Microsoft winning the Console War and the Motion Control War Too.

Well not really considering that Wii leaves both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the dust.  But among the more core gaming audience there are really only two choices for entertainment: PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Both companies have recently incorporated a motion control element into their product strategies to compete with the Nintendo Wii, and compete for marketshare in the very important “casual” demographic.  It was announced earlier today by industry analyst Michael Pachter, that Sony’s PlayStation Move has sold well below expectations.

Pachter had this to say about the Move.

“Move sold well below expectations in its first month” NPD results suggest that there was a “modest second month” at best.  Pachter speculates “We estimate that Move has sold through approximately 400,000 units in the US in its first six weeks on the market”.  “Interestingly, the higher priced Kinect controller appears to have overtaken the Move controller in the sales race.”

And it appears that Microsoft is not just winning the battle between Motion controllers.  Its triple threat of Halo: Reach, Call of Duty, and Kinect has consumers gobbling up the newly redesigned system at the fevered pace.  Sales are up 34% year over year, making the 360 the top selling console for five months according to NPD sales data.   With the recent announcement that Microsoft has sold over 1,000,000 Kinect units pre Black Friday, it may be safe to assume that Microsoft will lead it’s rivals in during the holiday season as well.  With Sony becoming a smaller and smaller image in the rear view mirror, Microsoft’s next target is the juggernaut that is the Nintendo Wii.