EA: PS3 to outsell 360 next year, Wii still on top

[Ail]

gebx said:

Bodhesatva said:

I think they overestimate the PS3 modestly, underestimate the 360 quite a bit, and underestimate the Wii modestly.

The most important thing: the PS3 will not sell as much as the 360 in America this year. It's very unlikely, at least. America has already made its choices, I think.

 I thought so too about the 360.. but looking at the VG numbers the 360 only sold 2 million units in Europe last year.

 

Microsoft really needs to get their game in gear in Europe... cutbacks, promotions, marketing. They have the game library, they're just not selling the console properly.

I don't think they can reverse the trend in Europe for several reasons.

1- They got really bad publicity for the RROD, even if the percentage of Xbox360 affected was small, it's not just in European mentality to buy something for 400 euros and replace it if it breaks, when you buy something that cost that much, you expect it to work !( I'm french so at least that's how french ppls think, heck I've been in the US for 7 years now and I never buy a replacement plan for anything I buy at Best Buy, I just expect it to last, sometime it comes back to bite me...).

2- Brand fidelity is an important factor in Europe. A lot of players have been happy with Sony so far ( except with the price of the PS3, but heh, Sony TV are more expensive than the other brands and still sells very well, because you somehow expect them to be better ( not saying it's truth, that's how it's perceived)) and don't see why they would need to switch brand ( Sony has a few arguments that speak for itself there, like the lifetime of their consoles and the support they provide, I'm guessing dropping Xbox after a few years wasn't very popular with those that picked the console either). For your typical french gamer either console is a huge investment and if parents help in the purchase, Sony once again has a much better image than MSFT among european consumers.

3) PS3 beat Xbox360 over the 2007 Holydays period at a time where the game catalog clearly favored the Xbox360, I don't think MSFT will ever be again in a situation where its game catalog is that much superior to the one Sony has.