In November, Sony’s PlayStation 3 stole some market share from the Wii and Xbox 360 as PS3 sales quadrupled in the month. Despite the gains, Nintendo and Microsoft still top the console charts.
Digital Journal — Credit the holiday shopping frenzy or the Nov. 2 price cut, but no matter the reason the PlayStation 3 is gaining some ground in the heated gaming console wars.
In November, it took 21 per cent of market share of units sold in the console industry in the U.S., up from 12 per cent in October, according to analysts NPD Group. Sales of the PS3 quadrupled in the month, compared to Nintendo Wii’s 89 per cent jump.
American retailers sold 466,000 PS3s last month, 770,000 Xbox 360s, and close to 981,000 Wii consoles. So while the PS3 gained a foothold in November, it is still trailing behind the innovative Wii and the online-friendly 360.
But Sony is likely grinning ear to ear with NPD’s news. Gaining market share has been the PS3’s top priority, which is why the November price cut was so essential to the console’s future success: a $100 price drop undoubtedly made the console more favourable in the eyes of cash-conscious consumers. Also helping PS3’s cause was a line-up of new games available for the holiday season.
Microsoft is especially heartened by the news, too. Xbox 360 led in sales of revenue from hardware and software: $763 million, compared with $587 million for the Wii and $364 million for the PS3, according to the data released by NPD.
And it’s not like Nintendo isn’t taking notice of NPD’s numbers. The 981,000 Wii units sold in November is Nintendo’s most lucrative month to date. The big question is whether Nintendo can meet demand in this very competitive season.
As telling as the November numbers are in the console battles, the December stats will be even more intriguing. Will Xbox 360 finally surpass Wii’s top spot? Will shoppers opt for the PS3 as the gift of choice for the holiday season? Stay tuned to find out.
