14 DAY TRIAL // After the NPD Group numbers for a month, which track the performance of both hardware and software in the United States, all the big players in the game console business usually deliver press releases set to outline their domination of the market and the promising outlook they have for the next month.
It was no different for February and Microsoft entered the spin cycle by saying that The Lost and Damned, the add-on for Grand Theft Auto IV, which was launched exclusively for the Xbox 360 a month ago, could have successfully completed at retail with the big release for the PlayStation 3, Killzone 2 from Guerrilla Games.
Microsoft is quick to use the phrase “the best value in the industry” when talking about the Xbox 360, emphasizing the fact that the console got a price cut in September 2008, bringing it to almost half the price of the PlayStation 3.
Aaron Greenberg, who is the Xbox 360 product management director, told Gamasutra that “You can't underestimate that we're half the price of the PS3 at a time when consumers were looking for great value. The PS3 was down in February two percent even with the launch of Killzone 2 - that's months of year-over-year declines. Xbox continues to head north while the PS3 is heading south. We're gaining share.”
Microsoft is also showing off the fact that the Xbox 360 has grown by about 50% over the same period in 2008, while pointing out that four of the top ten titles for February arrived on its home gaming console. The Redmond-based giant is setting high expectations for the March NPD numbers, saying that Halo Wars, which was recently released, has already shipped about 1 million units. Microsoft also revealed that the most watched movies on the Xbox 360, via Netflix, were “Body of Lies,” “College,” “Eagle Eye,” “My Best Friend's Girl” and “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.”
Of course, Microsoft makes no mention of the fact that the Nintendo Wii sold in February more consoles than the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 combined. It seems that, for this console cycle, Microsoft will need to settle for second place.