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MS: 360 Sales Surge Following US Price Cut
Microsoft has issued a statement claiming that North American Xbox 360 sales have risen sharply since the company slashed the console’s price in early September.
“Coming off the heels of the console price drop last week, Microsoft Xbox 360 sales have surged, with retailers reporting over 100 percent sales lift for all Xbox 360 models compared to the previous weekend,” the company said.
“Additionally, retailers are reporting that between Friday, Sept. 5 and Sunday, Sept. 7, some Xbox 360 models were selling at six times the rate they were the weekend prior.”
On September 5, the entry-level Xbox 360 Arcade dropped in price from $279 to $199, making it the cheapest current generation console on the market, while the Xbox 360 Pro 60GB and the 120GB Xbox 360 Elite were reduced by $50, to $299 and $399 respectively.
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Price cut, sales up? Is there any real news?
Microsoft now reports that "the sun will set today and rise tomorrow morning".
Has Microsoft abolished the NPD now?
And what will your next "news" story be? "MICROSOFT SEZ XBOX IS TEH AWESOME?"
The NPD numbers that will reflect the console sales data post price drop won't be released until 1st-2nd week of october. So MS wants to get some press out now about the sales increase instead of waiting a month for it to reflect in the NPD numbers (which it should). Augutsts NPD numbers are actually being released today, but only cover the 3rd of August -28th of august and won't reflect the recent price drop (it will reflect the 20 gig's drop to 299 though, but since that was a phaze out and not an across the board drop, the difference should be negligible ).
Every post you've made on this site is anti-Xbox. What's your deal?
And no, they haven't "abolished" NPD. But we expect a meaningful rise to be confirmed in future NPD reports.
INCORRECT. My posts are not anti-Xbox per se; rather, they are anti-Microsoft-PR-games and anti-corporate-bravado. Just because I like the console and its games doesn't mean I have to like their obnoxious messaging, their crummy accessory pricing, et. al. And SOMEONE has to provide a counter to the PayPerPost astroturf army here in the comments.
What's YOUR deal? A little sensitive, maybe, about anyone shining a light on the service you provide as a Microsoft press release regurgitator and Aaron Greenberg amplifier? Cry harder.
Your comment made me laugh, cry, sneer--it explored the full gamut of my emotional palette. For the insight you've granted my soul, my spirit, my child within, I thank you.
With these two sentences you did the exact same thing to me what he did to you. Cheers!
Xbox 360 sales were actually doing very well during the "previous weekend."
You need to realize that the overwhelming majority of videogame consumers do not read websites like this, and they were not aware that Microsoft was preparing any form of price drop.
Microsoft's price drop has increased sales by a significant margin.
In Japan, prior to the price drop the Xbox 360 had outsold the Playstation 3 by a ratio of 5:2 after the release of the successful RPG game Tales of Vesperia. In fact, the Xbox 360 was completely sold out in Japan, and Microsoft issued an official apology to consumers in Japan.
When the Xbox 360 became available in Japan again, the price was dropped! So, it will be interesting to see how the price drop has affected sales in Japan, too.
In Europe the sales of the Xbox 360 had doubled after the last price drop. For the last several months the Xbox 360 has been outselling the PS3 in the European territories where both systems are available. For some reason there are actually some small European territories where Xbox 360 is still not available, though.
North America is where the Xbox 360 will completely dominate this holiday season.
Xbox 360 will completely outsell the Wii this holiday season according to Gamestop.
I agree with this prediction for two reasons:
1. Xbox 360 has the biggest and best lineup of games in every genre.
2. Xbox 360 now costs less than the Wii, since the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade comes with everything you need to start playing, including a great 512MB Memory Card that can save a lot of Xbox Live Arcade games.
Plus, the Xbox 360 offers the option for features beyond gaming, such as high-definition movies and TV shows that can be downloaded and saved to a hard drive. Xbox Live has by far the best online gaming, too.
Remember, last season when the Xbox 360 was so much more expensive than the Wii, the Xbox 360 outsold the Wii when Halo 3 was released.
This holiday season the Xbox 360 costs less than the Wii. The release of Gears of War 2 and Fable 2 are really going to create a big spike in sales.
Xbox 360 will likely retake the sales lead in North America by the end of the 2008 holiday season.
Man, I'll say one thing and one thing only...
There will be a lot of sad faces come October when the September NPDs are released which will show the Wii still comfortably ahead of the XBox360.
I thnk its Nov or Dec that the 360 could have a chance passing them up (just for those months, not total), not September or October. I still don't think they will even in those months simply due to the fact that last Nov/Dec Halo 3 had just came out, and if any game is going to be a system seller on the xbox, it'd be Halo. Yes, Gears 2 is coming out, but I think most purchasers of that game, will already own a 360. With the price cut, I unfortunately (and its hard for an "xbot" like myself to say this) I don't think the 360 will have sales this holiday like it did last year. The only way they could beat the wii in sales for this holiday is if Nintendo can't supply as many Wiis as MS supplies 360s.
Ninty will break records with the Wii in November and December. They'll stockpile hardware for the Nov/Dec rush, no to mention they upped production to 2.4 million a month... there will still be shortages though, and when you're putting out 2.4 million consoles and still having shortages, there's no way the Wii can be outsold.
You're talkin US sales or worldwide? I don't think a console has sold 2 million units in one month in the US before. Last December the 360 sold 1.26 million consoles in December (in US),
Dec 2006; 360-1.10 million
Dec 2006; Wii -604k (Shortages?)
Dec 2007; 360-1.26 million
Dec 2007; Wii-1.35 million
The 360 did very well in a non-Halo Holiday (2006), and did even better the next December (Halo Holiday) with 1.26 million. Can Gears 2 keep that momentum? The other thing to consider is the arcade may take PS3 sales away. There's a significant number of multiplatform triple A titles coming out this holiday for the PS3 and 360 and new system buyers may decide that getting an arcade and 3 360 games and still be 20 bucks cheaper than a $400 PS3 with no games (baring holiday bundles). If someone was looking to get fallout 3, call of duty:waw, or any of the other big multiplatform games with a new system those games will be the same as their PS3 couterpart for a system at least $200 cheaper. Any way...we'll see.
Kim, nothing against you man, but you reek of PR. Except for the fact that you repeatedly state the core comes with a 512mb memory card, when in fact it comes with a 256mb memory card.
I have a theory. Kim is Ken Kutaragi in disguise, trying to startle all of you against MS.
Quite a diabolic plan huh? And it works!
Don't bother with him. He posted a comment in the top links articles a few days ago (where some marketing guy said that the 360 would overtake the Wii this holiday), basically saying how it's obvious that the 360 would definitely take over the Wii. Considering Wii outsells 360 month to month 11:4 (almost 3:1), no price drop short of 100 dollars per unit is going to make this happen. It's just not logistically possible for Microsoft to pump out that many units.
Yeah, I've seen some of his other posts and they seem like they're coming right out of MS press release.
In regards to the whole Wii/360 thing. I don't see the 360 ever passing up the Wii. The only way I think its possible is if Wii does turn out to be a fad, or if its sales drop when people realize it isn't what it's cracked up to be. Unless something lilke that happens, I don't see the 360 overtaking the Wii I don't care how good of a holiday you have, that won't make up for a 10 million console deficit in one month.
Not to knit pick, but i'm pretty sure the deficit isn't anywhere near that big. If I recall the last NPD numbers, and make a guess at the rates of growth and decline, i think it'll probably closer to 1.5 or 2 million....which isn't THAT insermountable, but still highly unlikely
I should have been more specific. In US sales (which I normally refer to) you're right, the Wii only has about a 2 million lead or so since they just recently passed the 360 up. But worldwide for Wii and 360 its 30 million to 20 million respectively (roughly).
Ah. thanks for the clarification
Have any data or facts to backup that they "were actually doing very well during the "previous weekend."? Or that "Microsoft's price drop has increased sales by a significant margin." Or is that just your personal opinion? Do you have access to Microsoft or NDP sales data? Anyone can say anything without proof.
"In Japan, prior to the price drop the Xbox 360 had outsold the Playstation 3 by a ratio of 5:2 after the release of the successful RPG game Tales of Vesperia"
For a total of one week. What has been the story the other 61 weeks the PS3 and 360 have been available together in Japan? Omitting certain facts to prove your point don't give an accuate picture.
"Remember, last season when the Xbox 360 was so much more expensive than the Wii, the Xbox 360 outsold the Wii when Halo 3 was released."
I remember that...for 3 months (see last years NPD year end sales figures). What's the story been in the US other then those few months? Same deal as with the PS3 in Japan, picking out only small time frames to serve you point doesn't tell the whole truth. I could just as easily point out the months that the PS3 beat Xbox because of MSG4 or the fact that the Wii has already surpassed the 360s install base, despite coming out a year later, as small points where everyone else is doing then Xbox. Have to look at the facts, not speculation and hype, to make a credible point
"North America is where the Xbox 360 will completely dominate this holiday season"
Define "dominate." It will have to more then double it's sales to equal sales of the Wii (as per last month's NPD sales figures). If "dominate" were to mean to sell double it's next nearest competitor, does that mean the 360 will be selling almost 5X it's current sales levels? Possible, but unlikely.
Good point.
Being as objective as I can being an xbot and all, I think it'll be close this holiday between the Wii and 360. I think it actually really will come down to who can supply the most consoles as opposed to who has the highest demand as I see them both selling out (PS3 probably too...) There is no "official" proof as of yet about 360's sales since the drop (as far as I know). The week is MS's own internal numbers (which in all likely hood, should be accurate). If the September's NPD numbers don't reflect those increased sales, then MS would haver made themselves look stupid by lying about their numbers.
I agree with you that supply will be one of the biggest factors deciding this holiday season...in North America at least. With the Wii still being diffcult to find in stock in many stores and with XBOX shortages earlier this year in America and recently in Japan, anyone NOT having their stock on the shelves will probably be missing out big time with price points being so similar.
I completly expect there to be no "official proof" yet, as the price drop is too recent to get any concrete figures, but I would always take a company touting it's own sales numbers, without someone else to back them up, with a grain of salt., because they, like our pal Kim here, would only state the numbers that support the message they want to send and omit contradictory information.
Yeah, I totally agree. The 360 may have a better showing in Japan than it has in the past, and probably strong in Europe, but by no means will they outsell the Wii worldwide and I don't think they'll sell out world-wide.
Agreed. There's a reason PR exists, they can put a twist on any stat and provide information that puts them in positive light whether the info is totally accurate or not. I'm sure the sales did go up, but they probably only used stores that had those high increase in sales as examples, as opposed to all of them who may not have had as sharp of an increase in sales. I guess we'll see in October.
Thanks for insulting our intelligence once again MS. Lets see, they compared the previous weekend, after the cuts were official and only a complete moron would buy one, so they sold what, maybe 5K units that weekend. Then they brag about huge increases, great job on doubling nothing.
C'mon coop, Sony did the same thing with all their price cuts and with MGS's well selling month. Its a common practice in the industry. Just positive press...
As expected - but will it last?