| dschumm said: I think their is a lot of nitpicking going on and once again the kingoffail acts like we are all being let down by some major conspiracy. These are all estimations so becoming furious about numbers being 10% one way or the other is unfair. There is a trend that is clear for everyone to see. The PS3 has grown massively in demand this year compared to the 360. They now appear competitive with each other. You guys are furious that ioi is predicting that Wal-mart is selling more 360s, while NPD is saying they are selling more PS3s. The numbers are close enough where that is basically the difference. You can't look at statistics with a bias. You see the NPD numbers and they support what you feel in your gut. That feeling doesn't make them right. My hunch is is that since NPD and VGC are close that means the truth lies somewhere near by. And kingoffail if you wish to stop talking about sales by all means do so no one is stopping you. |
We can't just assume VGC is right because we like ioi either. We dont know how ioi tracks this stuff, we dont know his sources, and we dont know how much his own opinion effects the outcome. What we do know is that NPD has a larger sample, and that Microsoft confirmed it had been outsold for Feb. We see the PS3 on Amazon.com, and while its no absolute indicator of trends we can assume some things from it. The fact that the PS3 costs more, yet is #9 while the 360 which costs less and is "higher in demand" is ranked around 40-50 says something. There are no special deals, and nothing that would give Sony the advantage.
It indicates that the PS3 is slight more in demand, as the 360 always ranked higher when that was more in demand. Upcoming games, blu-rays victory, and pricing all point towards a boost in PS3 demand while 360 has nothing but its past currently to stimulate sales. As Sony's PR states, the PS3 has "leverage", and is really the hotter item ATM.
All signs but VGC point to the PS3 selling more, and I think and unbiased observer right now would say NPD is closer to the truth. Its not ioi's fault at all, but that doesn't mean that we can trust his analysis above all other indicators. He does what he can with the data he has.
