Console Sales 2008

[Mini Mic]

Well I think we're close enough to the end of the year now to have a sales wrap up for the year that was.

First off lets take a general look at where hardware sales are now:

A bit hard to see the weeks on the x axis but no matter.

Wii

According to VG Chartz, the Wii has just passed 42 million sold putting it just ahead of the PSP at around 41 million units sold.

With sales like this we can only assume that Nintendo will further pursue the casual market into 2009, sorry core gamers but you're just not cutting it any more.

Wii Games of 2008

Wii Fit - 12.51 million units

Mario Kart Wii - 11.93 million units

Super Smash Brothers Brawl - 7.82 million units

Unsurprisingly the Wii's biggest movers and shakers were Brawl, Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii. What is surprising is just how well Mario Kart did in comparison to some other big games. For example Mario Kart Wii sold 11.93 million units beating out Halo 3 (8.68 million), Mario Kart Double Dash (6.96 million) and even the combined sales of the PS3 and X360 versions of GTA4 (11.59 million), very impressive for a game that didn't really get much publicity. Also interesting to note that it outsold Brawl when Melee just outsold MK:DD back in the day.

I don't think it's any big surprise that Wii Fit sold as well as it did. People are fat - people don't want to be fat - people buy Wii Fit, it's as simple as that. Once again though it's still fairly impressive for a game that requires such an expensive peripheral.

Xbox 360

It was another fairly good year for the 360 with sales approaching the 26 million mark. Price drops over 2008 have helped the 360 to keep ahead of its its rival console the PS3.

To me, the biggest issue the 360 faces going into 2009 is finding enough solid exclusives to allow it to maintain its advantage over the PS3 especially with exclusives like Killzone 2, God of War 3 and Final Fantasy Versus XII on the way.

Xbox 360 games of 2008

GTA 4 - 6.47 million units

Gears of War 2 - 3.44 million units

Call of Duty World at War - 3.16 million units

No Surprises that the biggest game for the 360 this year was GTA 4. The 360 version was able to sell a little more than a million units more over its PS3 counterpart as a result of its strong install base. It's difficult to say at this point whether the sales of GoW2 are disappointing or not yet. On one hand the game has sold very well, on the other it has sold over 2 million less than its predecessor. Of course the game has not been out that long but still its sales are not exactly going to get stronger from here on out.

Playstation 3

It's interesting to note that the PS3 is actually doing better at this point then the 360 at the same number of weeks despite its much higher price. Much needed price cuts combined with a number of impressive much needed exclusives like MGS4 have helped prevent the PS3 from being the laughing stock of the industry like it used to be.

PS3 games of 2008

GTA 4 - 5.12 million units

MGS4 - 3.67 million units

GT5: Prologue - 2.52 million units

Fine, so GT5 came out last year in Japan but I decided to count it because it came out in the rest of the world in 2008. Once again, GTA came out on top so no real surprises there. MGS4 sold very well reflecting the significance of the exclusive in selling units with the PS3 receiving strong sales numbers for the weeks surrounding the launch of Snakes latest adventure.

Disappointingly sales for the PS3 include Resistance 2 selling just 0.87 million units according to VG charts (though admittedly a little out of date) falling well short of the originals 3.4 million units. LBP is another disappointment managing to sell only 1.29 million units (figure also out of date) despite receiving considerable hype and overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Where to from here?

Nintendo are the probably in the best position of the 3 systems knowing full well what they're doing and where they're going though core gamers will probably get the short end of the stick. Really though, people will vote with their wallets and if core games can't cut it then sadly they're going to become more and more scarce as the years go by.

2009 is shaping up to be a good year for the PS3 with exclusives like MAG, God of War 3, FFXIII (Japan only), FFXIII Versus XIII and Killzone 2 leading the way. Price continues to be the major factor holding the PS3 back though as parts become cheaper it will gradually fall which should help sales.

To me, the 360 faces the biggest challenges in 2009. Though my knowledge of the 360 and its line up is somewhat limited I can only think of Halo Wars and Star Ocean 4 as notable 360 exclusives coming up in 2009. That's not to say that the 360 doesn't have any other big games coming up (like I said I know very little about the 360). The acquisition of FFXIII outside of Japan is a major victory for the 360 and should (hopefully for Microsoft) slow down the sales of the PS3 when the game is (finally) released.

Predictions

At this stage I don't see anything topping the Wii next year, its sales are simply too strong at the moment for any serious shake up. I will be daring and say that I think the PS3 will (by the end of 09) overtake the 360 in terms of sales for reasons stated above.

Feel free to leave your predictions, thoughts or anything else you might have to say below.

*Note* I've only included sales for games that came out this year, that's why we don't see Wii Sports, Wii Play and any other sort of title that in some way incorporates the word Wii

 

[SkylerOcon]

I agree with pretty much everything you said. Of course, though, we should start expecting announcements for new consoles sometime in the near future. Wasn't the Wii announced in '04, three years after the gamecube came out (correct me if I'm wrong)? '09 marks the Wii's third birthday, so next year will mark when our attention starts shifting from current gen to next gen.

I predict that the Nintendo will go off in a more casual path, Sony will go off in a hardcore path, and Microsoft will go down a path in between the two -- a mix of casual and hardcore games.

 

[Mini Mic]

I seem to recall Sony saying something crazy shortly after the release of the PS3 that they wanted it to be a 10 year console. I doubt that will happen but I also doubt we'll hear about new consoles next year, my guess would be that we start to hear rumblings of new consoles around E3 2010.

 

[SkylerOcon]

I dunno. Game companies don't normally announce there consoles only one or two years before release. I guess that if we do hear about new consoles anytime in '09 it will be late in the year, so news probably won't come to soon.

Anyway, it's pretty obvious that the PS3 is going to overtake the 360 (why wasn't this in my first post? This is actually on-topic). The 360 has a few good games, but all of which have been ported to the computer. Not to mention that with games like LittleBigPlanet and God of War, it makes it seem like much more than just a shooter box.

 

[Cashed]

Skyler, we're gonna start hearing murmurs of the next consoles from Microsoft and Nintendo. Microsoft has already said they're working on their next console, and it apparently has the codename "Phoenix", according to inside sources. And then there's the rumors about Nintendo's next console. Actually updating its graphics capability, high-def, harddrive ready, what have you.

I disagree with the PS3 overtaking the 360 anytime soon. Microsoft's got a lower price point, and believe it or not, most people who don't own the console by now don't care if half of the exclusives are readily available on the PC. Let's not forget that Microsoft sold nearly three times as many consoles in November than Sony did, which will likely carry over into December. You mention LittleBigPlanet as a selling point for the PS3, when the game is selling abysmally. I will say it's one of the reasons that I'm going to be getting a PS3 (actually I'll be getting one for the two games in your post and Blu-ray), but it's not something the casual market, or even that much of the hardcore market, seems to care about.

Video games are serious business.

 

[SkylerOcon]

Skyler, we're gonna start hearing murmurs of the next consoles from Microsoft and Nintendo. Microsoft has already said they're working on their next console, and it apparently has the codename "Phoenix", according to inside sources. And then there's the rumors about Nintendo's next console. Actually updating its graphics capability, high-def, harddrive ready, what have you.

Phoenix? That's almost as bad of a codename as Dolphin was.

I disagree with the PS3 overtaking the 360 anytime soon. Microsoft's got a lower price point, and believe it or not, most people who don't own the console by now don't care if half of the exclusives are readily available on the PC. Let's not forget that Microsoft sold nearly three times as many consoles in November than Sony did, which will likely carry over into December. You mention LittleBigPlanet as a selling point for the PS3, when the game is selling abysmally. I will say it's one of the reasons that I'm going to be getting a PS3 (actually I'll be getting one for the two games in your post and Blu-ray), but it's not something the casual market, or even that much of the hardcore market, seems to care about.

I see your point. LBP has been selling badly, but you mention it as a system seller for you. But yes, the PS3 will not take over the 360 anytime soon. I think that PS3 sales will start to take over in '10 because of games like MAG and God of War. Not to mention that by then, everybody who wanted a 360 would have already bought one.

But yeah, Microsoft is definitely beating Sony out right now and will continue to do so i the near future. In the long term, though, I think the PS3 will overtake Microsoft.

 

[Cashed]

Eventually I don't disagree with. Especially if the PS3 does end up having a 10 year cycle. Nintendo and Microsoft are going to release new consoles in either 2011 or 2012 though, so sales for the 360 will likely screech to a halt by then, but the Wii I'm not too sure of. It could still be the "hip item" that everyone is trying to buy. Hopefully not.

And yeah, Phoenix is a pretty bad codename. Xenon was pretty bad too. The only good Microsoft console codename has been for the original Xbox, which was Project Midway, named after the WW2 Battle of Midway.

 

[Puddin]

I can't tell you how funny it is that the Wii has surpassed the PSP sales in only a two year run versus that of a four year run. I guess that is to be expected from a console...

LittleBigPlanets sales are a real shame, casuals seem to be passing it because they A. Don't like platformers or B. Don't feel like complexly creating their own levels and hardcores ignorantly pass up a unique gaming experience because of the cutesy mascot that is Sackboy.

 

[Chill]

You guys are on crack. LBP has already sold over a million copies and it's a shame that's considered abysmal. Obviously the game did not meet Sony's expectations yet considering that it's a new IP releasing in a year of sequels during the holiday season that's pretty good. It's more than most games can hope for and not every game can sell like Mario/GTA/whatever.

That is all.

 

[Charizard92]

Right now, I just pray that Nintendo comes up with good games In 09. 2008 was a rather dry year (save Brawl, Mario Kart, and wii fit), so 09 has to be better.

 

[K64]

*Kirby dance* Conrats for the Wii. As for the PS3, I did NOT see that coming.

 

[Puddin]

You guys are on crack. LBP has already sold over a million copies and it's a shame that's considered abysmal. Obviously the game did not meet Sony's expectations yet considering that it's a new IP releasing in a year of sequels during the holiday season that's pretty good. It's more than most games can hope for and not every game can sell like Mario/GTA/whatever.

That is all.

For a new IP? Yes I suppose it's doing great. For the hype? Not exactly. The hype was well deserved, it meets every expectation it's been showing us since 2006 but the hype would definitely suggest that it should have done better. So yes, 1 million copies is great for a new IP with no previous titles however in the first few weeks it was in a bit of a slump. But it hit 1 million in only 5 weeks, which is astounding for a new IP in a holiday season that is released on the same day as almost every other major sequel

In fact look at this; "This is an incredibly volatile time of year and the chart reflects that—November 7 saw 47 titles released on that one day alone, including many big hitters with Christmas number one aspirations." That's a quote from David Wilson of Sony.

 

[F8AL]

You missed Halo 3 : ODST as a 360 exclusive for next year.

 

[Crimson King]

As for sales? Couldn't careless. Nintendo has been in the lead for a while, and gamers haven't had new or fun titles in ages. It's pretty bad that the most fun I've had on the Wii was Boom Blox, a third party title. For the PS3, being in last place means they are going to go all out to move up, so I can reap those benefits for a while. As long as I get the games I want, I really don't care what happens to them, but competition is a good thing, so I hope they stay around long enough to get at least Twisted Metal for the PS3 out. For the 360, I have a PC, and all of the exclusives I'd want are on it. If Sony does a price cut, which is rumored between March and August of next year, they could have a good chance.

With that said, they also have been slashing at how much the hardware costs without slashing the console cost to recoup losses. Also, the figure fails to mention that the PS2 is still selling. The PS2 is a 8 year old console, and chances are, Sony is making a good bit off every unit sold. The PSP is also a dated console with every iteration costing them less and less to produce. In essence, the only company really losing out is Microsoft. Sony has the PS3 with the PS2 and PSP to give them users + money to work with. Nintendo has the Wii + the DSi/DS to give them money to through around with Microsoft working solely off the XBox 360. A statistic came out a few weeks ago with the fact that PSN has more people than XBL between PSP and PS3. I think the number was only a few million more, but this shows Sony has the base; they just need to meet the market's demand for a lower price.

 

[The Halloween Captain]

Right now, I just pray that Nintendo comes up with good games In 09. 2008 was a rather dry year (save Brawl, Mario Kart, and wii fit), so 09 has to be better.

To be honest, this was an average year. It was a dry six months.

In it's first year (and a month or two), the Wii had LoZ Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, and Super Paper Mario. It had an amazing openning year, but on average, there has always been times when not too many games come out for all the companies. Besides, the other consols have (arguably) fewer great system exclusives than the Wii.

The Wii has had a dry six months, which will likely be a dry nine months. Just be patient until a game comes out that makes the fanboy inside of each and every one of you scream (Mad World, perhaps?). Even if fanboys are biased, they DO enjoy the games they choose.

It's also important to remember that the games for the hardcore gamer on the Wii will be varied. There is no picking a single genre and enjoying the system to it's fullest , and it is no more for shooters than it is for platformers or puzzle games. All of them have a place on the Wii. If a hardcore gamer's favorite genre is the shooter, or even the action-adventure, than the Xbox 360 is by far the better system.

In the meantime, World of Goo is worth the 1500 Wii points.