May NPD: No Surprises, Nintendo Takes Crown
- Scribbled on June 15th, 2007 by Devin Grimes
- Filed in Industry News
Each month’s NPD numbers give us a general idea of where the gaming industry is headed, and this month, just like past months, Nintendo is still dominating both the handheld, and home console markets.
The broad appeal of the DS and Wii have far eclipsed those of Nintendo’s competition, with the Wii selling more than the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined. Here’s the breakdown:
- Nintendo Wii: 338,000
- Playstation 3: 82,000
- Xbox 360: 155,000
- Playstation 2: 188,000
- Nintendo DS: 423,000
- Sony PSP: 221,000
- Gameboy Advance: 81,000
Click “Read more…” for our breakdown of what these numbers really mean, and our predictions for the future.
The big question, however is how long the Wii will continue to outsell the others at retail, and if it’s just a fad. Plenty of people come home from a friend’s house who own a Wii with the “gotta have it” mentality, picking one up for themselves, and never touching it again. It’ll be interesting to see if Nintendo can keep up the momentum with the “nontraditional” gaming community.
Even more surprising,though, is how well the Playstation 2 is still doing in the market, proving the huge library amassed throughout the console’s six+ year life span is unparalleled if you’re looking for a console with legs. Far from being the latest technology, the PS2 has become the de-facto standard for gaming, synonymizing the term “Playstation” with gaming as a whole — all while still at a $129.99 price point.
Looking at the numbers it’s also very evident how much price matters in this console war. The PS3, while still a top contender in the next-generation war barely edged out the GBA — a handheld already on it’s deathbed.
Where will things go from here? Probably more of the same — so long as Nintendo can keep up the momentum, and the PS3 remains at a price point far above the average consumer’s barrier for entry.
(Via Gamespot)
June 16th, 2007 at 8:57 am
Eventually some of the wii numbers will die down when the product reaches saturation, but how can 3rd parties ignore it? They’re basically printing money–don’t you want to ride to boat? Make a game for it. Damn.
PS2 will beat the PS3 hands down for a long time. Massive library of games, reasonable price and huge market share. Not surprised there either.
Until Sony is ready to let go the ties of their PS2 baby, PS3 won’t win. But, think about it, if you were Sony would you want to end the life of your massive money maker for your half flopped non-selling console? Heck no! Esp. after laying off so many people in response to low sales.
June 16th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
How can 3rd parties ignore it? Easy, Derrick - people aren’t purchasing 3rd party titles on the Wii. The attach rate is insanely low.
The Wii is being purchased as a stand-alone system by many buyers. That is, people buy the Wii with the intent of not expending any more capital. With the lack of Nintendo FIRST party titles, like the N64 and the GameCube before it, the Wii is in serious risk of dying on the vine.
People are treating it as a cheap toy, and not a console system.
June 16th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
People aren’t buying them? People are going nuts for Scarface, Godfather and all that trash. They aren’t selling like Zelda, no, but people are buying the garbage more than they should be.
June 16th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Wow, people aren’t buying 3rd party titles? Ubisoft made a killing at launch with Red Steel and Rayman Raving Rabbids…
June 16th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Those are launch titles. Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo sold tons, too. But please check out the attach rates.
And by the way, Zelda underperformed, according to sales expections. Severely underperformed, especially in Japan, of all places.