NPD just released their console sales numbers for the U.S., for August, 2007. The next-gen console sales for the month were:
XBox 360: 276,700
PS3: 130,600
Wii: 403,600
Although the numbers don't look great the PS3 is actually continuing on track with its increased sales since the price cut from July. Of course, there's still a lot of doubt over what Sony's future pricing plans are once the 60GB model sells out in stores. Rumors abound over a $399 40GB model with the 80GB model falling to $499. If that happens, it would be great news all around for gamers with two greatly priced systems to choose from. The 40GB model, would also make for an excellent Blu-ray player, even for those not interested in gaming.
The XBox 360 got a big boost in August with its price cut across all models and the release of the Premium system with HDMI output. Even with ongoing news of defective XBox 360 units, Microsoft's system really does seem to be on a sales juggernaut due to the extensive game library. Sony really needs to get some big titles out and quick in order to counter Microsoft's U.S. momentum. Of course, Nintendo has really become the big fish in the pond this generation, with Wii sales showing no signs of slowing.
As you can see from the chart above, the PS3 is currently running about 25% 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. The Wii has sold more than twice as many systems as the others in the same time frame is very telling, and will make for a difficult long-term battle for both other systems.
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. Although it's hard to predict the fall sales of the XBox 360 due to the given surge of sales caused by the release of "Halo 3," it seems likely that the Wii will pass them in U.S. in Jan. or Feb. of 2008 -- a pretty amazing feat given that most had counted Nintendo out of the race before the system launched.
Sony, of course, still has a long row to hoe in the U.S. market. With a struggling U.S. economy, and many Americans still without HDTV sets, Sony's problems cannot truly be placed squarely on their shoulders. However, at this point, taking an even larger loss to get more systems out there may be the best bet Sony has at coming out of this holiday season a big winner, both in the console and high definition movie races.
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