Xbox ahead in online-capable game sales

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 28 June, 2011

Sold twice as many as PS3 in 2010.

The Xbox 360 sells roughly twice as many online-capable games as the PlayStation 3 does, according to US stat-tracking company NPD.

NPD statistics for 2010, reported by Gamasutra, show Xbox 360 online-capable game sales were roughly seven times the Wii equivalent.

US shops sold nearly four times as many Xbox 360 digital points cards than PlayStation 3 cards – however, it should be noted that NPD's data does not include digital currency, such as Microsoft Points, bought through the consoles.

It should also be noted that, as of April this year, Microsoft had shifted 25.4 million Xbox 360s in the US. Sony had sold 15.4 million PS3s.

The statistics were revealed by graphs released by NPD yesterday. It did not supply actual sales figures.

Meanwhile, sales of games that support stereoscopic 3D represented 25 per cent of all new retail software sales in November 2010. This April the figure was 10 per cent.

Sales of motion-controlled games increased significantly between April 2010 and April 2011 – unsurprising given both the PlayStation Move and Kinect launched during that time period.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (52) Latest comment 11 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • superfurry #1 11 months ago

    Console fanboy pissing contest in 3, 2, 1.....

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #2 11 months ago

    So this is in the US then, where there are 12m more 360s than PS3s in house holds, is misleading title misleading?

  • iriihutoR48 #3 11 months ago

    Why is EUROgamer showing off American statistics by NDP?

  • lcmnick #4 11 months ago

    Post deleted at 12:48:44 14-04-2012

  • iriihutoR48 #5 11 months ago

    I bet Eurogamer wouldn't show off Japanese statistics under the heading "PS3 ahead in online-capable game sales ". In America, the 360 is far ahead and in Japan, the PS3 is far ahead. Hardly any news.

  • ModishNouns #6 11 months ago

    This does look very partisan, EG. I know it's not a new accusation, but even so.

  • X201 #7 11 months ago

    "Why is EUROgamer showing off incomplete American statistics by NDP? "

    Fixed

  • NorUraeus #8 11 months ago

    Eurogamer seems you forgot a 'in the US' in your title

  • X201 #9 11 months ago

    " it should be noted that NPD's data does not include digital currency, such as Microsoft Points, bought through the consoles."

    So why pass the story off with a headline and pretty line graph that implies it covers ALL online sales.

  • edhe #10 11 months ago

    Shame eurozone doesn't have interesting figures like this,

  • PixelPirate #11 11 months ago

    according to US stat-tracking company NPD.
    US shops sold nearly four times as many Xbox 360 digital points cards than PlayStation 3 cards

    so US figures then?

  • makattack #12 11 months ago

    Online is for 10 year old whingers.

  • M_of_the_sys #13 11 months ago

    "US shops sold nearly four times as many Xbox 360 digital points cards than PlayStation 3 cards"

    These figures might change after the PSN attack. :p

  • Doctor_What #14 11 months ago

    I didn't even know Sony did online points cards until a few months ago - I always use a credit card. It's much easier and it's integrated with the initial system set up more than it was when I bought my 360, so that could account for some of the difference too.

  • Utilero #15 11 months ago

    Does guillotine/CharlieChan work for Eurogamer now? Maybe it is Yin-Poole's fanboy personality. Quite misleading headline, but yeah the 360's online capabilities are excellent. Americans really like the console for that.

  • darkos87 #16 11 months ago

    Eh, I get to kill people online on ps3 so it doesn't matter to me at all.

  • mss99 #17 11 months ago

    Eurogamer you just need to add the following to the title then it will be fit for purpose " in America". Problem solved.

  • jonfon #18 11 months ago

    @matattack : "Online is for 10 year old whingers."

    Erm, you know you're online right now, right?

  • Tryhard #19 11 months ago

    makattack said "Online is for 10 year old whingers." Is that a whinge you are having there?

  • X201 #20 11 months ago

    @mss99

    "In America and purchased with payment cards only"

  • JBlokeUK #21 11 months ago

    USgamer at it again.

  • vmanb #22 11 months ago

    Pointless article

  • BEXANT #23 11 months ago

    Yeah, but seeing as I've have 5 Xbox's and 3 PS3's the stats are slightly twisted. i can't be the only one to have blown so many consoles this generation, what with RROD and YLOD it seems that replacing your console every couple of years whether a new one is out or not will be the norm!

  • Teamallstar #24 11 months ago

    I love how whiny the PS3 Fanboys are. Eurogamer = win

  • Ryze #25 11 months ago

    @justanotherdave

    Gamasutra... but I'll give you 3 guesses what their current top story is! Also try Ars Technica

  • Jacksie66 #26 11 months ago

    More stats is it. 1.5 million eurogamer readers dont give a flying fuck.

  • coolbritannia #27 11 months ago

    Japan is a clear PS3 win, America and Europe is an ongoing battle, and these stats are relevant, and terrible news for Sony. yay.

    fucking whining SDF.....

  • cloud_ix #28 11 months ago

    no point in these statistics as they are missing extremely relevant data

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #29 11 months ago

    They've sold twice as many online games but they haven't sold twice as many consoles. Factor in the so called HUGE numbers of RROD repurchases that are often used as an excuse for the 360 doing (marginally) better than the PS3 in the hardware race and it shows that 360 owners are buying a LOT more (online capable?) games per owner than on PS3.

    I find that at least mildly interesting, so no need to get knickers in a twist and start spouting shit about how it's just because they've sold more, or that we shouldn't be allowed to read this because we visit a site with Euro in the name!

  • flaming.carrot #30 11 months ago

    This is really lazy journalism - not only is it a cut and paste job from another website, but the title is totally misleading too. EuroGamer is close to becoming the Daily Star of gaming sites these days. Only the DigitalFoundry and Retro articles seem to be of constantly good quality, the reviews less so.

    Comments are amusing though, only reason I stick around really.

  • acmilan1899 #31 11 months ago

    who gives a shit about the japs? they are churning out tat, one of their blue riband companies (Sony) got trounced in the West by a young upstart (MS) - their game developers are stuck in a 90's rut. We dont need them anymore.

  • ronuds #32 11 months ago

    I'm totally not interested in this news, but I read the article and felt the need to leave a comment anyway.

  • riseer #33 11 months ago

    Dear Eurogamer,You guy are nothing more then a bunch of fanboys trying to make Ps3 gamers dumb.Their are alot of great single play games for Ps3.Infamous 2 Heavy Rain,Gow 3, to name a few,its sad indeed to see stories such as this one.

  • HyperTails #34 11 months ago

    Going on how successful the 360 is in the US, its hardly suprising. With continental Europe being PS3 over 360, would that mean its in favour of the PS3?

    I could care less though, TBH. So long as there are games to buy on PS3, i'm happy.

    Also, this is US news... so TBH, I could care less. Try and dig up European news EG, as you are, y'know, European.

  • half #35 11 months ago

    Well owning all consoles, I already knew this. Not surprising really.

  • dfua #36 11 months ago

    @riseer"Dear Eurogamer,You guy are nothing more then a bunch of fanboys trying to make Ps3 gamers dumb."

    Judging by the comments around here and in other threads it really doesn't need Eurogamer to to manage that.

  • Subdominator #37 11 months ago

    I think the truly amazing achievement of Microsoft is Xbox Live Gold. People are willing to pay money for multiplayer. And once they are hooked (by cheap starter offers, free months) they won't buy multiplayer games for PS3 because they are already paying for Xbox Live Gold. Offering a paid service actually makes people buy 360 versions over PS3 versions. It's astonishing.

  • Ryze #38 11 months ago

    My god - I bought Super Mario Kart on the Wii online shop thing last night. Cost me £7 for the points and for the love of god, I don't know how such a joyful game could involve such a terrible, painful experience to buy.

    After all that, the game wont even BOOT, because I don't have a Classic or Gamecube controller attached to the Wii.

    FUCKING USELESS.

  • Wizard83 #39 11 months ago

    Slow news day?......

  • RedSparrows #40 11 months ago

    If you think EG is shit, piss off. I want to read your illiterate and dumb ass moans less than dick waving stat articles.

  • RedSparrows #41 11 months ago

    Ps EG publishes these stupid things about US stays et al because it knows you lot will read them and then cry about them. Not good journalism, no, so don't read it.

  • Spong #42 11 months ago

    "Sony are so far behind in the US it's not even funny."

    It's not funny, no.
    It's FUCKING HILARIOUS!!!

  • customfirmware #43 11 months ago

    Buying points when I can use actual money which one do I choose????

  • Codger81 #44 11 months ago

    Even as an xbox fanboy, seriously who cares?

    Is there any other entertainment genre where fans give a toss about how much of something was sold?

  • Codger81 #45 11 months ago

    Even as an xbox fanboy, seriously who cares?

    Is there any other entertainment genre where fans give a toss about how much of something was sold?

  • des #46 11 months ago

    MS is murdering Sony in digital realm.
    Nintendo is not even worth mentioning.
    Weeoooo

  • Biker_Bob_1971 #47 11 months ago

    Post deleted at 16:59:10 06-02-2012

  • Atropos #48 11 months ago

    I love Eurogamer an'all, but lately the news have been badly worded rewrites of other sites' news-stream and copy-pastes from press releases. The only times I see properly "new" content that gets quoted on other sites (as in "according to Eurogamer";), is after DigitalFoundry has come out with a new article.
    Most of the good stuff seems to end up at RockPaperShotgun nowadays, I wonder why...?

  • Lord_Gremlin #49 11 months ago

    I don't really care about statistics in USA. I know for a fact that big videogame shops in my country (Russia) stock a lot of PS3 games and way less 360 games (often there are no 360 collectors editions, while they're available for PS3).

    Show me any Europe statistics. I'd even take Asia statistics.

  • laMbr3tta #50 11 months ago

    @dfua, u hit the nail on the head there, its amazing how many ps3 fanboys troll on these forums negging everything even slightly anti ps3, flame away chaps, btw i own both consoles !!

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #51 11 months ago

    "Going on how successful the 360 is in the US, its hardly suprising. With continental Europe being PS3 over 360, would that mean its in favour of the PS3?
    I could care less though, TBH. So long as there are games to buy on PS3, i'm happy.
    Also, this is US news... so TBH, I could care less. Try and dig up European news EG, as you are, y'know, European."


    I've highlighted the MASSIVE FUCKING IRONY in your post complaining about US news.
    Edited by SpaceMidget75 at 28/06/11 @ 20:43

  • coolbritannia #52 11 months ago

    EG have their own Lulzcannon I see, and it's powered by Microsoft WIN!