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Retail review: Christmas trading

René Wright
Senior Category Manager - Console & Games, DSG International
January 9, 2008

Whilst it was disappointing not to have full availability of Wii and DS over peak, we saw a very strong games performance.

It was driven by Xbox 360 Pro (which featured heavily in our PC World TV campaign) and Xbox 360 Elite, but also by the PS3 40GB and 60GB (the 60GB was also featured on PC World TV campaign). Customers were keen to get hold of the 60GB PS3s, clearly understanding the benefit over the 40GB model - PC World sold out of several thousand units of stock within a matter of days.

Needless to say any DS or Wii stock that came in sold out within a matter of hours! Key software titles across DSGI console for peak included Call of Duty 4, Brain Training, Assassin’s Creed, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, Halo 3, Mario & Sonic and Resistance: Fall of Man.

I think games software will continue with good growth on the back of the very strong increase that we have seen in the hardware install base this year. Hardware will also see gains on next gen in 2008 (Especially if the much-speculated up-specs of PS3 and Xbox 360 appear), but total hardware market growth will be very reliant on Nintendo being able to turn on stock for Wii and DS (if that is not stating the obvious!)

I think PS3 and Xbox 360 will lead the way in software - there is a lot of pressure on GTA to deliver some big numbers across these two formats. Wii software may struggle if there is not a freer supply of hardware - I believe market performance of software on Wii was bolstered by many retailers, (DSGI included), selling Wii hardware in fixed software bundles due to the low availability of hardware.

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