Modern WarfareA screen shot from the Xbox 360 game “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.” (Photo: Associated Press/Activision)According to Microsoft, the Xbox 360 just hit a major milestone: it has become the first of the new generation of video game consoles to sell more than 10 million units in the United States (It’s up to 10.09 million, according to figures from NPD Group). A Microsoft news release crows that it continues to outsell Sony’s PlayStation 3.
Which makes the Xbox 360 the clear winner in the video game console wars, right? Well, not exactly.
While there’s no denying that Xbox 360 is the first to break the 10 million mark, Nintendo officials point out that the Wii arrived about one year after the current generationof the Xbox. According to NPD statistics cited by Nintendo, the Wii outsold the Xbox 360 in April by more than three to one (714,000 units in April, compared with Microsoft’s 188,000). Which means that the Wii should pass the 10 million mark by the beginning of next month.
Reading the actual NPD data provides a more nuanced picture of the video game scene. While more Xbox 360 units were sold in April than PS3 machines, it wasn’t by much. Microsoft sold 188,000 compared with Sony’s PS3 sales of 187,100. Sony also sold an additional 124,200 PS2 machines.
In the games area, Microsoft did sell about 80 percent more units of Grand Theft Auto IV than Sony (1.85 million to 1 million). On the other hand, that might not be unexpected, given that the installed base of Xbox 360 consoles in the United States is more than twice that of the PS3. Wii’s Mario Kart was the No. 2 selling title, at 1.12 million units.
The Xbox 360 does have the highest game attach rate: 7.6 games a machine, compared with 6.07 games a machine for Wii worldwide (Sony’s numbers were not immediately available).
As with others this electoral season, when it comes to spouting stats and turning them to one’s own advantage, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have shown that they are all masters at spin.
source : bits.blogs.nytimes.com
