System Resales

[SuperShouden]

NPD and other sites only report on the hardware and software sales. It would be very interesting to see the resale numbers of the systems. I went into a pawn shop today and saw about 20 Xbox 360s and 4 PS3s...two of which were brand new (as they were priced at $299.99).

From what I've seen PS3 is the true winner of the console wars because, while Wii and Xbox are beating it in sales, I'm sure if you checked out how many of those are still owned by the original buyer, you'd see a bigger lean towards PS3.

What about Wii? Well, Wii doesn't really count 'cause not too many hardcore gamers bought the system. It's mainly used as a "family" system and sold to non-gamers. Resales of the Wii would be hard to track down because a non gamer probably isn't going to go down to their local Gamestop and trade it in. Most likely it'll be given away to a family member or a friend.

Sony's dominence over the resale market would hold true for PSP, as well. This is because, although there are 4 versions of the PSP, there are about 6 or 7 different DS's. But there is one big difference: PSP is targeted to more casual gamers and DS is targeted to more hardcore gamers. So, while the DS owners rush down to gamestop to trade in their old DS and upgrade to the new version, the PSP 1000 owner is probably still holding on to his. I mean when I had a PSP and they announced that the PSP 2000 was coming out, I was like. "That's nice. I've already got a PSP, though." And I think there's still a lot of PSP 1000's out there. And the 2000 and 3000 went to new owners.

So, in short, I think in terms of Resale, Sony's on top...or at least battling it out with Nintendo.

 

[Tornado]

This is because, although there are 4 versions of the PSP, there are about 6 or 7 different DS's.

There are 4 DS revisions. 3 of which are still on sale.

But there is one big difference: PSP is targeted to more casual gamers and DS is targeted to more hardcore gamers.

Actually, the opposite is pretty much true. But the DS still has a very sizable "hardcore" fanbase. One of the DS revisions (the XL) was designed specifically so it would have a wider appeal to the elderly at the expense of practicality.

So, while the DS owners rush down to gamestop to trade in their old DS and upgrade to the new version, the PSP 1000 owner is probably still holding on to his. I mean when I had a PSP and they announced that the PSP 2000 was coming out, I was like. "That's nice. I've already got a PSP, though." And I think there's still a lot of PSP 1000's out there. And the 2000 and 3000 went to new owners.

Quite a lot of PSP owners upgraded from 1000s to 2000s when it was revealed the changes made to the functionality (better D-pad, better screen, better battery life, somewhat better load times, more practical size), similar to the mass exodus from the DS Phat to the DS Light. The only people I've seen who still have 1000s are people that don't use them that much.

 

[jjaisli]

From what I've seen PS3 is the true winner of the console wars because, while Wii and Xbox are beating it in sales...

I do understand your point. But take any top executive from Sony, MS or Nintendo and ask them what defines the 'winner' of the console wars and they will likely all give you the same answer. And there's a $ sign in front of it. Nothing more. Nothing less. There may be different strategies regarding market penetration vs profitability. But in the end, it's about earning corporate profits. Sony would be overjoyed if every PS3 Fat owner would turn around in the next 6 months and bought a PS3 Slim "just because".

 

[Golfman]

I bought the original PSP when it came out, and it is still the one I use. Thought the PSPGo was a dreadful idea - what if you don't have an internet connection?
However, hearing rumours that a new PSP is on the way, and now that I am on PSN, I may take look at it, depending on what new features Sony have put into it.

 

[Golfman]

I do understand your point. But take any top executive from Sony, MS or Nintendo and ask them what defines the 'winner' of the console wars and they will likely all give you the same answer. And there's a $ sign in front of it. Nothing more. Nothing less. There may be different strategies regarding market penetration vs profitability. But in the end, it's about earning corporate profits. Sony would be overjoyed if every PS3 Fat owner would turn around in the next 6 months and bought a PS3 Slim "just because".

The only reason I would buy a new PS3 is if my original 60GB fat one were to bite the dust. The original launch PS3 is still the best one they ever did.

 

[Imari]

I'm with jjaisli on this one. I doubt Sony, MS, or Nintendo care much whether you keep your system or sell it on after you've bought it. Technically, I suppose there's some argument to be made for systems sitting in a second hand shop being pretty bad as they're not having games bought for them, but I doubt it's a major concern.

That aside, writing the Wii out of the equation for being a casual system is totally unfair. You may not like it, but Nintendo read the market and made a system that sold hand over fist. You can make the argument that it's not a good system, but saying it didn't win this generation from a sales perspective is just wishful thinking.

 

[niky]

Yup... manufacturers would love it if owners would sell off their systems every six months and buy a new one...

Unfortunately... whether they buy a new one from the same manufacturer is another question entirely... ...in which case, resales might tell you something... but resale value might tell you more than actual resale volume.

 

[SuperShouden]

That aside, writing the Wii out of the equation for being a casual system is totally unfair. You may not like it, but Nintendo read the market and made a system that sold hand over fist. You can make the argument that it's not a good system, but saying it didn't win this generation from a sales perspective is just wishful thinking.

I'm not saying that it's out, I'm just saying it'd be a bit harder to track down resales. Because of that the Wii would probably appear to be on top in terms of resales, whether or not it actually is.