crispy4000

They'll use real stats and rumored numbers both in effort to extrapolate their own estimates using an algorithm. (illustrated to be inept) This would be fine if they billed themselves as a market research company, were fully transparent about where they pull input data from, and stuck to future estimates rather than correcting their numbers as if history changed. Unfortunately, that's not their modus operandi. A legitimate tracker would never retroactively change their own numbers based on a competing firm's data. Site is a joke.

Which of these are releasing stable offline / private server builds? I think Knockout City is one.

This part from the Wiki should also say all that is needed. Old NeoGAF used to make a hobby of calling them on this before discussion of them was banned. NPD then stopped releasing raw numbers publicly at some point.

VGChartz notoriously uses leaks like these to ‘correct’ their algorithm. It’s likely already factored in. They’re never trustworthy, but if you want the least amount of bullshit, it’d probably be from their Japanese data, with so much tracking released public there. But even that’s like a nice cake with actual shit frosting layered on top.

It's not reputable as it would be if it was 'official.' But typically, their mods remove leaks if they don't match actual data behind the subscription. This has been going on for years since NPD stopped giving hard numbers month by month. These leaks often come out about games that underperform expectations, but occasionally relate to hardware numbers. It's absolutely worth taking with a grain of salt, as rumor. VGChartz by comparison shouldn't be weighed as anything even possibly real. This all kind of sidesteps the point that Microsoft and NPD have already said enough to suggest Series consoles are lagging right now. And to the original point, likely not selling out of everything. They just haven’t come out to say Series consoles have sold X units, as you asked.

According to the most recent NPD leak on Resetera, 8.7 million in the US, as of the end of November. That's in one of the links above. That's the best we have to go by, other than what Microsoft and NPD have said directly.

Exact numbers, no, unless it gets leaked. All the less reason to trust VGChartz updating their garbage numbers on their own timeline. NPD does occasionally give indication which consoles sell more/less relative to each other in the US, in revenue or units. And Microsoft did just release their report saying that their hardware revenue was down (shared by Benji-sales on the bird site, with his take). Then of course you can have stuff coming out with the Activision legal proceedings.

The multiplayer games getting shuttered lately I understand. But this? Barring access to single player campaigns is always BS.

Similar stats to now actually. Perhaps a little higher, depending on when you look at it. This is from a little less than 2 years into the PS4's lifecycle: Gameinformer (via WaybackMachine)

Schedule: February 2 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY Edition Onsen Master February 9 Aerial_Knight's Never Yield Divine Knockout February 16 One Hand Clapping BATS: Bloodsucker Anti-Terror Squad February 23 Space Crew: Legendary Edition Tunche Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator

Hi-Fi Rush tech review: a visual treat indebted to comics and TV cartoons WWW.EUROGAMER.NET Hi-Fi Rush is a superb, wildly creative game and maybe even an early 2023 GOTY candidate. Oliver delivers the DF tech review, covering Xbox Series X/S and PC.

VGChartz’s numbers are based on an AI algorithm they think accurately estimates what sales are, even if there’s no legitimate point of sale data to cross reference. It’s BS. Pay them no attention, go with what NPD and the actual manufacturers say. It's not uncommon for Chartz to be grossly in error. Their existence is a pain in the ass, because some websites quote their numbers regardless, and sometimes not even say it. Games ‘journalism.’ Credibilizty.

PS Plus Extra and Premium are, you mean.

I really badly want to say this is the consequence of having a strong and competitive line-up of new releases in the first two years of a console launch. That being ready to deliver during this window is key. But then I remember the Dreamcast and GameCube, and think it’s gotta be more nuanced than that.

I find that hard to believe when Microsoft’s hardware sales have been declining: Sony’s consoles aren’t quite as hard to find as they once were either. But unlike Microsoft their sales aren’t dropping, not in the US at least. Hard to say how much of that is Sony’s line-up’s doing. It could also be the Series consoles being the first generation launched when PC is promised to get everything 1st party day and date.

PC owners migrating could definitely be a thing with how outrageous the GPU market has been for so long, and PC optimization issues being a hot topic again in many games. I never planned on buying a PS5 when they announced PC ports were coming. I was going to wait for a ‘Pro’ model late in the game, if anything. Plans changed.

The PS Plus Collection was competing with Xbox Live Gold, if you go by the pricing. Now that they’ve created premium subscription(s) tiers, Sony’s deciding that they need the base tier to be lumpy coal again. It’s a sad thing when Nintendo online + expansion pack might actually be the best value for that $50-60 annual price range, content-wise.

Final Fantasy changes dramatically with each entry, including the composition of the development team. 13 is the only one I've beaten since the PS1 era... and it's decent. It's not unbearable. But it is a combination of really good ideas (mainly to do with the combat system) and really bad ones. Dragon Quest XI on the other hand is brilliant.

A 6 week delay is nothing. Hopefully that's enough time to polish it as needed.

Not including Nintendo digital sales gives everyone else a better chance to chart. Games Pass was once said to boost sales, NPDs also reflect how much that is or isn't true for a given franchise.

Hard to say their output is bleak when their release slate has been solid so far this gen. If they have a down year, it'd be more like the Switch was post-Mario Odyssey. And if nothing else, they moneyhatted FFXVI as collateral. CoD is always going to be important, but probably not in a way that takes away from their other tentpole shooter franchises. They've got several of those now.

2022 probably takes the cake if we're talking games released and not studios mismanaged/shuttered. But 2017 was close. Forza 7, Halo Wars 2 and Super Lucky's Tale. Plus a Phantom Dust port to remind us they cancelled the remake proper.

It hasn't been as bad as it was pre-Phil Spencer. 343i and Scalebound are the biggest management failures in his tenure. It's bad, but not as stupid as closing Lionhead, Ensemble, wasting Rare on Kinect Sports and avatars, etc. I do wonder how hard Bethesda got hit, and where.