How the Xbox 360 beat the PS3 on Black Friday
Microsoft sent out a press release claiming that the Xbox 360 outsold the PS3 three-to-one over Black Friday weekend. Black Friday is the time of the year in the United States where bargain hunters go out to find the best deal possible. Even though the Xbox 360 didn’t receive any discounts on Black Friday, people still flocked to the console.
Ever since the Xbox 360 received a price cut in September, the system has been pulling away from the PS3 in terms of monthly sales. Prior to that, the PS3 had sold the most units for the year. This definitely shows how much price resonates with the consumers. Did Microsoft foresee the economic downturn in its glass crystal ball earlier in the year?
The humorous part about the whole Black Friday event was that none of the Xbox 360 models sold for less than what they normally do. However, with slick advertisements indicating a free game (you probably wouldn’t buy) for good measures, unassuming consumers flocked to it like the Wii. The PS3 also had a similar deal where you could get a free game from most retailers. Although, I’m sure that the lower priced $199 Xbox 360 Arcade looked more appealing to the average bargain hunter then the $399 PS3.
Most hardcore gamers will probably be shaking their heads knowing how much of a scam the Arcade model is, but you have to admit that model is the ultimate Trojan horse. Parents swoop down on the Arcade model thinking how great the price is, to only find out later that it’s a bottomless money pit.
Microsoft has really done a great job of working with various retailers this holiday weekend. I haven’t seen practically any advertisements from Sony’s camp. Could they have fallen asleep or maybe Sony is putting all of its stock into Christmas?
Regardless, if Sony doesn’t drop the price of the PS3, the console could have a very difficult time catching up to Microsoft. On a side note, I did manage to snatch up a 640GB hard drive from Staples for $69, by waltzing in around 5 p.m. Did any of our readers have any luck during Black Friday?
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32 Responses to “How the Xbox 360 beat the PS3 on Black Friday”
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December 3rd, 2008
So Mike Offering Guitar Hero World Tour and Guitar Hero 3 along with the 360 isn’t a good deal. Yeah and your the know it all. I know there were other deals but really if you have no intention of going online what is wrong with the 360 Arcade model. Absolutley nothing.Games don’t take up massive memory and the now Jasper comes with an aditional 256MB Built in along with a memory card. Personally if my 360 ever went down I would buy a Arcade to replace it.
December 3rd, 2008
CAD,
And he forgot to mention the fact that 360’s multiplatforms are usually better than PS3’s, plus 360 has many quality exclusives.
December 3rd, 2008
@ CAD & harry,
Jeeze, you guys represent the epitomie of an Xbot fanboy.
This article is complementing Microsoft and their brillaint foresight and marketing yet you guys complain like fanboys.
The PS3 had a guitar hero bundle as well, the Arcade is a waste of money because everyone eventually gets everything missing from the Arcade. The Pro is the best value, everyone knows this.
harry, here is me playing the devil’s advocate… according to Gamepro and Gamespot they did an analysis of recent multiplatform titles and they gave the edge to the PS3 versions on average.
http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/164668/ps3-vs-xbox-360-ports-the-cold-hard-truth-updated/
Also according to Gametrailer’s Senior Editor Shane Satterfield he argued that 2008 the PS3 had a more killer line up than the Xbox 360. He said the Xbox 360 only had two notable exclusives.
So, according to your logic Mike should have mentioned that the PS3 had better multiplatform titles this year along with more better exclusives.
Double standard I tell you, give all the consoles the benefit of the doubt instead of being blinded by your one sided fanboyism.
December 3rd, 2008
I got Mk vs DC for 40 and Heavenly sword for 20 from amazon.. next year Im gonna wait in line for a big ass screen tee vee… complete my “typical american” experience… but first… need tickets to the daily show and SNL… anyone??? anyone???
as I write this… my PS3 is frozen on FIFa 09… I hope this bastard doesnt red ring…
it still pisses me off how the HDD on the 360 is so overpriced… if I were to fully experience ALL that the 360 has to offer… I need a hard drive… which cost a lot… which makes the arcade bundle sound MUCH more expensive than the $200 value…
but then again… not my problem… Im gonna get the Elite… yay!!!!
also the PS3 ads were really weird… looked generic… the 360 ads were to the point… nice work MS
December 3rd, 2008
sorry Dirk… Fallout 3 sucked on the PS3… one of THE biggest multiplatform… I dont blame the PS3… I blame the devs… also the 360 gets an exclusive DLC… thats why I havent bought this game yet… sigh… also… no Path of the Furon on the ps3… dammit dammit dammit… I liked that game so much…
December 3rd, 2008
@ Dirk,
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Gamespot gave 360 the nod with most multiplatforms. I noticed that you forgot to link that bit?? An oversight on your behalf, I am sure. And the link you gave was 10 months old! The gamespot one was done last week!
No matter how you look at it, 360 is cheaper and has the better multiplatforms. How about you do some folding to make yourself feel better?
December 3rd, 2008
Microsoft is so damn annoying who cares. Just because they getting bitch slap by everyone doesn’t mean they got it be claiming pure myth. That only shows Microsoft fears Sony more everyday day.
December 3rd, 2008
the 360 arcade is a bottomless money pit? nice one fanboy.
let me break it down for you.
1. most people buying the 360 at xmas time are PARENTS buying it for their kids.
2. the vast majority of children to NOT have hd tv in their rooms so a “blooray player” isn’t needed.
3. most parents aren’t terribly familiar with online gaming making the need for hdd moot.
so let’s see how the ps3 is NOT a “money pit”
$600 for ps3…. $60 for a communicator that should’ve been included…. and $100 for a hd cable.
money pit? let’s see
ps3 = $760
360 arcade WITH added bells and whistles = $400
oh mike…. the fanboy in you is strong…
December 3rd, 2008
ivan psp – face it; the people have chosen…and the ps3 is NOT it.
December 3rd, 2008
Hey kev idiot, PS3 doesn’t cost $699. What planet are you living on? Try $399 everywhere! How about you perform and HONEST cost tally of equivalent hardware (starting with the Arcade) and you will find X360 costs more (even without HD movie drive) than PS3. So cut the digging on Blu-ray, it is in essence free when you compare apples to apples hardware pricing.
December 3rd, 2008
Also why did you include 100 for an hd cable if you said the vast majority of children do not have hd tv, if they didn’t have hd tv why the hell would they need an hd cable?
December 3rd, 2008
this ass apparently hasn’t heard of monoprice.com for cables. You can get hdmi cables for under $5. $60 for Bluetooth is pretty funny as well. Did we forget that the ps3 doesn’t require propietary hardware. Spin fanboy spin!!!!
The arcade is good as a replacement console. Because let’s face it…. You’re going to have to sooner than later.
December 3rd, 2008
WTF kev?! $100 for hd cable? Is that with diamonds encrusted?
December 3rd, 2008
HD cable for $100 is crazy but you will get the best quality if you want to pay that price. $5 HDMI cable is not going to get you quality but it is cheap. You will probably have a more grainy picture and your sound will be crap and I understand that some HDMI cable that are cheap don’t have sound just picture. Your better off spending $50 for a good quality cable. Trust me cable quality makes a difference. And like I said above if you don’t need online the 360 Arcade is fine. I don’t remember you Sony fanboys complaining about your PS2 with your memory cards so why knock the arcade. Plus it’s only $100 more to get the full package to upgrade your arcade model that comes with the 60G Memory, Headset, 3 Months Gold Subcription and a Ethernet cable. So really to upgrade is Only $150
December 3rd, 2008
uh..davidb…i didn’t say the ps3 was $699…but $600… and you call ME an idiot?
priceless…
one more ps3 fanboys pwned by his own post… lmao…
oh..and to the audio-noobs… hdmi and optic cables do make a difference in price. if you’re going to own a 1080p player, you better get the best cables you can…which are costly and not included with the ps3…
it’s funny…i remember davep and the other fanboys swearing the ps3 would take this holiday from the 360… i cant’ think of one time davep’s ever been right….
December 3rd, 2008
This talkback just needs to future of sega to chip in and then I am printing it and framing it.
December 3rd, 2008
Well…its still not $600 either.. And you call someone else an idiot.
Owned by his own post…lmao…
not sure if my post never made it or something happened, but expensive cables only matter for analog, and not digital.
http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=ps3&thread.id=828972
December 3rd, 2008
I’ll just copy/paste what I posted on another site…
“I hate to be negative, but…. I mean, if the 360 really did outsell the PS3 3-to-1 over Thanksgiving weekend… then the PS3 is almost guaranteed to end up last place in the sales battle after the holidays.
It’s ALL ABOUT price-point and marketing. It’s the reason the Wii is so popular and it’s the reason people won’t stop buying the most defective electronic entertainment product ever sold.
Now, what are Sony’s biggest weaknesses in the console war at this point? HIGH PRICE and almost ZERO MARKETING. Gee, I wonder why the PS3 isn’t selling. Consumers are stupid and are not going to figure out for themselves which system gives them the best value. They need to be told what to buy, and Sony isn’t doing their job on that front.
-Arvis”
December 3rd, 2008
hmm… FINALLY A KEV VERBAL DIARhhoear… YAY!!!
Ive been waiting so long… I read in PC world… or some other PC magazine… that a “$100″ HD cable is just as good as a cheap HD cable… so… you can just buy the cheap HD cable… although… my friend bought a Pro and had a hd cable… |NBA 2k7 looked fucking awesome…
when I grow up… Id like to buy a $100 hd cable… or buy food… whichever is more important…
also… did you guys suddenly forget about the $150 gift card??? seems like it…
December 3rd, 2008
um..phranctoast..what was the launch price of the ps3? yep.. $600…
oh and what’s the conversion rate of euros to dollars for the ps3? yep…$600….
D’OH!!
December 3rd, 2008
Chris,
Here in Aus they are marketing the living hell out of LBP on the new Ten HD channel. The only problem is that the ad stinks. It starts off well with a voiceover of a dad saying that he created the level that is being shown on TV, and his kids are playing. Then right at the end they blow up a dog. The dad says ‘That’s not the real dog, the real dog was hit by a car!!’. How fucked up is that? They’re making light of dogs getting hit by cars to sell video games!
December 3rd, 2008
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2008/11/silence-cliffy-b-official-sg-parody-video.html
this song is for you kev… we all love you and we wish you would get some help…
December 3rd, 2008
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2007/10/how-you-killed-your-brand-officially.html
just to stay “in teh middle”
this is for sega weird guy and ivan… we wish you get help… just dont kill kev while in the institution…
December 3rd, 2008
(walks in late and slightly drunk)…. Hey Guys I’m back. Did I miss anything?
December 3rd, 2008
hahahaha BJ. Line of the year!
December 3rd, 2008
Ah Kev, you like using the current 360 arcade price (because it better suits your arguement) but will use the “Launch” price of the ps3 ……
How bout using the current ps3 price in your arguement ?? Which is no were near $600 us.
My $30 HDMI cable works just fine thanks Kev, besides they are bundling 3rd party hdmi cables with ps3’s now in some packs.
You and your “communicators” I swear you would have it’s babies if you could !!
Keep the 360 dream alive kevvy boy
December 3rd, 2008
360 is for noobs
December 3rd, 2008
FERRO likes Beachhead on the C64? I used to love that game!
December 3rd, 2008
C64 games?
It has to be ‘Raid over Moscow’, surely?
Anyhoo, the Jasper XBox at the current prices have to be the pick of the bunch by a mile.
No wonder they’re selling so strongly.
Mind you everyone knows that the bottom drops out of almost every market next year so it remains to be seen just how well each will do in a severe recession.
I wouldn’t expect too much from the most expensive console tho.
Tough luck PS3.
December 4th, 2008
@Spideydog.
Thank you. saves me some writing.
@harry.
That is a fucked up sounding commercial. Their marketing stinks.
December 4th, 2008
spidey – given the substandard psn features, i can see how you don’t feel that voice com is important in online gaming, but pc and 360 gamers have figured that out loooong ago…
someday you will too…
December 4th, 2008
Working at Wal-Mart on Blitz (Black Friday), people didn’t check out with me, but I had to check to make sure they paid.
The tally between 9:30 am and 5 pm was 1 PS3, 3 360’s, and no Wiis. Wiis were sold out at about 5:05 (open at 5), so there was no chance for me to see any, but there were 360’s and PS3’s there the next day, so I assume they never ran out.
The 360 is good for the price hunters, but I think the PS3 may do better now that the sales are over.
I think both are too expensive for a Christmas gift. Spoiled kids!