The Microsoft Xbox 360 is going to have an advantage in America, for a couple reasons, one is that Microsoft is an American company that understands the American market. Secondly, the Microsoft brand, while certainly a worldwide brand, is also strongest in America.
And once a platform gets a certain marketshare, the market tends to want to consolidate around a single platform....you want the same system your friends have, you want to protect your investment, you want longevity... you don't want an early death, like the original Xbox, or the gamecube...you want ps2 type lifespan.
Some people believed that Microsoft was a safe bet, because they are willing to lose milliions, illegally dump product, and other tactics that courts have shown are anti-competitive and illegal, in order to dominate a market.
From an ethics standpoint, its disgusting, but many people are pragmatists...they just want to pick the winner.
Add to that, if you are a fan of some of the exclusives, you have little choice.
So, not surprising to me the xBox is doing slightly better in the U.S., then the other regions it competes in.
People are basically performing a bit of magic to show the Xbox 360 ahead in one region: the U.S. What they do, is take the fact that the Xbox 360 was released first to the market....include all its sales from its release date, but exclude the PS2 it was competing against in that year.
By ignoring previous generation, even though the PS2 is still a top seller, even this year, let alone last year. By ignoring handhelds. By ignoring other markets in the world.
By scrunching their face, and looking sideways, they determine the xbox 360 is ahead, at least for now, even though they admit the Wii will soon catch it.
It's not ahead at all...its deadlast, of currently selling systems. WW sales this week, according to VGChartz (subject to revision of course).
On the other hand, Microsoft would say they are moving a lot of software....and that I agree with. Wii is getting a lot of system sales by selling to casual gamers...and PS3, the same...by selling to Blu ray movie buffs (some may argue they aren't gamers at all, but in the broad view, everyone is at least a casual gamer....almost everyone, at any rate).
So... getting a good slice of the large american market, and directly hitting the hard core gamer market...for consoles, not handhelds...isn't a bad thing that Microsoft did.
But, they are in the most precarious position... Nintendo doesn't yet have much competition in their segments... and Microsoft hasn't announced any real plans to compete in that range...whereas Sony does have som e solid plans to further their marketshare. I personally think the 65mm re-design, cost cut, and new smaller case...will help the PS3 in Japan, and in the blu-ray market, since its a rather bulky, ugly blu ray player at the moment, and still moves blu-ray sales....only the better if its sleek, and actually looks nice in your entertainment center. Plus, PS3 still has a large PS2 audience to try an entice to upgrade, and a slew of new games for 2008....
so solid plans by the competitors, yet to see how Microsoft is going to keep their marketshare, let alone increase it....but, I'm sure they will have a surprise or two, and especially int he U.S., a market they understand...shoudl continue to be a player.
