Weekly Analysis, 24 July 2010

by William D'Angelo, posted on 30 July 2010 / 1,559 Views

Overview – The Xbox 360 drops 87,000 as the 360S is in its second week on sale in Europe. Other hardware also drops slightly as it is a quiet week for software releases. Only 2 games debuted in the top 50, with Fate/Extra (PSP) as the top debut this week on sales of 71,000 in Japan.

HW Sales Chart

Hardware – Week on week sales are down across the board accept for the DS which saw sales remain the same. The Xbox 360 dropped 87,000 after the 360S launch last week in Europe. However sales have stabilized in Japan at the 5,000 to 6,000 range, an increase of 2 to 3 times before the 360S launched. Expect Xbox 360 sales continue to drop for a few more weeks when sales will start to stabilize and as the holidays draw nearer. The PlayStation 3 and Wii dropped slightly, 6,000 and 5,000 respectively. The PSP is virtually where it was last week, down only 1,000; however, it is the only hardware to be below 100,000.

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 continue to outperform where they were a year ago, up an impressive 29,000 and 119,000 respectively. The Wii, DS, and PSP are all down a considerable amount compared to last year. The Wii is down 52,000, going from selling more than the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined to only outselling the PS3. The DS is down 161,000, year over year, but it reclaimed its top spot after the Xbox 360 outsold it last week. The PSP is down 61,000.

Last 10 Weeks

The Xbox 360 has outsold the PlayStation 3 for the 6th straight week and the Wii for the 4th time in six weeks. The 360S has so far been a success, selling over 1 million consoles in its six weeks on the market. The PlayStation 3 sales remain unaffected since the 360S launch, while the Wii has dropped 41,000.

Software – It was a light week for debuts with only two new games in the top 50, both launching in Japan. Fate/Extra (PSP) was this week’s top debut at number seven with sales of 71,000. The other debut is Quiz! Hexagon II (DS) at number 46 with sales of 20,000.

Some other debuts outside of the top 50 are Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! DS Flame Rumble XX - Kessen! Shin 6 Chouka (DS) at the 51st position with sales of 18,000 and Trick x Logic: Season 1 (PSP) at number 65 with sales of 15,000, where both debuted in Japan. N3 II: Ninety-Nine Nights (X360) also debuted in Japan with sales of 13,000.

Rounding out the top 10 at positions one, two, three, four, five, six, eight, nine and ten were Wii Sports with sales of 121,000, Super Mario Galaxy 2 with sales of 113,000, Wii Party with sales of 101,000, Wii Sports Resort with sales of 102,000, NCAA Football 11 for the X360 with sales of 77,000, Crackdown 2 for the X360 with sales of 72,000, Red Dead Redemption for the X360 with sales of 71,000, Pokémon Heart Gold / Soul Silver Version for the DS with sales of 70,000 and Wii Fit Plus at 68,000.

SW Sales Graph

Overall, software is down this week as it is a light week for debuts. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 saw the biggest drops, down 17% and 11% respectively. The PSP is basically flat week on week dropping only 1%, while the Wii fell 3%. The DS increased 4% as older software remained strong.

Year on year is a mix with some increasing while others fell. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PSP are all up, 28%, 11%, and 27% respectively. The DS and Wii are down, falling 19% and 10% respectively.

To view the full chart click here.

3 Comments

binary solo (on 02 August 2010)

RE 360 Software: You need to drill down to look at what titles are selling. A number of "back catalog" 360 games have jumped up the charts, especially in UK and USA. That clearly means a good number of 360 purchases are noobs, not upgraders. Yes there are upgraders, and there will be for most of the rest of the year, but there are substantial noobs too. What we don't know is whether those noob buyers are going for the cut price clearance skus, or the 360s (phat Arcade bundle is at a very good price, and in many respects is better value than 250Gig 360s; phat Elite is also substantially cheaper and is comparable value to 360s and an excellent entry point into the full range of 360 gaming). PS3 still 31% up compared to this week last year, with no software launch boost. And some people keep trying to say slim/price cut is wearing off, and PS3 weekly sales are looking anemic. In 2009 the 2008 360 price cut had well and truly worn off, and last year's (lower) Wii price cut has more than just worn off; it's almost like they didn't happen. PS3 sales are tracking very well, it's just the 360s / phat clearance boost that's making it not look all that flash.