NPD just released their console sales numbers for the U.S., for July, 2007. The next-gen console sales for the month were:
XBox 360: 170,000
PS3: 158,000
Wii: 425,000
Although the numbers from Canada that came out yesterday had the PS3 beating the XBox 360 in sales numbers for the first time, the U.S. numbers came up just shy. That said, with the $100 price drop, sales for the PS3 are up significantly. In June (a five week month for NPD tracking), the PS3 sold 19,700 units a week in the U.S. In July (a four week month), the PS3 sold 39,750 units per week. an increase of just over 100%!
The Xbox 360 continued along it's steady trajectory, while Nintendo's Wii received a large bump, going from 76,000 units per week to 106,500 units per week. Also, Nintendo has just passed Microsoft in terms of total units sold worldwide.
As you can see from the chart above, the PS3 is currently running about 27% below the trend line of the XBox 360 in the U.S. (Microsoft's home territory), so the price cut in the U.S. was definitely needed.
Obviously, the XBox 360 has been out considerably longer than the other consoles, so in the interests of fairness, here is a chart that shows the total sales of the consoles over their lifetimes.
Microsoft still has a significant lead over both other systems in the U.S. market, despite the Wii passing it in worldwide sales recently. The XBox 360 trendline has remained remarkably consistent over it's lifespan. It will be very interesting to see how the price cut effects sales in the coming months.
Personally, I don't feel that the Microsoft price cut was enough, especially given the massive "red ring of death" problems with the XBox 360. For those that feel Microsoft is offering a better price, however, take a look at the real cost differential between the systems. For this comparison I create a nearly identical package of a PS3 and XBox 360 system.
| PS3 60 GB | $499 | Xbox 360 Premium | $349 | |
| Blu-ray player | $0 | HD DVD player | $179 | |
| Wireless Adapter | $0 | Wireless Adapter | $99 | |
| 1 Year Online Play | $0 | 1 Year Online Play | $49 | |
| HDMI Cable | $40 | HDMI Cable | $40 | |
| Total - PS3 | $539 | Total - Xbox 360 | $716 |
As you can see, the PS3 comes out $177 cheaper than its XBox 360 counterpart, and has 60 GB of hard disk space versus 20 GB. (You can of course get the Elite XBox 360 with 120GB hard drive for a "mere" $100 extra, but now that Premium systems are shipping with HDMI ports, that just seems silly.) Of course, this comparison assumes you want a high-def movie player, wireless internet connectivity, and the ability to play online for a year. If any of those things aren't necessary for you, then you can deduct those costs from the analysis, but, no matter how you look at it, the PS3 definitely offers considerably more for the money. Also, assuming you want to play games online, feel free to add $49 per year to the cost of the XBox 360. And don't forget to factor in the time you'll be without your XBox 360 when it inevitably requires repair at some point in the next few years.
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