On the back of a price cut

Mar 20, 2008 13:19 GMT  ·  By

Who said customers first look at quality and only then look at price? Because I really have to send them an e-mail detailing that they are wrong. And backing my e-mail would be Dorian Bloch, director of Chart-Track, a company that studies hardware and software sales in the United Kingdom.

Speaking on Tuesday he remarked that "Xbox 360 is up 35-40 percent - that's from Friday, when the price cut came into effect, up to midnight Saturday". So price cuts are having a real clear effect on the sales numbers and the Xbox seems to be rebounding after the beating it took from the PlayStation 3 in January and February.

Another good example of performance in sales because of price cuts is the PlayStation 2, a console that despite now being outclassed by the PlayStation 3, is enjoying a period of better than expect sales. Analysts in the market believe that the Easter period will be a real test for both store and suppliers as the demand for consoles is likely to rise sharply.

Dorian Bloch agrees and thinks that "The real litmus test will be over the next three to four weeks - it's too early to read too much into it at this stage". And the final numbers for March will be especially important, as Microsoft promised to try and solve supply issues that have been plaguing the Xbox 360.

Despite a strong consoles showing the Xbox is struggling when it comes to actual games sales. Wii and DS title Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is again on top in the sales charts in the United Kingdom, with other Nintendo based games like Brain Training and Super Mario Bros staying in the top 40 of sales for over 90 weeks.

As soon as the sales numbers for March make an appearance in early April we'll be providing further details regarding the console war and who seems to be winning.