Video Game Market Analysis Thread

[TheBrightestSun]

@GamepadX

I agree… and yet I can imagine a scenario where the price gets too high for a PS5 for some people. Console + 70 game + 70 controller +tax … forced bundles are getting expensive and we are 2 years into the PS5 generation so gamers willing to pay a premium probably already have a PS5 at this point.

People sometimes just wait (to accumulate money) even if the alternative is available. Playstation brand is just too strong.

[clashfan]

@TheBrightestSun

People sometimes just wait (to accumulate money) even if the alternative is available. Playstation brand is just too strong.

There is not brand that is too strong. History is littered with once powerful brands that are now dust. MGM was the most powerful movie studio in the world with the biggest backlot. Their famous motto was “more stars than there are in heaven”. MGM’s backlot was sold decades ago to become center city and culver city. Its back catalogue is now owned by Turner and Amazon. MGM is now just a shell of what it was once.

[TheBrightestSun]

@clashfan

There is not brand that is too strong. History is littered with once powerful brands that are now dust. MGM was the most powerful movie studio in the world with the biggest backlot. Their famous motto was “more stars than there are in heaven”. MGM’s backlot was sold decades ago to become center city and culver city. Its back catalogue is now owned by Turner and Amazon. MGM is now just a shell of what it was once.

Usually brands kill themselves. Competitors might accelarate the process but usually the bad decisions of the brand lead to its demise.

[forgedbygeeks]

@TheBrightestSun

Usually brands kill themselves. Competitors might accelarate the process but usually the bad decisions of the brand lead to its demise.

While correct, it ignores how competition can change the landscape in ways that result in brands making bad moves that kill themselves.

A couple of prime examples in the Sony vs MS case

• Sony launched PS3 at $500/$600 while being a weaker system and had almost none of the lower priced SKU on the market, one year after the 360 launched. They also had no real competitor to most of the Xbox Live features like Voice Chat and Achievements for years. Sure, Sony hurt themselves here, but MS changed the market and Sony failed to compete and took years to adapt.
• MS pitched always online and had a $500 weaker system on the market to compete with PS4 with no other innovations and Kinect included with almost no games using it at launch window. Sony was able to demolish them in PR, even if they misrepresented things a lot, and win on both price and brand.
• Sony has now rebranded their games streaming service twice, and are still completely failing to build an answer to GamePass. Even under the new PSN+ branding options, they are clearly failing to grow share and compete with GamePass while GamePass is clearly driving conversions to MS ecosystem. Still too early to tell how this will impact long-term market share, but this could be the new Xbox Live that Sony takes too long to answer and almost loses their dominance as a result.

In other words, MS is setting up things right now with GamePass just like they did with Xbox Live before. The big question is if they can capitalize on the market change before Sony makes a successful pivot. With the 360 MS did capitalize successfully, but lost it all with the flubs around the Xbox One launch (in reality they blew it with Kinect launch, but that is a complicated and long story). So far, Sony is flubbing their answer, but it will likely take 3 to 5 more years of doing so before they risk losing dominance again.

[ShinMegamiTenseiX]

@Sparda3g

Remind me of Wo Long interview about Xbox is growing in Japan but Switch is king. That’s an understatement.

Yes it is…but at no point will developers think “lets make Wo long for switch as an exclusive”

I really hope they don’t. Thank god PC gaming is thriving.

[Sparda3g]

@ShinMegamiTenseiX

Yes it is…but at no point will developers think “lets make Wo long for switch as an exclusive”

I really hope they don’t. Thank god PC gaming is thriving.

Maybe they would if Switch was powerful. Nevertheless, they see opportunities with other platforms.

[ShinMegamiTenseiX]

@Sparda3g

Maybe they would if Switch was powerful. Nevertheless, they see opportunities with other platforms.

If Switch was powerful then everyone else may as well quit.

[GamepadX]

@ShinMegamiTenseiX

If Switch was powerful then everyone else may as well quit.

Although I definitely want Nintendo to make a powerful console (I own 2 Switches)… it’s important to remember Nintendo sucks as bad as PlayStation when it comes to backwards compatibility and remasters. Xbox and Steam are the only places that I would trust with my digital gaming library.

[ShinMegamiTenseiX]

@GamepadX

Although I definitely want Nintendo to make a powerful console (I own 2 Switches)… it’s important to remember Nintendo sucks as bad as PlayStation when it comes to backwards compatibility and remasters. Xbox and Steam are the only places that I would trust with my digital gaming library.

Which is a shame because nintendo have the best library of them all. Im aware of Nintendos lazy BC. Its makes sonys look good.

[saintsflow20]

When every Nintendo console is basically a completely different beast with different gimmicks and different physical media, I get not having backcompat. They do have it when possible, Wii U plays all Wii discs, 3DS plays all DS games, even DS kept a GBA slot for BC purposes. I fully expect the next Nintendo console to be another handheld hybrid and be fully BC with Switch 1.

So, IMO, that part is fine… What is detestable is stuff like Switch ports of Wii U games not being free upgrades (or, c’mon, even just at least $10 upgrades) for those of us who had the games on Wii U. Gotta pay full price again. Or Wii Shop purchases not transferring to eShop. If I bought Super Metroid on Wii Shop, I should have been able to download it for free on my Wii U, 3DS, and Switch.

[KakkaKarrotKake]

@saintsflow20

…When every Nintendo console is basically a completely different beast with different gimmicks and different physical media, I get not having backcompat. They do have it when possible, Wii U plays all Wii discs, 3DS plays all DS games, even DS kept a GBA slot for BC purposes. I fully expect the next Nintendo console to be another handheld hybrid and be fully BC with Switch 1. So, IMO, that part is fine… What is detestable is stuff like Switch ports of Wii U games not being free upgrades (or, c’mon, even just at least $10 upgrades) for those of us who had the games on Wii U. Gotta pay full price again. Or Wii Shop purchases not transferring to eShop. If I bought Super Metroid on Wii Shop, I should have been able to download it for free on my Wii U, 3DS, and Switch.

You can blame the fanbase for that

They’ve let them get away with this for so long that now nobody bats an eye, it’s pathetic

[saintsflow20]

Xbox stock cratered in Japan this week. Only 797 consoles, combined.

1. [NSW] Splatoon 3 – 120,564 / 3,021,047
2. [NSW] NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition – 30,218 / NEW
3. [NSW] Dragon Quest X Offline – 21,908 / 188,782
4. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 10,522 / 4,865,680
5. [NSW] Minecraft – 6,857 / 2,814,902
6. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival – 6,677 / 46,673
7. [PS4] Dragon Quest X Offline – 5,483 / 67,144
8. [PS4] FIFA 23 – 5,364 / 27,085
9. [NSW] Hakuoki Shinkai: Tenun no Shou – 5,101 / NEW
10. [NSW] FIFA 23 Legacy Edition – 4,788 / 16,561

Hardware Sales

Switch – 62.100 (26.425.578)

PlayStation 5 – 5.546 (1.979.455)

Xbox Series X|S – 797 (364.288)

3DS – 85 (24.596.902)

PlayStation 4 – 12 (9.395.605)

[Vivir]

Seems like Sony is really committed to that 30M units sold in a calendar year goal lol.

Doubt it’ll get to 30M but they’ve been outpacing MS like a mfer in terms of units being shipped worldwide for the last 3-4 months.

[Vivir]

PS5 hits 2m UK sales, making it the fourth fastest-selling games console of...

"One thing that is clear, the significantly higher price of PS5 has not hindered sales, with consumers willing to pay the £105 premium that is shown on the average price of both consoles over this 2m unit period. PS5 has delivered the highest revenue for any console at two million units.

[Boosted_Gear]

@Vivir

"One thing that is clear, the significantly higher price of PS5 has not hindered sales, with consumers willing to pay the £105 premium that is shown on the average price of both consoles over this 2m unit period. PS5 has delivered the highest revenue for any console at two million units.

I just don’t understand people it seems.

[spyteam]

Xbox sales in Japan are huge down due to sale of gift card / gold membership ended at Konbini and the end of the 5000yen campaign.
This is a bad sales.

[Boosted_Gear]

@spyteam

Xbox sales in Japan are huge down due to sale of gift card / gold membership ended at Konbini and the end of the 5000yen campaign.
This is a bad sales.

I don’t think there is any correlation there, the sales are down because stocks are lower.

[saintsflow20]

@Boosted_Gear

I just don’t understand people it seems.

IMO it’s heavily the power of marketing. To a lot of people outside North America, Xbox just doesn’t exist. Sony is very good at spreading PS brand awareness on a global scale.

[spyteam]

@Boosted_Gear

I don’t think there is any correlation there, the sales are down because stocks are lower.

Series S is still available in stock at Amazon and Microsoft Store in Japan.
I think many people are hesitant to buy due to the end of the ¥5000 cash back campaign.

[Boosted_Gear]

@spyteam

Series S is still available in stock at Amazon and Microsoft Store in Japan.
I think many people are hesitant to buy due to the end of the ¥5000 cash back campaign.

People had no problem bying it before the campaign. Stocks are always moving, sometimes there are good weeks and sometimes it is lower, truly there is nothing special here.