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European hardware sales for Xbox 360= ~18,000 units/week.....can this be right??

Chiggs

Member
supermackem said:
Lol wow 5 people dont like x360 in germany wow gaf scores another win what a sad bunch you lot are.


:lol

I like how the negative comments made about the PS3 in the very same video have been ignored. EQUALITY IS STILL A DREAM!

Edit: I want weeping and gnashing of teeth, goddamn it!
 
After looking thru this thread I didn't see any LTD sales figures for X360 in Europe. Does anyone know if it has broken a million? Was there a press release about it breaking a million in Europe (sold, not shipped)?
Looks like I need to revise PAL sales downward on my regional monthly cumulative sales chart, right?:
229867616_7d975c0daa_o.png

Blurriness fixt!

EDIT: JFYI: the PAL data are my estimates, not really based on any sales-tracking org. So I'd like to know the LTDs if anyone knows...
 

PipBoy

Banned
Rhindle said:
I've said this about 17 times on this board, but AGAIN:

No one publishes European weekly tracking figures for Europe. THERE ARE NO SUCH NUMBERS.

I don't know what the number cited in this interview was, it's probably a wildly off-base extrapolation from Microsoft's last shipment figures.

Which is not to say 360 sales are not lousy in Europe, because they are.
The only numbers from Leipzig I can believe are Spanish LTD sales, it's on par with GFK France: X360 userbase is ~20/25% of Xbox userbase. It also correlates with MS shipped numbers for Xbox and X360.
 
I think that people are waiting for the PS3 to launch, but that doesn't mean that they'll actually buy a PS3. I'm very much leaning towards 360 myself, but I'd feel more comfortable buying it after the PS3 launch, just so I can see how things are working out and make a better comparison.

Note that PS1 sales were quite low until after the N64 launched.
 
I think that some people actually consider Europe and America like two identical markets and don't bother to check the facts. Many people say "oh yeah the ps3 won't sell a shit in Europe because it's so expensive" but they don't consider the ps2 cost around €500 in Europe when it was first launched...

I also read up there that the Xbox360 isn't doing well in Europe "because it's much more expensive than the original Xbox." Wrong again. The Xbox was launched at around €480, and the most expensive 360 SKU is €399.

As for the Xbox and Halo not being huge brands in Europe, I'd have to concur. I'm actually amazed that Microsoft doesn't spend more in advertising. Really, it's pretty pathetic that the only xbox360 commercials I saw were the ones at launch. Not a single one after those, at least none that I remember... [while PS2/PSP advertising is everywhere]

Can't say they're doing all they can to make the system succeed.
 
The original xbox was in trouble until Microsoft bundled 4 games with it over christams and had Splinter Cell on TV every minute of the day. I dont see them doing a similar deal with the 360 so I think the situation will stay pretty bad for them.
 
@Square Microsoft during GC (or a few days earlier? Dunno anymore) announced that they have sold through 1.3m X360 in Europe.

Rhindle said:
I've said this about 17 times on this board, but AGAIN:

No one publishes European weekly tracking figures for Europe. THERE ARE NO SUCH NUMBERS.

I don't know what the number cited in this interview was, it's probably a wildly off-base extrapolation from Microsoft's last shipment figures.

Which is not to say 360 sales are not lousy in Europe, because they are.

There obviously are numbers from the most important markets. Just as an example we got PSP, DS and GBA sales from France for quite a few weeks from France last year. Nintendo published them and afaik the source was GFK. The UK obviously has hardware numbers and I'm pretty sure that all the other markets where GFK is active also have them - we just don't get to see them (it's not like that would be any different with the NPD data if we wouldn't have some guys that have access to the dat) because nobody that has access shares them.

ichigo kurosaki said:
I also read up there that the Xbox360 isn't doing well in Europe "because it's much more expensive than the original Xbox." Wrong again. The Xbox was launched at around €480, and the most expensive 360 SKU is €399.

After all X360 is more expensive than Xbox. Xbox launched at 479€, but the price was reduced to 300€ after only ~2 weeks and every one that bought it for that 479€ price got games, controllers and whatnot.
 

Ikael

Member
The problem of the 360 is becoming each time more apparent: it is a console designed to catter mainly to ango saxon audience.

Although this time they have tried to add more variety to its games, thing is there hasn't been released yet any title that didn't pandered to the hardcore 360 audience (and N3 doesn't count since it is just a poor game). Racing games, FPSs, sports games, more FPSs... heck, just look at the big 360 exclusives: mass effect, gears of wars, too human... they just cement the percepton of the 360 as the "space marines shooting machine".

If they want to capture Europe's audience, try to make something quirky, something stylish, something... well, more Japanese. Dead rising is a good start, but it cannot be just that. What will truthly stop the PS3 in Europe is not going to be Gears of War, but rather Lost oddissey, Viva Piñata and eyetoy-esque games. Or even better, why not try *gasp* some original, never seen before game? or something unable to be replicated by the PS3? Why not use the integration of live and windows in order to make a videogame that would blend with your real life? The "metooism" can only take you so far.

I also think Europe doesn't go for "me too" brands ... they like the real deal, not imitations, and the XBox is seen as a "me too" Playstation over there, I think that's one reason it hasn't taken off.

In Europe if you want a BMW, you buy a BMW, not a Lexus or Infinity.

That is very true statement.
 

Funky Papa

FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Don't forget that MS' marketing is totally absent when not being utterly incompetent.

PS3 could retail for €1000 and it'd still beat the Xbox 360 for a landslide.
 

Shiggy

Member
Frankfurter said:
@Square Microsoft during GC (or a few days earlier? Dunno anymore) announced that they have sold through 1.3m X360 in Europe.

That are shipped numbers ;)
They called their latest shipped numbers "installed base", so never trust their words.
 

Neomoto

Member
I remember the day PS2 launched in the Netherlands.. holy crap waiting lines "everywhere" (can't remember this happening before, but I could be wrong on this). Soldout with high price tag of 500 euro's (!) I think. It whas even on the news the entire day.
 
Ikael said:
The problem of the 360 is becoming each time more apparent: it is a console designed to catter mainly to ango saxon audience.

Although this time they have tried to add more variety to its games, thing is there hasn't been released yet any title that didn't pandered to the hardcore 360 audience (and N3 doesn't count since it is just a poor game). Racing games, FPSs, sports games, more FPSs... heck, just look at the big 360 exclusives: mass effect, gears of wars, too human... they just cement the percepton of the 360 as the "space marines shooting machine".

My thoughts exactly. The future of 360 in Europe seems pretty bleak to me.
It might be even stripped of some of its unique benefits:

xbl: ps3 might offer the same for free, wii is at least online capable and offers it for free
better looking multiplatform games: no such gap this gen as compared to ps2-xbox
pc games ports: a lot of them were xbox only because the ps2 couldn't handle them (like hl2 or far cry)

So this combined with brand and variety of games makes me think that if sony doesn't screw up majorly MS will not be able kick its ass in Europe.
 
Funky Papa said:
Don't forget that MS' marketing is totally absent when not being utterly incompetent.

PS3 could retail for €1000 and it'd still beat the Xbox 360 for a landslide.

I mentioned this before and it's funny that not many more people realised this.

Sony has been building the PlayStation brand since 1995. The PSone established itself as the platform of choice for most gamers, proving wrong all the people who claimed it was doomed (that is, mostly everybody) trying to fight against the two colossus in the industry, Sega and Nintendo. But the system got good games and great marketing campaigns and that showed in the results.

After the success of this system and its successor, people know that if they buy a PlayStation they're going to get everything they're looking for in a console. They trust the brand as until now it has delivered most things promised and people don't forget that.
That's why PS3 doesn't even need advertising, its name says it all.

But what about the Xbox? The Xbox wasn't well marketed, nobody really cared about the system so there was no precedent to back up Xbox360's launch. They had to start from zero. But this time around the console's marketing is just as bad as Xbox's. Or even worse. That can't be good.

My prediction for Europe:

#1 PS3 (if they drop the price soon enough, else beware Nintendo's watching!)

#2 Wii (NDS effect part 2? If they manage that with a low price point they may give Sony a hard time)

#3 Xbox360 ('the shooters machine,' like playstation but not playstation...)
 

Shiggy

Member
ichigo kurosaki said:
I mentioned this before and it's funny that not many more people realised this.

Sony has been building the PlayStation brand since 1995. The PSone established itself as the platform of choice for most gamers, proving wrong all the people who claimed it was doomed (that is, mostly everybody) trying to fight against the two colossus in the industry, Sega and Nintendo. But the system got good games and great marketing campaigns and that showed in the results.

After the success of this system and its successor, people knows that if they buy a PlayStation they're going to get everything they're looking for in a console. They trust the brand as until now it has delivered most things promised and people don't forget that.
That's why PS3 doesn't even need advertising, its name says it all.

Why doesn't this apply to PSP? DS was a newcomer and was a hit.
 
Shiggy said:
Why doesn't this apply to PSP? DS was a newcomer and was a hit.

Better marketing, more popular brand gaming-wise (and with deeeeep handheld expertise), known+loved franchises, innovative gameplay... need more reasons?

Don't compare the PS2-Xbox situation with the PSP-DS situation... the Xbox was unsuccessful, the PSP is less successful than the DS. Plus the PSP and the DS are very different platforms while the Xbox was like a PS2 clone (I mean it pursued the same type of market with the same type of games and stuff).
 

jarrod

Banned
alterego said:
DS was a newcomer in Nintendo's 15 year reign as portable king?
No, it was a self described 3rd pillar. More like Virtual Boy or Pokemon Mini before it. It's killer app was a puppy simulator. At the least, you have to admit DS wasn't exactly Game Boy/Pokemon versus PlayStation. Actually, DS is outselling any previous Game Boy in the region, all in the face of a handheld PlayStation with console level visuals, media functions out the wazoo, onlinegaming from day one and a software library boasting games like GTA, FIFA, PES, NFS, MGS, RR, Tekken and other established PlayStation blockbusters, many of them exclusively even.

I'm still shocked that even in Sonyland proper (the UK) PSP still can't manage to outsell DS. The UK hates Nintendo, they've never had a number one platform in any competitive market over there.
 

Shiggy

Member
alterego said:
DS was a newcomer in Nintendo's 15 year reign as portable king?

Well, the DS is a newcomer, correct. As it's not the successor of the GameBoy Advance, you have to say it, they don't even share the same brand name.


@ichigo kurosaki
You're right, I just wanted to point out that the brand name doesn't have to say anything. Portable music players were often called Walkman, even though they weren't from Sony. The Nintendo DS is called "Game Boy" in the famous "Dr. House" series (German version).
 
Shiggy said:
Well, the DS is a newcomer, correct. As it's not the successor of the GameBoy Advance, you have to say it, they don't even share the same brand name.


@ichigo kurosaki
You're right, I just wanted to point out that the brand name doesn't have to say anything. Portable music players were often called Walkman, even though they weren't from Sony. The Nintendo DS is called "Game Boy" in the famous "Dr. House" series (German version).

Yeah, I recall that episode. I reckon that in the Spanish dub it was called "Game Boy" as well. And some people call "PlayStation" anything gaming-related you throw at them, as a generic term just like "Nintendo" was used in the past.
 

alterego

Junior Member
Shiggy said:
Well, the DS is a newcomer, correct. As it's not the successor of the GameBoy Advance, you have to say it, they don't even share the same brand name.

You're just ignoring the Nintendo handheld brand?

Nintendo and handhelds have been synonymous for the last 15 years.
When Nintendo announces a new handheld you know their brand is being leveraged.


Anyway this is getting way off-topic...
 

Majmun

Member
DS a newcomer? :/

Yeah, sure. Nintendo doesn't understand the handheldmarket and they never made a handheld before. :lol
 

Shiggy

Member
I don't remember GBA having Nintendogs or brain training, games that made DS successful. It's a new machine that doesn't live from the GBA hype/brand, what it the opposite of the PSP.
 

jarrod

Banned
Second said:
DS a newcomer? :/

Yeah, sure. Nintendo doesn't understand the handheldmarket and they never made a handheld before. :lol
Here's their last non-Game Boy handheld...

pokemonmini2.jpg



Two years ago, would anyone have guessed that what's essentially a handheld N64 with a second touch screen & microphone, who's killer app is a puppy simulator, would've steamrolled what's essentially a handheld PS2, who's killer app is a console level, exclusive GTA?
 

Majmun

Member
Shiggy said:
I don't remember GBA having Nintendogs or brain training, games that made DS successful. It's a new machine that doesn't live from the GBA hype/brand, what it the opposite of the PSP.

Ehh, those are just new succesful franchises. Doesn't mean that DS was a newcommer.
Ps2 also had some new succesful franchises. Still doesn't make the Ps2 a newcomer...

The Xbox was a newcomer.
 

Majmun

Member
jarrod said:
Here's their last non-Game Boy handheld...

pokemonmini2.jpg



Two years ago, would anyone have guessed that what's essentially a handheld N64 with a second touch screen & microphone, who's killer app is a puppy simulator, would've steamrolled what's essentially a handheld PS2, who's killer app is a console level, exclusive GTA?

That thing didn't get new Mario, Zelda or Mario Kart games, or other new Nintendo franchises. And the DS does.

DS isn't a whole different formula. The different name and touchscreen doesn't change the fact that it's just another new Nintendo handheld.

And all Nintendo console were namend differently. And they weren't newcomers.
 

Shiggy

Member
Second said:
Ehh, those are just new succesful franchises. Doesn't mean that DS was a newcommer.
Ps2 also had some new succesful franchises. Still doesn't make the Ps2 a newcomer...

The Xbox was a newcomer.

Did the GBA feature touch-screen, micro, dual-screen and other innovations? No! Did the PS2 have such new features? No.

Just look at what jarrod had said about Pokemon mini. A newcomer that wasn't successful, although it was made by Nintendo...
 

elostyle

Never forget! I'm Dumb!
Die Squirrel Die said:
I think you are putting way too much on people feeling they *have* to have an HDTV before they get a next-gen console, particularly when we are talking early adopters here. The 360's problem is that it's the next Xbox, when the Xbox brand just isn't that popular in Europe.
It's a factor. It is being advertised as an HDTV machine so people feel like they need one (I know, I do). If you take a normal adoption rate for a new console and subtract whatever comes out of that factor and you get less.
 

Majmun

Member
Shiggy said:
Did the GBA feature touch-screen, micro, dual-screen and other innovations? No! Did the PS2 have such new features? No.

Just look at what jarrod had said about Pokemon mini. A newcomer that wasn't successful, although it was made by Nintendo...


DS = handheld

Nintendo made a lot of handhelds before.

DS is not a newcomer.

Not so hard to understand. If Nintendo started to make TV's or dildo's for what I can care. Then they would be considered newcomers to that division. Because they never made those things before... (as far as I know)
 

Shiggy

Member
Second said:
That thing didn't get new Mario, Zelda or Mario Kart games, or other new Nintendo franchises. And the DS does.

DS isn't a whole different formula. The different name and touchscreen doesn't change the fact that it's just another new Nintendo handheld.

And all Nintendo console were namend differently. And they weren't newcomers.

The DS wasn't successful with Mario 64 DS. The real success and the shortages came with Nintendogs. And DS still didn't get a new Zelda ;)

Well, it is. The GCN wasn't successful although it had all your games...
The consoles all used the same formula, didn't feature real innovations in interface.
 

Shiggy

Member
Second said:
DS = handheld

Nintendo made a lot of handhelds before.

Right, Nintendo is not a newcomer, the DS is as it uses a totally new formula concerning interface, players and games.
 

Majmun

Member
Shiggy said:
The DS wasn't successful with Mario 64 DS. The real success and the shortages came with Nintendogs. And DS still didn't get a new Zelda ;)

Well, it is. The GCN wasn't successful although it had all your games...
The consoles all used the same formula, didn't feature real innovations in interface.

So Nintendo Wii will also be a newcomer pretty soon?

Considering the Wii is also different when you compare it with other N consoles... :/
 

jarrod

Banned
The problem with attributing DS success to "Nintendo", is that what's helped differentiate and drive the platform isn't what sold previous Nintendo handhelds. Games like Nintendogs and Brain Training aren't what sold Game Boy... in the most basic sense, DS is really pushing new ground. Which is basically the opposite of Sony's PSP strategy, which was to deliver a handheld PS2, bring it established PS franchises, and coast along on those merits.

PSP is less of a "newcomer" than DS in most respects, arbitrary market divisions be damned.
 

Shiggy

Member
Second said:
So Nintendo Wii will also be a newcomer pretty soon?

Considering the Wii is also different when you compare it with other N consoles... :/

Correct, it's, just as Nintendo said in 2003 or 2004 (later they repeated this statement), not the successor of GCN.
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Well, the DS is a newcomer, correct. As it's not the successor of the GameBoy Advance, you have to say it, they don't even share the same brand name.
It's not as if the PSP wasn't ALSO a newcomer, though.
 

jarrod

Banned
dark10x said:
It's not as if the PSP wasn't ALSO a newcomer, though.
It wasn't in terms of branding, marketing, software or market strategy. It was basically a PS2 in those respects.
 

open_mouth_

insert_foot_
360 -> 50 mil worldwide by 2011.

I'll stand by that, despite the slow start out of the gates. Microsoft is doing too many things right (and some wrong) to not improve on Xbox's sales by a significant margin. The year head-start, the price advantage, the XBL advantage, strong software support, etc. The early launch in Japan with weak software and weak advertising was idiotic and the Euro marketing has been crap so far as well, but it's not too late to improve things.

I think in Europe, the Xbox's life was way too short and people remember that, so they want solid proof this time that Microsoft is really committed before joining the party, so to speak. They also remember the quick price drops last time, so there's probably a bunch of people thinking it's going to happen again. The soccer exclusivity was a brilliant move, but they can't stop there. They have to position 360 as a cheaper, yet viable alternative to the hard-to-find PS3 this holiday season. They *can* certainly achieve this, but they've gotta be smarter about it.

In Japan, it's not over for 360 yet either, imo. They can still carve out a respectable niche for the hardcore and at least provide a platform for some quirky japanese games and give more japanese developers a reason to bring their games over so it can spread to a wider western audience. XBL should help as well, especially with games like Lumines and Karaoke Revolution (where downloadable content makes sense).
 
When Blue Dragon bombs and everyone just buys soccer on PS2 in Europe, are you going to reconsider?

50 million units is far more substantial than "significantly better." It's right at a 100% increase. In fact, to do this the way things are looking, 360 would have to do better in NA than PS2 did (40 million sales). Excuse me for being skeptical.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
open_mouth_ said:
Microsoft is doing too many things right (and some wrong) to not improve on Xbox's sales by a significant margin.


Apart from actually improving on Xbox's sales...
 

PhatSaqs

Banned
With sales like this I dont see MS stayin in the biz another go round. It's gonna be melancholy city in Redmond after PS3 sells 3 times+ what the 360 has in the same time period even with a higher price.
 

open_mouth_

insert_foot_
My Arms Your Hearse said:
When Blue Dragon bombs and everyone just buys soccer on PS2 in Europe, are you going to reconsider?

50 million units is far more substantial than "significantly better." It's right at a 100% increase. In fact, to do this the way things are looking, 360 would have to do better in NA than PS2 did (40 million sales). Excuse me for being skeptical.

your skepticism is justifiable, although shortsighted, imo. Anyone can look at last generation and then the last 8-9 months with 360 and say, "oh well, nice try, 3rd place and ~30 million max". That could very well happen, but that's probably the worst case scenario. There are too many variables at this point and *lots* of advantages the 360 has over the Xbox that I'm not willing to ignore.
 

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
jarrod said:
Two years ago, would anyone have guessed that what's essentially a handheld N64 with a second touch screen & microphone, who's killer app is a puppy simulator, would've steamrolled what's essentially a handheld PS2, who's killer app is a console level, exclusive GTA?
What, you wouldn't have? It's not such a departure from the norm in the handheld space as you'd like to portray it here. Based on the tech curve Nintendo established with previous handhelds, N64 level tech was expected next step and the addition of a second touch screen and microphone didn't take away the basic gamepad controls everyone was familiar with from GBA. Touch screen and mic are not exotic technologies, esp. in the portable space, and since they only supplement the familiar this is hardly a significant departure. And the software that's the most overwhelmingly successful is the same software that had been on the GBA and prior - Nintendo software. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as the saying goes.
 

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
PhatSaqs said:
With sales like this I dont see MS stayin in the biz another go round. It's gonna be melancholy city in Redmond after PS3 sells 3 times+ what the 360 has in the same time period even with a higher price.
I think my sarcasm meter is broken...you don't really believe this, do you?
 
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