I've yet to see anything that supports that Sony has radically changed the way they've reporting data.

I LOLed

As is always the case, NPD, Chart Track, GFK, and Media Create report sales from retailer to gamer. Sony sells the PS3 to the store for less than what you buy it at, Walmart then marks it up.

Sony's Customer = Walmart

Walmart's Customer = Gamer

Sony wants to make sure its stuff actually reaches little Timmy, so they pay $100,000s to see how quickly the inventory is being depleted to make sure that they don't make more or fewer systems than needed. You can therefore have cases where the big three see sellthrough top shipments because inventory was too high in a quarter, and you can have cases where shipments are far higher than sell through to prepare for future demand. A good example of the latter is the DSi - Nintendo shipped 800,000 through the end of March to the western retailers even though it didnt launch until April 5. This was to insure stock allocations would be healthy.

1. Luke Plunkett from Kotaku just made a huge error.

2. All 3 video game companies (as with virtually all major electronics firms) report their sales as "sold". But they don't sell directly to you and I, they sell directly to retailers. Retailers ARE their consumers...not us.

3. Prior to March 31, 2007, Sony reported the total number of units manufactured. On that day they switched to the industry standard method noted in point 2.

4. Units sold to end consumers (that's us) are reported via 3rd party tracking firms such as NPD. Anytime, ANYTIME, either of the big 3 claim sales figures sold to end users (us again) they will always, ALWAYS, indicate the sales are in accordance with one of the tracking firms...be it NPD, GfK Chart Track or Media Create. None of the big 3 track point of sale because they pay those other tracking firms for the results of their services.

5. Every quarter Sony releases their financial information to the public on their Investor Relations web site. You may find the following statement on all of them since March 31, 2007, "From FY07 the method of reporting unit sales was changed from production shipments to recorded sales (FY06 reclassified). As noted above recorded sales for them are retailers and distributors...not end market consumers (us).



Being in the media myself, it always pangs me to see our industry writers do all they can to lower our standards.

So they know how many consoles little Timmy has? Then that number should coincide with what those trackers... track.

@Viper1

3. and 5. Yes, I saw that in the PDF of their last financial report.
4. Crystal clear! ;)

It does coincide:

Reported figures from the big three are essentially this -

Reported Figures = Products in homes + Products still on shelves

You can figure out inventory by doing Reported Figures - Products in Homes

But they have no idea how high inventory is without companies like NPD and GFK saying home many products are in homes. You can't be Sony and say...hmm well retailers bought 10 million copies of our game, and inventory is a set amount, therefore we sold x. They have no idea how quick their items are being sold at the stores - it varies tremendously by time, region, country, brand, price and each retailer.

Estimates then. And I suppose that it is due to those tremendous variables that sometimes adjustements are made?

Don't leave out little Jimmy.

I can't believe folks - including the Source - are still arguing with the OP and the thread is still opened. Unfrigginbelievable.