Monday, November 16

Evidence shows Microsoft's not truthful about Xbox 360 Europe hardware sales numbers


Fuzzy math has been the only explanation to the back and fourth between Microsoft and Sony concerning their Europe hardware sales claims; they've been all over the place. But Microsoft in particular has been biting its own lips.

On September 3rd, 2009, Microsoft told MCV that its next gen install base was 1 million ahead of Sony in Europe. However Sony announced that it had sold 10 million units in the PAL territories at GamesCom, that was a few days after Microsoft had revealed their numbers to MCV. Then came this:

"We're confident that we're actually 1 million units ahead," Xbox Europe Boss Chris Lewis contested, "we count install base differently to them."

"We count the number of units in the consumers hands. We are committed to continuing that momentum - not only in places like the UK, France and Germany. Continued growth in all parts of Europe is integral to winning [against the PS3] overall."

That's what Xbox Europe chief Chris Lewis said to MCV back on September 3rd. So Chris is actually claiming that at the time Sony announced they sold 10 million units in Europe, that the Xbox 360 had sold more than ten million, which puts him in contradiction with himself over the statement he made a few weeks earlier.

But that's not all, on November 12th, 2009, which was four days ago, the company came with yet another set of numbers. This time claiming that after four years they finally arrived at the 10 million units sold benchmark. But what's even worse is that They're not only talking about Europe, but the Middle East and Africa.

See the thing is if they're confident that they sold more than Sony back in August, which would be over 10 million, then what's the explanation given for their latest announcement? Is the software giant lying just to make itself look good? Or is Sony the ones skewing their numbers? Share your thougts.

11/16/09 Ernice Gilbert

44 comments:

  1. its clear that microsoft reps are lying about their numbers. only place in europe where xbox 360 sell more than the ps3 a lot is in the uk.

    xbl/ps3 - dylantalon

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  2. not judging but maybe microsoft has sold more than sony and sony is just saying how many have been shipped there, not sold. but in all honesty i think microsoft is lying.

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  3. Microsoft should count the install base...

    Units shipped minus the ones in stores and wearhouses, minus the dead consoles out of warranty...Sony sold more in Europe, in one year less. Keep your sh!t overthere we say in Europe=)

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  4. How 'tarded can one person be?
    1) Microsoft sold more units then Sony in Europe
    2) Microsoft sold less units then Sony in ALL PALL TERITORIES. That's EMEA *and* Australia

    These two statements do not contradict each other: It simply means that While Microsoft sold more units in Europe alone, Sony has been ahead and sold more consoles in Africa, Australia and some other territories (arab peninsula for example).

    The funny thing: you compare Microsoft and Sony statements without any comment from an unbiased outsider, and immedeatly assume that it's not Sony who's lying to you... Can you spell P-S-F-A-N-B-O-Y ?

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  5. I think someone said that microsoft count region 1 as europe where sony count europe as europe. where region 1 is europe and austrailia

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  6. @Anonymous Nov 16, 2009 2:28 AM
    First off learn to read, the 2 statements are:
    1) Microsoft say they sold more than 10 million units in Europe.
    2) Microsoft say they've just sold 10 million units in Europe, Middle-east and Africa, 2 months after.

    It takes one hell of a fanboy to misread a whole article, the only thing that I will agree with you is that there is no real evidence to say Microsoft are lying but based on how contradictory their statements have been it seems like they are the liars.

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  7. i think their both lying...

    true MS is caugh in the lying but i dont believe sony either.. ot even Nintendo.. its al just marketing talk when you say you out sold the the other..

    (srry for bad english, dutch guy here ^^)

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  8. ?? SO WHAT!! please tell me how this news wiil affect you? or any body reading this?

    unless of course you are a pathetic FANBOY.

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  9. in europe Xbox360 is dead.in japan xbox360 is dead.only in UK and US xbox360 is doing a bit better than ps3.but remember than US and uk aren't = the world.the xbox360 decline has alredy started.

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  10. o shiiit.... (massve sony fanboy here...after ownng all comsoles.....12 years gaming.. fav console....dreamcast by far.)


    add this to the fact that every xbox owner has been through 3 consoles due to failure rates/....no joke, it is 1 in 3. at one point it was 50 percent, at one point 66.66 which is amazingly high. and a ripp off.

    i became a sony fanboy as ps3 came out.

    i had an origional xbox, 1 shal we say..in the uk this lasted only 3 years, of which i had it for 1.5....so i feel they didnt support it at all. sony on the other hand...

    has the best support, best online, best everything, nothing conpares, and theres a funny quote from someone sumwhere...

    the next generation doesn't start......... till sony say it does. .............!! i say it starts wih 'god of war 3.'

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  11. Both are liars. Sony went from 1st to last in a generation and is bitter and evil losing money like hell giving ps3 away. Microsoft nickel and dime you to death plus they evil with s***** hardware. F*** em both. Oh and f*** a fanboy too, stupid ass kids act like they get paid for hyping their game of choice. Play the game and wipe yo mamma breast milk from your mouth you lil
    b*%#$.

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  12. Here comes the 360 trolls rushing to defend their Lord and Master.

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  13. Sony offers more to their European and Japan users than they do for the US as far media TV more exclusive content and better bundles this is because they have a larger install base in those countries just like in the US MS offers more content and better support to the US. I just hope they both put the Wii back in third place

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  14. X-Box is a low tech piece of junk, there is nothing next-gen out the box about the X-flop 360. M$ got the wool over the dumb american consumers eyes, and is cashing them in with lies, bad hradware, and a buy american lie!!
    Playstation is the leader and will remain the leader...

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  15. Microsoft skews everything over here in the US. They control gaming websites with propaganda. Who would really know what the real numbers are if everybody has gone through 2 and 3 systems. Of course they are head if they counting that. Microsoft is code for smoke and mirrors. They nickel and dime people to death with there crappy hardware and crappy computer software. The american public is just to dumb to see it. Just because something is popular does not mean it is good. Long live sony and apple f...microsoft!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  16. MS has been lying this whole generation.

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  17. @November 16, 2009 02:58 AM:

    Maybe YOU should learn how to read, cause the 2 statements are:

    1) In september Microsoft said that the X360 is 1 million units ahead of the PS3 in Europe.

    2) In november Microsoft said that the X360 sold 10 million units in Europa, Middle-East and Africa.

    According to this article Microsoft never stated in september that they sold 10 million units. In fact, they said they count install base differently than Sony does, what could indicate that Sony's "sold to customer" numbers in september were actually way lower than 10 million units. For all we know they maybe even sold just 8.5 million PS3's to real customers.

    This would mean that Microsoft would be at around 9.5 million Xbox 360's sold till september, with an additional 0.5 million units through november. So, like the other guy stated, there's nothing wrong with these statements.

    There IS something wrong with the article though. Not only because the author obviously doesn't know what he's talking about, but also because in the title he states that there's evidence that Microsoft wasn't truthful about their numbers, while in the article itself he ends with the question if Microsoft OR Sony is "skewing" with their published numbers.

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  18. Well some idiot had to mention the word 'fanboy'... All in all, I think $ony will catch up with Micro$oft. The 360 has better games than the PS3, but you only have to look at the Wii as proof that a console with a high number of crap games can sell. But Microsoft are getting ready with it's new console which will be out before the PS4.

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  19. no one really know keep at that sony might be lying or Micro$oft might be lying or they both fuck u who just play games....who care

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  20. no one really know keep at that sony might be lying or Micro$oft might be lying or they both fuck up on the count so just keep play games people....who fuck care i have both so....

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  21. Microsoft has better games than Sony?

    Dude you must be dreaming. Stop being a fanboy. Better yet go buy a console and play games for your first time.

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  22. "- not only in places like the UK, France and Germany." Would like to see that... In Bosnia, We do not have official XBOX360 store, in contrast to the Sony's PS3. They even have official store and customer services. That sucks... I don't even know if anyone beside me have 360 here... I have 20 friends with PS3's:-(

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  23. France, Germany, Italy, every country except the UK - PS3 greatly outsells 360. This includes America as of two months ago.

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  24. LMAO at the 360 fanboys jumping in to do "damage controls" without even removing MS balls of their mouths.

    we get it guys....you like the 360 and MS balls taste....but no need to troll like a bunch of childish bitchs.

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  25. Hey there lol its funny to see maybe 3 xbox 360 fanboys quote, b/c all of the other ones know they will get raped by the comments by saying something stupid like 360 has better games or it has more games well im calling bs on all you fanboys. All of you are a bunch of dumbshits who play 360 for cod guess what its on the fucking ps3 and its cheaper. For example free online free built in wifi free rechargeable controllers, and guess what better exclusives in hidef so suck on M$ cash taking balls.THANKYOU AND GOODNIGHT!

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  26. all u ps3 guys who liked my last comment add mxrider2199 if u want.

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  27. @ mxrider2199: you're a dumbass... sorry but your comment was stupid and then to come back 30 mins later and promote ur psn because of ur ignorant comment just makes you look worse...

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  28. wow did you give any facts there no, and ididnt state the real facts up there cus the people above stated it

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  29. Micro$oft is the ~MOST~ dirty competitive company known to date. They will do anything to destroy the competition! If they cant buy out their competitors they will ruin the market for them.(Sony is their biggest competitor and Micro$oft have them on lockdown). Micor$oft products are cheap and unreliable and the only thing good that came out of that company is Windows. (even that is shoddy, all of them) i hope Google wipe the smirks off their faces and take a big chunk off their sales.

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  30. OF COURSE Microsoft has sold more than Sony. When you keep in mind that more than 85% of all first generation xboxes...and even the ones made after broke down within a year or two. Hell, for every ONE xbox owner, they've bought a good 2 or 3. i've yet to meet a person whos xbox HASN'T broke down.

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  31. 1. sony counts units sold as well. both companies have for several years now. Ms knows that, the fact that the only excuse was how they counted instead of what areas they counted indicates the areas were obviously the same, otherwise MS would surely have been VERY quick to point them out. The best marketing tactic when you are caught in a lie is to shift doubt somewhere else. Another good marketing strategy is not to make a bold claim unless you can back it up. I mean come on, If I were going to make a claim that I was at least 1 million units ahead of a competitor, I would make sure i had the hard statistics to prove it and provide the details, otherwise i would keep my mouth shut and show what I do have. when, Does anyone really believe that MS analysts are incapable of finding out how sony counts their unit sales. Its not like a secret... its public knowledge... Honestly, I think the actually number reporting for both parties were probably correct, I think personally that someone mixed units shipped comparison information with sales totals. Units shipped at that time probably would have seen ms about 1 million ahead. We all know that units shipped do not equal units sold. I'd wager that the 1 million lead by MS was on the units shipped. anyway I think it was an interesting article, very valid point, and I the author did a good job or presenting it. Its not about Sony, its about microsoft and the information they have been releasing about sales. Thats why not much was said about sony. If sony had made a comparison that numbers didnt support, this article would be focused on sony. it just makes sense...

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  33. microsoft has sold way more someone should check whats sony saying to see if it all adds up

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  34. You guys must try and pick sense out of nonsense Microsoft didn't give any figure in Sept. they only say they are a mil ahead Sony gave a figure, so the author assumed that microsoft said ahead so they must have sold more than ten mil. So I think MS was too hasty with figures and Sony is really the one ahead

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  35. ""microsoft has sold way more someone should check whats sony saying to see if it all adds up""

    Rofl, yeah whatever buddy.

    33 million 360's
    26.5 Million PS3's

    The 360 has been out a year longer. MS isnt stealing any show.

    Thats not "WAY MORE" sold....

    Xbots need to re-check there facts, because they are all stuck in 3 years ago mode, and assuming this is still an ass kicking contest.

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  36. slow news day?
    i mean seriously today has been so boring you had to write this, something nobody cares about and is completley irevalent and we all knew.
    i mean seriously, this is why i hate N4G every article of there is just completley irelevant bull %$#@.
    i thought the job of a game journalist is to report on upcomming games and on games that are out, not to write a stupid article on how M$ are contradicting themselves.
    want 10 articles of that?
    i could whip them up for you in 10 minutes.

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  37. Microsoft counts the units sold to customers, Sony to stores, which explains the difference.

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  38. Ofcourse you defend that piece of junk ps3 couse you payed over price of it. Defend your japanese masters and theirs ninja honour.

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  39. the nex-gen dont start till' sony say it does

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  40. Like as if anyone believes anyone's numbers.

    Sony used to make a big noise about being ahead in the Uk & the rest of Europe, now they don't.
    That speaks volumes, whatever the actual stat is.

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