Xbox Becomes the Middle Child

[Bond]

The big 'box now firmly in second place behind PS2.

Guess who's pushed past the GameCube? After the holiday season has been tallied and all tales told, Xbox is clearly in second place in the console race, though far behind PS2, with GameCube trailing (but not too far behind).

According to NPD numbers for December, Microsoft's console now owns 24% of the overall market with GameCube taking in 14%. Xbox had a huge surge in December, which saw a record number of Xbox consoles and software fly off the shelves and into the homes of happy gamers. Console sales were 43% higher than the previous record month of November 2001. Compared to December 2001, the final month of 2002 saw console sale increases of 48% for Xbox, 39% for PS2, and 8% for GameCube. Microsoft projects there will be over nine million Xbox owners by the end of their fiscal year in June.

Even more impressive than the skyrocketing console sales were Xbox software sales in December, which were 80% higher than the previous record month of December 2001. Leading the software pack was Splinter Cell, which sold a million units in six weeks and has gone on to become the second best selling Xbox game in the U.S. Splinter Cell also outsold Nintendo's Metroid Prime by 19% in their first two months.

Nintendo's greatest problem is clearly with third-party titles. Xbox has seen 56% greater third-party sales than the GameCube in just over a year of existence. Xbox even has some bragging rights over the PS2, with a 70% higher attach rate for multiplatform titles. Note, that's not 70% higher sales. The attach rate merely means units per console sold. So, while there are less Xbox owners out there, percentage-wise they are favoring the Xbox when it comes to cross-platform titles.

"We are very please with the holiday results," said Robbie Bach, Chief Xbox Officer. "Xbox is the next-generation console of choice and the clear No. 2 across the United States, Canada, and throughout Europe."

Of course, PS2 continues to be the number one Next-Generation choice, far outselling Xbox and GameCube in both hardware and software sales.

On the foreign side of things, the Xbox continues to perform strong in Europe, doubling GameCube sales in the UK. And Europe as a whole has strongly supported Xbox, which is now the number two console behind PS2. However, things still look gloomy in Japan, where Xbox continues to struggle. Xbox Live just launched in Japan, but sales numbers are not yet known.

While Xbox continues to battle GameCube for second place, Sony is running away with the show. We'll keep an eye on the numbers and keep you informed, so stay tuned.

Source: IGN (http://xbox.ign.com/articles/383/383575p1.html)

Welcome to the big dance. :banana:

[Perfect Stu]

XBox is slowly starting to own us all :eek:

:banana:

[BreakABone]

I seriously believe that the article only refers to the US market, for one they only mention the NPD numbers which tracks US sales, two they mention sales of Xbox and GCN in other territories more like a supplement to the article than an actual means to communicate it, but I don't know maybe they are talking worldwide.

[Dyne]

Gamecube is still Number 3. Xbox is owned until it can get more Japan sales. That means...

1. PS2
2. GBA
3. GAMECUBE
4. XBOX

Pwned. GBA did so much fantasically orgazmically more than Xbox, except for in terms of Software sales. But, I'm not suprised. Nintendo owns the Xbox, clearly.

[Bond]

Originally posted by Dyne
Gamecube is still Number 3. Xbox is owned until it can get more Japan sales. That means...

1. PS2
2. GBA
3. GAMECUBE
4. XBOX

Pwned. GBA did so much fantasically orgazmically more than Xbox, except for in terms of Software sales. But, I'm not suprised. Nintendo owns the Xbox, clearly.
Thank you for your comprehensive source Dyne. :D

[gekko]

He is right. But wait, Bond has always been Mr. Link.

[GameKinG]

Well, Kangaroo Jack was #1 at the box office. :p

*quickly flees*

[BlueFire]

Wasn't XBox always behind PS2 and ahead of GC in the US?

[Perfect Stu]

Xbox is in second place world wide

it's 'Pwning' Gamecube in the two biggest regions: NA and Europe

[tarakan69]

Originally posted by Perfect Stu
Xbox is in second place world wide

it's 'Pwning' Gamecube in the two biggest regions: NA and Europe

I live in Greece... and finally decided to get a GCN for Skies Of Arcadia Legend, and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.

So I visted 5 shops... and non of them had more than 7 different GCN games!! That's just sad... I started talking to assisatant and he told me that the GCN itself is selling at a satisfartory level but the game attachments are very low. 2 of those shows weren't planning to contnue to sell GCN after their stock finished.

This does not reflect Europe as a whole... but I think Nintendo needs to get it's act together. As for announcing their "succesor console" He'll be a dead horse against the reputation, and brainwashing of X-Box 2.

[GameKinG]

How can it be #2? Cube by 500,000 and behind 100,000 million in Europe. Thats like 1.3 million. (I lowered the gap for austrailia and other markets).

Thats all my estimated of sales before December based on whatever sales were out then. So, MS would have to sell 1.3 million consoles + the amount cube sold + more to top it.

[tarakan69]

Originally posted by GameKinG
How can it be #2? Cube by 500,000 and behind 100,000 million in Europe. Thats like 1.3 million. (I lowered the gap for austrailia and other markets).

Thats all my estimated of sales before December based on whatever sales were out then. So, MS would have to sell 1.3 million consoles + the amount cube sold + more to top it.

It's ahead of the cube by small margin... I've seen tons of calculations on www.gaming-age.com , that's really not the problem for Nintnedo.

It's the low game sales... Retailers don't want to sell GCN games because third party games are simply left untouched.

[GameKinG]

Thats why third parties need to make exclusive cube deals. Most exclusives for cube sell well! (good exclusives anyway, not just Disney Sports)

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2
Resident Evil
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Super Monkey Ball

All sold 1 million I believe.

Almost half of the cubes million sellers.

[tarakan69]

Originally posted by GameKinG
Thats why third parties need to make exclusive cube deals. Most exclusives for cube sell well! (good exclusives anyway, not just Disney Sports)

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2
Resident Evil
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Super Monkey Ball

All sold 1 million I believe.

Almost half of the cubes million sellers.

True... but why the hell make GCN exclusives?? When on the PS2 your garaunteed to sell more... so that's why multiplatform games have to sell on GCN.

Tony Hawk 4, Madden 2003 sold less than their prequels... even when the userbase of the console had increased significantly.

That's because ussually those ports are worse than their PS2 and X-Box counterparts, and the fact people who own a GCN tend to have it as a secondary console. So t's Nitendo's fault for not making it a "primary" console for people... Microsoft is managing to do it... why can't Nintendo.

[GameKinG]

That just goes to show you dont really buy cube for sports, and if so, only one of its type per generation. I bought Madden 02, but not madden 03, cause I could care less. And yeah, you could say people who bought cube much later then o2 was released would buy 03, but by then I think people caught on to the cube not being a sports console.

[tarakan69]

Originally posted by GameKinG
That just goes to show you dont really buy cube for sports, and if so, only one of its type per generation. I bought Madden 02, but not madden 03, cause I could care less. And yeah, you could say people who bought cube much later then o2 was released would buy 03, but by then I think people caught on to the cube not being a sports console.

Exactly... if we ask how many of the games that people own are not first and second party... then we'll get a very low percentage of third party games.

That just shows that multiplaformal games released on the GCN are ussually inferior to the other console... I guess GCN owners would buy quality third party exclusives... but for those exclusives to come it would have to hold a much greater marketshare.

Also have you seen the tendency of X-Box gamers to pick up third party games. But that's mostly because they get the best versions with exclusive content.

I myself bought SSX, so I could be bother to get SSX Tricky or SSX 2 when it comes out. I bought Tony Hawk 3 so I have no plans on getting Tony hawk 4. These games are just to damn similiar and I played the hell out of them.

[GameKinG]

Yes, MS has a fair amount of first party games and many 3rd party games that dont look quite as bad a GC ports. PS2 great relies on 3rd party games and 3rd parties dont have to compete with sony very much like they do with Nintendo.

[tarakan69]

But another problem arises.

If GCN relies on first and second party games... then why did Splinter Cell (a game with no precvious reputation or anything) outsell Metriod Prime??

Also Zelda isn't exactly the ultimate selling game that people expected to be in Japan. It's having problems passing a million. So if both first party, and third party games are selling bad... Whatever I don't care how much they sell... but when 4 shops in may area are going to stop selling GCN games it's sad.

[Bond]

Originally posted by GameKinG
How can it be #2? Cube by 500,000 and behind 100,000 million in Europe. Thats like 1.3 million. (I lowered the gap for austrailia and other markets).
Behind by 100,000 million?

Uh huh....:confused:

[TheGame]

Who thinks Xbox's success in Europe has to do with Rare? :D :D :D

I knew Xbox would defeat GCN in Euro the second Rare was sold... but they allready are beating the cube so Cube really has no chance.

It's funny how people here (and on AIM *CoUgHbReAkAbOnEcOuGh*) were breagging about how Cube was smashing Xbox worldwide a few weeks after the box launched in Euro.

Nintendo is slowly losing thier spot on the market. Gamecube isn't thier last chance, but the 5th generation Nintendo is.

[GameKinG]

I think it has to do with them giving away two AAA games (Halo, Splinter Cell). :D

And it should say 100,000, my mistake.

And despit what people think, zelda has never been a HUGE selling game (like on calibur with Final Fantasy, and DQ) in Japan. Its managed to sell more then Ocarina of Time in the same time period, and more cubes have been sold withing the same time perion then N64s after each games release. And that also factors in less cubve userbase then there was N64 userbase. And it also beat Majoras Mask, which sold a mere 600,000 in japan total.

Now I dont expect Zelda to hit 7 million world wide like OOT, because of the large amount of judgmental people, who may find the graphics...not to their liking. But, with the pre-order deal, and this 'kid' userbase, it should sell about a million or so...And in europe it may do fairly well...

But yeah, 3rd parties still cant compete with Nintendo as easily as they can with sony. Good, exclusive, third party titles seemed to have faired better, and account for some million sellers (4, I think). Oh well...whatever...