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NPD December 2012 Sales Results [Up2: Xbox 360, All Nintendo Hardware, NSMB Wii U]

Where the **** do such a sheer amount of people get that much disposable cash from 0_o

For many people instead of getting laptops and desktops they will invest in a tablet. It's not really surprising when you look at it in terms of what an Ipad can do and what the products that used to do that sold before.
 

Hero

Member
Creamsugar can you put in a few numbers so that we know how some of that Wii U software performed?

I'm happy to see Scribblenauts Unlimited had success. Hopefully Jeremiah is happy about the sales so far too.
 

donny2112

Member
Where the **** do such a sheer amount of people get that much disposable cash from 0_o

What I don't understand is that they pay a ton for the iPad in order to put it into this to give to a toddler.

a42bc394.jpg
 

AniHawk

Member
I'm not that sure to understand what it has do this december NPD with next gen trend , really. :|

this is an old post, but i wanted to respond to it.

things can surely take a quick nosedive. microsoft just has to do something really stupid for them to lose good faith with everyone- either pricing, or another system with huge heating/functioning problems, or something else kinda dumb. sony lost a ton of goodwill with customers in america by just pricing the ps3 out of reach, and the machine was hard to develop for that caused and still causes developers headaches- further encouraging the loss of exclusive games, and strengthening the 360's library.

this didn't all happen in a vacuum though. before the xbox 360 released, the xbox was gaining in popularity in the us. there were some months where it was selling on par with the ps2. the machine only sold about 15m units in the united states, but that was after four years and after microsoft quickly pulled the plug.

a lot of microsoft's current success comes from the momentum they built with the xbox and xbox live, as well as the fragmenting of the old ways with the wii taking the old mainstream market the ps2 had, and the xbox 360 reaching out to a new group of traditional pc, ps2, and xbox fans.

and microsoft has had continued success. the original xbox broke onto the scene in a big way, the xbox 360 expanded microsoft's presence in the market, and kinect made the system as close to what the ps2 was as any console had been all generation long.

sony, on the other hand, has been struggling. everyone thought the psp was a good idea at the time. a console you can play in your hands. watch movies on the go. this was before apple made it sound how silly it was to bring physical copies of movies with you, but it was clearly a step up over the competition. i don't think all of what happened to the psp was sony's fault, although part of it was their failing. successful dedicated handheld devices usually are inexpensive, have inexpensive software, a long battery life, and accessible and easy-to-understand games. the psp had none of those things going for it. that, and it was marked by a period of bizarre advertising.

the ps3 was the crowned leader by developers and enthusiasts alike. some (not me) saw the writing on the wall immediately with 599 us dollars, but a lot of people still believed people would dish out that cash for that system. sony had the best-selling console ever.

but the ps3 wound up struggling early on. it couldn't really find a name for itself aside from being the expensive console with buggy games. or the expensive console with 'no' games. sony focused on floating babies and other weird artsy stuff instead of actually showing clips from video games, like what was successful during the ps2's 'live in your world, play in ours' campaign. it was just a mess.

i think they started to turn things around when the slim launched and the kevin butler stuff started- some people hated it, but i think it at least gave a sense of what the ps3 was. it didn't hurt that it was the same year naughty dog turned into such a darling among gamers and critics.

but then there's even more recent history that might suggest it was just a blip on the radar. the vita has been doing poorly, and people are upset that it's unfair because the machine is so powerful- except that's part of the problem. successful dedicated gaming machines never were expensive, had expensive games, or a short battery life. the powerful hardware that makes it so appealing to some traditional fans are what's killing it. sony didn't manage to advertise it well either, but there wasn't much to advertise. call of duty might have been the biggest sell for the system ever, but that's a franchise that has been on handhelds for years now. it was never going to be the draw the system needed, and it seems like the only fallback is still 'it's a console you can play in your hands.'

and now the ps3 super slim is out, it's being bundled with games, and it still sold 300k less than it did a year ago, and that's with less room to drop than microsoft had.

sony has a problem in the us with the playstation name brand. it still carries some sway, like what mario does for nintendo, but it's been greatly diminished. more than that, it seems like sony just can't turn things around in a dramatic fashion. i suppose we'll see. crazier things have happened (see the ds and the wii), but i don't know if microsoft will throw away their goodwill, and what they'd care to waste it on.
 

Sushen

Member
No. They pay $100 or $200 and sign a 2-year contract. It's the 360 model, but you're paying for phone service (a need for many people in today's world) instead of Xbox Live (generally, a want).
Comparing $1000 annual contract to $60 one isn't quite right. Everyone knows how carriers and Apple make their money. They end up paying more than $600 for iPhone whether they notice it or not. $100 or $200 is more like a down payment.
 

Zen

Banned
2012 failures:
Twisted metal
Lbp karting
All stars
Jak and dexter
Sorcery
Star hawk
Edit: wonderbook

I don't think Jak and Daxter should be labeled a failure for selling half a million (or just shy of). I mean it's an HD collection. Hopefully AllStars can put out some numbers that re acceptable for a sequel.

Sony shouldn't even be having to spend that much advertising the 'sent to die' titles, they just need to commit to actually having a amrketting budget beyond Naughty Dog and Gran Turismo.
 

donny2112

Member
Comparing $1000 annual contract to $60 one isn't quite right.

Which would be why I was talking about the $99 Xbox 360 w/ 2-year contract model. And whereas a smartphone is nigh useless without the network access that comes with the 2-year contract, the 360 is still very useful without the network access that comes with its 2-year contract. Anyone want to buy a $600 phone with no cell coverage?
 

djyella

Member
it would be helpful if both sides could provide examples.



yeah the 3ds is no ds, gba, or game boy. software prices are way too goddamn high. and to think, this is december when things had a chance to really move.

instead everyone bought the same five nintendo games.

kingdom hearts is doing rather decent at least. it's one of the most recent releases, and it's already outdone a lot of the older ones.

Software prices on the 3DS is what is really keeping me from buying games on it for myself and my daughter...plus the WiiU has taken over the house.
 
Which would be why I was talking about the $99 Xbox 360 w/ 2-year contract model. And whereas a smartphone is nigh useless without the network access that comes with the 2-year contract, the 360 is still very useful without the network access that comes with its 2-year contract. Anyone want to buy a $600 phone with no cell coverage?

Point is, you don't need a 600$ phone that ends up costing 1000$ in the end. How is such a phone a necessity? It's not.
 

mujun

Member
Yeah, we get the occasional qualitative comment of some form or another, but not usually something where we can say x,000. That's why the discussion doesn't usually go anywhere useful. :/

They keep releasing retail games on XBL, PSN, Wii U, etc. I suppose that means that they can make some money off them after all the overheads..
 
For many people working in IT, yes, it is a necessity. Companies even sometimes help cover the monthly cost for employees who have to be accessible like that at all times. We're not talking about teenagers with smartphones here.

That would be an incredibly niche market no?
 

djyella

Member
Teams of three to six porting a 360 title to the Wii isn't what I would call serious. The first Wii Splinter Cell wouldn't have looked good as a launch PS2 title. And it sure didn't function.

Publishers released a lot of titles for the Wii. Very few would be considered competent, even fewer good.

Have to agree...while there were games, and I did find lots of games that I liked, I was amazed at how many games were released that were worse looking than GC games. I'm sure the small teams did their best but man I wish they would have put real money into games like they did on the HD twins. The Wii could have been so much more. I still enjoyed it though.
 

NateDrake

Member
Software prices on the 3DS is what is really keeping me from buying games on it for myself and my daughter...plus the WiiU has taken over the house.

Honestly, I was hoping Nintendo would have dropped 3DS software prices by now. $35 is a nice spot for big releases with everything else $30 or less like the DS says.
 

donny2112

Member
That would be an incredibly niche market no?

Wouldn't call it incredibly niche, no. The technological drivers are usually the ones using the technology, so it makes sense that a lot of them might just be in a technical job. Even beyond that, as you go higher in management away from the hands-on tech stuff, your accessibility becomes even more key.

Not going to call it the main buyers of iPads or whatever, but wouldn't imagine that it'd be incredibly niche, either. Just pointing out that, for many people out there, a smartphone (or blackberry-type device) can very much be a necessity.
 
Wouldn't call it incredibly niche, no. The technological drivers are usually the ones using the technology, so it makes sense that a lot of them might just be in a technical job. Even beyond that, as you go higher in management away from the hands-on tech stuff, your accessibility becomes even more key.

Not going to call it the main buyers of iPads or whatever, but wouldn't imagine that it'd be incredibly niche, either. Just pointing out that, for many people out there, a smartphone can very much be a necessity.

A smartphone you said correctly. There are plenty other smartphones out there that don't cost 600$.

Shit I see all kinds of students and teachers that are walking around with Iphones and Ipads, and this ain't no MIT. Last year they had netbooks. Year before they had Macbooks. Year before that they had Toshiba laptops and shit.

A whole lot of people seem to be always looking for ways to spend money on a piece of tech.
 

donny2112

Member
There are plenty other smartphones out there that don't cost 600$.

Yeah, they usually cost $100-$200 for the newest ones with a 2-year contract. That's what I said. $600 is the price for the no-contract ones, but I still don't quite get what the purpose of the phone would be if you don't have a cell coverage contract for it. Maybe to use with a different provider, so you're paying a premium for the phone (e.g. iPhone was locked to AT&T for the first few years).
 

Rat Salad

Banned
Where the **** do such a sheer amount of people get that much disposable cash from 0_o

Me! I guess it helps being single and having a decent job to burn money on these gadgets sometimes. I mean I bought an Ipad 3 just before going on a trip to the east coast Chiller convention in NY. Then came back,sold the 3 and bought the 4 instead(sold my 3 to a neighbor.) I save the cash though,don't live on credit, Dunno about others. (shrugs) Ofcourse if i had a wife I'd be chained like a broke dick dog giving away my pay check all the time. :D
 

djyella

Member
Some LTD title count, not include console bundle or special ed


3rd party

360
>5M = 4 (cod)
>1M = 63
>0.5M = 151

Wii
>5M = 2 (jd2&3)
>1M = 30
>0.5M = 96

PS3
>5M = 2 (cod)
>1M = 29
>0.5M = 76


All

360
>5M = 5
>1M = 78
>0.5M = 175

Wii
>10M = 2
>5M = 10
>1M = 51
>0.5M = 127

PS3
>5M = 2
>1M = 36
>0.5M = 99

Thanks ans wow!
So 3rd Party is basically 360>Wii=PS3
I don't think you've been this giving in a while creamsugar but thanks!
 

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
Wut? thats a damn classic collection. I cant believe on a games forum people are saying to a first party dev make less games. haha

People are pragmatically suggesting Sony release fewer titles so it can focus on marketing them better so that they're more successful.
 

Zen

Banned
Saying to make less bad games. No one needed LBP Karting. No one. Maximize resources.

If anything they should have prioritized LBPK and All Stars with proper marketing and not bothered with things like wonderbook and sorcery. I can't believe you'd look at mario kart and then say 'no one asked for LBPK'. There's money to be made there adn LBPK is as good as any mario kart.
 
If anything they should have prioritized LBPK and All Stars with proper marketing and not bothered with things like wonderbook and sorcery. I can't believe you'd look at mario kart and then say 'no one asked for LBPK'. There's money to be made there adn LBPK is as good as any mario kart.

I said it because it uses the piece of garbage MNR engine. If you can't hit and maintain 60 FPS in a current gen console Kart game, don't make it. MNR was bad, so reskinning it with LBP was going to fool people? LBPK is as good as any MK? Oy. No. Not even subjectively.
 

creamsugar

Member
Zombiiiiiiiiiii is the only 3rd party Wii U game > 100k (LTD)
And super super wonder wonder book still < 40k (LTD)

OK, see you next month.
 

djyella

Member
Well, 36 months, sales-wise. And they apparently needed it to sell for 72 months. So Nintendo got ~6 years of sales in ~3, then?

Thats at least more fair LOL. I wonder whats better...lets say 360 and Wii basically end up around the same level. Wii tapered off and 360 picked up. Maybe lots of Wii owners starved for a new system if they haven't already gotten a 360? Maybe lots of 360 owners still satisfied with their system and not really interested in WiiU/NextBox/PS4? Time will tell.
 
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