Xbox 360 Shipments vs. PlayStation 3 Shipments

Gamers always wants to argue about which console will be better: the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3. However, will the average joe’s final decision come down to who can find a specific console on the shelves in stores?

Microsoft continues to try and extend its lead over Sony’s upcoming PS3 by increasing supplies for the Xbox 360. Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said yesterday that Microsoft has once again ramped up shipments of the 360 console. Microsoft raised the bottom line of its Xbox 360 sales target range for the year ending June 30 from an earlier range of 4.5 million to 5.5 million to 5.0 million to 5.5 million units.

Liddell said Microsoft wants to build a loyal base of Xbox 360 users before Sony launches the PS3 in November. Sony, the current game machine market leader with its PlayStation 2, has said it plans to ship 6 million PS3 units by March of 2007.

“We made a conscious decision to be very aggressive on selling Xbox 360 consoles to get as much into the installed base as we possibly could ahead of Sony’s launch,” Liddell said. “We haven’t yet reached the positive position of having supply equal demand, because to some extent we continue to see very good demand.”

In January, production shortages forced Microsoft to scale back its Xbox 360 shipment estimates for the first 90 days after the console debuted in North America on November 22. The introduction of a third contract manufacturer, Celestica Inc. for the Xbox 360 helped to ease some of the supply constraints during the quarter, Liddell said.

No one yet knows how the launch of the PS3 will go, supply-wise, until the console debuts in November. But the real battle will come over the Christmas 2006 holidays when shoppers go looking for game consoles and games.
 
The real question is how many will they find? And if they don’t find their first choice, will they simply go for whatever console is available? The battle for gaming supremacy has begun, and the war heats up this holiday season.

Gamers always wants to argue about which console will be better: the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3. However, will the average joe’s final decision come down to who can find a specific console on the shelves in stores?

Microsoft continues to try and extend its lead over Sony’s upcoming PS3 by increasing supplies for the Xbox 360. Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said yesterday that Microsoft has once again ramped up shipments of the 360 console. Microsoft raised the bottom line of its Xbox 360 sales target range for the year ending June 30 from an earlier range of 4.5 million to 5.5 million to 5.0 million to 5.5 million units.

Liddell said Microsoft wants to build a loyal base of Xbox 360 users before Sony launches the PS3 in November. Sony, the current game machine market leader with its PlayStation 2, has said it plans to ship 6 million PS3 units by March of 2007.

“We made a conscious decision to be very aggressive on selling Xbox 360 consoles to get as much into the installed base as we possibly could ahead of Sony’s launch,” Liddell said. “We haven’t yet reached the positive position of having supply equal demand, because to some extent we continue to see very good demand.”

In January, production shortages forced Microsoft to scale back its Xbox 360 shipment estimates for the first 90 days after the console debuted in North America on November 22. The introduction of a third contract manufacturer, Celestica Inc. for the Xbox 360 helped to ease some of the supply constraints during the quarter, Liddell said.

No one yet knows how the launch of the PS3 will go, supply-wise, until the console debuts in November. But the real battle will come over the Christmas 2006 holidays when shoppers go looking for game consoles and games.
 
The real question is how many will they find? And if they don’t find their first choice, will they simply go for whatever console is available? The battle for gaming supremacy has begun, and the war heats up this holiday season.