Xbox 360 reverses plunging console sales trend Games console sales in the US fell 38 per cent last month when compared to June 2008, market watcher NPD's latest numbers show. Microsoft alone can take some solace. It was the only console maker to shift more units in June 2009 than in June 2008. Back then, it sold 219,000 Xbox 360s. In June 2009, some 240,600 were sold. …
I haven't bought a new console in over a year now. I guess it could be because of the financial downturn, or more likely it's because I've already got one!
When was a new console last released? Are there thousands of people out there putting off getting a new console for this long? Or maybe, just maybe, everyone who wanted a console has already bought one.
Game sales would be a better indicator of the financial console situation. I know that I have to consider the price of games more these days.
when Project Natal will pretty much wipe out the opposition next year, unless Sony has something secretly buried away in the labs......watched a demo last week expecting another disappointing eye-toy type gismo, but was completely gob-smacked. Natal doesn't seem to have got much coverage here though.......
I'd put it down to the then upcoming release of The Secret Of Monkey Island Special Edition on XBOX Live Arcade (which has now been released). Maybe a whole load of Monkey Island fans didn't have an XBOX 360 and got one just for this game (and maybe already have a Wii for the Tales Of Monkey Island game which is coming out on WiiWare).
Hey it's as good as an explanation as any. It's the reason I bought an XBOX 360 Elite (that and the fact I was too impatient to wait 2 extra months for my birthday so got one on Fathers Day).
Or it could be due to Project Natal, or simply because the Wii recently has had nothing but party games, I mean what is that Birthday Party game about FFS?!?
(Before anyone rants, yes I do have a Wii, I really do enjoy Wii Sports, Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Fit and I'm really looking forward to Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Red Steel 2 and the new Raving Rabbids game).
I still won't buy a PS3 though, they're just too expensive (the XBOX 360 Elite was more than I really wanted to spend!).
Pretty much everyone has said, now the Microsoft E3 hype has died down and everything has come out in the wash, the Sony technogy is the better balanced of the 2, and it's also more accurate.
With the Wand and PS3Eye, you have the best of both worlds. The Eye can do facial and body movement recognition, and with the wand you get the precision movements too.
You only have to look at Microsofts pre-recorded demonstration, and the faked "live" bit to see they are having problems gettting to to work right now, and that it's in the REALLY early stages of development. The Sony was was shown working live in a real demonstration.
I suspect the Sony Wand (or whatever it ends up looking like and being called) will beat Microsoft's to the market by 6 months at least AND end up better.
That said, it's likely that Microsoft will just shove what they have out on the market early regardless of if it works or not, just they they did with the 360 itself.
The thing XBox haters miss in their RROD conspiracy theories is perhaps the most important fact.
The XBox 360 is just that much more fun than the PS3, it has more, better games, a better online community and you can buy 2 of the standard 60gb model for the price of a PS3.
The 360 is still selling well simply because it's a good, fun, solid console.
I say solid because the RROD problem was fixed around the end of 2007, hence why it doesn't make news anymore and the only people who bring it up are ignorant Microsoft haters.
The 360 is beating the PS3 for one reason and one reason only, it's just that much better an offering when all factors are taken into account.
Strange sales figures seeing as there haven't been any decent games released for the 360 this year.
As for NATAL, el Reg hates NATAL and everything it represents but when it revolutionises the gaming industry I will be standing outside of their offices gloating and laughing at them.
If it doesn't.....well who cares.
The PS3 is more expensive and even a cursory glance shows that it has precious few 'must have' exclusive titles whereas those available on PS3 and 360 tend to look better on the Microsoft machine. I don't know if it's lazy coding or bad support from Sony or the desperate lack of texture memory on the PS3 - but some PS3 games are running in lower resolutions than the 360, have lower frame rates and some horribly blocky textures.
As for the Wii sales falling. Simple - once you've played Wii Sports, what else is there that's worth having? The Wii is a complete bust as a games platform, Nintendo seems to have forgotten to release games for it, preferring a series of gimmicks like Wii Fit and Wii Music which don't have much long appeal and are ridiculously expensive.
I'm on my 3rd 360, whereas my PS3 and Wii have behaved perfectly; but it's clear Microsoft have won this generation of consoles - they've tapped into popular sentiment and got a compelling set of exclusives.
I should know, I'm currently waiting on my 4th replacement machine from Microsoft. But i still play it and buy games for it because it's such a good gaming machine, with a great online infastructure, better controllers, better games, better graphics and more selection.
My PS3 has sat there as an expensive ornament, briefly being used for Drakes Fortune (brilliant), Little Big Planet (over-hyped crap) and Ratchett & Clank (not as enjoyable as the PS2 versions)
The Wii was a gimmick, only decent games have been the Nintendo produced ones and they have very short lives.
I've also noticed in the shops like Game, that many of them seem to be concentrating on the PS3 the least - it's has the smallest section and an abysmal game selection.
The sad thing is that I was a huge PS2 fan and was hoping the PS3 would deliver so much more than it actually has.
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