Do you people see the sale shifts?

[Sorcery]

rocketpig said:

Oh good, I'm glad to see a third consecutive year of "PS3 will pass 360 next year" posts. These never get old.

Does it really matter? MS has put a hurt on Sony this generation (though not to the bloody flogging Big N has given everyone). Or really, more accurately, Sony has put a hurt on themselves with a $300 console in its fourth holiday season.

Next year, MS will drop the 360 price, sales will surge, and Sony will counter sometime down the road. If (and it's a big "if") the PS3 passes the 360 in overall sales, it will be so late in the generation that no one outside of fanboy number freaks will give a damn.

The only thing we've really learned this generation is:

1. Well-implemented innovation wins out over everything
2. Launching a console at $400+ is a very, very bad idea

3. DLC is a great way to steal money from your customers.

4. Never, ever, have all-inclusive hardware, because you get more money from an official wifi adapter, official hard drive, pay-to-play online service, $20 add-ons for something that should have been included at launch, and a $200 hi-def device that will be obsolete within a year.

 

Microsoft would not have been profitable with the 360 this generation if the owners of their consoles weren't utterly retarded when it came to exhibiting intelligent consumer behavior. It pains me since the next generation we will see the market change based upon the decisions consumers made this past generation. We've already seen the seeds get planted, with Kaz Hirai announcing plans for a tiered PSN service.

 

Also, if the PS3 eventually surpasses the 360 in sales, it will still matter. The Xbox barely beat the GC last generation, yet the GC is viewed as the big loser. Both companies are fighting for brand recognition at this point.