Missing The Memo About The Demise Of The Xbox
I’ve always been under the impression that the Xbox brand is of a pretty solid stature in the gaming world, particularly down to the continuous success the 360 is achieving. Even though I wasn’t much of a gamer prior to this generation, I know the GameCube-PlayStation2-Xbox era saw the PlayStation 2 firmly stand as the King of console gaming, with both the GameCube and Xbox under performing sales-wise in comparison.
But with this generation I thought we were seeing the tables turn. Nintendo has undeniably made one hell of a comeback, and the Xbox 360 has carved itself a path as the hardcore gamers console of choice, perhaps down to its 15-month head start over the PlayStation 3 (that’s judging by the European launch dates for both consoles), and cheaper retail price. The Playstation 3, on the other hand, with its continued delay and loss of many exclusives, seemed like it may have been the one with a tough time ahead of itself, and a lot of redeeming to do with its fan base.
What’s come as a surprise to me, a 360 owner, is the amount of Xbox-derogatory feeds appearing in my RSS reader as of late. Analysts claim this year will see the Xbox brand struggle, further elaborating this year will be troublesome for the 360, as well as figures revealing that the PlayStation 3’s European cumulative sales have surpassed those of the 360’s European cumulative sales. Sheesh!
I admit it’s difficult to write a post concerning disparaging remarks directed at the only console I own for fear of being lumbered in the ‘fan girl’ category, because that I am not. But what I am is a little surprised.
It wasn’t long ago that gamers were opting for 360’s because the price of the PlayStation 3 was considerably higher. It wasn’t long ago Microsoft were whipping one-time exclusives from beneath Sony’s belt on an all too regular basis. It wasn’t long ago that Sony seemed to be delaying everything, from the launch of the console itself, to the much hyped introduction of community-based service, Home.
And now? Apparently the next year will be troublesome for the Xbox 360, settling in third place in the on-going console war, while the PlayStation 3 will continue to gain momentum. I want to argue that the victory of Blu-Ray can account for strong PlayStation 3 sales, and in comparison haven’t software sales been much stronger for the 360? The odd occasion has occurred where I’ve been unable to walk in-store and buy a Xbox 360 game off the shelf (specifically Army of Two and more recently GTAIV), yet the PlayStation 3 booths have never been short of said games.
Regardless, my confusion remains. I’m not that hung up on the console war that the Xbox 360 falling behind in third place for hardware sales would devastate me. As long as Microsoft continue to serve us stellar games, which they have been doing all along, then I’m a happy gamer. I’m just puzzled as to how the 360 can go from being such a strong contender in the current line-up of consoles, to ‘struggling’ and facing a ‘troublesome’ year. Have I missed something?!
Tags: GameCube, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Sony, Xbox, Xbox 360
This is where I, Ashley Baxter, blog about gaming. At the moment my primary console is the Xbox 360, so expect the topic of conversation to revolve around that.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
The format war plays a roll in this. Having BlueRay come out on top makes for a boost in PS3 sales. I recall the purchase of my PS2, a major justification was its dvd playing ability. I think it would be the same were I to purchase a PS3 today.
June 17th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
The original Xbox was a hard sell because first it came out a year after the PS2 and the Playstation was such a huge system that most jumped directly to the PS2 without any thoughts on the Xbox. I however never owned a Playstation as I went from N64 to Dreamcast to Xbox (mainly when Xbox Live was released) to Xbox 360.
I also think that Blu-Ray has some to do with the increase sales of the PS3. You can tell that by the different of PS3 sales and their games. I personally know several people who have a PS3 and no games. The other side is that yeah the PS3 costs a little more but when most of the 360 news was for the longest time about the failure rate of the system that makes an impact (even more on those non-hardcore gamers and (grand)parents buying for kids). When you hear about the ton of systems RRoD for those that don’t know the difference between the 360 and PS3 might just think “well lets pay more and get a reliable system”. Although, the fail rate is down a lot as most have been replaced it was big news for awhile.
Either way, as long as MS keeps providing great games and Xbox Live, I’ll stick with them.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:54 am
What needs to be said though is that games for the 360 are still selling the most. What is happening is that heaps of Nintendo Wii’s are being sold, but many people are content with playing Wii Sports. So the games aren’t selling as well. And many people purchase the PS3 because it’s a complete media centre with Blu-Ray. For gaming, and for a long time, I don’t think the 360 is going anywhere. The only thing that will really hurt it is if Microsoft brings out the new Xbox too early, which there is talk of. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen too soon.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I have every system available more or less (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, etc.) and I spend 90% of my time on XBOX. For hardcore gamers, nothing compares to LIVE and I think XBOX has the best games library overall too.
With that said, PS3 is the cheapest way to get Blu-ray and with Home Theater setups becoming more popular that is a major selling point. Also, Metal Gear Solid 4 will move “a lot” of PS3s (It lives up to all of the hype - it really is that awesome of a game). MSG4 is probably the only killer-app PS3 has right now but other exclusives like Ratchet and Clank and Heavenly Sword are also great games and Gran Turismo has a large following too. When God of War III comes out that will most likely be another killer-app must-have title that will lead to even more system sales.
I think this year will see the PS3 gain a lot of ground. If XBOX adds a Blu-ray option or add-on and drops the price, that could help surge sales. I still think XBOX 360 will always be the preferred choice of hardcore gamers, especially with XBOX LIVE. As awesome as it is, however, I don’t think the Moms and Pops buying their kids games systems appreciate or even understand how great XBOX LIVE is - I know a ton of adults that are clueless about it as well. So to stay ahead, XBOX will need to continue to put more energy into appealing to a broader audience with more family and party games and start to position and market XBOX LIVE as more than just online gaming (promote the TV and Movie downloads, etc. more).
June 19th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Jake, definitely. I have no doubt Blu-Ray has accounted for a large part of the PS3’s sales, if only because out of all the people I know who own a PS3, only one uses it for gaming.
James, the RRoD has no doubt had a negative impact on the 360 to an extent. I remember telling a non-gamer (an Apple employee when I was buying a new keyboard) I owned a 360 and his reply was: ‘Why? Don’t they die?’ I can definitely see this making people hesitant about investing in a 360 as opposed to a PS3. Having said that, none of the articles I referenced to said anything about the RRoD being the factor in the supposed trouble the Xbox will be facing over the next year. What they did say, however, was “The trouble with Xbox 360 is it hasn’t managed to shake off this urban, irreverent adult male feel”, which is funny considering I am female and actually know of quite a lot of other females who are big into their 360s. We aren’t as rare a breed as people think.
reemix, you’re right. I do think the Wii will remain at the forefront of the console war for a while to come, but essentially I think it’s a fad. Again, this is just down to what I’ve seen with friends who own Wii’s and whored them for the first month or so but have since lost interest. Didn’t Microsoft give up on the original Xbox after only 4 years on the market? I hope they don’t pull this move again :/
Mikeopedia, I think now that MGS4 is out, and definitely once FInal Fantasy XIII is released, the PS3 will experience a dramatic surge in sales for its gaming capabilities - not Blu-Ray. On the subject of promoting the movie marketplace, I don’t think Microsoft really do a good job of marketing in general. For example, I don’t think many people who don’t follow gaming sites etc were aware of the extra DLC the 360 was offering with GTAIV. The marketing for that was pretty abysmal, despite it being a good selling point for the 360 which should have been better pushed.
Anyway, like I said in my post, I’m not too fussed with whoever settles for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the console war. I was just - and still am - clueless as to how Analysts came to the conclusion the future was pretty grim for the 360, when I’ve always seen it as pretty bright.
June 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I’ve recently found that the question of who wins the console war is no longer an issue to me. It was at first of course, when there was a real possibility of the 360 losing out to the PS3, but now over 2 years after launch the platform is sufficiently well established for me not to care how well the PS3 is doing. What matters is that it’s catering perfectly to my gaming needs, not only in terms of software but in functionality, so much so I’m actually on my *4th* 360 (now an Elite) and I still haven’t thought about jumping ship.
I only have enough time and money to devote to one console so I’ve never entertained the idea of having one of each of the current-gen machines, and it seems that I’ve made the right decision as to which one to go for.
In short, who really cares what industry insiders are saying? I don’t see the 360 being in any danger should Sony have a good year in 2009.
June 21st, 2008 at 1:51 pm
There’s not really much I want to add to this- I’ve really enjoyed reading the article and all of the comments.
What I would like to mention though is that the competition that the Xbox 360 has presented has been really beneficial to Sony and the PS3. I have felt that in recent years Sony have been complacent and perhaps did push people’s loyalty away from the brand with their high initial price.
Now I feel that Sony has been stepping up it’s game lately and Microsoft has been a bit complacent itself and perhaps thought it had ‘won’ the console war.
So what I’m really trying to say is that this competition has been very beneficial to both companies but that it seems that Sony currently has the initiative. The next year or two should be a very interesting time for gamers everywhere.
June 28th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
I’ve owned a PS3 since launch day back in november 2006. Never had a problem with it. Got Ubuntu installed on it as well as over 200 HD movies (external 2Tb). (I’m a Metal Gear Boy!)
I also had a 360 that died 2 months after I bought it…SAD!! ;-( cuz I liked my previous Xbox so much!
If Microsoft can bring a RRoD free 360 soon… I’ll buy another one…as simple as that!