nobody's making games for it anymore, but there are HUNDREDS of cheap decent games out there. if i'm microsoft, i'm scared because not only do they have to eat $$$ on the hd-dvd add-on, they're losing to the ps3, which was all but considered dead a few months ago


U.S. video game sales jump 34% in Feb. |

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) — U.S. sales of video game hardware and software hit $1.33 billion in February, up 34% from a year earlier, with Sony's PlayStation 3 topping Microsoft's Xbox 360 for the second month in a row.
Nintendo's Wii was still the best-selling console, moving 432,000 units and topping the 281,000 PlayStation 3s and 255,000 Xbox 360s, according to market research firm NPD.

"With several marquee titles still to come in the front half of the year, the industry is poised to achieve another year of record-breaking sales despite difficult economic conditons," NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement.

Software sales in February were up 47% year-on-year while hardware sales rose 19%, NPD said.

Microsoft, which outsold Sony every month up until January, blamed its weak showing on inventory shortages caused by stronger-than-expected demand over the holidays.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: United States | Europe | Japan | Microsoft | Sony | PlayStation | Xbox | Grand Theft Auto | Activision | Anita Frazier | Call of Duty | Take-Two Interactive Software | Capcom | Nintendo of America | Guitar Hero | David Dennis | Wii Play
"Our manufacturing team guesses five months out. They made their forecast and didn't have as high a forecast as they should have," said Microsoft spokesman David Dennis.

"We're doing everything we can, pulling all the levers" to boost output, he said.

Microsoft said it expects to have a healthy supply of Xbox 360s by April, when Take-Two Interactive Software's Grand Theft Auto 4 hits shelves in what is widely expected to be the biggest game of the year.

But the company, which earlier this week cut Xbox prices in Europe to boost sales, may feel pressure to take a similar move in the United States if it continues to trail the PS3, said Jesse Divnich, an analyst with The simExchange, an online prediction market for game sales.

"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," Divnich wrote in a note.

Sony's PlayStation 2, which uses 8-year-old technology but costs just $130, about one-third of the cheapest PS3, saw surprising strength, selling 352,000 units, 19% more than a year ago.

Military shooting game Call of Duty 4 from Activision was the top game for a single console, moving 296,000 copies for the Xbox 360, NPD said.

Devil May Cry 4, a demonic-themed fighting game from Japan's Capcom, sold a combined 529,000 copies for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

The top games for Nintendo's Wii were its Wii Play, which came in at number three with 290,000 copies, and Activision's Guitar Hero 3, with 223,000 copies.

"Our momentum has not let up since the holidays and we expect it to continue throughout the year," Cammie Dunaway, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America, said in a statement.

Copyright 2008 Reuters Limited.

lol @ Wii Play coming in 3rd...the only reason people bought that "game" is because it came with a Wii-Mote

On topic tho PS2 = Cheap, PS3 = Expensive and not many quality games out yet

They still are making games on PS2....god knows why, but not like they used to, its a cash cow and being Sony they will milk it for all its worth and wont let it die until they have enough cash to make up for the lack of PS3 sales. And now that they aren't selling the 80gig backwards compatible PS3 thats another reason as to why the PS2 is still selling.

In terms of world wide console sales tho the 360 is doing pretty well, although it did have a year or two before the competition came out and the Wii.....well thats just kicking major ass! Especially in Japan (where the Xbox isn't doing so well...not enough crazy JRPGs for their likings) and the PS3 is also catching up in Japan, although not in the Wiis league.

But the DS is ruling supreme compared to all 3 of them and its a handheld console!

PS3 is expensive as fuck

PS2 - buggy and cheap

PS3 - extremely buggy and ridiculously priced

360 - not so buggy, ok price, not too many decent games

Dance said:

Not so buggy for the 360? Are you nuts?

That console has had something like a 35% failure rate. That system fails more than any console ever made.

savoirfaire said:

Dude, every Sony product is pure shit.

What is the PS3 actually capable of running? If Sony wasn't hogging all those games, 360 would have beat the piss out of them.

The only reason PS3 is selling decently now days is because they have made new "cheaper" models at the sacrifice of the quality of the machine and they are catering for the more hardcore Japanese market which Xbox isnt doing.

And if you really look closer into it, a lot of developers dont want to make games on the PS3 because
1 - Its way too expensive
2 - Its way too hard to make games on it (even Sony themselves havent mastered it!)
3 - Its not popular enough to profit from yet.

Dance said:

Exactly! I worked at Gamestop and Nintendo had quality games coming out ALL THE TIME, whereas the PS3 had a fraction of releases. Also PS3 and Xbox 360 had alot of units that didn't work. Playstation and 360 have a history of releasing shipments and units being malfunctions

Nintendo works their asses off to make sure the systems actually work

kcwm said:

.. they installed linux in PS3 and i dunno if that's the reason why it's harder to make games, but i do know that's why they are so expensive..

<-- still hasn't upgraded from his Playstation (One)...

Dance said:

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not arguing the quality of Sony products, but I'm sorry to say, as far as reliability issues are concerned, X360 is the winning pile of feces this generation.

Just search "Red Ring of Death" or "RROD" in google and see what comes up.

Flowerz said:

It's expensive because their source code is bulky, and their units attempt to utilize six processors. Most of the highest quality PC games only rarely utilize dual-core technology, and they expect programmers to code for six?

kcwm said:

Grand Theft Auto IV - 4/29/08 - YESSS!!!!!

uPtoWnNY said:

The same crap over and over. It's fun and all, but really. A couple new funny lines, cheats, and two or three different things. Meh. I'll play it in a couple years, if it's even out before then.

savoirfaire said:

yeah, they turned it into a mini-computer.. i dont know what level they're trying to take video games to that all that had to be added lol ..

savoirfaire said:

Sounds like something you'd have after a hot curry.

The only console I'm playing at the moment is a DS Lite. Super Mario on that takes me back to the days of the SNES.

Maybe because the ps3 is ass-expensive? People want their games, but they don't want to be living in a cardboard box as a result of buying them.

uPtoWnNY said:

If it actually comes out this time

damn that "PS3 sales increase" is LAME compared to Wii's "shortage" numbers anyway.

Game over Sony and MS.

Also PS2 outsold PS3 b/c some retailers had $99 deals on the PS2 last month in the US...

Flowerz said:

By the time gaming gets to a level where six processors is the norm, the PS3 will be hopelessly underpowered in all areas.

If a gamer wants extreme graphics and detail, they should look to PC gaming. If they want something that takes games in a new direction from the first person shooter and real time strategies, they should look to the Wii.

The PS3 doesn't have dominance in either category, and for those that just want to lay on their couch and shoot em up on the big screen, the Xbox has a far bigger and better catalogue. That's why the PS3 is struggling. Without the Blu-Ray player, it'd be doing even worse, it's a shame that PS3 will survive through such a back door, but at least they're currently taking substantial losses on every system sold.

PS... Actually, I just thought to add, despite the PS3 being a superior system (by numbers at least) to the Xbox 360, a lot of ports released on both systems have come up buggy and inferior on the PS3 do to the awkward coding. The Orange Box and Lost Planet come to my mind.

PPS... I'm a gaming nerd.
[Edited 3/17/08 4:33am]

wickyb said:

savoirfaire said:

Had the 'Ring of Death" and called the 800 number. They sent my post-paid box to return my system, fixed it, and had it back to me w/in 2 weeks. Also sent me a month of xbox live. I was pissed that my system stopped working, but Microsoft couldnt have been any cooler about the situation. They acknowledged the problem and took care of it even after my warranty had expired.

No complaints here.

They can now feel free to pay me for this psa.

savoirfaire said:

Basically

Sony might be the new Sega.

Maybe the reality of PS3 will sober them up.

I remember telling my friends that I predicted that Nintendo was going to have their revenge and do better with the Wii and all of my friends laughed and said everyone was going to get the PS3 and 360.


I was right

bboy87 said:

Forget Shitty I mean Sony's history, the price alone screamed flop way before the thing hit stores.

Dance said:

Hell fuckin yes! I remember seeing the price and thinkin "I ain't buyin' that shit!" I barely played my PS2. I only had it so I could play Sonic Heroes and Kingdom Heroes.

I'll be selling it real soon so I can finally buy a Wii

bboy87 said:

I hope you are kidding. Sonic Heroes was the WORST Sonic game up until the 360/PS3 game.

Seriously dude, go play Sonic Adventure 1 or 2 on Dreamcast or Gamecube.

Those are ac tually half decent Sonic 3D games.

unkemptpueblo said:

My Xbox had the disc scratching problem...whatever the hell causes that. So i called them up got all the details, sent it to them on a Monday and got it back on Thursday THAT SAME WEEK! Along with a free month of Live

Just so everyone knows as well GTA 4 is coming out on Xbox & PS3...many say the delay was due to R* not being able to get the PS3 version out at the same time so they held it back so they could both come out together

I like my ps2. I still have my ps1 and it still works.

xperience319 said:

I realized that after playing the first 2 levels

I played Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 back on Dreamcast and I'm looking forward to getting the Sonic RPG that's coming out on the DS