All purpose Sales and Sales Rumors and Anecdotes [2018 Edition]

[djskribbles]

It's around where X360 was at this point in its life. But the next year of comparison will include Kinect, I believe, which gave X360 a massive late life sales boost, so that's when XBO will star to compare unfavorably to X360.

But as of now, it's basically doing roughly the same as X360. It had a better start, but is slowing down a little more quickly. And if not for the launch of the XBO-X, it might be faring quite a bit worse.

Regards,
SB

Sales are similar up to this point, but their trajectories are very different. X360 didn't fly off the shelves right away, they built their brand with great software support first, then kinect gave X360 a late boost. XB1 started off very strong, due to MS establishing themselves in the console space with X360. But it has been a downwards slope ever since the first year or so.

XB1X (along with everything else Phil Spencer has done) has kept XB1 from crashing, and he has set themselves up well for next gen.

 

[London Geezer]

MS is setup to do well next gen, though. I think XB2 has a good chance of overtaking PS5 in the US.

How?

 

[djskribbles]

How?

They've learned from their mistakes and put gaming in the forefront. XB1X is a good piece of hardware. Gamepass is a good service. Backwards compatibility, while not used by a lot of gamers, is a great feature. And most importantly, they've rebuilt their first-party studios. It remains to be seen if they can produce the level of quality software as Sony or Nintendo. But IMO they are in a good position to do well next gen, particularly in the US/UK. It will be extremely difficult to compete with Sony outside of those markets though.

 

[chris1515]

They've learned from their mistakes and put gaming in the forefront. XB1X is a good piece of hardware. Gamepass is a good service. Backwards compatibility, while not used by a lot of gamers, is a great feature. And most importantly, they've rebuilt their first-party studios. It remains to be seen if they can produce the level of quality software as Sony or Nintendo. But IMO they are in a good position to do well next gen, particularly in the US/UK. It will be extremely difficult to compete with Sony outside of those markets though.

The strategy is very different than the Sony one for first party studio. Sony produce mainly AAA games single player game, Microsoft bought many AA studios for the Gamepass service. Sony is more like a Holywood studio and Microsoft try to establish the Gamepass as Netflix of gaming.

Microsoft can take back the leadership in US and UK but if they don't disrupt Sony by the Xcloud service and/or by augmented reality they will not dominate Sony. They needed the Kinect Boost to sold much more than Sony in US for example.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Backwards compatibility, while not used by a lot of gamers, is a great feature.

I think this will bite Microsoft in the butt in the future. It may be good for consumers, but I can't see how this is good for Microsoft.

 

[Michellstar]

I think this will bite Microsoft in the butt in the future. It may be good for consumers, but I can't see how this is good for Microsoft.

Care to explain?

Limiting their options in architectural changes, rendering paradigms, maintenance costs of running old soft in future hardware?

 

[mrcorbo]

I think this will bite Microsoft in the butt in the future. It may be good for consumers, but I can't see how this is good for Microsoft.

I would expect MS to have a pretty good understanding of the challenges of providing long-term software compatibility given the decades of experience they have had doing so with Windows. If any company could devise platform frameworks that accounted for and mitigated those challenges it would be them.

 

[mrcorbo]

The strategy is very different than the Sony one for first party studio. Sony produce mainly AAA games single player game, Microsoft bought many AA studios for the Gamepass service. Sony is more like a Holywood studio and Microsoft try to establish the Gamepass as Netflix of gaming.

Microsoft can take back the leadership in US and UK but if they don't disrupt Sony by the Xcloud service and/or by augmented reality they will not dominate Sony. They needed the Kinect Boost to sold much more than Sony in US for example.

I'm not sure of this. There was enough of a market shift here during the 360 gen that the generic cultural term for game console changed from "Playstation" to "Xbox" and the most common console you saw people using in popular media switched as well (movies, TV shows, reality shows, etc.). Obviously, the Kinect boost helped push the gap out further, but it would still have been pretty big without it.

 

[chris1515]

I'm not sure of this. There was enough of a market shift here during the 360 gen that the generic cultural term for game console changed from "Playstation" to "Xbox" and the most common console you saw people using in popular media switched as well (movies, TV shows, reality shows, etc.). Obviously, the Kinect boost helped push the gap out further, but it would still have been pretty big without it.

The domination would have probably been less obvious without Kinect. And Sony regain some trust in US but not enough for been the better brand. It T'think Xbox is a better brand in US but this is not enough to destroy Sony like they did with Kinect. If Sony do the same error MS did with the Xbox One and MS do the right product, I am sure the difference of sales will never be only 4 millions it will be bigger (10+ millions) but not a slaughter like 360 + Kinect.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I'm not sure of this. There was enough of a market shift here during the 360 gen that the generic cultural term for game console changed from "Playstation" to "Xbox" and the most common console you saw people using in popular media switched as well (movies, TV shows, reality shows, etc.). Obviously, the Kinect boost helped push the gap out further, but it would still have been pretty big without it.

Though I agree with your sentiment, I thought the reason XB was seen in media was a push by MS marketing. Same reason you see lots of Surface Pros on TV instead of iPads etc.

https://theoutline.com/post/2923/th...ealistic-thing-on-television?zd=1&zi=5u7zpcb6

 

[BRiT]

I thought it was because it's easier for the viewing audience to believe the characters would use a device running actual computer software with a lower price than Apple products, just like it is in the corporate environments.

 

[mrcorbo]

Though I agree with your sentiment, I thought the reason XB was seen in media was a push by MS marketing. Same reason you see lots of Surface Pros on TV instead of iPads etc.

https://theoutline.com/post/2923/th...ealistic-thing-on-television?zd=1&zi=5u7zpcb6

This wasn't really a thing during the 360 era. You saw the 360 in people's homes in popular media because that's what people had in their homes in real life. One of the things I mentioned was "reality TV'. On TV shows that showed a window into celebrities' lives (athlete's, actors, musician's) when you saw a game console pop up (on a tour bus, in a "pimped" ride, in someone's "crib") it was inevitably going to be an Xbox 360.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

This wasn't really a thing during the 360 era. You saw the 360 in people's homes in popular media because that's what people had in their homes in real life. One of the things I mentioned was "reality TV'. On TV shows that showed a window into celebrities' lives (athlete's, actors, musician's) when you saw a game console pop up (on a tour bus, in a "pimped" ride, in someone's "crib") it was inevitably going to be an Xbox 360.

Yup, just like during the PS2 era, you saw PS2's put into custom vehicles, inside celebrity homes, sports personalities playing on PS2's in pre-game spots on TV, etc.

During the X360/PS3 generation, most of that shifted to the X360 (at least in the US) being shown tangentially in these "reality" spots.

Outside of the US, Canada, and UK, this transition to X360 was probably less pronounced. I'd imagine in places like France, for instance, you'd have been more likely to see a PS3 in a Sport Celebrity's mansion on TV versus an X360 in a Sport Celebrity's mansion in the US.

Regards,
SB

 

[goonergaz]

The reason was probably one of many. I think MS sent out a load of consoles to hip celebs. But also 360 was out a year before PS3 and so had sold ~3m by the time is was released. A year later 360 had roughly a 3:1 advantage.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Care to explain?

I would expect MS to have a pretty good understanding of the challenges of providing long-term software compatibility given the decades of experience they have had doing so with Windows

Not the right thread but I believe Microsoft may have forced Sony's hand in making backwards compatibility a high priority for PS5 and if so this means that regardless of what the next Xbox will offer, Microsoft have an even greater uphill battle convincing this generation of PlayStation owners to abandon their software environment. It works the other way too but PlayStation has the larger base. If B/C had been day one, those PS2 owners who went to 360 may still be in Microsoft's garden.

 

[iroboto]

Not the right thread but I believe Microsoft may have forced Sony's hand in making backwards compatibility a high priority for PS5 and if so this means that regardless of what the next Xbox will offer, Microsoft have an even greater uphill battle convincing this generation of PlayStation owners to abandon their software environment. It works the other way too but PlayStation has the larger base. If B/C had been day one, those PS2 owners who went to 360 may still be in Microsoft's garden.

I’m not sure how much of it is really MS doing. I mean this generation was probably the last generation to get away with not doing BC, we have way too many games right now that are persistent GaaS titles. People aren’t going to accept having to rebuy those titles and wait for their beloved games to be remade for the next console.

I think if MS said they wouldn’t do BC Sony would happily be ignorant on it as well. But because MS went all in with BC, Sony doesn’t have a choice to be ignorant on the topic because they’ll suffer a similar issue that MS suffered when the new consoles launch: population reset/death of MP titles. Giving a reason for players to also reset and decide where they want to put their money.

Xbox is not like Sony; they didnt corner out the single player market in which BC had little value. They cornered out the MP market.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I think if MS said they wouldn’t do BC Sony would happily be ignorant on it as well.

Kind of moot as it's the opposite of Microsoft's messaging. Forwards portable code is the goal of their key tent technical initiatives. It's also the right time technically. I.e. PS2 had full b/c with PS1 but going from high-res 16:9 PS2 games back to low-res 4:3 PS1 gams with janky-warping 3D was rough. Last gen to current gen was iterative and the next leap likely will be too. Who wants to lose their Gears, Halo, Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us, Spider-Man, Sea of Thieves, Mass Effect, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, The Witcher, Tomb Raider, Far Cry, Call of Duty, Battlefield/front, Assassin's Creed game libraries?

 

[AlNom]

Who wants to lose their Gears, Halo, Uncharted, God of War, The Last of Us, Spider-Man, Sea of Thieves, Mass Effect, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, The Witcher, Tomb Raider, Far Cry, Call of Duty, Battlefield/front, Assassin's Creed game libraries?

Disenfranchised fans.

I'll leave it at that.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Disenfranchised fans.

You can't lose the bad, without also the losing the good. I mean, how many times are Microsoft going to want to remaster Halo? Just release it on Windows goddamit.

 

[mrcorbo]

Not the right thread but I believe Microsoft may have forced Sony's hand in making backwards compatibility a high priority for PS5 and if so this means that regardless of what the next Xbox will offer, Microsoft have an even greater uphill battle convincing this generation of PlayStation owners to abandon their software environment. It works the other way too but PlayStation has the larger base. If B/C had been day one, those PS2 owners who went to 360 may still be in Microsoft's garden.

Got it. Well, there's always generational turnover as some will have bought their last console this gen and some will be buying their first next gen, so there's still an opportunity to grab market share if you make a superior product.