| Soriku said: I don't see what's the point in saying the Wii couldn't sell more than the PS3 and 360 combined after 2 years. Why does it have to do that? The Wii still sold SIGNIFICANTLY higher than each individually. Remember that the PS3 and 360 compete against each other. Besides, in 2009, its 3rd year, the PS3 and 360 combined barely outsold the Wii combined. It wasn't until 2010 that the gap decreased, but the Wii still sold higher than it did in 2010 than it did in 2007, and still higher than the PS3 and 360 individually as well. The Wii was, and still is, a market leader because it outsold the PS3 and 360. Just because it can't beat them combined doesn't change anything. It doesn't have to adhere to the standards of the past generations. |
It is not the point, that the Wii can't outsell the HD-consoles combines, but each of the two competitors can outsell the Wii now alone. Not for a month or two, but constantly. Nut by a little amount, but by big margins. That is something that as far as I know never before happened in the console-industry - that the gen-leader is late on outsold by a big amount and for a long time by a competitor. And in this case both competitors do that.
It is not worrying, that the Wii can't outsell the PS3 and XBOX360 combined, it is worrying that it can't them outsell alone.
And, at the moment even the gen-leader is not so sure anmore. The Wii is 30 million units in front of it's competitors. The holidays this year the Wii will be outsold clearly, as the Wii-U will arrive, while the successors of PS3 and X360 aren't available yet. We don't know for sure, then these successors will hit the market. We suspect 2013, butif teh successors hit later, they will sold on for a time. Even after the successors hit, they can sell. Look at the PS2. It does no longer seem outlandish, that a competitor can close this 30M-gap. It seems very unlikely now, but it is no longer impossible.
Sure, my thread-starter was provocative (fad and all), but you ignore that this gen shows a very unusual sales pattern.
Let's take a look at the yearly market-shares to illustrate that:
2008: Wii: 53,3% (24,2M), PS3: 22,5% (10,2M), X360: 24,0% (10,9M)
2011: Wii: 29,2% (11,6M), PS3: 35,7% (14,1M), X360: 34,9% (13,8M)
It is usual, that later in a gen ALL competitors drop in the amounts of sold units. But the market-share usually moves only in little steps.
