I’m reading Level Up’s Armchair Analysis of August’s US NPD numbers, and I can’t help but think: they discuss the US NPD numbers quite extensively. Why is there no mention of any of the readily available Japanese sales figures or even Canada’s NPD numbers? Europe is also significant, but I’m not aware of any Internet sites where one can get reliable European sales numbers, so that can be understandable.

I’m not trying to “spin” sales numbers as many are critical of, but doesn’t it seem quite skewed that so many sites focus exclusively on U.S. numbers which is where the PS3’s performance is weakest relative to it’s competition, and avoid mention of the readily available Japanese or Canadian numbers which change the overall picture quite a bit when accounted for.

Back to the core discussion: they mention that PS3 has no *big* exclusive title this year. What do you think?

They are kind of right: As much as I’m excited about Ratchet or Drake or Singstar or UT3 (timed exclusive) or Echochrome or the PS Eye or the ton of non-exclusives, I doubt that any one of these will single-handedly flip the sales charts or even match the impact of a Bioshock or Halo 3. However, I don’t think that is necessary. First, some of those titles *ARE* system sellers for certain audiences. The review scores suggest otherwise, but in reality, people do have different tastes; not everyone wants another Halo. Some people will definitely buy a PS3 primarily for Singstar, for example. But another point, is that many will choose a system not for a single blockbuster title, but for the overall content library and value. No one is going to run out and buy a PS3 for LocoRoco or Echochrome, but when you add up lots of diverse quality content like that, it does win over consumers.