When Nightmares attack: NPD September 2010 and more

It's been a long time since I posted an NPD report. But this report will come with 2 extras that will cause speculation that will make you scream more than the cutscenes of Metroid Other M.

Normally, I would use tables for the NPD hardware or software. Not this time. Here are the raw numbers of all, but the PSP and PS2

360- 483,989
PS3- 312,000
Wii- 254,000
DS- 403,000

A combination of Move and Halo 3 is what brought down the Wii for the first time ever. I think it's time to CELEBRATE THE END OF NINTENDO! That's right. Even though it will take a long time before ether system truly outsells the Wii, we're still declaring ether Microsoft or Sony the Winner.

As for the software?

Halo Reach (360) - 3.3 million
Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP)
Dead Rising 2 (360, PS3, PC)
NHL 11 (360, PS3)
FIFA 11 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, NDS)
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP)
Mafia II (360, PS3, PC)
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (PS3, 360, NDS, Wii)
Metroid: Other M (Wii)
Modern Warfare 2 (360, PS3, PC)

Not much to say, except how the heck did Metroid make the list? Also, games will more likely be bunched together instead of being separate SKUs. Halo Reach is number 1 followed by Madden NFL 2011. Dead Rising 2 is number 3, with NHL and FIFA right behind. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep comes in with Mafia II and Spider-Man right behind. Metroid other M is the lone Wii-exclusive title with Modern Warfare 2 rounding out the top 10.

Now some Nightmares. First off, Sony. Rumor has it that Apple, makers of the iPod, iPhone, iPad and iAmamillionare, is said to be buying out various companies. The Kaufman Brothers speculate that EA, Netflix and Facebook are on Apple's to-buy list. But more came out when this came up.

But it today emerged that financial wires have also nodded to Adobe, Disney and - wait for it - Sony.

Sony. Sony of all people to be bought out by Apple? The last thing we need is an iPlaystation or an iVaio or a iWalkman, which unfortunately has ended its production. Of course, that is just speculation when in the NY times article, no mention of Sony.

Now for Microsoft. Despite being number 1 again since the Price Drop and the new model, CNNMoney reports that the Microsoft brand may be dying and not just the X-Box brand itself.

Microsoft has been late to the game in crucial modern technologies like mobile, search, media, gaming and tablets. It has even fallen behind in Web browsing, a market it once ruled with an iron fist.

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Outgoing Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie called out Microsoft's lost ground in a blog post over the weekend.

"Our early and clear vision notwithstanding, [competitors'] execution has surpassed our own in mobile experiences, in the seamless fusion of hardware & software & services, and in social networking & myriad new forms of internet-centric social interaction," he said.

It's not like Microsoft didn't foresee the changes ahead. With a staff of almost 90,000, the company has many of the tech world's smartest minds on its payroll, and has incubated projects in a wide range of fields that later took off. Experiments like Courier (tablets), HailStorm/Passport (digital identity), and Windows Media Center (content in the cloud) show the company was ahead of the game in many areas -- but then it either failed to bring those products to market, or didn't execute.

Is the house of Windows falling apart? Are people throwing rocks into Windows? What problems are in the X-Box and Windows department?

With Xbox, Microsoft succeeded at innovating: It created a competitive video game brand for hardcore gamers. But even Xbox was outdueled by Nintendo with the Wii, which outsold Xbox by appealing to casual gamers.

Then there's the epicenter of the Microsoft universe: Windows. Microsoft likes to point out that its operating system is its biggest consumer brand and Windows 7 has been selling rapidly. Its new version has sold 240 million licenses in a year, making it the fastest-selling OS in Microsoft's history.

But Windows' momentum isn't from consumers. In fact, consumers are a worry for the Windows division, because they have dramatically slowed their purchases of PCs in recent months.

Rather, the fast sales are coming from businesses, which significantly delayed their purchases of new Windows licenses because Windows Vista was bug-ridden mess. Then the recession hit. A years-overdue corporate PC refresh cycle is now happening all at once.

In other words, regular consumers don't give a rat's ass about Microsoft.

Next NPD, if it comes out, may be doom and gloom for any one company, or all of em. Can you figure out which one? Stay tuned, and remember to join the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear if you can, or watch it this Saturday.

Works Cited:
Computer and Video Games
The New York Times
CNN Money