Nice workup by ZhugeEX @GAF
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ZhugeEX
June 2015 NPD - PlayStation 4 remains best selling hardware in the USA.
Please note that all numbers quoted below are based on estimates and therefore this report may not be 100% accurate.
The PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system sold the most hardware this month with about the same number of units sold through to end users as the Xbox One and Wii U totals combined. The PlayStation 4 continues to be the cumulative sales leader in the USA with more than 8.2 million units sold through to end users.
Unit sales were up across all 3 next gen consoles this month thanks to the release of Batman and an increased number of bundles and trade in deals on PS4 and XB1. The Wii U got it's increase thanks to the success of Splatoon. Total next gen home console sales were up 120% Month on Month and up 21% Year over Year. The below takes a look at how console unit sales have done through the first 6 months of 2015 compared to the same time period in 2014.
As can be seen from the chart above, the PlayStation 4 has seen sales remain flat for the first 6 months of 2015 compared to sales in the same time-frame a year prior. The PlayStation 4 entered 2014 after a successful holiday season and remained hard to find on store shelves for the first quarter, sales were very healthy during the first 6 months of 2014 and we've seen that happen again this year despite the console remaining at the same price.
The Xbox One has seen a 17% increase for the first six months of 2015 compared to the same time frame last year. The console price has dropped $150 and new bundles have been introduced in order to promote the console and encourage additional sales. Whilst sales are up this year the cumulative total and half year total remains behind the PlayStation 4 which has remained at the same price and is now a higher price than the Xbox One. It'll be interesting to see how the console performs in the second half of the year which is usually much stronger than the first half for Microsoft.
The Nintendo Wii U saw sales decrease 10% YOY. The Wii U hasn't sold well in the USA with the install base less than half of the PlayStation 4 despite launching a year earlier. Last year the console received a sizeable boost during the Mario Kart 8 launch whilst this year we haven't seen that same boost despite very strong Splatoon sales. This shows that the Wii U install base isn't set to grow too much over the second half of the year as the majority of consumers who want a Wii U already own one at this point.
In total, the number of unit sales for gen 8 home consoles was up 4% YOY for the first half of 2015 with approximately 3.25 million units sold to end users.
The chart above shows how the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One have performed over the first 20 months of their life cycle in comparison to the first 36 months of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 life cycle. What can be seen straight away is how the PS4 and XB1 had amazing launches in the US which instantly put them higher than their predecessors.
Hindered by a high price and bad rep, the Xbox One failed to perform well during its first 12 months and looked like it could fall under the Xbox 360. However some price cuts and bundles + new titles ensured that the Xbox One had a great first holiday and has allowed the Xbox One to continue selling at a healthy pace ahead of the Xbox 360. However, it does look like the Xbox One is set to fall behind the 360 at some point which started off slowly but increased drastically later on.
The PlayStation 4 has seen continually healthy sales which has allowed it to remain the cumulative sales leader in the USA. There has been no price cut for the PlayStation 4 just yet and it really hasn't needed one. The PlayStation 4 is set to remain ahead of both the PS3 ad 360 when launches are aligned and is on track to have an excellent holiday season.
When looking at monthly sales we can see that the PlayStation 4 has consistently outsold the Xbox One each month since launch with the only exception being the holiday season and a couple of other months. Microsoft have been very aggressive during the holiday season and the results have shown that the Xbox brand still has a huge following in the US where it has been most successful over the years, however despite the lower price and large amount of value on offer the PlayStation 4 continues to remain ahead every month.
The second half of the year will be interesting to watch, especially after what happened last year. Microsoft are throwing their all at the Xbox One this holiday with Halo 5 and Tomb Raider launching exclusively on the system. Microsoft has done well to come close to the PlayStation 4's total which is something we haven't seen in a prior console generation and they'll certainly be looking to keep up with the PS4 if not over take it to become the cumulative sales leader.
As mentioned above, the PlayStation 4 has maintained a good lead over the Xbox One and that has grown this year. There is now 770,000 more PlayStation 4's in the hands of consumers compared to Xbox One's and this gap is set to grow even more. Microsoft will be hoping for a repeat of last year where they were able to close the gap down to around 500,000 and will be even happier if they can reduce the PS4 lead even more. However the Xbox One has had to go through a lot to keep up with PS4 in terms of unit sales and it won't have been cheap.
To date the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One have sold more than 15.7 million units combined.
When looking at yearly sales the PlayStation 4 sold 4.7 million units in 2014 whilst the Xbox One sold 4.4 million units in 2014. In total the PlayStation 4 sold 300,000 more units that year. This year the PlayStation 4 has a lead of 300,000 units already and is set to grow that lead. It'll be interesting to see which console will sell more in 2015 and by how much as trends indicate that it could be a closer battle this year than last year.
At this point I'm forecasting that more than 7 million PlayStation 4's and Xbox One's to be sold in the USA during the second half of the year leading to a total of approximately 10 million sales across both consoles for CY2015 in comparison to 9 million for CY2014. I believe this will be fuelled by strong Xbox One sales during the holiday thanks to increased value, exclusive titles (Halo) and increased marketing. I also expect the PlayStation 4 to receive some sort of price cut this year, either temporary or permanent & either standalone or bundle in order to push console sales this year. Couple that with the exclusive titles for PS4 and third party partnership games and we are set for the PS4 to have an amazing holiday as well.
*All numbers used above have been rounded.
Last edited by ZhugeEX; Today at 12:25 PM.
