State of the Industry

Gaming

Regardless of the endless online bickering going on between fanboys of rival systems, now is a better time than any other to be a gamer.  With the multi-billion dollar industry on the rise, third-party developers are going multi-platform, giving more gamers the chance to experience the same games regardless of system choice.

Even if you chose to purchase only one system, each company has it’s own incredible line of first-party titles to offer, with many more new ones to come within the next year or so.  Such titles as Resistance 2, Gears of War 2 and Wii Play 2 offer a variety of experiences for the hardcore and casual gaming audience alike.

Sony

Sony isn’t the dominant console maker it used to be in the past, but that doesn’t mean it’s lagging behind in terms of total hardware and software across it’s entire Playstation line.  This past quarter, Sony saw a mild profit as it begins to break even after spending a few billion on it’s PS3.  With profits on the rise, the PS3 could see another price drop in another year, though many are still anxious for it to come sooner.

Many seem to forget that Sony is the only company left with a “last-gen” system still in the game and fighting strong.  The PS2 shipped more than 13 million units this past quarter, and projects to ship another 9 million for the next fiscal year.  It seems as though Sony’s 10 year console life stance holds true a second time as the PS2 nears it’s 10 year anniversary.

It leaves some to wonder if Sony will continue to ship the console past it’s 10th year lifespan or discontinue it completely…

Nintendo

Emerging as the new champion of the console wars, the Wii has surpassed both the PS3 and 360 in terms of total consoles shipped and sold in all regions to date.  With demand unfading, this trend is likely to continue well into next year, as Nintendo projects to have sold close to 50 million Wii’s by the beginning of the next fiscal year, March 2009.

It’s notorious DS system is also a force to be reckoned with, selling more than 70 million units so far.  It seems likely to catch up to major consoles as it nears the 100 million mark.

Microsoft

The Xbox 360 continues to sell well, especially after it’s most recent price drop bringing it’s 20gb system down to $299.  It experienced a significant sales boost last week, driving the console a little more than 100k units in North America.  Only time will tell if this boost in sales will be sustainable or not.  Microsoft’s last price drop in Europe boosted sales permanently in the region to an average weekly sales of around 50k.

With it’s entertainment division finally seeing profits for the first time since Microsoft introduced the original Xbox, the 360 seems poised to continue down a successful path especially with some good titles to look forward to.

For more indepth analysis and information regarding sales statistics, see http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=1599