PS3 Fanboy

Guess what? PS3 sold pretty well because of this "Metal Gear" game. The PS3-exclusive and limited edition 80GB bundle accelerated sales to over 400k. PS3 sold 405,488 systems, 84% higher than the Xbox 360. Year-over-year sales in June went up 311%, and month-over-month growth went up 94%.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots was the best-selling video game, with 774,647 units sold. More than 2.4 million software units were sold for PS3 in June, representing an increase of more than 300% from this time last year. (Software totals do not include software units sold as part of the Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots PS3 retail bundle).

The incredible success of the PS3 this month shouldn't come as a surprise. We really hope that Sony will be able to continue the momentum of the PlayStation brand in the coming months with its upcoming holiday lineup. Sony's official word, after the break.

The console wars continue raging on. May's NPD figures are out, and PS3 has pushed out another victory this month, beating Xbox 360 by 22k units. The PS3 sold over 208k units this month, an increase of 155% over last year's May figures. Grand Theft Auto IV undoubtedly helped PS3 sales, with over 442k units of the game sold for PS3 in May alone. According to Sony, more than 32% of US PS3 owners now own a copy of Rockstar's latest (that's a 6% higher attach rate than Xbox 360). The exclusive releases of SingStar and Haze may have also helped sales.

Sony is undoubtedly pleased by this month's results, but imagine how ecstatic they'll be next month. PS3 sales are sure to spike in June, thanks to the release of the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle.

Jack Tretton added in a recent press release: "Leading into a pivotal season packed with blockbuster titles and unique online service offerings, consumers have chosen the PS3 as their home entertainment console of choice - showcased by its year-over-year sales growth of 155 percent. With its commanding line up of software titles and enhanced movie playback capabilities, the PS3 has seen phenomenal momentum with a software sales increase of more than 234 percent and additional studio support of delivering content in the Blu-ray format. The dual platform release of the much anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV title reaffirmed its legacy on the PlayStation platform with a 6 percent higher attach rate than Xbox 360, reinforcing consumer choice of PS3. Poised for continued momentum, PS3 is delivering on its breadth and depth of exclusive titles to its gaming fans with today's prized exclusive title launch of Metal Gear Solid 4. The media have hailed 2008 as the year of the PS3, and with solid sales and growth opportunities ahead, we feel consumers are saying the same."

NPD figures for April have finally come in and this time, it's a close call between Xbox 360 and PS3. According to the NPD, PS3 sold 187,071 hardware units last month, which represents a year-over-year sales growth of 127%. More importantly, software sales have gone up 410% from last year, with over 2 million software units sold in April. A large portion of that figure comes from Grand Theft Auto IV, which sold over one million copies on PS3 in North America. The PS3 version had a higher attach ratio, although the Xbox 360 version still outsold the PS3 version almost 2:1. Predictions that PlayStation loyalty from the PS2 era would help PS3 sales were incorrect.

While Sony's home console didn't win any sales contests this month, it has gained a tremendous amount of momentum, especially when one remembers the console at the same time last year. The newly released rumble-ready DualShock 3 controller also sold incredibly well, with sales exceeding $10.9 million in April. By our calculations, that means over 200,000 controllers were sold in April alone. Not bad, huh?

Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA, responded to this month's numbers: "Clearly, the tremendous legacy of Grand Theft Auto on PlayStation, combined with the blockbuster launch of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue packed a one-two punch with consumers at retail this month. The proof is in the numbers and, in April, PlayStation 3 hardware sales experienced a 127% increase over April of last year. PS3 momentum is fueled by enthusiasm for Blu-ray as the definitive high def standard and the growing number of consumers gearing up for some of the most anticipated titles of the year, exclusively for PS3, including the June release of Metal Gear Solid 4, and other great exclusives in the second half on the year, such as Resistance 2, SOCOM: Confrontation and LittleBigPlanet to name a few. With exciting PlayStation Network innovations and our strongest console-driving titles of the year still on the horizon, PS3 remains on pace for a breakthrough year."

Uh-oh! It's a stint of bad news for the PS3-lovin' populace. NPD's latest batch of arbitrary data we trust so dearly has listed the current standing of home consoles in reference to their software attach rate. Guess who's at the bottom of the list? Well, technically the PSP, but the PS3 is if we're counting consoles and not handhelds. The breakdown goes like this:

• Xbox 360: software sales ratio: 7.5
• Wii: software sales ratio: 5.3
• PS3: software sales ratio: 4.6

This can be chocked up to a number of reasons, which we'll allow you to speculate in our comments section. The PSP was slightly behind the PS3 with 4.2 just in case you were wondering. Install base? Sheer number of games? Price of the console? Versatility of the console? Reliability? Who knows, but despite saying the PS3 is at "the bottom" sort of discounts the fact that on average, people have 4-5 games as soon as they buy their system. That's great!

While January and February were both wins for PS3, March took a downward turn, as PS3 sales trailed Xbox 360. Granted, it was by a small margin (5k), but it was a defeat nonetheless. Sony's latest press release reminds us that a flood of PS3 exclusives are yet to come, such as Metal Gear Solid 4, SOCOM Confrontation, Killzone 2, Resistance 2 and more.

Jack Tretton added his thoughts on March NPD figures. "Our sales momentum continues to defy what is traditionally a sluggish sales month. PS3 continued the strong momentum with a year-over-year sales growth of over 98%. It is proof that, in these economically challenging times, consumers recognize the long-term value of our platforms and the tremendous heritage of our brand in delivering the best entertainment experience."

For the official NPD numbers, click past the break.

As predicted by Microsoft, the PS3 has outsold Xbox 360 for the second straight month with 280,841 hardware units sold in February, 10% higher than Microsoft (according to NPD February 2008 sales data). Year-over-year this represents 120% sales growth. If Microsoft is to be believed, Sony will also come out on top in March as well.

"Consumers are recognizing the tremendous value of PS3 and we believe that Blu-ray becoming the high-def format of choice was the tipping point for many consumers. With monster titles like Gran Turismo 5 Prologue and Grand Theft Auto IV launching in April and Metal Gear Solid 4 in June, we're demonstrating this is the year for PS3," said Jack Tretton in a press release.

"Whether there is an Xbox 360 shortage or not, it is clear that the PS3 has gained considerable ground on its rival," said analyst Jesse Divnich. "Given these past two months and the momentum that the PS3 has gained, Microsoft must react quickly as the PS3's momentum will only get stronger until Microsoft reacts."

We're glad to see Sony's increasing success with the PS3. It might seem surprising, but it looks like Sony's black box is finally gaining the traction we always thought it deserved.

Looks like PS3 really is gaining momentum. January showed some incredible performance for Sony's newest home console, as it was able to beat its major competitor, the Xbox 360. In fact, it almost sold as much as the Wii, falling short only a measly 5k systems for the month. Here are the numbers:

- Wii: 274K
- PS3: 269K
- PS2: 264K
- DS Lite: 251K
- Xbox 360: 230K
- PSP: 230K

There's still a long way to go in this console war, but January has been quite favorable for Sony. Will Sony be able to capitalize on this newfound momentum? With a killer line-up of games for the rest of year, we'd like to think so. Update: Comment from SCEA's Jack Tretton, after the cut.

[Via Joystiq]

Well, the numbers are in for December and we have to say Sony did all right. As far as the PlayStation 3 is concerned, this was the biggest month in its career since launch -- 798k units were sold in the last month of 2007. We know the momentum for PS3 is just increasing for 2008 so we whole-heartedly expect to see that number obliterated come December 2008.

How about Sony's other machines? Well, the PS2 continued to sell very well thanks to its library of an estimated 1,500 games. It moved 1.1 million units in December and sold more software than any console on the market. We're not surprised, but we're impressed the system continues to experience such success. If you want to know how the PSP did, you'll just have to look over at PSP Fanboy, won't you? We'll just say that combining the three hardware's sales together generated approximately $714 million, a number Sony says beats out their competitors.

Sony fared relatively well in this month's NPD figures. It may still have been beaten by other platforms, but it's finally generating respectable sales numbers. 466,000 PS3 systems were sold in November, a 285% increase over the previous month's sales. According to Sony, the "PS3 had the biggest October to November sales increase of any hardware platform."

Surprisingly, PS2 sales are still going strong. In fact, the incredible strength of the PS2 may still be getting in the way of PS3 performance. Hardware sales reached 496,000, a 170% increase over last month's sales. The press release also reiterates that "Since its release in North America on Oct. 26, 2000, more than 120 million hardware units and more than a billion units of PlayStation 2 software have sold worldwide, making it the best-selling gaming platform ever released."

Software sales were also strong in November, with retail dollars from PS3 sales totaling $138 million, a 192% increase over last month's sales. A seeming first for the platform, PS3 had two titles reach the top ten list: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare for PS3 sold 444K units and Assassin's Creed for PS3 sold 377K units.

For more info on how the other platforms fared in November, check out Joystiq.

September wasn't a very good month for Sony, especially its PS3. NPD figures show that the system came in dead last, selling 119,400 units. This is less than the PS2 (215,000), the Wii (501,000) and the Xbox 360 (527,800). Granted, Xbox 360's sales were boosted quite significantly due to the launch of the blockbuster Halo 3, with sales of the game reaching a staggering 3.3 million in its first month. Heavenly Sword, in comparison, only sold 139,000 units its first month.

SCEA responds: "According to NPD data, September 2007 was a strong month for the PlayStation brand, which showed a 13% increase in total retail dollars generated year-over-year in the US with total sales of $337 million for the month."

Sony will have to look towards the future and hope its recent price cut announcement will keep it afloat. "PS3 continues to maintain an overall increase in sales, with 119K units sold at retail for the month. Also, with the new $399 40GB PlayStation 3 SKU hitting store shelves on November 2nd, a new $499 price point for the 80GB model effective immediately, and highly anticipated titles available this holiday, such as Racthet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, Folklore, and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the PS3 is poised for very strong performance through the holiday season and into 2008."

[Via Next Gen]

Sony has responded to this month's NPD reports on sales. "We were obviously very pleased to see that PS3 sales increased with 159K units sold at retail for the month of July, which puts us up 61% over June numbers." Impressive! Although the PS3 didn't outsell the Xbox 360, it got close (the Xbox 360 sold 180k).

The sales increase is most likely spurred by the recent price drop, but also the upcoming library of games that will be arriving on the PS3. However, it seems unlikely that Europe will receive a price drop. In a statement to Next-Gen, the always outspoken David Reeves admitted that a price drop so early in the game would be like admitting defeat. "Had we gone down in price in July, that's three months after we launched PS3. It'd be kind of like saying, 'hey, we failed.' But we didn't. We've been selling through much more than we ever thought we would be, even in Germany. If [a price cut is] what they want to do in the US, fine... But we don't need to do it in Europe."

With games like Warhawk and Heavenly Sword available in the coming weeks, it'll be interesting to see how Sony's next-gen platform fares. Until then, Sony can enjoy the still-incredible sales of PS2 hardware and software.

According to a new study by the NPD Group, only 40% of PlayStation 3 owners are aware that their console plays Blu-ray discs. This is after almost 18 months of PS3/Blu-ray advertisements and announcements, not to mention significant branding of Blu-ray on PlayStation 3 products.

It's rather unsettling to think of so many people not realizing a significant portion of their console's potential due to lack of awareness. It's tough to see what Sony could do different though. It may just be one of those things where it takes some time before awareness of Blu-ray hits critical mass.

So, you guys are aware that the PS3 plays Blu-ray movies ... right?

"Preliminary internal data" from Sony shows that PS3 sales have increased by more than 135% at the company's top five retailers since the $100 price cut was announced two weeks ago. $100 is a significant savings -- but we wonder how many of these purchasers rushed to pick up a 60GB system because they're no longer in production. During the same time period, software sales increased 15% and peripherals by 60%.

Recently released NPD figures show that PS3 was gaining momentum even before E3's price drop. In June, sales of the console increased 21% over May's figures, with 98,469 units sold at retail. (However, that still doesn't compete with the massive sales of the hugely successful PS2, with 270,763 consoles sold for the month.)

In a press release, Jack Tretton, president and CEO of SCEA commented: "The new price on the 60 GB PS3, coupled with our very strong software showing from E3, is certainly paying dividends in terms of impressive sales across the board at retail."

[Update: Complete press release is now attached.]

The dire prediction that PS3 would only sell 100k units in April was way off target. It was too high.

NPD released their numbers today, and unfortunately, the situation is so grim that Sony's PR machine may not be able to come up with a suitable spin. Sony's latest console endeavor sold through only 82k units. In comparison, the Xbox 360 sold through 174k units (which is also, admittedly, disappointing).

All hope is not lost, of course. NPD's Anita Frasier spoke to GameDaily about the state of the PS3: "Undoubtedly the sales results are not encouraging to date, but I for one am not counting out the PS3," she said. "While there has been good content available for the platform, there hasn't yet been the 'killer' title that tends to drive hardware sales acquisition among the broader audience. As the content ramps up, I'm confident the hardware sales will too. Rather than revisit this each and every month, particularly as we head into traditionally slower months of the year, I think we should really wait to see what the picture looks like in 6 months. Everything will be much clearer then."

Wedbush Morgan analyst David Pachter just can't seem to stay out of the spotlight -- he's already been quoted on here today claiming a price cut for the PS3 is due this summer. Now he's estimating console sales for April and it seems like he's decided that April was the worst month for the PS3 so far. Citing a mere 100,000 consoles sold for the US (these are NPD numbers, so it's just the US), this is about 30,000 fewer units than the previous month and way lower than the competition. He estimated 300,000 Wii's sold, 175,000 360's, the usual dominance of the DS and the PS2 selling better than both the PS3 and 360.

Software sales are up 24%, he estimates. Chances are this is no thanks to the PS3 since it released zero exclusive titles. He says that upcoming multiplatform games (like those based on movies) will sell the best on the PS2. This is probably due to userbase, plus cost of games for the PS2 seems to have dropped to a $39.99 price point (at least, around Georgia it seems that way). Sales of the PS2 may taper off once people replace the system for a next-gen one (but want to keep their current library), but that's only if the PS3 can show its muscle. In the coming months, that seems very likely.

[via GameDaily]