PS3 actually outsold the 360 in 2007?

[HBK619]

Interesting read.
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2008/02/rothbarts-rant-80-microsoft-screwed-up.html

Anyone that knows me or has read my articles in the past knows I’ve never been one to back down from a conspiracy theory or even a strong hunch. I’m getting that feeling again and it’s related to how both Microsoft and the gaming press in general are reporting on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 sales. Something is starting to smell funny, and it’s wafting this way from Redmond.


Find out what I mean, after the jump.



Anyone can cook up a good conspiracy theory, or rumor. Hell, I’ve written how you can do it in past articles. What’s better than making up rumors? Dealing with facts. What are the best kind of facts? Facts straight from the horse’s mouth. Numbers are great too, because there’s so little room for interpretation. They are what they are.


Let’s talk about numbers, shall we? Not just any numbers mind you, but sales numbers. Sales numbers that show Microsoft sold 7.73m Xbox 360’s in calendar 2007. While Sony sold 8.83m PS3s during that same period. The sources of these numbers are Microsoft and Sony and so far out on “teh interwebs,” nobody’s denying any of these sales numbers… but for the sake of this article, I’ll spell them out and cite sources.


If you were to go back to January ‘07 and check out this video (at the 6:30 mark) you would see Microsoft’s Robbie Bach announce they sold 10.4 million Xbox 360’s as of December 31, 2006. If you read this UK GameSpot article, you’ll see that they claim to have sold 17.7M Xbox 360s through December 31, 2007. Major Nelson confirmed these numbers. A simple subtraction of 10.4 million from 17.7 million tells us that 7.3 million Xbox 360’s were sold in calendar 2007. Can anyone really dispute that? I don’t see how.


So, we know Microsoft (according to their own numbers) sold 7.3 million Xbox 360’s in calendar 2007, but if you look here you will see that Sony reported that they sold 8.83 million PS3’s in that same time-frame (a reminder that Q4 ‘06-Q3 ‘07 is actually the calendar year of 2007… or January 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007).


I make it no secret that I’m a big fan of the PS3, but I’m left scratching my head at this point. Microsoft sold fewer Xbox 360’s than PS3’s in 2007? They sold fewer Xbox 360’s in 2007 than 2006?! How can that be? Everything I read in the gaming press said how horribly the PS3 sold and how well the Xbox 360 sold… how can these numbers stand in the face of what we’re being told?


Was it because the 360 did not do so well at all in Japan? Was it because the PS3 outsold the 360 in parts of Europe and is trending toward outselling the 360 for the entire region for 2008? Was it because of that pesky Red Ring of Death issue they had to deal with… I wonder how significant that really was to their sales? They acted like it was “no big thang,” but if these numbers are accurate, then it may have been “THE big thang!”

I have to admit, with the numbers presented as they are, it makes a very compelling case for the PS3 outselling the Xbox 360 in 2007. I really can’t see how I’m misinterpreting them, but it’s always possible. As much as I hate to admit it, I just have trouble believing more PS3’s were sold in 2007 than Xbox 360’s. Something in my gut tells me it didn’t happen, despite all the evidence to the contrary. The more I think about it, I think my uneasiness is due to nobody else talking about it.
I want to know why nobody else is talking about it?
Most industry analysts estimate the RRoD issue has caused a nearly 33% failure rate (at its peak, assuming we’ve seen that)… Could it be that sales were affected by this negative press to a much higher degree than the gaming press would have us believe? That begs the question of what would the mainstream gaming media gain by not reporting the news that the Xbox 360 was outsold in 2007?

One might suggest Microsoft’s “bleed money until there’s no money left…. Ha ha ha, we’re Microsoft! There’s always money left!” outlook to the gaming industry. Microsoft spends a lot of money in the industry. Is there a reason Microsoft’s reporting their sales as cumulative?

Did they not want to point out they sold more 360s in 2006 than 2007?


I leave it to you, the reader, to speak up about how you take this information. Do you think the Xbox 360 was outsold (worldwide) in 2007 by the PS3? If the PS3 is already outselling the 360 during its first full year on the market, what does that mean for the 360 in the near and not so near future? EA has already gone on the record stating they thing the 360 will finish third behind the Wii and PS3 respectively in 2008. For those keeping score, that’s this year!


If the “Media” won’t talk about it, we will.

Very, very interesting.

Now he is only going by simple math and logic, no absolute concrete information.

But unless one or the other is lying he is 100% right.

The only thing is, why haven't we heard about this before and why hasn't Sony been talking this up?

 

[Gridlock'd]

Very interesting.

Hes right according to those simple mathematics, but someone could be bullshi tting somewhere along the line.

If true it doesnt bode well for Microsoft, with the price of the PS3's dropping and most of its big games being release in the coming months.

 

[HBK619]

Very interesting.

Hes right according to those simple mathematics, but someone could be bullshi tting somewhere along the line.

If true it doesnt bode well for Microsoft, with the price of the PS3's dropping and most of its big games being release in the coming months.

Pretty much what I thought, but why would Microsoft release a figure that would be worse than Sony's.

I don't think Sony's can be faked as it's from their Official Hardwares Sales figure.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Doesn't Sony record shipments to retailers as sold units?

They used to. Not sure if they still do.

 

[Mancey]

Not really a massive revelation. It's pretty much universally known it was extremely close between both consoles last year. Depending which figures you believe you can make a case for either outselling the other.

Fact is there was a bee's dick between them last year, and both ended up claiming victory over the chrissy period.

In the end, does it matter?

Do you think that it'd influence anyones decision on a console purchase if one sold a few more than the other last year? Even more so when one's sales figures are bolstered by dominating in a market (japan) which local gamers share very little in common with?

Do you think the ps3 can make up the massive head start the 360 has gained by being released earlier? Whats more important, units sold in 2007, or total units in loungerooms.

Frankly i'd buy a console based on which had the games i wanted to play, rather than sales figures.

I know i'll certainly be adding to the ps3 figures this year, and i'm sure i'll love it. Much like i've loved my 360 for the last year.

 

[DamianBis]

Doesn't Sony record shipments to retailers as sold units?

They used to. Not sure if they still do.

If they do. no doubt microsoft would as well.

 

[ep2018]

360 will finish last this console generation. Only because they're not doing that well in Japan.

 

[Hollow Knight]

360 will finish last this console generation. Only because they're not doing that well in Japan.

Finishing last doesn't really mean anything as long as the business plan is viable.

I mean, Pepsi are never going to get on top of Coke, but they're doing okay.

 

[Abaddon]

Sony sold around 160k PS3s last year (not including 28k given away with Sony Bravia full HD TVs). While xbox 360 figures have not been released they're believed to be a similar number. So if you include the freebies, apparently more new PS3 entered homes in 2007 than xbox 360. All bodes well for blu-ray too.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

Grwat source.

http://nexgenwars.com/ says they have only sold 8.056m PS3s total, to 360s 17.055m and extending the lead.

Meh, I don't care which one sells more, I care which one has the best games. And that's an easy argument.

 

[Borgsta]

I think no one makes a big deal about it because it isn't a big thing from Xbox's POV. The 360 had already been out for a year before 2007 and as such should expect to sell for 2007.

I'd expect the 360 to sell even less again this year.

I assumed that this was logic and common knowledge. Obviously not.

 

[Borgsta]

Very interesting.

Hes right according to those simple mathematics, but someone could be bullshi tting somewhere along the line.

If true it doesnt bode well for Microsoft, with the price of the PS3's dropping and most of its big games being release in the coming months.

Why? They are already 9 million units in front.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

I've also read that Sony had to downgrade their prediction from 10 mil to 8.5 mil and still didn't hit that.

 

[Mancey]

Why? They are already 9 million units in front.

Yeah, i'm sure Bill Gates and co are crying into their beers as we speak after such a comprehensive drubbing.

 

[Gridlock'd]

Why? They are already 9 million units in front.

Only because the PS3 hasnt released any of their big games yet, and are more expensive than the X Box, yet by those figures, they outsold them in 2007.

But yeah, meh, as you said, it doesnt really worry Microsoft, im sure they have the money to cover it. But over the next few years, im sure we will see the PS3 close that gap and even make into a considerable lead.

 

[Mancey]

Honestly, I can see no way sony will make up the 9 million units required to overtake microsoft, based simply on what games are released. Plenty of awesome 360 releases coming up to promote that console too.

Thing is, the ps3 by no means has to make up the ground, its still done well enough to make money for sony i'm sure. To say it'll make up 9 million units, when its selling rate is pretty much exactly level with the 360 at the moment...bit of a pipe dream i think.

Even if it doubles the 360 sales this year, which won't happen, it'd still be behind.

Sales are a pretty dodgy way to judge a consoles worth regardless. Does it really mean that much to anyone?

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

Honestly, I can see no way sony will make up the 9 million units required to overtake microsoft, based simply on what games are released. Plenty of awesome 360 releases coming up to promote that console too.

Thing is, the ps3 by no means has to make up the ground, its still done well enough to make money for sony i'm sure. To say it'll make up 9 million units, when its selling rate is pretty much exactly level with the 360 at the moment...bit of a pipe dream i think.

Even if it doubles the 360 sales this year, which won't happen, it'd still be behind.

Sales are a pretty dodgy way to judge a consoles worth regardless. Does it really mean that much to anyone?

Meh, I don't care which one sells more, I care which one has the best games. And that's an easy argument.

this

 

[ben_cats_fan]

Honestly, I can see no way sony will make up the 9 million units required to overtake microsoft, based simply on what games are released. Plenty of awesome 360 releases coming up to promote that console too.

Thing is, the ps3 by no means has to make up the ground, its still done well enough to make money for sony i'm sure. To say it'll make up 9 million units, when its selling rate is pretty much exactly level with the 360 at the moment...bit of a pipe dream i think.

Even if it doubles the 360 sales this year, which won't happen, it'd still be behind.

Sales are a pretty dodgy way to judge a consoles worth regardless. Does it really mean that much to anyone?

Unfortunately it does. There are more people out there than just the consumers, and two main groups of people come to mind when contemplating this question: Investors & more importantly, potential investors. It's a big money industry, and investors want a return on their money. If the business is not selling units, they take their money elsewhere where they can make money.

For the average consumer, such figures matter very little. As has been stated many times, quality of product is what drives our choices when selecting what we want to buy.

The one point I don't see valid when putting these figures out for the world to see is these 'comparable' figures that are anything but. How on earth can you compare sales from a console that has been out since 2006, to one that was out in 2007? From an investment point of view, what good is it knowing that Xbox has sold 9 million more units when that 9 million was from the previous period where Microsoft were virtually unchallenged? Pointless. Plain and simple. The head to head figures are what matters, and it seems like PS3 is winning that battle.

 

[Mancey]

From an investment point of view, what good is it knowing that Xbox has sold 9 million more units when that 9 million was from the previous period where Microsoft were virtually unchallenged? Pointless. Plain and simple. The head to head figures are what matters, and it seems like PS3 is winning that battle.

Depends which figures you use, both are so close in sales its almost impossible to separate them.

I don't think microsofts investors will be complaining any time soon somehow, given they have more money than god.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

The only investors I care about are the games developers - and at the moment the attach rate for PS3 games is absolutely dismal. People are buying a blu-ray player, not a games machine.

With piss poor sales, and huge PS3 development difficulties and costs, it's going to be tough to keep games companies signed up, and PS3 exclusives will be pretty much non-existant soon. For example, MGS4 developers have stated publicly they need 1 million sales on launch day just to break even.

 

[HBK619]

Grwat source.

http://nexgenwars.com/ says they have only sold 8.056m PS3s total, to 360s 17.055m and extending the lead.

Meh, I don't care which one sells more, I care which one has the best games. And that's an easy argument.

Doesn't that mean the PS3 is actually right on par with the 360, considering the year extra that the 360 was out, it looks just about even.

Also if you think about it, that was when there were less consoles to choose from, now there are 3 all with their own reasons to buy.

 

[Conan Troutman]

Doesn't that mean the PS3 is actually right on par with the 360, considering the year extra that the 360 was out, it looks just about even.

Also if you think about it, that was when there were less consoles to choose from, now there are 3 all with their own reasons to buy.

Also has only out for 10 months here and in Europe.

 

[Lunchlady Doris]

Doesn't that mean the PS3 is actually right on par with the 360, considering the year extra that the 360 was out, it looks just about even.

Also if you think about it, that was when there were less consoles to choose from, now there are 3 all with their own reasons to buy.

Can you give me some reasons to buy a PS3?

 

[rapidshave]

Can you give me some reasons to buy a PS3?

I doubt it.

I want one for MGS4 but until then I just can't justify buying one.

360 has the better games hands down ATM, that is why I have one and not a PS3.

 

[ben_cats_fan]

Can you give me some reasons to buy a PS3?

Doesn't really address his point. But how's HD going anyway? Blue-ray is, rightfully so, the main sticking point for buying a PS3 at this point in time. I don't necessarily look at the PS3 as a pure gaming console, like the Wii, but that, as well as the multi-media system aswell. And there's none better value on the market right now.

I have a 360 and a PS3, and I know what I prefer. Truth is, regardless of whether the games are there on the PS3 or not, there are so many reasons why I prefer my PS3 over my 360:
- I rather the controller; light weight, six-axis and not bulky
- I have had a number of issues with my 360, not so my PS3
- PS3 is wireless, my 360 is not
- PS3, in my opinion, has an incredible line-up of PS3 exclusive games, not so interesting with the 360
- More and more movie distributors are switching to Blue-ray exclusive, rather than HD, and that holds very strongly in my opinion

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy having both consoles because it allows me to enjoy the best of both worlds, but if I had to get rid of one, regardless of $$$ value, Xbox360 goes every time