Charts and graphs.

OK, I am ruthlessly stealing the graphics below. Why? I liked the pretty colors. So I stole the pictures, but the words here are mine. You know why? I was too lazy to read the article.

So the first thing I notice is that people have given up on the PS3, but I think it’s just for this year. PS3 will back strong  once its known that they are actually available to purchase. The Wii is looking really strong, and I don’t expect that to change this year. Next year will be all about the games. If they no longer seem as fun, then the Wii goes the way of the Gamecube.  The Xbox 360 seemed to do ok for itself despite being out for a year.  These charts are about people going online and looking at product pages. Not buying. For a product that many know about, it’s getting lots of page views.

This next chart compares the same demand as above by day, but over different points in time since the launch days were different. (And the 360’s was not a launch but the 360 sale at Amazon) All three had spikes, but the 360’s tapered off quicker. I think I know why, those people who wanted one actually got it. The others may need to come back several times to make a purchase for the Wii or PS3.

So I have gone over to http://nexgenwars.com/ and found that the Wii has sold a more this holiday than the other two. I think that the Xbox 360 was at about 6.9 million sold prior to the launch of the other two, which puts it about 100,000 consoles behind the Wii, and well ahead of the PS3. The PS3 hasn’t hit that 400K mark in sales that it promised yet, but it’s clear they will.

So what does this all mean? Nothing.  Turns out it was just a good way for me to burn some time at work. This holiday will not crown a console king, and for me that is good news. Competition means that all three console makers will be pushing to give the gamer the best experience.