Neither Activision or Infinity Ward could possibly imagine the true impact of The Slim Effect™ until they released Modern Warfare 2 for the PS3. The amount of gamers playing MW2 on PSN has been so great that it’s bringing Activision’s servers to its knees. Many have speculated that the PS3 version has actually outsold the notably inferior 360 version in many countries.
The Slim Effect™ MW2 patch is expected on Friday. Until then, please be patient while Infinity Ward triples their PS3 server capacity (possibly even taking servers away from the disappointing 360 version).
It’s coming time for the Holiday launches of anticipated multiplatform sequels — and new data provided to Gamasutra by OTX’s GamePlan Insights finds that many sequel-buyers might be switching platforms, defecting from Xbox 360 to PlayStation 3 for more than one major release.
In addition to identifying the cash-strapped consumer’s most-wanted games for the holiday season, GamePlan Insights previously examined “franchise lineage,” or gamer intent to purchase sequels to favorite games.
According to OTX analyst Nick Williams, data on franchise lineage highlights an interesting trend between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 SKUs for Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin’s Creed 2, the two top-ranking titles on the latest purchase intent charts — and also two of the titles with the strongest franchise lineage.
OTX data shows that 15 percent of those who plan to buy the PS3 version of Assassin’s Creed 2 own the Xbox 360 version of the original, while only 7 percent of those who plan to buy the Xbox 360 version own the original game on PS3.
The data highlights a shift, at least among fans of Assassin’s Creed, in favor of the PS3 — a “sizable portion,” according to Williams, of players who plan a console defection for the second installment.
Moreover, the trend for Modern Warfare 2 is the same, according to OTX. “The PS3 seems poised to shift the ratio of Xbox 360 to PS3 sales for most major multi-platform releases in its favor among dual owners,” Williams tells us.
The Slim Effect™ has become very dangerous for Microsoft. Expect even more defectors with the release of GT5, God of War 3 and Heavy Rain.
Even Netflix couldn’t ignore The Slim Effect™ and has no choice but to add their streaming services to Playstation 3 or face losing out on a huge chunk of revenue.
With this major bomb dropping, one has to wonder what the point is of paying for Xbox Lag anymore.
Hardware:
PlayStation 3 491.8K
Wii 462.8K
Xbox 360 352.6K
Software:
1. Halo 3:ODST (360)
2. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
3. Madden NFL 10 (360)
4. Random Mario Game (DS) 5. Madden NFL 10 (PS3)
6. The Beatles (360)
7. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (360) 8. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)
The PS3 beat Xbox 360 and Wii last month in U.S. console sales. This means the U.S. is now inline with the rest of the world where The Slim Effect™ has taken hold and the PS3 is outselling both 360 and Wii on a weekly basis. Also worth noting is even 3rd party releases like Batman: Arkham Asylum are selling better on PS3 than Xbox 360.
Due to the massive influx of mail we’ve received since SDF 2.0′s takeover of the gaming media we’ve decided to reopen and revamp our mailbag section. Here are just a few of the hundreds of letters we’ve received in the past few days alone.
From Rempager:
Hey,
first of all, i love SDF. And here you got a awesome forza gif. If you post it on sdf, please greet HighCaliber . He made this gif. btw “edel” means noble it is german.
sorry for my bad english, i am from germany. and we defending Sony and the Playstation on consolewars.eu
Thank you for the kind words Rampager. We are here to provide unbiased gaming news for the world and I’m glad you are fighting the good fight when and where you can. We encourage all of our readers to spread the truth about Sony and what’s really going on in the video game industry. Special thanks to HighCaliber for the fantastic animated gif. If anyone has anymore animated gifs they’d like posted in future posts, feel free to send them in!
Our next letter is from an Xbox fanatic:
From MasterCheif:
lol wtf ur so bais how can you give forza 3 a 1/10??? greenburg and turn 10 said it wuz the definiate simulate racer out there and i belive dem over a sony sight like you lol stop posting go away
Turn 10 is trying to sell you a product of course they are going to spew hyperbole like “definitive racing sim.” That’s why you need to go to unbiased gaming resources, like SDF, to get the truth. And no, we won’t stop posting until the gaming media follows our lead and provides fair and balanced coverage of the video game industry.
Our final letter is from an ex-fanatic:
From Hipporoot:
Hey SDF!
I’m just writing in to thank you for your website. I used to be a huge 360 fanboy, i paid for live and i even bought avatar clothing (rofl) but after reading your coverage and revealing the truth to me i gotta say im done with MS. last week i went out and bought a ps3 slim and ive not turned on my 360 since. with games like uncharted 2, infamous, god of war 3, gran turismo 5, trico, demons souls and the rest, how could i possibly go back to 360 lol
anyway thanks again and see you guys on PSN!
Welcome to the PSN family! Thanks for the letter but can’t take all the credit as I believe The Slim Effect™ has also contributed to your conversion. Sony is making all the right moves as MS and Nintendo continue to stumble.
Sony continues to boost PS3 sales to new heights. Nintendo and Microsoft are going to have to scramble this Christmas to keep up with this momentum. Are they up for it?
Following the successful launch of the slimmer and lighter PlayStation®3 (PS3™) system with 120GB hard disk drive (HDD), Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced that a new PS3 system with a 250GB HDD will be available on November 3 for $349.99 (MSRP). Launching in time for the holiday season, the 250GB PS3 system provides consumers with plenty of storage capacity to download more games, movies, and TV shows from PlayStation®Network, as well as to store their personal media files, including music, photos, and videos.
The 250GB PS3 system offers the same form factor and functionality as the current 120GB system, which achieved retail sales of 1 million units worldwide in the three weeks since its launch on September 1. Both models will be available at retail this holiday, providing both gamers and gift-givers with the opportunity to choose the PS3 system that’s right for them.
“The PS3 platform is poised for a tremendous holiday season,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA. “We kicked things off early with the new price point and sleek form factor and have continued the momentum with this week’s launch of the universally acclaimed exclusive, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. The new 250GB PS3 provides consumers with another compelling hardware option and speaks to the growing consumer appetite for digital content from the PlayStation Network – particularly high-def content that showcases the power of the PS3 system.”
More than 600 million pieces of content have been downloaded from PlayStation Network as of September 2009, and in conjunction with the launch of the 250GB PS3 system, PlayStation Network will continue to expand with a broad range of original games and blockbuster entertainment content for download this holiday season. Exclusive downloadable games launching soon on PlayStation®Store include PixelJunk Shooter, Gravity Crash, and Hustle Kings.
In addition, PlayStation Network’s video delivery service, which offers downloadable movies and TV episodes for rental or purchase, will soon add Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Bruno, and other summer blockbusters to its movie lineup. The PlayStation Network currently offers 2,300 movies, one-third of which are available in HD format, as well as more than 13,300 TV episodes.
