As I've said before software is not that bad on ps3:

360 install base is 3x the size of ps3's install base in US

CoD4 & Assassin's Creed both sold 3x more copies in US on 360....

Meaning, proportionately, they sold as well on the ps3 as 360

...on GOOD quality, (not shitty ports) third party games, ps3 has a similar attatch rate to the 360...far from flopping software sales. The ps3 just needs the right games, done well, and they sell just as well proportionately.

You can't compare something like Uncharted to the 360's software sales because the 360 didn't get Uncharted so we don't know how it would have sold.

Duh.

It's interesting that Sony keeps winning the "Others" category. In the US they still haven't been able to over take the 360.

Sony still has a huge problem on there hands in the USA. The USA is the region that makes or breaks a console. If Sony fails in America the numbers in others and Japan mean nothing. It's similar to the Sega Dreamcast. It sold well in others countries but failed miserably in the US. In the long run Sega canceled production in the US but still kept selling in Japan until finally discontinuing the unit. Sony probably won't go that route but may need to drop the price again to gain market share. The US is a rough market right now. The US merket is driven by one time huge purchases (huge purchases = anything >=300). Nobody here in the US walks in to a store to drop money on a expensive item before thinking about it.

"Nobody here in the US walks in to a store to drop money on a expensive item before thinking about it."

Lol...We may think about it, but we still spend it!  Americans are wastrels that can't budget and buy frivilous shit.  Look at America's debt, look at Americans' average credit card debt, and look at America's housing market (I'm a builder and licensed real estate agent).

Hell--interest only loans, 100%+ financing, and 40+ year mortgages are the true reasons behind the housing market collapse.

e.g.  Some jackass buys a 500,000 home with NO money down (100% financing)

Watches too much tv and thinks his home will have 40%+ appreciation a year (it won't, especially with the bubble).

Jackass can barely afford home.

Little Mary gets sick (or Daddy loses job, or divorce, etc., etc.)....so Jackass must sell home next year.

So, he sells 500,000 home + Commission Fee + Closing Cost = 540,000!

So Jackass loses $40,000 on brand new home...and then he can't pay his credit card and gets whammied with

15%+ interest rates....And ends up even further in debt

All that = America

Lol, I see it every day.

It comes from irresponsibility with money, uneducated and arrogant consumers, and devious lenders and banks that don't care about the people, but banking high on interest.  Us American's buy what we want, even when we can't afford it.

Sony has to be happy that they at least outsold the 360 in worldwide sales, but it cost them alot of money to do it. They cut deep with the price cuts on the system and their balance sheets are going to reflect that. If they don't get the software sales to make up for it, then it will be a Pyrric victory. They still didn't outsell the 360 in the US, so it isn't a complete victory for them. The US is the key market. MGS4 may help them nudge above the 360 in weekly sales but if Microsoft does do a price drop around the time of GTA4, Sony is likely not going to be able to answer.

Can anyone argue that 07 was Sony's worst year, and Xbox360's best year? So what if it won, I never thought i was going to win without MGS4 and GTA4. But it almost did, and if MGS4 was released, or Halo 3 wasn't, the PS3 would have won by over a million.

The thing that determines this year is whether or not Xbox360 will drop its price, and Sony doesnt. I believe Sony loses as much or less than it initially did on the PS3, even with price drops. They didn't drop the price, IMO, but just released cheaper versions of their consoles. Analyst predicted that they will, and I believe they will as well. However, if they dont and Microsoft goes for the kill at $199 for a core, Sony is screwed.

@ Munkeh

Oh, I agree with you that Sony is facing an uphill fight in the U.S., but take a good look at the numbers. Even in Japan, the 360 is getting beat by the PS3 by like 50K weekly. In others, it is losing 75-100K some weeks. However, it's still the holidays. I can not emphasis this enough. If the PS3 is sustaining the same kind of lead over the 360 when April hits, oh yeah, it's going for the win. However, during the holidays, folks will gladly overextend themselves to get gifts for folks. They will make huge purchases just because it's the holidays. Under normal circumstances without the holidays in play, you can't expect that many folks to drop that much money on a system. Unless you have a killer budget or a well paying job - or whip out the plastic, folks won't make an impulse buy that large months after the holidays.

Working retail for a Black Friday and into the holidays, I learned one thing - customers armed with little knowledge, much ignorance and a credit card are deadly combinations. They will buy a turd if it's packaged right.

"Here Johnny, enjoy this fresh turd!"

I don't wish ill-will on any system, but it baffles me how many folks will buy a system based on brand alone and with little to no research as to why they are buying it.

As I stated earlier, the victory dance will be rather premature if the 360 rebounds after the holidays and the PS3 settles back into preholiday numbers - and believe you me, 360 fan bois will bookmark all of these crow threads and resurrect them like they were Lazarus. 

@ madskills; in Europe the difference between 360 and PS3 is not a huge amount, and given current trends in Europe, most people are going to pay that little bit extra to get the PS3. Of course all the consoles' sales will get brought closer together, but I still feel that the lead in Japan and Others will offset the US loss

I expect sales to drop slightly for a month or two. The PS3's pricing makes it more of a holiday buy than for the rest of the year, I expected an increase rivalling the 360 this Christmas season.

given the circumstances i think it is very impressive that the ps3 is selling very closely with the x360, despite a more powerful x360 lineup. Hopefully this gives Sony the momentum to have a good 1st quarter 08.

I anticipate that if the ps3 continues to outsell the x360 WW on a weekly basis, a x360 price drop won't be too far away.

Yay great to see PS3 making a big comeback, but Microsoft definetly aint gonna watch, price drop, unannounced games, etc.