NPD Reports November Console Sales

CBackSlash writes "Joystiq has a summary of the NPD console sales numbers for November 2006. The big headline is that the industry overall was up 34 percent to $1.7 billion. But the smaller headlines are probably more interesting for us: PS3 only shipped 197k, while the XBox 360 had 511k, and the Wii had a very respectable 476k. However, all of the new consoles were outsold by the lowly PS2 (664k) and DS Lite(641k)." These are a more detailed set of numbers than those we discussed on Wednesday.

Re:Only one glaring issue.

[Azarael]

With so many 're-sales' I'm sure that including online data wouldn't be much more useful. The shipment numbers in the summary seem pretty consistant with what has been reported on /. and elsewhere anyway. If that is the case, then where would online sales have room to fit in?

Re:Nintendo Sales

[Taeolas]

Judging from posts here, those 64k Wii owners who didn't get Zelda, are the 64k Wii owners who couldn't FIND it in any stores in their area. Wouldn't FFXII and Guitar Hero II be part of the reason for the surge of PS2 sales too?

Re:And what does this tell us?

[king-manic]

It's the games. There are stil quality games coming for that system and it's now dirt cheap with access to the back library available on the second hand market and greatest hits it's an easy buy. Even my die hard Xbox / GC fan boy friends picked done up cheap to play FFXII and the discounted gods of war/shadow fo the collosus/GT4. I'll problably be getting a WII as a present with money set aside for a PS3 in the new year (perhaps when MG4 comes out).

It's all about games. If the 360 had a higher density of the games I want I'd pick it up. The xbox has a few interestign ones btu since almost all the ones I was interested in (halo/Oblivion/KOTOR I II/ FABLE) are available on The Pc Id idnt' pick one up.

Re:Only one glaring issue.

[twistedsymphony]

Lets assume for a minute that people choose their console based on personal preference and that maybe personal preferences are based mostly on someone's personality type. Assuming that the Typical Xbox 360 buyer is more of a hardcore gamer recluse, they'd rather stay at home and play alone or online, meanwhile the typical Wii buyer is more of a casual bubbly gamer who plays on occasion but more frequenetly likes to have friends over for more a personal and social gaming experience...

Which personality type do you think is more likely to make their purchase online? and which personality type do you think is more likely to go down to the store? Obviously launch window antics change things a bit where the more hardcore gamers come out of the woodwork and get their goods which ever way they can. But my point is where and how people make their purchases is largely determined by which experience best suits them. It would be foolish to think that those same personality traits that determine how a person likes to buy their games wouldn't also determine which games they buy.

Why don't you go to a knitting class and ask the members what they thought of the football game last night. Do you think you'd get a response that accurately represented the feelings of all football fans? What if you polled every knitting class in the country? Would that be any better? What if you asked the people in the class whether they preferred gardening or motor sports? While I'm sure you'll find at least some motor sport fans chances are the same personality types that bring people to knitting classes instead of watching football are the same personality types that would have more interest in gardening then in motor sports.

Don't you think it's foolish to assume that every group of people would be equally represented when the sampling is always only taken from a very specific area?

Re:And what does this tell us?

[Thansal]

Fully with you on this.

However that is the interestign thing, there are ALOT of very good games that have just come out for the PS2 (Guitar Hero2, FFXII, Okami etc), and some more still to come(God of War 2).

The thing that is really strange to me is the lack of games for the PS3, yet a glut of great games for the PS2. IT is interesting. It could also be sound marketing. the PS3 boasts full backwards compatability, so these are games that PS3 owners can pick up and play on their shiney new system, thus creating what LOOKs like a better launch line up. Also, if they actualy suspected haveing such a hortage on consoles, then focusing on the PS2, this season, for their software sales (where they really make money) is actualy a GOOD idea.

Or am I just looking into things to deaply, and trying to find paterns in chaos?