The latest figures published by the NPD Group about the November gaming sales in US have stirred a lot of debate and comments, maybe more than usual due to Nintendo’s unusual record.  I guess that you already know by now that Nintendo crushed its competitors again by selling an amazing 2.04 million Wiis, compared to only 836,000 Xbox 360s.

 While Nintendo has beaten Microsoft in a 3 to 1 report, Sony’s PS 3 was a distant follower with only 378,000 units. In the light of the numbers, PlayStation 3 seems like the looser of the gaming battle. However, the issue is not that simple and, in a certain way, all three gaming console makers have their reasons to celebrate.

Even if Xbox 360 is lagging far behind Nintendo’s Wii, Microsoft could be more than pleased by the sales. It seems like its strategy to cut the price of Xbox 360 is finally paying off and three years after its initial launch, Xbox 360 remains an interesting choice for gamers. And that’s remarkable because, despite several minor changes, Xbox 360 is basically the same as three years ago.

 Also, Microsoft has managed to surpass the problems it has faced during the first half of this year, when it was constantly outsold by Sony’s PS 3. However, it remains to be seen how Xbox 360 will perform during next year, but that is a completely different story.

As for Sony and its PlayStation 3, selling only 378,000 units seems like a disappointing result. But let’s not forget that Sony’s gaming platform is now the most expensive console available on the market. In fact, both Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii are almost twice cheaper, compared to PS3. There are analysts who have pointed out that the sales of PS3 have dropped compared to the previous year. In November 2007, Sony sold 466,000 units. But let’s not forget that in October Sony has announced a price of $499 instead of $599 for its PlayStation 3 with an 80 GB hard drive. In addition, the 40 GB PS3 went on sale in United States on November 2, 2007.

Of course, the latest figure are a sure sign that Sony should cut the price of its gaming console in order to remain competitive, especially as 2009 seems so far to be a complicated year in economic terms.

On the other hand, let us not forget that PS3 has helped Sony to win one of its most important battles: Blu Ray versus HD-DVD. Many analysts and adopters have outlined the adoption rate of PS3 as a Blu Ray player as one of the main reasons that have caused the HD-DVD demise earlier this year. So, all in all, 2008 wasn’t such a bad year of Sony and PS3. 

In conclusion, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is still selling well, Sony has a lot of reasons to have a good future especially if it would cut the prices, while Nintendo needs to worry only how to make enough consoles to meet the demand. As for what it will be next year, that is, as a I said, a whole different story.