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Xbox 360 sees 260% boost in UK sales
ChartTrack, courtesy of MCV, has revealed that the Xbox 360 received a 260% increase in UK sales two weeks ago. The sales spike is attributed to the UK introduction of the Xbox 360 Elite and price cuts given to every tier of the Xbox 360 product line. Almost as impressive, sales of the system during the following week only dropped by 20%. Unfortunately, ChartTrack hasn't released any concrete sales numbers for the Xbox 360, but we're willing to bet that a 260% increase represents quite a few consoles. Microsoft expects another sales boost when the Master Chief makes his farewell performance later this month.[Via Joystiq]
Analysts: 360 sales going up, will outsell PS3 through holidays
Oh, analysts. Always predicting such crazy things. Who doesn't love 'em? Why, just recently they predicted that the PS3 would outsell the Xbox 360 in July. Now that the July NPD numbers are out, we know that turned out not to be true, but that doesn't mean we aren't frothing at the mouth to hear the next prediction. Having seen that the 360 still managed to outsell Sony's wonder machine, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter expressed his surprise to Gamasutra, noting that "Xbox 360 demand was far stronger than we expected this month." He further noted that he had expected sales to decline on news of the Xbox 360's apparent reliability problems and the PS3 price reduction. Seeing that such wasn't the case, Pachter predicts that Xbox sales will increase, as "the warranty issue appears to be of little concern to consumers, and the recent price cut should stimulate demand." The fantasy game exchange market simExchange agreed with Pachter's predictions, and further noted that they expect the Xbox 360 to outsell the PS3 "every month through the holidays." The group based this prediction on their own predicted lifetime sales of the PS3 and Xbox 360. [Thanks, LunarDuality]
MS fails to meet 12 million mark
Microsoft announced at the beginning of this year that it had reduced its shipment goal for the fiscal year to 12 million units, down from 13-15 million units. Speaking to gamesindustry.biz about the new 360 warranty, Peter Moore has confirmed that Microsoft has missed the target of 12 million units. The company has sold roughly 11.6 million units, missing its goal by 400,000 units. Despite this, Moore states that Microsoft feels "really good" about the state of the Xbox. In particular, he emphasizes Microsoft's holiday lineup, and notes that it will be featured heavily at E3 next week.
Exclusives: Sony's loss, Microsoft's gain
Chris Kohler of Wired magazine recently took a moment to list exclusives that Sony has lost to Microsoft. Perhaps the most intriguing titles on the list are GTAIV and Assassin's Creed, both of which were offered as exclusives to Sony. Sony didn't pursue the titles as exclusives, and two major titles became simultaneous releases for multiple platforms. Another interesting story is Beautiful Katamari which began as a mutliplatform title and is now slated only for Xbox 360. Finally, according to the article, Metal Gear Solid 4 on 360 is only a matter of time. The article is a decent read and serves as a good conversation starter (without even considering once Sony-only franchises like Ace Combat). It begs the question: are console exclusives as important as they once were?
European 360 sales "have hit a wall"
According to Screen Digest (as reported by gamesindustry.biz) Xbox 360 sales in Europe "have hit a wall." The report notes that the Xbox 360 thus far has failed to reach outside its typical demographic of adult males (surprise!). The report also states that the Xbox 360 brand image does not hold up nearly as well in "non-Anglo Saxon markets." Judging from disappointing sales (and advertising) in markets like Japan, it's hard to disagree with that assessment. Screen Digest concludes that Microsoft must make an effort to break free of the limited number of (notably hardcore) genres associated with the Xbox 360. Still, it's not all bad, as the article does mention that many of the year's most anticipated titles will be on the 360 this holiday season, and Xbox Live remains "a beacon of hope."Would any of our European readers care to comment on the state of the 360 in your area?[Via Evil Avatar]
Haze 360 removed from Ubisoft release list
Hey, remember back when Haze was a timed exclusive for the Playstation 3? Remember that other time when Ubisoft revealed its release schedule for Holiday 07 and Haze 360 was dated only a week after the PS3 version? We hope you do remember, because it looks like Ubisoft is trying to rewrite history. The release list, revealed only yesterday, has since been revised, removing the 360 and PC versions of Haze altogether. Joystiq points out, and so must we, that this series of events has an eerie symmetry to the initial mystery surrounding the 360 version of Assassin's Creed. Again, Ubisoft refuses to directly answer questions regarding PS3 exclusivity, saying only that the PS3 is "the only confirmed platform."Will history repeat itself? Is Haze destined to appear as though it were a PS3 exclusive title? Perhaps more interesting, assuming that the game is coming to 360, is maintaining the illusion of exclusivity really important?
Xfire Debate Club debates the console war (defense forces, UNITE!)
Last week's Xfire debate was destined to leave behind the burnt wreckage of myriad fanboy fallacies. The topic: the console war. Readers of Joystiq (and, more pointedly, Joystiq's comments) are all too familiar with this toxic byproduct of a multiplatform video game industry. Consumers ally themselves with a product and, in the worst cases, logic and rationality (not to mention civility) are collateral damage in the brutal battle for console supremacy.Moderator Dan Hsu ran the show, with a cast including Slashdot's Zonk, Gamasutra's Brandon Sheffield, console-specific writers from Xboxic, Cubed3, and PS3forums, and even your humble Joystiq blogger answering questions. While there were no secret revelations, or dramatic conclusions, it was interesting to see how similar many of our opinions of the big three were, based on their performance to date. Maybe that's why everyone was so civil ...
Motley Fool tells MS to get its act together
Adding himself to the ever-growing pool of Xbox 360 failure coverage, Seth Jayson of The Motley Fool is warning investors that the Xbox 360's failure rates could hurt its future growth. After receiving the dreaded Ring of Death himself (and some faulty Zunes), Jayson has some fighting words for Microsoft. Of particular note, is the statement that the actual failure rates aren't as important as the perceived failure rates. In other words, the stories of multiple failed Xbox 360s are much louder than Microsoft's claims that failure rates are within the acceptable standard. Jayson admits that, when functional, the Xbox 360 is a topnotch game player and an excellent media hub to boot, but if the public perceives it as faulty, then Microsoft stands the chance of "alienating potential customers and crimping future growth." In conclusion, Jayson notes that Microsoft must address these basic hardware issues before it can effectively execute its plans for new-gen dominance.What do you think? Do you know anyone who was swayed from getting an Xbox 360 based on failure horror stories?
Microsoft contemplates a 360 price cut
In an interview with Bloomberg, Peter Moore and others discuss the Xbox 360 demographic, how they want to target moms and their kids, and hint at a possible 360 price cut. "If we don't make that move, make it early and expand our demographic, we will wind up in the same place as with Xbox 1" Moore says, and what better way to move more consoles than with a price cut. Director of Xbox product management David Hufford reinforces this thinking by stating that "we (Microsoft) are well aware that the sweet spot of the market is really 199 bucks" and that "when mom walks into the store and sees she can get a console with a game for $250, she sees it as a $300 value". It really sounds like Microsoft gets it.But will we be seeing a Xbox 360 price drop this year or just a game bundle? We can't be sure, but we know Microsoft is cut throat about gaining ground in the console wars this generation and a price drop would help significantly. They just have to make sure their pocketbooks can handle more losses, but we're sure Bill would be willing to co-sign.[Via CVG]
Today's montageist video: Wii60 BFF
Sure, we've covered the Wii60 meme before, but this is too good to pass up; our video pick shows a quirky Wii60 commercial where the consoles -- and their games -- are acted out in a musical montage. Anthony Barrera, Brian Camacho, and Rudolph Rosado, we salute your YouTube prowess.See the video after the break.[Thanks, Ant]
Microsoft uses beer to illustrate Xbox 360 cost advantage
Drink that picture in ...After yesterday's shenanigans, we imagine the guys at Microsoft strutting around their various international offices as if they were in a locker room after a big game; lots of high-fiving, butt-slapping, and other telltale indicators of competitive confidence. For example, for the European (and New Zealand ... ean) PS3 launch, they did what any self-respecting mega-corporation would do: Used beer to visually communicate the price difference between their console -- the Xbox 360 -- and their competitor's -- the PlayStation 3. UK-pub CVG received the above stockpile while Auckland, NZ's GamePlanet store got a similar treat (pic after the break). We normally would consider additional games a more appropriate metric when discussing price deltas, but we suppose they wanted to stick with the locker room theme.Read - MS sends CVG the difference between 360 and PS3... in beer! (CVG)Read - Microsoft NZ Tease Sony (NZGamer.com)
Microsoft secret agents resort to subterfuge at PS3 Euro-launches
Microsoft pulled no punches yesterday during the European launch of the PlayStation 3. Deciding that deviousness was the order of the day, they had agents in both London and Paris throwing monkey wrenches into the works at Sony-sponsored events that included: Handing out chairs to the weary fans waiting in the PS3 lines that were printed with a link to this site on the back of them. Sending SMS messages to game journalists saying "The Xbox 360 team wishes you a good night." Driving boats past the Sony event adorned with "XBOX 360 HEARTS YOU" signs. Arming themselves with whistles and blowing them from rooftops to drown out the noise of Sony PR. Apparently the gloves are off in Europe, and it seems to be working. At French events, one store sold 50 consoles out of 1000, and another store sold 300 out of 1000. At the massive under-attended event at the Eiffel Tower, where they were told to expect 3000 people, roughly 40 people turned out ... security was still turning people away without invitations. One unlucky gate crasher said, "I came from the suburbs, perhaps they don't like my face." At least the French are brutally honest.Check out the roundup of coverage:Watch - Playthrough, source of the video aboveWatch - Jeux-France.com's writeup, video, and boatload (get it?) of photosRead - Eurogamer's summary of the eventRead - LCI.fr's story about the French events, translated after the jump (thanks, dekox!).
MS responds to Fils-Aime's claim
So, Reggie Fils-Aime voiced his opinion on the 360's sales in Europe, and Microsoft wasn't going to just sit and listen to such statements. They came back to say that they are on track to meet their 12 million shipped worldwide milestone by the end of June 2007, having shipped 10.4 million back in December. They also pointed out that the 6 million Xbox Live users worldwide is nothing to scoff at either. Still, it will be interesting to see how things stack up after the other two consoles have been on the market for a year.
Today's best-looking mech video: Armored Core comparison
It's an old-fashioned PS3 versus 360 graphics showdown in today's video pick, with GameTrailers running a side-by-side comparison of Armored Core 4. Which version of this mech title looks best? Judge for yourself after the break, or visit the HD version -- it doesn't embed like the SD file -- on the GameTrailers site. Let the scrutiny begin!Image from CSG_Starfury's account of life-sized BattleMech project.
Finally, someone predicts a Wii win
It looks like the analysts are coming down on our side at last. IDC, a research firm based out of Massachusetts, has come out in favor of a Wii lead over the next two years. This talk of Sony and Microsoft fighting it out over the core market while Nintendo works (successfully) to expand that market sounds like a lot of those reports we heard last year -- the reports that were predicting another third place finish from Nintendo. The wild card? No one knew exactly how successful the Wii would be at breaking into new markets, and when it comes to the analysts, it looks like that success is turning the tide back in favor of Nintendo.
It's a gaming sing along! How to Kill a Brand [update 1]
We try and bring you interesting Xbox 360 related news without all that fanboy hatred. You know, we're the popular kids on the playground without being nasty and making fun of our peers. But when we stumble across a YouTube video that blends console humor, interesting lyrics, and a guy singing in tune ... we just have to let you know about it. Think of it as a tribute to all next generation gaming systems from all walks of life and a chance to celebrate your fanboy'ism. So, without further ado, we present to you the above music video "How to Kill a Brand" by Doc Adams.Update 1: Fixed our adieu so it was more like ado.[Via Joystiq, Thanks, Free420]
360 eats electricity. A lot of it
The crew at HCW decided to compare the power consumption of all three major consoles. Just for good measure, they threw in a mid-range PC as well. The overall conclusion, both the Xbox 360 and PS3 suck up almost as much juice as a PC. The Wii, on the other hand, sips lightly on its electricity like a vacationing retiree drinking a mai tai. It's worth noting that the PS3 does consume more power than the 360. During DVD playback, the Xbox 360 uses somewhat less than the PC or the PS3, though HCW notes that 360 playback quality is low and the machine itself is noisy.Does any of this really matter? Nope, but it's interesting nonetheless, and it's sure to give fanboys some fuel for the forums. HCW will be comparing other aspects of the consoles in the coming weeks. We'll keep you posted.[Via Joystiq]
The state of the Xbox 360 in India
Last month, it was reported that the Xbox 360 was doing very well in India, despite the fact that an Xbox 360 costs more than many Indians make in a month. GameGuru.in, an Indian gaming site, decided to dig a little deeper. Game Guru surveyed a total of 123 Xbox 360 dealers in India to uncover as much information as they could. Having contacted Microsoft, Game Guru was told only that Microsoft does not reveal regional sales numbers; they like to keep their numbers global. From their sample, a total of 839 Xbox 360s had been sold, with the majority of those systems being the Premium version (keep in mind, this was a limited survey and not all dealers were willing to reveal their sales numbers). Unsurprisingly, the console sold better in more affluent regions of India.Overall, anecdotal evidence suggests that Indians prefer the PS2. Not exactly shocking, considering the PS2 is substantially cheaper. Also worth noting, pirated PS2 games are readily available in India, whereas pirated 360 titles are not. While it seems that Indians are generally impressed with the 360 when they see it displayed, it seems that the machine is just too expensive for the average Indian.Do we have any Indian readers that would care to comment?
PS3 kiosk, can you spot the 360?
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/PS3_kiosk_turns_out_to_be_Xbox_360_hidden_in_disguise'; The image above was snapped by Flickr user, hiredgoon. The photo was taken in a Harvey Norman store, an electronics chain based in Australia. It seems innocuous enough. Just an ordinary PS3 display to promote the machine for pre-order. Nothing special, right? That's what we thought, too. Let's take a closer look, shall we?
Activision: 360, PS3, and Wii tie in 2007
During Activision's recent financial results conference call, CEO Robert Kotick announced Activision's projections for 2007 console sales for North America. Griffith noted that the company expects the PS3, Wii, and our beloved 360 will all sell 4 million units. Effectively, this means the Xbox 360 will maintain it's lead over its new gen competition, at least according to Activision. Key titles for Activision's profitable 2006 include popular 360 titles like Call of Duty 3, Tony Hawk's Project 8, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Call of Duty 3, as our readers will know, has been a mainstay on Xbox Live for quite some time.It's clear that Activision sees a bright future for the 360. We have to wonder if they were looking at the pre-order numbers for Guitar Hero II when they made this prediction.[Via Xbox-Scene]
