Xbox 360 Launch: Success or Mess?

[Paco]

Cant think of a console that launched with a system seller, eh? :D I can think of about 10... :D

You're not reading my posts very carefully. What I was getting at is that all consoles are slow at first when it comes to the games' release. Nintendo is certainly no exception here. And what I meant with the lack of a killer app at launch is that it's entirely possible to pull through and succeed later (look at PS1 and PS2 for examples).

My nephew is 12 and he says the kids at school are pooping all over Kameo because it's 'not mature' and most of them are waiting for PS3. The young crowd is also saying that the Revolution is a total joke and the controller is gay. I explained to my nephew's friends that it's a 3-D controller and then they were interested but still say that PS3 is going to be 'the console to get'. Everyone I know who has a PSP barely play it and when they do, they play that puzzle game all because there's no killer app. If MS isn't careful they'll hit the same wall. MS unleashed PDZ into a Halo public and what happens? People complain. Kameo isn't selling well either and that WW2 game is the only one selling close to a 1:1 ratio with the system which is getting lackluster reviews.

So you talked to a 12 year old who probably thinks he's closer to 18. Would you care to talk to my little cousins who range anywhere from 5 to 9? They all said it was really cool. Kameo was not meant for everyone, but I'd say it has its own audience. I figured you'd be able to respect that seeing as how you're such a Nintendo buff.

Call of Duty 2 got lackluster reviews? Care to show me one? If by lackluster you mean 8's and 9's then I say you need to check your standards because you'd be crapping on quite a few Nintendo made titles too.

When did you get Kameo sales? I haven't seen any myself, but I am curious.

XBox launched with Halo and grabbed a close 3rd place in the race which it kept and sometimes exceeded, especially when Halo 2 was released. 360 NEEDS Halo 3 or a new system seller ASAP otherwise Ebay is going to explode with 360's for sale again when PS3 hits.

Xbox sold 22+ million last I checked. Gamecube hasn't broken 20+ million as far as I know. Xbox - 2nd place, Gamecube - 3rd place...

"However, as of February 2005, estimates show the Xbox's share of the worldwide console market is only moderately ahead of the Nintendo GameCube and far behind the PlayStation 2. According to company documents, Microsoft has shipped 22 million consoles to retailers worldwide. [8] Although ahead of the GameCube's 18.5 million [9], this is far behind the PlayStation 2's 100 million [10]. The Xbox has enjoyed its greatest success in North America, where an estimated 13.5 million units have been sold and where it managed for a time to outsell the PS2[11]. In Europe, the Xbox's market share is currently ahead of the GameCube, but is still behind the PlayStation 2."

"Nintendo reported that as of March 2005 they have sold a total of 18.5 million Nintendo Gamecube units worldwide. [9]"

Seeing as how Nintendo's Gamecube sales continue on the decline I very much doubt they made up 4 million consoles to surpass the Xbox in 2005. Link and Link.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. These first few months are not important. The end of 2006 is important- when Revolution and PS3 supposedly launch, but I'd put far more weight on 2007 seeing as how that's when all three consoles should be out for the entire year. That's when the 360 needs to shine, when it's demoed right next to the competition. What's even more important than that is who can get to the mass market first, that's where the console sales really take off. It's more than likely that 360 will have a killer app or two by this time next year, but we'll wait and see.

Like I said, those who think PS3 is going to be their saving grace at launch are in for a sore disappoinment. The PS and PS2 were not known for their launches, and usually took quite a bit of time to get several killer apps released. I'll say they'll regret selling their 360 for a PS3 launch because it should be that time when the 360 hits its stride and casually walks right into 2007 while the Revolution and PS3 go through their dry periods following launch.