Posted Mar 14, 2008 at 08:58AM by Isaac C. Listed in: Opinions & Analysis Tags: Microsoft, Sony, NPD Group, Aaron Greenberg, NPD
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Microsoft on NPD February results: no Blu-ray for Xbox 360, expected PS3 to outsell Xbox 360 - Image 1 


Following the sales results for February, courtesy of the NPD Group, the latest news that's making waves is that the Sony PlayStation 3 outsold Microsoft's Xbox 360 for the second month in a row. Sony's pretty stoked, but what does Microsoft have to say about it?

True to form, Microsoft isn't worried about the whole thing, according to a recent interview with Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for the Xbox 360. According to him, Microsoft expected the PlayStation 3 to outsell the Xbox 360 for February.

He scratches Sony's victory off to the current Xbox 360 shortage, which he expects to be over before April for Grand Theft Auto 4's release. With that reasoning, he says that February was a "hollow victory for Sony" since "the competition didn't show up [in February]."

As for HD DVD's demise to Blu-ray, Greenberg expresses they they aren't worried about it at all either, and restates that there are no plans for the Xbox 360 to adopt the prevailing format. With that, he takes a few jabs at Sony, saying that:

We’ll look at the sales data as closely as anybody else, but we don’t expect [Blu-ray’s win] to give a boost to PS3 sales, and we don’t expect it to impact our sales. Frankly, we think it’s the games that sell the consoles.


People bought Xbox 360s this holiday for Halo 3 and BioShock and Mass Effect and Guitar Hero and Rock Band. They weren’t buying an Xbox to watch "300." If people are buying your video game system to watch movies, that should be a red flag for your business.



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16 Comments


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   by _ME_ - 2008-03-14
 » ....

Yeah right... there were "shortages", that's why there are tons of Xbox360 at all the stores I've been at!



   Re: houaruto - 2008-03-14
 » Nothing but bullsh|t to cover up their sad defeat

i'm so tire of microsoft trying to force the concept of PS3 as a blu-ray player to everyone ( they don't say it but if u are not stupid u can figure it out)and that if people are buying it to watch movies only then there goes a red flag.......

nothing but bullsh|t....y don't u be honest 4 once and spit the truth.... like we got our ass fu

   Re: Someone_PR - 2008-03-14
 » yeah...

that's what is happening here too... theres a lot of 360 beside the core, we have elites in the stores too and a lot in a lot of places here. I didn't want it to say it because they will say I'm a PS3 fanboy that I'm not.

I see in online forums and blogs that they didn't find the console where they live so maybe nis just here or maybe they are the fanboys of the 360 so I can't never know for sure.

The weird thing is that I understand Nintendo have shortage but Microsoft after 2 years? and that they didn't expect those sales of December?

   Re: [DVSDevise] - 2008-03-14
 » ...

I did hear that retailers didn't start getting new shipments of 360s until Feb 10th. You still give the win to Sony, because it's MS fault for not getting the units out.

MS needs to get sheveles full of stock and then price cut. I thought they should of proce cut after the $400 PS3 price cut, but it's 3 months later and they still haven't. People think a price cut would show desperation, but MS has actually displayed good composure to hold out for so long. They have only made $100 worth of price cut in 28 months, and sony has made cuts $200 in 14 months. Even so, if they had shevles full of stock during Jan and Feb they probably would of outsold the PS3. But the sales numbers are pretty close now, and it's good. Bring on March.
   by CR0WN - 2008-03-14
 » Excuses excuses...

We'll see the hardware sales not change for the next 2 months and then we'll see what MS has to say...again

   by Geosondaman - 2008-03-14
 » They are seriously getting on my nerves...

Can't they admit their defeat...well I guess they can't. Since they have to remain confident in their product. If they say "Oh Sony really got us there, we definitely lost" Then I bet the MS stocks will plummet. Anyways, whatever, I don't care, I have both consoles but I still prefer the PS3 because it is just more well-built and more functional as a whole. For 360 you have no built-in wifi (which is a hassle if your 360 is not near a router), no built-in HD optical reader and just basically XBL...sure XBL is the best integrated online service, but you gotta pay! PSN isn't that much worse than XBL, it just needs the in-game messaging and a bit more features and that's it. I am sure one day PSN with the help of Home will beat the XBL hands down since it's got the same features for little to no fees at all.

   by Seoulfood - 2008-03-14
 » dang

Why so bitter? Sales were bound to plateau. They don't have as many highly anticipated games coming out as Sony(though I'm really eyeing NG2). And they can't go around saying Blu Ray didn't affect sales, because that just means people want PS3 more for the games that are gonna/have come out, and that's not good for the 360 either.

Yea, and supply shortages? ummm no. Unless San Diego was able to dodge such a shortage. But I'm still interested to see how the price slashing in Europe's going to affect the 360/PS3 competition.

   by platon - 2008-03-14
 » what lame excuses

So if my ps1 could play cd and not the n64, the n64 should have won by that logic right? Since the PS1 cost more and could read CDs... wow, that's so brilliant. lol


   Re: na2rul - 2008-03-15
 » THATS THE WAY I USE to see it

but i guess cartridges were a mere fraction in capacity compared to cd

   Re: JCMC - 2008-03-15
 » ummm

What logic are you going by, platon?

PS1 won because CDs cost less to make and hold a lot more space then cartridges.

But, yeah. The 360 should try to go on with blue-ray. At least a external extension like the hd player.
   by aero_mayhem - 2008-03-14
 » Hollow Victory

but doesnt it mean that the xboxes victory for the entire first year is also hollow since well the "the competition didn't show up"


   Re: houaruto - 2008-03-15
 » U hit the nail dead on the narts aero

"winks and later high fives" i can smell fear form MS camp now that they are under pressure because they know their system can't complete with the PS3 and Blu-ray all at the same time. If u said people only bought PS3 for Blu-ray then it implys people also only bought Xbox 360 for HDDVD.........where's HDDVD now...IN HELL. I don't see a reason to buy a xbox360 anymore now that HDDVD got drop like a bad habit.
   by Popson - 2008-03-14
 » Wow.

Right when he started off his statement saying "we don’t expect [Blu-ray’s win] to give a boost to PS3 sales" I knew he was full of ignorant lies. Of course Blu-ray will boost ps3 sales wow wtf...?
But then he goes on in most hypocritical fashion, "If people are buying your video game system to watch movies, that should be a red flag for your business."
When Sony's console is outselling your (Microsoft's) console.. that should be red flag to YOUR business....

If they don't have anything good to say, they should just keep their mouth shut.


   Re: na2rul - 2008-03-15
 » exactly, their system is not any different

in terms of media capability.

they would have been right to bash the ps3 as something other than a games machine if the 360 itself didnt play movies
   by Sw3RvE - 2008-03-14
 » shortages... hahahah

they have warehouses full of 360s. and the ps3 is cheaper than a blu-ray player. their just mad bc their 360 can only play games and b4 hd-dvd got pwned you had to buy an add on accessory whenever GTA4, HOME, and a price drop hits the PS3... 360 will be outsold everymonth after that.

   by hush404 - 2008-03-14
 » Sigh

I didn't expect anything less from MS. THey're a power hungry bully, american company who can't even be happy for the competition. Sure they don't have to be like "OMG GO SONY!" But frack, they could atleast man up with something like "Wow, they did good this time around, we're going to compete more to out beat them!! woo!". You know? Why resort to "Uhh their machine is a crap video player and... uhh.... we don't have any machines to sell! Yeah, thats it! they're all sold out, darn!"

Give me a break. They're just sore at it and also at the fact that Blu-ray kicked HD-DVD and their hopes of getting their software into the nextgen movie market (cuz blu-ray developers are favoring Java based codecs *as well as Apple's h.264 codec* for HD video files instead of MS's VH1 - or was is VC1... either way, with the win of Blu-ray and producers choosing to use something other than MS's video codecs, MS has lost out on a massive cash cow and they're major p!ssed.) Having Sony sell more units than them this month just digs at their sour soul even more.



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