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NPD: Hardware sales hit $144 billion in 2011, PCs lead the moneymaking pack
Canalys recently announced that smartphone shipments surpassed those of PCs for the whole of 2011. Well, NPD's just released its own set of hardware numbers, this time focused on revenue shares, and it appears PCs (that's laptops and desktops for NPD's purposes) are still far and away the biggest moneymakers around, bringing in about 19 percent (or $28 billion) of the reported $144 billion in hardware sales last year. TVs, PCs and gaming hardware each saw a decline in revenue share while smartphone and tablet sales grew -- slates and e-readers experienced a five percent increase, taking up nearly 11 percent of the hardware pie and raking in $15 billion. Unsurprisingly, Apple topped the chart for sales by manufacturer, seeing a 36 percent increase over 2010, while HP, Samsung, Sony and Dell rounded out the top five with varying levels of sales declines. For more number crunching and statistical whatnots, check out the full PR after the break.
Apple's Q1 hardware sales: 37 million iPhones, 15.43 million iPads, 5.2 million Macs, 15.4 million iPods
We touched on the numbers in our report on Apple's Q1 earnings, but the company's throwing out a lot of "record" figures so we thought we'd take a moment to focus on just how its hardware sales stack up. The standout number is, of course, the 37.04 million iPhones sold during the quarter, which is up 128 percent from the same quarter a year ago (and up from 17 million in the previous quarter, a jump of 117 percent). That notably puts Apple back ahead of Samsung, which sold a total of 35 million smartphones in its most recent quarter. And as if that wasn't enough, Apple's Tim Cook also said on the company's earnings call that it could have sold even more if it had more supply. iPad sales also set a new record with 15.43 million units sold during the quarter, which is a 111 percent jump from the 7.3 million sold a year ago, and a 39 percent increase from the 11.1 million moved in Q4 2011. Once again, however, iPods are the one category that continues to decline in the face of the growth of smartphones. Apple sold a total of 15.4 million iPods -- over half of which were iPod touches -- which represents a 21 percent decline from the 19.4 million sold a year ago. The holiday shopping season did boost sales considerably from the 6.6 million sold in the previous quarter, though. Mac sales were also on the upswing, totaling 5.2 million units -- a 26 percent increase year-over-year. Breaking things down further, that translates to 1.48 million desktops (including iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Pro), and 3.7 million laptops (including the basic MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro). As for the company's "hobby," the Apple TV, it rang up 1.4 million in sales for the quarter, and 2.8 million for the 2011 fiscal year. Fans of charts can get their fix after the break.
30 million Wiis sold in the US
If you went out this week to pick up a Wii, congratulations! You're part of history. Nintendo just announced that the Wii has now exceeded 30 million units sold in the US, forty-five months after its launch. To celebrate the occasion, Nintendo released some rare sales data, disclosing not only the top ten Nintendo-published Wii games (as of the end of June), but the top ten third-party games as well. Nothing from 2010 is on the list, reaffirming the belief that many Nintendo titles enjoy high sales alongside long tails. If that list isn't to your liking, however, perhaps you should go buy several copies of Sin & Punishment: Star Successor to move things along.
NPD: Wii reclaims lead in US sales, but console gaming market shrinks by a fifth
The NPD has released its US video game industry figures for October, which reveal that total monthly revenue from hardware, software and accessories among all manufacturers fell to $1.07 billion, constituting a 19 percent drop from what the American gamer spent over the same period last year. After being toppled from its chart-leading ways in September by a price cut-boosted PS3, the Wii has regained its sales throne by chopping $50 off its own entry fee, making itself buoyant in the US, if not the world. The PS3's own sales have suffered a slump after the September euphoria, while the 360 is still wearing the dunce cap in third place. Microsoft's response has been to keep banging that drum about being the only console to show year-to-date growth, but when you're selling less than half as many consoles as Nintendo, you have to grasp at whatever straws are nearby. Speaking of Nintendo, its DS sales so far this year have continued at such a rate as to threaten its own 2008 hardware sales record -- set by the Wii -- with ten million units sold. So there you have it: Sony fails to maintain its September lead, Nintendo keeps churning, and Microsoft keeps hoping for better times ahead. Full list of figures after the break.
New Nintendo hardware coming when the company finds a 'very interesting idea'
At least, that's according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, speaking to a sharp-tongued investor during the company's quarterly financial results briefing question and answer session. When asked about the longevity of the current Nintendo hardware on the market, Iwata said, "As soon as a new hardware is completed and introduced to the market, a team is established within the company which starts reviewing what the next hardware will be." He claims entire hardware pieces have been scrapped in favor of finding a "very interesting idea that can make people all over the world to feel like purchasing [it]," rather than releasing products all willy nilly -- like a few items from Nintendo's past. Interestingly, the man also admits to lacking Japanese third-party support for Wii, saying, "Nintendo thought that the situation would change in about two years after launch [for the Wii and third party software support] ... While our assumption turned out to be correct with the portable system, it did not progress as we anticipated for the domestic home console market." Considering the considerable Monster Hunter support Capcom has thrown into the proverbial ring, we imagine that next year's third-party support for the Wii in Japan has been bolstered just a bit.[Via Eurogamer]
Nintendo boasts NPD success that 'offset' competitors
Nintendo issued a celebratory press release following the announcement of the NPD numbers last night, pointing out an impressive statistic: "While the video game industry grew by $150 million (12 percent) year-on-year, Nintendo's total sales grew by $300 million in January, offsetting declines on other platforms." Nintendo is basically compensating for the whole industry's decline at this point, at least in terms of financial growth. No doubt Nintendo is pleased to have a new angle to talk about in its monthly statement of how awesome it is. The company said that sales of the Wii grew 148 percent in January 2009 over January 2008, and DS sales grew 99 percent. It also pointed out that 20 of the top 30 games last month were produced for Nintendo systems, including five of the top ten -- six, we must point out, if you count Guitar Hero: World Tour.
January NPD: Industry up 13% over Jan. '08, handhelds down 80% from Dec.
With the 2008 holiday season behind us, this month's NPD sales data brings with it figures showing the inevitable -- and dramatic -- decline in hardware sold for the month of January '09. For instance, last December the Nintendo DS was the top-selling platform, with 3.04 million units moved that month alone. This month? 511K were sold. (It was still the second best selling hardware after the Wii.)In the battle to decide who's going to play second fiddle to Nintendo, 360 continues to lead PS3 in sales, but the gap isn't nearly as wide as last month (roughly 106K versus December's 714K). Handheld saw the most significant drop-off in sales, with DS and PSP declining 82% and 83%, respectively.Software-wise, there are only three platforms -- and companies -- to look at this month. Those would be the Wii, DS and 360 on the hardware representing the hardware on the backs of which EA, Activision and Nintendo rode to software sales success. EA's two most recent major releases, Skate 2 and Lord of the Rings: Conquest, both made it into the top 10. Fun Fact: Three of this month's top games have something in common other than their publishers: they all have "Mario" in the title and they're all a bit ... dated. Mario Kart DS hit in 2005, New Super Mario Bros. in 2006 and Mario Kart Wii in April of last year. That's-a some lasting power! -Wii: 679K1.47m (-68%)-DS: 511K2.5m (-82%)-Xbox 360: 309K1.1m (-76%)-PS3: 203K523K (-72%)-PSP: 172K848K (-83%)-PS2: 101K309K (-75%)Check out the software sales chart after the break.
PS3 household reach in Australia now at 460K units
For a country with roughly 21 million people and where neighbor's homes are 50km apart, 460,000 PS3 units inside Aussie homes is actually quite a positive number. PS3 household penetration is behind that of the Xbox 360 by less than 80K – and that system came out exactly one year before the PS3. However, as noted by GfK Australia (which has compiled the data), 70K of these PlayStation 3 units we're not sold, but given away in conjunction with Sony Australia's Bravia LCD TV promotion.In any case, interest in the PS3 seems relatively healthy despite the system being the most expensive. PS3 has a 23 percent share of the current-gen console market in Australia. SCE Australia's Michael Ephraim also said in a separate press release that 50 percent of Aussie PS3 owners are utilizing the PlayStation Network and PS3's other online functions.
Pachter: $299 PS3 would outsell 360, put Sony back in the game
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/299_PS3_would_outsell_360_put_Sony_back_in_the_game'; A day after it was tabulated that PlayStation 3 was outsold by Xbox 360 nearly 2-to-1 in December, industry analyst Michael Pachter has told GameDaily he believes Sony would outsell Microsoft if it dropped PS3's price to $299 -- the going rate for the 360 "Pro" system."I think that PS3 will sell well once competitively priced," Pachter said, adding, "Should [Sony] price at parity with Xbox 360 ($299), I think that PS3 sales would exceed 360 sales, and eventually, they could catch up." Sony's cheer squad shouldn't get too charged up yet, though. Pachter also said that, "At present, it doesn't look like that is happening any time soon, so Sony should be prepared to remain in third place until well after they cut price."For its article, GameDaily spoke with several other analysts, all of which echoed the same sentiment: given its current standing and the state of the US economy, PS3 needs to be priced below $300 -- and, if it is, it will eventually overtake Xbox 360 in sales.
PlayStation 2 reaches 50 million sold mark in North America
Buck up, Sony. Sure, the PS3 might be taking on water in stormy seas and you're facing a fairly dramatic corporate shake-up, but at least you can take solace in the fact that you done real good with the PS2. Heck, you said so yourself today, announcing that 50 million of them have been sold in North America.The future of last generation's best-performing console also looks bright, with new releases in the pipeline for 2009 -- and possibly beyond. Even SCEA's hardware marketing head, John Koller, said, "We don't intend on discarding the system anytime soon." (And with a return of backwards-compatibility on PS3 via software emulation still but a rumor, we don't imagine many PS2 owners will be discarding the system anytime soon, either.)
White Knight Chronicles sells more Japanese PS3s than MGS4
The latest Japanese hardware sales figures show White Knight Chronicles' continued impact throughout the region. Numbers rose from 45,989 during WKC's launch week to 60,654 the next. A rare occurrence, as sales have tended to substantially drop the week after a big release in the past. In fact, the increase means that White Knight Chronicles has sold more PS3s during its two-week launch period than Metal Gear Solid 4.While MGS4 had higher launch week sales (75,311) it dropped considerably to only 20,336 the next week. A total of 95,647. White Knight Chronicles, on the other hand, has sold a total of 106,643 during its two week launch period, almost 11,000 more. We're intrigued to see how sales of both the game and hardware continue. White Knight Chronicles has already proven a greater success than we first suspected.
DS Lite breaks DS Lite's single-week UK sales record
Uh-oh, we've trotted out the "It Prints Money" image. That must mean DS Lite has sold well for the quadrillionth time; and it has. In this case, it beat its own record in the UK for single-week sales, set this time last year. MCV reports that the DS Lite was the best-selling system for the week of November 29 to December 6, with UK shoppers snapping up more of the handheld than they have any other games machine in a seven-day period ever. The site quotes GFK-ChartTrack director, Dorian Bloch, as divining, "We can now assume that if there is still some DS Lite stock in the land in the next couple of weeks, the record will go again." Go, DS Lite, go. After all, your status as the darling of hardware sales may only last until summer 2009.
What a Wiik: Nintendo claims 800k consoles sold Thanksgiving week
Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata is rolling in six-dollar bills right about now. (Okay, since they don't exist, a bunch of fives and ones.) Speaking to Reuters, Iwata revealed that 800,000 Wiis were sold in the US during the week of November 24-30. That's up nearly half a million units over last year's 350,000 consoles sold during the same period, according to Nintendo's sales data.Iwata sees the downturn in the US economy as an upturn for sales of Wii. "When the economy is strong, people tend to buy three things from the top of their wish list. But when things are bad, people often buy only the first thing on their list," he remarked, concluding, "Fortunately for us a lot of shoppers put our products at the top of their list."Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime stated in October that Wii production was ramping up for the holidays, but still probably wouldn't meet demand. There must have been at least an additional 450,000 consoles for shoppers to snap up Thanksgiving week, though – but will that be the extent of the holiday production bump? With Wal-Mart.com today touting tens of thousands of the system for sale, we'll have to wait for full holiday sales numbers to see how much ramping Nintendo really upped.
Microsoft: 360 has outsold original Xbox worldwide
Two days after the third anniversary of its launch, Microsoft has confirmed with MCV that Xbox 360 has sold more units to date worldwide than the original Xbox did during its entire lifecycle. Although MS did not disclose exact numbers, the 360's predecessor sold through 25 million units from its launch on Nov. 15, 2001, through May of 2005. Rival Sony recently revealed that global sales of PlayStation 3 have reached 17 million units since the console went on sale Nov. 11, 2006.MCV also reports that MS had not expected to reach this milestone for one to two more weeks, implying that sales of the 360 could push further beyond that of the first-generation Xbox by the end of the holiday shopping season. 360 heads into the holidays in the wake of a major interface revamp, the New Xbox Experience, and a year which saw substantial price cuts, placing its core Arcade SKU at $199.
Sony: PSP sales to beat fiscal year forecast
Sony previously pegged the PSP to sell roughly 15 million units for this fiscal year ending March 2009. Now, the company is saying they're going to crush that forecast by another one million units. This news comes in light despite issues with the newly released PSP Brite. However, Sony still has other models currently out on the market including the sleek Blue and Red Slim models that are expected to sell, sell, sell.Sony's numbers in Japan have done amazingly well thus far this year, selling over 1.6 million units from April to September; however, if the PSP is to meet 16 million units by March, there's still a lot of work to be done worldwide.
September NPD: $1.27b in sales, but it's no Halo 3 launch
Under most circumstances, this month's NPD sales figures would be quite impressive, with total sales of $1.27 billion. However, last September's $1.35 billion had one looming trump card -- namely, Halo 3's launch. Year-to-date hardware sales were $497.98 million (down nine percent) and software $616.09m (down six percent). Thanks largely to the price drop (we suspect, at least), Xbox 360 had the highest increase in sales, up 78%. It took 3rd place, splitting up Nintendo's two and Sony's three consoles.For software, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed dominated with 3 of the top 10 spots, totaling 1.16 million in unit sales -- the Xbox 360 version accounted for 52% of sales, followed by PlayStation 3 at 28%. Wii Fit also had impressive figures with 518K. Here are this month's NPD hardware sales figures:- Wii: 687K 234K (51.66%)- DS: 536.8K 18.5K (3.57%)- Xbox 360: 347.2K 152K (77.87%)- PSP: 238.1K 14.9K (-5.90%)- PS3: 232.4K 47K (25.35%) - PS2: 173.5K 29.4K (20.4%)Top ten in software sales after the break.
Hell has thawed, Xbox 360 didn't win Japan afterall
Quick. Someone call the caterer, the petting zoo and the guys behind the three hundred and sixty pounds of confetti we ordered for the party to celebrate Xbox 360's win in Japan. VideoGamer.com is reporting new sales data from MediaCreate that contradicts figures released by Famitsu publisher Enterbrain which claimed the Xbox 360 had outsold the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii in the Land of the Rising Sun.MediaCreate have released figures which now put the Xbox 360 about 1,500 units behind the Nintendo Wii with 28,188 units sold versus Nintendo's 29,686. While numbers for the PlayStation 3 were not detailed it was verified that the Xbox 360 outsold Sony's console in the period of September 8 to 14.Uh oh. Was that the doorbell? Quick, turn off the lights! Maybe the delivery guys will leave and take the life-sized J. Allard funnel cake with them.
Infinite Undiscovery, price cut help Xbox 360 outsell Wii in Japan
It wasn't so frightening when the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 for a week back when Tales of Vesperia came out, but now that it's sold more than the Wii during the week ending Sept. 14 ... well, now we're stricken with panic. According to Enterbrain, the Xbox 360 sold 28,861 units during the week, while the Wii sold 27,057 (the PS3 managed 8,050).Xbox 360 sales were more than likely spurred by the one-two punch of a Japanese price cut and the release of console-exclusive Infinite Undiscovery, which sold 86,708 units in its first week. MCV points out that the 360 has now sold 717,275 units in Japan -- the very foundations of our world would be shaken if it actually went on to sell a million units.%Gallery-23402%
June NPD: PS3 gets Metal Gear bump, Nintendo makes devilish deal
The Nintendo DS, Sony PSP and PlayStation saw big gains in hardware sale over last month. Industry sales for June were worth $1.69 billion, compared with $1.1 billion last month. Our sneaking suspicion is that Metal Gear Solid 4, which netted 774,600 in its debut month, helped the PS3 in its success. Elsewhere, the Wii's numerical conclusion revealed its devilish, money-printing source of income. - DS: 783K 330.4K (+73%)- Wii: 666.7K 8.4K (-1.26%)- PS3: 405K 196.3K (+94.06%) - PSP: 337K 144.3K (+74.9%) - X360: 220K 33.4K (+17.9%)- PS2: 188K 55.3K (+41.7%)You'll find the top ten in software sales after the break.
PSP hardware finally trumped in Japan sales charts
Last week we posed the question: "Is the PSP finally knocked out of first place in Japanese charts?" It didn't happen that week; however, we must have jinxed the system because the unspeakable had finally happened this week. PSP has been stripped of its championship title. The hardware to take the top slot would be none other than the PS3. 1. PlayStation 3: 75,3112. PlayStation Portable: 64,6753. Nintendo Wii: 45,5644. Nintendo DS: 39,2015. PlayStation 2: 7,2976. Xbox 360: 2,163The PS3 has shot to the top because of the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4. We wonder if the PSP's dethronement will last long ... or will it be just a one-off thing? Given the PSP's proven track record with steady sales week after week for the past few months and the possibility that hype over MGS4 is calming down, we could see a PSP comeback next week. The PSP only trails behind the PS3 by 11,000 units this week -- that's not much of a gap to fill.
