This distinction is necessary because the sixth-generation PlayStation 2 console is not only still selling, but is actually selling better than its successors. The eight-year old system was reported by NPD to have sold 351,800 units last month. The PS3 sold 280,800 units, and the 360 sold 254,600.The only next-gen console which beat the PS2 in sales was Nintendo’s Wii, which moved a reported 432,000 units. Some argue that the Wii is barely a “next gen” console itself.

The recently released Super Smash Brothers Brawl, a fighting game featuring Nintendo’s licensed characters, illustrates this perspective. The highly anticipated game has none of the Wii’s trademark gestural control features, and relies heavily on the last-generation Gamecube controller.Sony’s PlayStation 2 retails for around $130, and Nintendo’s Wii sells for around $250. A 40 GB PS3 typically retails for around $400, and the xbox 360 console usually goes for $350.

NPD’s report that video game sales were up for the month, paired with the distant leads held by lower-priced consoles, raise the question of whether price, more so than any of a console’s other qualities, dictates its ultimate stature in the market.

Source: By Playstation Extreme