NPD February 2010 Results

[Maximus]

Data care of NPD Group

PlayStation 2 101.9K
PlayStation 3 360.1K
PSP 133.4K
Xbox 360 422.0K
Wii 397.9K
Nintendo DS 613.2K


BIOSHOCK 2* 360 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE Feb-10 562.9K
NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Nov-09 555.6K 2
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Nov-09 314.3K 3
JUST DANCE WII UBISOFT Nov-09 275.4K 4
SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS* WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Jul-09 272.5K 5
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2* PS3 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Nov-09 252.8K 6
MASS EFFECT 2 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS Jan-10 246.5K 7
DANTE'S INFERNO: DIVINE EDITION PS3 ELECTRONIC ARTS Feb-10 242.5K 8
DANTE'S INFERNO 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS Feb-10 224.7K 9
HEAVY RAIN PS3 SONY Feb-10 219.3K 10

[Simplayer]

Originally Posted by Maximus

Data care of NPD Group

PlayStation 2 101.9K
PlayStation 3 360.1K
PSP 133.4K
Xbox 360 422.0K
Wii 397.9K
Nintendo DS 613.2K


BIOSHOCK 2* 360 TAKE 2 INTERACTIVE Feb-10 562.9K
NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Nov-09 555.6K 2
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2* 360 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Nov-09 314.3K 3
JUST DANCE WII UBISOFT Nov-09 275.4K 4
SPORTS RESORT W/ WII MOTION PLUS* WII NINTENDO OF AMERICA Jul-09 272.5K 5
CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2* PS3 ACTIVISION BLIZZARD Nov-09 252.8K 6
MASS EFFECT 2 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS Jan-10 246.5K 7
DANTE'S INFERNO: DIVINE EDITION PS3 ELECTRONIC ARTS Feb-10 242.5K 8
DANTE'S INFERNO 360 ELECTRONIC ARTS Feb-10 224.7K 9
HEAVY RAIN PS3 SONY Feb-10 219.3K 10

Nice stuff for HR.

Kinda surprised Bioshock didn't chart on the PS3.

And jesus christ, talk about supply problems for the PS3 and Wii.

[AranhaHunter]

Apparently YOY, PS3 is up 30%, 360 is up 8% and Wii is down 47%.

EDIT: Also Bioshock 2 PS3 not charting is disappointing.

[Cplhicks]

I really hope there are supply problems for PS3, because continuing to get outsold by 360 is kinda disappointing. Wish Heavy Rain had done even better, but it wasn't too bad, especially since it was released near the end of the month. Also surprised about Bioshock. Guess PS3 owners just don't want to connect with former 360 "exclusives." Wonder if it'll be similar for Lost Planet 2.

[dereksworl]

Originally Posted by Simplayer

Kinda surprised Bioshock didn't chart on the PS3.

This²

[Wingman1977]

That's Sony and their artificial shortage. Same goes for Nintnedo (especially Nintnedo).

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

That's Sony and their artificial shortage. Same goes for Nintnedo (especially Nintnedo).

The shortage for Sony wasn't artificial.

[Simplayer]

Re: Bioshock 2.

Sold about 200k according to NPD statements. So just off the chart.

[Simplayer]

Originally Posted by Wingman1977

That's Sony and their artificial shortage. Same goes for Nintnedo (especially Nintnedo).

Why would Sony want to create a shortage? Unlike Nintendo, they have a very direct competitor in Microsoft, so people that can't find a PS3 might just buy a 360.

That and it's getting extremely close to the launch of two of their biggest games this year, not the time you'd want to be holding back on stock.

[Wingman1977]

Originally Posted by mikejet

The shortage for Sony wasn't artificial.

Ok. Anyway, it's very disappointing that Bioshock 2 didn't sell well on the ps3.

[toef]

Originally Posted by Simplayer

Why would Sony want to create a shortage? Unlike Nintendo, they have a very direct competitor in Microsoft, so people that can't find a PS3 might just buy a 360.

That and it's getting extremely close to the launch of two of their biggest games this year, not the time you'd want to be holding back on stock.

Not to mention the shortage theory makes no sense in general.

Consumers aren't stupid, so even if Nintendo really were faking shortages, it wouldn't last long.

I swear some people just try to find excuses for why PS3 is outsold by Xbox, but don't really think about what they're arguing.

What does a shortage do for Nintendo? Keep interest in a Wii?

That makes sense. A guy wants a Wii, finds out a store is sold out... and is expected to bang his fists while repeating "I want a Wii" over and over until the new shipment comes in? I don't think so.

Does it mean people will think Wiis are hard to find, so they buy them up and sell them on eBay? Great logic there. The demand will be, at most, the same as it always was, but possibly lower... people will either buy the eBay ones or not. And if they buy the eBay ones, then Nintendo was obviously pricing them too low (assuming the eBay ones were marked up).

I think the shortage theory is just a myth. Nintendo probably wasn't anticipating how successful the Wii would become, and really did have problems producing them fast enough. I doubt they were intentionally withholding the supply.

And in Sony's case, they'd have no reason to create an artificial shortage. I'm sure the sales numbers are normal, and if some shelves seem to be empty, it's just good forecasting on Sony's part, rather than a shortage. Look around on the internet, and everyone that mentions a store being sold out, eventually finds them available at some other store. It's not like people can't find them, if they want them.

[mikejet]

There were artificial shortages by retailers though. They would get Wii's in then keep them off the floor until the Sunday ad would hit

I remember going to Target once and a sales person had put the Wii's out on the floor. A grandpa came around and pressed the button so he could buy one. The sales person told him he couldn't.

I felt really bad for the guy cause he was saying how it was a gift for his grandkids.

[toef]

Oh, and also count me among the people surprised about Bioshock 2 not showing up.

Heavy Rain, as someone else said, could be somewhat related to its release date (23rd here in the US). I wonder how well its selling, because aside from being an all-new game (as in, not part of a franchise), it has a unique style of gameplay (which might make some not even really consider a game), and that might turn some people off.

Plus it may come off as more of a rental game (play it, beat it, be done with it). I hope it does well enough to warrant a sequel (not necessarily continuing the story, but a new game, same engine, new story).

[toef]

Originally Posted by mikejet

There were artificial shortages by retailers though. They would get Wii's in then keep them off the floor until the Sunday ad would hit

I remember going to Target once and a sales person had put the Wii's out on the floor. A grandpa came around and pressed the button so he could buy one. The sales person told him he couldn't.

I felt really bad for the guy cause he was saying how it was a gift for his grandkids.

Haha, poor guy. I don't see what causing an artificial shortage is really doing though. People were either going to buy a Wii or they weren't, so I don't understand what benefit Target thought they were creating, by holding them off until Sunday.

I bought a Wii at a Circuit City once, and they did a similar thing (held them in the back until Sunday). Once Sunday rolled around, they'd have people form a line, and hand out tickets to the first xx people to show up, an hour or two before the store opened. The reason the CC guy gave is because it was featured in their ad that week, so they had to make sure they had them in stock that day. Not sure if Target was for a similar reason, or something else.

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by toef

I think the shortage theory is just a myth.

Calling the shortage a myth is absurd. I've witnessed people in a Best Buy asking after a PS3 and talking about being unable to find one. I personally know someone who had to hunt around for a couple weeks for a Wii.

And I live in the greater Dallas area, so it's not like I'm in podunk no-where.

Why there is a shortage is up for debate, but there is no doubt whatosever there is a shortage.

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by toef

Haha, poor guy. I don't see what causing an artificial shortage is really doing though. People were either going to buy a Wii or they weren't, so I don't understand what benefit Target thought they were creating, by holding them off until Sunday.

I bought a Wii at a Circuit City once, and they did a similar thing (held them in the back until Sunday). Once Sunday rolled around, they'd have people form a line, and hand out tickets to the first xx people to show up, an hour or two before the store opened. The reason the CC guy gave is because it was featured in their ad that week, so they had to make sure they had them in stock that day. Not sure if Target was for a similar reason, or something else.

They need to make sure they have the guaranteed amount for the Sunday ad. This was during the holidays so it's understandable for a store to hold them but wrong if they have it out on the floor to deny the guy like they did.

[Simplayer]

Originally Posted by Terjyn

Calling the shortage a myth is absurd. I've witnessed people in a Best Buy asking after a PS3 and talking about being unable to find one. I personally know someone who had to hunt around for a couple weeks for a Wii.

And I live in the greater Dallas area, so it's not like I'm in podunk no-where.

Why there is a shortage is up for debate, but there is no doubt whatosever there is a shortage.

I think he just meant artificial shortage.

There obviously were and are shortages.

[Terjyn]

Originally Posted by Simplayer

I think he just meant artificial shortage.

There obviously were and are shortages.

He said:

Originally Posted by toef

if some shelves seem to be empty, it's just good forecasting on Sony's part, rather than a shortage.

[toef]

Originally Posted by Simplayer

I think he just meant artificial shortage.

There obviously were and are shortages.

Yeah, exactly. I'm just saying that it's absurd to think a company would intentionally create a shortage.

And as for the current PS3 shortage, I'm skeptical of that one. It's blamed on the holiday sales. Were they not expecting to sell many PS3s this Christmas? And even so, Xbox crushed PS3 in sales, if I remember. So it's not like Sony had sales that wildly surpassed their expectations.

Individual areas might have a shortage, but I find it hard to believe this is some sort of PS3 pandemic. Basic business sense says Sony isn't going to produce an excessive amount of consoles. They'll make what they expect to sell, and probably add a little more as a buffer.

So if there's a shortage in some areas, then apparently Sony underestimated the demand. But I'd be surprised if their estimates were off by anything more than a negligible amount.

It's not like they expected to sell 10, and produced 12 to be safe, yet people really wanted to buy 20. Demand would probably be more like 13. So in the end, even if the console sales this month were affected by some sort of shortage, I doubt the shortage caused the numbers to be much lower than they would've been anyway. Shortage or no shortage, I think Sony would've undersold Xbox.

[Simplayer]

Sony sold considerably more than they've ever sold in Nov/Dec. 1.36 million in Dec and 710k in Nov. About the same overall as the 360.

Sony themselves have acknowledge that there's a supply issue too.