Looks like redesigning and rebranding a console is all the rage these days. Certainly, it seems to fuel market demand. Sony did it last year with the laucnh of the PS3 Slim, which was accompanied by a thorough rebranding of the console, and they’ve been redesigning the PSP handheld almost anually now. Nintendo themselves have given the Nintendo DS four different iterations so far. And now, Microsoft has jumped on the bandwagon, by releasing the Xbox 360 ‘Slim’ (officially monikered as just the Xbox 360), which addresses a lot of issues in the original hardware, including adding a bigger heatsink, and making it a lot quiter. It also has in built Wi FI, so that’s a plus.
The new hardware has apparently paid off. As CVG reports, the Xbox 360 Slim enjoyed an enviable launch in the UK, out performing and eclipsing the release even of Sony’s PS3 Slim last year. This should come as a big blow to those who maintain that the PS3 outsells the 360 on a worldwide basis, and that it shall thus overcome the 360’s increasingly narrower lead- this evidence clearly proves otherwise.
According to official UK industry data monitor GfK-ChartTrack, the XBox 360 S achieved the biggest launch in the UK for a “revised” home console – surpassing the launch sales of both PS2 Slim and PS3 Slim.
Over its first two days, the console sold around the same as the original Xbox 360’s launch sales total back in week 48 of 2005.
GfK-ChartTrack reports: ‘This is even more impressive when you take into account that the original Xbox 360 was launched across two versions, Pro and Core, while the newer hardware is available only in one [high priced] configuration.’
Indeed. I wonder if this is a temporary trend, or if the Xbox 360 can sustain this performance over the coming months.
No matter what the utcome may be, the console wars suddenly got a lot more interesting.