Video game industry takes another big hit in August

The video game industry is having trouble reversing its poor showing over the past few months.

Industrywide revenue in August slipped 16 percent year over year, market researcher NPD Group reported Thursday. And total year-to-date sales were down 14 percent.

Neither software nor hardware could stop the industry’s slide. Hardware sales came in at $297.6 million for the month–down 25 percent compared with August 2008. Video game sales brought in $470.32 million–a 15 percent hit, year over year.

Hardware
Nintendo once again dominated both the handheld and console markets in August. The industry’s leader sold 277,400 Wii units in August. Consumers purchased 552,900 Nintendo DS units.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 barely held onto second place in console sales, pushing 215,400 units into homes.

Buoyed by the cheaper PlayStation 3, Sony’s console trailed the Xbox 360 with 210,000 units sold. Its PlayStation Portable handheld was another popular item with 140,300 units sold. Ironically, Sony’s PlayStation 2 continues to sell well. According to NPD, Sony sold 105,900 PS2 units–not bad for a product that isn’t even considered “current gen.”

Software
Unlike many previous months, Nintendo Wii games didn’t dominate the top-10 list of best-selling titles. The company’s console had only three of its titles make the list. Even so, that’s the most games for any single console in August.

And this time around, a Wii game didn’t take the top spot. Instead, Madden NFL 10 for the Xbox 360 reigned supreme with 928,000 units sold. Nintendo’s Wii Sports Resort captured the second spot with 754,000 units sold.Madden NFL 10 for the PS3 captured third place, selling 665,000 units.

After the top three, sales dropped off considerably. Batman: Arkham Asylum for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 sold 303,000 units and 290,000 units, respectively. Still finding a way into the top 10, Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii enjoyed strong sales. Nintendo sold 128,000 Wii Fit units and 120,000 Mario Kart Wii games.

Looking ahead
NPD analyst Anita Frazier was quick to point out in her analysis of August’s NPD figures that the industry saw “its sixth consecutive month-over-month decline, and while improved over the last several months, it’s still a notable decline.” Worst of all, the industry is so far behind 2008 figures that September through December sales would need to “be up 14 percent in aggregate for 2009 to come in flat in comparison to 2008 sales,” Frazier said.

Frazier did note that Microsoft’s and Sony’s decisions to cut the prices on their hardware made an “impact on units sales.”

Going forward, there might be a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. Frazier pointed out that “all hardware systems with the exception of the PS2 realized an increase in unit sales over NPD July 2009.” Ironically, the console that has trailed notably behind the competition–the PlayStation 3–enjoyed the “the greatest increase month-over-month with unit sales boosted by 72 percent over July levels.” The PlayStation 3 was also the only console to capture year-over-year increases in software sales.

Frazier was suspect of Nintendo’s need to drop the price of the Nintendo Wii. Even though Nintendo’s competitors have lowered the price on their consoles, Frazier thought it was “interesting to note that the Wii is still selling at levels comparable to what the PS2 was doing at about this point in its lifecycle.” In other words, maybe Nintendo can maintain the Wii’s $250 price tag.

There is a general shortage of optimism in the industry right now. The one bright spot: sales generally jump during the holiday-shopping season, but to what degree those sales will increase remains to be seen.

Source: www.Cnet.com

Add comment September 12th, 2009

DLC Royal Rumble - PS3 vs Xbox 360 vs Wii

The console war is fought everywhere these days, but the internet seems to be where people are most vocal. It also serves to give each console its own set of downloadable content, fuelling the war even more. Each week we’ll give you a run-down of what’s available to download on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, and declare a winner.

Note: This round-up is based on UK releases to each console’s online service and does not include premium video content. Releases outside of the UK could vary.

PlayStation 3 - PSN

It’s a strong week for PSN with two new games, plenty of add-on content and the usual new bunch of tracks for Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band. Crash Commando is the big release, offering multiplayer side-scrolling shooty action for a reasonable £7.99. SOLDNER-X is also worth a look, but not everyone’s cup of tea. On the add-on front, the pick is clearly the new festive pack for LittleBigPlanet, but the free content for Mercs 2 can’t be sniffed at. Wallpapers and Themes are also on offer, with the Savage Moon theme teasing the excellent castle defence game due in the next few weeks.

DLC round-up isn’t usually the place for us to moan, but we can’t help but feel disappointed that there’s still no sign of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix on the Euro PlayStation store. While we’ve got our fingers crossed for a release next week, we’re not getting our hopes up.

Games 
Crash Commando: £7.99
SOLDNER-X: HIMMELSSTURMER: £7.99

Add-ons
LittleBigPlanet Santa Hat and Beard: Free
LittleBigPlanet Festive Goodies: £2.39
Every Body’s Golf World Tour - Costume Pack Pirate: £3.19
Mercenaries 2 - Blow it up… Again!: Free
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Pack 3: Free

Rock Band - Going Country Pack: £5.25
Rock Band - Sin Wagon: £0.99
Rock Band - Mud on the Tires: £0.99
Rock Band - Free and Easy: £0.99
Rock Band - Gunpowder: £0.99
Rock Band - Hillbilly Deluxe: £0.99

Guitar Hero World Tour - The Eagles Tack pack: £4.39
Guitar Hero World Tour - Frail Grasp on the Big Picture by The Eagles: £1.49
Guitar Hero World Tour - Life in the Fast Lane by The Eagles: £1.49
Guitar Hero World Tour - One of these Nights by The Eagles: £1.49

Videos
Prince of Persia Dev Diary 3: Free

Wallpapers
Brothers in Arms Hell’s Highway: Free
SOLDNER-X: HIMMELSSTURMER 1: Free
SOLDNER-X: HIMMELSSTURMER 2: Free
LocoRoco 2 Lime Tree: Free
LocoRoco 2 Wheel: Free
LocoRoco 2Voyage: Free
LocoRoco 2 Reading: Free
LocoRoco 2 Rocking Horse: Free
LocoRoco 2 Purple: Free

Themes
Savage Moon: Free

Xbox 360 - Marketplace

6 comments December 21st, 2008

November Sales Shock: Wii Sells Over 2 Million Units

Do not, I repeat do not bet against Nintendo. The family-friendly Japanese game-maker managed to sell an astonishing 2.04 million Wii units in November, up from 981,000 last year. Wedbush Morgan predicted earlier this week that the Wii would sell around 1.4 million, a hugely respectable number in its own right, but over 2 million counts as remarkable. Remarkable enough to even beat the formerly chart-dominating Nintendo DS, which itself still sold 1.57 million units.

November was kind to nearly everyone, pulling industry revenue up 10 points over last year for a performance NPD’s Anita Frazier calls “blistering.” NPD’s been tenacious about $22 billion as the magic overall record-breaking number for 2008, and November’s data falls right in line with that figure.

The “recession proof” industry? And then some.

“One reason for the continued strength of the industry compared to other forms of entertainment comes from a number of sources,” said Frazier. “Certainly, the expanded audience for gaming due to the availability of a wider variety of compelling content is a strong contributor.”

Hardware

2.04m - Wii

1.57m - Nintendo DS

836k - Xbox 360

421k - PSP

378k - PlayStation 3

206k - PlayStation 2

Nintendo finally got the lead out and fixed its supply issues, or if you’re slightly more cynical, decided the dollar was worth enough to open the stateside floodgates this holiday season. That the Wii beat the DS in unit sales is almost equally flooring.

According to Microsoft, the Xbox 360 walloped Sony 3-to-1 in console sales during the Black Friday weekend and finished November with a 2-to-1 sales advantage over the PS3. Citing internal data, Microsoft says the Xbox 360 was the fastest growing console in Europe during November, with sales up 124 percent year-over-year, versus 43 percent for Wii and three percent for PS3.

Software

1.56m - Gears of War 2 (360)

1.41m - Call of Duty: World at War (360)

796k - Wii Play (Wii)

697k - Wii Fit (Wii)

637k - Mario Kart (Wii)

597k - Call of Duty: World at War (PS3)

475k - Guitar Hero: World Tour (Wii)

410k - Left 4 Dead (360)

385k - Resistance 2 (PS3)

297k - Wii Music (Wii)

Game sales were up 11 points year-over-year, and up 31 percent year-to-date. Microsoft dominated in per unit sales and held three top 10 slots, while Nintendo moved the usual suspects. Wii Music (which debuted in mid-October) also managed to sneak onto the list. NPD’s Frazier attributes that game’s comeback to Nintendo’s marketing prowess.

What’s missing from this list? November PC game chart toppers like World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, which NPD says sold 1.4 million copies in November (its inaugural month).

And here we thought the economy was nosediving.

Source: PCWorld

Add comment December 13th, 2008

Five free things to do with family

Even though teens aren’t really willing to hang out with their parents as much as they did when they were younger, there are still times when getting together as a family is important.

Wouldn’t it be nice to spend time with them without emptying your wallet?

Listed below are some ideas of activities that you can do that cost little to no money, and give your family something fun to do together.

1. Create a family movie night. Gather the whole family. Make a concession stand, sell tickets and set up your living room or family room as the theater.

2. Visit a museum. Some museums, such as the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, don’t require money to visit, so it would make a great field trip if you want to get out of the house on a rainy day and do something.

3. Test your skills with Wii. If your family has a Wii, spend your Saturday night holding a competition to see who is the best sports star, best dancer and so on. You can make your house even more exciting than the mall.

4. Volunteer. Is there anywhere in town where people need help? Bring your family along, and volunteer at a soup kitchen, shelter or anywhere else where people are in need.

5. Mall challenge. Still can’t stay out of Valley Mall on a Saturday night? This challenge requires you to not buy a thing, but to see how much you could buy with $1,000, by keeping a rolling list of prices and gifts. The winner is the person who can “buy” the most items within the price range. (Items must be relevant to the person.)

Source: Herald-Mail

Add comment December 10th, 2008

FREEBIES: retailers desperate to move LCD TVs

In an effort to woo consumers to part with their Christmas cash, and as Mr Rudd would say, help save the Australian economy from going into recession, most of the major television manufacturers are offering some fairly good incentives to go to full HD.

The reason, according to industry sources, is that sales of full HD panels have dropped by 30% since the Beijing Olympics boom time. This is good news for purchasers because as well as the manufacturer’s incentives, retailers are prepared to reduce profit margins through discounts in order to make sales.

Craig Mackie, the General Manager of JB Hi-Fi told APC that “Full HD TV sales have slowed down since the largest sell in before the Olympics so to move inventory through the channel and focus on the full HD panel, a number of suppliers have offered incentive products to move the stock through.” Or to bluntly paraphrase, manufacturers are under the gun to convert TVs into cash.

According to Mackie, one of the best value propositions for purchasers is the Panasonic deal where you get a free Wii (worth around $400) with any Full HD Veira Plasma TV (which range in price from $2,549 to $12,999).

Not to be outdone, Samsung is offering an (almost) free BluRay player with selected models of their full HD LCD and Plasma TVs. Like many of these offers, the BDP-1500 is redeemed after you purchase your TV and pay the $30 administration and shipping fee. Full details are available here.

If neither a Wii nor a BluRay are your thing, how about a free TV? LG is offering a free 26” LCD TV (after you pay a $33 shipping and handling cost) with selected Scarlet and other LCD TVs. Based on LG’s previous performance with delivering free TVs, it could be a long wait to get your 26LG30D (non full HD) TV but then again a $33 TV may well be worth the wait. Full details are available Retravision catalogue), it would definitely pay to shop around.

Toshiba on the other hand are giving away a free Toshiba netbook with their Full HD TVs although based on APC reviews of the NB100 Toshiba may be stuck with warehouse of both TVs and NB100s. Full details are available here (PDF).

NEC obviously feel that their TVs are good enough to sell without much of an incentive so they are only giving away a free digital photo frame or DVD movies with their TVs. Details here.

Sony’s promotion however is potentially the most interesting although it takes some time to understand exactly what you are getting. Tying in with the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, we understand that you receive entries to a competition when you purchase a Sony product with the more expensive the product, the more entries you receive. The major prizes include one of seven 007 adventures (or $15,000 in cash to spend on your own adventure) as well as various daily prizes. We don’t fully understand but details are here.

According to Mackie, “Manufacturers are talking about price increases flowing through in the new year so pre-Christmas shopping will give you better value for your money.” Just in case you were thinking about a nice new Full HD TV for Christmas, these incentives may be just what you were waiting for.

Source: APCMag

Add comment December 9th, 2008

Grand Theft Auto IV tops Time’s best-game-of-year list, Wii barely represented

Nintendo may be winning the console war, but if Time’s best-of-2008 list is any indication, they’re falling behind in the games war. Only one title released for the Wii made Time’s list, while Rockstar’s mature opus Grand Theft Auto IV took top honors.

GTA is sure to top many lists this year, as it holds the Metacritic all-time top score for both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Lev Grossman of Time writes that the debate over GTA IV shouldn’t be about whether it’s too violent, but whether “video games count as art.”

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was the only game released on Wii to make the list, but it’s nothing for Nintendo to boast about, as it also was released on pretty much every console and handheld ever made.

Meanwhile, the iPhone title Fieldrunners cracked the list at the nine spot, a sign that mobile gaming has officially arrived. Similarly, the inclusion of the free Flash game Hunted Forever (play here) illustrates the ever-increasing availability of quality games published through non-traditional standards.

Time.com, Top Everything of 2008:10. Spore (PC)
9. Fieldrunners (iPhone)
8. Hunted Forever (free Flash)
7. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Wii, 360, PS3, DS, PSP)
6. Dead Space (360, PS3, PC)
5. Gears of War 2 (360)
4. Rock Band 2 (360, PS3)
3. LittleBigPlanet (PS3)
2. Braid (360)
1. Grand Theft Auto IV (360, PS3, PC): It’s a grade-A shoot-’em-up that doubles as an interactive novel and triples as a sly critique of American consumer culture.

 

Source: MLive Blog

1 comment December 8th, 2008

PANASONIC TO GIVE AWAY A FREE WII WITH FULL HD TV PURCHASES

Panasonic has this morning launched a new pre-Christmas consumer promotion, announcing that customers who purchase selected Full HD plasma panels will receive a Nintendo Wii free via redemption.

The promotion, which echoes Sony’s hugely successful pre-Olympics Bravia/PS3 giveaway, runs from 29 November 2008 until 24 December 2008. Customers who purchase an applicable panel, which are listed below, can then redeem their free Nintento Wii either at the point of purchase or at Panasonic’s Viera website.

In addition to receiving the popular gaming console, consumers will also get the Wii Sports game, bringing the total RRP value of this promotion to $399.

Discussing this promotion is Panasonic consumer electronics group director, Paul Reid.

“Following on from our strong Olympic campaign, we are working with retailers to give consumers a sensational reason to buy this Christmas,” said Reid. “Wii has been very successful in the marketplace, and VIERA Full High Definition Plasmas create the best big screen experience, making this an unbeatable offer that the whole family will love.”

Reid also notes that this promotion will be supported by a comprehensive marketing campaign, involving television, print and radio advertising.

The eligible Panasonic models in this Wii promotion are:

-TH-65PZ850A 65-inch Premium Full HD 1080p (RRP $11,999)
-TH-58PZ850A 58-inch Premium Full HD 1080p (RRP $7,699)
-TH-50PZ850A 50-inch Premium Full HD 1080p (RRP $3,899)
-TH-50PZ800A 50-inch Full HD 1080p (RRP $3,649)
-TH-50PZ80A 50-inch Full HD 1080p (RRP $3,099)
-TH-46PZ800A 46-inch Full HD 1080p (RRP $3,299)
-TH-42PZ800A 42-inch Full HD 1080p (RRP $2,899)
-TH-42PZ80A 42-inch Full HD 1080p (RRP $2,549)
-TH-65PZ700A 65-inch Premium Full HD 1080p (RRP unavailable)
-TH-58PZ700A 58-inch Premium Full HD 1080p (RRP unavailable)
-TH-50PZ700A 50-inch Full HD 1080p (RRP unavailable)
-TH-42PZ700A 42-inch Full HD 1080p (RRP unavailable)
-TH-65PV600A 65-inch Full HD 1080p (RRP unavailable)

Source: Current

4 comments December 7th, 2008

Wii Tops eBay’s Black Friday Searches

The weekend following Thanksgiving is traditionally the most lucrative sales period of the year, and this year Nintendo’s Wii was the most sought after item, if eBay’s search results are anything to go by.

The internet auction giant has revealed figures that show the console dominating consumer purchasing plans. 3,171 systems were sold during the course of Black Friday and the average sales price for the Wii throughout the weekend was $350 — $100 more than Nintendo’s suggested retail price.

Nintendo’s electronic fitness device Wii Fit also saw a sizable following during the retail blitz, moving 1,059 units for an average price of $140 — $50 greater than its retail price tag.

Source: Wired

Add comment December 6th, 2008

Wii sales hit 7 million in Japan

The Nintendo Wii has sold in excess of 7 million units in Japan, according to industry research by Famitsu magazine.

Wii sales hit a new milestone in the territory last week on the back of the release of Animal Crossing: City Folk, which shifted over 303,000 copies.

The new figures put Nintendo’s home console streets ahead of the competition, with Sony estimating around 2.37 million PlayStation 3 hardware sales as of September 30, when the Wii had sold around 6.83 million units in the island nation. 
The Xbox 360’s poor fortunes in Japan look set to continue, despite the console outselling its predecessor worldwide. Latest industry figures puts Microsoft’s console at 750,000 units sold since its 2005 launch in the territory.

Source: DigitalSpy

Add comment November 30th, 2008

Wii sells big across Europe

A grand total of 10.8 million consoles have been sold by Nintendo, and we’re also reliably informed that the PS3 has outsold the Xbox 360 during the year.

Beyond this financial report-derived news, we’re told that the Xbox 360 has been picking up since last month’s European price cut, Microsoft closing the gap on the PS3 thanks to this move.

Still, the Wii is far and away Europe’s favourite, it would seem.

Source: http://play.tm

Add comment November 9th, 2008