• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

NPD Sales Results for December 2013 [Up2: Xbox One/360 HW, 3DS top system of year]

Griss

Member
I'd agree with this too. No matter what we personally desire, they need to get games at $29.99 or less all the time. And they need to focus purely on games that are great in small bursts, instead of epic games. Sony keeps wanting to tout the "console-like" experiences of Vita games, until they had to turn it into an all-purpose indie machine, but it's too late now, and the thing is still too expensive vs. its competitor which has now a huge dominance in pure software.

It's a shame, since Vita is the most impressive piece of gaming dedicated handheld hardware ever made, with the best integrated online and OS functionality around, but it tanked because Sony read the market wrong.

I just hope Nintendo doesn't make the same mistake as Sony did next-gen, or we might lose the gaming dedicated handheld market quicker than it already seems likely to go.

The bolded is exactly my fear, but I think Nintendo are just too smart with the handheld market to make a mistake like that. I really do think they will have learned from the 3DS.

And the Vita's failure is tragic, but at least we finally have a definitive answer as to whether the 'full console experience on-the-go' can succeed in the market. It can't.
 

Amir0x

Banned
Having digital SKUs priced 10 Dollars lower than retail SKUs and selling download codes at those prices in store would ne a beginning in solving that problem.

That's a good idea too. I have no idea why digital games have not been priced cheaper for ages on consoles. Sometimes, they are even MORE expensive. What is wrong with companies :p
 
The bolded is exactly my fear, but I think Nintendo are just too smart with the handheld market to make a mistake like that. I really do think they will have learned from the 3DS.

And the Vita's failure is tragic, but at least we finally have a definitive answer as to whether the 'full console experience on-the-go' can succeed in the market. It can't.




I don't think the problem was "full console experience on-the-go". More like the lack of killer apps, huge IPs and exclusive games.
 

Tripon

Member
That's a good idea too. I have no idea why digital games have not been priced cheaper for ages on consoles. Sometimes, they are even MORE expensive. What is wrong with companies :p

Because all big companies value their relationship with Gamestop.
 

Amir0x

Banned
Because all big companies value their relationship with Gamestop.

What is Gamestop going to do, stop selling the games? They pretty much don't have a choice if they want to remain a viable business doing the only thing it is that they do essentially :p
 

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
nobody knows what it is. MS and Sony never publish figures sold through their platforms, with a few rare exceptions. (Minecraft).

Given that it's pretty much the gaming hardcore buying these $400 and $500 machines, I would probably bet that more than 5-10% of PS4/XBO sales were digital.

well, not nobody. i know, for one. so do a lot of people :)
 

Arzehn

Member
This is where Sony's anemic launch lineup kind of hurt them. They rode through November on hype, but when people were looking at software, Microsoft had three launch exclusives (two of which mostly well-liked by critics) and was already hyping up Titanfall in March.

Sony seems content to twiddle their thumbs until inFamous.

What... the system is sold out, if Infamous and DriveClub were launch titles the sales results would be the same...
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
That's a good idea too. I have no idea why digital games have not been priced cheaper for ages on consoles. Sometimes, they are even MORE expensive. What is wrong with companies :p

Heck, they have far less inventory costs for retailers than physical SKUs, retailers could start pushing them, and so digital business as well. Let's see of Mario Golf at Best Buy is a test, and let's hope all it's successful.
 
Wow. Poor video game industry is dead then ?

If the leading system next December is only pulling 1 million, this industry is in all kinds of trouble. This December is somewhat troubling, as it's basically flat, but it gets a bit of a pass since there are two debuting systems (one that is severely supply constrained) and two systems that are a bit long in the tooth. Next December, I expect each of PS4 and Xbox One to exceed 1 million, with the market leader (presumably PS4) approaching (preferably exceeding) 2 million. 3DS should be near 1.5 million minimum now, and that's just to be in the ballpark of GBA.
 
I'm very excited that all consoles are selling well. After seeing how beautiful a cross-generation game in ACIV looks the sooner tailored content is released the better.
 

ascii42

Member
That's a good idea too. I have no idea why digital games have not been priced cheaper for ages on consoles. Sometimes, they are even MORE expensive. What is wrong with companies :p

Supposedly it's because retailers get mad. When Warhawk came out it was $40 to download, but $60 in stores because it came with a bluetooth headset, and as I recall Gamestop balked at that.

I prefer buying physical, so I've only downloaded a couple of retail Vita games because they were on sale, but aren't they normally 10% off the physical price? I seem to recall seeing $36 prices.
 

Sean*O

Member
Sony really feeling that supply constraint. Kick it into overdrive and start supplying more to the US. If everyone could find PS4 on shelves, no one would have any reason to buy an Xbone :)
 

stonesak

Okay, if you really insist
I really think like literally every poster is joking now. Am I?

Mark Twain - “Let us consider that we are all partially insane. It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles; it will make clear and simple many things which are involved in haunting and harassing difficulties and obscurities now.”
 

Griss

Member
I don't think the problem was "full console experience on-the-go". More like the lack of killer apps, huge IPs and exclusive games.

But that will always be the case with a handheld. The top teams will always work on the home version, and the secondary teams work on the portable. There's no way around this, to do it any other way would be suicide. So therefore people will always want the home console version, and see anything that comes out for the handheld as 'not a killer app'. These are core reasons that the console experience on the go hasn't worked. I don't think people want it anyway, but practically it just doesn't work.
 
IMO is time for the dedicated handheld market to drop retail.

Is the only way to fight fairly against mobile. Handheld software prices have to plummet as much Nintendo would like to keep going for their "premium value" bullshit.
 
Jokes aren't real, they're just momentary insanity so we can detach ourselves from this incomprehensible universe of lies and cruelty

lol
 
When will we get Sony numbers got dayum??

We still don't have Sony's numbers from last month either. Seems to be a trend. We know they're selling great, so one has to wonder just what exactly are Sony being so cautious about? My take is the PS4 isn't outselling the $100 more expensive system as much as they would like.to see in the market Sony themselves said was the most crucial. I take it they were neck and neck in November, and are probably neck and neck yet again in December, unless, of course, they aren't. We don't know until we have hard numbers. I take it we won't be seeing those numbers until the PS4 has a really nice and sizeable win one of these months, something that's bound to happen with the price discrepancy.
 
Would Minecraft run on a 3DS?

I seriously don't know, but certainly I have my doubts




Lol. Come on... it even ran on NDS.



But that will always be the case with a handheld. The top teams will always work on the home version, and the secondary teams work on the portable. There's no way around this, to do it any other way would be suicide. So therefore people will always want the home console version, and see anything that comes out for the handheld as 'not a killer app'. These are core reasons that the console experience on the go hasn't worked. I don't think people want it anyway, but practically it just doesn't work.




That may be the case for Sony, but Nintendo is using top teams for their handheld games too.




IMO is time for the dedicated handheld market to drop retail.

Is the only way to fight fairly against mobile. Handheld software prices have to plummet as much Nintendo would like to keep going for their "premium value" bullshit.




Why would you do that and get retailers angry when you can do both ?
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
put shoe on head

We still don't have Sony's numbers from last month either. Seems to be a trend. We know they're selling great, so one has to wonder just what exactly are Sony being so cautious about? My take is the PS4 isn't outselling the $100 more expensive system as much as they would like.to see in the market Sony themselves said was the most crucial. I take it they were neck and neck in November, and are probably neck and neck yet again in December, unless, of course, they aren't. We don't know until we have hard numbers. I take it we won't be seeing those numbers until the PS4 has a really nice and sizeable win one of these months, something that's bound to happen with the price discrepancy.

put shoe on head
 
I don't think the problem was "full console experience on-the-go". More like the lack of killer apps, huge IPs and exclusive games.

No, it really was, at least as long as we're talking about games targeting teen/adult males. There's obviously no way to definitively prove that exclusive, quality GoW/GTA/Bioshock/Battlefield/etc. spinoffs wouldn't have done a significantly better job of moving hardware than Uncharted, CoD, AC, or Killzone, but it seems a pretty dubious conclusion based on the available data (see also: RE:R on 3DS).
 

RurouniZel

Asks questions so Ezalc doesn't have to
I really think like literally every poster is joking now. Am I?

it__s_reyn_time_by_quadforcefive-d5ap8dz.png
 

Speevy

Banned
eh? a lot of people predicted the XBO would outsell PS4 in December if only because of supply constraints on the PS4's side

No, I don't mean the prediction thread, I mean way back when. I knew it would be tough for the PS4 to establish itself as a dominant market leader in the US.
 

Tripon

Member
What is Gamestop going to do, stop selling the games? They pretty much don't have a choice if they want to remain a viable business doing the only thing it is that they do essentially :p

Yes, they will, or they'll take away shelf space to the point where it doesn't matter. Its a sorry state of affairs, but for better or worse, Gamestop employees are the most passionate, articulated retail workers to work in the video game industry.

And yes, that should fucking terrify you.
 

Raist

Banned
We still don't have Sony's numbers from last month either. Seems to be a trend. We know they're selling great, so one has to wonder just what exactly are Sony being so cautious about? My take is the PS4 isn't outselling the $100 more expensive system as much as they would like.to see in the market Sony themselves said was the most crucial. I take it they were neck and neck in November, and are probably neck and neck yet again in December, unless, of course, they aren't. We don't know until we have hard numbers. I take it we won't be seeing those numbers until the PS4 has a really nice and sizeable win one of these months, something that's bound to happen with the price discrepancy.

PS4 outsold XB1 by 200k in Nov. Coming from being outsold 2:1, I doubt they're being nervous about anything.
 

Griss

Member
Lol. Come on... it even ran on NDS.








That may be the case for Sony, but Nintendo is using top teams for their handheld games too.

Fair point, but they aren't sinking the amount of money into those games that you'd need to to make a AAA shooter. It's a different thing, and that's why Nintendo is able to succeed. Animal Crossing is amazing, but it doesn't need a 300-strong team to make it.
 
Top Bottom