Analysts Surprised At Weak PS3 & Xbox 360 Sales In April

Many analysts thought that April would be a very good month for both PS3 and Xbox 360, given that Grand Theft Auto IV hit during the month and was one of the most anticipated titles to arrive this year.

But sales were down for both PlayStation 3 and 360.

However, GTA IV hit very late in April, which hardly gave new gamers time to purchase a new system.

“We were surprised by relatively weak PS3 and Xbox 360 sales, especially given the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV late in April. We had expected sales of both consoles to increase month over month, as we thought that many potential console owners were waiting for the game to launch before purchasing a system," said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.

On the optimistic front, most people are confident that May will be the time for the turnaround to occur.

"Since (GTA IV) was only in the market for five days during this reporting period, that sales lift could very well be evident in May data," opined NPD's Anita Frazier.