Titanfall tops chart, but PS4 leads hardware again in March - NPD

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

I don't think people are as shocked as you think they are.  And if so, that's their own fault. You could tell a mile away that it'd be a long shot for them to have outsold the PS4 even with Titanfall because of infamous.

 

It doesn't sound alarming because it's not.  It's still selling excellently. You just want them to do the things you want. Sales numbers speak for themselves though.

 

I'm pretty sure they are, just looking at Gaf and even the biggest PS4 fanboys over there expected X1 to win the month. Some even speculated that Sony announced their numbers early because X1 outsold it (especially when the figures in the report ended on April 6th and it took them 10 days to say anything).

 

I want them to change things to sell more consoles, not to sell less or make their situation worse. Not really sure what you're trying to imply considering I already own my X1 and removing the Kinect wouldn't be saving myself money etc.

[McKay]

That's the other point, the PS4 is still under supply constraints and expected to stay that way for the next 2 months at least. Whereas X1 is readily available, albeit in less markets.

 

As for bundles, I'm not talking about the launch versions, just the promotional versions for the 2 games last month.

 

I would expect constraints considering how thinly Sony is spreading their stock around the World. Both consoles sold out where I live for a few weeks after launch, the PS4 for a little longer. But both consoles are readily available in all the stores where I am. I think Microsoft will have lost a lot of customers by not launching in those wealthy, developed Western/Northern European nations, there are so many people who would have been on the fence, and might have gotten an Xbox, and I'm betting only the devout Xbox Fans will have been willing to hold off and not buy a PS4 instead.

I'm pretty sure they are, just looking at Gaf and even the biggest PS4 fanboys over there expected X1 to win the month. Some even speculated that Sony announced their numbers early because X1 outsold it (especially when the figures in the report ended on April 6th and it took them 10 days to say anything).

 

I want them to change things to sell more consoles, not to sell less or make their situation worse. Not really sure what you're trying to imply considering I already own my X1 and removing the Kinect wouldn't be saving myself money etc.

 

If they were claiming Xbox would win I doubt they were fanboys, they'd be chanting "PS4! PS4! PS4!" etc. I still know some diehard PS3 fanboys in real life who clung to the "PS3 is only being used to 50% of its potential" nonsense all the way through it's life and still believe that to this day. One of them says he wont pick up a PS4 until the PS3's "power has been fully tapped". 

[spenser.d]

I'm pretty sure they are, just looking at Gaf and even the biggest PS4 fanboys over there expected X1 to win the month. Some even speculated that Sony announced their numbers early because X1 outsold it (especially when the figures in the report ended on April 6th and it took them 10 days to say anything).

I want them to change things to sell more consoles, not to sell less or make their situation worse. Not really sure what you're trying to imply considering I already own my X1 and removing the Kinect wouldn't be saving myself money etc.

Gaf isn't representative of the internet and fanboys aren't exactly logical so I'm not surprised at all there.

And that's fine if you want them to sell more, but stop acting like they aren't doing well when they clearly are. They will continue to well if they don't implement things like a kinectless sku. They might do even better if they do, but there's quite literally no evidence to point to the dire consequences you speak of, especially given how well they're doing currently despite everyone's dire warnings well into launch.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

So wait, doesn't this mean inFamous turned out to not have the issues your claiming? It was not niche or lacking broad appeal. It was actually successful.

After the hand ringing about inFamous, turns out it was a system seller right along with Titanfall and the result is what we see here.

So why does the success of inFamous mean there is reason to be alarmed?

 

You realize that the price cuts in the UK do not apply to the US sales numbers though. The bundle deals that cut the price in the US started to show up at the beginning of April I believe, so would they be reflected in these numbers? So you think the X1 sold amazing numbers, but because Titanfall did not propel the X1 beyond the ps4, its alarming?

I can see where your coming from on it though. You assumed that Titanfall would be far more popular than inFamous and that would mean a huge jump in X1 sales. Unfortunately, it turned out that both games sold systems, with the ps4 edging it out. Your right that this could be the beginning of the end, its not like there is much evidence to refute that.

It'll be interesting to see what E3 feels like for both. You could see Sony put the nail in the coffin with a strong push and MS stumble as they try to fix it. Like you said, just do everything that has been asked for online. Drop Kinect, drop the price, only talk about games, do whatever it takes to get all indies on board, give away more games via GfG, etc, etc.

 

I expected inFamous to sell better than Titanfall on X1 (who knows if it did), because it's the 3rd in the series and the dry spell of releases on PS4. At the start of the generation the numbers for games are actually strong when they reach 1 million for example, compared to the end of the cycle when 1 million is expected of the real niche titles. Unless I've missed it, numbers haven't been announced and only their place on the charts has, so no comment from me how it sold.

 

And yeah the UK sales numbers are obviously specific to us and excluded from NPD, but our market for consoles is also a lot smaller, so almost non-significant in the grand scheme of things anyway :laugh: But the US price cuts are definitely of note as they were marketed heavily online and at retail, long before April though. And yeah, 300k is great but the whole picture is not when you consider what I've said in my previous posts.

 

And again, I'm saying MS need to change their strategy because what they're doing isn't working, not that the console race is already over. It's 5 months, not 5 years, but clearly something needs to change if their flagship title of the year wasn't enough to give them lead sales in the release month.

[spenser.d]

. Your right that this could be the beginning of the end, its not like there is much evidence to refute that.

There's no evidence to assert that position. What are you talking about?

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Gaf isn't representative of the internet and fanboys aren't exactly logical so I'm not surprised at all there.

And that's fine if you want them to sell more, but stop acting like they aren't doing well when they clearly are. They will continue to well if they don't implement things like a kinectless sku. They might do even better if they do, but there's quite literally no evidence to point to the dire consequences you speak of, especially given how well they're doing currently despite everyone's dire warnings well into launch.

 

I never said Gaf was representative of anything. I said take a look at gaf and you'll see lots of PS4 fanboys are shocked at the result. And reason for doing that is because many members here at NW (and elsewhere), including possibly yourself?, consider Neogaf to be PS4 "fanboy territory". But regardless, the same sentiment is shared everywhere I've looked. I couldn't care less if that is fact or not, it's just my impression which unless we're going to start discussing mind share is going a little off topic anyway.

 

If you would stop twisting my words for a moment you'd see I already said and agree they had great numbers. Not sure how much clearer I can put it. Further, I'm not interested in trying to change your mind. We've gone over it time and time again and we have a differing opinion. I stick by my guns that they'd be in a better position with a kinectless SKU and cheaper price tag.

[trooper11]

I want them to change things to sell more consoles, not to sell less or make their situation worse. Not really sure what you're trying to imply considering I already own my X1 and removing the Kinect wouldn't be saving myself money etc.

You own an X1 begrudgingly :laugh:

 

 

I expected inFamous to sell better than Titanfall on X1 (who knows if it did), because it's the 3rd in the series and the dry spell of releases on PS4. At the start of the generation the numbers for games are actually strong when they reach 1 million for example compared to the end of the cycle when 1 million is expected of the real niche titles. Unless I've missed it, numbers haven't been announced and only their place on the charts has, so no comment from me how it sold.

We already know that inFamous sold well, there was a thread about it in the Sony section. Its already successful and clearly moved systems. Your right that it helps that it was the next game in a well known series and coming out early in a generation, when the competition is much smaller, but the reality remains.

Surprise, surprise, both games were system sellers.

 

And again, I'm saying MS need to change their strategy because what they're doing isn't working, not that the console race is already over. It's 5 months, not 5 years, but clearly something needs to change if their flagship title of the year wasn't enough to give them lead sales in the release month.

Do you feel that MS needs to do everything that has been suggested, or could they get away with just one thing, like a price drop?

 

 

There's no evidence to assert that position. What are you talking about?

Well to some, the fact that the X1 is not keeping up with the ps4 sales wise is enough to warrant the assertion. I'm not totally convinced on that point since it seems like both are selling at a decent pace considering all the factors out there, but its a popular theory.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

You own an X1 begrudgingly :laugh:

 

 

We already know that inFamous sold well, there was a thread about it in the Sony section. Its already successful and clearly moved systems. Your right that it helps that it was the next game in a well known series and coming out early in a generation, when the competition is much smaller, but the reality remains.

Surprise, surprise, both games were system sellers.

 

Do you feel that MS needs to do everything that has been suggested, or could they get away with just one thing, like a price drop?

 

 

Well to some, the fact that the X1 is not keeping up with the ps4 sales wise is enough to warrant the assertion. I'm not totally convinced on that point since it seems like both are selling at a decent pace considering all the factors out there, but its a popular theory.

 

Yeah ok, make my life harder around here why don't you :P :laugh: I don't begrudge anything lol. If that were the case I'd have returned it when I had the chance :P

 

My tough love is hard to swallow for some, but as I've said before, being an apologist and telling them everything is ok is not helping MS/X1. Telling them things need to change and switching strategy is what they need. If Titanfall can't outsell the PS4, then what will? Assuming most would reply with Halo, I doubt it's going to manage it without Bungie behind the wheel and the sour taste left in fans mouths after Halo 4 is probably going to come back and bite them. I'm sure even with that Halo 5 will sell plenty but will it outsell PS4 that month is my concern.

 

And I thought inFamous was 1 million (hence why I used that figure), but it's almost 6am here so I'm not 100% awake yet :laugh:

 

As for MS and changes, if it were me I'd make all of them that are popularly suggested. Highly unlikely to see that, especially not all at once. But if you drop the price you're taking a hit on building Kinect so that's no use. Removing it from the bundle IMO would. Again, we've gone over that multiple times so not getting back into it, but the lukewarm reception of Kinect Sports Rivals has backed it even more. Not even shocked and saw it coming a mile away.

 

And again just so we're clear, your reply to Spenser, I am not calling it game over for MS or the X1. Not sure if you're including me in that group of people but just in case you were. This generation still has a long way to go but if MS are quick to react like they have done with everything else it won't be an issue. Sit back and do nothing and they'll stay in #2 position. Even then that doesn't mean to say they won't have strong sales throughout the consoles life.

[McKay]

Titanfall was a new IP Andrew, those are always risky. Its usually the established anticipated games that bring the numbers. Infamous 2 was a fantastic game so naturally a sequel was very eagerly anticipated. 

 

The fact Titanfall did so well is probably due to the sheer advertising campaign behind it. 

[spaceelf]

And again, I'm saying MS need to change their strategy because what they're doing isn't working, not that the console race is already over. It's 5 months, not 5 years, but clearly something needs to change if their flagship title of the year wasn't enough to give them lead sales in the release month.

It depends.  MS still has quite a few exclusive releases to bring out before the end of the year IIRC.  These are relatively expensive machines, I don't really expect most people to get both right away.  If they got a PS4 first they're probably not going to run right out and get an X1.

 

MS has been playing defense ever since the reveal, so this was pretty much expected.  Actually I didn't expect them to do this well.

[neoadorable]

Yeah ok, make my life harder around here why don't you :p :laugh: I don't begrudge anything lol. If that were the case I'd have returned it when I had the chance :p

 

My tough love is hard to swallow for some, but as I've said before, being an apologist and telling them everything is ok is not helping MS/X1. Telling them things need to change and switching strategy is what they need. If Titanfall can't outsell the PS4, then what will? Assuming most would reply with Halo, I doubt it's going to manage it without Bungie behind the wheel and the sour taste left in fans mouths after Halo 4 is probably going to come back and bite them. I'm sure even with that Halo 5 will sell plenty but will it outsell PS4 that month is my concern.

 

And I thought inFamous was 1 million (hence why I used that figure), but it's almost 6am here so I'm not 100% awake yet :laugh:

 

As for MS and changes, if it were me I'd make all of them that are popularly suggested. Highly unlikely to see that, especially not all at once. But if you drop the price you're taking a hit on building Kinect so that's no use. Removing it from the bundle IMO would. Again, we've gone over that multiple times so not getting back into it, but the lukewarm reception of Kinect Sports Rivals has backed it even more. Not even shocked and saw it coming a mile away.

 

And again just so we're clear, your reply to Spenser, I am not calling it game over for MS or the X1. Not sure if you're including me in that group of people but just in case you were. This generation still has a long way to go but if MS are quick to react like they have done with everything else it won't be an issue. Sit back and do nothing and they'll stay in #2 position. Even then that doesn't mean to say they won't have strong sales throughout the consoles life.

 

My personal feelings are that since this cycle will be shorter, the patterns being set now will stick for the duration. As long as sales are good and money is being made (not necessarily huge profits, but revenue), then MS and Sony are fine. Sure X1 would love being no.1, but i don't think it will happen. Halo 5 won't change that. Personally fine with it, have a feeling and also know that MS will also be fine with it, as long as it's not a crushing blow - which it won't be. Let's say by 2017 PS4 is at 80 million and X1 is at 65 million, that will be good enough (just my numbers obviously).

[GotBored]

Titanfall was a new IP Andrew, those are always risky. Its usually the established anticipated games that bring the numbers. Infamous 2 was a fantastic game so naturally a sequel was very eagerly anticipated. 

 

The fact it did so well is probably due to the sheer advertising campaign behind it. 

 

Infamous 2 wasn't a big seller, it only sold 1.66 Million copies on the PS3. Infamous has a small loyal fanbase that love the game but its not a system seller nor a big seller. It isn't even in the top 100 sold PS3 games. (Ranked #103)

 

Infamous Second Son is the fastest selling one in the series so far and its sales aren't great.

 

Advertising campaign behind who? Infamous Second Son's advertising campaign was extremely tiny compared to Titanfalls.

[McKay]

Infamous 2 wasn't a big seller, it only sold 1.66 Million copies on the PS3. Infamous has a small loyal fanbase that love the game but its not a system seller nor a big seller. It isn't even in the top 100 sold PS3 games. (Ranked #103)

 

Infamous Second Son is the fastest selling one in the series so far and its sales aren't great.

 

Advertising campaign behind who? Infamous Second Son's advertising campaign was extremely tiny compared to Titanfalls.

 

I was referring to Titanfall, I edited my comment but you caught me before the edit.

[BajiRav]

Because prior to launch of Titanfall and inFamous it was considered in the bag that the former would outsell (which it did but we don't know the split), and that it would boost the X1 past PS4 numbers for the month. Not only that, but inFamous was being downplayed as some niche title that doesn't have the broad appeal of Titanfall. I distinctly remember having the conversation with BajiRav and he wasn't wrong. And at the end of all that, it still didn't outsell the PS4 with a "niche title" with no "broad appeal". If that doesn't sound alarming to you then I don't know what to tell you...

 

Again, 300k is amazing numbers (I said both consoles have promising numbers probably 12 hrs ago in the 7 million topic), but not when you consider this is MS flagship game for 2014 and it came with discounts (price cut in UK) / bundles / the ridiculous amounts of hype. And I said if things don't change it could be MS worst gen yet, not that it already is. A very big difference to how you interpreted my words.

 

People are genuinely shocked at this result if you look around the internet.

Yup, while I don't remember specifics - but I expected Titanfall to sell better than inFamous. It wasn't bold claim given the genre and marketing. If I said that X1 might outsell PS4 then I guess I was wrong. :laugh: I still think inFamous didn't boost PS4 as much as people think it did. It just benefited from dry spell for PS4 compared to XB1 which has been getting steady supply of exclusives every month (I might be completely wrong but don't blame me for Sony's poor marketing if I am wrong).

 

I am surprised Sony hasn't released numbers again while they are still outselling MS - didn't they do that when PS3 finally outsold X360 sometime in 2013 (after 2+ years)? It would be so much easier to just compare the numbers instead of "YES we outsold". What if they sold like 10 consoles more than X1? :laugh:

 

I think XB1 will be doing just fine this generation despite so much doom and gloom threads every so often. At 2.x, their attach rate will keep the third parties coming back and their exclusive game lineup is looking good for rest of the year. That's plenty until Halo5 in 2015 and GearsOfWhatever in 2016.

[trooper11]

Yeah ok, make my life harder around here why don't you :p :laugh: I don't begrudge anything lol. If that were the case I'd have returned it when I had the chance :p

You are a tech enthusiast after all, that is enough to keep you from selling it I would presume. It wasn't meant to get you in trouble, just a reflection on reality since most are unaware of the 'history'

My tough love is hard to swallow for some, but as I've said before, being an apologist and telling them everything is ok is not helping MS/X1. Telling them things need to change and switching strategy is what they need. If Titanfall can't outsell the PS4, then what will? Assuming most would reply with Halo, I doubt it's going to manage it without Bungie behind the wheel and the sour taste left in fans mouths after Halo 4 is probably going to come back and bite them. I'm sure even with that Halo 5 will sell plenty but will it outsell PS4 that month is my concern.

Why do you assume that someone not echoing all of your suggestions is simply and apologist? I mean, isn't there room for a middle ground here? Something that sits between Armageddon and blind faith?

I do wonder sometimes what the X1 would need to be selling at in order to improve the mood around the platform a little bit. I mean is nothing short of outselling the ps4 required, or just parity?

Also, why are we discounting ps4 games so much? I mean all of this talk about how the X1 must have a single great game to propel it ahead of the ps4 for a single month has echos of last gen's arguments. What sells a system in the long run is a library, not a single game. Single games can at best offer a short term boost. The reality is that the ps4 will have plenty of good games as well, games that sell consoles. The X1 may not outsell the ps4 for that reason alone, or maybe they start to trade sales leads month to month because its so close.

Titanfall didn't outsell the ps4 because a little game called inFamous came out. Compare game to game, not game to system.

Again, echos of last gen. Someone is playing from behind and that means a long term struggle to reach parity if at all.

And I thought inFamous was 1 million (hence why I used that figure), but it's almost 6am here so I'm not 100% awake yet :laugh:

I swear people were talking up how good the numbers were for the game.

 

As for MS and changes, if it were me I'd make all of them that are popularly suggested. Highly unlikely to see that, especially not all at once. But if you drop the price you're taking a hit on building Kinect so that's no use. Removing it from the bundle IMO would. Again, we've gone over that multiple times so not getting back into it, but the lukewarm reception of Kinect Sports Rivals has backed it even more. Not even shocked and saw it coming a mile away.

Wait, why is taking the hit no use? If you feel strongly enough about a part of your platform, then eat the losses. Of course I know how you feel about it, but I'm talking about the guys at MS. They are the ones that spent the time designing and building the thing. If they want to keep it, then take the hit.

And again just so we're clear, your reply to Spenser, I am not calling it game over for MS or the X1. Not sure if you're including me in that group of people but just in case you were. This generation still has a long way to go but if MS are quick to react like they have done with everything else it won't be an issue. Sit back and do nothing and they'll stay in #2 position. Even then that doesn't mean to say they won't have strong sales throughout the consoles life.

Again, you sound as if there are two options: Do everything or do nothing.

I know your confident in what they must do to improve things, I'm just not sure about it. What really will result in more sales and what would amount to little more then a gesture that is ignored.

 

 

Infamous Second Son is the fastest selling one in the series so far and its sales aren't great.

 

Advertising campaign behind who? Infamous Second Son's advertising campaign was extremely tiny compared to Titanfalls.

Wait, I thought inFamous was selling well. Is that incorrect?

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

You are a tech enthusiast after all, that is enough to keep you from selling it I would presume. It wasn't meant to get you in trouble, just a reflection on reality since most are unaware of the 'history'

Why do you assume that someone not echoing all of your suggestions is simply and apologist? I mean, isn't there room for a middle ground here? Something that sits between Armageddon and blind faith?

I do wonder sometimes what the X1 would need to be selling at in order to improve the mood around the platform a little bit. I mean is nothing short of outselling the ps4 required, or just parity?

Also, why are we discounting ps4 games so much? I mean all of this talk about how the X1 must have a single great game to propel it ahead of the ps4 for a single month has echos of last gen's arguments. What sells a system in the long run is a library, not a single game. Single games can at best offer a short term boost. The reality is that the ps4 will have plenty of good games as well, games that sell consoles. The X1 may not outsell the ps4 for that reason alone, or maybe they start to trade sales leads month to month because its so close.

Titanfall didn't outsell the ps4 because a little game called inFamous came out. Compare game to game, not game to system.

Again, echos of last gen. Someone is playing from behind and that means a long term struggle to reach parity if at all.

I swear people were talking up how good the numbers were for the game.

 

Wait, why is taking the hit no use? If you feel strongly enough about a part of your platform, then eat the losses. Of course I know how you feel about it, but I'm talking about the guys at MS. They are the ones that spent the time designing and building the thing. If they want to keep it, then take the hit.

Again, you sound as if there are two options: Do everything or do nothing.

I know your confident in what they must do to improve things, I'm just not sure about it. What really will result in more sales and what would amount to little more then a gesture that is ignored.

 

 

Wait, I thought inFamous was selling well. Is that incorrect?

 

I'm not expecting anything of anyone, but when you look at the whole picture things aren't as great as they seem. That goes for Sony too when you bring up the company's other divisions and losses. Even Major Nelson has commented "we know what we need to do" after the NPD news hit. Things need to change and I see that from owners of each console from around the internet, fanboys, level headed people etc. So my question would be to those trying to make light of the results is where is the good news. And I know the answer will be along the lines of "well they're selling more than 360 in the same time". Meaningless. It's promising numbers, but not enough. MS sold 1.1 million consoles since January. Sony have done that in 1 month. Not even bringing up the whole sold to retail vs sold to customers discussion (which is valid no matter how you want to downplay it). I'm not black and white on the results though, I am the gamer that sits between Armageddon and blind faith. I'm offering my opinion how to improve it going forward, even then who knows if it's enough to outsell PS4. I think the price cut is the first step in trying though.

 

And yes both games came out, inFamous was on sale for 11 days and it still managed to get #2 on a single platform. It's hard to argue the numbers for Titanfall because NPD has collected both platforms under 1 number. The reversal on the hype of Titanfall propelling the X1 ahead of PS4 for this month really is bewildering IMO. Now it's like it didn't happen and all just a dream that it was silly to think it could happen. Everything was in its favour (the marketing, the bundles, the special offers), and it still didn't outsell a supply constrained console, with a price increase in Canada, with less launch games and a AAA game at the end of the month which was described as "niche" with significantly less marketing. I mean, you couldn't have asked for an easier month, how do you make it sound good?

 

As for inFamous sales numbers being congratulated, I didn't see that, certainly not here on Neowin. The news came and went with barely a whimper. Once a full month figure is announced we'll have a better idea at how it performed.

 

Kinect/price cut hit, it's no use IMO because you've swapped losing money slowly by not selling enough consoles for losing money even faster by giving it away for free. It's not like there is a software library to reap back that money to justify the kinect. Not unless you expect Kinect Sports Rivals sales to somehow take off unexplained and nothing AFAIK on the horizon which uses it either in a kinect only title or even as a supported feature. Drop the kinect from the box and you don't have the same problem.

[dead.cell]

It doesn't sound alarming because it's not.  It's still selling excellently.

It just sounds that way because many of us expected Xbox to school Sony, then we began falling with the assumption that they'd at least dominate them in the US... then we fell back to "Okay, Titanfall has a ton of hype around it, let's see what this does" and for it to still be in Sony's shadow...

 

I think that's where people are coming from. At least, that's how I feel. It's not about sitting here saying, "hurr durr Microsoft sucks" but that we had higher expectations. Personally, I don't see what's wrong with holding them to a higher standard. If we enjoy their products and services, why not? :ermm:

 

It's not like their investors and staff aren't doing the same thing already.

 

 

GG to South Park TSOT though, very happy for them after all the trouble it went through :yes: I hope we see a sequel.

I don't think we will for some time. At least, that's what they've said on record I believe anyway; they're not out to make video games per se, but rather just do something fun when it makes sense for them to. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are quite fascinating to watch. It's a shame they get lumped in as being "idiots" because they are actually pretty well put together in terms of what they want to do and how they go about pursuing it.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

I don't think we will for some time. At least, that's what they've said on record I believe anyway; they're not out to make video games per se, but rather just do something fun when it makes sense for them to. Matt Stone and Trey Parker are quite fascinating to watch. It's a shame they get lumped in as being "idiots" because they are actually pretty well put together in terms of what they want to do and how they go about pursuing it.

 

I agree, they aren't set out to make games but after making so many of them and having little success (finally that turned round for them), I'm sure even they are skeptical they could do it again. The reason it worked out so well this time is because of their involvement in developing the game and because of their partnership with Obsidian. Far from a smooth ride but if it had been someone else I don't think we'd see the same result. Saying that, I would expect them to do something else in a few years, even if it's not a full retail game and maybe a return to downloadable. They love games so much they're bound to have another go at something.

[neoadorable]

I'm not expecting anything of anyone, but when you look at the whole picture things aren't as great as they seem. That goes for Sony too when you bring up the company's other divisions and losses. Even Major Nelson has commented "we know what we need to do" after the NPD news hit. Things need to change and I see that from owners of each console from around the internet, fanboys, level headed people etc. So my question would be to those trying to make light of the results is where is the good news. And I know the answer will be along the lines of "well they're selling more than 360 in the same time". Meaningless. It's promising numbers, but not enough. MS sold 1.1 million consoles since January. Sony have done that in 1 month. Not even bringing up the whole sold to retail vs sold to customers discussion (which is valid no matter how you want to downplay it). I'm not black and white on the results though, I am the gamer that sits between Armageddon and blind faith. I'm offering my opinion how to improve it going forward, even then who knows if it's enough to outsell PS4. I think the price cut is the first step in trying though.

 

And yes both games came out, inFamous was on sale for 11 days and it still managed to get #2 on a single platform. It's hard to argue the numbers for Titanfall because NPD has collected both platforms under 1 number. The reversal on the hype of Titanfall propelling the X1 ahead of PS4 for this month really is bewildering IMO. Now it's like it didn't happen and all just a dream that it was silly to think it could happen. Everything was in its favour (the marketing, the bundles, the special offers), and it still didn't outsell a supply constrained console, with a price increase in Canada, with less launch games and a AAA game at the end of the month which was described as "niche" with significantly less marketing. I mean, you couldn't have asked for an easier month, how do you make it sound good?

 

As for inFamous sales numbers being congratulated, I didn't see that, certainly not here on Neowin. The news came and went with barely a whimper. Once a full month figure is announced we'll have a better idea at how it performed.

 

Kinect/price cut hit, it's no use IMO because you've swapped losing money slowly by not selling enough consoles for losing money even faster by giving it away for free. It's not like there is a software library to reap back that money to justify the kinect. Not unless you expect Kinect Sports Rivals sales to somehow take off unexplained and nothing AFAIK on the horizon which uses it either in a kinect only title or even as a supported feature. Drop the kinect from the box and you don't have the same problem.

 

You're being overly negative, i think. We definitely celebrated Second Son's success as the likes and posts show. Not to mention we bought it!

 

And where are the good news? The good news are that we are enjoying ourselves, which is precious. I'm enjoying my X1 tremendously. Can it get better? Of course! But why should i feel bad about enjoying it? :cry:

 

EDIT: even if in device sales Titanfall didn't have the impact you describe, it managed to be the top NPD title for March even though as we noted 90% of sales must have been digital. It still outsold Second Son. This is neither good news or bad news to me, as i paid for both and want all to succeed. This is not a sum zero game.

[BajiRav]

As for inFamous sales numbers being congratulated, I didn't see that, certainly not here on Neowin. The news came and went with barely a whimper. Once a full month figure is announced we'll have a better idea at how it performed.

What did you expect to see? I didn't post there because I don't care about that game - I can imagine others being in a similar situation.

At least I didn't get in that thread to say inFamous sold "only" 1M - sony is screwed yada yada.

 

To flip the topic into other side - inFAMOUS, first post launch AAA sold only 1M after 7M PS4 sales. Isn't that troubling for Sony?

[+Anarkii Subscriber²]

I dont see this as a surprise tbh. Titanfall was a good game, but it was never a 'system seller'. It had all of a 8-12 hour campaign and from what people have been saying post launch, it has a very limited replayability cycle. Sure it might of helped sell a few XBones, but Titanfall is far from being the 'Must have game for next gen'. I honestly do think that Halo 5 will be the game that does sell the system. Im on the fence about Destiny. If they make it subscription based then yes, it will fail (on both platforms).. I expect FF14 to not sell as many as well due to the subscription based model too. 
Halo has always been the game to play if you have an Xbox, for its gameplay and for its equally great story. (hell, even I admit to watching the cutscenes on YouTube so im up to date with the story). 
Anyway if Microsoft really want to compete with the PS4 then they need to do a couple things in my opinion. 
1. Get rid of the Kinect. Insta $100.00 price drop. 
2. Update the hardware in the current model. Its all well and good that the 'cloud' will improve performance up to 3x, but what about those customers living in a rural town or here in Australia where our current Internet just sucks balls? A simple GFX card revision and update should fix that. At least make it as powerful as the PS4 or if possible, better. It should be able to handle 1080p@60fps no problem. 

That to me is all thats needed, the Xbone has such a bad name for itself in the community after a embarrassing launch, and it seems that every game released for it is being 'bested' by the PS4 equivalent. So I really think MS need to go back to the drawing board and look at how it can cut costs of the machine and yet, still make it as powerful as the PS4. 

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

You're being overly negative, i think. We definitely celebrated Second Son's success as the likes and posts show. Not to mention we bought it!

 

And where are the good news? The good news are that we are enjoying ourselves, which is precious. I'm enjoying my X1 tremendously. Can it get better? Of course! But why should i feel bad about enjoying it? :cry:

 

EDIT: even if in device sales Titanfall didn't have the impact you describe, it managed to be the top NPD title for March even though as we noted 90% of sales must have been digital. It still outsold Second Son. This is neither good news or bad news to me, as i paid for both and want all to succeed. This is not a sum zero game.

 

Nope, just a realist about it all. Can't tell you how many comments I've read that share the same thoughts as I have and go into way more detail than I care to. Only reason I've gone into so much detail in my posts is because people like to put them on trial and twist my words.

 

Not telling anyone not to enjoy anything or that the X1 is a "failure". I couldn't care less who "wins". I own all 3 consoles and unless they get dropped and die off, I'll continue to play and enjoy them as I've always done.

 

What did you expect to see? I didn't post there because I don't care about that game - I can imagine others being in a similar situation.

At least I didn't get in that thread to say inFamous sold "only" 1M - sony is screwed yada yada.

 

I've no idea what the sales are going to be. I don't own either of them so I'm not even invested in the argument that "x is better than y". I just refuted Trooper11's comment that the numbers were a success and somehow a big celebration happened, when in fact 2 people replied to the news and a handful of likes. None of which were from me anyway :/

 

And if all you took away from my comments was that "x is screwed" then I guess I wasted my time writing out those posts, because that's not my opinion nor what I said.

[BajiRav]

Nope, just a realist about it all. Can't tell you how many comments I've read that share the same thoughts as I have and go into way more detail than I care to. Only reason I've gone into so much detail in my posts is because people like to put them on trial and twist my words.

 

Not telling anyone not to enjoy anything or that the X1 is a "failure". I couldn't care less who "wins". I own all 3 consoles and unless they get dropped and die off, I'll continue to play and enjoy them as I've always done.

 

 

I've no idea what the sales are going to be. I don't own either of them so I'm not even invested in the argument that "x is better than y". I just refuted Trooper11's comment that the numbers were a success and somehow a big celebration happened, when in fact 2 people replied to the news and a handful of likes. None of which were from me anyway :/

 

And if all you took away from my comments was that "x is screwed" then I guess I wasted my time writing out those posts, because that's not my opinion nor what I said.

My post reads wrong, that line was a general comment about state of XB1 threads - not directed at you.

[George P Global Moderator]

There's no doom and the sky isn't falling for MS, both Sony and MS were behind the Wii last gen, hardly mattered.    The market is big enough to support 3 systems even though the WiiU is in very bad shape.   To that extent who finishes first or second is just a fanboy argument that leads to nowhere.    If this gen ends with the PS4 having sold 2 million units more than the XB1 I'd hardly call that negative for MS.   The days of Sony running off with the console market like with the PS2 are long gone, it's not going to happen again as much as some might think.

 

If sales are good and money is being made then MS is fine with it.   And as far as coming in second in the US, what's the real PS4 number anyways?  Early on Sony did talk up it's US sales but it hasn't in months, while it's edging out the XB1 that difference is small I bet.   20k-30k probably.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

There's no doom and the sky isn't falling for MS, both Sony and MS were behind the Wii last gen, hardly mattered. The market is big enough to support 3 systems even though the WiiU is in very bad shape. To that extent who finishes first or second is just a fanboy argument that leads to nowhere. If this gen ends with the PS4 having sold 2 million units more than the XB1 I'd hardly call that negative for MS. The days of Sony running off with the console market like with the PS2 are long gone, it's not going to happen again as much as some might think.

If sales are good and money is being made then MS is fine with it. And as far as coming in second in the US, what's the real PS4 number anyways? Early on Sony did talk up it's US sales but it hasn't in months, while it's edging out the XB1 that difference is small I bet. 20k-30k probably.

371k is the number from GAF it seems. It's not that their NPD result doesn't exist, since NPD went private their figures are at the mercy of the companies to distribute. Ever since Sony kept hiding the PS3 number to combat the US 360 sales with PR as far as I know they've stuck to their guns of not releasing. Sure they do big updates themselves like "1 million sold in the US", but NPDs they don't do any more.

Just so everyone knows its not as if they haven't been tracked and a complete guess is being used, NPD have the numbers which means other eyes can see them. IGN if they find out aren't going to exactly go reporting, pretty sure that would end you up on Sony's **** list or even legal bother but those affiliated with no one or posting anonymously can still leak the numbers.

I guess overall its strange to have seen the Titanfall hysteria at E3/parts of last year for it now to be played off as simply a new IP and it being unsurprising the PS4 sold more hardware. There's a reason the have you seen titanfall meme exists... And as Andy said for the most parts both sides/all sides of the fences expected this to be a month for the XB1. I seen people posting sales expectations of 700k hardware units and thought you know what, why not? The price is just too high, it needs to be on par with the PS4 if they don't want to keep losing market share/mindset. As much as MS ploughed EA with money for Titanfall 1, a result like this will have EA thinking we could make another x million multiplatform and grow the Titanfall brand even quicker to be the next COD....