February NPD Numbers

GAF just posted the first bits of last month's NPD numbers.

Software:

1. Dead Space 3 (360, PS3, PC)
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, Wii U PC)
3. Crysis 3 (360, PS3, PC)
4. NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)
5. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3, 360)
6. Aliens: Colonial Marines 2013 (360, PS3, PC)
7. Just Dance 4 (Wii, 360, PS3, Wii U)
8. Far Cry 3 (360, PS3, PC)
9. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PS3, PSV)
10. Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, Wii U)

Hardware:

360- 302k (-29.1%)

Wii U at 64-66K.

Vita around 36K.

Thefatness16

[QUOTE=""]In a separate statement, Nintendo reported that 455,000 units of hardware were sold in the U.S. in February, pushing 3DS past 8 million units to date. 180,000 copies of Fire Emblem Awakening were sold in the U.S. in February (117,000 at retail and 63,000 digitally). Nintendo added that "by comparison, the previous hand-held entrant in the franchise Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon has sold a little more than 250,000 units life to date in the United States
Thefatness16

Link

I'll try to keep the thread updated until I leave work, from there, perhaps a fellow moderator could edit in the rest of the hardware numbers.  I'm really surprised to see Sly Cooper on the list.  I wonder how the Wii U did.

Wii U at 64-66K.

Vita around 36K.

Hopefully the WiiU fairs better than last month. I would like to get one but don't want to jump aboard a sinking ship either.GodModeEnabled

I think you'd better be careful with a Wii U purchase then. It'll have plenty of first party support anyway, but if you're not interested in Nintendo games I'd stay well and clear for at least a couple price drops, which should happen sooner rather than later.

In a separate statement, Nintendo reported that 455,000 units of hardware were sold in the U.S. in February, pushing 3DS past 8 million units to date. 180,000 copies of Fire Emblem Awakening were sold in the U.S. in February (117,000 at retail and 63,000 digitally). Nintendo added that "by comparison, the previous hand-held entrant in the franchise Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon has sold a little more than 250,000 units life to date in the United States

Link

I like watching people say how great the 360 is doing when it's down again 30% year over year. That's fvcking terrible. You're essentially applauding being less dead than the competition. :|

Also, I see which games are listed in the top ten, and I predict a very slow month software-wise. There's no way Aliens and Sly Cooper charted big enough to be where they are if the month isn't a disaster saleswise.

I like watching people say how great the 360 is doing when it's down again 30% year over year. That's fvcking terrible. You're essentially applauding being less dead than the competition. :|

Shame-usBlackley

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

I like watching people say how great the 360 is doing when it's down again 30% year over year. That's fvcking terrible. You're essentially applauding being less dead than the competition. :|

JML897

Nope.

From fiscal year 2006 on (when the 360's generation started), the PS2 sold an additional 50 million units of hardware, not terribly far from as many as the 360 has sold lifetime to date. When you consider that those 50 million were moved with little in the way of software support, it shows how disastrous this generation has been, and what small ball we've become accustomed to.

[QUOTE="JML897"][QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

I like watching people say how great the 360 is doing when it's down again 30% year over year. That's fvcking terrible. You're essentially applauding being less dead than the competition. :|

Shame-usBlackley

Nope.

Really? I think at this point these numbers aren't that bad in terms of hardware. Most people who even remotely pay attention to the console industry know that a new Xbox is coming very soon, most likely this year. The PS4 has been officially announced now, so that may have lessened sales a bit too. I'm not at all surprised by the numbers, and really don't think it's that bad of a drop.

I'm still surprised that the 360 has continued to dominate the U.S, however. Also, ouch for the Wii U. 

[QUOTE=""]In a separate statement, Nintendo reported that 455,000 units of hardware were sold in the U.S. in February, pushing 3DS past 8 million units to date. 180,000 copies of Fire Emblem Awakening were sold in the U.S. in February (117,000 at retail and 63,000 digitally). Nintendo added that "by comparison, the previous hand-held entrant in the franchise Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon has sold a little more than 250,000 units life to date in the United States
Thefatness16

Link

One last bit of info from GAF:

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

[QUOTE="JML897"] At this point in its lifecycle isn't it a given that it would be doing worse than it previously did? Vari3ty

Nope.

Really? I think at this point these numbers aren't that bad in terms of hardware. Most people who even remotely pay attention to the console industry know that a new Xbox is coming very soon, most likely this year. The PS4 has been officially announced now, so that may have lessened sales a bit too. I'm not at all surprised by the numbers, and really don't think it's that bad of a drop.

I'm still surprised that the 360 has continued to dominate the U.S, however. Also, ouch for the Wii U. 

It's pretty bad. Check my edit. 

On the other hand, most of it is self-inflicted. Microsoft refuses to drop the system's price to where it should be, and this generation has gone on FOREVER, so we're in uncharted territory somewhat. Still, those numbers are not good no matter how they're sliced or what the cause. 

Didn't expect Sly to make the charts. Either this was a real slow month for sales, or that game did better than anyone ever anticipated.

[QUOTE="Vari3ty"]

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

Nope.

Shame-usBlackley

Really? I think at this point these numbers aren't that bad in terms of hardware. Most people who even remotely pay attention to the console industry know that a new Xbox is coming very soon, most likely this year. The PS4 has been officially announced now, so that may have lessened sales a bit too. I'm not at all surprised by the numbers, and really don't think it's that bad of a drop.

I'm still surprised that the 360 has continued to dominate the U.S, however. Also, ouch for the Wii U. 

It's pretty bad. Check my edit. 

On the other hand, most of it is self-inflicted. Microsoft refuses to drop the system's price to where it should be, and this generation has gone on FOREVER, so we're in uncharted territory somewhat. Still, those numbers are not good no matter how they're sliced or what the cause. 

Hmm, I do agree with you for the most part. However the PS2 was an absolute juggernaut, there was nothing like it before it and I highly doubt any future console will see the same amount of success.

Sly is slightly surprising (I'm guessing because of that $40 price tag) but otherwise looks fairly standard as far as software goes. Hardware... don't know what to say about Wii U and Vita.

On the other hand, most of it is self-inflicted. Microsoft refuses to drop the system's price to where it should be, and this generation has gone on FOREVER, so we're in uncharted territory somewhat. Still, those numbers are not good no matter how they're sliced or what the cause. 

Shame-usBlackley

It is difficult to fathom, at this late juncture, what MS and Sony are waiting for in regards to an aggressive and definitive price drop on their respective consoles.

Sony has officially announced the PS4 and yet they are still selling the PS3 at 250 dollars.

It's bizarre.

Didn't expect Sly to make the charts. Either this was a real slow month for sales, or that game did better than anyone ever anticipated.

c_rake

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

On the other hand, most of it is self-inflicted. Microsoft refuses to drop the system's price to where it should be, and this generation has gone on FOREVER, so we're in uncharted territory somewhat. Still, those numbers are not good no matter how they're sliced or what the cause. 

Grammaton-Cleric

It is difficult to fathom, at this late juncture, what MS and Sony are waiting for in regards to an aggressive and definitive price drop on their respective consoles.

Sony has officially announced the PS4 and yet they are still selling the PS3 at 250 dollars.

It's bizarre.

Profit margins. They are both bound to lose a lot of money when the next gen consoles launch. Maybe even $100 per console. If they can make a profit of $100 on these consoles selling 200K a month for this entire year, they will offset any losses that stem from the next gen consoles. I bet their R&D costs are high at the moment as well. They need all the profits they can get.

What's to gain from competitively pricing consoles at this point in the console race anyway? 

[QUOTE=""]In a separate statement, Nintendo reported that 455,000 units of hardware were sold in the U.S. in February, pushing 3DS past 8 million units to date. 180,000 copies of Fire Emblem Awakening were sold in the U.S. in February (117,000 at retail and 63,000 digitally). Nintendo added that "by comparison, the previous hand-held entrant in the franchise Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon has sold a little more than 250,000 units life to date in the United States
Thefatness16

Link

I'm wondering if releasing a demo had any sort of positive effect on Fire Emblem, especially considering the digital sales. The game being so great is probably another huge plus.

[QUOTE="Grammaton-Cleric"]

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

On the other hand, most of it is self-inflicted. Microsoft refuses to drop the system's price to where it should be, and this generation has gone on FOREVER, so we're in uncharted territory somewhat. Still, those numbers are not good no matter how they're sliced or what the cause. 

S0lidSnake

It is difficult to fathom, at this late juncture, what MS and Sony are waiting for in regards to an aggressive and definitive price drop on their respective consoles.

Sony has officially announced the PS4 and yet they are still selling the PS3 at 250 dollars.

It's bizarre.

Profit margins. They are both bound to lose a lot of money when the next gen consoles launch. Maybe even $100 per console. If they can make a profit of $100 on these consoles selling 200K a month for this entire year, they will offset any losses that stem from the next gen consoles. I bet their R&D costs are high at the moment as well. They need all the profits they can get.

What's to gain from competitively pricing consoles at this point in the console race anyway? 

At this stage it seems feasible that they could greatly increase their number of systems sold while making up the back end with the subsequent software sales.  

Maybe.

Also, while this is merely a singular example, my brother-in-law has been gaming on an XB360 for this entire generation but keeps waiting for the PS3 to dip significantly below the 250 price tag so that he can nab some of the Sony exclusives.

That said, you may be correct in the notion that they are not looking to cut hardware profits so close to the release of new systems; consoles that could be potentially sold at a loss.  It's a fair point and one I hadn't considered.

One last bit of info from GAF:

rragnaar

The Wii-U is doing particularly miserable. I am actually surprised by the Xbox numbers.

Didn't expect Sly to make the charts. Either this was a real slow month for sales, or that game did better than anyone ever anticipated.

c_rake

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

[QUOTE="Vari3ty"]

Really? I think at this point these numbers aren't that bad in terms of hardware. Most people who even remotely pay attention to the console industry know that a new Xbox is coming very soon, most likely this year. The PS4 has been officially announced now, so that may have lessened sales a bit too. I'm not at all surprised by the numbers, and really don't think it's that bad of a drop.

I'm still surprised that the 360 has continued to dominate the U.S, however. Also, ouch for the Wii U. 

Vari3ty

It's pretty bad. Check my edit. 

On the other hand, most of it is self-inflicted. Microsoft refuses to drop the system's price to where it should be, and this generation has gone on FOREVER, so we're in uncharted territory somewhat. Still, those numbers are not good no matter how they're sliced or what the cause. 

Hmm, I do agree with you for the most part. However the PS2 was an absolute juggernaut, there was nothing like it before it and I highly doubt any future console will see the same amount of success.

Not if they continue industry shriveling practices like $300 hardware bundles 7 years in. That's what's so funny to me -- Microsoft seems to be totally oblivious to both how awful they're truly doing (versus how well they could be doing with competitive pricing) and what real generational leader sales numbers look like. It's like all they want to be able to say is that they beat the other guys, even if the other guys are dead and broken. There's no drive behind them, no vision. They just want to be kings of the molehill, not the mountain. That's not the mindset of companies who lead generations. Microsoft should try to lead the console market before they go divesting their products and mindshare into competing markets. They are fast becoming jacks of all trades, masters of none.

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

On the other hand, most of it is self-inflicted. Microsoft refuses to drop the system's price to where it should be, and this generation has gone on FOREVER, so we're in uncharted territory somewhat. Still, those numbers are not good no matter how they're sliced or what the cause. 

Grammaton-Cleric

It is difficult to fathom, at this late juncture, what MS and Sony are waiting for in regards to an aggressive and definitive price drop on their respective consoles.

Sony has officially announced the PS4 and yet they are still selling the PS3 at 250 dollars.

It's bizarre.

Yes, because at this point it's clear that the hardware is no longer cutting edge, and they could easily cut the price if they wanted. And they should be -- they're going to have consoles being phased out that run within a couple hundred dollars of their new machines most likely, which is flat ludicrous.

Looking even further down the rabbit hole, the industry is not lighting up the charts from a software standpoint, either, and if I was a software publisher, I'd be damn upset that these clowns are holding back sales by keeping the prices artificially high on the hardware when new hardware is coming soon. There is a symbiotic relationship between the publishers and the hardware companies, and they both benefit if more people buy consoles. With the sun setting on these systems and the prices being as high as they are, that natural curve is not happening, and software sales are less than what they could be.

Everything about this generation has been done backwards. 

Also, while this is merely a singular example, my brother-in-law has been gaming on an XB360 for this entire generation but keeps waiting for the PS3 to dip significantly below the 250 price tag so that he can nab some of the Sony exclusives.

Grammaton-Cleric

Absolutely!

There are a ton of people who own one system but would like to own the other, but haven't yet done so because the prices are still so silly. These systems should be $129 now. There really are no good reasons in hell why they aren't. 

[QUOTE="Grammaton-Cleric"]

Also, while this is merely a singular example, my brother-in-law has been gaming on an XB360 for this entire generation but keeps waiting for the PS3 to dip significantly below the 250 price tag so that he can nab some of the Sony exclusives.

Shame-usBlackley

Absolutely!

There are a ton of people who own one system but would like to own the other, but haven't yet done so because the prices are still so silly. These systems should be $129 now. There really are no good reasons in hell why they aren't. 

No kidding, I just looked at prices and the worthy Xbox 360 (250Gb one ) is still $300 LMAO, the PS3 is $250 but the console launched at $600 not $400; even with that the system launched a year after its competitor and its still cheaper . :lol: Oh my MS doesn't know how to lead , its sad but the writing is on the wall. 

Well at least Wii U sold better, that is something. Dead Space 3, really. Nice to see MGR in there. DmC fell right off which is a shame. Big sales for FE, uhh why not print more copies.dvader654

Because they profit more off of digital sales and people seem to be willing to download it (like myself).

Well at least Wii U sold better, that is something. Dead Space 3, really. Nice to see MGR in there. DmC fell right off which is a shame. Big sales for FE, uhh why not print more copies.dvader654

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

On the other hand, most of it is self-inflicted. Microsoft refuses to drop the system's price to where it should be, and this generation has gone on FOREVER, so we're in uncharted territory somewhat. Still, those numbers are not good no matter how they're sliced or what the cause. 

Grammaton-Cleric

It is difficult to fathom, at this late juncture, what MS and Sony are waiting for in regards to an aggressive and definitive price drop on their respective consoles.

Sony has officially announced the PS4 and yet they are still selling the PS3 at 250 dollars.

It's bizarre.

Yes, very strange. This late into the life cycle and Sony and M$ still refuse to drop prices even when their Gen 8 systems are around the corner.

I dunno about most people but I find a 7 year old console on the shelf with a price tag still in the $250-$299 ($299-$399 for xbox with kinect) range real odd. I dunno why Sony and M$ think people will buy all these 'value added' bundles when anyone can upgrade the harddrive very easily on the former.

If they were smart all the big three would price drop their aging systems. $199 for 250GB PS3, $199 for 250GB 360; drop Kinect to $59 or so, and $99 for Wii. 

Maybe price drop Wii U as well, ditch the barebones system and just have one $299 32GB box.

Oh and let's not forget the poor Vita. $199-$249 for the Wifi/3G model, drop wifi only, that way whoever wants to can use the 3G capabilities without the up-front premium since 3G is contracted. And include at least 16GB of internal storage, like they should have from the start. Screw those stupidly overprice memory cards. Those 4GB bundles are laughable, that card will last you maybe two game downloads.

[QUOTE="whiskeystrike"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"]Well at least Wii U sold better, that is something. Dead Space 3, really. Nice to see MGR in there. DmC fell right off which is a shame. Big sales for FE, uhh why not print more copies.dvader654

Because they profit more off of digital sales and people seem to be willing to download it (like myself).

Well I hope you find a copy. It's a great game in many aspects, easily the king of the 3DS library and it's difficult to envision something challenging that position anytime soon.

The majority of the top 10 makes me sad.Minishdriveby

Far Cry 3, Metal Gear, Crysis 3, Dead Space 3, and Sly are all quality games.

The only thing I find truly offensive on that list is Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Who in the F*** bought that S***?  

Well at least Wii U sold better, that is something. Dead Space 3, really. Nice to see MGR in there. DmC fell right off which is a shame. Big sales for FE, uhh why not print more copies.dvader654

Those Wii U numbers are abysmal though.

I was always very skeptical about the Wii U but even I didn't imagine it would get this bad so quickly.

They had better have a serious game plan come this E3, including a clear path to some software for this holiday season. Otherwise, they should start scouting for New Mexico landfill space for their inevitable glut of unsold consoles.

[QUOTE="whiskeystrike"]

[QUOTE="dvader654"]Well at least Wii U sold better, that is something. Dead Space 3, really. Nice to see MGR in there. DmC fell right off which is a shame. Big sales for FE, uhh why not print more copies.dvader654

Because they profit more off of digital sales and people seem to be willing to download it (like myself).

[QUOTE="dvader654"][QUOTE="whiskeystrike"]

Because they profit more off of digital sales and people seem to be willing to download it (like myself).

GodModeEnabled

How much blocks does it take to download FE: Awakening? I've heard from somebody that it's 2,000 something, which if so would suck, since I have like 3,000 blocks left I think.

I really really want to get a physical copy of the game but dammit downloading the game seems to be the only option. =/

Why are people buying Alien at full price? Do gamers really buy any game if publishers throw enough marketing dollars at it?

[QUOTE="GodModeEnabled"][QUOTE="dvader654"] Well I'm not giving in. Give me physical or no sale.DJ-Lafleur

How much blocks does it take to download FE: Awakening? I've heard from somebody that it's 2,000 something, which if so would suck, since I have like 3,000 blocks left I think.

I really really want to get a physical copy of the game but dammit downloading the game seems to be the only option. =/

[QUOTE="Minishdriveby"]The majority of the top 10 makes me sad.Grammaton-Cleric

Far Cry 3, Metal Gear, Crysis 3, Dead Space 3, and Sly are all quality games.

The only thing I find truly offensive on that list is Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Who in the F*** bought that S***?  

The PS3 ended up at 263k, and the Wii U was at 66k.

Once again the 360 continues to pull in some solid numbers. I'm a bit surprised to see Dead Space 3 get top spot this month and it's nice to see Crysis 3 and Metal Gear Rising make the top 5 as well.Archangel3371

The PS3 ended up at 263k, and the Wii U was at 66k.

rragnaar

Good numbers for the PS3 vi a vi the X360. I don't know who Nintendo's audience is for the Wii U. Casuals have no interest in its expensive new control gimmick and the sort of core gamers that bought the N64/GC/Wii for Mario, Zelda and Metroid are still focused on the 3DS (which unlike the Wii U, is getting steady support from Nintendo).

*Shrugs* In fairness, Sony treats the Vita pretty much the same way Nintendo treats the Wii U in terms of support, but Sony has been able to convince more (often indie) developers to support the Vita because PS buyers tend not to have anything against third party games.

[QUOTE="Archangel3371"]Once again the 360 continues to pull in some solid numbers. I'm a bit surprised to see Dead Space 3 get top spot this month and it's nice to see Crysis 3 and Metal Gear Rising make the top 5 as well.-Wicked_Sick-

*Shrugs* I think that claim by Sony was debunked, but even if true, it doesn't matter who edges ahead of who before the generation ends. Both the PS3 and the X360 have had good runs and offered a wide variety of games to consumers (yes, MS has taken its eye off the ball in recent years, but its third party supporters haven't).

The NPD has stated that DS3 sold 605K copies, ahead of DS1 (500K) but well below DS2 (which EA claims doubled the sales of DS1 though they never gave US numbers).

http://www.gamespot.com/news/dead-space-3-us-sales-hit-605000-6405376

http://www.joystiq.com/

Crysis 3 has sold 260K. Don't know if that is good or bad for the franchise, never paid much attention to it.