Pristine20 said: XiaoMay said: Afterman said: Why the hell does XBOX360 users buy so much software? So....i think that for this generation...Microsoft is closer for a win than SONY. ( HD gaming). We still need to see the pricecut for the PS3.       Well, 360 is now FAR cheaper... And who cares about Blue Ray ? PLUS 360 = American games on an American Console in America 360 is the FIRST real alternative to japanese gaming. plus 360 as great exclusive for people who love racing and FPS (I dont)   Doesnt it remember the FF Case : Japanese Game on a Japanese Console in Japan ? = PS2 and now Wii (PS3 ??)   If you're speculating an inherent bias towards home made stuff in gamers' minds, you may be on to something here. I do know people who only want to buy "made in America" but I didn't think they were a relevant group. However, Japanese have resisted the 360 to this day despite having all the big JP JRPGs. It couldn't just be because of FF?

Well, it's not like a real bias in my view, I think more about it as a general trend : japanese people can make games that are more attractive to japanese gamers (JRPG ?) when American companies tend to make games that are more attractive to western gamers...

You know what I mean ?

Then again, JRPG are doing really well on 360 in Japan, and 360 sales in Japan are REALLY improving a LOT (12.000 next week when 1st xbox was always around 500)

I spent months in Japan and I am amazed at how good MS position is now there

Fei-Hung said: The gap is not getting bigger, in fact it was getting smaller until MS dropped their price. PS3 is still too pricy in a world where recession has hit many homes and this has made the 360 more accessible to gamers. Neither console is going anywhere fast. 360 was selling better, then the ps3 was selling better and now the 360 is selling better - both are selling well. games - 1) well the larger the install base, the more they will sell. 2) LBP is a Niche game unlike Gears and Halo 3) Unlike Resistance; Halo and Fable have a huge fan base from the previous gen. 4) Resistance may have been good when it came out, but not many casual gamers were happy since the graphics were naff compared to Gears. So now they doubt the new r2 will be worth buying. 5) Sony hyped a lot of games (heavenly sword, haze, lair to name a few), but reviews as well as some of the hype. So now many gamers doubt if Sony games are really what they are hyped to be. Unlike the 360, most games apart from too human did live up to the hype. 6) Sony marketing has been shite compared to 360 marketing. Where you make a mistake is thinking they have won the war. many people do not realise how well the PS3 is selling with its current price compared to the 360 who should be killing the PS3 with the price differential. The question remains, what will happen when and if the PS3 drops by another $100's and becomes more affordable? Sony have also failed to release any games that have a big fan base. Games such as; GT, Jak and Daxter, Dance mat games, a new PS3 Wipeout, GoW3, Onimusha and twisted metal. Those games that could have made a difference; GTA, Devil May Cry, FF, tekken and maybe some more have now gone multi platform. meaning, if you are a gamer who can't afford a PS3, you need not worry, a cheaper console is out there who can play the same game!

1) Yes.2) How is LBP niche...?! It's a goddamn platformer, how is that 'niche'! Platforming games sell like hotcakes if done well! And LBP is done well! And the game was hyped to death! People claimed it would sell to the heavens... Ok, not that but do well! You can't talk your way outta this by saying it's niche now because it didn't sell as well as what you guys though it would.3) Why don't you compare Resistance 2 to Gears 2?! Seems more fair... Because Halo and Fable are from another gen and Gears isn't and it's comparable! So Resistance isn't doing as well as it could! Fact!4) That's just BS! Look at the trailers!5) 6) How so? I've seen loads of ad's for the PS3...You know, if Sony lowers the price to 299 or 249... X360 is done with! But what your saying is just BS!

 

 

"Then again, JRPG are doing really well on 360 in Japan, and 360 sales in Japan are REALLY improving a LOT (12.000 next week when 1st xbox was always around 500)

I spent months in Japan and I am amazed at how good MS position is now there"

They have made significant inroads in Japan because of the jrpgs; however, once FFXIII comes out in Japan, most studios will shift there jrpg development plans to the PS3 which will leave the 360 without new games in the genre that almost allowed them to gain a foothold there. And the success of GTA IV PS3 over that of GTA IV 360 shows that Japanese gamers still prefer their Western games on Japanese consoles.

"You do realize that a few multiplat games have done better on ps3 right. If you mean software totals. A year headstart alone would almost guarantee that."

Of course, one or two years of the PS3 being on the market after most 360 development has ceased and while MS and their crews are working towards finding the right formula for there next machine would offset that.

"The trend will stop having any real effect by December 25th of this year and the release of White Knight Chronicles in Japan. PS3 is going to own the HD console wars through March with games like InFamous and Killzone 2 (which has received big early pops from non gamer publications like Maxim), then with White Knight Chronicles and an exclusive big time racer coming in March. Finally with some price cuts and FFXIII coming out exclusively for the PS3 in June in Japan, you have the PS3 taking back its JRPG crown and cutting the 360's lead in half."

 

 If LBP and R2 didn't kill the X360 sales I seriously doubt White Kniht Chronicles or Killzone 2 will either.  As long as the PS3's price is so high it will linger on in 3rd place.   And even if they do decide to drop the PS3's Price, it won't matter as much because M$ will do the same next Christmas.  So even if it did cut into the 360's lead somewhat it will gain it back by the end of the year.  Just like the 360 is doing this year.

 

I happen to like the PS3 and I feel that competition is a good thing.  I however doubt it will ever catch up to the 360 this generation and if it does it will not over take it by much.  IMO the 2nd and 3rd place holders will fizzle out into a deadheat.

Yes. but what game is going to be coming to the 360 next December? After Gears 2, Microsoft is going to be trimming down 360 development and beginning to work on their next machine which I predict will be announced at GDC in March 2009.

senortaco said: Okay reading thorough all the post I don't understand why people think the XB360 price cut was to squarely attack Sony sales. Microsoft now has a new target, and they set their sights squarely on the Wii. They priced the arcade not to cut into Sony sales more, but to try and slow the Wii's progress...as some have forgotten the Wii was the leader for the most part in software/hardware sales in 2008. ...Look at the bundled offerings that Microsoft has with the Arcade, as well as Pro. They realized...late, but there IS a cap on how much you can sale to the Hardcore market. The NXE isn't to combat Playstation@Home, it's to make it more accessible an interface like the Wii to non core gamers. Sony has to improve themselves as a company first. This focus WILL cause things to lapse. The poor QC on LBP is an example. Do you think Nintendo would let something like that slip and cause a delay to an important title like that?

Microsoft gave up their fight against the Wii. If memory serves me correct it was Sony who still believed they could take the Wii with an over 15 m console lead. Microsofts whole goal this gen is to take out the PS3. Don't believe me? look up the testomony of Don Mattrick in taking out the PS3. He said it after E3. Anyway, the price cut on the 360 was squarely to help the holiday sales and intimidate the PS3 who this year cannot have anymore price cuts.

Sony doesn't need to improve themselves as a company. Morally they will always be assholes just like Microsoft. Blu Ray has been what has been holding their sales back.

 

jagenjg said: The PS3 has stalled out as far as software sales are going. Cause a ton of people are just buying a PS3 to be a Blu-ray movie player. They are not buying games cause they only want to watch movies. I am sure this is the case cause that's why I have one. If I want to play games i use my 360.

anecdote=evidence confirmed!
I believe you, but you should really find numbers instead of just saying stuff like that.

Jagen, what I think you will find more interesting, is that the attachment ratio for both consoles is surprisingly
similar even though a ton of people are only buying it as a BR player. This evidence would suggest that ps3 attachment ratio is either neck and neck or even beating the 360 in cases where people play games on them. I thought 360 was hardcore!

 

Paul_Warren said: Yes. but what game is going to be coming to the 360 next December? After Gears 2, Microsoft is going to be trimming down 360 development and beginning to work on their next machine which I predict will be announced at GDC in March 2009.

Really now? Dost thou haveth a link to prove thine point?

In terms of overall, PS3 did well this year, but in terms of the gastronomical goals that were predicted by Sony (year of the PS3) and sony fanboys (every title will sell millions of copies), it did fail in that sense.

MS did the right thing and released the 360 first. They also courted all big multirelease games. A chunk of PS2 hardcore owners migrated to the 360. All in all, i am surprised that mgs4 was ps3's only extreme bright spot (excluding multi platform games) since 2006. Resistance 1 also, but that was in the long term.