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[metalslimer]

A new model wouldn't do anything at this point. We've already gone through two hardware revisions. Not even a price drop would significantly move the dial at this point, the 2DS proved that already as its a total flop.

I never said signficantly improve sales, especially not for more than a month or two.

 

[jett]

The PS3 and 360 just have ridiculous prices for their age. I imagine the PS4 will be stuck at $400 for several years.

 

[Magicpaint]

Well, I hope the PS4 continues to do well at least. I mean, these other numbers. They look bad, man.

 

[Graphics Horse]

So, one of the old chestnuts of Sales-GAF discussions has been "when will the Xbox 360 overtake the Wii in the U.S.?"

As you may know, that happened last summer in the UK.

But the gap between the two in the U.S. now stands at approximately 500,000 units.

Now, look at what happened to sales this month and ask yourself: Is it still possible for the Xbox 360 to overtake the Wii in the U.S.?

:|

It should manage it by Christmas. Could still sell 250k in Nov and Dec each.

 

[Steroyd]

Let's be serious here - it might crawl to do it but X360 will sell more than 500k this year in USA.

I'm not so positive, the next gen conaoles might smother the old gen consoles instead of transitioning more than I thought it would especially given how both next gen consoles have come out the production lines at a blistering pace.

 

[Kysen]

So it seems all those pictures of mountains of X1s had some truth to them. Talk about dramatically over shipping. They could have easily launched in more markets if they had dropped the kinect requirement.

 

[Drek]

Sony is a company that is in desperate need of money, without a strong competitor keep them in check it could be very bad for consumers

How is the XB1 or Wii U keeping them in check now? How will they keep Sony in check if Sony has even a 2:1 lead in Europe and Asia? They're bad hardware with bad business models and deserve to fail, otherwise you aren't creating a strong competitor, you're propping up a scarecrow and devaluing good customer service.

The competitive stage between Sony, MS, and Nintendo has already come to an end. That occurs in hardware design, launch price, and early generation software investment. Those are fixed now. Sony will hold off on a price cut for the PS4 until it's profitable no matter what. They won't stall hardware price reduction significantly to increase hardware profits because per-user software sales are far more profitable for them than anything they'll squeeze out of hardware. Throughout the PS1 and PS2 generation Sony never dicked with 3rd party royalty pricing and instead actively encouraged a reduced MSRP for mid-tier titles on PS2 of $40.

The ideal state for the video game industry would be a unified format a la Blu-Ray and DVD. Sony, as a member of both consortium, is clearly the most willing to take the industry in that direction if given the market muscle to do so. In the absence of that though the ideal model for the console industry would be a revolving door of market dominating first parties. Fracturing the market throughout an entire generation significantly hurts 3rd party profit margins, resulting in higher MSRP and the validation of monetizing customers post-sale (DLC, mirotransactions, season pass, etc.)

This all ignores Sony's current marketing stance on the PS4 as well, which is clearly a departure from industry norms. Self publishing on SEN, PC based architecture with reduced dev kit pricing, etc. are all signs that Sony's goal isn't to have an iron fist over the industry a la NES/SNES era Nintendo but instead to push towards a service comparable to Steam but available across multiple platforms. That while providing strong selling first party content.

In all reality what that likely means is Sony and Valve coming into conflict in the next "generation", which will be a generation of primarily streamed content. It will likely also see the first serious entry into that market by Apple and/or Google and/or Amazon. It would be far better for the core gamer to have a financially stable Sony in that battle, versus a bunch of services companies with little game experience versus Valve as the only core gamer servicing enterprise in the group.

 

[Louis Cyphre]

It has proven to do them good in the PS3/360 era. That competition led to the PS4. Now the consumers have a beast of a machine that's good for publishers, developers and consumers alike. Don't worry about competition. Google, Samsung, Apple and Amazon are waiting for their turn. Sony will have to beat them too in order to keep their consumers in the next bout. Microsoft and Nintendo failed due to competition. Like good competition should. It's in noone's best intrest to see the Xbone succeed on these terms.

Microsoft have been the only ones so far to keep Sony in check. It was not Microsoft who forced Sony to adopt a $600 game console that was mainly utilized to win a format war. It also wasn't Nintendo who finally forced Sony to make a system that is developer friendly.

So it seems all those pictures of mountains of X1s had some truth to them. Talk about dramatically over shipping. They could have easily launched in more markets if they had dropped the kinect requirement.

This is what I had said weeks before, Microsoft likely over-shipped like they did one year for the XBox 360. Back then they also came out in full swing saying how well the system did over the holidays only to be in a situation where the proceeding months consoles sitting on the shelf waiting to be sold. February is going to be very bleak for the XBox One as well.

 

[TheExecutive]

The PS3 and 360 just have ridiculous prices for their age. I imagine the PS4 will be stuck at $400 for several years.

Why the PS4? It has the most flexibility in price shifting (without dropping hardware). However, if MS doesn't budge then there is no reason for sony to do so. The ball has been in MS land since the prices were announced. That being said if MS sells like shit in the US they will drop the kinect and price wars will be a real event.

 

[Joni]

It has proven to do them good in the PS3/360 era. That competition led to the PS4.

Yet they managed to make the PlayStation 2 with a complete lack of competition.

 

[avaya]

How is the XB1 or Wii U keeping them in check now? How will they keep Sony in check if Sony has even a 2:1 lead in Europe and Asia? They're bad hardware with bad business models and deserve to fail, otherwise you aren't creating a strong competitor, you're propping up a scarecrow and devaluing good customer service.

The competitive stage between Sony, MS, and Nintendo has already come to an end. That occurs in hardware design, launch price, and early generation software investment. Those are fixed now. Sony will hold off on a price cut for the PS4 until it's profitable no matter what. They won't stall hardware price reduction significantly to increase hardware profits because per-user software sales are far more profitable for them than anything they'll squeeze out of hardware. Throughout the PS1 and PS2 generation Sony never dicked with 3rd party royalty pricing and instead actively encouraged a reduced MSRP for mid-tier titles on PS2 of $40.

The ideal state for the video game industry would be a unified format a la Blu-Ray and DVD. Sony, as a member of both consortium, is clearly the most willing to take the industry in that direction if given the market muscle to do so. In the absence of that though the ideal model for the console industry would be a revolving door of market dominating first parties. Fracturing the market throughout an entire generation significantly hurts 3rd party profit margins, resulting in higher MSRP and the validation of monetizing customers post-sale (DLC, mirotransactions, season pass, etc.)

This all ignores Sony's current marketing stance on the PS4 as well, which is clearly a departure from industry norms. Self publishing on SEN, PC based architecture with reduced dev kit pricing, etc. are all signs that Sony's goal isn't to have an iron fist over the industry a la NES/SNES era Nintendo but instead to push towards a service comparable to Steam but available across multiple platforms. That while providing strong selling first party content.

In all reality what that likely means is Sony and Valve coming into conflict in the next "generation", which will be a generation of primarily streamed content. It will likely also see the first serious entry into that market by Apple and/or Google and/or Amazon. It would be far better for the core gamer to have a financially stable Sony in that battle, versus a bunch of services companies with little game experience versus Valve as the only core gamer servicing enterprise in the group.

+1

 

[jvm]

Let's be serious here - it might crawl to do it but X360 will sell more than 500k this year in USA.

When the $109.99 Titanfall bundle drops.

Eh, I've no idea to be honest. I doubt the 360 has less than half a million units left in it though.

It should manage it by Christmas. Could still sell 250k in Nov and Dec each.

And the Wii? It still sold 800K last year. Even if it drops 75%, that's 200K. So now the Xbox 360 needs to do 700K to overtake it. And how much further can Microsoft drop the price?

(It dropped approximately 75% in January, on a comparable weekly average basis.)

 

[TheExecutive]

How is the XB1 or Wii U keeping them in check now? How will they keep Sony in check if Sony has even a 2:1 lead in Europe and Asia? They're bad hardware with bad business models and deserve to fail, otherwise you aren't creating a strong competitor, you're propping up a scarecrow and devaluing good customer service.

The competitive stage between Sony, MS, and Nintendo has already come to an end. That occurs in hardware design, launch price, and early generation software investment. Those are fixed now. Sony will hold off on a price cut for the PS4 until it's profitable no matter what. They won't stall hardware price reduction significantly to increase hardware profits because per-user software sales are far more profitable for them than anything they'll squeeze out of hardware. Throughout the PS1 and PS2 generation Sony never dicked with 3rd party royalty pricing and instead actively encouraged a reduced MSRP for mid-tier titles on PS2 of $40.

The ideal state for the video game industry would be a unified format a la Blu-Ray and DVD. Sony, as a member of both consortium, is clearly the most willing to take the industry in that direction if given the market muscle to do so. In the absence of that though the ideal model for the console industry would be a revolving door of market dominating first parties. Fracturing the market throughout an entire generation significantly hurts 3rd party profit margins, resulting in higher MSRP and the validation of monetizing customers post-sale (DLC, mirotransactions, season pass, etc.)

This all ignores Sony's current marketing stance on the PS4 as well, which is clearly a departure from industry norms. Self publishing on SEN, PC based architecture with reduced dev kit pricing, etc. are all signs that Sony's goal isn't to have an iron fist over the industry a la NES/SNES era Nintendo but instead to push towards a service comparable to Steam but available across multiple platforms. That while providing strong selling first party content.

In all reality what that likely means is Sony and Valve coming into conflict in the next "generation", which will be a generation of primarily streamed content. It will likely also see the first serious entry into that market by Apple and/or Google and/or Amazon. It would be far better for the core gamer to have a financially stable Sony in that battle, versus a bunch of services companies with little game experience versus Valve as the only core gamer servicing enterprise in the group.

Good possibility and I agree with the stance on Ninetendo and MS.

 

[Freeman]

It has proven to do them good in the PS3/360 era. That competition led to the PS4. Now the consumers have a beast of a machine that's good for publishers, developers and consumers alike. Don't worry about competition. Google, Samsung, Apple and Amazon are waiting for their turn. Sony will have to beat them too in order to keep their consumers in the next bout. Microsoft and Nintendo failed due to competition. Like good competition should. It's in noone's best intrest to see the Xbone succeed on these terms.

I agree 100%, gamers have a hard time understanding free market and competition.

 

[Drek]

Microsoft have been the only ones so far to keep Sony in check. It was not Microsoft who forced Sony to adopt a $600 game console that was mainly utilized to win a format war. It also wasn't Nintendo who finally forced Sony to make a system that is developer friendly.

Correct, it was a corporation ran entirely by the hardware/R&D guys who did that. The very divisions they're now shedding to move towards a more straight media and services company with select hardware offerings.

Sony kept themselves in-check throughout the PS1 era and the PS2 era. It wasn't until Ken Kutaragi and the engineering side really got carte blanche that they delivered the PS3. Prior to that it was a very comparable hardware concept to the PS4 with PS1 (straight forward, focus on a few key aspects in 3D and optical storage) and while the PS2 was convoluted hardware it offered significantly more power per dollar than other alternatives at the time, gave great developer freedom in hardware implementation, and absolutely raced to a mainstream price point compared to all it's predecessors. It also included DVD without forcing a subsidy and was the generation where Sony tried creating a mid-tier software market with $40 first party releases.

The people responsible for the good parts of the PS2 (first party growth, 3rd party openness) now run the show (namely Kaz Hirai) and the people who designed the PS3 are pretty much all out the door. The corporate culture has done a complete 180, assuming they'll somehow backslide in a single generation when the company is really looking at a 10+ year climb back to being any kind of corporate power is pretty absurd.

 

[justsomeguy]

The competitive stage between Sony, MS, and Nintendo has already come to an end.

That's an incredibly short sighted thing to say. For example, if MS price dropped to $299 then the competition would be ON. Of course they won't, but it's an illustration of how they could take it to Sony easily if they decided to throw money at the problem.

Nintendo are however pretty clearly playing in a different battle.

 

[jcm]

Did we get numbers for the Wii, NDS, or PSP? Are they all down to single digits?

 

[TheExecutive]

It has proven to do them good in the PS3/360 era. That competition led to the PS4. Now the consumers have a beast of a machine that's good for publishers, developers and consumers alike. Don't worry about competition. Google, Samsung, Apple and Amazon are waiting for their turn. Sony will have to beat them too in order to keep their consumers in the next bout. Microsoft and Nintendo failed due to competition. Like good competition should. It's in noone's best intrest to see the Xbone succeed on these terms.

Pretty much this and I would add Valve. Sony needs to continue to push indie development and capture that talent early.

 

[Graphics Horse]

And the Wii? It still sold 800K last year. Even if it drops 75%, that's 200K. So now the Xbox 360 needs to do 700K to overtake it. And how much further can Microsoft drop the price?

(It dropped approximately 75% in January, on a comparable weekly average basis.)

Nobody will be buying a wii once you can pick up a Wii U from bargain bins at the end of the year.

 

[jvm]

Did we get numbers for the Wii, NDS, or PSP? Are they all down to single digits?

I'm pretty sure that's reserved for the Ouya. But given that the NDS shipments have pretty much stopped, I'd guess that platform is pretty much done.

Nobody will be buying a wii once you can pick up a Wii U from bargain bins at the end of the year.

I don't get it. If you don't buy a Wii, how can you use your Wii U tablet?

 

[TheExecutive]

That's an incredibly short sighted thing to say. For example, if MS price dropped to $299 then the competition would be ON. Of course they won't, but it's an illustration of how they could take it to Sony easily if they decided to throw money at the problem.

Nintendo are however pretty clearly playing in a different battle.

If you say they absolutely won't then your example is agreeing with his stance. Plus he is talking about design and industry focus in that statement. If the XBONE isn't profitable the brand is in real danger.

 

[Graphics Horse]

I
I don't get it. If you don't buy a Wii, how can you use your Wii U tablet?

I did consider adding the caveat that they would have to understand what a Wii U was.


Looking at Japan where it's already discontinued, it went from 2012's 475.615 to 72.082 in 2013.

 

[TheOMan]

There's definitely a split. Some 360 owners are getting the Xbox One for the exclusive content not on the PS4.

Some 360 owners are getting a PS4 though since they only care about multiplats and the PS4 is the cheaper box to play them.

They could also be getting PS4s for the exclusive content that will not be found on the XBone *and* the fact that multiplatforms to date play and look better and the less expensive PS4.

 

[kinggroin]

Why can't it? That 271k is likely a pretty supply limited number given how quickly it sells out when back in stock at various retailers, online and B&M.

So the handheld market is being devoured into the smart devices market, the meat of the handheld demographic (casuals and kids <13) where never the core demographic of the PS1, PS2, or the PS360 duo.

A return to a single dominant platform would likely only help the industry to flourish. A few reasons why:
1. A single target console, no additional port fees that publishers eat to reach the same number of consumers.
2. Greater cross-market competition into other regions, as the risk of releasing Japan-centric content in the U.S. is greatly reduced when the focus can be on a single platform with a massive audience versus multiple fractured user-bases.
3. Greater sharing of in-house tech between projects. With every team working on the same default target the basic tools of game development will be much more universally applicable.
4. Greater familiarity across the industry with a single hardware format. Familiarity creates efficiency.
5. Lower cost middleware/licensed engine R&D which can be in turn passed on to more competitive middleware/licensed engine pricing. More middleware/engine providers in the same pool drives cost down, but their overhead would already be reduced by no longer having to support as broad a hardware base.
6. With the advent of digital market places a single dominant console would allow for that marketplace to employ more Steam-like pricing, maximizing long term sales of every software release. B&M would have less muscle in preventing this as a PS2 level success with a PS3/360/Steam level digital storefront would likely be the biggest games retailer on the planet.

I'd be fine with a small industry again....assuming less publisher spending.


But as far as PS4 unit sales, the Wii was far worse in availability its first January (you can buy a PS4 in the first place), yet nearly doubled the PS4 number.

I think we're going to see a much smaller, but far more core focused industry this go round. Expect the rise of B-tier budget and indie games, unleash publishers really are that stupid.

 

[TheExecutive]

But as far as PS4 unit sales, the Wii was far worse in availability its first January (you can buy a PS4 in the first place), yet nearly doubled the PS4 number.

Careful with that assumption. Not sure it completely rings true.

 

[Yoday]

It's interesting how the PS3 seems to be taking the lead over the 360 now. My guess would be PS hype plus PS+ is driving more people to pick up the PS3 that may not have in the past.

 

[CitizenCope]

So when is ok to say that digital sales are making an impact on retail software sales?
I'm all digital on my PS4. Would you say I'm part of the >1% doing so?

 

[JimmyRustler]

But as far as PS4 unit sales, the Wii was far worse in availability its first January (you can buy a PS4 in the first place), yet nearly doubled the PS4 number.

Was this because the Wii was much cheaper to make in the first place and the hype was going on for much longer than the one for the PS4? I remember people still thought the PS4 would fail only a few months before it's release. The Wii success was pretty much certain long before it's launch, so Nintendo could easily afford the flood the market.

 

[RE_Player]

We'll see bundles and hard drive upgrades before we see price drops. I could see an Xbox One bundle with Forza 5 and a third party game for summer or holiday.

 

[jcm]

Some YOY and GOG comparisons. I included weekly calculations in order to account for the extra weeks in 2013 and 2007.

Monthly Basis

Year Over Year
         2014     2013    % Change
XB1       141             
360        48      281     -82.92%
PS4       271             
PS3        54      201     -73.13%
WIU        49       57     -14.04%
WII                100   
3DS        97      145     -33.10%
NDS                 70   
PSV        17       35     -51.43%
PSP                 10   
                        
Family                  
MSFT      189      281     -32.74%
SONY      342      246      39.02%
NINT      146      372     -60.75%
                         
HAND      114      260     -56.15%
CONSOLE   563      639     -11.89%
                        
Gen over Gen                    
Console  2014     2007    % Change
360                294     
PS2                299     
WII                436     
PS3                244     
TOTAL     563    1,273     -55.77%
                        
Handheld 2014     2008    % Change
NDS                251     
PSP                230     
Total     114      481     -76.30%

Weekly Basis

Year Over Year
         2014     2013    % Change
XB1     35.25          
360        12     56.2     -78.65%
PS4     67.75          
PS3      13.5     40.2     -66.42%
WIU     12.25     11.4       7.46%
WII                 20      
3DS     24.25       29     -16.38%
NDS                 14      
PSV      4.25        7     -39.29%
PSP                  2       
                        
Family                  
MSFT    47.25     56.2    -15.93%
SONY     85.5     49.2     73.78%
NINT     36.5     74.4    -50.94%
                        
HAND     28.5       52    -45.19%
CONSOLE140.75    127.8     10.13%
                        
Gen over Gen                    
Console  2014     2007   % Change
360               58.8    
PS2               59.8    
WII               87.2    
PS3               48.8    
TOTAL  140.75    254.6    -44.72%
                        
Handheld 2014     2008    % Change
NDS              62.75   
PSP               57.5    
Total    28.5   120.25     -76.30%

 

[kinggroin]

Careful with that assumption. Not sure it completely rings true.

OK...let me say this. Anecdotally, its been easier to get a OA4 in the first January than it has to get a Wii, in the US.

NY original post should have had the disclaimer of it being my guess for the generation, and not any concrete prediction based on any trend (new gen has only just started).

 

[airmangataosenai]

I'd be fine with a small industry again....assuming less publisher spending.


But as far as PS4 unit sales, the Wii was far worse in availability its first January (you can buy a PS4 in the first place), yet nearly doubled the PS4 number.

I think we're going to see a much smaller, but far more core focused industry this go round. Expect the rise of B-tier budget and indie games, unleash publishers really are that stupid.

You do realize that as of right now, the PS4 is outpacing the Wii by around 800k units right? Actually the XBONE is also ahead of the Wii as well.

For all the talk of industry contraction, you have to ignore that as of 3 months into the generation, both new systems currently stand at the best selling dedicated gaming hardware we've ever seen before, console or handheld. Obviously that could change and likely will for the XBONE soon, but to ignore the insanely high sales of both systems so far ignores how unprecedented their success is.

 

[Interfectum]

February numbers are going to send GAF into a tailspin of drama and blood.

These results, while not devastating, show there is severe weakness in the console market.

 

[Taurus]

Some YOY and GOG comparisons. I included weekly calculations in order to account for the extra weeks in 2013 and 2007.

Monthly Basis

Year Over Year
         2014     2013    % Change
XB1       141             
360        48      281     -82.92%
PS4       271             
PS3        54      201     -73.13%
WIU        49       57     -14.04%
WII                100   
3DS        97      145     -33.10%
NDS                 70   
PSV        17       35     -51.43%
PSP                 10   
                        
Family                  
MSFT      189      281     -32.74%
SONY      342      246      39.02%
NINT      146      372     -60.75%
                         
HAND      114      260     -56.15%
CONSOLE   563      639     -11.89%
                        
Gen over Gen                    
Console  2014     2007    % Change
360                294     
PS2                299     
WII                436     
PS3                244     
TOTAL     563    1,273     -55.77%
                        
Handheld 2014     2008    % Change
NDS                251     
PSP                230     
Total     114      481     -76.30%

Weekly Basis

Year Over Year
         2014     2013    % Change
XB1     35.25          
360        12     56.2     -78.65%
PS4     67.75          
PS3      13.5     40.2     -66.42%
WIU     12.25     11.4       7.46%
WII                 20      
3DS     24.25       29     -16.38%
NDS                 14      
PSV      4.25        7     -39.29%
PSP                  2       
                        
Family                  
MSFT    47.25     56.2    -15.93%
SONY     85.5     49.2     73.78%
NINT     36.5     74.4    -50.94%
                        
HAND     28.5       52    -45.19%
CONSOLE140.75    127.8     10.13%
                        
Gen over Gen                    
Console  2014     2007   % Change
360               58.8    
PS2               59.8    
WII               87.2    
PS3               48.8    
TOTAL  140.75    254.6    -44.72%
                        
Handheld 2014     2008    % Change
NDS              62.75   
PSP               57.5    
Total    28.5   120.25     -76.30%

Outlook not so good.

 

[kinggroin]

You do realize that as of right now, the PS4 is outpacing the Wii by around 800k units right? Actually the XBONE is also ahead of the Wii as well.

They had much larger initial shipments, sure. Also, I feel safe saying that much like the big core games of last gen, sales are heavily front loaded (the audience for those two brands are made up of many more day one enthusiasts who also have had tech blue balls).

Look at January 2014 compared to 2007. Bigger drop off, and in the case of the One, probably going to dip even harder.

 

[Interfectum]

You do realize that as of right now, the PS4 is outpacing the Wii by around 800k units right? Actually the XBONE is also ahead of the Wii as well.

The Wii was supply constrained. It was a long, long time before you could easily walk into a store and get a Wii. The demand and hype was always there. The same cannot be said for this gen.

 

[Amir0x]

jesus i hope the systems get their bug guns out soon and that PS4 as well doesn't crater in the coming months, because this industry of ours is straight fucked.

Good thing I love indies just as much as AAA games

 

[Final Boss]

Complete spectrum of NPD hardware sales estimates:

PS4: 271K
XB1: 141K
3DS: ~97K
PS3: ~53.5K
Wii U: 49K
360: ~48.5K
Vita: <17K

Wii U, holy shit, it's not going to last another year at this rate

 

[Chris1964]

And people laughed when I said the new consoles would be selling sub 100k by April...

And still laugh.

 

[orion434]

Awesome numbers on the PS4, it took me forever to hunt one down and lucked out 1 day at Toys R Us. Then I upgraded the HD to the Samsung Pro SSD drive. This is gaming!!! Can't wait until FFXIV releases then I'm set

 

[ethomaz]

They had much larger initial shipments, sure. Also, I feel safe saying that much like the big core games of last gen, sales are heavily front loaded (the audience for those two brands are made up of many more day one enthusiasts who also have had tech blue balls).

Look at January 2014 compared to 2007. Bigger drop off, and in the case of the One, probably going to dip even harder.

We can't direct compare the January for PS4 and Wii yet... both were supply constrained but Sony shipped less than Nintendo... about 100k less units in January.

Who knows how much PS4 or Wii could sell if they have a shipment over 500k in the first January?

Fact for now is that PS4 is selling better than Wii even without Japan... so th gap will increase.

 

[kinggroin]

Wii U, holy shit, it's not going to last another year at this rate

Its the same rate its been at all of last year.

Like the Vita, if it hasn't been pulled yet, it won't be in the immediate future.

 

[coldone]

3DS numbers are horrible. And the only card they have left to play are pricecuts and new models which would only be a quick boost. I still can't believe Nintendo thinks they can charge 169 dollars for the original 3DS even if it is on sales a lot. The pricing structure should be 2DS-99 3DS-129 XL-150, but they need the 3DS to subsidize the rest of the company. Nintendo is probably going to have another loss this fiscal year.

The best is to forget 3DS/3D-XL and just focus on 2DS.

Today Frys, ToysRUS are all selling 7" tablet for $70 or less. There is no reason why 2DS has to be this expensive. Get 2DS down to $79 like GBA... they will sell a ton more games and also have more 3rd parties developing games. It will be hard to turn a blind eye towards a platform that is moving 10+ consoles a year.

More consoles sold, more publishers making games for it, which in-turn will sell more consoles.

 

[Pillville]

The Wii was supply constrained. It was a long, long time before you could easily walk into a store and get a Wii. The demand and hype was always there. The same cannot be said for this gen.

I've seen exactly 1 PS4 in a store (and I bought it).

....XB1 on the other hand, several of them in every store I go to.

 

[Naminator]

Why can't it? That 271k is likely a pretty supply limited number given how quickly it sells out when back in stock at various retailers, online and B&M.

So the handheld market is being devoured into the smart devices market, the meat of the handheld demographic (casuals and kids <13) where never the core demographic of the PS1, PS2, or the PS360 duo.

A return to a single dominant platform would likely only help the industry to flourish. A few reasons why:
1. A single target console, no additional port fees that publishers eat to reach the same number of consumers.
2. Greater cross-market competition into other regions, as the risk of releasing Japan-centric content in the U.S. is greatly reduced when the focus can be on a single platform with a massive audience versus multiple fractured user-bases.
3. Greater sharing of in-house tech between projects. With every team working on the same default target the basic tools of game development will be much more universally applicable.
4. Greater familiarity across the industry with a single hardware format. Familiarity creates efficiency.
5. Lower cost middleware/licensed engine R&D which can be in turn passed on to more competitive middleware/licensed engine pricing. More middleware/engine providers in the same pool drives cost down, but their overhead would already be reduced by no longer having to support as broad a hardware base.
6. With the advent of digital market places a single dominant console would allow for that marketplace to employ more Steam-like pricing, maximizing long term sales of every software release. B&M would have less muscle in preventing this as a PS2 level success with a PS3/360/Steam level digital storefront would likely be the biggest games retailer on the planet.

Yeah guys a monopoly will always make sure the consumer has the best deal!

I mean look at cable companies, I'm right now with Time Warner Cable, paying over 100$ a month for Internet Access that is literally 3 times slower on the download and 5 times slower on the upload than I could get from a competitor(I'm talking about Verison, having Google Fiber is nothing but a dream at this point) for the same exact price.

Thank God my area has only 1 dominant cable internet provider leading the industry forward, the consumer benefits are just awesome!

 

[Poetic.Injustice]

Ps3 and 360 desperately need a price drop.

 

[Miles X]

What did Gamecube do in its 2nd Jan? I wanna see a continuation of that Dreamcast/Gamecube/Wii/WiiU chart!!

Edit - 81k ... so WiiU is tracking behind still.

 

[Opus Angelorum]

Ps3 and 360 desperately need a price drop.

They make money of both as it stands, and if they make them too appealing they'll eat into PS4/Xbox One sales.

 

[Gartooth]

I think this is a sign of what many people have suspected all along, that the typical "big players" in the console industry are now changing in such a dramatic way that they may be overtaken completely or soon forced out by new competitors like Amazon and Google. Of the big three, only Sony has enough of a presence at this point to put up a fight and I think they will remain as a big force in the industry so long as the company as a whole stays afloat.

Microsoft has already lost the next generation, they could fight tooth and nail for a rebound but it'd only make a dent in territories such as the US given how they have completely failed to appeal to foreign audiences time and again. They have the financial wealth to keep investing in consoles as long as they aren't disheartened and decide to pull out. Nintendo is in the worst position where I don't even think they can fight back to the top, both consumers and the overall industry have left them behind. Their only chance at success in the industry is to partner with a new player such as Amazon, but Nintendo's stubborn pride makes me think that is unlikely. The "quality of life" talk at their January meeting makes me think that it is a desperate exit strategy should things get worse. (and they will)

 

[airmangataosenai]

The Wii was supply constrained. It was a long, long time before you could easily walk into a store and get a Wii. The demand and hype was always there. The same cannot be said for this gen.

I was able to find Wii's for sale by April, the demand online is somewhat exaggerated. Moreover, you're acting as if a margin of 800k units is some small sum when it's not. Regardless of the reason the point still stands that PS4 is still the top selling console ever by a large sum and the only console to even come close is the XBO and yet..... somehow we're headed for a massive industry contraction. Do you not see how flawed this logic is?