The last 12 months have seen Sony and Microsoft repackage the PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively in sleeker, sexier casing. First it was Sony with the PlayStation 3 Slim , released in September 2009, and then it was Microsoft with the Xbox 360 S , which debuted in June 2010. So did this revamp work?
In one way, no. Nintendo is still marginally yearly sales with the original version of the Wii (from 2006). But in another way, yes . These slimmer, sexier machines pushed year-on-year sales up for both consoles. Yet a far bigger boost was enjoyed by Microsoft’s new Xbox.
Gamasutra got its abacus out and calculated that Xbox 360 S sold faster in its first three months on sale (with a 90% year-on-year growth rate) in the US than the PS3 Slim managed in its opening quarter (with a 68.2% lift from the previous year).
In other words, both slimmed-down consoles were a success, but Microsoft’s had more of an impact. And Nintendo marketing still kicks arse. End.
[Via Gamasutra ]
