RLLMUK's Official Sales Figures 2011

[futureshock]

Just to get my stats right (or wrong) - HTC sold 25million phones, not including all the other Android manufacturers? Whereas Apple sold 16million iPhones? And yet Nintendo/Sony are "shortsighted" (your word) for not following the App Store format? How are they supposed to care when not even the average smartphone buyer isn't bothered about the App Store?

Are there stats on the total number of Android sales across all manufacturers?

[Dandy_Sephy]

Android phones overtook the iPhone in terms of total units sold a few weeks ago, despite the iPhone having an 18 month headstart.

That excludes the iPod Touch and the iPad, but it does provide some food for thought.

Yes, the thought that having 50 handsets at various price ranges should naturally sell more than one manufacturer selling only two basic models at a time.

[Halo]

Android phones come with Android Market, which is an app store.

[Halo]

Yes, the thought that having 50 handsets at various price ranges should naturally sell more than one manufacturer selling only two basic models at a time.

Very easy to say in hindsight, but plenty of people weren't saying that when Android was originally released.

[Boyatsea]

Futureshock - Amdroid is just as app happy. The difference is, developers make more money on iOS. Consumer culture is the same on both - it's just easier to get apps on the App Store than Android Market as things stand.

There isn't a major smartphone platform out there that doesn't have an app store now, and they are the focus of each platform now. Even RIM has made BlackBerry App World - which is rubbish on so many levels - its focus, because it realises that's why it's lost ground to both Apple and Google.

[futureshock]

Futureshock - Amdroid is just as app happy. The difference is, developers make more money on iOS. Consumer culture is the same on both - it's just easier to get apps on the App Store than Android Market as things stand.

There isn't a major smartphone platform out there that doesn't have an app store now, and they are the focus of each platform now. Even RIM has made BlackBerry App World - which is rubbish on so many levels - its focus, because it realises that's why it's lost ground to both Apple and Google.

I realise Android is app happy, I was pointing more to the Apple-flavoured hype in that Wired.com article.

[b00dles]

'Where will sales be trending?'

That's a hateful sentence.

I still think it will do incredibly well but it won't have the success of the DS for various reasons, smart phones as well as others.

The interesting thing is that the DS needed those games to make use of it's features to make it work, it got a lot of shovelware, as do smart phones, if someone made a point n click (outside of SCUMMVM) on android that made use of the tech, I'd buy it in an instant.

Then again, I've said for years I'd have bought cannon fodder and syndicate wars on the DS and no one listened.

[Boyatsea]

I realise Android is app happy, I was pointing more to the Apple-flavoured hype in that Wired.com article.

Well, because from a gaming perspective, iOS is the bigger market of the two - three devices (don't forget, the platform's userbase is much higher than just iPhone's), more apps, bigger sales. Android will get there at some point, but it isn't there yet.

[Boyatsea]

VG estimates for week ending Jan 15th:

North America

Xbox 360 - 125,100 (75,392)

Wii - 117,551 (153,259)

PlayStation 3 - 75,393 (84,219)

Apparently, both Wii and 360 are in short supply in the US right now.

Europe/Other

Wii - 120,151 (150,211)

PlayStation 3 - 115,056 (125,214)

Xbox 360 - 95,325 (81,754)

UK

Xbox 360 - 25,480 (20,758)

Wii - 17,359 (26,488)

PlayStation 3 - 15,667 (19,105)

Kinect Adventures on 7.7 million worldwide. Still world's #1. Kinect Sports 2.5 million, Dance Central 1.5 million.

Sports Champions on 2 million.

[revlob]

So ShopTo are selling the 3DS for £199.85 now. Does the sub-two-ton price change anyone's opinion on its affordability? I'm not sure whether we'll see many retailers follow suit, especially those on the high street, but for me it's a much more attractive offer.

[Transient Curse]

Dp

[Transient Curse]

I felt myself beginning to be swept along with the wave of excitement but I still think even £200 is too rich for me. Undoubtedly it'll be a boost to shopto's potential orders but I wonder if they need to be cheaper, given that we're all expecting a sell out, could they meet demand even at a higher price?

It reminds me of the Gamecube, where the price was dropped £20 just before launch. I'm not sure it made a difference to sales, certainly not here where people just celebrated the saving, as opposed to more buying the system.

I wonder if other retailers will stick to higher prices or not. If they don't, I wonder what the motivation is, at this stage at least.

[scottcr]

Game and HMV are looking to the 3DS launch to help their profits after a really terrible last quarter. Hence, higher margins.

[Vemsie]

Seems the 360 and PS3 are selling pretty much the same amount at the moment. Worldwide that is. This week's figures show a slight advantage for the 360, last week's figures were the other way round.

I must admit that I didn't expect the Kinect software to sell this well.

[Boyatsea]

PS3 has a good week in Japan, it's on top. 360 in America, and it edges ahead.

What's interesting is, it's these first few months of the year that, last year, PS3 consistently outsold 360 worldwide and made up 1 million of the sales gap. Not sure that's going to happen this year, looking at January sales so far.

[Vemsie]

PS3 has a good week in Japan, it's on top. 360 in America, and it edges ahead.

What's interesting is, it's these first few months of the year that, last year, PS3 consistently outsold 360 worldwide and made up 1 million of the sales gap. Not sure that's going to happen this year, looking at January sales so far.

No, I don't think that's going to happen this year. LBP2 will probably sell well but I doubt it's gonna push hardware, certainly not in any significant way.

[CarloOos]

Considering the original LBP didn't sell too well I'm not sure why you would expect the sequel to.

[Dandy_Sephy]

Considering the original LBP didn't sell too well

Did you even bother to check?

It sold 4 million copies

[cavalcade]

Considering the original LBP didn't sell too well I'm not sure why you would expect the sequel to.

It's sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

[CarloOos]

Well that's better than I remember it doing, it must have had a hell of a slow start then?

LBP remains amazingly flexible, I wonder how many people will be inclined to upgrade. LBP1 levels are backwards compatible aren't they?

[RubberJohnny]

Did you even bother to check?

It sold 4 million copies

Yes but that's because it was bundled with the console. All PS3 first party stuff has sold well, but that's because it all gets bundled at one time or another. He's right that the NPD sales for LBP and a bunch of other first party stuff were significantly underwhelming.

[bcass]

Yeah, LBP was not a big hit (in it's own right). It ended-up in bargain bins in record time for such a big release. I can't remember when I last saw such aggresive discounting on a 1st party game so soon after release. I'm sure they made money on it but it wasn't the phenomenon Sony were hoping it was going to be.

[Boyatsea]

No, I don't think that's going to happen this year. LBP2 will probably sell well but I doubt it's gonna push hardware, certainly not in any significant way.

Indeed. Not a chance, really. LBP is not a big system seller. Aside from that, the advertising is terrible, and really doesn't manage to convey what the game does and what makes it unique. It sadly makes it look like a bit of kiddie tat.

[scottcr]

Indeed. Not a chance, really. LBP is not a big system seller. Aside from that, the advertising is terrible, and really doesn't manage to convey what the game does and what makes it unique. It sadly makes it look like a bit of kiddie tat.

It doesn't make it look like kiddie tat...

Define "kiddie tat"

[Boyatsea]

A naff kids game with cute and cuddly characters. Its just a bad ad, really. A non event.

It really doesn't get across effectively what exactly the game is for the folk who don't read Edge cover to cover. Kudos on bagging Stephen Fry, mind.

Do you think it's a good ad?

[footle]

LBP1 levels are backwards compatible aren't they?

LBP2 owners can use LBP1 levels (with caveats - the more interesting ones that pushed the engine might not work as intended).

LBP1 owners can't use LBP2 levels, I wouldn't have thought.

[CarloOos]

I thought LBP marketed itself quite well, they just wildly over-estimated the general public's interest in user generated content. Making your own levels for games must practically be the definition for being (urgh) a 'hardcore' gamer. We're all gamers on a gaming forum and yet even most of us couldn't be bothered to put that much effort in.

I suppose the TV ads themselves were a bit muddled in their message, but they showed the gameplay well enough.

[K]

I thought LBP marketed itself quite well, they just wildly over-estimated the general public's interest in user generated content. Making your own levels for games must practically be the definition for being (urgh) a 'hardcore' gamer. We're all gamers on a gaming forum and yet even most of us couldn't be bothered to put that much effort in.

That's not really what LBP was about though, in the same way that Youtube isn't about making your own videos for 99% of the users - it's about making use of what other people have created.

[CarloOos]

Well of course, it's the only reason I play it at least, but I still don't think that 'the Youtube of games' has anywhere near the mainstream appeal that Sony thought it would. If making user-made levels was to be at the top of my completely hypothetical 'gaming geekiness' scale, playing user-made levels must surely only be a few notches down.

Like I say, I think LBP's marketing was alright. They certainly got the charm across, which is arguably the biggest appeal. It might well have done better if they'd just sold as a straight-forward platformer.

[Boyatsea]

I thought LBP marketed itself quite well, they just wildly over-estimated the general public's interest in user generated content. Making your own levels for games must practically be the definition for being (urgh) a 'hardcore' gamer. We're all gamers on a gaming forum and yet even most of us couldn't be bothered to put that much effort in.

I suppose the TV ads themselves were a bit muddled in their message, but they showed the gameplay well enough.

I honestly think they're awful. They look good enough, but in terms of actually delivering a message to get people to part with their cash, they largely miss the mark. If anyone who has no idea what the game is or what it's about sits and watches them, they'll have no idea what it is or what you can do after watching it.

The agency has focused way too much on delivering the feel on the game without explaining what the unique elements of the game are - and this is one of the few games on PS3 that needs exposition.

This is when Nintendo's does-what-it-says-on-the-tin adverts for Wii/DS come into their own.