back to article Xbox One FAILS to beat PS3 - yes, PS 3 - week one sales

Microsoft’s high profile Xbox One launch did not attract as many British punters as Sony’s PlayStation 3 notched up some six-and-a-half years ago, UK retail sources have revealed. The next-gen machine went on sale in the UK on Friday 22 November. Sales made by Britain’s biggest High Street and online retailers hit in the …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Strange, I thought officially the PS3 has outsold the XBOX 360 in the UK....

    1. TheVogon

      "Strange, I thought officially the PS3 has outsold the XBOX 360 in the UK...."

      Nope - the Xbox 360 has even outsold the Wii in the UK - it's the UK's top selling console last generation console..

    2. Daniel B.

      It did.

      They're comparing week-1 sales of the PS3 vs. week-1 sales of the XB1. On the long run, the PS3 ended up outselling the 360 by a low margin, and that's even before shaving off those who bought RROD replacements.

    3. Bob Vistakin
      FAIL

      Any fucking wonder?

  2. kyza

    Think you might be re-writing this paragraph after Friday:

    Microsoft needn’t worry about failing to beat the PS3’s opening sales tally. Britain, like North America, favoured the Xbox 360 over the the PS3 overall, and seems likely to do so when it comes to the successors to those machines.

    In NA & Canada PS4 sold 1m+ units in first 24 hrs; Xbone has sold about that number worldwide

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Actually that's completely irrelevant as launches are stock limited. Also N/A includes Canada and 13 territories is not worldwide.

      Microsoft launched in 13 times as many territories not with 13 times as much stock. Both companies are selling consoles faster than they can distribute them and its not outside the realm of believability for Sony to ship less than a million consoles for the European launch and the UK could easily see less than 100,000 units for launch. Stock will then be restricted further as Sony gears up for its Japan release.

      Then there's also the simple fact that it will take months for Sony to launch in all territories while Microsoft is keeping a continual supply line and both companies are launching where they have less of a foothold to get momentum going.

      Launch stats are irrelevant, insignificant fanboi bait.

  3. Wattsy

    Meh, it sold a lot, which is the important thing really. If the launch had tanked then the consumer would have been harmed as well as MS. The Xbox one and the PS4 being a success is important to all gamers as this will drive competition and hopefully some new IPs and that means more development in the future.

    1. Dave 126 Silver badge

      How so? Were either the XBONE or PS4 were to die on the vine, there would still be competition between software publishers.

      1. Paul Shirley

        competition between software publishers

        ...and since the hardware is all but identical, competition isn't coming from Sony+Microsoft, unless you're one of the few people that think gamers will actually buy into Kinect this time round. They'll both get the same games, the PS4 will run them faster or prettier, the XB180 builds will have superfluous Kinect gesture support grafted on (but left unused by players). In a years time they'll have equivalent social network support, and video+media hub functions.

        And they'll both have increasingly overpriced software in a world of mobile and resurgent PC gaming, markets that do have actual competition instead of a phony platform war based on theatrics more than actual competition.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: competition between software publishers

          "And they'll both have increasingly overpriced software"

          Battlefield 4 inc China rising at my favourite etailer

          PC £38.95

          PS3 £38.95

          Xbox 360 £34.95

          Need for speed Rivals limited edition

          PC £34.95

          Xbox 360 £39.95

          PS3 £39.95

          Forza Motorsport 5

          Xbox One £44.86

          PC not available

          Super Mario 3D world £39.95

          PC not available

          Mario Kart 8 £39.95

          PC not available

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      'this will drive competition and hopefully some new IPs'

      That depends... I'm inclined to think that the big studios and big console makers are in Hollywood sequel mode right now. That doesn't lead to new IP, its just leads to more COD / GTA reboots. While Watchdogs and The Crew and Forza etc may bring some new ideas, I'm not sure they will be as groundbreaking as gamers expect.

  4. Dave 126 Silver badge

    Wasn't the PS3 amongst the more affordable BluRay players on launch?

    1. RyokuMas
      Thumb Up

      BluRay

      Gotta agree with Dave 126 - I know more than one person who bought a PS3 as a cheaper BluRay player, rather than as a games console.

      ... but we can't let that get in the way of an excuse to have yet another boring old bash at Microsoft now, can we?

    2. James 51

      When it launched the PS3 was half the price of the cheapest Sony blu-ray player if I recall correctly. Know a lot of people brought it for media and discovered games (compared to the xbox were it was bought for games and discovered media afterwards).

      1. dogged

        I don't really see how it's news that expensive thing launched during recession sells less than expensive thing launched at height of boom anyway.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yes, plus it is one of the few to have its capabilities expanded and updated over the years.

    4. Syntax Error

      Also in 2007 the British Economy was booming whereas at the moment it is a flat/depressed.

  5. Lee D Silver badge

    Roll on next year, when we might be able to pick up a cheap SteamBox or similar...

    1. csumpi

      Cheap? With price range of $700-$1000? Or you are saying people will be selling used ones at a loss?

      1. Lee D Silver badge

        http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-4-Launch-Edition/dp/B00BGA9WK2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385402313&sr=8-2&keywords=ps4+preorder

        http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-4-DualShock-Bundle/dp/B00EW6QT76/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1385402313&sr=8-3&keywords=ps4+preorder

        One's a PS4 pre-order bundle, one has an extra controller.

        $900 and $1500 respectively.

        So, yes. And the fact is that cheaper SteamBoxes are already in the pipeline (because, after all, it's just commodity PC hardware rather than a "real" specialist console).

        1. Lee D Silver badge

          Oh, and er:

          http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/26/ibuypower_steam_console_coming_2014/

  6. knarf

    Too pricey and burned by "no trade ins"

    I popped in to HMV Friday, saw the £550 with TWO games and promptly left. Their "no tradies or swaps" have burned them with the average punter.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Too pricey and burned by "no trade ins"

      Even though Microsoft publically reversed that policy within a week of E3?

      Also seeing as you can get three games and a year's Xbox Live at game for £550 that's more HMV's issue than Microsoft's.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Too pricey and burned by "no trade ins"

      ""no tradies or swaps"

      That was never the policy - there were always trades - it was just controlled - you would have to resell via an authorised retailer...

  7. john devoy

    total meh

    They will both outsell the last gen, Nintendo is effectively out of the race now since the wii-u launched so early it's not considered next gen. That put's us down to a 2 horse race for hardcore gamers and Ninty for the kids/budget conscious. Given that we're all supposed to be totally broke its impressive that anyone is selling anything.

    1. asdf

      Re: total meh

      >They will both outsell the last gen

      You would think eventually what with the world population still growing.

      >Given that we're all supposed to be totally broke its impressive that anyone is selling anything.

      Count yourself lucky if layoffs are a distant/nonexistent memory for you. Of course they are both going to have a small group of hard core folks that buy their day one stuff but it is the rest of the people that are needed for ROI. They will come around of course (they always do) but my guess is it won't be in the next year.

    2. Ben Rose

      Re: total meh

      At least the Wii U is managing games at 1080p/60 - the only console in the UK that does.

      1. MJI Silver badge

        Re: total meh

        Wii U is also managing 720P on a few cross platform games.

        That said Nintendos latest was the 2nd best platform for Assassins Creed 4 in a recent comparison.

        But then I have seen bad footage of X1 on latest COD, ever so 2008.

        With all the withheld X1 footage, are they trying to hide something?

      2. RyokuMas
        FAIL

        Re: total meh

        Would rather have 320x200px, 16 colours and engaging gameplay than yet another batch of sequels in 1080p, personally.

      3. Greg J Preece

        Re: total meh

        At least the Wii U is managing games at 1080p/60 - the only console in the UK that does.

        I'm sure the PS4 is more than capable of running ports of Gamecube-era Zelda games at 1080p... How capable do you reckon the U is of running Shadowfall at all?

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: total meh

        "At least the Wii U is managing games at 1080p/60 - the only console in the UK that does."

        The graphics it renders in '1080p' generally look like they were drawn with crayons though. At i'm pretty sure Forza 5 on the Xbox One is 1080p / 60Hz....

  8. asdf

    hmm

    I am looking at close to a year before I decide which system to upgrade to. Making sure the kids are fed comes first of course and there is no use upgrading until I get at least a 1080p TV (been making due with 1080i except for my projector which I don't like for gaming). Plus as long as I can still get the games I want on the PS3 the case to upgrade right away is not strong. It will be some time until game devs are willing to forgo totally a 150 million PS3/Xbox 360 user base. My guess is this generation sales will be heavily back loaded (ie first two years sales will be fairly modest).

  9. TechicallyConfused

    Silly Statistics

    Why must people make pointless comparisons?

    In 2006 when the PS3 finally hit the shelves it was indeed over a year late and the market was begging for something new and decent. The fact it sold less than 200K is more amazing than it selling more than the XBOX One did, especially since we are just cruising into Xmas and everyone is prolly still pretty happy with what they have for right this minute.

    Let's look at the statistical damage after xmas!

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    2 things.

    1: 6 years ago the PS3 was actually amongst the best value Blu-ray players around (that also played games)

    2: we had money then. The intervening years happen to have seen one of the worst economic periods since the world wars.

    1. Stretch

      @ DijitulSupport

      Yes. In fact the PS3 was the only BlueRay player available at the time that fully implemented the spec.

      But who could buy anything from SCEE now? We know Sony hates us. Years of experience have taught us this.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    PS3 outsold Xbox One

    So... it sold out, right? All that means is there were less Xbox Ones available for sale at launch, right?

    In the USA you can't buy either console, so sales are determined by stock availability. I assume the UK is the same way.

    1. jai

      Re: PS3 outsold Xbox One

      possibly - but at least half of that is because the PS4 isn't available here until Friday.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Too expensive

    I looked at the options earlier this year but it quickly became apparent that I could build a fairly good Gaming PC for similar money. It has the advantage that it will pick up most of the games, already has a vast catalogue, they tend to be cheaper and it is upgradeble. I overspent a little at £530 to give it more upgradeability. I might buy an PS4 or Xbox one in 18-24 months, when they actually cost alot less and make more sense as their are games to play. Fully expect both to succeed, they are too big to fail.

  13. Duffaboy

    Waiting for a proper console

    Nuff said

  14. MJI Silver badge

    As a PS3 owner

    I just cannot take a console in its prime out of service. It will remain by our TV as long as it lasts along with our recently relasered PS2, and the occasionally used Wiiii.

    There are not many new releases we will buy for it but tons of current generation games we have missed.

    It has been a long generation but also a good generation. Some superb games, and the most engrossing stories.

    But the HDMI lead and TOSLink cable are there ready for the 29th. 1 game awaits, 2 are on the way.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: As a PS3 owner

      Damn straight!

      The problem with PS4 and XBone is that their playing to the technologically diminishing returns game.

      We have a guy here that got a PS4 on launch night. He says that the games look clearer and sharper in 1080p but really it's like comparing Bluray to DVD. For most people, DVD is good enough. I just don't think there are *that* many people ready to give up on their PS3 and XBOX 360 just yet in just the same way that the Bluray players are nice but for most people too expensive to make it worthwhile for the difference in quality.

      Large screens might make a difference for some people but if you have a standard box, the difference is more marginal.

      1. Joerg

        Re: As a PS3 owner

        "skelband

        Re: As a PS3 owner

        Damn straight!

        The problem with PS4 and XBone is that their playing to the technologically diminishing returns game.

        We have a guy here that got a PS4 on launch night. He says that the games look clearer and sharper in 1080p but really it's like comparing Bluray to DVD. For most people, DVD is good enough. I just don't think there are *that* many people ready to give up on their PS3 and XBOX 360 just yet in just the same way that the Bluray players are nice but for most people too expensive to make it worthwhile for the difference in quality.

        Large screens might make a difference for some people but if you have a standard box, the difference is more marginal."

        DVDs are far from enough. If you can't see the huge quality difference between a BluRay and a DVD then you are blind or under drugs.

        PS4 and XBoxOne are a scam and fraud instead. The games don't look any better than on PS3 and XBox360, actually most look either the same or worse.

        The AMD APU Jaguar it's just too slow. Many games are running at only 720p 20fps on average, the APU can't run algorithms in realtime. Then they cheat increasing resolution to 1080p 60fps yes.. but only by disabling most light and physics effects, lowering texture quality (flat textures) and using lower complexity 3D models with less polygons.

        There is no quality difference between these fake next-gen consoles PS4 and XBoxOne and the PS3 and XBox360. Actually the new ones are worse, cheaper quality components too.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: As a PS3 owner

          > DVDs are far from enough. If you can't see the huge quality difference between a BluRay and a DVD then you are blind or under drugs.

          Depends what you're looking for.

          DVDs have been phenomenally successful, but look what they were taking over from: VHS, a truly awful and inconsistent experience. Like the difference between tape and CD.

          Sure, Bluray is cleaner and better, but the motivation to move to it is far less than what we saw for DVD and the slow take up backs that up. Notwithstanding the cost of Bluray players, DVD players were dear when they first came out as well. There has not been the same scale of increase of production with Bluray as we saw with DVD.

        2. Red Bren

          Re: As a PS3 owner

          DVDs are far from enough. If you can't see the huge quality difference between a BluRay and a DVD then you are blind or under drugs.

          I tried doing a controlled test by watching the same film on DVD and BluRay on a 42" TV and I couldn't see the difference. Maybe my PS3 is too good at upscaling DVDs. Maybe my eyesight isn't sharp enough to resolve the increased resolution. Or maybe the quality difference isn't that huge? It's certainly not as big as the leap from VHS to DVD, both in terms of picture quality and functionality.

  15. Luke McCarthy

    Not bad going

    Considering much worse economic conditions compared to 2006.

  16. Jugernautilus
    Mushroom

    So utterly mind numbingly sick

    of these fanboi wars any discussion of either console rapidly degenerates into. Why do people have to pin all their self worth and validation onto which of these toys they buy and which one sold more units in which region? There is no right or wrong one. They are pretty much identical except for the details. Mind numbing inane arguments about how many pixels which one is doing and how you are not a proper person if you have the wrong one are driving me utterly mental. If it's true that the average gamer is now around 30 this is a sad reflection on the state of the hobby. Almost makes me feel ashamed to be a gamer and has totally driven me away from participating in gaming forums.

    I'm off for a cuppa and a lie down now.

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: So utterly mind numbingly sick

      --> Vidya: http://www.4chan.org/v/

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's actually quite good

    I've bought one and TBH it's a really nice console. Sure, there are a few teething bugs (random UI elements like dropdown menus lose all text, and a couple of system reboots playing Ryse), but after a weekend gaming on it it seems like a nice improvement over the XBox 360.

    The most noticeable change for me is noise - it's practically silent, making it a viable platform for watching films - on the 360 you had to increase the volume to drown out fans.

    Is it the best thing ever - no, of course not. A big enough improvement to justify moving over - probably not at its current price point for most people. However, I just like toys, and I'm happy ...

    1. Confuciousmobil

      Re: It's actually quite good

      Saved me typing a reply, couldn't have put it better myself.

      I bought the XBox because I've always bought XBoxes, a friend bought the PS4 because he has always bought Sony (and he hates MS)

      I like my XBox, he likes his PS4, it's certainly not something we argue about, if you feel that strongly about your console maybe you should think about getting one df these life things I've heard about?

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like