It's not that negative? At least at some points, it's quite explicitly saying that VGChartz gets no data from retailers. That would mean this site is a sham.

How is that not being negative?

Sorry, I must of missed that part?  I seen where it say it includes "Sampled direct sell-through data" among other things.

Here is more fun.

OK, I'll quote some of the places where he says that:

"what VGChartz actually is - a strange mixture of a prediction market (as consensus prediction site TheSimExchange is) and a retroactive, but non-credited reflection of charts that have historically been known for having more concrete data"

"it's clear from the Iron Man example that they simply do not have the direct sale retail contacts to extrapolate unexpected but nonetheless true results. And if a title spikes but is outside public data, VGChartz will never catch it."

That's quite explicit, especially the first one. EDIT - on a second read, both are equally explicit (I was just skimming before).

PS: I just noticed that in other parts he contradicts what he's saying here, which basically means this article is tripe. Not even the author is sure what he believes.

It never says that.

Also, basically, that doesn't matter. The site is about providing accurate hardware sales, and it does that. Caring "how" is like caring if a game your playing is exclusive to your console. It's nice in arguments, but in reality, it matters very little. The site obviously cares about long term accuracy, therefore they adjust their numbers to conform to the accepted values.

If you ever expected the site to be an end all direct competitor to NPD, you were wrong and you shouldn't have expected that.

If you expected the site to be a quick, casual, easy to look at and compare dead on accurate source for your hardware sales and a nice guide to go by for software, then you're in the right place.

Why don't you people understand that this site isn't about where the freakin' numbers come from. That's just something that gives you peace of mind when you view the site.

The site itself is about giving accurate numbers for hardware and big software worldwide that is as dead on balls accurate as dead on balls accurate gets.

The only reason anyone should ever even have a problem with this is if they are losing money, attention, and customers because VGChartz exists (NPD) or if they are trying to source VGChartz as actual numbers and not predictions and analysis(NYT).

WTF makes VGChartz a sham via this article when it only repeats information that any VGChartz visitor has known about for well over a year.

It's like saying "ZOMG publically available information, VGChartz is a sham." Don't be a sheep. This site gets its numbers, worldwide, weekly and way before NPD and they are always accurate. They are a great snapshot for the industry, and the site is absolutely free, with basically 100 percent reliablilty for hardware and 90 percent reliability for software.

NPD's believes that they own freakin' hardware numbers. They think that we should be getting charged for VGChartz, and they should be getting a cut. That is their biggest delimma, it's ethical.

Nobody denies, because nobody can deny, that most numbers from VGChartz are dead on accurate.

So, even if they were "out the ass" guesses, with this type of accuracy, this would still be the best site on the interent.

However, since these numbers are based in reality, then the only reason NPD even f'n exists, it to check their numbers against VGChartz. If they wanna actually start mattering, then they need to adopt a VGChartz model and update their numbers weekly, and expand those numbers to encompass the world(which only VGChartz does).

Without VGChartz, this industyr and all discussion related to it would be full of ignorance, from the common man. Now, with this site, the average guy can be more accurate than the greatest analyists with their predictions. VGChartz was needed, thus it was built. Now, everyone trying to make a buck off what VGChartz provides more frequently, for free, over a larger area, is understandably pissed. They should be. They are boarderline useless, and starting to become insignificant to anyone but internet fanboys who wish the numbers were different then they really are, so their console could sell better.

Everybody in the industry uses VGChartz daily. It's just unpopular to admit it, so they don't around talking about it all the time. Be careful who you call a sham.

@Zen: Yeah, it does say it. Check out the two quotes I posted before your post.

Its just another article about VG in the wider media - its all good people :)

We should welcome these analysis, rather than trying to do any form of "cover up".

Even if VG *just* does extrapolate - we all know that the recent hardware has been VERY accurate, and software (is generally) getting better to.

Vgchartz has grown lots, and sites I go to that used to hate it and made me hate it, now quote it's figures and accept it as fact (Hardware sales mostly and past software sales).

But you are kidding yourself if you think articles like this don't hurt Vgchartz.

I can see that some of you are as confused as the author probably was. The doublethink is strong with this one. I don't blame you, it's easy to get confused after reading a bunch of contradictory claims paragraph after paragraph.

You know, with the rage and hate that I hold for gaf, you could give every one of those posters katanas and put them in a room with me, and I would strangle every single one of them to death, sustaining only minor injuries myself.