Submitted 2 days ago by noumenon@lemmy.world to games@lemmy.world
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/624a2487-fb58-421d-afa5-a67d059a26ea.jpeg
The reason for the high sales of the PS2 was because it was a cheap DVD player at being nearly half the price of a stand alone DVD player.
Funny by the time I worked at Target when they discontinued selling VHS and a customer was arguing with me about why did we stop selling VHS and I replied, “Dude, buy a DVD player, there’s one on that shelf for $35, its cheaper than a toaster now.” My manager standing next to me wasnt too happy but the customer reluctantly bought the cheap ass-DVD player.
The ps3 was also one of the cheapest blu-ray players at the time. But I’m pretty sure the 2 launched for 3 or 4 hundred, not 500 or 600 like the ps3 so that probably put a damper on sales. I know I waited for the 40gig $400 ps3 version that gen, and the ps3 price is what made me buy a 360 initially instead.
There was also a pretty aggressive format war between BluRay and HDDVD that tempered demand for a little while. I bought a launch PS3 as well, in part because of BluRay.
I also think it was a time where not everyone had an HD TV, nor did most people see a huge difference between DVD and BluRay, so there just wasn’t quite the demand compared to VHS vs DVD. Aside from the graphical stepup to DVD, it also didn’t need to be rewinded and didn’t take up nearly as much space. I think those two were big selling features, that the DVD to BluRay transition just didn’t have.
How was your manager not happy with this? You not only talked them into a purchase but a purchase into an ecosystem that would likely generate future revenue for the company. There is nothing but positives here?
I think because it was the way I said dude?
Because what looks better on this quarters report selling a $85 VHS player or selling a $35 DVD player?
As someone who moved on from consoles between the Nintendo and the Super Nintendo, the PS2 is the only modern console I’ve ever owned, and it was 90% for the DVD player.
Has there been any console pair besides Gameboy and Gameboy color that had games released that would work on both but behave differently on each? Some carts were black and white, some worked only on GBC, but some (like most of all of the pokemon games) would still be black and white on the original but had unique color palettes on GBC.
Looks like the technical term is “Color-enhanced Game Boy Game Pak”.
The color-enhanced Game Boy Game Pak (also known as class B, dual mode, or black cartridges) improved the gameplay experience on the Game Boy Color and subsequent systems while maintaining compatibility with older monochrome devices.
These cartridges can use the full color capabilities of the Game Boy Color and subsequent systems, displaying up to 56 colors simultaneously out of a palette of 32,768 while remaining compatible with the original Game Boy where they were presented in four shades of gray. However, this compatibility comes at the expense of not being able to utilize the handheld’s increased processing speed and memory.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Game_Pak
Compare that to GBA, which had GBA games but could also play Gameboy and Gameboy Color games. But there were no GBA games that could run on Gameboy or Gameboy Color. That weird middle ground might be why they count them together.
Looks like the data is a little out of date, seems the PS5 has outsold the 360 now. Also why are handhelds missing?
Agreed, the steam deck belongs on this list or the switch doesn’t.
The steam deck has unfortunately sold a tiny fraction of the sales of the consoles listed in the image. I can’t find any exact numbers but the steam deck has sold between 4 to 6 million units.
Handhelds aren’t technically consoles.
Wikipedia seems to think they are. I’ve seen “home consoles” used when you want to exclude handhelds, what makes you say that they’re technically not consoles?
I’m actually surprised that the PS5 is right behind Xbox 360 and PS3
It’s actually a good option now when PC gaming is suffering of price crisis after price crisis.
Not sure this pricing crisis will not have an impact on consoles, too
i think series x is a better option because theres an easy way to emulate anything you want on it
I’m actually shocked how low 360/ps3 are.
I felt like everyone I know has at least owned one, and they where more consoles where actually used as Netflix boxes back then out of necessity due to lack of good smart TVs or set top boxes.
Plus they had an extra 5 years of being around, not to count the fact most early adopters bought another twice, especially with the 360 due to RROD.
I think the big difference is the older generation of gaming didn’t have to compete with every kid having a tablet they could just play games on.
I think the Wii stole the momentum. PS3 and 360 were just crazy expensive compared to the Wii and the prev gen of consoles. And unlike PS2 those two consoles lacked a lot of games for kids. So for parents it was an easy decision to just get a Wii. Not to mention if you already had a PS2 you had a large library of games at your disposal and the machine was modable, it’s why it still sold very well in the end of the console’s lifetime especially in middle income regions, like it sold super well in South America. So many PS2 owners weren’t going to convert to PS3, just way too expensive and can’t play pirated games.
they were still making soccer games for the ps2 until like 2014
I think that last part hits it hardest. Especially when you consider most of the 360’s sales where US.
I’d be interested to see how sales of the steam deck compare. Sure, it’s a pc not a console, but the whole thing is to bring pc gaming to console gamers so I’m interested in the comparison.
Damn… That’s a bit disappointing to hear… I thought people loved the steam deck.
I think people think it runs way fewer games than it does. I keep updating proton, etc, and like 99% of my games work. Hell, I have all my DS and Switch games on there.
I didn’t know Xbox was so low compared to Playstation, no wonder there’s rumor Microsoft will drop console making.
Switch being #2 behind PS2 is impressive given it has had a shorter lifespan. PS2 was on the market for 13 years. Switch has only been 9.
Switch has a good chance of overtaking PS2 before the end of its lifespan. The Switch is still selling and still getting game releases.
I think the PS2 being so well sold is more impressive because the price adjusted for inflation is closer to $560, or $299 in the year 2000.
I think part of it was the idea that it could also be a DVD player so you wouldn’t need two devices that helped sell it if I recall correctly.
I remember that was the case for PS3 and BluRay, but not so much DVD and the PS2. PS3 was, what, $300? $400? Where as the cheapest BluRay player that just played BluRay movies was almost a grand.
I may just not remember it being similar for PS2. I was a sophmore in high school when it came out.
COVID bump
Strange, I distinctly remember it being a big deal that the Wii outsold the PS2 at some point.
It might’ve had higher sales at its peak, but PS2 had a lot of longevity.
Never heard of that. Maybe it was for a specific year or region.
I don’t remember that. Maybe you’re thinking of something like “if the Wii keeps selling at its current pace it will pustell the PS2”?
They said that about the Switch as well and it didn’t happen.
I figured the 2004 release as the PS2 slim turned the tables again, but that was still before the Wii came out in 2006. It’s possible that story only counted the original PS2 and this chart counts both, though.
As of last year, I’ve used all the bestselling consoles on here. They’re all pretty good.
Great breakdown of console sales over the years. It’s interesting how gaming success isn’t limited to hardware anymore—some titles thrive purely on experience. Bus Simulator Indonesia shows this well, building a strong fanbase on mobile through realism and cultural detail, without needing a major console platform.
Stem deck >>>>>> Those.
what’s up with this AI shit? c’mon.
Microsoft really shit the bed. And then continued to do so. This makes me happy.
Genuinely surprised that nothing old-school made the list: NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, A2600, etc.
The NES was the best selling of those, at ~60 million. The PS1 completely changed the curve.
It's funny. People remember the PS3 as a failure because it's the worst-selling PlayStation, but it still crushed NES numbers
And it still outsold the 360 in the end
What I see: “You can verify this image if you install our app.” Garbage post.
iPhone - 2.3 Billion units
“Game Console” iPhone lol
Heh, still have my PS2 and I still play on it. And it’s still fun :D
I’m actually shocked how low 360/ps3 are.
I felt like everyone I know has at least owned one, and they where more consoles where actually used as Netflix boxes back then out of necessity due to lack of good smart TVs or set top boxes.
Plus they had an extra 5 years of being around, not to count the fact most early adopters bought another twice, especially with the 360 due to RROD.
Anyone think the switch can take over?
Probably not, unless Nintendo releases a surprise last iteration of the console which I also don’t see as that may cannibalize Switch 2 sales. A Switch Micro would be cool though
It’s still selling, and there are new games still coming out for it. Yes, it will take over.
interesting, all play stations included but only 2 nintendos, not what i expected, but relationship with gaming has been a bit tangential, so what i know
You didn’t notice the 360 there? Which tbf had its sales boosted by routinely shitting the bed right after the warranty expired. But also killed sales for future Xbox sales. At least for a chunk of people I played with back then.
i didn’t say there wasn’t any microsoft, my comment was about the sony/nintendo ratio, which is funny, cuz sony started producing consoles because nintendo didn’t follow on a promise
lime@feddit.nu 2 days ago
oh great, ai generated pixel art.
ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com 2 days ago
Which is AI-generated? It looks to me like real pixel art (except the 360) very lazily resized in a non-nearest-neighbor fractional scale and anti-aliased to mush.
lime@feddit.nu 2 days ago
the proportions are off and the lines are crooked. there’s also the typical latent noise on places like the controller buttons.
Harvey656@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Image
Ps3 in chatgpt font,
Image
Its very obvious for the ps1.
korendian@lemmy.zip 2 days ago
lime@feddit.nu 2 days ago
ok so theyre just bad at it.
Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 2 days ago
A_Chilean_Cyborg@feddit.cl 2 days ago
Everyone but you, asshole.
chunkystyles@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
It’s always amusing when the most hysterical person in the room tells you you’re overacting.
gilokee@lemmy.world 2 days ago
really? How can you tell? :(
lime@feddit.nu 2 days ago
the buttons on the switch and ps2, the asymmetry of the ps1 and switch, the logo on the ps4, and the lack of pixellation and strange proportions of the 360 and ps3. also the fact that only some of them have controllers depicted.
minamoog@lemmy.world 1 day ago
piss filter
vivalapivo@lemmy.today 2 days ago
Shut up and keep your mouth wide