LMAO. I read a lot of posts last week about how it was the beginning of the end of 360 in America. Maybe next week....

I am surprised the PS3 sales drop was THAT large, though. And they've all but announced the North America price cut for first week of July for the 360. Interesting times ahead.

 The only problem will be people buying the game and console seperatly before then hurting its resurgence a bit. Games like MGS4 are extremely front loaded, and while I am certain more bundles will help again on July 5th, it will not be half of what it would have been if there were no supply shortages. The hardcore gamer is a fickle and impatient mistress.

 Oh god..Not this again.

Not everyone interested in buying a PS3 is going to just buy MGS4 due to the hype. If that were the case, I think a lot of people would be disappointed since the game is pretty far from a universal appeal title.

Of course anyone who wanted to play MGS4 and was waiting for it to buy a PS3, only to be completely denied of a bundle is just going to wait until the 80GB bundles are back in stock.

It's clearly a better deal unless you just don't want the game, which you'd still be able to flip on Craig's List, Ebay or Amazon Marketplace if not.

At this point, nothing is proved about the correlation between MGS4 and hardware sales until those bundles are back in stock. Only after normal stock levels for the bundle are seen on shelves can it be said that the hardware bump has subsided.

 You're assuming most people bought the bundle for MGS4.

 Given that at no point did the PS3's sales drop significantly in America (save for the normal summer lull) I am finding it hard to believe your theory. You keep saying BC is extremely important, but Others sales have been nothing but stronger without BC. Price means far more to most than BC.

Where have you been? It's pretty common knowledge that Sony didn't ship nearly enough 80 GB bundles

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10105856&catid=24376 - Sold out

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=999991100050000&type=product&id=pcmprd91200050000 - Sold out

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10105856&catid= - Sold out

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Metal-Gear-Solid-Pack/dp/B0014WJ78E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1214520820&sr=1-1 - Sold out

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=72559 - Sold out

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9864376 - Sold out

I was actually saying that the boost in sales due to the bundle would diminish over time as people who want Metal Gear Solid 4 bought a PS3; much like all games the sales of Metal Gear Solid 4 will diminish over time.

Maybe, but the backwards compatibility was available on previous 80GB systems at the same price and sales were far from amazing.

I am not correlating the spike in sales of PS3 with MGS4 release.

I am correlating with the reintroduction of BC on the US market. ( MGS4 sure helped a little though)

You guys are underestimating how big a factor it is in the purchase of a PS3.

Even, myself, a hardcore Sony Fan Boy, I would have thought twice before buying a PS3 last october if I hadn't been able to get a 80Gb... And I know that all the people I play with in Wow currently looking for a 80Gb are first and foremost looking for BC...

You've got to admit Leo-J, VGChartz had a lot of Sony fanboy support the day the NPD for GTAIV came out. According to them NPD's numbers were impossible and VGChartz made sense and were therefore right. Also, according to them, NPD was just adjusting for overtracked PS3 that month.

It would be fine if you were a consistant detractor of VGChatz to point out that these numbers seem undertracked in your opinion, but when you use a biased reasoning to come to the conclusion that these numbers could be correct, because the PS3 couldn't possibly track that low, then you're letting your bias change your opinion about sales predictions, instead of your sense.