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Microsoft CEO says 360 will outsell PS3 worldwide

M

marc^o^

Nintendo's Pro Bono PR Firm
From Gamesindustry.biz
Sony has no strategy for an online service," according to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who also says Microsoft is "going to beat Sony overall" in the next-generation console business.

"We're off to a very good start," he told Investor's Business Daily last week, before repeating Peter Moore's claim that Xbox 360 will ship between 4.5 and 5.5 million units by the end of June.

The launch was "phenomenal", says Ballmer, who admits, "We knew Japan was going to be tough."

"I'm not sure we're going to beat Sony in Japan this generation. Maybe," he adds. Xbox 360 launched in Japan on December 10th but was soundly beaten by sales of all the other consoles in the period that followed, particularly Nintendo DS, which outsold everything else in the region by a significant margin.

Ballmer's no stranger to fighting talk, of course, and he had plenty for Sony, whose PlayStation 3 console he openly derided on features and price. "[N]obody knows when PlayStation 3 is going to come. The rumours are it will come out in the spring, but only in Japan. And nobody knows what PlayStation 3 is going to cost. PlayStation 3 has a (Blu-ray Disc) drive built in, so who knows what the heck they're going to charge for the thing, because those are very expensive drives. Who the heck knows what the games are going to look like for PlayStation 3?" he joked. "So, a lot of questions. And Sony has no strategy for an online service."

Sony would contest that, presumably - especially given Phil Harrison's recent claims that Xbox Live on the original Microsoft console got decent press but still didn't outstrip PS2 Online. "t's always important to remember that more people play online games through PlayStation 2 than any other consoles," he told this website in December. "On a worldwide basis it is the most popular online console by virtue of the size of the installed base."
Click to expand...
The bolded sentence is funny. Microsoft keeps faith :lol
 
S

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
This just in, Campbells says their soup tasts best! Film at 11
 
L

lancubap

Member
The only thing I agree is the Online-gaming: Microsoft has really done a damn good work and what Sony will do with PS3's Online is NOT clear for now.

So, probably it will be more Online-gamers on X360 than PS3 by far.

But Microsoft has still a huge problem: Japan. If they don't sell console (and games of course) in Japan is like to have a hole that cannot be fill sop easy.

EDIT: grammaticals corrections.
 
T

ToxicAdam

Member
What's he supposed to say, "We can't wait to remain in second place!!" ?


This is better than the Allard spin coming out of E3, where he said: "It's not about the graphics, it's about the community" (in regards to criticism about some of the titles graphics). That's just loser-speak right there.
 
R

Rabid Wolverine

Member
Considering Sonys Consoles have sold past 20 million units each in Japan alone how exactly will Xbox 360 outsell them worldwide?

MS hav'nt even reached 1 million with Xbox or Xbox 360. Combined :lol
 
Z

ziran

Member
i suppose execs have to say something and optimism is great, i respect it, and i do think 360 has a fighting chance to be number 1 outside japan, but, it would be nice if they kept a hold on reality.

edit - and saying sony has no online plan is like saying 360 doesn't have halo 3, both are going to happen.
 
A

adamsappel

Member
Borys said:
"Solid if not spectacular!"
- Peter Moore
Click to expand...
Honestly, I hate to explain away any idiocy Moore spouts, but in this instance he is being misconstrued. He meant, "Solid, ALTHOUGH not spectacular."
 
R

Roders5

Iwata een bom zal droppen
comicalali.jpg
 
M

Mermandala

Member
Suikoguy said:
This just in, Campbells says their soup tasts best! Film at 11
Click to expand...

But that would be Campbells talking about the quality of their soup, which they are more than aware of. This is more like Campbells saying "No one knows what plans Progresso has for their soup or what it is even made of, is it made from rat crap and babies? Maybe."
 
A

Angst

Member
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” - Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels
Click to expand...

“The broad mass of the nation ... will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one.” - Adolf Hitler, in his 1925 book Mein Kampf
Click to expand...

This of course applies to Sony and Nintendo and most companies as well.
 
G

Grug

Member
And Balmer is a videogame industry expert how?

If Xbox360 sales dont pick up in the land of the rising sun, then Xbox360 is going to start losing some support from major developers, developers, developers, developers, developers, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS!!! DEVELOPERS!!!!
 
Z

ziran

Member
the interview gamesindustry.biz quotes is even more amazing!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ibd/20060112/bs_ibd_ibd/2006111feature

IBD: How is the Xbox 360 launch going?

Ballmer: Phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal.

IBD: Except in Japan?

Ballmer: We knew Japan was going to be tough. I'd still call the launch phenomenal. I think in this generation (of video game hardware) we can win. I'm not sure we're going to beat Sony in Japan this generation. Maybe. But we're going to beat Sony (overall). We're off to a very good start. We're on track to sell between 4.5 (million) to 5.5 million units by the end of our fiscal year (June 30), which is great.

IBD: How will Xbox 360 fare when Sony's PlayStation 3 comes out?

Ballmer: Nobody knows what PlayStation 3 is, so it's a little hard for me to answer the question. And nobody knows when PlayStation 3 is going to come. The rumors are it will come out in the spring, but only in Japan. And nobody knows what PlayStation 3 is going to cost. PlayStation 3 has a (Blu-ray Disc) drive built in, so who knows what the heck they're going to charge for the thing, because those are very expensive drives. Who the heck knows what the games are going to look like for PlayStation 3? So, a lot of questions. And Sony has no strategy for an online service.
Click to expand...
he sure as heck likes the word heck!
 
C

cybamerc

Will start substantiating his hate
Reading what M$ reps have to say makes me all the more happy that Xbox 360 is dead in Japan :)
 
E

Elios83

Member
LOL they were able to sell just a million units worldwide during a holyday season,with a total flop in Japan and it was phenomenal......but after all this is the 'developers,developers' guy :lol :lol
 
A

Andrew2

Banned
lancubap said:
The only thing I agree is the Online-gaming: Microsoft has really done a damn good work and what Sony will do with PS3's Online is NOT clear for now.

So, probably it will be more Online-gamers on X360 than PS3 by far.

But Microsoft has still a huge problem: Japan. If they don't sell console (and games of course) in Japan is like to have a hole that cannot be fill sop easy.

EDIT: grammaticals corrections.
Click to expand...

To be quite honest, you can't fault Sony for making online gaming a secondary thing. Truth is, online gaming on consoles would never catch on in the way it does for the PC.

In the end Sony has the right thinking --- content first because it whats sells consoles; online second because its the one luxury you can have but live without. The only people that really care about online is the hardcore gamers, not the casuals.
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Andrew2 said:
In the end Sony has the right thinking --- content first because it whats sells consoles; online second because its the one luxury you can have but live without.
Click to expand...

In fairness, Kaz Hirai for example has said on a number of occasions now that while this may have been true previously, it's no longer really the case. That it's pretty much essential with the next-gen systems.
 
D

Deg

Banned
Ballmer's no stranger to fighting talk, of course, and he had plenty for Sony, whose PlayStation 3 console he openly derided on features and price. "[N]obody knows when PlayStation 3 is going to come. The rumours are it will come out in the spring, but only in Japan. And nobody knows what PlayStation 3 is going to cost. PlayStation 3 has a (Blu-ray Disc) drive built in, so who knows what the heck they're going to charge for the thing, because those are very expensive drives. Who the heck knows what the games are going to look like for PlayStation 3?" he joked.
Click to expand...

Oh my. I guess that means Sony overstretched the features and are going to price PS3 high?
 
A

AirBrian

Member
krypt0nian said:
:lol He's like Gahiggidy without the sly intelligence.
Click to expand...
:lol :lol

In their defense, what exactly are they supposed to say, "We can't wait to get our asses rammed in Japan...even by GameCube!"
 
K

kaizoku

I'm not as deluded as I make myself out to be
Andrew2 said:
To be quite honest, you can't fault Sony for making online gaming a secondary thing. Truth is, online gaming on consoles would never catch on in the way it does for the PC.

In the end Sony has the right thinking --- content first because it whats sells consoles; online second because its the one luxury you can have but live without. The only people that really care about online is the hardcore gamers, not the casuals.
Click to expand...

I disagree, I think Microsoft has a major major trump card with its online services, but then again PS3 and Rev will have it too, how well they pull it off which counts. I can say I refuse to subscibe to the online play on top of my ISP fee, console fee and game fee though! So Nintendo could well pull a sucker punch here.

Online gaming will take off on consoles in a big big way. Its the future. Pretty soon you won't feel like you're getting a full console experience without broadband. Even with the PS2 and Xbox now, for those lucky enough to have online gaming, they would never go back to offline-only play. It really does make a huge difference.

On top of that, I really think wifi will expldoe in a few years time - during this generation. New devices outside of gaming, new technologies etc will all help push this whole new era of technologies into a wifi-enabled market.
 
D

DarienA

The black man everyone at Activision can agree on
kaizoku said:
Even with the PS2 and Xbox now, for those lucky enough to have online gaming, they would never go back to offline-only play. It really does make a huge difference.
Click to expand...

I was quite able to go back to offline-only playing both my console(s) after enjoyable spending time with both my PS2 and Xbox online, and I certainly don't feel like I'm missing anything.

BTW reading the quote I'm thinking that it's an incomplete quote and it ends with.. "PS3 worldwide from the time the X360 launches til... sometime after that!"
 
K

kaizoku

I'm not as deluded as I make myself out to be
DarienA said:
I was quite able to go back to offline-only playing both my console(s) after enjoyable spending time with both my PS2 and Xbox online, and I certainly don't feel like I'm missing anything.

BTW reading the quote I'm thinking that it's an incomplete quote and it ends with.. "PS3 worldwide from the time the X360 launches til... sometime after that!"
Click to expand...

Well obviously theres always exceptions.

I think the next gen consoles will be of a different nature though. Just like a PC feels dead without internet access, the next gen consoles will really come alive when they're connected to the net.

Anyway how can you not feel like you're missing something? You're obviously missing online play o_0 Current gen this encompasses mainly versus or deathmatch type games, but next gen we'll have co-operative play and all sorts of things we never had before.

Trading in Animal Crossing, co-op Perfect Dark, Zelda four swords type gameplay, online Mario Kart and so on. Gamings going wifi and its not coming back.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
What else is a Microsoft CEO supposed to say? "No, we're not going to beat Sony. No, we'll be in second place again. Yeah. Maybe Xbox 720, though."

This is non-news, imho.

adamsappel said:
Honestly, I hate to explain away any idiocy Moore spouts, but in this instance he is being misconstrued. He meant, "Solid, ALTHOUGH not spectacular."
Click to expand...

What he may have meant, and what he actually SAID are two different things. Someone is not misconstruing him if they're accurately reading what he said. Which they are, since he said...

"Yeah, I’m satisfied. It’s a solid if not spectacular start."
 
I

iapetus

Scary Euro Man
Amir0x said:
What he may have meant, and what he actually SAID are two different things. Someone is not misconstruing him if they're accurately reading what he said. Which they are, since he said...

"Yeah, I’m satisfied. It’s a solid if not spectacular start."
Click to expand...

Those words can be interpreted in two ways. Just careless phrasing, perhaps.
 
D

DarienA

The black man everyone at Activision can agree on
kaizoku said:
Anyway how can you not feel like you're missing something? You're obviously missing online play o_0 Current gen this encompasses mainly versus or deathmatch type games, but next gen we'll have co-operative play and all sorts of things we never had before.

Trading in Animal Crossing, co-op Perfect Dark, Zelda four swords type gameplay, online Mario Kart and so on. Gamings going wifi and its not coming back.
Click to expand...

Easy, because I like my gameplaying with titles to have a definitive beginning, middle, and ending that completes the story being told. Whether it's a racing game where you start out with a clunker and finishing by winning a championship and ending up the #1 racer, or an RPG which simply closes out it's story. That's what I do my gaming for. I have zero interest in competitive or vs modes because they distract me from what I'm in to videogame playing for. This also explains why I have zero interests in certain genres of gaming(sports, etc). Co-op mode is a nice bonus I'm sure, but it's not going to get me to go online when I'm already quite capable of playing the game well enough by myself. Same for trading, etc... Gaming has already gone wifi... but as an extension of the appeal to attract those whom that carries interest for, not as a way to get rid of offline only folks.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
iapetus said:
Those words can be interpreted in two ways. Just careless phrasing, perhaps.
Click to expand...

True, and careless phrasing might be the ticket middle ground. I just think it can't really be misconstruing when someone says something a certain way. It's not like symbols or something, you read it like it says ya know?

Usually when I hear someone say "Solid, if not spectacular" I think "Solid, maybe even spectacular". But I suppose "Solid, but perhaps not spectacular" is an equal reading.
 
K

kaizoku

I'm not as deluded as I make myself out to be
DarienA said:
Easy, because I like my gameplaying with titles to have a definitive beginning, middle, and ending that completes the story being told. Whether it's a racing game where you start out with a clunker and finishing by winning a championship and ending up the #1 racer, or an RPG which simply closes out it's story. That's what I do my gaming for. I have zero interest in competitive or vs modes because they distract me from what I'm in to videogame playing for. This also explains why I have zero interests in certain genres of gaming(sports, etc). Co-op mode is a nice bonus I'm sure, but it's not going to get me to go online when I'm already quite capable of playing the game well enough by myself. Same for trading, etc... Gaming has already gone wifi... but as an extension of the appeal to attract those whom that carries interest for, not as a way to get rid of offline only folks.
Click to expand...

I realise that. You might not 'miss it' personally, but there are still things you are missing out on. Obviously offline games will always be huge, your last sentence is baffling and has taken the discussion down a completely unrelated route, taking what I said out of context.

I said online gaming is going to be huge because someone said it will not take off on consoles. I completely disagree and think a huge percentage of people will be playing online on their consoles.

Online gaming brings many aspects of many games to life. Good for you for "playing them well enough on your own". But come on now, online is alot of fun, more and more games will be desigend with online in mind and thats only going to bring new life to certain games and genres.
 
K

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
Ballmer said:
"[N]obody knows when PlayStation 3 is going to come. The rumours are it will come out in the spring, but only in Japan. And nobody knows what PlayStation 3 is going to cost. PlayStation 3 has a (Blu-ray Disc) drive built in, so who knows what the heck they're going to charge for the thing, because those are very expensive drives. Who the heck knows what the games are going to look like for PlayStation 3?" he joked. "So, a lot of questions. And Sony has no strategy for an online service."
Click to expand...
Reads almost exactly like any of a number of PS3 detractors on this board. Almost word for word even. Interesting to see Ballmer taking his PR cues from Internet forums, though I'm sure he's certainly nowhere near this clueless ;)

As for the age-old question of, "what else do you expect him to say?", there are certainly more sportsmanlike ways of answering the questions, rather than going the FUD route.
 
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