Support NeoGAF

[Magic Mushroom]

May should be an interesting month and a good one for Sony I expect, with both Watch_Dogs and MLB.

 

[Dragonborn]

Hardware numbers are down drastically, and the hottest new system is selling very weakly in what many consider the strongest territory.
That's not good, no matter how you spin it.
Revenue may be up YoY, but that's only because the new systems cost so much more.
This isn't a good sign and it's clear there needs to be a major change and soon.

NA isn't Sony's strongest territory.

 

[zeopower6]

They probably won't even bother stocking the new model. Vita will be gone from most stores by the end of this year.

The presence will probably be lessened to maybe a corner, but I don't think it'll vanish completely :/

 

[Beer Monkey]

Dedicated video game consoles...they had a good run...

Yeah, the fact that XB1/PS4 have outsold 360/PS3 2:1 when comparing six month launch windows, the dedicated console business is obviously fucked.

 

[Randolph Freelander]

Just to relativize, April 2007 was a 5 week month.

No, it wasn't.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Is there one main website that has all of these sale numbers collected in one place? I can never seem to track them down from one location.

 

[artist]

If they wanted people to know about the DRM reversals so much, why not just put it in bold front right on the front of the box?

They didnt want to carry that stigma forward.

+

 

[Riki]

what
maybe in raw numbers, but I'm pretty sure the US is widely considered Sony's weakest market relative to the competition

It was weakest for the PS3. That's it.
Outside of that, the US doesn't play favorite. It goes to the games. And right now, the games aren't on consoles.

 

[travisbickle]

Could have been a contender, in NPD prediction, until this month!!

I don't understand the drop for PS4? if they sent the same amount as last month it's a ~150k drop when no one's buying its opposition? I'm with people that it might be a wider "next ten" popularity issue.

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

The industry is becoming an ever more dangerous place. As I suggested in my debate thread about the the problematic times ahead for us gamers and the industry, there were many troubling trends even in January. There is a bit of an illusion due to the hasty start of the generation and how it exploded that this meant everything was OK. But the issue was there were unique qualities to the generational transition that created a one-of-a-kind pent up demand. Additionally, vast improvements in console manufacturing and the proliferation of online pre-ordering made access much simpler, and many took advantage of the opportunity to order earlier.

But it may be soon we realize that the most passionate people already brought in, and the middle road for this industry might just be much lower than we all thought. Which means there will have to be some serious re-evaluation of what makes sense as a business model to develop a game.

Well, Activision is not off to a great start w/ their $500 million Destiny budget. Begging for disappointment there.

 

[Mrbob]

At this point the market has basically evolved into modern Hollywood.

There are astronomically huge hits, but they're only from a few companies and only in a few genres.

Then there's a lot of low budget stuff equivalent to indie and downloadable games.

The middle is gone now that the top is extremely selling extremely high, and there's a lot more at the bottom due to the ease of distribution.

Like Far Cry 3 and Borderlands 2 basically matching the best selling Final Fantasy game ever and not even being near the top of the heap is kind of insane when you think about it, and back in 2007 you could count the total notable indie games across the past ten years on two hands.

The market is so different now, but something had to die for it.

It would be a curious study for someone to see why this happened. Was the advent of HD gaming that put a premium on big budget games alongside XBLA making people think all digital games have to be bite sized, small experiences? I find it fascinating how the mid tier has died off on consoles yet it doing decently on PC.

 

[Poetic.Injustice]

So no more PS4 shortages..right guys?

200k sounds awful for a new console.

 

[Trey]

PS4 should do better than PS3.

Maybe across a five year interval. I don't see ps4, or any of the next gen consoles, eclipsing 80 million before another gen rolls around.

 

[Mysterious]

Wtf you drunk? PS4 is the fastest selling console of all time.

It sold less than Wii in April 2007. It's showing some signs of slowing down and the market has indeed contracted.

 

[Darksol]

Hardware numbers are down drastically, and the hottest new system is selling very weakly in what many consider the strongest territory.
That's not good, no matter how you spin it.

You consider America PS4's strongest territory?

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

Another thing to add....


The Xbox san's Kinect Annoucement


Was made now and not E3 for very obvious reasons.

 

[Arzehn]

Interested in seeing Vita's May numbers. I actually had trouble finding a OG Vita 3 months ago (sold out, not restocking), can't imagine there was much supply left to buy in March and April. Slim in May's NPD should improve the trend a bit. Just the fact it will be in flyers again will help a lot.

 

[statham]

"Have you seen Titanfall?"

Interesting results thus far.

Yes, its at the top of the chart.

Another thing to add....

The Xbox san's Kinect Annoucement

Was made now and not E3 for very obvious reasons.

It needed to be early, Yes maybe part of it was to deflect NPD numbers but also we won't have every interview asking about it and not the games come E3, get it out of the way.

 

[Kandinsky]

I'm having a hard time understanding the Infamous quote.

Does it mean that Infamous was the best seling software when looking just to nextgen plataforms?

I guess but it also means it could have sold 10k lol

Numbers, we need them, cream please.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Spoken like someone who doesn't own a Vita. The thing is as darling to gamers as the Dreamcast was. Those who have it, love it. Shame the rest of the world doesn't jump in on it too.

Makes me wish I knew about Dreamcast, but it was stomped over by Sony.

Vita is a very versatile hardware. Crossbuy, PS+, backwards compatibility, Remote Play and much more makes it a great hardware.

What screwrd them over is the price, the forced proprietary devices/ports, and the initial lack of support by both Sony and third party.

Sony learned the lesson by the new hardware refresh, removal of OLED screen, adding Micro USB port, releasing 64GB card, providing great support and more.

The sad reality is that you don't release a hardware and improve it as time goes by. Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony learned it the hard way all the time.

Sony fucked up with Vita.
Microsoft fucked up with XBO.
Nintendo fucked up with WiiU.

Stop treating Hardware like Software.

Microsoft is the smartest to learn how much damage can be done, and are quickly making changes while the momentum is there. Nintendo doesn't give a fuck, and Sony is really trying hard to keep Vita relevant cause they genuinely have a good hardware in their hands, and have made a lot of improvement with it.

Oh well, its a great hardware on its own, and is a great companion hardware for PS4. Sony needs to help mobile developers jump to Vita, including companion apps like Watch Dogs or other apps. I see GTA V's ifruit is available on Vita but that's very irrelevant and needs more recent apps for recent games.

 

[Dr. Kitty Muffins]

The need for better next gen titles is evident.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

Because one was hyped as The Next CoD, BELIEVE THE HYPE, and the XB1's system seller.

The other is from a 2nd-tier franchise...

OOOOOOOOOH BRO why'd you have to go there.

 

[Mass Effect]

SONY:

Wait, so does this mean Infamous > Titanfall X1? Or really Infamous > all next-gen games for April (not combined, each one separately)?

If so, that's crazy. We need numbers. Where's creamsugar?!

 

[Curufinwe]

It sold less than Wii in April 2007. It's showing some signs of slowing down and the market has indeed contracted.

The Wii was $150 cheaper.

 

[BlackBuzzard]

Another thing to add....


The Xbox san's Kinect Annoucement


Was made now and not E3 for very obvious reasons.

They wanted to focus on game?

 

[hawk2025]

Aw, I wish it had proper automatic sign-in

 

[Suzushiiro]

So based on these sales and future expectations, can we say that Wii U, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will be the worst performing Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony video game machines respectively? Market has indeed contracted.

Isn't PS4 still the fastest-selling console in history at this point?

PS4 + XBone may be less than PS3 + 360 when all is said and done, but I'd be shocked if PS4 didn't at least outsell PS3, if only because it took a lot of marketshare from MS.

 

[Opiate]

So no more PS4 shortages..right guys?

200k sounds awful for a new console.

Correct, the PS4 is definitely slowing down significantly. It's not doing awfully ion its own by any means, but it's doing reasonably poorly for the leading console in a new generation in which the old generation has already stopped selling.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Another thing to add....


The Xbox san's Kinect Annoucement


Was made now and not E3 for very obvious reasons.

The $500 early adopter well has run dry.

 

[Paracelsus]

Hardware numbers are down drastically, and the hottest new system is selling very weakly in what many consider the strongest territory.
That's not good, no matter how you spin it.
Revenue may be up YoY, but that's only because the new systems cost so much more.
This isn't a good sign and it's clear there needs to be a major change and soon.

Except PS3 managed to match XBOX360 sales despite having half the LTD in America.

Now XBOX One is lagging behind in the market that made for over 40% the 360 LTD. That means that every month PS4 is even just 1:1ing XBOX One in America, the gap is getting considerably bigger thanks to Europe. You don't need spinning when using logic.

 

[IN&OUT]

Holy smokes, PS4 outsold Xbone 2:1 ?!

MS screwed so big in NA. I can imagine bigger lead WW.

 

[Usobuko]

At this point the market has basically evolved into modern Hollywood.

There are astronomically huge hits, but they're only from a few companies and only in a few genres.

Then there's a lot of low budget stuff equivalent to indie and downloadable games.

The middle is gone now that the top is extremely selling extremely high, and there's a lot more at the bottom due to the ease of distribution.

Like Far Cry 3 and Borderlands 2 basically matching the best selling Final Fantasy game ever and not even being near the top of the heap is kind of insane when you think about it, and back in 2007 you could count the total notable indie games across the past ten years on two hands.

The market is so different now, but something had to die for it.

Modern Hollywood sounds just like what Microsoft needed to wrestle with PS3 last gen. Much easier to secure deals with Westen developers this way.

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

PS4 sales slowed down significantly as well. In a comparable time frame (April 2007), the previous market leader would have been ~150k more despite supply constraints.

At $400?

X360 at $400 in April of that month sold less then the Ps4 did this year.

 

[Mysterious]

April 2007? The craziest number from that month is:
PSP: 183K

Wii sold 360k in April 2007.

 

[ZettaiSeigi]

Wait, so does this mean Infamous > Titanfall X1? Or really Infamous > all next-gen games for April?

If so, that's crazy. We need numbers. Where's creamsugar?!

Just Infamous: Second Son > Titanfall XB1

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

At this point the market has basically evolved into modern Hollywood.

There are astronomically huge hits, but they're only from a few companies and only in a few genres.

Then there's a lot of low budget stuff equivalent to indie and downloadable games.

The middle is gone now that the top is extremely selling extremely high, and there's a lot more at the bottom due to the ease of distribution.

Like Far Cry 3 and Borderlands 2 basically matching the best selling Final Fantasy game ever and not even being near the top of the heap is kind of insane when you think about it, and back in 2007 you could count the total notable indie games across the past ten years on two hands.

The market is so different now, but something had to die for it.

I'm ok with that really. Just like the movie industry there will be "indies" that become stars themselves like Wes Anderson, P.T. Anderson, Neil Blomkamp, and perhaps some of those from bigger studios will earn the right to a passion project (think Nolan, Aronofsky,). For instance Last of Us may not have been possible without the success of Uncharted, and look how radically different and grand in scale The Witness is compared to Braid.

The industry has changed, better or worse is a preference, but doomed it is not.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

It would be a curious study for someone to see why this happened. Was the advent of HD gaming that put a premium on big budget games alongside XBLA making people think all digital games have to be bite sized, small experiences? I find it fascinating how the mid tier has died off on consoles yet it doing decently on PC.

Marketing games based upon cinematic production values and realistic visuals ended up creating a demand that is difficult to sustain. They conditioned or spoiled the audience and they demand more than can be given without serious sacrifice.

 

[MrNyarlathotep]

It would be a curious study for someone to see why this happened. Was the advent of HD gaming that put a premium on big budget games alongside XBLA making people think all digital games have to be bite sized, small experiences? I find it fascinating how the mid tier has died off on consoles yet it doing decently on PC.

At least part of the problem was liberal moneyhatting of third party exclusives last gen; it artificially raised budgets without accordant sales to justify it, with the result that middle tier developers literally could not afford to create games with the same level of polish and expect a return on that investment.

 

[theprodigy]

It was weakest for the PS3. That's it.
Outside of that, the US doesn't play favorite. It goes to the games. And right now, the games aren't on consoles.

PS1, Nintendo notably hangs around for quite a while with the Nintendo 64, despite getting blown out elsewhere
PS2, it obviously dominated just like everywhere else but its competitors picked up the majority of their sales in America
PS3, everyone already knows how this went
and as a bonus PSP/Vita obviously did the worst in the US

now with this being said, ~200k isn't particularly good when it's nearly 2x over the next console

 

[StoopKid]

So no more PS4 shortages..right guys?

200k sounds awful for a new console.

Not really sold better than 360 and ps3 in 2007

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

I'm having a hard time understanding the Infamous quote.

Does it mean that Infamous was the best seling software when looking just to nextgen plataforms?

It means that the top selling next-gen games are:

1. infamous: Second Son
2. Titanfall
3. Call of Duty: Ghosts


Which means that both infamous and Titanfall sales on next-gen hardware is abysmal compared to current-gen titles, especially when knowing infamous isn't even in top 10.

That, or it could mean that when counting next-gen exclusive games, infamous is on top. Who knows until we see numbers.

 

[Ran Ran]

Another thing to add....


The Xbox san's Kinect Annoucement


Was made now and not E3 for very obvious reasons.

Boy that June number better be through the roof.

Although, I will admit, if it doesn't beat the PS4 I can't wait to see what "Fastest Selling" headline they use.

 

[RiggyRob]

Wait, so does this mean Infamous > Titanfall X1? Or really Infamous > all next-gen games for April?

If so, that's crazy. We need numbers. Where's creamsugar?!

It's been covered that Titanfall X360 + X1 (+PC I guess) > Infamous > Titanfall X1.

Interesting rumour that Yoshi's New Island may have outsold Infamous though.

 

[Magic Mushroom]

lol next gen is off to such a terrible start. PS4 and Xboxone are barely pushing any software..

Well,

-"PS4 software combined with Xbox One software sales are up over 40 percent compared to sales of the PS3 and Xbox 360 through their first six months. Wii U software sales were up over last year by over 80 percent," said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.

 

[Riki]

Except PS3 managed to match XBOX360 sales despite having half the LTD in America.

Now XBOX One is lagging behind in the market that made for over 40% the 360 LTD. That means that every month PS4 is even just 1:1ing XBone in America, the gap is getting considerably bigger thanks to Europe. You don't need spinning when using logic.

I'm not spinning anything. This isn't a PS4 vs XBox One argument. This is a gaming is in trouble and something needs to be done argument.
You can pick and prod at it however you want. These numbers are bad.
This generation needs to pick up quickly or it will not be good times for gamers soon.

 

[prag16]

It sold less than Wii in April 2007. It's showing some signs of slowing down and the market has indeed contracted.

Does somebody have a PS4 vs. Wii (vs. PS2 too maybe) launch aligned comparison handy? Waiting to see when those streams cross.

 

[Tripon]

The Wii was $150 cheaper.

The Wii also had a larger pool of consumers to sell to.

How many grandmas are going to try to buy the PS4?

 

[Opiate]

At $400?

X360 at $400 in April of that month sold less then the Ps4 did this year.

We could make a $250 PS4, but then it would have been notably less powerful, in which case you might not want it.

You can't have both at the same time. You can't love the relative power of a system, then say it would be selling even better if it were $200 instead of $400 or $500. The reason the system costs $400 is the primary reason you prefer the PS4 hardware to the Wii U hardware in the first place.

 

[Takao]

If they want to keep making "console quality" handheld software, just use PSM to sell the games so they're not stuck competing with freemium and $0.99 games on the Play Store. Vita is a nice product aimed at a market that hasn't really existed since the PSP ran its course.

PlayStation Mobile's SDK is going Vita exclusive with 2.0. It looks like they're positioning that subplatform as a way for garage indies to get on PlayStation, rather than whatever it was initially supposed to be.

Hah, you're really too jaded, Takao. After so many years Tretton, who is the most likely responsible for one the biggest mismanagement of the industry (PSP), finally left the company and the new guy seems to at least understand and know something about handhelds so have a little hope. He can't be worse than Tretton, that's for sure.

I want to be wrong.

 

[BruiserBear]

Damage control is more likely. They already did it with their PR right now, pointing to the price cut as something that will increase sales. It's a good excuse for the bad performance they will have in April and May. It's really going to take some of the wind out of their E3 but they needed to announce it now.

I think great games will do them just fine at E3. Price cuts should never be a pillar to your E3.