Xbox 360 > PS3 in August. Is it a sign of things to come?

[Jordahn]

mrstickball said:

Retrasado said:

no, it won't, but in any case, a PS3 price drop will have a greater effect than a 360 price drop because the PS3 is more expensive.

Also, stickball, there's no way the 360 is going to beat PS3 sales by 500000 in December alone. Last year, when the PS3 was selling waaaaaaaay less in NA, the 360 sold 412000 more units in NA then the PS3.

May I ask what's changed between December 2007 and September 2008 that would allow the Playstation 3 to close the gap by a large margin? I'd really like to see some Sony fanpeople answers using hard facts & numbers rather than just attack my logic by saying "no it won't"

Here's the way I look at it:

December 2007 Catalyst Information:

• Xbox 360 price drop occurred 4 months before December (early August), 10% price reduction (on Arcade)
  
• Playstation 3 price drop occurred roughly 1 and 1/2 months before December (mid October), 20% price reduction
  
• Halo 3 (largest X360 software title) launched 2 months before December
• Playstation 3 had no uber-exclusive to drive sales

December 2008 Catalyst Information:

• Xbox 360 price drop occurred 3 months before December (early September), 30% price reduction (on Arcade)
• Playstation 3 - No price drop (assumption)
• Fable 2 & Banjo Kazooie (largest exclusive software titles) launch 1-2 months before December
• Resistance 2 and LBP (largest exclusive software titles) launch 1-2 months before December

Now, with those comparisons, I am not understanding how, without a price drop, Sony is going to be able to compete during Christmas. Could someone care to tell me why and how the average consumer is going to snatch up a $400 gaming system vs. a $200 one, that would put them on an equal (or near equal) selling level?

 

Maybe, just maybe, the "average consumer" (or most any consumer) doesn't buy something he doesn't want no matter how cheap it is. Also, the $200 360 Arcade and the $400 80GB PS3 comes with different hardware and accessory configurations so you are almost comparing apples to oranges here. I by no means am saying that no one wants the 360 Arcade and everyone wants the $400 80GB PS3. But what I am saying is that you are making such a subjective and closed-minded point when varying factors apply to varying preferences to varying consumers. And because of that if the "average consumer" looks at the price and just the price ALONE as a purchasing criteria for two different products, I'd hate to see what the "below average consumer" would do. In your last post you said:

"Well, if you don't have hard numbers, and understand the marketplace, anything else you say is fanboy bias, or stupidity."

Well, how about understanding that you are just one consumer out of millions in which those millions do not exactly think the way you do, and thank God for that because "anything else you say is fanboy bias, or stupidity."