Support NeoGAF

[Pie and Beans]

Basically

Wii U sold bad so its a bomb and should be punished! Wii was a fad! Fluke!

Vita selling bad so obviously the PSP was a fad/fluke but who cares? Its awesome!

I never understood this? Is it the mentality that you want to defend the underdog? People enjoy the Wii U too, even with its lack of sales/games :/

Don't take things so personally, Pokemon Avatar. You've become a member now, but you'll burn out on GAF not too soon after if its all about sides to you.

Vita Force is like an ongoing joke since we all know its selling like shit, but it had a pretty astounding launch lineup and I knew I was buying cutting edge non-region locked tech for the price I paid. Can't say any of those things about the WiiU. Markets just moved on from dedicated handhelds in the west, but Sony should definitely drop the price and bundle an 8gb as standard for the last hurrah.

 

[SomethingInTheSea]

The 3DS market share is kind of impressive. It looks like in Europe it is bigger than the 360 one.

They've been focused on the 3DS at the expense of the WiiU though. Its like they have a very limited marketing budget and they poured most of it into promoting the 3DS.

The 3DS XL eshop game promotion overshadowed anything for the WiiU and seems to have been very succesful in combination with lower prices for the MarioKart and 3DLand bundles.

Nintendo EU seem to think that portables are their future and that the WiiU is only going to be a small factor.

 

[AranhaHunter]

So is 3.8 million units sold a good number for vita compared to what 3DS sold this year? Won't this go down his year with no major game releases?

Vita's numbers only looks ok if you compare it to WiiU and even then it still looks pretty bad.

 

[shinra-bansho]

Hmm, unit extrapolation from the Wii U number is probably fraught with error. Although I guess it's possible that unit sales were higher in France last year than UK.

	Percent	Units (000s)
3DS	31.72	887
NDS	3.36	94
WII	12.31	344
WIU	4.29	120
PSP	6.34	177
PSV	6.72	188
PS3	23.51	658
X36	11.57	324

I was talking for all Europe, but nice contribution!

Maybe later, was just interested in what sort of data might be extrapolated from the charts + numbers we know.

 

[Baki]

	Percent	Units (000s)
3DS	23.13	584
NDS	2.8	71
WII	7.09	179
WIU	3.17	80
PSP	2.61	66
PSV	10.07	254
PS3	22.39	565
360	28.54	720

For UK. Units estimate extrapolated from 80K for Wii U.

Not bad for vita! Lol! Must be all the great bundle deals.

 

[Goldrusher]

I was talking for all Europe, but nice contribution!

UK

28,29% 360
23,25% 3DS
22,69% PS3
10,08% Vita
7,28% Wii
3,08% Wii U
2,80% DS
2,52% PSP


France

32,21% 3DS
23,81% PS3
12,61% Wii
11,48% 360
6,72% Vita
6,44% PSP
4,20% Wii U
3,08% DS


Germany

28,01% PS3
25,49% 3DS
16,81% Wii
14,01% 360
5,04% DS
4,48% Vita
3,36% PSP
3,08% Wii U


Spain

26,33% PS3
23,81% 3DS
15,13% Wii
11,20% PSP
9,24% 360
7,84% Vita
4,48% DS
1,12% Wii U


Italy

22,13% 3DS
21,57% Wii
20,45% PS3
14,29% 360
9,52% PSP
5,60% DS
4,76% Vita
1,68% Wii U


Netherlands

26,89% PS3
23,53% 3DS
15,69% Wii
14,85% 360
8,12% DS
4,76% Vita
3,08% PSP
2,24% Wii U


Belgium

26,61% 3DS
25,77% PS3
15,69% Wii
8,40% PSP
7,56% DS
7,28% 360
6,44% Vita
1,96% Wii U


-----------------------


Average of the above 7 countries:

25,29% 3DS
24,85% PS3
14,97% Wii
14,21% 360
6,44% Vita
6,36% PSP
5,24% DS
2,48% Wii U

------------------------


And the Europe chart:

25,70% PS3
21,51% 3DS
17,60% 360
12,01% Wii
10,34% PSP
6,70% Vita
3,63% DS
2,51% Wii U

 

[Fisico]

Not bad for vita! Lol! Must be all the great bundle deals.

The gap with the PSP is huger here

 

[allan-bh]

Maybe later, was just interested in what sort of data might be extrapolated from the charts + numbers we know.

You are good with pixel count.

If possible, you could do with NPD numbers for october, november and december. In some cases we only have estimates.

 

[SmokyDave]

UK

28,29% 360
23,25% 3DS
22,69% PS3
10,08% Vita
7,28% Wii
3,08% Wii U
2,80% DS
2,52% PSP

"Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free, How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?"

 

[liger05]

Europe

25,29% 3DS
24,85% PS3
14,97% Wii
14,21% 360
6,44% Vita
6,36% PSP
5,24% DS
2,48% Wii U

--------------------------

UK

28,29% 360
23,25% 3DS
22,69% PS3
10,08% Vita
7,28% Wii
3,08% Wii U
2,80% DS
2,52% PSP


France

32,21% 3DS
23,81% PS3
12,61% Wii
11,48% 360
6,72% Vita
6,44% PSP
4,20% Wii U
3,08% DS


Germany

28,01% PS3
25,49% 3DS
16,81% Wii
14,01% 360
5,04% DS
4,48% Vita
3,36% PSP
3,08% Wii U


Spain

26,33% PS3
23,81% 3DS
15,13% Wii
11,20% PSP
9,24% 360
7,84% Vita
4,48% DS
1,12% Wii U


Italy

22,13% 3DS
21,57% Wii
20,45% PS3
14,29% 360
9,52% PSP
5,60% DS
4,76% Vita
1,68% Wii U


Netherlands

26,89% PS3
23,53% 3DS
15,69% Wii
14,85% 360
8,12% DS
4,76% Vita
3,08% PSP
2,24% Wii U


Belgium

26,61% 3DS
25,77% PS3
15,69% Wii
8,40% PSP
7,56% DS
7,28% 360
6,44% Vita
1,96% Wii U

MS need to work on mainland Europe!!

 

[Pie and Beans]

"Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free, How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?"

God save the OLED.

 

[SmokyDave]

God save the OLED.

Never have so few buyers had so much fun with so many games.


Edit: I'm aware the quote is butchered but I doubt that the man that popularised the 'V for Vita' salute would mind.

 

[Psychotext]

Hard to sell us Xbox Live when there's no useful services for us.

Yeah, I've always found that aspect quite interesting. That said, there's nothing to stop them pushing in other ways.

 

[AOC83]

Oh, the Queen looks good on this picture, has she a new haircut?

 

[javac]

Don't take things so personally, Pokemon Avatar. You've become a member now, but you'll burn out on GAF not too soon after if its all about sides to you.

Vita Force is like an ongoing joke since we all know its selling like shit, but it had a pretty astounding launch lineup and I knew I was buying cutting edge non-region locked tech for the price I paid. Can't say any of those things about the WiiU. Markets just moved on from dedicated handhelds in the west, but Sony should definitely drop the price and bundle an 8gb as standard for the last hurrah.

Nah man, I understand why people love the Vita and I'm happy for you guys, you have a console that has games you love. Hell even I was thinking of getting a Vita, mainly for Gravity Daze. Its an awesome system, and I don't want it to fail, and for all intents and purposes it isn't a failure as long as Sony keeps bringing out games like the upcoming Killzone. At least it isn't a failure to the fans, who enjoy the system. I just feel that, maybe the Wii U could be a system like that, you know? Not a resounding success sales wise, but a console made directly for Nintendo fans, that they enjoy, just like Vita.

As for the Pokemon avatar, don't look to deep into it No hard feelings yeah? I'm just passionate about games like everyone here and I like to discuss stuff. I like Nintendo yeah, but I also own consoles from the other two and enjoy them.

Spoiler

Also, I'm a member now? Huh

 

[Road]

Europe

25,29% 3DS
24,85% PS3
14,97% Wii
14,21% 360
6,44% Vita
6,36% PSP
5,24% DS
2,48% Wii U

But it is 21%:

You might want to recheck all your numbers.

 

[SmokyDave]

Nah man, *snip*

You're good people javac. I think you're right about people supporting an underdog and I think some of it is a feeling that the unit 'deserves' better. You're also right that the same dynamic is very much in play with the Wii-U. It's good to have you along on the deadly serious emotional rollercoaster that is 'videogame sales'.

 

[Goldrusher]

But it is 21%:

You might want to recheck all your numbers.

That chart probably counts all of Europe, not just the 7 countries in the other chart, which I used:

 

[zomgbbqftw]

That chart probably counts all of Europe, not just the 7 countries in the other chart, which I used:

http://i.minus.com/ibgAi5uwEF63eR.jpg[ /IMG][/QUOTE]

You can't just take the market share from each country and average it out.

 

[LayLa]

Hardware Market Shares by Region for 2012

Japan
3DS 57%
PS3 13%
PSP 9%
Vita 7%
WiiU 6%
Wii 5%
DS 1%
360 1%

US
360 28%
3DS 19%
PS3 18%
Wii 11%
DS 11%
Vita 7%
WiiU 5%
PSP 1%

EU
PS3 25%
3DS 21%
360 18%
Wii 12%
PSP 10%
Vita 7%
WiiU 3%
DS 3%

amazing how different the end of DS and PSP are in US compared to other regions

 

[Goldrusher]

You can't just take the market share from each country and average it out.

Well, if you look at the numbers, they're all close to, or even exceed the 25% line.

Oh well.

 

[IdeaMan]

This marketshare of Nintendo in France and Belgium /sunglasses
Frenchies = biggest Nintendo fanbois out there /sunglasses

Now, if only it was rewarded by a new opus of our most awaited Nintendo IP (according to a recent survey), F-Zero U, along with a ton of new franchises, that would be cool ! /sunglasses

Nintendo, hey oh, wake up ! We need fresh air !

 

[javac]

You're good people javac. I think you're right about people supporting an underdog and I think some of it is a feeling that the unit 'deserves' better. You're also right that the same dynamic is very much in play with the Wii-U. It's good to have you along on the deadly serious emotional rollercoaster that is 'videogame sales'.

I'm blushing

But seriously, I've always understood that underdog feeling. It was the same with the GameCube. I was a big PS2 guy myself, but I always felt that the GameCube was under appreciated. Its a good system and just like the Vita, it has great games that were made for their respected user-bases. But also like the Vita I feel like the GameCube wasn't a failure, because it did what Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft should all strive for, which is brining good and fun games for the fans.

With the Wii U I feel that, as long as we get good games, who can complain? Of course we all understand sales are very important, but even if the Wii U is a distant last, as long as the games are fun and we enjoy our time with the system, just like with the Vita, its all good. That's what's paramount here. Fun. Likewise, even if the PS4/720 sell a lot less then the Wii U, I'm very sure the fan bases will be very happy with the systems.

That feeling of the Wii U 'deserving more' is not really here for a lot of people right now since it is very new and it hasn't carved its own niche, unlike the Vita which has happily nestled itself in a part of the market that is very happy with the device and its games. As time goes on, I'm sure people will be very happy with the system. I do get a sense of joy from all of the Vita fans when speaking of the system and I hope that me as as Wii U fan can also attain that feeling. That's what its all about.

 

[shinra-bansho]

That chart probably counts all of Europe, not just the 7 countries in the other chart, which I used:

Is your number just an average for those 7 countries, because that won't get you an estimate for Europe...

 

[Pie and Beans]

No hard feelings yeah? I'm just passionate about games like everyone here and I like to discuss stuff. I like Nintendo yeah, but I also own consoles from the other two and enjoy them.

You seem like good people, so first I'll advise you to change your avatar to something neutral, maybe not even games. Theres a meta-game to 'playing' GAF, and it involves not unconsciously being marked as 'enemy' by tribal posters, and it doesnt seem like such a definitive and final statement of which team youre batting for forever.

Ironically, and if only because I feel like it, I'll lay all my cards on the table as to why I am particularly leaning to one mega-corporation over the other so you can see crystal clear where I'm coming from. I'll always aim to pick up every single console, btw, whether that be at the end of its life post-price crash or from the beginning. I am 'teh hardestcores'. Of the big three though, I'm far more likely to back Sony simply because as a consumer theyre the ones bending themselves backwards to bring me what I want, even if it comes at some insane cost to them. Cutting edge region free hardware, free online gaming, instant game collections and more are all one things, but its also been about their expansion as a videogame company over the last 20 years. Theyve picked/nurtured up studios such as Media Molecule, Sucker Punch, Thatgamecompany, Guerilla and others, although sadly have retracted a little this past year with losses like Studio Liverpool.

On the other side of the field I don't see that kind of longplay in kind. You have MS who disintegrated enough amazing studios for no good reason this gen than their own lack of direction and Xbox Live Gold still feels like scam of the century. Then Nintendo pushing region locking even into the handheld sphere, underpowered hardware, lack of online account systems, and more all while not really expanding with great speed at all despite all their insane profit. Their reaching out to fund Bayonetta 2 is the first time in at least a decade I've felt like theyre reaching out to a consumer like me, so maybe we'll see some restructuring and better days for them there.

When it comes to sales threads, these are always going to be the stalls at the arena. Its natural we want the market to empower and reward our own consumer leanings in a thumbs up, thumbs down gladiatorial verdict. So on one hand its sad to see hardware like the Vita get snubbed the world over despite its value meaning nothing to a global population that has the words iOS/Android echoing in their ears whenever a portable device is raised in conversation. The flipside of course is the market actually no longer being under the spell of Nintenmania and shortlived gimmicks with regards to the Wii U, a device seemingly rushed to market with no clear purpose or big game to reveal what that purpose is. It makes a selfish consumer like me hope it'll be enough of a sting in Nintendo's foot to rethink things the next time they decide to scrimp, price fix, or continue to sit on billions of profit without comprehensive global expansion plans while countless studios and talented individuals are lost to the seas of change.

Of course I'll be stuck back with shaking my head over the market if the PS4/720 flop out the gate too, but then you cant get millions of X-Factor viewers to magically invest in The Wire box-set just because you think its the "best TV ever" either. Just got to hope those responsible for what we do enjoy find a way to balance giving us the absolute best they can and at least making such endeavours profitable.

There, thats my brainthoughts laid out. Enjoy your day.

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

Vita Force is like an ongoing joke since we all know its selling like shit, but it had a pretty astounding launch lineup and I knew I was buying cutting edge non-region locked tech for the price I paid. Can't say any of those things about the WiiU.

Wii U had a better launch lineup than Vita imo. More games, generally higher quality games and more genres covered. Weirdly though, I think a case can be made for Vita having the better 1st party launch lineup between them.

 

[pieatorium]

Wii U had a better launch lineup than Vita imo. More games, generally higher quality games and more genres covered. Weirdly though, I think a case can be made for Vita having the better 1st party launch lineup between them.

i think better exclusive lineup aswell

as much talk of it being port city the wiiu was even further in that direction

 

[Goldrusher]

Is your number just an average for those 7 countries, because that won't get you an estimate for Europe...

Yeah, it was.

If you count those 7 countries together: 24.9%
If you take their average: 25.3%

The other chart: 21.5%

25,70% PS3
21,51% 3DS
17,60% 360
12,01% Wii
10,34% PSP
6,70% Vita
3,63% DS
2,51% Wii U

 

[shinra-bansho]

You're not adjusting for relative market size...

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

i think better exclusive lineup aswell

as much talk of it being port city the wiiu was even further in that direction

Yes, for sure, Wii U really only had 3 notable launch exclusives (NSMBU, Nintendo Land, ZombiU) plus an couple eShop titles. I think looking at it through the lens of a PS3 or 360 owner, then it's much easier to award Vita the victory.

Though Vita still had it's fair share of ports that people fell over themselves for (UMVC3, FIFA, Virtua Tennis 4, etc), which for whatever reason tend not to get discounted out of hand the way Wii U multiplats do (Scribblenauts, TTT2, Trine 2, AC3, BLOPS2, Sonic Racing, etc).

 

[Pie and Beans]

Wii U had a better launch lineup than Vita imo. More games, generally higher quality games and more genres covered. Weirdly though, I think a case can be made for Vita having the better 1st party launch lineup between them.

I've said it before, but Nintendo should count their lucky stars (or recommit to whatever standing order of moneyhats) that Ubisoft decided to bat for them at WiiU launch. Imagining a Wii U lineup without ZombiU, Rayman Legends, and I guess AC3 is when you see how weak a lineup Nintendo themselves really supplied.

With Vita meanwhile I was knee deep in the sexual excitement of HD era level games Uncharted and Wipeout on a fully portable system, with nostalgic Sony Portable mainstay Lumines and new age app-store-like classic Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack. If it hadnt been such a long wait for Gravity Rush (June I believe), I'd have called it best launch line-up ever. But Nintendo is certainly stretching that "launch window" concept themselves, so maybe I can.

Though Vita still had it's fair share of ports that people fell over themselves for (UMVC3, FIFA, Virtua Tennis 4, etc), which for whatever reason tend not to get discounted out of hand the way Wii U multiplats do (Scribblenauts, TTT2, Trine 2, AC3, BLOPS2, Sonic Racing, etc).

Its reasonable to expect an HD home console to have those games as standard, but when youre taking HD games and making them entirely portable thats when the "oh its just a port" gets a pretty huge BUT on the end.

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

But Nintendo is certainly stretching that "launch window" concept themselves, so maybe I can.

Oh, I was just considering the first month or so. If we move out to window Wii U improves quite a bit more (Rayman, Runner 2, MH3U, Lego City, NFSMW, etc). Even by "launch window" timetables though, Gavity Rush would've fallen outside it.

Its reasonable to expect an HD home console to have those games as standard, but when youre taking HD games and making them entirely portable thats when the "oh its just a port" gets a pretty huge BUT on the end.

Fair enough, though this extends to Wii U to a degree as well thanks to off-tv play. The caveat is that you're limited to home, but that's where my handhelds get played 95% of the time anyway. The upside too is that you get the "real" HD game in full, rather than the scaled down spinoffs or conversions that handhelds tend to get.

 

[javac]

Enjoy your day.

Nice post, enjoyed reading it and I understand where you come from and I too agree with your opinions/perception but I guess overall all our opinions will always be skewed. Its not even about fanboyism, its just, the fact is, the way we are brought up and the games we play, and even our age, hell your county of residence will all play a part in how we see things, especially in video games. It happens with all types of media.

I've been a 'fanboy' of every console to be honest. Back in the days I liked Nintendo but I was a Sega Mega Drive boy at heart. That was my go to system. Sonic was my man! Road Rash, Golden Axe, all these games were so cool back in the days. I still liked Nintendo, the gajmeboy was a must have portable. But then the PS1 came along. Then the PS2 came along (I had 5 PS2's in my house at one point). Even when the PS3 came out I was head over heels, I mean how cool was it? CELL PROCESSOR was like BLAST PROCESSING! Then I started to get into the Xbox 360. Halo 3 is actually pretty cool? Gran Turismo isn't the only good simulation racing game? Forza is a great racing game? Final Fantasy 13 on 360? Bioshock? GTA? Huh who woulda thought?

But I've always had a soft spot for Nintendo games. They genuinely make me happy. I feel like a kid again, its so hard to explain. I always find myself lying in bed listening to soundtracks from Nintendo games and just smiling. Pokemon, Mario Galaxy, Xenoblade. When Nintendo announce a new game it just makes me feel soo excited. I guess its because they've been apart of my life since I was born, and its not even nostalgia or anything, even you can admit that a lot of these 3DS games and upcoming and potential Wii U games are cool just like I can easily admit the Vita and PS4 have and will have amazing games I want to play? You can admit that Nintendo games are for the most part very well made? Whimsical even? Even if its something like Mario Party.

I mean I play all sorts of games, hell I enjoyed Gears of war! But I guess I get this Disney/Pixar feeling from Nintendo. I love watching The dark knight type of movies, Skyfall etc. But when I watch a movie like Finding Nemo? I feel so happy. I don't know.

And its not like Sony are void of these experiences. Little big planet, tearaway, all fun whimsical games. And ICO? Shadow of the colossus? Amazing games. We all have our favourites, I just hope we can sometimes put that aside and enjoy the grass on the other side, because sometimes it can be greener.

 

[Portugeezer]

425k for launch month in Europe (2012? came out on 30th of Nov, right?)...

Is that good or bad? Looks bad for a launch, even in EU.

 

[Berg]

Can't wait for a year from now.
WiiU has multiple heavy hitters on the way and should be able to push a lot of consoles with those.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

Can't wait for a year from now.
WiiU has multiple heavy hitters on the way and should be able to push a lot of consoles with those.

Heavy hitters.....care tog give any examples that will come out this year. Remember its not a wise choice to assume just because something was a heavy hitter on the Wii it will have the same success on the WiiU.

Looking at these sales it is clear why Nintendo reduced their expectations. 2 million at the end of Dec is really bad. They will probably reach around 3 million by March which is a good 2 million away from their target. When you miss your target by 40% you know your in trouble.

 

[Miles X]

Impress with 360 being so close to PS3, wonder what PS3 shipments will be.

So PS3 was down in Japan, US, Europe yet somehow IDC come up with PS3 having its best selling year by a massive margin? ;-)

 

[Spieler Eins]

Heavy hitters.....care tog give any examples that will come out this year. Remember its not a wise choice to assume just because something was a heavy hitter on the Wii it will have the same success on the WiiU.

Looking at these sales it is clear why Nintendo reduced their expectations. 2 million at the end of Dec is really bad. They will probably reach around 3 million by March which is a good 2 million away from their target. When you miss your target by 40% you know your in trouble.

what, they already at 3 mil worldwide according to their own reports. Not gonna reach their 5.5 mil, but not as bad as 2 mil.

 

[metalslimer]

Heavy hitters.....care tog give any examples that will come out this year. Remember its not a wise choice to assume just because something was a heavy hitter on the Wii it will have the same success on the WiiU.

Looking at these sales it is clear why Nintendo reduced their expectations. 2 million at the end of Dec is really bad. They will probably reach around 3 million by March which is a good 2 million away from their target. When you miss your target by 40% you know your in trouble.

I would consider Mario Kart and 3D Mario heavy hitters and expect them to be out by the end of the year. Despite the 3DS not fully recovering in the west it certainly isn't on the deathbed anymore. The real problem I see for Nintendo is price and they should work very hard to get the thing profitable so they can reduce the price. Nintendo didn't take any delay in going to the edge with the 3DS price and I hope they are willing to do the same once again.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

what, they already at 3 mil worldwide according to their own reports. Not gonna reach their 5.5 mil, but not as bad as 2 mil.

Isn't the 3m shipped?

If you take the numbers here + NPD + Media Create you get like 2.1m. I don't see them shipping much further through that with almost 1m still on shelves.

 

[Xater]

Hard to sell us Xbox Live when there's no useful services for us.

Exactly. Sony has been better to us than MS in that regard. I wonder if it will even change for their next console...

 

[dragonflys545]

Exactly. Sony has been better to us than MS in that regard. I wonder if it will even change for their next console...

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511024

Doubt it.

 

[Spieler Eins]

Isn't the 3m shipped?

If you take the numbers here + NPD + Media Create you get like 2.1m. I don't see them shipping much further through that with almost 1m still on shelves.

okay, not sure if that was ever clearly mentioned in the thread that has the numbers. But also, this is just 2012, so it's missing a whole month, no?

 

[Miles X]

okay, not sure if that was ever clearly mentioned in the thread that has the numbers. But also, this is just 2012, so it's missing a whole month, no?

The 3m is for end of December ...

 

[CrunchinJelly]

okay, not sure if that was ever clearly mentioned in the thread that has the numbers. But also, this is just 2012, so it's missing a whole month, no?

It's missing January for EU and NA, which won't be much...

 

[Miles X]

Can someone please do a pixel count of PS3 on that Europe chart from 39 weeks onwards, for 2011 and 2012, would be interesting to know how much it was down this Q over last year. Thanks.

 

[Moral Panic]

You seem like good people, so first I'll advise you to change your avatar to something neutral, maybe not even games. Theres a meta-game to 'playing' GAF, and it involves not unconsciously being marked as 'enemy' by tribal posters, and it doesnt seem like such a definitive and final statement of which team youre batting for forever.

Ironically, and if only because I feel like it, I'll lay all my cards on the table as to why I am particularly leaning to one mega-corporation over the other so you can see crystal clear where I'm coming from. I'll always aim to pick up every single console, btw, whether that be at the end of its life post-price crash or from the beginning. I am 'teh hardestcores'. Of the big three though, I'm far more likely to back Sony simply because as a consumer theyre the ones bending themselves backwards to bring me what I want, even if it comes at some insane cost to them. Cutting edge region free hardware, free online gaming, instant game collections and more are all one things, but its also been about their expansion as a videogame company over the last 20 years. Theyve picked/nurtured up studios such as Media Molecule, Sucker Punch, Thatgamecompany, Guerilla and others, although sadly have retracted a little this past year with losses like Studio Liverpool.

On the other side of the field I don't see that kind of longplay in kind. You have MS who disintegrated enough amazing studios for no good reason this gen than their own lack of direction and Xbox Live Gold still feels like scam of the century. Then Nintendo pushing region locking even into the handheld sphere, underpowered hardware, lack of online account systems, and more all while not really expanding with great speed at all despite all their insane profit. Their reaching out to fund Bayonetta 2 is the first time in at least a decade I've felt like theyre reaching out to a consumer like me, so maybe we'll see some restructuring and better days for them there.

When it comes to sales threads, these are always going to be the stalls at the arena. Its natural we want the market to empower and reward our own consumer leanings in a thumbs up, thumbs down gladiatorial verdict. So on one hand its sad to see hardware like the Vita get snubbed the world over despite its value meaning nothing to a global population that has the words iOS/Android echoing in their ears whenever a portable device is raised in conversation. The flipside of course is the market actually no longer being under the spell of Nintenmania and shortlived gimmicks with regards to the Wii U, a device seemingly rushed to market with no clear purpose or big game to reveal what that purpose is. It makes a selfish consumer like me hope it'll be enough of a sting in Nintendo's foot to rethink things the next time they decide to scrimp, price fix, or continue to sit on billions of profit without comprehensive global expansion plans while countless studios and talented individuals are lost to the seas of change.

Of course I'll be stuck back with shaking my head over the market if the PS4/720 flop out the gate too, but then you cant get millions of X-Factor viewers to magically invest in The Wire box-set just because you think its the "best TV ever" either. Just got to hope those responsible for what we do enjoy find a way to balance giving us the absolute best they can and at least making such endeavours profitable.

There, thats my brainthoughts laid out. Enjoy your day.

I love this post.

 

[Delusibeta]

425k for launch month in Europe (2012? came out on 30th of Nov, right?)...

Is that good or bad? Looks bad for a launch, even in EU.

Quadruple bogey on the old course, but it'll probably prove to be par for the new course, if you excuse my golf metaphors.

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

425k for launch month in Europe (2012? came out on 30th of Nov, right?)...

Is that good or bad? Looks bad for a launch, even in EU.

Bad overall, but it really seems down mostly to Apocalyptic Scenarioing the UK. If that region had doubled sales (which would've been within healthy launch figures and more proprtional to actual market sizes) things would push into "okay" territory.

 

[Adam Scott Aukerman]

Lots of accidental Wii purchases in the lead up to Christmas.