This is why people overstate the importance of Npd Because worldwide it's not close.
I agree with you, but I think the deeper issue is that a global
context is often unwelcomed by the loudest responders in a sales discussion.
Without context then numbers are just numbers. For example, the reason why it's easy to criticize and or make fun of PR fluff pieces such as BC hours/bullets fired/sniffs of a finger/etc. is because the numbers are almost never contextualized -- they are
literally meaningless. With that in mind, it makes sense to try to figure out what a sales victory -- whether it be weekly or monthly -- actually
means for a product or a piece of software.
It's fine that the PS4 is leading the pack in Germany, but what do the numbers
actually tell us? Do the numbers indicate a wider trend in Europe i.e. Europeans aren't that interested in supporting two consoles (concurrently)? If yes, then what can that tell us about the PS4 elsewhere -- can the numbers in Germany and EU be indicative of a global shift towards the PlayStation ecosystem? If yes, then how should Sony position Neo: should it be a higher-spec PS4 that lives alongside the current PS4 OR should it be the one and only PS4 going forward? Etc etc etc. This stuff might be boring to people because it requires spending more time thinking about countries that you only read about, but to a good number of us, it's really
really interesting to know and discuss how this videogame 'thing' is actually doing in different parts of the world.