How about some random hardware sales numbers?
by Nick Doerr 
{ May 3rd 2007 at 4:00PM }
We're not giving this an official title, because we've heard time and again how unreliable VGChartz is when it comes to hardware sales. Regardless, it'll at least give you a ballpark range of the US hardware sales for the week ending April 29th. PS3 fanboys beware, the numbers, as usual, aren't that good.- DS: 168,541
- Wii: 100,222
- 360: 54,331
- PSP: 47,275
- PS3: 25,240
These numbers haven't shifted all that much from the site's previous week estimations, but no matter how you try to spin this, the numbers for the PS3 are still low. But there are 300 million people in the US... if these numbers hold, all we've got to do is wait about 1,000 weeks, right?! We kid, of course. That's a really, really long time. Games are coming and, for some reason, all come out around Fall. Some developer should realize "hey, Summer is an untapped market -- people beg for games. Maybe we should release a decent title at that time". I'd buy it.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Colin @ May 3rd 2007 4:21PM
Since we are posting numbers...
simExchange currently is predicting:
55.1m Xbox lifetime
60.0m PS3 lifetime
75.8m Wii lifetime
kingofwale @ May 3rd 2007 4:25PM
apparently PS2 isn't selling.
that or there's something wrong with the numbers.
thebigfatj @ May 3rd 2007 5:03PM
No one who has been watching the numbers is surprised by them. If anyone wonders, the weekly US numbers at vgchartz come from their own data gathering, but the monthly numbers are updated when NPD releases theirs.
So while VGChartz' fairly accurate numbers aren't perfect, they do get updated with the NPD ones after NPD numbers are made available.
Oh, and if anyone is wondering the numbers have most often erred on the side of being too high for the PS3. So while it looks like it will break 100K units sold for the month of April, don't be too surprised if the final numbers are just a bit lower.
thebigfatj @ May 3rd 2007 5:13PM
Also, FYI: look for the Japanese sales numbers tomorrow. The PS3 is expected to sell about 10K units for the week (The Wii is expected to sell between 70K and 80K, depending on availability).
Is being outsold 7-to-1 or 8-to-1 on your home turf bad?
kingofwale @ May 3rd 2007 5:24PM
>Is being outsold 7-to-1 or 8-to-1 on your home turf bad?
psst, Japan is Nintendo's home turf too. ;)
mccomber @ May 3rd 2007 5:32PM
Well, these numbers show that there isn't a whole lot of reason to buy a ps3 right now. When we start getting some games it will pick up, but it's going to be long summer if we concern ourselves with this stuff through the warm months. Although, from a positive Sony side, I'm sure the ps2 is probably between the wii and ds for sales still.
The Wii is... continuing to surprise. Still a lot of positive buzz for it, it's definitely the it toy/system/whatever for now.
Although, I do think demand is slowly started to fall; they still sell out between shipments, but twice now I've gone to Target, and while going by the electronics could have bought a Wii, just on chance. Last time there were three sitting on the shelf; I'm sure they were gone by the end of the day or at least next, but still, they're starting to fly off shelves, instead of flying out of the shipping containers.
stockstar1138 @ May 3rd 2007 5:39PM
anybody notice that vgcharts.org upped the ps3 world sales by 60k for the week. thats a quarter of a million a month, means will hit 5 mil. before xmas. with Home coming out in Europe and a lot of great titles before the end of the year, i don't think that these numbers are that bad.
Edge of Blade @ May 3rd 2007 5:38PM
@Colin: I know everyone is out for blood on these fanboy blogs, but if those numbers turn out to be accurate, then all three would enjoy a pretty good generation on the whole.
In analysis, Wii would get the market growth they want, 360 would get a heavy concentration in new markets, and PS3 would sell the most consoles. It really could be a win-win-win generation...if people would get a little maturity.
thebigfatj @ May 3rd 2007 5:43PM
Regardless, America is clearly Sony's best-performing region. They have really dropped off in Japan and are doing fairly poorly in Europe as well. It's hard to suggest that sales will pick up anytime soon considering the 2nd quarter release list.
I don't think a few games this fall will be enough. Sony needs a price drop, and obviously not a $100 price drop (they've already shown they dont' have the appeal to sell a $500 console). Microsoft is likely to drop price later this year in the face of faltering sales, so I would suspect Sony will have to follow suit, regardless of whether or not they want to take unrecoverable losses on each unit sold.
kingofwale @ May 3rd 2007 5:49PM
>Regardless, America is clearly Sony's best-performing region. They have really dropped off in Japan and are doing fairly poorly in Europe
what are you even basing those on? They are doing MUCH better in Japan than in US. and they are doing great in Europe. close to a million in what? 1 month and half?
thebigfatj @ May 3rd 2007 5:59PM
I'm basing it on weekly sales numbers. Much better in Japan than the US? Let's examine that, shall we? After all -- the Japanese numbers were just released.
US PS3 sales to date: ~1,390,000
Japan PS3 sales to date: ~890,000
US PS3 sales for the week ending April 29th: ~25,000
Japan PS3 sales for the week ending April 29th: ~12,000
The monthly numbers released by the NPD confirm that the US numbers, while depressing, double the Japanese sales numbers for the same period.
And in the UK, where Chart-Track doesn't release numbers officially, the leaked numbers exposed very quickly sliding sales.
The US is Sony's best region despite trailing badly behind Nintendo and Microsoft. Sales have nowhere to go but up, although they're not likely to increase anytime soon.
kingofwale @ May 3rd 2007 6:04PM
do you NOT realize that are closes to 3 times as many people living in America than in Japan?
That'd be like ranting on local work-union for not donating as much money as Walmart company.
I mean, I can't make this any simple than that.
John @ May 4th 2007 12:19AM
Obviously, Nintendo is showing total dominance. Of course, they are also the most affordable.
Movies/Music for the masses.
It makes the most money, but it may not be the best art, but it is the most accessible.
Nintendo have made themselves so accessible that an 'average' person can pick up a DS on a weekend and love it, and that's great.
And so is the Wii.
But we also want to see Oblivion graphics, some of us. Some of us want to go to Broadway instead of seeing the high school talent show (I'm half joking)...
There will always be less buyers for the xbox360/ps3 systems, because those buyers are the more serious artist purveyors.
I've played Paper Mario on Wii, but I think the Jak and Ratchet series for ps2 are better-- they're better graphically, stylistically, musically, and the programming is more accomplished, they're funnier.
So for me, the ps2 wins the "former generation" war (of which Wii is a part); although admittedly I play alone.
I've played the Wii at a friend's house and I like it, I have no problems with it.
But when I get off work or on a weekend I want to have some great gaming experience, paper mario is not what I thought that experience would be.
I recently re-played the very first Ratchet and Clank for ps2, and loved it.
And I didn't have to read a bunch of text.
kingofwale @ May 4th 2007 1:05AM
>But we also want to see Oblivion graphics, some of us. Some of us want to go to Broadway instead of seeing the high school talent show (I'm half joking)...
I don't know if that's fair..
I'm thinking it should be a comparison between Broadway Show and two hobo fighting on the sweet.
Yeah, it's cheap and you get a cheap laugh or two. if that's your idea of entertainment.. Good on ya. :)