the market for most gamers. The sales gap is going to widen once the "hard to find" thing wears off for the PS3. My uncle works for a Target and he said they got 60 PS3's in and it took them over a week to sell them. That's pretty bad for a system that's supposed to be "hot" and this is in a pretty ritzy area where more folks would have the money to throw down on a 60GB.
samik @ Feb 22nd 2007 9:05AM
snotty, you are in risk of being labelled a PS fanboy by the xbots, how dare you enjoy games LoL, but seriously some fun games coming up, Lair / Motorstorm looks good. Thing is with 360 its almost all shooters - why would I buy that when i have 6-8 teriffic shooters out on PC? The 3 games which are a bit different are Alan Wake, Bioshock and Mass Effect, but 2 of those are on PC as well!
Sandalcrew @ Feb 22nd 2007 9:12AM
The tale of the PS3 will be similar to the original x-box. Sales will not be strong, the fewer peole that own them will love them to death, but the war will be won in the end by the 360. The next generation will come along and roles will again reverse! The Wii in the mean time is nothing to be concerned over it isn't taking anyone out of the market...although this is a prediction, I am pretty sure anyone who consideres themselves even a moderate gamer will own the Wii and one of the two other consoles.
Raycer @ Feb 22nd 2007 9:19AM
I think it is somewhat positive overall, as the PS3 hasn't fallen off in sales as many would have you believe. People forget than when any system comes out, the first few games are ok at best and it takes a few months for anything good to come out.
The 360 was alone for a year and was the only option, so many flocked to it. I love my 360, but as one said here, it has a lot of games, but 90% of the games seem to be FPS, which can get old after a while.
The Wii's saving grace is Wii Sports is bundled with it, it's cheap, and simple to play. Not to mention the media making it the "it" thing to own. There really aren't any games on it that are a big deal beside Zelda, which, if you have a gamecube, you can get anyway. It is fun to play with you family and friends, but for any real hardcore gaming, it just doesn't cut it.
The PS3 will probably eventually overtake the 360 because of the rest of the world indentifying with the Playstation name and not to mention, not having to deal with the lull in titles we in the US have had in the first 4 months of release. A price drop will help, though I never found the price too steep due to it's feature, but I do see others point about the price.
Overall, considering the PS3 lacks games and has a high price, almost 1 million sold in the US in just over 2 months is a good start.
Before a Wii/360 fanboy jumps on my case, I own and use all 3 systems daily.
Dolla Dolla @ Feb 22nd 2007 11:28AM
Things that concern me:
1. A brand new system (PS3) should not be beaten by a year old system (360) this close to launch.
2. Last year, when the 360 was impossible to find in January, it still sold 250,000 consoles. The PS3, reported not as hard to find, only sold 244,000.
3. Sony's shipment forecast of 6 million consoles by the end of their fiscal year (end of March) seems like an impossibility. 1 million still haven't been sold in Japan, and it just barely cracked 1 million in NA. That's less than 2 million, and March is right around the corner.
4. There are far too many rumors of price drops and a new SKU for the 360 to dismiss them. The UK already has a retailer selling the Premium 360 at Core prices. Sony cannot possibly cut the price of the PS3 this early outside of Japan.
The cards are stacked against Sony right now. The battle has begun.
Nightfire @ Feb 23rd 2007 4:45PM
The PS3 where I live has been selling quite fast. The Best Buy that I go to on my way to work had four of the 60 GB units on Wednesday last week, the day after two of them were gone and on Friday they were all gone.
Also the store I work at can't keep the PS3 (the 20 & 60 GB units) for very long because after when they sell the first one in about 5 minutes after more people come and get it because they seen one going around the store. I once saw a person have two of the 60 GB version in their cart when they went by me. So yea the PS3 is not rolling over and playing dead unlike what most people are saying (Microsoft for example).
I also own a 360 but I have not been getting much use out of it. I just bought Crackdown and the next game I'm thinking of getting for it is Fosa Motorsport 2 and even that does not come out for two months still then I don't know what I want to get next from there. I'm just waiting for more games for the PS3 to give me an excuse to go out and buy one and Motorstorm is a good start but I have this rule that I only get a new system if it has around 3 or 4 games that I want to play.