Sales figures of Microsoft HD DVD drive versus PS3 in USA so far

StooMonster

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http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/feature/?id=14737

GameDaily.biz have a figure of 42,000 HD DVD drives shipped so far for Xbox 360, versus sales of 197,000 PS3.

In terms of optical HD formats in gamers hands the ratio is 4.5:1 in PS3's favour.

However, the utilisation and attachment rates are what really matter.

For Xbox 360 we can assume 100% utilisation rate of the HD DVD drives are used to play HD movies, because they have been specifically bought for that purpose; but we don't know how many movies people are likely to buy so have no idea of attachment rate.

With PS3 we have no idea of utilisation rate, although giving away a free Blu-ray movie should mean some are used to play HD movies, however lack of HDMI or Component cables in the box means that most users will be using composite or s-video (if historic trends are anything to go by) as connection of choice; as with HD DVD we have no idea of attachment rate (how many movies an average PS3 customer is likely to buy).

StooMonster
 
Thats just 0.7% of the 6,000,000 360 out there.

Did the 360 add-on sell out, or the HD-DVD support?
 
There are 6 million xbox 360 consoles in peoples homes?!! I've got two of 'em :)
 
Not bad at all in 2 weeks.
I agree. I think HD DVD ownership - as proven by the poll on this very forum - is starting to look very encouraging. Needless to say it's very early days but, at present, it's way ahead of the competition.
 
Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking the % My concern is if supply outweighs demand, sales of the add-on may drop as the weeks pass.

With the PS3, demand out weighs supply but we don't know the attach rate yet.

So the way I look at it, the trends on the DVD wars show even with the 360 add-on launch, disc ranking is still slipping.

BD ranking on the whole is flat atm.

So its very hard to judge, whos selling more. Is Blu-Ray taking market share from HD-DVD. Is interest in HD-DVD dwindling naturaly? Or is SD-DVD taking market share from HD?

Which ever way you want to spin it, which I don't personaly, I see HD-DVD disc sales dropping while BD remaining steady. Outcome, the gap is closing.
 
With the PS3, demand out weighs supply but we don't know the attach rate yet.
If demand is outstripping supply why can we buy a US PS3 for less than the (guessed) UK RRP on Ebay.com?
 
I'd rather buy from a shop than some profitier on Ebay.
 
I'd rather buy from a shop than some profitier on Ebay.
Indeed - I don't disagree at all. But if you look at the price the profiteer's were charging on Ebay last year for the much more ample supplies of Xbox 360s then it does show that demand for the PS3 is clearly slower.
 
I have been offered a second hand ps3 and said no thanks. He cant find anyone to take it off his hands (white elephant springs to mind)...mainly because its an import...
 
Should've said in post: 42,000 HD DVD external drives in USA only vs 197,000 PS3 in USA only.

No figures on Europe yet.

The story in Japan was PS3 sales of 190,000 so far (in two weeks), so it has already outsold total Xbox 360 sales of 180,000 (in one year). Don't think there are going to be many HD DVD external drives for Xbox 360 sold in Japan if same percentage is applied as per US market. Although Nintendo Wii sales of 400,000 (in one week) make it king of Japanese next-gen console market.

StooMonster
 
Thats just 0.7% of the 6,000,000 360 out there.

Did the 360 add-on sell out, or the HD-DVD support?

Its nearly 8.5 million, doesn't help the figures in HD DVD favor, but no one can say I'm not fair :)

But the 42k figure is for the North American market, I don't know the figure for total 360's sold in North America
 
Its nearly 8.5 million, doesn't help the figures in HD DVD favor, but no one can say I'm not fair :)

But the 42k figure is for the North American market, I don't know the figure for total 360's sold in North America

3.4 million to the end of Nov06, according to NPD (the source of all these numbers)
 
The story in Japan was PS3 sales of 190,000 so far (in two weeks), so it has already outsold total Xbox 360 sales of 180,000 (in one year).


- As far as this kind of CE is concerned Japan is practically a closed market for anyone not Japanese.

For the next XBox Microsoft might try hooking up with a Japanese brand and rebadging, then they might stand a chance there.
But that is never going to happen.

Japanese sales tell us nothing we didn't already know, they just don't seem to ever be keen on buying CE imports

(that's not a racist comment it's simply a fact of life......and it has been an economic problem for them for decades, despite the years of efforts of their Gov's to change habits).
 
http://nexgenwars.com has global extrapolated sales numbers.

As of this second they are:

Microsoft Xbox 360 = 8,499,330
Sony Playstation 3 = 448,244
Nintendo Wii = 1,728,599

StooMonster
 
- As far as this kind of CE is concerned Japan is practically a closed market for anyone not Japanese.

For the next XBox Microsoft might try hooking up with a Japanese brand and rebadging, then they might stand a chance there.
But that is never going to happen.

Japanese sales tell us nothing we didn't already know, they just don't seem to ever be keen on buying CE imports

(that's not a racist comment it's simply a fact of life......and it has been an economic problem for them for decades, despite the years of efforts of their Gov's to change habits).
How does your theory explain Apple iPod being the market leader (by a long way) of MP3 players in Japan?

StooMonster
 
How does your theory explain Apple iPod being the market leader (by a long way) of MP3 players in Japan?

StooMonster

- There's always an exception to prove the rule. :p

It's no theory, Japan is notorious for being a very stubborn importer of certain kinds of goods (cars has always been another notable case too).
The Japanese Gov has spent years trying to encourage the Japanese consumer to import.
 
- There's always an exception to prove the rule. :p
Okay, Apple laptops ... they've got huge sales numbers in Japan too. ;)

Perhaps if Microsoft were as 'cool' as Apple? Makes me wonder how many Microsoft Zune are gonna sell in Japan? They're having trouble shifting them in USA! :D

Anyway, I believe my point was that Japan is irrelevant for Xbox 360 sales -- and in tune with the points you make -- Microsoft are hoping for HD DVD and Xbox sales in North American, Europe, Australasia, and the rest.

StooMonster
 
3.4 million to the end of Nov06, according to NPD (the source of all these numbers)
So ... 42,000 / 3,400,000 = 1.2%

Approximately 1.2% of Xbox 360 owners in USA bought HD DVD external drive at its launch.

StooMonster
 
I'm thinking of getting a Zune from the US. seems better than the ipods IMO
 
So ... 42,000 / 3,400,000 = 1.2%

Approximately 1.2% of Xbox 360 owners in USA bought HD DVD external drive at its launch.

StooMonster

That's quite telling. You could take that 1.2% as more or less indicative of the percentage of gamers who would be interested into going high def at this point in time. (Why would you buy the add-on otherwise?) So if I can apply that percentage to the nearly 200,000 units of PS3 bought in the US, that's a good 2,400 PS3 gamers who might also be going high def at the same time. Ofcourse those numbers on either camps won't remain static.
 
The Xbox360 drice is incredibly cheap.

Maybe the very low uptake of the drives simply underlines how few people are planning to use their games console for HD films.

Which brings us back to SONY hoping the (relatively) cheap PS3 will break BD. If only a similar %age of PS3 owners decide to buy into BD, and the stand alone players stay at £1,000, the format has no chance.

For BD or HD-DVD to succeed, there must be the concept, the possibility of a £200/£250 player on the horizon.

Steve W
 
So ... 42,000 / 3,400,000 = 1.2%

Approximately 1.2% of Xbox 360 owners in USA bought HD DVD external drive at its launch.

StooMonster

Yep - of course, you can't read too much into this yet - the number may simply be that due to supply issues in the fortnight after launch.

The situation with this drive, and the PS3, will become clearer over the next few months as supply shortages ease - then we'll start to see the real numbers who are actually interested, rather than at present where all we may be seeing is the number who managed to get one in November.

At least I hope the numbers show a marked increase - it doesn't bode well for HD in general if you can only tempt a few percent of the XBOX360 user base to buy in at $200 (and one would have to assume here that the PS3 percentage would be in a similar ballpark, although it may be slightly higher as once you have the PS3, there's no further outlay apart from the discs themselves)
 
That's quite telling. You could take that 1.2% as more or less indicative of the percentage of gamers who would be interested into going high def at this point in time. (Why would you buy the add-on otherwise?) So if I can apply that percentage to the nearly 200,000 units of PS3 bought in the US, that's a good 2,400 PS3 gamers who might also be going high def at the same time. Ofcourse those numbers on either camps won't remain static.

we're playing with statistics now, but I'd think that 1.2% is more the people that are willing to pay extra for High def movies. On the PS3 no extra cost is involved beyond the machine to play Highdef so I'd expect uptake to be higher

Course, the add on could have sold out, in which case the numbers don't tell us anything except that MS didn't make enough.
 
we're playing with statistics now, but I'd think that 1.2% is more the people that are willing to pay extra for High def movies. On the PS3 no extra cost is involved beyond the machine to play Highdef so I'd expect uptake to be higher.
But as the console costs more maybe overall uptake (of the console) will ultimately be lower? Swings and roundabouts at present - we are all just guessing - but I think the addon drive will balance out the PS3 nicely.
 

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