The Gamer Access

Xbox 360 is the gamers' choice. In the last few months, a lot of things have happened in the gaming world. The PlayStation 3 got a slim model and a price drop and the Xbox 360 also reconfigured their pricing structure to match that of the PS3. You can now get a 120gb Elite 360 or a 120gb Slim PS3 for $299. There are a ton of games coming out and the sales for both consoles spiked since the price drops were put into effect. Now Nintendo dropped the price of the Wii, in the United States, to $199 to keep up with the price drops that have been happening recently. Nintendo has dominated this generation with total sales and game sales, but many gamers consider the true race is between the PS3 and the 360. The 360 has held a firm lead of about 7 million consoles over the PS3, due in part to the one year head start and arguably a stronger lineup of games and online services. Although the PS3 has made some strides, it has yet to take away any shine from the 360. Each console has its benefits yet both are different in regards to their functions and abilities. Sony has worked hard to improve their online network and its features, but Microsoft has continued to stay a few steps ahead in that area.

Now that we are entering the most important part of the year for gaming, many gamers are wondering what effects the price drops and exclusives will have on console sales this holiday season. Many of the most wanted games, such as Assassins Creed II and Modern Warfare 2, are multiplatform games, but there is still a hand full of exclusives being released on each console over the next 3 months. Uncharted 2 and Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack In Time, are the two biggest exclusive releases for the PS3 this holiday season, although some may argue that the God of War Collection is a big deal too. The 360 has Halo 3: ODST, which just released and is selling like hot cakes, and they also have Forza 3 as their two biggest exclusives being released this holiday season. What impact will these games have on console sales and which game will end up selling the most? Well if the past is any indication, and if the 24 hour sales of ODST don't show you anything, ODST and Forza 3 will lead the pack for exclusive game sales. Modern Warfare 2 is going to be the king this holiday season, but as far as exclusives, Halo will once again come out ahead. Although Uncharted 2 is a great looking game, Sony exclusives have not sold as well as the exclusives on the 360. Some do think that the price drop and quality of Sony's exclusives will now change this trend, but that is yet to be seen. There is one thing that people must remember, yet tend to forget, when making comparisons between the 360 and PS3 and that is North America.

North America, namely the United States, generates a lot of revenue for the gaming industry. America spends the most money on games and has the highest console sales totals of any other region in the world, although Europe is a close second. With that said, well over half of 360 users are in the United States, and according to VGChartz they have a huge lead of almost 10 million in console sales over the PS3. This has a direct reflection on game sales because there are more people who can purchase games and so far, multiplatform 360 games have outsold their PS3 counterparts, except for a few cases. Even though most games are within a few thousand or a million or so, depending on how popular the game was and how much it sold total, but there is still a gap in how many games are sold in relation to each of the two consoles. For this reason, I do not think that this trend will change anytime soon. Worldwide, the 360 is still ahead of the PS3 by approximately 7 million consoles, the same gap they faced in November 2006 when the PS3 released and the 360 had already been on the market for a year.

The one thing that has changed is the fact that Sony is in a much better position to show that the PS3 is a fierce competitor and that there is a reason for gamers to choose the PS3 over any other console or to at least experience what the PS3 has to offer. Graphics, exclusives and the Sony name have done little thus far to help quell all the problems Sony has faced this generation. People will continue to feel this way until Sony does something that will change their minds and make the PS3 the primary gaming console in more homes instead of a secondary console or a Blu-ray player. Sony has done a good job thus far and they are making strides to get back to the place they once were, but Microsoft has done a better job and they continue to pressure Sony to come up with new ways to beat them. Whatever console you own, either the 360, PS3 or both, you have the most powerful gaming consoles ever made. Based on sales, support and features as of now the 360 is the king of the HD gaming console race.

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written by keysy420, September 25, 2009

i hate the sales areguement to argue for who is the king of the hd race. because although you made great points as to why the 360 is king their is some problems you fail to mention. the ps3 has actually been the better selling console since launch so gamer have chosen the ps3. Also the ps3 price drop has done something that the 360 hasnt been able to do since launch and this late in the game will never do that's sell 1 million in 3 weeks. next. your on to something with the odst selling like hot cakes. but its halo that is what happens its like saying whena ff game drops in japan. that's what you should compare is what does halo odst do for the ps3 than ff13 do in japan.Still i dont think that forza is as big a game you guy would like it to be. sure their are alot of racing fans but not like forza. lastly uncharted will be the biggest selling game of the holiday season up till xmas, the halo game is great and 2 millon is good but not halo sequel good. uncharted compared to the first one if it sell 2 million in a week its a huge success. but if you have a ps3 and you play games you will pick up this game come next month. I think the 360 is great but its numbers are inflated due to broken systems and repeat buyers. its true that the 360 has the teenage crowd. but that is about the change with great games continuing to dominate the 360 counter parts. every single game that has comeout on the 360 has a game that is on the ps3 that is not only ranked higher but is a better game. Its just a matter of time, think im bull ask yourself how long do you think the 360 can last without newer ips. one 2 more years. if sony can come with 20 new ips 50 blu-ray upscaled in the next 2 yrs all these dumb a$$ sales talks will be done . They are pointless and nobody is making money but the companies. I have a personal hate for mS because i fell like i should have sued them. but i choose not to and learned my lesson.i just hope that people dont stick with 360 on its down slloap and we start getting the most out of this generartion instead of game that are "each system has things that its good at and we wanted to give user the same experience on both consoles" f$*k that F*$king bulls$&t answer. look i didnt buy a f*#king ps3 or 360 so that i could get the same experience i'm buying your game on xbox becuase the live excells and i want to see what you do with it. O ri choose the ps3 becuase i played mgs i played killzone 2 i kno what the system can do i want to tsee it at its best. this is the whole reason why the game industry is bull if each system didi what its good at and dev's took advantage of that. all thsi comparison and all this other crap could go away and we could have games. great m$ game and Great sony Games. sorry for the rant

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written by David Simpson, September 25, 2009

@keysy - The point that you are missing is the attatch rate and the sales in the U.S., and that is my reasoning for feeling this way. Most people don't seem to have the same problem with the rrod that I do and they continue to buy 360's and support the console. It is all a matter of preference and based on sales of both games and consoles, the 360 is winning.

You are right about selling a million in a few weeks and you are also right about the quality of the games but my whole point is that no matter what games seem to sell more on the 360. And yes the PS3 has matched or beat sales of the 360 pretty much every year, but that one year lead and the large lead in the U.S. counts for a lot. When the 360 has nearly double the amount of consoles in the region with the highest amount of consoles, that is where most of the game sales are going to come from. Japan is not as big a force as you may think in this console race, just look at the total numbers across the board by region.

Whether I agree with you about the developers and their choice to not fully utilize Blu Ray on multiplatform games, it is a fact that they don't, and I do not see that changing anytime soon. All games could potentially look better on the PS3 but devs won't spend the time doing it because it most likely won't make them any more money, but it will cost them more money. At the end of the day this is a business and it is all about numbers and how much money can be made. I do agree with you but this article is just stating a fact that in part because of the huge lead the 360 has in the U.S., devs tend to do more "favors" for Microsoft since there is a higher probability that their games will sell more on the 360 since there are more consoles sold than the PS3. Like it or not the vast majority of gamers have a 360 as their primary console and the 360 does not seem to be losing any support from devs.

And I think the 360 can last a long time without any new ips since they have enough to keep people happy for the time being. Splinter Cell, Alan Wake, Halo: Reach, Natal and other games will all help the 360 continue to do well. That does not mean that the PS3 will not do good, but I don't see things changing much if they haven't already. The next year or so will really give everyone an indication of how the rest of this generation will go now that there is price parody between the 360 and PS3. Rant on man lol, that's why I do this to hear people's opinions.

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written by jskywalker, September 25, 2009

i dont think the xbox 360 is the gamers choice. i think the 360 is america's hard core gamers choice. americans support american products for the most part, good or bad. the same with japan, they have an overwhelming support for japanese products. the 360 is not doing good in japan and the wii and ps3 are in a good place. europe is more nuetral where everyone except wii is pretty much neck and neck. the problem the ps3 had was the 499 and 599 price at launch. the xbox 360 was 299 and 399 at launch, and you could even say the game lineup wasn't that good, (like most launch lineups), but america still supported it. people started with the ps3's price and continued with the negatives (no games for ps3, bad online, too high, graphics look worse than 360). the negatives stuck with the ps3 in america even though most people never found out for themselves if they were true or not, they took other peoples word for it. don't listen to the bull, find out for yourself. sony is trying to put the negative comments to rest with their new exclusive line up, cross game chat, 299 price point, better 3rd party support. at the end of the day i dont care who sells more consoles because i dont get a cut from any company. i am a gamer and play games for all consoles. stop taking sides because all these companies want from us is our money. we as gamers are in this together. i wish we would get off this sales bs because no console in going to do a sega dreamcast this generation. play games for all consoles even the wii

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written by Chief, September 25, 2009

Perhaps you should have added "in North America" at the end of the title. Go almost anywhere else in the world and it's the complete opposite- especially Japan where the 360 is getting killed and parts of Europe where PS3 sells more and PS3 versions of multiplats sell more.
And if Sony had released GT5 this year it would be the highest selling exclusive, moreso than even Halo 3: ODST but now they're releasing it the same month as God of War 3....I can't imagine why. Anyway, although I don't fully agree, good read.

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written by rawr, September 25, 2009

u cant realy say its the games choice i play mostly on ps3/pc only a few games i play on my 360. and there are probaly people who do it the other way around im sure.

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written by David Simpson, September 25, 2009

@chief @ rawr - If you look at what I was saying, the only region the 360 isn't ahead is Japan and the U.S. has the most consoles sold, as far as regions go. And the 360 has damn near DOUBLE the number of PS3's in the U.S. so yeah as far as the PS3 vs. 360 thing goes, they are winning. Consoles sale in Japan do no even compare to the U.S. or Europe, which makes me wonder why do they get everything on their store lol.

All I am saying is that for now they are running this HD console race, since Nintendo is really the real king this gen, and until Sony does some sneak move check writing or whatever they gotta do for the next 3 years til the next generation starts, it's gonna stay that way. You know me I don't even own a 360 so yeah you are right there are people who either don't have one or don't play it as much, but that just depends on what games are out and when they come out and what console they come out for.

This article is based on sheer numbers, not personal opinion. The fact of the matter is in Japan console sales for the PS3 are around 3.5 mil and the 360 is barely over a million. in the U.S. the PS3 is at 9.5 mil while the 360 is at just over 18 mil, so do you see my point now. Even in Europe the 360 is up by about a mil so the U.S. is where the PS3 is really getting its ass kicked, but that is a huge stomping man, 9 million consoles difference in one region, sheeesh.

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The Xbox360 Wont Be Beat in the USA
written by Philaroni, September 27, 2009

The Xbox and Microsoft will stay #1 in the US and online space for a very long time, Worldwide sales Sony will catch up and surpass them with ease I can say though. In the end when you own the US market, you might as well own the world market, US consumers spend more then another world wide. That is one major factor why Halo and Gears sell so damn well, and games like COD sell better on the 360, its a game targeted to the US market and that fan-base. As long as that keeps up MS will keep there lead. Even when lets say Sony is on 'par' then what? MS will drop price next year and will add something to XBL to keep justifying the price like they always do. Sony for lack of a better word seems to keep struggling, they are doing better with the Slim and new advertising and basically the relaunch of the PS3 but they can do much much better. Anyway Its very easy to see MS wants to be #1, Sony is doing better but MS will just shut them down like always and keep there #1 spot, as much as I want Sony to beat MS on all fronts just I like what MS is doing right now too much, I just dont see any comeback happening.

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written by David Simpson, September 27, 2009

@Philaroni - exactly what I was trying to say. US gamers spend cash and with more consoles sold that means more games sold. Just like Resident Evil 5, it outsold the PS3 in the US by like 400K but PS3 beat it in worldwide sales the first week. That just shows you how big of an impact the US market has on game sales.

Sony won't catch up worldwide and definitely not in the US but they are doing better. This generation has about 2 or 3 solid years left before we started hearing about new consoles so we will see but I think 7 million is too large a gap worldwide and 9 million is too big a gap in the US to catch up, especially if Microsoft drops the price again. By next year Christmas time I see the 360 Elite and PS3 slim down to $199 and the Wii at $129, then you are really gonna see consoles fly off the shelves.

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written by Philaroni, September 28, 2009

@David - I dont know about the world wide gap, Sony will start to sell like mad in Japan, FF13 and others will be huge sales pushes. With this said MS had there two system selling games Halo and Fable, (Games that made the move to next gen.) Sony has God of War and GT5 left. Half the reason as well Sony IP sales have been bad is dew to the fact they are new, unproven IPs. Most gamers would rather spend 60$ on the next COD then Infamous just dew to the fact they know from history COD is a great game and they more or less played the first few. UC2 will be a huge game for Sony more so in the US, first game I seen that I can say 360 Online gamers must have (Killzone2 online setup makes it too hard to join games, lacks seamlessness COD and Halo have. That and Killzone 1held it back.) Also another huge reason for monster 360 game sales is Online, Word of mouth is the most powerful forum of advertising there is. I had got some games single player even to play with my 360 friends, we would start the game at the same time and be on cross game chat or the party system. Im not saying this just to be an ass, just thats a major factor not just for me but many many others, and I think is the major factor behind 3rd party sales.

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written by David Simpson, September 28, 2009

@Philaroni - I agree and I have stated in the past the exact same things you said. If Killzone 2 would've been on the 360 it woulda done Gears numbers. Word of mouth is number 1, if your friends have it u r gonna get it on general principle since that's who you are going to play with the most, hence 360 sales vs. PS3 sales in the U.S.

True and I have also said that new IP's don't sell well all the time, some do (Gears, Assassins Creed) but not all do that well.

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written by Philaroni, September 28, 2009

Its also worth saying people like me have XBL friends from back on Halo 2 and old Xbox games that I still play with the PS3 next to socom for the PS2 is the first online system for Sony....yet the old Xbox had more at launch then the PS3. Its kind of sad to think I could not send a FR in a game upuntill FW 2.4 and even when cross game chat comes big fricken deal they will have had it for what? A day? to MS years and years? There is no realistic solution to a Win in the USA, Worldwide maybe but not the US. Even if Sony was 50-100$ cheaper then MS they could not catch up. And the worst part is with MS having the lead the control when the next gen will start, when the Xbox 720 comes out Sony will have to answer with somthing and not risk them getting another head start.

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written by David Simpson, September 28, 2009

@Philaroni - Pretty much on point, but next gen will be different, just like this gen. PS2 sold about 120 million when the new consoles came out and Sony got abandoned so don't think that just because things are one way this gen they will be the next gen too because that is not a for sure thing. Either way I am happy and both systems are good but I do not see Sony catching Microsoft at all. They might take the lead and keep it in Europe but that will be it.

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