I repeat. I wasn't talking just about the sales (so i'm not saying X360 sold faster than XB in its first year, i never said that). I was talking about the perception of X360 when PS3 launched. XB brand was in a much better position during 2006 than during PS2/XB era. By 2005 XB Live, Halo 2, X360 launch were something more popular in USA than anything before for Microsoft. In fact, the exponential growth in popularity and sales for XB during 2004 to 2010 was spectacular, and it started around 2006 thanks to X360.

So again, XB brand has never been in a better upward trayectory than in those years (before or after). After a year X360 launched, the sky was the limit back then and I still consider it the golden years for XB (2004-2008).

People wanted new things for the next gen, and there was nothing more popular for the american audience during those years than playing online with XB Live with Halo 2 and then games like Gears of War and Halo 3 were king in USA. Halo 3 hype was way bigger than any hype the original Halo had for the original XB, it wasn't close. That affected a lot PS3 sales in USA in 2007 and for the rest of the gen. X360 had better exclusives and better services than PS3 at a better price during 2006-2007. It's not revisionist history, it's an explanation as to why XB went from selling almost 15M lifetime from 2001-2005 and lag behind way far to PS2 in US to sell almost the same in half the time and becoming the best selling console of the gen in US in the end. It was thanks to that good start. Without it, X360 would never had sold as much as it did (and i know Kinect helped a lot in 2010 afterwards, but without X360 success during 2006-2009, Kinect would had never been a success in the first place).

In the end, X360 convinced people to buy a Microsoft console unlike XB and XBO did against PS2 and PS4, and that's my point.

So it had a stronger start and better reception despite selling roughly the same in the same time frame?

Even if they botched the BC for PS5, PS5 won't be another PS3.

PS3 started bad, not only because their own mistakes, but because its main competitor, X360, started realllly strong. By  2004-2006 XB brand was turning the table in USA. The original XB was very well regarded in US by the time X360 launched thanks to Halo and XB Live, so when X360 launched it had a momentum PS3 didn't in US. That affected PS3 a lot of the sales in the US and the fact thar PS3 didn't launch in Europe until 2007 didn't help the impression of the bad launch. And launching at the same time as Wii either...

XBO did not ended as good as the original XB, so there isn't the same hype for the next XB as it was with X360. Playstation during 2006-2007 was just a culminations of missteps from Sony combined with succesful ones from Microsoft and Nintendo. It was the perfect storm. 2020 and 2021 are not pointing in the same direction. XB brand is not something new and fascinating anymore and Nintendo is not launching their new and revolutionary console at the same time.

PS5 will be fine, whatever Sony decides PS5 to be. The real question is..., how much succesful can Sony make PS5 at launch in my opinion. My guess?, they are going to break records at launch, by 6 months, by 12 months, .... like PS4 did but better.

It had a better reception and recognition during PS3 launch because X360 was in a better situation thanks to Gears of War, XB Live, Halo 3 hype and some other amazing exclusives that were coming in 2007 among other thing, yes. 

I'm not considering "start" just launch month or the first 6 months..."Start" to me is everything during the very first years of a console. X360 had a good 2006 and 2007 was even better. When people says PS3 had a rough start they don't mean only 2006, or 2007 even.

I really don't think anyone discuss that the "best" and more vanguardist years for XB brand were during 2004-2008. I really don't understand this argument, but if you don't agree with me, i accept it. 

We're derailing the thread by the way. My point was made and i guess i can't explain it any better. 

Ok, not launch month or first 6 months, how about first 26 months?

Xbox end of 2003-13.7m

360 end of 2007-15.8m

It was doing better but not by any large degree, it wasnt until 2004/2008 that 360 really started pulling ahead.

Xbox end of 2004-19.9m

360 end of 2008-26.7m

I perfectly understand your point, and I was too lazy to elaborate mine.

 PS3 was not in a very comfortable situation, as MS rushed a bit XBox360, releasing it 1 year before, I believe without "completing" all the test on the machine(The ring of death), in order to beat Sony on the head start.  Now, even though 360 didn't sell extraordinary well the first year, it managed to establish a very good reputation, mostly in NA, and from the second year, it really started to shine with better multiplatform games VS PS3, and a very competitive price, much much lower than PS3;  things were not going very well for Sony, it was last behind 360 and Wii, the king of casual gamers.  Only with the release of PS3 Slim in September 2009, Sony started "to recover the lost ground", devs started to learn more the complex architecture, and multiplatform games finally were gradually on pair with the 360 counterpart and later on, even better in some cases.  So, even considering the above mentioned problems, PS3 managed to take the lead in Europe and be second Worldwide at the end of its life cycle, while 360 the king in NA, and Wii 1st in the Global and Japan.

  So I agree with you 100%, and my only "concern" is :"how much successfull PS5 will be at Launch?"  Like PS4 ?  More ? A lot more? Microscopically less ? 

 I would say more, just a guess.

The PS4 finished top of the world sales for the 5th consecutive year (2014-2015-2016-2017-2018). Long live the king !