July NPD: One of those 'not so good' months for MS

by Dustin Burg { Aug 15th 2008 at 10:00AM }

Disappointing news, fellow fanboys. The July NPD video game sales numbers were just released and, sadly, the Xbox 360 didn't live up to analysts' sales predictions, coming in third behind the Wii and PS3 in terms of console sales. Tear.

As expected, Nintendo took home the Olympic console sales gold medal for the month of July, selling a whopping 555,000 Wii consoles AND 608,400 DS handhelds. As far as the Sony / Microsoft console sales rivalry goes, Sony surprised everyone by edging out the Xbox 360, moving some 224,900 consoles compared to the 360's 204,800. Not good news for team Microsoft. But on the bright side, the 360's software sales were quite strong with a 360 game leading July's software sales (NCAA Football 09) and three 360 titles landing in on the top ten. And that's good ... right? Right? Complete list of July's ~~depressing~~ hardware and software sales posted after the break. Please, try not to cry.

July NPD Hardware Sales

DS - 608,400
Wii - 555,000
PS3 - 224,900
PSP - 221,700
Xbox 360 - 204,800
PS2 - 155,500

July NPD Software Sales

NCAA Football 09 - Xbox 360 - 397,600
Wii Fit - Wii - 369,600
Guitar Hero: On Tour - DS - 309,700
Wii Play w/ remote - Wii- 284,000
NCAA Football 09 - PS3- 242,500
Soulcalibur IV - Xbox 360 - 218,900
Mario Kart w/ wheel - Wii - 174,500
Rock Band Special Ed. Bundle - Wii -165,800
Soulcalibur IV - PS3 - 155,800
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution - Xbox 360 - 147,600

Tags: microsoft, nintendo, npd, npd-sales, ps3, sony, wii, xbox-360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

drdre74 @ Aug 15th 2008 10:13AM

WOW! people really care about how many systems were sold in a month? Why does this matter to the average fanboy? Unless you own stock in the company or something it doesn't put money in your pocket one bit. Fanboys take this system war stuff a little too far.

RazorElite @ Aug 15th 2008 10:36AM

Developers care. How many times has a developer said the reason they brought their once Sony exclusive to 360 or the reason they are doing an exclusive for 360 is because of how much better its selling. If Sony continues to outsell MS worldwide, the only reason they'd have eventually is that its easier to develop for. That might not even matter when developers get accustomed to PS3.

aBs @ Aug 15th 2008 8:24PM

Why are you so stupid? Why do you support a soccer or a US football team or any basketball team?

STFU.

Fenix @ Aug 15th 2008 11:07AM

Hey Dustin, what happened to "Pass the champagne!", huh? HUH, HUH, HUH?!!!!

:(

Chuckles @ Aug 15th 2008 12:43PM

WOW, someone can copy and paste posts that really add nothing to the topic on hand. (Post #15)

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/pigs-can-fly-xbox-360-outsells-ps3-in-japan/1#comments

To answer your question, yes it matters to fanboys because this HIGHLY inspires developers to bring games to one system or another. Now I'm pretty sure that I bought a gaming system to be able to play lots of good games on. The only way this can happen is if developers actually make games for said system, hence sales numbers matter to every gamer even if they don't know it themselves.

P.S. For those that find the irony in the first part of my first sentence, it is on purpose.

drdre74 @ Aug 15th 2008 12:46PM

Chuckles you must really get a hard on with this stuff don't you. lol! Stop being so serious. It's a damn game site not the end of the world.

Roto13 @ Aug 15th 2008 1:03PM

"Why are you so stupid? Why do you support a soccer or a US football team or any basketball team?"

Don't root for a game console like you would a sports team. That's dumb.

As posted above, people want their favourite game console to sell well because more sales means more attention from developers, which means more games for that console. Who doesn't want more games for their console of choice? It's not a fanboy thing.

Unless, of course, you're rooting for a console for the same reasons you would root for a sports team.

Casey @ Aug 15th 2008 10:14AM

HAHA that was a good south park episode

JSe11 @ Aug 15th 2008 10:15AM

damn right it was, i rolled on the floor laughing at the end of it.

Neuromancer @ Aug 15th 2008 10:16AM

Part of the problem is everyone who wants a 360 probably already has one by now, its been out for so long now. I think software sales would be more telling.

I guess part of why people pay attention is because its the better their system of choice does, the more likely a plethora (look it up) of good games will continue come out in the future.

Matty @ Aug 15th 2008 10:21AM

Look it up? If you're gonna use a 'big' word then use it for effect, not to make yourself feel more intelligent...

Neuromancer @ Aug 15th 2008 10:24AM

@Matty
I was just being silly, relax and take a deep breath. I don't need any help making myself feel more intelligent. 1400 on the SATS baby and that was 10 years ago, I'm like 100x smarter now! ;)

PS: plethora = a shit ton

Makoto99 @ Aug 15th 2008 10:33AM

"Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?"
"A what?"

ZEBRA NINER @ Aug 15th 2008 11:12AM

Well, you told me I have a plethora. And I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has *no idea* what it means to have a plethora.

Ahhh, fond memories of my youth.

DaCallMe @ Aug 15th 2008 10:22AM

Neuromancer couldn't agree more. 360 has been out so yeah sales are goimg to slowdown. If you need a new one its prob cuz of the rrod. Im on my 3rd 360 now. I put up with this because the software is 10X betta then the wii and ps3.

Neuromancer @ Aug 15th 2008 10:28AM

Agreed 100x. I'm on my fifth system I think (including temporary replacement units) but it's still the best system out there IMHO.

Meximan @ Aug 15th 2008 11:52AM

If 360 sales are going down because it's "been out for a while" then why is it that PS2 sales have been doing remarkably well and yet it's been out for almost 8 (I think years). It's NOT because everyone who wants one already has one.

Devin @ Aug 15th 2008 1:16PM

Could you atleast explain how the SW is 10X "betta" than PS3? because you are totally losing me on that statement....

Roto13 @ Aug 15th 2008 2:44PM

I feel the opposite way. I'm not buying poor quality hardware, no matter how many great games there are.

Neuromancer @ Aug 15th 2008 10:31AM

Looks like every silver lining does have a touch of grey, the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 in Japan more than 2:1.

http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/08/15/pigs-can-fly-xbox-360-outsells-ps3-in-japan/

Kizzle @ Aug 15th 2008 10:33AM

The 360 has peaked. It's all downhill from here, as far as "console dominance."

...which doesn't matter to me, since it still has the best game lineup out of the three major consoles, and that's not going to have any chance of changing for at least the next two/three years. By then the next XBox will be out anyway.

joey @ Aug 15th 2008 11:18AM

Hence the new dashboard update. MS knows what they are doing. Sorta

haukke @ Aug 15th 2008 10:37AM

the top 10 softwares sales are interesting....first civ rev being there(i really loved it)and second mgs4 not being there.for a mega ton console exclusive that was going to sell millions of consoles to be outsold by civ rev is interesting.

The_Punisher @ Aug 15th 2008 11:26AM

If you REALLY wanted MGS4, you woulda had it day 1, no?

I don't think it has a lasting appeal, like Brain Age

xD

haukke @ Aug 15th 2008 11:48AM

not so...cod4 was on the top 10 for many months as was halo 3.it dosent have to be the number 1 game but to sell less than 155,000 copies and not be in the top 10 for such a high profile game a month after release is not good...that would be like gow2 being number 1 in november(which it will)then not showing up on the top 10 ever again.

Bac0nator @ Aug 15th 2008 10:42AM

you my friend, just ate your parents.

Abe Froman @ Aug 15th 2008 10:43AM

yes, everyone (who has seen The Three Amigos) knows what plethora means.

Neuromancer @ Aug 15th 2008 11:00AM

Abe Frohman, the sausage king of Chicago?

Octantis @ Aug 15th 2008 10:46AM

Even with a 20k difference I wouldn't say the 360 is getting its clock cleaned. Throw on that 1 year head start and the PS3 is far away from winning total consoles sold. The most important fact is the 7.9 games per console for the 360

Edge @ Aug 15th 2008 10:49AM

I so called it: http://loadingreality.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=859&Itemid=166

"Users, at least the main stream, aren't used to getting yanked around by the specs (refering to 20 vs 60 GB) like techies and early adopters are. I don't have any data, but I'm willing to bet most digital camera users, for example, never go beyond the on-board or packed in memory, hence, they aren't really sensitive to that kind of change."

Tony @ Aug 15th 2008 11:26AM

I don't know, it's hard to have expected a barely advertised price cut to have a major effect during a month when it was barely in place.

We can only really talk about NA sales here because that's all this data is about. The 360 is so far ahead that if the PS3 continues selling only 25,000 or so more units a month it will take FOREVER for it to catch up.

Bearing in mind this is during a time span where the 360 has received little of note as far as any additional gamers would be concerned and the PS3 is still riding the coat tails of MGS4's release... arguably the system's biggest 3rd party exclusive in general.

So I don't know, I can't see why anyone would be shitting their pants over it. Frankly, all I care about is that the 360 continues to do decently so that it keeps getting games. I don't want another Dreamcast situation lol.

Arnon @ Aug 16th 2008 12:50AM

If you think about it.. the PS3 has about 14million sold while the 360 has 20+million.. Soo..

If the PS3 sold 250,000 MORE each month than the 360, it would still take 3 years for it to catch up to the 360.

Creciente @ Aug 15th 2008 11:28AM

PSP outsold 360? Amazing.

Benjamin09 @ Aug 15th 2008 11:30AM

Sigh, I'm going to have to say...big whoop. PS3 is going to out sell 360 some months... 360 is going to outsell PS3.

I say good because this creates competition for those customers and in the end we the consumers win with better pricing, better deals and better hardware.

ice~ @ Aug 15th 2008 11:36AM

I say buy stock in MS and let's all buy 100,000 360's!!!! GENIOUS lol. Anyway, how many years do you all think 360 has left before it dies? 2? 3? it's been 2 years already and I believe the avg lifespan of a console is 5 years? Any opinions? and if my numbers are wrong fe free to correct me

Dirty @ Aug 15th 2008 11:55AM

The price drop in September will boost sales. Also you cant really take a moment to cathc your breath with this falls game line up. It has even made its way into the end of summer with Too human next week, castle crashers the following, Viva P the week after, Force unleashed, fable 2, gow2. It never ends.

Terror @ Aug 15th 2008 12:40PM

Ms's own fault, should all be cheaper by this time anyway. This is the systems 3rd year and they are still charging premium prices. The consumer should not have to make up for the RROD cost. That being said, I'll by another when the price goes down (Elite) here I come.

MDJ2010 @ Aug 15th 2008 12:02PM

Blah blah blah, read enough BS, im off to play my 360, cos you know what, it kicks ass!!!!

EdgeOne @ Aug 15th 2008 1:16PM

um, maybe the impending price cuts of the 20GB model skewed July sales figures? idiots.

cosmic @ Aug 15th 2008 1:58PM

Am I in Bizarro world?? The 360 is doing better in Japan than in the US?
Ok.. someone wake me up cause I know I'm dreaming!

Jack @ Aug 15th 2008 6:27PM

Maybe dads are getting one as Bluray player. "Hey, here's a black thing that says it plays bluray and video games, little timmy at home had been ranting on internet about how this black thing is so fantastic and it can dominate 'TEH WORLDZ'. Maybe this will shut him up for once. "