Xbox360, Wii, PS3, and software

[Legend11]

Bodhesatva said:

Legend11 said:

naznatips said:
What Bod is doing to make up for that extra year Legend is to compare the 2 most recent months on the basis that those months represent a more relevant data sample.

Also, eugene, the point of him also comparing October was to show that there is a similar relative hardware to software attach rate for the Wii in that month as well BEFORE SMG was released. The ratios of software to hardware remained the same between both months.

I don't think VGChartz's numbers should be used since they include Wii Sports and has also apparently been undertracking 360 game sales based on NPD's numbers. The 360 likely didn't outsell the Wii and PS3 combined last month but we have no idea if that's a fact. Until NPD releases new hardware to software ratios next year it's hard to say with any certainty how well software is selling on the 360 compared to the Wii and PS3.

For the conversation at hand (the one that's spanned the last three pages), I'm not using VGChartz' figures, although that would be okay too, since that also includes bundles of Forza and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. 

The total software ratios come from Microsoft, as a response to the NPD sales (the link can be found in my original post). The NPD does not track Wii Sports, so presumably Microsoft is not including Wii Sports in their totals, either. They had 51 percent marketshare -- according to NPD -- during October, and sold 54 percent of the months' total software.

I AM, however, using VGChartz data for the last four weeks, which have the PS3's Eurpean software figures matching the 360's despite having 1/2 the userbase, and the Wii's total, worldwide software outselling the 360's total, worldwide software, by a handy enough margin to suggest that it's probably true (meaning, even if Ioi has messed up by some significant percentage, the Wii would still be ahead). That's another argument, however, that no one seems to be contesting.

All in all, I made four separate points, each to provide evidence that the PS3 and Wii's software really aren't that far behind the 360's. I absolutely agree that none should be taken as conclusive proof, it's a discussion, and I think there's room for counter point. For example, many of the early months of this year (all the way through at least June) have the 360 very, VERY heavily outselling the Wii and PS3's combined software totals, but it also had upwards of 75 percent marketshare in the earliest parts of the year, so it's really hard to tell what reasonable software sales would be at those times. The whole picture's distorted. 

Now that we're reaching reasonably comparable levels of hardware sales in the Americas... we are also reaching reasonably comparable levels of software sales in America. By the count of both NPD and VGChartz. In the Christmas season, the busiest software period of the year, no less. That's the point I'm making here, and it isn't really intended to be a chide against the 360, just a chide against unrealistic, gargantuan expectations of software sales on the system. It's not outselling PS3 or Wii software 2:1 or anything.  

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/31/360-leads-hardware-to-software-ratio-wii-and-ps3-trail-with-sim/