Just a thought but what if Halo doesnt shift hardware sales? Apart from Forza which really isnt as big as the Halo franchise what can Microsoft look forward to to sell more hardware?

Another price cut?

I will not be surprised if it doesn't more any hardware, I mean there have already been what? 2-3 Halo games released on the 360.

the big quesdtion is not about ODST

it is about FM3 ...

It is too late in its cycle for the new games too help shift hardware. 360 is 4 years old and heading into its 5th year. New game releases will have little or no impact on 360 hardware sales.

I doubt ODST will shift hardware. The Halo 3 + Halo 3: ODST bundle COULD help, but I don't know. I don't think Forza Motorsport 3 (It has a long way to go before it'll catch Gran Turismo) or Left 4 Dead 2 will help much either.

Modern Warfare 2 bundle could really help shift sales, but it being multiplat will hinder this.

Now, with the PS3, FFXIII bundle in Japan will shift units significantly, since the game is exclusive there. Uncharted 2 could sell systems, but it needs heavy advertising (they could point out the awards it won). I doubt Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will help much, but it's a bonus to Uncharted 2 along with Demon's Souls.

I think the main problem with the 360's line-up is that their exclusives are spaced too far apart in the holidays. The PS3 is lacking in November only.

Look at this month: Halo 3: ODST for 360 (the biggest 360 exclusive this year) and Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 for PS3 (perhaps the smallest of the PS3 exclusives)

Early next month we got Demon's Souls in North America for PS3 (whose pre-orders are looking rather good), and Risen for 360 in EU (Unless it gets unexpectedly postponed like the NA release). Then, we have the biggest PS3 exclusive this year, Uncharted 2, with Ratchet and Clank following it shortly after. Then comes in Forza Motorsport 3. October really seems to be in favor of the PS3, especially when you also look at how US pre-orders of Tekken 6 are higher on PS3.

Now, November, on the other hand, is a different story. Unless I'm forgetting something, PS3 has no exclusives this month. The 360 has Left 4 Dead 2 and the Modern Warfare 2 bundle, which is going to be massive in the US. The only thing I see that could help the PS3 is the Assassin's Creed II bundle in Europe. If Sony does somehow manage to get a Modern Warfare 2 bundle before its release, then Sony is in a good position.

December is clearly in favor of the PS3 though, with the FFXIII bundle in Japan. I don't think there are any 360 exclusives in December.

It'd got to be unlikely, with Halo 3 and Halo Wars already out, that ODST would shift much HW. A small boost for first week or so is possible, but I'd be amazed to see more than that.

ODST is for people who have Halo 3 and 360 already, on its own I don't see why someone who hasn't bought a 360 and Halo would have ODST change their minds.

Clearly, it will be the tipping point for a minority, so my expectations is normal weekly sales plus a small lift.

L4D2 and MW2 are the two titles I could see shifting some HW too, although again both are sequels to already established franchises on 360, so even there a large chunk of the user base already has a 360 to play them.

Clearly MS is banking on the MW2 bundle to bring in new gamers towards 360 vs PS3, but while I expect to see 360 shift some serious SW with ODST, MW2, etc. I think that only a price drop will markedly affect its HW at this point unless the console gets some new, compelling titles. The big sequels aren't going to affect HW much IMHO.

I really love reading this guys posts, cracks me up.

@OP

Did u really think that ODST would sell to shit loads more new gamers, when over 10 million 360 owners already have Halo 3? I will make it very easy for u; most Halo fans have a 360... shock!

To add to my previous post, there is Eyepet coming to the US in November, which could help attract casuals.

I guess we must wait and see what happens in this Holiday. It's shaping up to be massive.

Ofcourse ODST won't move many consoles, maybe a few due to people playing too much ODST which made their 360 explode but that's about it. If you wanted to buy a 360 for Halo then you would have done it when Halo 3 came around, marketing was so godo that nobody got left behind. Besides ODST was promoted as ''more Halo 3'' for a long time, and even now it's official name is Halo 3:ODST, not Halo:ODST. So until Halo:Reach is here I don't think Halo will more any more units then it is already doing with Halo 3 every week.

As for the future, I think Micorosft has a great line-up of shooters, racers and WRPG so if anyone wanted to buy a 360 for that then they would have done it already or plan to do it. Sequels such as Mass Effect 2, Forza 3, Fable 3, Splintercell 4, etc just make it more tempting for them to get one. I think Micorosft stil has to deal with the brand value of the Xbox compaired with that of the Playstation. So when it comes to hardcore gamers they won't be able to catch many of them unless they come up with some amazing new franchise. But what will move systems in the future is Natal. Microsoft has never denied that they are in it to win the entire market, not just the hardcore gamers. So Natal is their new focus, in the end the PS2's mainstream succes helped it's hardcore fanbase aswell. Natal will bring new developers to the 360 and make multiplat developers such as Bethesda into exclusive developers not by choice but because they have no choice if they want to work with Natal.